Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 27th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 1st May, 1897
CORING
We, HENRY LEWIS DOULTON, Potter, and ALFRED WILLIAM MANGER,
Engineer, both of Lambeth Pottery, London, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to water softening apparatus and has for its object to
provide a cheap, simple, and efficient kind of apparatus, demanding but little
attention in use and readily workable by unskilled persons, and whereby also any
waste of reagent is automatically prevented should the process of softening be at
any time stopped.
The apparatus comprises at least three tanks, respectively for hard water,
reagent solution, and settling, and the waste preventer. Each tank is of required
form and capacity, and in duplicate if desired, and they are best arranged for a
gravity process. The hard supply enters the first tank and its force is utilised to
drive a water wheel supported in adjustable bearings and actuating through
gearing a rotary agitator placed near the base of the reagent tank. This may be
filled from the hard water tank or separately, and it is furnished with a funnel for
introducing the reagent specially constructed with a flared top with internal coned
box strainer, and terminating just above the agitator. This tank is fitted with a
floating valve and hinged overflow pipe or pipes through which the clear well-
mixed solution at the surface is led through a pipe with regulating cocks and valves
direct into a funnel or receiver situated in the upper part of the settling tank.
The hard water from the first tank is also led through a separate pipe to the same
funnel, but through an interposed waste preventing appliance hereinafter described.
The orifices of the two pipes within the funnel are disposed just below the lip of a
downtake pipe discharging at the base of the tank whereat impurities are deposited.
The arrangement of the supply pipe orifices is such that one (preferably the hard
water) leads the other and thus a "swirl" or eddy is set up serving to thoroughly
mingle the two waters in the funnel. The softened water rising in the tank outside
the funnel has to pass up through a suitable filter in the tank before arriving at the
outflow pipe whereby it is delivered where required. The base of the settling tank
is preferably convex and fitted with sludge cocks and pipes, and a sludge pipe and
cock is also provided for the reagent tank.
The appliance for automatically preventing waste of reagent consists of a pocket
or small receiver fixed in the above mentioned funnel. The hard water enters the
pocket through a cock controlled by a ball valve and leaves same by a pipe at a
Jower level, the difference between said inlet and outlet being regulated so that the
pocket is always full of hard water so long as the process continues. A check
valve is placed upon the reagent supply pipe and controlled by a ball floating
within the pocket. Hence should the supply of hard water cease from any cause
the pocket empties and the check valve at once closes and cuts off the reagent flow,
thus preventing waste. The whole is supported on appropriate framing.
J. C. CHAPMAN,
Agent.

page_text: Improvements in Water Softening Apparatus.
We, HENRY LEWIS DOULTON, Potter, and ALFRED WILLIAM MANGER,
Engineer, both of Lambeth Pottery, London, 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 :-
Our invention relates to water softening apparatus, and has for its object to
provide a cheap, simple, and efficient kind of apparatus, demanding but little
attention in use and readily workable by unskilled persons, and whereby also any
waste of reagent is automatically prevented should the process of softening be at
any time stopped.
By simple alteration of the construction as hereinafter described and shown the
apparatus may be designed to apply equally well where ground area or where
headroom is limited and to suit any space irrespective of area or shape, and to
deliver at any desired level.
In fully describing our invention we will refer to the accompanying drawings in
which
Fig. 1 is a plan and Fig. 2 an elevation partly in section of an apparatus
designed for erection where height of room is limited. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar
views of an apparatus designed for erection where ground area is limited.
Figs. 5 and 6 are cross sections through the waste preventing appliance taken on
lines 1-2, 3-4, respectively of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all of the figures.
The apparatus comprises a tank A for the hard water which is to be softened, a
tank C for the reagent solution, a settling tank P and an appliance for auto-
matically preventing waste of solution. All these are arranged upon and
supported by appropriate framing such as is illustrated, and a ladder is shown for
facilitating access to the various parts. Each tank is of required form and
capacity and may be in duplicate if desired; as illustrated the apparatus is
designed for a gravity process, though this is not essential. The hard water to
be softened enters the upper tank A through the pipe and valve B and its force is
utilised to drive a water wheel or motor D which is supported in adjustable
bearings and actuates through gearing such as E a rotary agitator or stirrer F
placed near the base of the reagent solution tank C. This tank may be supplied
from the hard water tank A. or separately through the stop cock H as shown and
it is furnished with a removable funnel K for introducing the day's supply or
otherwise of softening agent. This funnel is constructed with a flared top / with
internal strainer k and its discharging pipe terminates as illustrated just above the
agitator F. The solution thus formed is kept well agitated by the stirrer F and
the tank is fitted with a floating ball valve or valves L and pipe or pipes hinged
at to the overflow pipe or pipes N, so as to follow the water level; through
pipe N which is fitted with regulating cock n and valve n' the clear part of the
well-mixed solution at the surface is led into a funnel or hopper-shaped receiver O
situated in convenient position in the upper part of the settling tank P.
The hard supply from the first tank A is also led through a separate pipe M
with valve m¹ to the same funnel O through an interposed appliance for auto-
matically preventing waste. This is of special construction and consists of a
pocket or small receiver U fixed in the above mentioned funnel O; into this
pocket the hard water discharges through a ball cock m¹ on pipe M and leaves
through pipe V which leads to a lower level, the difference between the inlet and
outlet being regulated so that the pocket Ú is always full of hard water so long
as the process continues. The reagent supply pipe N has a check ball-valve

page_text: which is controlled by the level of the water in the pocket U, and it is
continued down as at X to about the same level as the orifice of the aforesaid
pipe V.
By the above described arrangement it will be seen that should the supply of
hard water through pipe M cease from any cause the pocket U empties and
consequently the check ball-valve u on the solution-pipe N at once automatically
closes and cuts off the reagent flow, thus preventing waste thereof.
The orifices of both pipes V and X are disposed within the funnel O just below
the top or lip of the funnel downtake pipe R which discharges near the base of the
tank P whereat impurities are deposited, and the disposition of said orifices is
preferably at an angle one with the other, so that in use one flow (preferably that
of the hard water) leads the other and thus a swirl or eddy is set up serving to
thoroughly mingle the two incoming waters in the funnel O."
This mingling may, in some cases, be augmented by the use of a rotary agitator
similar to Farranged in the funnel O about the top of pipe R and driven through
gearing by the motor.
The softened water rising in the tank P outside the funnel O has to pass
through a suitable filter S composed preferably of sponges, and fixed with a baffle
plates in the tank P as shown before arriving at the overflow pipe Z, whereby it
is delivered where required. The base of the settling tank may be flat as
illustrated or convex, and both tanks C and F are fitted with sludge cocks and
pipes T T in the usual way through which the tanks can be cleared when
necessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A water softening apparatus consisting in the combination of hard water
tank A with motor driven by incoming water, solution tank C with funnel E
rotary agitator F driven by motor and floating discharge valve L, settling tank P
with funnel O and filter B, and the appliance for automatically preventing waste
of solution, the necessary supply and delivery pipes, valves and so forth being
arranged substantially as specified, and the whole combined together and forming
a complete apparatus adapted to soften water by a continuous process and substan-
tially in the manner herein described.
2. The use in a water softening apparatus of an appliance for automatically
preventing waste of reagent-solution constructed substantially as herein set forth
and adapted to operate in the manner described.
Dated this 27th day of February 1897.