Improvements in Apparatus for Distributing Liquids.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 9th July, 1898
Improvements in Apparatus for Distributing Liquids.
I, ALFRED JAMES, of 56, New Broad Street, London, in the County of Middle-
sex, Mining and Metallurgical 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:-
By the present method of distributing solutions which are received from a large
number of vats and have to be sent to different destinations, a large number of
connections and cocks are required, which is both expensive and inconvenient in
practice. To overcome these objections I employ a special distributor box con-
sisting of a number of compartments equal to the number of different points from
which the solutions arrive, each compartment being formed with a number of holes
equal to the number of varying destinations. The holes are fitted with plugs
and are connected with a main running to the destination required. Thus, if
the liquids arrive from eighteen different points of origin and are required to
be circulated to any of three different destinations the compartment would be
made with eighteen divisions each division of which has three holes communicating
with three pipe mains. These pipe mains conduct the solutions to the destination
required by the simple expedient of withdrawing the plug which connects the
compartment of the distributor with that particular main. By this expedient all
cocks are avoided with the exception of those which may be required at the place
of origin for the purpose of completely stopping the flow of solutions. This
arrangement is especially useful where the solutions are alkaline and of
such a nature as to destroy the lubricant employed for making the cocks
turn easily, as great inconvenience has been caused from the sticking of cocks
resulting from such action of alkaline solutions.
These distributors may be made either of wood, sheet iron or steel, or other
suitable material, but prefer to make them of sheet iron or steel.
The accompanying drawing illustrates a distributor box constructed in accord-
ance with this invention,
Fig. 1 being a side elevation, partly in section, of such box.
Fig. 2 an end elevation of same, and
Fig. 3 a plan view thereof.
.
Fig. 4 is a plan view on a smaller scale of a box of similar construction to those
shown in the other views, but composed of several sections-three of such sections
being shown.
The distributor box A (which as above stated is preferably made of sheet iron
or steel), is by partitions B divided into a number of compartments A¹, correspond-
ing to the number of points from which the solutions to be distributed are supplied.
In the drawing, the solutions are supposed to have to be delivered from the
distributor box at three different points, and, for this purpose, three pipe
mains C, C, C, are provided, each leading respectively to one of such points.
The bottom of each of the compartments A¹ of the distributor boxes is provided
with three openings, a, a, a², communicating respectively with one of the
mains C, CC, Plugs D are employed for closing the communicating open-
ings a, a, a, between the compartments A¹ and the mains C, C¹, C³, so that by

page_text: inserting or removing any one or more or such plugs, the contents of each of the
compartments may be caused to pass into any of the pipe mains C, C¹, C2, and so
be delivered at the desired points c, c¹, c³.
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 5
I claim is:-
1. The apparatus for receiving and distributing solutions by means of plugged
mains connecting with compartments, all substantially as described and shown in
the accompanying drawing.
2. The particular form of the apparatus made of sheet iron or steel, substantially 1
as shown in the accompanying drawing.