Improvements in Apparatus for Distilling Sea Water, and Supplying Fresh Water to Marine-boilers, or for other purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Apr., 1891-Accepted, 9th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Distilling Sea Water, and Supplying
Fresh Water to Marine-boilers, or for other purposes.
I, JOHN GILMOUR, of 64 St. James Street, off Paisley Road, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction or
arrangement and combination of the parts of apparatus, for distilling sea water and
supplying fresh water to marine steam boilers and engines on board of steam-ships
or other vessels, worked with surface condensers, for that lost in the working of
these boilers and engines by leakage or otherwise during the voyage; which
apparatus is susceptible of considerable modification, but of the same essential
construction and functional action in connection with the engine. This apparatus
is simple and inexpensive in its maintenance, and will supply the fresh water lost in
these boilers and engines, without the use of a feed pump; and further save the
necessity of feeding the boilers with salt-water for making up such loss, which
frequently salts them up; or otherwise require the use of a special boiler and
distilling apparatus for making fresh water for this purpose.
This apparatus
is also applicable for supplying fresh water for passengers use or other purposes.
The nature and novelty of this invention consist all as follows:-Under one
simple construction and arrangement, the apparatus would consist of a large close
horizontal cylindrical or other shaped evaporating vessel with strong capped flanged
ends and longitudinal screw stay bolts, so as to withstand any maximum pressure
from without or within while working. This vessel would be fed with salt water
to a level of about one third of its depth or so, preferably warm or about
120 degrees Fahrenheit from the discharge chamber of the surface condenser, or
circulating water of main engines through a pipe led into the end of the vessel,
below the water level. This pipe would have a regulating valve or cock on it,
to regulate the level and supply of the water, and the front of the vessel would be
fitted with a glass water gange (such as used on steam-boilers) for indicating and
regulating the water level by, and also be fitted with a removable cleaning or man-
hole door at the end or ends. A steam pipe from the boiler or exhaust steam from
the high pressure cylinder of main engines would be led and jointed to a steam
casing with removable end cover at the lower part of the front end of the
evaporating vessel, and be fitted with a regulating steam-valve or cock outside.
A series of duplex or concentric boiling steam tubes would be fitted within the
lower part of this evaporating vessel immersed in the sea water fed into the vessel.
And the outer or larger of these tubes would extend horizontally from a casing
fitted at the front end plate of vessel behind the steam casing, to near the
other or back end of vessel, and would be open at front casing end but plugged or
closed in at the other end. While the inner small concentric tubes would be open
at both ends and extend from a tube plate at the steam casing at front end of vessel
to near the other end of outer tubes. The steam in casing would pass inwards
through these inner concentric tubes to back end, and return through the outer
tubes to the inner casing which they enter and thus boil or heat the surrounding sea
water in which these tubes are immersed. All steam required for boiling off the
sea water in vessel is drained or returned back in water from this inner casing
of outer tubes through a pipe and cock to the hot-well and is pumped back into
boiler.
Instead of these duplex concentric boiling steam tubes being fitted horizontally
they may be fitted in series vertically in the lower sea water space of the

page_text: evaporating vessel with their end casings at the bottom or lower end of
vessel.
A large perforated horizontal pipe would be fitted along the upper side or steam
space of the vessel and be connected to a valve chest outside fitted with a safety
valve and a drawing off valve to conduct the steam boiled or evaporated off the salt
water in this steam vessel to the casing of low pressure cylinder or to the vacuum
space of the surface condenser, where it would be condensed and thus make up all
loss in main boilers with fresh water, and maintain the vacuum in this evaporating
vessel above the surface of the water. This arrangement will enable the water to
boil in racuo, and so evaporate the water at a comparatively low temperature from
the high pressure steam used and consequently with much less expenditure of steam
and heat than would be required for supplying the same quantity of water in a
special distilling apparatus.
This vessel would evaporate any desired quantity of sea water and feed it to the
condenser where it would be condensed and fed to the boilers by the pumps in the
usual manner, all acting as an automatic fresh water supply feeder for making up
the loss or waste of fresh water to the engine and boiler; or otherwise the steam
evaporated from the salt water might be led by a separate branch, valve, and pipe
to a water heater for feeding the boilers or other purposes and thus utilize the heat
in the steam. When fresh water is required for passenger use, the steam from the
evaporator is turned on to ordinary still, and condensed and purified, and delivered
into tanks when required. When in port the donkey boiler can supply any quantity
of fresh water with this evaporator without salting up the boiler as usual, as all
steam taken from it is returned back in water. The salt deposited in the lower
part of the vessel and tubes would be removed when required by withdrawing the
front end casing and tubes and cleaning them, and the lower part of the vessel
would preferably be fitted with a blow-off cock for blowing off the saturated brine
and deposited salt when desired.
A ball or other float would be attached to the free end of a lever within the
evaporating vessel, the other end of lever being fulcrumed on a spindle within a
stuffing box chest or casing bolted or rivetted on the outside of the vessel, and
counterweighted by a balance weight attached to a lever secured on the end of
spindle outside the stuffing box. A connecting rod would have its one end attached
to lever on the spindle of the cock or valve admitting the salt water to the
evaporator from the circulating discharge or feed pumps, so as to automatically
shut off the supply of salt water to the evaporator when it rose too high
within.
Dated the 2nd Tu 1900
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Distilling Sea Water, and Supplying
Fresh Water to Marine-boilers, or for other purposes.
I, JOHN GILMOUR of 64 St. James Street, off Paisley Road, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had
to the accompanying drawings, that is to say :-
This invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction or
arrangement and combination of the parts of apparatus, for distilling sea water and
supplying fresh water to marine steam boilers and engines on board of steam-ships
or other vessels, worked with surface condensers, for that lost in the working of
these boilers and engines by leakage or otherwise during the voyage; which
apparatus is susceptible of considerable modification, but of the same essential
construction and functional action in connection with the engine. This apparatus

page_text: is simple and inexpensive in its maintenance, and will supply the fresh water lost in
these boilers and engines, without the use of a feed pump; and further save the
necessity of feeding the boilers with salt water for making up such loss, which
frequently salts them up; or otherwise require the use of a special boiler
and distilling apparatus for making fresh water for this purpose. This appa-
ratus is also applicable for supplying fresh water for passengers use or other
purposes.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended two explanatory sheets of drawings, in which the same reference letters
are used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet I are a longitudinal sectional elevation and a transverse
section respectively of a horizontal arrangement of evaporating or distilling apparatus
as constructed in accordance with my improvements.
Figures 3 and 4 are corresponding side and front elevations of the apparatus,
Figure 5 on Sheet 2 is a part sectional end view of the evaporator showing an
improved ball float lever arrangement for automatically regulating the supply of
salt water thereto. And
Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of a vertical arrangement of my new or improved
evaporating or distilling apparatus.
Referring to these drawings.-Under the construction and arrangement shown in
Figures 1 to 4, the apparatus consists of a large close horizontal cylindrical or
other shaped evaporating vessel A with strong capped and riveted flanged ends A'
and longitudinal screw stay bolts A", so as to withstand any maximum pressure
from without or within while working. This vessel A. is fed with salt water W to
a level of about one third or one half of its depth or so, preferably warm or about
120 degrees Fahrenheit from the discharge chamber of the surface condenser, or
circulating water of main engines through a pipe B led into the end of the vessel A
below the water level. This pipe B has a regulating valve or cock B¹ on it, to
regulate the level and supply of the water, and the front of the vessel would be fitted
with a glass water gauge B" (such as used on steam boilers) for indicating and
regulating the water level by, and also be fitted with a removable cleaning or man-
hole door A2 at the end or ends A'. A steam pipe C fitted with an inlet valve C¹
is led from the boiler or exhaust steam from the high pressure cylinder of main
engines and jointed to an outer steam casing C2 bolted by flanges C to an inner
casing D which is bolted by flanges D¹ to the end of the vessel A. A series of
duplex or central and annular boiling steam tubes a a¹ are fitted within the lower part
of this evaporating vessel A immersed in the sea water W fed into the vessel. And
the outer or larger of these tubes a¹, extends horizontally from the casing D fitted
at the front end plate of vessel behind the steam casing to near the other or back
end of vessel, where each may be supported by a stay plate or supports at A³, and
these outer annular tubes a¹ would be open at front casing end D but closed in at
the other end at A³. While the inner small concentric tubes a¹ are open at both
ends and extend from the tube plate at the outer steam casing C² at front end of
vessel A to near the other end of outer tubes a'. The steam in casing C² would
pass inwards through these inner concentric tubes ao back end, and return through
the outer tubes a¹ to the inner casing D which they enter and thus boil or heat the
surrounding sea water W in which these duplex tubes a a¹ are immersed. All
steam required for boiling off the sea water in vessel A is drained or returned back
in water from this inner casing D of water tubes a' through a cock and pipe at A¹
to the hot-well and is pumped back into the boiler. A large horizontal close ended
pipe A¹ perforated along the upper circumference, is fitted along the upper side or
steam space of the vessel A and is connected to a valve chest A5 outside fitted with
a loaded safety valve and drawing off valve to conduct by the pipe AⓇ the steam
boiled or evaporated off the salt water in this steam vessel A. to the casing of low
pressure cylinder, or to the vacuum space of the surface condenser, where it would
be condensed and thus make up all loss in main boilers with fresh water and

page_text: maintain the vacuum in this evaporating vessel above the surface of the water.
This arrangement will enable the water to boil in vacuo, and so evaporate the
water at a comparatively low temperature from the high pressure steam used
and consequently with much less expenditure of steam and heat than would
be required for supplying the same quantity of water in a special distilling
apparatus.
This vessel would evaporate any desired quantity of sea water and feed it to the
condenser where it would be condensed and fed to the boilers by the pumps in the
usual manner, all acting as an automatic fresh water supply feeder for making up
the loss or waste of fresh water to the engine and boiler; or otherwise the steam
evaporated from the salt water might be led by a separate branch, valve, and pipe
to a water heater for feeding the boilers or other purposes and thus utilize the heat
in the steam. When fresh water is required for passenger use, the steam from the
evaporator A and pipe A is turned on to ordinary still, and condensed and purified,
and delivered into tanks when required. When in port the donkey boiler can
supply any quantity of fresh water with this evaporator without salting up the
boiler as usual, as all steam taken from it is returned back in water. The salt
deposited in the lower part of the vessel and tubes would be removed when required
by withdrawing the front end casing C2 and tubes a, a', and cleaning them; and the
lower part of the vessel A would preferably be fitted with a blow-off cock B2 for
blowing off the saturated brine and deposited salt when desired. As shown in
Figure 5 a ball or other float b would or may be attached to the free end of a
lever b within the evaporating vessel A the other end of lever 61 being fulcrumed
on a spindle 11 within a stuffing box chest 62 or casing bolted or rivetted on the
outside of the vessel A, and counter-weighted by a balance weight 611 attached to
a lever secured on the end of a spindle outside the stuffing box 62. A connecting
rod would have its upper end attached to the lever 63 and its lower end attached
to lever on the spindle of the cock or valve B3 B admitting the salt water to the
evaporator A from the circulating discharge or feed pumps, so as to automatically
shut off the supply of salt water to the evaporator when it rose too high
within.
When the salt water is fed to the evaporator A by means of a pump instead
of by the pressure of the circulating pump the regulating valve B B¹ would be
fitted on the inlet water supply pipe to the pump and the connection made to the
float lever b to b³.
Instead of these duplex concentric boiling steam tubes a a¹ being fitted horizon-
tally as shown in Figures 1 to 4, they may be fitted in vertically in the lower sea
water space W of the evaporating vessel A as shown in the vertical arrangement of
evaporator A in Figure 6, with their end steam inlet C C at the bottom or lower
end of vessel. In Figure 6 the outer tube a' is shown of large diameter and dome
shaped on top; but it may be made smaller and of various shapes, such as of a
tapering or conoidal or inverted conoidal shape, and it may be corrugated. And a
series of any number of these duplex tubes a a' may be fitted either in vertical
or horizontal arrangements of the apparatus, in the removable end C2, D2, of
the vessel, the water being drawn off from this end by the lower cock and
pipe A¹¹¹
This arrangement of evaporator may also be used as a condenser for the exhaust
steam of the auxiliary engines on board ship by circulating cold water on outside of
tubes and taking the exhaust steam through the tubes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The construction, or arrangement and combination of the parts of
evaporating and distilling apparatus with duplex annular and concentric steam
heating tubes, and automatic water feed, substantially as herein described, in
reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Second. In evaporating or distilling apparatus, the construction and use of
duplex annular and central steam heating tubes either arranged in single or in
multiple sets within the water space of the vessel, and with separate steam inlet and
discharge chests or branches, substantially as herein described, in reference to and
shown in the accompanying drawings.
Third. In evaporating or distilling apparatus, the construction and use of a ball
or equivalent lever float working in connection with the inlet valve, for automatic-
ally shutting off the supply of salt water when it rose too high within the
evaporator, substantially as herein described, in reference to and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated the 2nd Anril 1891
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.