Year: 1887

page_text: I, JOHN WESLEY HYATT, of Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States of
America, Engineer, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to precipitate the impurities in the feed water and to
separate them from the water by filtration, before the water is introduced to the boiler;
and the annexed drawings show means for effectually separating such impurities by
heating the water, for frequently cleansing the filter, and for circulating the contents
of the boiler through the filter when the feed is not required.
Fig. 1 shows in vertical section a filter adapted for frequent cleansing, Fig. 2.
shows a plan of the filter shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows a plan of the rotating washer
arm, Fig. 4 is a section of the same on line y, y, in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 shows a side view of
one of the outlet strainers, Fig. 6 a section of the same on line z, z, in Fig. 5, and
Fig. 7 the side of such strainer at one end; Fig. 8 a section of a different strainer.
Figs. 3 to 8 inclusive, are upon a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 9 represents
a boiler with the brick setting in section, and a filter and pump connected therewith
in such manner as to carry out my invention. Fig. 10 is an enlarged section of the
steam and water mixer.
In Fig. 9, a is a steam boiler, b a filter of any construction and shown of plain
cylindrical form, c a pump which may be actuated by crank d and pulley e, or any
other means.
fis the suction pipe of this pump shown connected with a feed pump g, and h is the
supply pipe of the latter to draw water from a well, tank, or aqueduct.
is a pipe by
which the water is delivered from the pump c to the filter b, and k is a pipe delivering
the filtered water from the filter to the boiler a. is a pipe to lead the fluid in the
boiler to the suction pipe f, and m is a regulator or pressure reducing valve inserted
in the pipe and adjusted to the pressure in the suction pipe f.
P
is a stop valve in pipe I, and h¹ a stop valve in pipe h.
n is a steam pipe extended from the boiler to the pipe f and supplied with valve o.
is a mixer at the junction of the pipes n and f.
'
:

page_text: The object sought is partly to heat the water, before its passage through the filter
to the boiler, to precipitate the impurities and retain them in the filter. Such heating
is effected by mingling steam from the boiler with the feed water.
To facilitate the further purification of the boiler fluid the pump used for feeding
may also be used to circulate the boiler fluid through the filter, and my present
improvements include the application of a pressure reducing valve in the pipe 7 which
conducts the boiler fluid to the suction of the feed pump, to reduce the pressure
of such fluid below the pressure of the feed water. The apparatus may
be con-
structed with only one of the pumps if desired, and the operation would then be as
follows.
When feeding only, the cock would be closed, and the water supplied to the
suction would be heated by steam admitted through the cock o.
In such case the pressure of the steam would have to be reduced below that of the
fluid supplied to the suction pipe, for which purpose a pressure reducing valve n² is
shown in the pipe n.
When no feed was required, the supply to the suction pipe would be cut off and
the valve o closed; and the opening of the valve would then permit the pump c to
circulate the contents of the boiler continuously through the filter; the boiler fluid
being drawn through the pipe and returned through the pipe k.
When only one pump is used the steam admitted through the cock o requires
reduction in pressure equal to that of the feed water supply, and the temperature
imparted to the water is not therefore so great as if the full pressure and temperature
of steam in the boiler could be applied to the feed water. To effect the mixing of such
high pressure steam with the feed water is the object of the pump g; which is made
of suitable size to feed the boiler. The pump c then operates as a circulating pump
and is made larger than the pump g, to produce by its suction, a diminution of the
pressure in the pipe f, so that the full head of steam may be admitted through the
cock o and the high temperature desired be imparted to the feed water.
The mixer (see Fig. 10) consists in a vessel p through which the water passes,
into which the steam is introduced through a spiral wire coil q.
and
The coil has a stopper at one end, and the steam can only escape into the tank by
separating the wire coils, and thus issuing into the water in thin films, which are
readily mixed with the water, and easily condensed. is a plate to deflect the water
against the upper part of the coil. With the two pumps thus operated, the feed may
be heated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit with a boiler pressure of 60 pounds per square
inch, and such high temperature will produce a correspondingly great precipitation of
the impurities in the water.
It will be understood that with only one pump the water may be heated by the use
of the reducing valve n³, but that no such valve is needed when two pumps are
employed.
The reducing valve m is also required with one pump, but with two pumps no
valve m would be required, as the pump c would have capacity to deliver all the feed
water supplied by the pump g and an additional volume of boiler fluid from the pipe l;
both of which fluids would be mingled together and passed through the filter to the
boiler at once.
By these improvements a boiler may be kept entirely free from scale, and a dirty
boiler may be wholly cleansed, as the impurities may be gradually dissolved and with-
drawn by circulating the boiler fluid through the filter. In the filter devised for this
purpose, A is the casing formed with a cylindrical shell and dome shaped heads, and
provided with a hand-hole A¹ to introduce the required fixtures, and with a stuffing
box G upon the top for the passage of a stem G for turning the washer arm to direct
the fluid used for washing upon different parts of the bed. B is the water supply
pipe, B a gate-valve to direct the water above the sand bed C for purification, and B
a valve to direct the water into the rotating arm D beneath the outlet strainers E to
wash the filter bed. B³ is an outlet cock in waste pipe N. The strainers E discharge
all the filtered water to pipe F.

page_text: The arm D is fixed to a hollow hub H fitted within a tubular step or socket I, and is
rotated by a stem G and hand-piece G¹.
A washer H' forms the joint between the socket I and the hub H, and a spring H²
upon the stem G, serves to press the parts together.
A toothed ratchet P is secured on the stem G, and the oscillation of the hand-
piece G¹ serves, by engaging with the teeth upon the ratchet, to move the stem and
washer arm D around within the filter bed.
The arm D is provided with check valves J upon its lower side.
The outlet strainers as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, are formed by wrapping a wire K
in coils or rings around a tubular core K₁ with fine intermediate spaces. Holes L
in the sides of the tube lead the water which escapes from the filter bed through such
spaces into the interior of the tube, whence it is conducted to the outlet pipe k.
Fig. 8 shows an alternative construction for the strainer with the core of ribbed
section instead of tubular form.
The washer arm D is placed below the outlet strainers E and has its discharge
valves J formed on its lower side, so as to wash the filter bed by discharging the
washing water downward, thus cleansing the lowest portions of the bed first, and the
fluid subsequently rising through the sand to the surface of the bed, and escaping with
its contained impurities through the waste pipe N, which would be closed by the cock B³
when filtering.
The turning of the washer arm D about the sleeve I discharges the water successively
beneath all the portions of the bed, and the entire bed is thus washed in successive
portions by a single rotation of such arm. When the washing is completed, the
valve B is closed to cut the water off from the sleeve I, and the cock B¹ opened to
direct it above the bed through pipe O, the fluid then passing downward through the
sand or other filtering material C, and escaping through the pipe F.
The core K' is shown with notches at its corners to guide the wire, and with
channels L¹ formed in its sides by casting, but round tubes may be used by cutting
grooves in their sides, and the wire K may be properly wrapped around such tube by
cutting upon it a screw thread a little coarser than the diameter of the wire.
The valves J are shown held normally within holes in the lower side of the washer
arm by springs P, which are expanded to allow the passage of the fluid, and then retract
the valves to prevent the entrance of sand. Any other form of valve may be used.
Such a filter may be cleaned as often as desired, and may thus be kept in the highest
state of efficiency. The form of filter casing shown in Fig. 1, is that which is preferred,
but the improvements may be applied to existing filters of any form, by attaching the
necessary fixtures thereto.
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 :-
:-
1st. In a water purifier for steam boilers, the combination, with a pump and filter
operated to remove the impurities from the water, of a steam pipe applied to the suction
pipe of the pump, and a pressure reducing valve in such steam pipe to reduce the
steam pressure to that of the water supply, as and for the purpose set forth.
2nd. In a water purifier for steam boilers, the combination, with a pump and filter
operated to remove the impurities from the water, of the pipe for delivering the
boiler fluid to the suction of the pump, and provided with the pressure reducing
valve m to reduce the pressure of the boiler fluid to that of the water supply, as
and for the purpose set forth.
3rd. In a water purifier for steam boilers, the combination, with a feed pump 9,
of a circulating pump c of larger capacity, the pipe or passage f conducting the feed
water from the feed pump to the circulating pump, and a pipe as l or n conducting
the boiler fluid or the steam from the boiler to the pipe f, as and for the purpose
set forth.
4th. The mixer for mingling steam and water, consisting in the vessel p having
inlets for the steam and water, and one of the inlets furnished with a closed wire

page_text: coil to discharge the fluid within the chamber in thin films, as and for the purpose
set forth.
5th. The filter having the bed of granular material C, the outlet strainer pipes E,
and the washer arm D arranged below the strainer pipes E and movable around
a central pivot, and provided with a water supply to wash the filter bed, and
with water outlets to discharge the water downward, substantially as set forth.
6th. In a filter, the construction for the outlet strainers, consisting in the core K¹
having external longitudinal channels L', and metallic rings or coils applied over such
channels, with intermediate spaces for the passage of the water, substantially as
set forth.
7th. In a filter, the construction for the washer arm, consisting in the perforated
tubular sleeve I, the arm D rotated upon the same by the shaft G, and the self-closing
valves J inserted in apertures in the lower side of the arm, as and for the purpose
set forth.