IMPROVE- BERATING TXT WORKING STRATE BOILERS AND mmeם תחתם.
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Houston, junior, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Mill Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
BERATING TXT WORKING STRATE BOILERS AND
mmeם תחתם. בתamזזtute
Adיסמsv_A
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Houston at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
March 1854.
I, JOHN HOUSTON, junior, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Mill Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING STEAM BOILERS AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates as well to the regulation of the feed water supply of
steam boilers as to the government of the steam pressure. According to one
modification of the apparatus employed, a float of any convenient kind is placed
within the boiler, and the spindle of this float passes to an ordinary stop cock,
communicating with the water supply, whether that supply is a common over-
head cistern, or a pump, or other general reservoir. By this arrangement the
fluctuations of the boiler water level act correspondingly upon the stop cock
for the purpose of supplying or shutting off the water. As adapted for marine
purposes, provision is made for the prevention of derangement from the vessel's
motion. This is accomplished by placing the boilér float inside a cell or
division in the boiler, arranged in such way that the vessel's motion will have
little or no effect upon the water level in such division. A convenient mode

page_text: of doing this is that of placing a fixed vertical pipe in the boiler to hold the
float. The bottom of this pipe. is closed, but has a small aperture to admit
water, but preventing too sudden a rush. In this way, as the ship rolls or
pitches, the oscillation of the main body of the water cannot seriously affect the
float's action. The float spindle or link may be connected to the external
water valve in various ways. For instance, the spindle may be linked to a
lever on a horizontal rocking spindle passing out through a stuffing box in
the boiler, and being. thence extended to the water regulating. valve. The
steam generating powers of boilers may be regulated by causing the steam
pressure itself to act upon the flue damper. This is conveniently accomplished
by fitting up a small steam cylinder upon the boiler, with a piston in such
cylinder loaded by a spring or weight. As the steam pressure gets beyond its
determined range it presses up the piston, and the rod of the latter then
operates upon a stop cock or valve communicating with an external water
supply. This movement permits water from such source of supply to flow
down into a small oscillating or swinging bucket, perforated at its bottom with
a small hole. As the influx of water to this bucket is greater than the efflux
through the small hole, the increased weight thus occasioned causes the bucket
to descend, and thus give motion to connections actuating the damper. In this
way the damper is more or less closed, to reduce the generation of steam. As
the steam returns to its proper pressure the small piston again descends, and
shuts off the water supply to the bucket. The water in the bucket gradually
flows out by its small hole, and the bucket regains its original position,
remaining there until a further change in the steam pressure shall again affect
it. In marine boilers the small piston action may be at once conveyed to the
flue damper without any intervening mechanism."
7
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent;' filed
by the said John Houston in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
September 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HOUSTON, junior, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Mill
Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
-reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Houston, junior, Her special license. that I, the said John

page_text: Houston; junior, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Houston, junior, my executors, administrators, or assigns;
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at, all
times. thereafter during the term therein expressed,, should. and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within. the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for, "Iм-,
PROVEMENTS IN WORKING STEAM BOILERS AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Houston; junior,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly.
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and.in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within- six calendar months next, and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I; the said John Houston; junior, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My, said Invention relates as well to the regulation of the feed water supply;
of steam boilers as to the government of the steam pressure. According to one;
modification of the apparatus employed, a float of any convenient kind is placed,
within the boiler, and the spindle of this float passes to. an ordinary stop.cock
communicating with the water supply, whether that supply is a common over-
head cistern, or a pump, or other general reservoir. By this arrangement the
fluctuations of the boiler water level act correspondingly upon the stop cock.
for the purpose of supplying or shutting off the water. . As adapted for marine
purposes,; provision is made for the prevention of derangement from the vessel's.
motion. This is accomplished by placing the boiler float inside a cell or,
division in the boiler, arranged in such way that the vessel's motion will have,
little or no effect upon the water level in such division. A convenient mode of
doing this is that of placing a fixed vertical pipe in the boiler to hold the float.
The bottom of this pipe is closed, but has a small aperture to admit. water, but
preventing too sudden a rush. In this way, as the ship rolls or pitches, the,
oscillation of the main body of the water cannot seriously affect the float's
action. The float spindle or link may be connected to the external water,
valve in various ways. For instance, the spindle may be linked to a lever on a
horizontal rocking spindle, passing out through a stuffing box in the boiler,:
and being thence extended to the water regulating valve. The steam gene-*
rating powers of boilers may be regulated by causing the steam pressure;

page_text: itself to act upon the flue damper. This is conveniently accomplished by
fitting up a small steam cylinder upon the boiler, with a piston in such
cylinder loaded by a spring or weight. As the steam pressure gets beyond
its determined range it presses up the piston, and the rod of the latter then
operates upon a stop cock or valve communicating with an external water
supply. This movement permits water from such source of supply to flow
down into a small oscillating or swinging bucket, perforated at its bottom with
a small hole. As the influx of water to this bucket is greater than the efflux
through the small hole, the increased weight thus occasioned causes the bucket
to descend, and thus give motion to connections actuating the damper. In
this way the damper is more or less closed to reduce to the generation of steam.
As the steam returns to its proper pressure the small piston again descends,
and shuts off the extra water supply to the bucket. The water in the bucket
gradually flows out by its small hole as fast as it enters, and the bucket keeps
its position until a further change in the steam pressure shall again affect it.
Or, instead of causing the water supply for moving the damper to be received
into a moveable bucket, it may flow into a fixed chamber or cistern, provided
with a suitable outlet, the water being made to act on a float in connection with
the damper. Thus, as the water level in the cistern rises, its buoys up the float,
and causes the flue damper to descend, the reverse action taking place on the
sinking of the water level. In marine boilers the small piston action may be
at once conveyed to the flue damper without any intervening mechanism. And
in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I shall now proceed
to describe the several explanatory Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
attached. Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings is a sectional elevation of my
improved apparatus for regulating the supply of water to steam boilers.
Figures 2 and 3 are sectional elevations of two modifications of my improved
apparatus for a adjusting the position of flue dampers so as to regulate the
generation of steam in boilers. The improved apparatus for regulating the
water supply consists of a stop cock A, introduced into the pipe B, which supplies
the water, and entering the casing C of the boiler passes down to near the
bottom of the interior for that purpose. A lever D is fixed on the plug of the
cock, and this lever is actuated by means of the chain E, which, passing over a
pulley F, supported by a pillar standard G, is connected to the link rod H of
the float I. The stop cock lever D is slotted to afford a means of regulating
the leverage action by adjusting the connection of the chain E at a greater or
less distance from the plug. The rod H passes through a stuffing box J in the
biler casing E, and as the level K of the water in the boiler rises or falls it
raises the float I, or allows it, to fall, and this movement is communicated

page_text: through the rod H and chain E to the stop cock lever D, so as to admit or
shut off the supply of water. The standard G carries a segmental index dial L,
and an index on the pulley F indicates the level of the water, so that this can
be ascertained at all times by inspection. When this apparatus is employed
on shipboard the float I works in a cell or casing M. This casing is provided
with a small hole N at the bottom, and a series of holes O near its top, these
holes serving respectively as a means of communication with the water and
steam in the main boiler spaces. With these arrangements any movement of
the ship will scarcely affect the level of the water in the chamber M, in which
the float I is placed. A weight P is fixed to the chain E to balance the float
and to depress the lever D when the float rises. In the modification of my
apparatus for adjusting the flue dampers in connection with steam boilers,
as represented in Figure 2 of the Drawings, I fit up a small steam pressure
cylinder A, the lower end of which is in communication by means of the small
pipe B with the boiler, or with the steam pipe C. The cylinder A contains a
piston D arranged to work steam-tight within it, and the rod of this piston
acts upon a weighted lever E above. The lever E is connected by a link F to
the lever G of a stop cock on a pipe H, which supplies water from an overhead
cistern or other source, the lower end of the pipe H being in communication by
means of a flexible tube I with a species of bucket J suspended to a chain K,
which passes over guide pulleys L, and is attached to the flue damper M. The
bucket J is formed with a division N near the bottom the space beneath,
which communicates with a flexible discharge pipe O of a bore equal to or
greater than that of the pipe I, whilst in the division N there is a very small
aperture which will only permit the water to pass off at a certain determined
rate. With these arrangements it will be obvious that if the stop cock G is so
set as to admit the water to the bucket at the exact rate at which it passes off,
the water level in the bucket will be maintained at the same height. The
apparatus is to be so set that this shall be the state of matters when the pres-
sure of the steam upon the piston D is what ought to be. Then, on the
steam pressure decreasing, the piston D is depressed, and the weighted lever E
causes the stop cock G to be opened to a greater extent, and the water begins
to accumulate in the bucket J as it enters faster than it passes off, and the con-
sequent additional weight draws over the chain K, and raises the damper.
When the steam pressure rises above the point determined upon, the contrary
effect takes place; the piston D rises and partially shuts the stop cock G,
thereby reducing the supply of water to the bucket J, which consequently
becomes lighter, the water passing off faster than it enters. The weight of the
damper then preponderates, and it sinks so as to temporarily diminish the

page_text: steam generating powers of the boiler furnace. An overflow pipe P.commu-
nicates with the top and bottom of the bucket J, to prevent the water from over-
flowing the bucket, should the supply be at any time in excess. In Figure 3
is represented a substitute for the bucket arrangement represented in Figure 2,
the other details remaining.the same. The water supply pipe H is made to
communicate with a fixed receptacle Q, provided with an egress pipe and stop
cock R, by means of which the egress. can be regulated with great nicety.
The water level in the receptacle Q is made to vary correspondingly with the
steam pressure, as in the previously described modification; but instead of the
receptacle itself being moveable, the effect of the varying water level is com-
municated to the damper by means of a float S, which rises and falls with the
water level, and being connected to the damper by the chain K causes it to
fall and rise in accordance with the variations in the steam pressure. . The
water, after passing through the stop cock R, finally escapes by the pipe O, to
which is connected an overflow pipe P, communicating with the top of the
cistern or water receptacle Q.
L.
2).
...L
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe
or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of my Invention; but what I consider to be.
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before part recited Letters Patent, is,-
7
First, the general arrangement and construction of apparatus to be applied
to steam boilers and the furnaces thereof, as herein-before described.
Second, the-system or mode of regulating the water supply of steam boilers
by the aid of a float acting by means of suitable connections passing through
the boiler case upon the stop cock of the water supply pipe, as herein-before.
described.
Third, the system or mode of causing the float used in marine steam boilers
for indicating or regulating the water supply to work in a chamber or casing
formed in the boiler, and communicating with the main boiler space by a small
aperture or small-apertures, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the system or mode of adjusting the position of the flue damper of a
steam boiler furnace by means of a piston acted upon by the steam pressure,
and arranged to open or shut a water supply cock in connection with the
damper movement, in accordance with the variations of the steam pressure, as
herein-before described.

page_text: Fifth, the system or mode of shifting the flue damper of a steam boiler
furnace by means of a water bucket or float, which is raised or lowered by
the varying level of water passing through the bucket, or through the cistern
containing the float, the egress of such water being uniform, whilst the supply
is made to vary in accordance with the steam pressure, as herein-before
described.
the varying level of water passing through the bucket, or through the cistern
containing the float, the egress of such water being uniform, whilst the supply
is made to vary in accordance with the steam pressure, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, 1, the said John Houston, junior, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
described.
In witness whereof, 1, the said John Houston, junior, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
JOHN HOUSTON, J. (L.S.)