Improvements in and connected with Feed Water Filters, Purifiers, and Grease Catchers.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 12th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Feed Water Filters, Purifiers,
and Grease Catchers.
I, WILFRED REEVES of 9 Morrisons Buildings, 27 King Street, Liverpool in
the County of Lancashire, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an improved method of filtering, purifying, and
separating air, grease, metallic oxides and other impurities, from boiler-feed and
other waters, by passing such waters under pressure, or gravity, through successive
chambers charged with granular absorbent compounds or materials, and relates to
an apparatus or filter constructed so that the absorbent materials when saturated
with impurities can be discharged, and the chambers recharged with fresh material
as often as required without stopping or opening the filter.
The apparatus constructed according to my invention consists of a vertical, or
horizontal, cylinderical case divided into a series of chambers and intermediate
spaces by wire cloth partitions, supported and strengthened by strong grids. At
either end or at opposite sides of the said case are the inlet and outlet for the water
passing through the filter.
Each chamber in the series is fitted with hand holes and suitable inlet and outlet
valves, diametrically opposite to each other, for discharging, and re-charging with
the absorbent material, the intermediate spaces are fitted with steam or water cocks
for draining and scouring purposes. Adjacent to, or formed with the filter-case, is
a reservoir, or hopper, of sufficient capacity to contain a fresh charge or charges of
the absorbent materials, and this is constructed with a charging door on its upper
side and a drain cock on its lowest point. Suitable passages lead to the inlet valves
of the filter chambers and connecting passage and valve leads from the feedwater
inlet to the hopper.
The feed-water inlet is fitted with a combined inlet and by-pass valve and pipe
leading to the outlet passage and a relief valve and pressure gauge is also fitted.
At the outlet end is fitted a self acting air escape valve.
In operation (the filter being charged) the influent water passes into the filter
and through the first gauze partition and permeates the material in the first chamber,
the grease and other impurities being absorbed and retained thereby. In the
intermediate space any solid impurities carried through the absorbent material by
mechanical suspension is allowed to settle by gravitation, being drawn, or scoured
off by the drain cock, the water, after which, passes through the second chamber
in like manner where the absorbent material may be of finer or coarser granulation,
or of different nature, the operation above described being repeated according to
the number of chambers employed, after which it passes through the outlet to the
boiler, or elsewhere, as desired. When the absorbent material becomes saturated
with grease or other impurities it may be removed, and replenished through the
hand holes in the absorbent chambers, or the discharge valve on the first chamber
is opened and the materials discharged by a cross current of steam or water.
chambers being thus emptied the discharge valve is closed and the charging valve
between the chamber and hopper opened; at the same time the influent water is
caused to flow through the hopper and carries with it the fresh supply of material
to the chamber, until fully charged, when the charging valve is closed and the
influent water made to pass through the charged chamber as before, which operation
can be repeated until all the chambers are thus discharged and recharged in like
manner successively.
Dated this 18th day of August 1893.
The

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Feed Water Filters, Purifiers
and Grease Catchers.
I, WILFRED REEVES c/o Arthur Reeves, 366 Euston Road, 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:-
This invention relates to apparatus for filtering and purifying water, that is to
say, to apparatus for separating from water any air, grease, metallic oxides and
other impurities that may be contained therein. The said invention is intended
more particularly to be applied to the filtering of feed-water for steam boilers, but
it may be used equally well for filtering other waters. According to my invention
I pass the water to be filtered under pressure or by gravity through a chamber or
successively through two or more chambers charged with granular absorbent
compounds or materials which extract and remove the impurities during the passage
of the water therethrough. I prefer to use sawdust as the filtering medium, and
the use of this material in the manner that will be hereinafter described constitutes
an important feature of my invention.
I so construct the filter that the absorbent filtering material when saturated with
impurities can be discharged from the filter chamber, and the said chamber
recharged with fresh material as often as required without stopping or opening the
filter.
In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a filter constructed in accordance
with my invention, the same having one filter chamber only which I find is sufficient
for most purposes, but it is obvious that I can provide two or more such chambers
to be traversed successively by the water.
Figure 1 is a plan of the filter.
Figure 2 is an elevation thereof, and
Figure 3 is a vertical central section looking from the side of the filter opposite
to that shown in Figure 2.
Like letters denote corresponding parts in all the figures.
A is the case or shell of the filter, the same being preferably cylindrical in
form. It may be constructed to stand vertically or horizontally or inclined.
B, B, Figure 3 are two strong removable grids resting upon shoulders a provided
in the casing and bolted or otherwise suitably secured thereto. The space between
the said grids and the casing is the filter chamber. Immediately beneath each grid
is secured a wire gauze sheet C, or wire cloth of fine mesh to prevent large particles
of matter from traversing the filter chamber. The said chamber is filled with a
granular absorbent filtering material D preferably sawdust which I find to be very
suitable for the purpose. E is a hand hole, provided to allow of cleaning the filter
chamber and through which the said chamber can be charged with the sawdust or
other filtering material. E is a door for closing said hand hole. The filtering
medium can however be discharged from the filter chamber and be replaced by
fresh material without opening the filter chamber as will be hereinafter explained.
F is the inlet for unfiltered water; G is the outlet for filtered water.
for shutting off the filter without interfering with the flow of the liquid as follows,
provide
that is to say, I provide a bye-pass H which forms outside the filter a communication
between the inlet and outlet pipes F, G. I is a valve casing in the inlet pipe F
which casing contains a valve proper 1° that can be screwed down to bed on a seat I'
to close the inlet to the filter, and can be screwed up to bed on another seat I" to
close the bye-pass H. When the valve is in the position to close the inlet to the
filter, the bye-pass H is open, and when it is in the position to close the bye-pass H
the inlet to the filter is open. J is a stop. valve in the outlet pipe G but above the
connection between the pipes G and H so that when said valve is shut there is still a

page_text: free communication between the said pipes G, H. By shutting down the valve I°
on to the seat I' and then closing the valve J the filter is cut out, but the flow of
the liquid is not stopped it being then free to travel through the bye-pass H from
the inlet F to the outlet G.
K is a reservoir formed in the case A, and having a capacity equal to at least
one charge of absorbent material used in the filter chamber. K' is a charging opening
closed by a door K. Said chamber may be furnished with a drain cock. It is
provided with an inlet K³ and an outlet K the former being connected by a pipe L
with the inlet pipe F and the other being connected by a pipe M with the filter
chamber, said pipe M entering said chamber near the top thereof and being
controlled by a suitable influx valve M¹. On the side of the filter chamber opposite
to the mouth of the pipe M and near the bottom thereof is an efflux opening N
controlled by a suitable valve N¹. The pipe L is also furnished with a stop
valve L'.
When the absorbent filtering material becomes saturated with the impurities it is
readily removed by opening the efflux valve N' the influx valve M' and the valve L'
which allows the water to flow through the reservoir K and the filter chamber, and
out by the efflux N carrying the filtering material with it. As soon as all the
filtering material is discharged which can be seen by watching the efflux orifice,
the valves L', N' are closed and then a fresh charge of absorbent material is
introduced into the reservoir K through the charging opening Kl. The charging
door K2 is then shut and fastened, and the valve L' is opened again whereupon the
absorbent material is carried into the filter chamber, and retained therein by the
gauze sheets C, C while the water passes away through the outlet G. When
re-charging is completed the valve L' is shut down and the filtering is allowed to
proceed as before.
I prefer to provide a pressure gauge at ƒ in the inlet pipe F. The gauge will
indicate when the filter chamber is fully charged.
If desired, the absorbent filtering material may be removed or replenished
through the hand hole E.
The inlet pipe F is also preferably fitted with a relief valve, of any ordinary
construction, and the outlet pipe with a self-acting air-escape valve.
The lower part of the filter case is furnished with drain openings O, O fitted
with suitable cocks and is also furnished with a handhole P to admit of cleaning.
The operation of my improved filter is as follows, that is to say, assuming the
filter is charged, the influent water passes into the filter and through the first gauze
partition C and permeates the filtering material D in the filter chamber, which
material absorbs the grease and other impurities, the filtered water passes off through
the second gauze partition and out by the outlet G.
In cases where more than one filter chamber is provided, the intermediate spaces
serve as settling tanks, and the matter which settles therein is drawn off by suitable
drain cocks. These spaces may also be fitted with steam or water cocks for
scouring purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a filter, a filter chamber having its influx and efflux sides formed by strong
grids covered with gauze or the like of fine mesh, and filled with sawdust or other
granular absorbent filtering material, substantially as described.
2. The combination, with a filter, of a bye-pass pipe communicating with the
inlet and outlet pipes of the filter, and a valve which can be used to close the inlet
to the filter or to the said bye-pass, but not both at the same time, substantially as,
and for the purpose, specified.
3. In a filter, the combination of a filter chamber, a reservoir for receiving new
charges of filtering material, a thoroughfare communicating with said filter chamber

page_text: and reservoir, and another thoroughfare communicating with the reservoir and the
inlet pipe of the filter, substantially as described for the purpose specified.
4. The mode of discharging the filtering material from the filter chamber, and
of recharging the said filter chamber, substantially as described.
5. The combination, with the filter chamber and the reservoir, of the thorough-
fares L, M and N with their appropriate valves arranged and operating, substantially
as described, for the purpose specified.
6. A filter constructed substantially as described with reference to the
accompanying drawings, and operating as specified.
Dated this 7th day of September 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.