Filtering the Feed water for Pumps or Suction Pipes in Sinking Pits, Wells, Dry Docks, and the like; and for Filtering Water Generally.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 20th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 25th Jan., 1887.
Filtering the Feed water for Pumps or Suction Pipes in
Sinking Pits, Wells, Dry Docks, and the like; and for Filtering
Water Generally.
I, WILLIAM SELLAR, of 52 John Street, Sunderland, in the County of Durham,
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
By my invention I produce an apparatus for removing the impurities from feed
water before it enters the boiler, or is used for any purpose which requires clean and
pure water, which apparatus is effective, simple, and cheap.
The heating of the water (when required for feeding steam boilers), and the filtration
of impurities may be effected in one and the same vessel; or in some cases two vessels
may be used one for heating and the other for filtering. The filters are not only
applicable to steam boilers, but may be applied with great advantage in wells, or in
supply tanks or cisterns for domestic and other purposes, and generally where a
demand exists for water filtered from sand or other impurities.
According to my invention, and when one vessel is used I form a tank or vessel of
any suitable material, and of any required dimensions with a partition therein extending
upwards from the bottom to near the top of such tank or vessel. One of the divisions
thus formed is for the reception of the unfiltered water, and the other forms the filter.
The bottom of the filtering compartment I lay with a grating, or perforated pipe,
and upon such grating or pipe I place a mat, cushion, or pad composed of cowhair,
cotton, or some woolly or hempen matter, which cushion or pad I cover with a layer
of fine sand or charcoal. In one of the sides of this filtering compartment, at or
near the top, I provide a slush hole, or cock.
The unfiltered water is fed into the first compartment, where it is boiled by the
waste steam, or waste heat from the boilers, or by any other suitable or convenient
means, to separate all the lime, carbonates, earthy, oily, and greasy matters; it then

page_text: flows over the partition and enters the filtering compartment, the oily and greasy
matters floating at the surface are either blown or run off at the slush hole or cock
provided as aforesaid, and all sediment. such as sand, lime, and other impurities aro
left upon the top of the filtering bed before described, the water passing through such
filtering bed is pumped into the boilers hot, filtered, and pure.
Instead of one vessel, divided by a partition as above described, two separate vessels
may however be used; one for boiling the water, and the other for filtering same.
For filtering cold water in Tanks, Cisterns, rainwater casks, and the like I use the
filtering pads above described either with or without the sand or charcoal; and for
pumps and dry docks, and some other places I prefer to use a double set of perforated
pipes or roses," one inside the other; the space between such pipes being packed
with cowhair, or other suitable material.
«
Filtering apparatus constructed in accordance with this my invention provide
complete means for separating all the different products in the water; and will be
found of especial service in pumping dry docks, and in sinking pit shafts, where
chips, sand, and other extraneous matters cause injury or mischief to the draw boxes.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Heating, Purifying, and Filtering
Water Used for Feeding Steam Boilers; also Applicable for
Filtering the Feed Water for Pumps or Suction Pipes in
Sinking Pits, Wells, Dry Docks, and the like; and for Filtering
Water Generally.
I, WILLIAM SELLAR, of 52 John Street Sunderland in the County of Durham
Agent 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:-
My invention consists of an apparatus for removing the impurities from feed water
before it enters the boiler, or is used for any purpose which requires clean and pure
water, which apparatus is effective simple and cheap.
The heating of the water (when required for, say, feeding steam boilers) and the
filtration of impurities may be effected in one and the same vessel; or in some cases
two vessels may be used, one for heating and the other for filtering. The filters are
not only applicable to steam boilers, but may be applied with great advantage in wells,
or in supply tanks or cisterns for domestic and other purposes, and generally where a
demand exists for water filtered from sand or other impurities.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood I will describe the same
with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertica
section shewing so much of a filtering and heating apparatus and parts connected
therewith constructed according to my invention as will be necessary to describe same,
Figure 2 is a partial plan of a grating fitted over the stratum of filtering material and
Figure 3 is a partial vertical section of same on a larger scale than the previous
figure.
According to my invention (when one vessel is used,) I form a tank or vessel A of
any suitable material, and of any required dimensions with partitions A¹ A² therein
extending upwards from the bottom to near the top of such tank or vessel. One of
the divisions B thus formed is for the reception of the unfiltered water, the other C
forms the filter and contains the filtering medium, while the third division forms a
reservoir for the filtered water or it may be conveyed away by a pipe or otherwise as
circumstances require.
In the filtering compartment C I fit a grating, or perforated plate E and upon such
grating E or plate I place a mat, cushion, or pad composed of cowhair, cotton or other
woolly or hempen matter or of asbestos cloth but I prefer to employ a sheet or sheets
of material made from hair felt F as shewn at Figures 1 and 3 for I find that by the
employment of this material more water can be filtered in a given time and at
less cost.

page_text: I may cover the cushion with a layer of fine sand or charcoal but when the
filtering medium is made of hair felt as before mentioned the sand or charcoal may
be dispensed with.
On the top of the layer of felt FI place a second grating or perforated plate G and I
interpose between the top and bottom gratings E and G and on each side of the felt F,
two sheets of perforated metal H H, and generally I find perforated zinc to answer
the purpose well.
The two gratings G and E are compressed and held together by bolts and nuts J
and I preferably fit them into the upper part of the division C as shewn at Figure 1.
The unfiltered water is fed into the first compartment B, being boiled by the waste
steam, or waste heat from the boilers, or by any other suitable or convenient means,
to separate all the lime, carbonates, earthy oily and greasy matters.
K is the entrance pipe into the division B for the water to be filtered. K' is a
perforated plate fitted therein which divides the water and L is a steam injection pipe
for heating same.
The water then flows into the division B and the oily and greasy matters floating at
the surface are either blown or run off at the slush hole or cock or pipe M. The feed
water is conveyed from the division B by pipe N shown by dotted lines in Figuro 1
to the chamber where it is delivered preferably below the filtering material F and is
forced up and through same by the head of pressure in the chamber B and as the
water rises slowly through the filtering medium F the lime and mud remain in
suspension and partly settle on the bottom of the chamber C from which it is
from time to time run off by means of mud cocks and passages P. Or the filtering
medium may be fitted at the bottom of the filtering chamber and the water be forced
or allowed to permeate through same from above but I find that in the generality of
cases I have obtained the best results by injecting the water underneath the filtering
medium and forcing the water up through same as before mentioned. By taking the
water from the upper part of the chamber B by the pipe N much of the sediment
such as sand, lime, and other impurities are left in the chamber B and may be removed
therefrom by the mud cock and passage Pl. The water passing through the filtering
bed flows over the partition A2 and is received by the chamber D from whence
pumped into the boilers hot, filtered and pure.
18
When the water is passed through the filter as described with reference to Figure 1
I make the binding bolts J hollow, or of small pipes to carry off the gases from under-
neath the filter as will be clearly seen by reference to Figure 3. The compressed
felt F is easily cleaned by unscrewing the nuts of the bolts J to case the pressure and
passing clean water through it, or tapping the top of the grating G will cause the felt
to part freely with the lime and mud and if properly attended to and cleaned the felt
will keep good and require seldom renewing.
The water is brought to boiling point by the steam or heat in order to expel the
gases and set the carbonate of lime and other matters free in the water, and the
softened water can only pass from the chamber B into the filter when the water
boils and causes the pressure of steam to raise the piston N¹ which will lift by the
rod N2 the valve N3 which covers the top of the pipe Ń and when the pressure of the
steam falls the valve closes the pipe N, consequently no water can enter the chamber C
unless heated up to boiling point.
I also have obtained good results from softening cold water by the use of lime and
soda, for example, made into a strong solution and dropped into the feed water as it
enters and passes down a pipe provided with perforated plates which mixes the water
properly and allows action to take place before it enters at the bottom of the chamber
where subsidence takes place.
The operation of softening, or heating, or filtering may be conducted in separate or
the same apparatus as found most convenient. Q is a ball float by which the height
of water in the chamber B may be regulated. It operates by suitable connections Q'
on the valve Q2 of the delivery pipe K or other suitable means may be employed for
regulating the height of water.

page_text: For filtering cold water in tanks, cisterns, rain water casks and the like I use the
filtering pads above described either with or without the sand or charcoal; and for
pumps, dry docks, and some other places I prefer to use a double set of perforated
pipes or roses," one inside the other; the space between such pipes being packed with
cow hair, or other suitable material.
"
Filtering apparatus constructed in accordance with this my invention provide
complete means for separating all the different products in the water; and will be
found of especial service in pumping dry docks, and in sinking pit shafts, where chips,
sand and other extraneous matters cause injury or mischief to the draw boxes.
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:―
First. In apparatus for heating, purifying and filtering water the combination of
chamber B with filtering chamber C and reservoir D and appliances connected there-
with together with the arrangement of the filtering medium in chamber Call
constructed arranged and acting substantially as herein before described and illustrated
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Second. The particular construction and arrangement of the filtering appliance
specially as described and shown with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings together with any mere modification or modifications thereof.
Third. In apparatus for filtering the feed water for pumps or suction pipes in
sinking pits wells dry docks and the like and for filtering water generally the com-
bination of the filtering appliance substantially as shown at Figures 1 and 3 with
chamber C and parts connected therewith substantially as set forth.
BREWER & SON,
For the Applicant.