AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MEANS OF PREVENTING INCRUSTATION IN STEAM BOILERS & OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Webster, of 3, College Street, Chelsea, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN THE MEANS OF PREVENTING INCRUSTATION IN STEAM BOILERS & OTHER
VESSELS"
Sealed the 28th July 1868, and dated the 4th February 18GS.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Webster at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th February 1868.
I, JOHN WEBSTER, of 3, College Street, Chelsea, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MEANS OF PREVENTING INCRUSTATION IN STEAM
BOILERS & OTHER VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in bringing into contact with the water of
the boiler a surface of fibrous material such as tow, hemp, flax, jute,
("pulped or otherwise") or other suitable substance for collecting the
incrustating matter of the water, and removing the said fibrous material
or other substances, when charged with incrustating matter, without
Among
derangement of the boiler while generating steam or not.

page_text: the numerous methods of carrying out this Invention I fix in the boiler a
perforated vessel carried below water-mark into which I place a second
perforated vessel, "moveable," into which I place the fibrous and other
suitable material for collecting the incrustating matter, and by means of
mechanical appliances I can remove the second vessel at my option, and
therewith the hidden crustating matter, and by the same means renew
fresh fibrous or other material in a continuous manner without derange-
ment of boiler or suspending the generation of steam.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Webster in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the
4th August 18GS.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WEBSTER, of 3, College Street, Chelsea, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-first year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Webster, ller special licence that I, the said John
Webster, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Webster, my executors, administrators, and 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 Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MEANS OF PREVENTING INCRUSTATION IN
STEAM BOILERS AND OTHER VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Webster, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Webster, 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 :-
1. This Invention consists in bringing into contact with the water
of the boiler a surface of fibrous material such as tow, hemp, flax, jute,
pulped or otherwise, or other suitable substances for collecting the
incrustating matter of the water, and removing the said fibrous material
or other substance when charged with incrustating matter, without
derangement to the boiler while generating steam or not.
2. The effect desired to be produced by this Invention can be effected
in various manners with many substances and can be fully understood
and carried out by placing the materials used inside the boiler or other
vessel or outside the boiler or other vessel, connected or otherwise.
3. I bring into contact with the water while generating steam a
fibrous or other material proper for and sufficient to receiving deposit,
formed by evaporation or other causes, and I find that the greater the
surface the fibrous material to a given quantity of water the purer
the water is kept from incrustating matter, and the water varying so
much in quality it is difficult to fix any proportion of incrustation
surface; but I find it advantageous to employ not less than two pounds
weight of fibrous material to one ton of coal, and if desirable remove
this collector or filter whilst generating steam or not, and by wasbing
out the deposit therein formed, or removing it in any desirable manner.
re-use the said material, and to show how this can be carried out I
blow off from any steam boiler working under pressure a supply of
water to another vessel, in which vessel I place fibrous or other material,
the water being thus brought in contact with the fibrous material I
pump back the water so freed from incrustating matter, and cause a
continuous purification of the water in the boiler to be effected.
4. I also feed the boiler with supply water passing through the vessel
containing the fibrous or suitable material when in contact with hot
water supplied from the boiler or otherwise, which hot water supplied I
cut off from the said vessel by turning off the cock, and then am enabled
to open the vessel containing the said fibrous or other suitable material,
and remove it by replacing another surface, or the same cleansed from
all impurities, and by again turning on the cock the filtration will be

page_text: renewed; it must be understood that I do not confine myself to a single
filter, but prefer more than one, so that the water of the boiler is being
continually under the process of filtration and not discontinued during
the cleansing of one foul filter.
5. And I find that the natural currents of the boiler when the water
is heated can be availed of for bringing into contact the water and
fibrous or other surface, the current of water from the top of the boiler
to the bottom, or "vice versa" can be made to pass through tubes or series
of vessels external to the boiler or not, in which tubes or series of
vessels I place my fibrous material to filter the water passing through,
and feed water can be supplied through the same channels, and by a
system of cocks the whole can be connected or disconnected with the
water of the boiler, and when one or more filtering tubes or vessels
are disconnected by turning off the cock supplying the water to the
tubes the foul fibrous material not then being in contact with the water
of the boiler can be removed and reinstated by unscrewing a tap or
other simple appliance.
6. The fibre can be placed inside the boiler by means of a perforated
telescopic tubes, and by connecting an union I fish out by means of
a metallic rod passing through a stuffing box the material I have
placed in the same manner, and by turning off the cock I am enabled
to disconnect the union containing the stuffing box and fishing rod
and leave the fibrous material in the boiler contained in a perforated
vessel or tube to be removed as desirable whilst generating steam or not.
7. And this arrangement by bringing into contact the water of the
boiler with a surfaco of fibrous or other suitable material by means
of pumps, natural currents, or inside the boiler by mechanical appliances
or otherwise, is applicable to marine boilers, that is, boilers working salt
water, the working of which I prefer to perform in the following
manner by using more than one boiler, that is a series of boilers to avoid
the loss of heat now incurred by injudicious arrangement, sea water
contains about one thirty-two of chloride of sodium (salt) and which
when concentrated to two thirty-twos is considered unavailable for the
generation of steam, and is discharged from the boiler, carrying with it
the fuel required to heat it, because at the gravity or a little above of
two thirty-twos, sea water incrustates the boiler to so great a degree
that it materially impedes the generating of steam and is injurious to the
boiler. By the present plan, in order to avoid the evils of incrustation,

page_text: blow-off cocks are constantly kept in discharging the boiling water
from the boiler as it concentrates, and the feed of cold water is not only
that required to supply the amount evaporated, but that which is
ejected into the ocean by blow-off cocks. Now this system of supply
of cold water and running to waste of the boiling water is increased in
wasteful expenditure, inasmuch as the new feed is as equally wasted
as the concentrated water without an increase of steam power, whilst
at the same time it causes an useless expenditure of fuel. To avoid this,
I propose to work my plan by a series of boilers, for instance, boiler No. 1
I supply with ordinary sea water, such water being brought into
contact with my fibrous material or other suitable substances as before
herein described, when such sea water reaches the gravity of two thirty-
twos, all blow-off cocks having in my plan been closed during the time
of concentration (but by the plan now in use all the blow-off cocks
are all the time open) I pump the boiling water now suffered to run
away into boiler No. 2, and it is there worked to the gravity of four
thirty-twos, free of incrustation to either boiler, and is fit to be further
continued nearly up to its saline point, the whole of the earthy matter
being collected by my fibrous material. When near its saline point,
the boiling point of which is far above the boiling point of water, I run
such concentrated salt water through a worm, preferring a series of
worms, supplied, with sea water to be heated to feed boiler No. 1, and
the water necessarily ejected into the ocean by my plan carries with it
no coals.
8. My plan not only prevents incrustation but saves all heated water to
the last degree, and economizes the fuel and space so much wasted in
generating steam by the present system in marine boilers.
9. Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner by which the same is performed, I would remark in conclusion
that I do not limit myself to any precise form of apparatus or receptacle
or to any special micans, since other modifications may of course be
devised for effecting the object required; but what I claim as my In-
vention and desire to be secured to me is, the prevention of incrustation
to steam beilers and other vessels by bringing into contact with the
water of the boiler a surface of fibrous material such as tow, hemp,
flax, jute, pulpod or otherwise, or other suitable substance for collecting
the incrustating matters of the water, and removing the said fibrous
material or other substance when charged with incrustating matter

page_text: without derangement to the boiler whilst generating steam, or not, sub-
stantially as herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Webster, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
ROBERT LOGSDON,
Stationer,
68, Leader Street,
Chelsea, S.W.
JOHN WEBSTER. (LS.)