An Improved Mode of and Apparatus for Effecting the Separation of Water from its Calcareous Impurities.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date Clammed for atent under
being date of first Foreign Application (in 20th Nov., 1893
Belgium),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 19th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 26th Jan., 1895
Belgium),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 19th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 26th Jan., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Mode of and Apparatus for Effecting the Separation
of Water from its Calcareous Impurities.
I ALFRED DERVAUX, Engineer, of 96 Boulevard Anspach, Brussels in the
Kingdom of Belgium, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
It is known that ebullition, in eliminating the carbonic acid, precipitates the
carbonate of lime in solution in calcareous water.
For this purpose, it is of no use heating water up to boiling point only it must be
boiled for a certain time, that is to say, a sufficiently large number of heat units
must be passed through it, which will not further raise its temperature, but which
will vaporise it in part.
It is this which renders purification by ebullition in itself very expensive.
The object of the apparatus is to render the purification costless or inexpensive,
by the condensation of the steam disengaged by the ebullition, and thus to recuperate
this steam, either for heating water, or for drawing exhaust steam from engines
through the water, and thus to boil the same without cost.
The apparatus consists, in principle, of a receiver, receiving at its upper part, by
a pipe, the water to be purified, which falls into it in the form of spray, in passing
through an empty space above the level of the water.
This spray water is heated in the receiver by live steam from the boilers,
or by waste steam entering in at the bottom of the receiver by means of a pipe.
The receiver communicates, at its lower part, by a pipe, with a second receiver,
and a pipe joins the two receivers at their upper part.
To this pipe, at about the level of the water in the apparatus, is connected the
suction pipe of any kind of pump for drawing the water from the apparatus, after it
has traversed, if desired, a filter.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The pump being set in motion,
and the water entering in a quantity inferior to the volume which the pump is
capable of drawing, a partial vacuum or lowering of pressure, is produced in the
receiver, and the live or waste steam entering and traversing the water in the receiver,
causes it to boil as soon as the temperature has attained the point of ebullition
corresponding to this vacuum or loss of pressure. The vapour disengaged by the
ebullition is condensed by the water entering the receiver.
The ebullition, by the lowering of pressure, is thus kept up, at the same time
that the disengaged steam is thus utilized for the preliminary heating of this water,
and that, by the loss of pressure, or the vacuum resulting from this condensation, is

page_text: produced eventually the suction of the waste steam from the machine through the
water in the receiver, which is caused to boil without cost.
Naturally, the saine result may be obtained by putting the vacuum, or condensation
chamber, in connection, by a pipe with an existing condenser.
The steam inlet pipe is provided with circulating orifices so arranged as to
prevent shocks during the entrance of the steam into the water, as frequently
happens.
After ebullition for a sufficient time in the receiver, the partially purified water,-
but which is still thickened by the carbonate of lime held in suspension,-passes by
a pipe into the lower receiver, in which it rises slowly, while decanting itself,
and it leaves there, purified and clear, by the exit pipe, after having passed through
a filter, if necessary, being drawn by the pump which delivers it to the boilers, or
into a reservoir.
The use of the decanter is however not essential.
The apparatus may work at all temperatures:-thus, water coming from the feed
pump, after having passed, or not, through reheaters, can rise into the apparatus
placed above the boilers, and there be heated to the temperature of these latter by
live steam entering by the steam pipe.
Under these conditions, the pressure of the steam becomes sufficient to cause
the water to run directly by the outlet pipe into the boilers, by reason of the
difference of levels, after having been boiled in the receiver and been decanted.
The same principles are naturally applicable to all pressures as well as to all
temperatures.
Here the air and the gases are withdrawn from the apparatus by a small air
cock placed at its upper part, which delivers them into the air.
The decanter may be furnished with partitions or other decantation surfaces,
and it may be placed by the side of, instead of being placed below, the boiling
receptacle, according to its position and the height available.
A suitably placed water level indicator is also provided. The apparatus
naturally includes the usual floats and valves necessary according to the particular
application.
In the case of water, necessitating besides boiling, the use of certain re-agents,
the water may be charged with them before its entry into the apparatus, or
may be introduced directly therein, having recourse to distributing apparatus
described in the Specification of my Patent of the 4th July 1888, No. 9756, or
to others in ordinary use.
Dated this 20th day of February 1894.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
An Improved Mode of and Apparatus for Effecting the Separation
of Water from its Calcareous Impurities.
I, ALFRED DERVAUX, Engineer, of 96 Boulevard Anspach, Brussels in the
Kingdom of Belgium, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
It is known that ebullition, in eliminating the carbonic acid, precipitates the
carbonate of lime in solution in calcareous waters.
For this purpose, it is of no use merely heating the water up to boiling point; it
must be boiled for a certain length of time.

page_text: The apparatus consists, in principle, of a receiver R, receiving at its upper part.
by a pipe A, the water to be purified. The incoming water falls into a dish-shaped
piece between which and the top of the receiver R is a space M above the level of
the water in the receiver. From the dish-shaped piece the incoming water overflows
in a thin stream, or in a number of fine streams, into the receiver.
This spray water is heated in the receiver R by live steam from the boilers, or by
waste steam entering in at the bottom of the receiver, by means of a pipe B, and
drawn through the water as about to be described.
The receiver R communicates, at its lower part, by a pipe T, with a second
receiver D, and a pipe H joins the two receivers at their upper part.
To this pipe H, at about the level of the water in the apparatus, is connected the
outlet pipe C.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Suppose a pump drawing on the
pipe C, and water entering at A in a quantity inferior to the volume which the
pump is capable of drawing,—a partial vacuum or lowering of pressure is produced
in the space M, and the live or waste steam entering by the pipe B, traverses the
water in the receiver, and causes it to boil. The vapour disengaged by the ebullition
is condensed by the water entering the receiver at A.
Naturally, the same result may be obtained by putting the vacuum or condensation
chamber M in connection, by the pipe H, with an existing condenser.
The water can in this case be introduced into the apparatus at any convenient
point.
After ebullition for a sufficient time in the receiver R, the partially purified water,
but which is still thickened by the carbonate of lime held in suspension, passes by the
pipe T into the lower receiver D, in which it rises slowly while decanting itself, and
it leaves there, purified and clear, by the exit pipe C.
The apparatus may work at all temperatures & pressures. It may be placed above
the boilers, and receive the water coming from the feed pump, this water being heated
in the apparatus by the live steam entering by the steam pipe B.
Under these conditions, provided that the section of B is sufficient, there is
established in M, notwithstanding condensation, a pressure of steam sufficient to
cause the water to run directly by the outlet pipe C into the boilers, by reason of
the difference of levels, after having been boiled in the receiver R, and been decanted
in D, as has been seen.
Here the air and gases are withdrawn from the apparatus by a small air-cock
placed at its upper part.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Placing a receiver R in communication with a condenser, by an upper
chamber M, left open at the upper part of the receiver, introducing at any point
into the receiver the water to be purified, and causing it to be traversed by live
steam, or waste steam, and thus boiling it in a vacuum in the condenser.
2. Introducing the water to be purified into a. receiver R, by an upper pipe A,
and causing it to pass through a chamber M at the top of the receiver; drawing
off from the chamber M, by means of a pump, through a pipe C, the air and the
gases; passing through the water contained in the receiver, live steam or waste
steam admitted by the pipe B; & causing the water thus to boil in a vacuum
produced by the pump, aud by the condensation of the vapour disengaged by the
ebullition, by the water to be purified entering at A.
3. Placing the receiver R above the boilers; receiving in this vessel, by an
upper pipe A, the water forced by the feed pump, while always maintaining the
upper vacuum chamber M in the receiver; passing through the water in the receiver,
steam from the boilers admitted by the pipe B, and thus making it boil, at the
same time obtaining a sufficient pressure of steam in M to cause the water to run

page_text: directly from the apparatus in use into the boilers, through the pipe C, by simple
gravity, the air and the gases disengaged by the ebullition escaping from the
apparatus by a cock placed at the upper part.
Dated this 14th day of November 1894.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.