New or Improved Apparatus or Appliances for Heating the Feed Water of Steam Boilers.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 24th July, 1889-Accepted, 24th Aug.,
1889
New or Improved Apparatus or Appliances for Heating the Feed
Water of Steam Boilers.
A communication from abroad by ARTHUR W. JAMES, Superintendent Engineer to
the Calcutta Steam Navigation Company, Limited, Subpore, India.
I WILLIAM RICHARD MIDDLEMORE THOMSON of 96 Buchanan Street, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire, Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:—
This Invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction of
apparatus or appliances, or arrangement and combination of the parts thereof, for
heating the feed water of marine or other steam boilers, and by which a maximum of
heating area, temperature, and stability are secured in a minimum of space, while back
pressure is obviated, and the life or durability of the boilers prolonged; while at the
same time the consumption of fuel in the boilers is materially reduced from what lias
hitherto been the practice.
According to this invention, a cast or wrought iron or steel or copper or other metal
cylinder is used, either set vertically or horizontally, and having a cover bolted on at
the one end with preferably two openings or passages into which is led the exhaust
steam from the engines, or waste heat from the uptake flue of the boilers, and which
passes out through an opening or passage in a cover preferably of a conoidal shape
bolted on at the other end of cylinder. Within this cylinder is fitted or arranged a
duplex coiled tube or pipe preferably made of solid drawn copper which has its one
end jointed to a single or duplex branch or cock, fitted outside and near the end of
cylinder, the duplex branches being bolted by flanges to a pipe controlled by valves
and leading in the feed water from the pumps to and through the coil. The tube or
pipe is coiled and led in a spiral wound form to the other end of cylinder where it is
connected proferably by a flange and bolt joint to another tube or pipe which is coiled
in a spiral form in the opposite direction between the coils of the other single tube
until it reaches near the other end of cylinder where its outlet end is connected by a
flange to a branch or pipe on the opposite side of the cylinder to and preferably about
the same level as the inlet pipe, and which will conduct the heated feed water to a pipo
leading to the boilers, this arrangement making a double helix the one running forwards
and the other backwards.
The spiral duplex pipe may either have the circumference of its coils arranged
parallel or concentric to the cylinder, or the coils may be formed of a conoidal or
tapering form to obtain a maximum of heating surface. The exhaust steam, or
waste heated gases from the furnace on their passage through the cylinder will thus
fill the chamber surrounding the helical coils and heat their whole outer circumference
and the water which is forced by the pumps through the coils. Test cocks would be
fitted at the inlet and exit branches for ascertaining the temperature of the water on
its entering and leaving the spiral pipes and heating cylinder. When exhaust steam
is used for so heating the coil and feed water within the outer vessel, this would be
made fluid tight, and the exhaust steam might afterwards he led to the condenser ; but
when the waste hot gases from the furnace were used, these would be led to the
chimney or chimney flue direct from the outlet end of the heating vessel.
Dated this 25th day of October 1888.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Apparatus or Appliances for Heating the Feed
Water of Steam Boilers.
A communication from abroad by ARTHUR W. JAMES, Superintendent Engineer to
the Calcutta Steam Navigation Company, Limited, Subpore, India.
I. WILLIAM RICHARD MIDDLEMORE THOMSON, of 96 Buchanan Street, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire, Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference
being had to the accompanying sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, that is to say :—
This Invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction of
apparatus or appliances, or arrangement and combination of the parts thereof, for
heating the feed water of marine or other steam boilers, and by which a maximum of
heating area, temperature, and stability are secured in a minimum of space, while back
pressure is obviated, and the life or durability of the boilers prolonged; and at the same
time the consumption of fuel in the boilers is materially reduced from what has
hitherto been the practice.
And in order that my said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying the
same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended an
explanatory sheet of Drawings, in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures where shown. Figures 1 and 2 are a
sectional elevation and a plan respectively showing one application of the new or
improved appliances for heating the feed water of steam boilers in which a duplex
coil B B', is fitted within a casing or cylinder A. Figure 3 shows a sectional elevation
of a similar arrangement of duplex coil B B placed according to my improvements
within an uptake flue A to get heated by the waste gases passing from a furnace to tho
chimney. While Figures 4 and 5 show a sectional elevation and a plan respectively,
of a triple coil B, B', B", that is a single coil B, for leading the feed water up,
and a
double coil B, B1, for leading it down within a cylindrical vessel A for heating the
feed water according to my improvements.
Referring to these Drawings, according to this invention a cast or wrought iron, or steel
or copper, or other metal cylinder A is used, either set vertically as shown in the Drawings,
or it might be placed horizontally, and having a cover A¹ bolted on at the one end
through flanges with preferably two openings or passages A¹¹ A", into which is led
the exhaust steam from the engines, or waste heat from the uptake flue of the boilers,
and which passes out through an opening or passage A³ in a cover A² preferably of a
conoidal shape bolted on through flanges at the other end of cylinder A. Within this
cylinder or uptake flue A is fitted or arranged as shown in Figures 1 to 3, a duplex
coiled tube or pipe B B¹, preferably made of solid drawn copper, which has it's one 3
end b, jointed to a single or duplex branch or cock CC, fitted outside, and near the
one end of the cylinder A, the duplex branches C C¹, being bolted by flanges to a pipe
controlled by valves and leading in the feed water from the pumps to and through the
coil B B. The tube or pipe B, coiled and led in a spiral wound form to the other
end of cylinder A, where it is connected by a flange and bolt joint at B2, as shown in
Figures 1 and 3, to another tube or pipe B which is coiled in a spiral form in the
opposite direction between the coils of the other single tube B until it reaches near
the other end of the cylinder A where it's outlet end is connected by a flange at 6₁ to
a branch or pipe (on the opposite side of the cylinder A, to and preferably about the
same level as the inlet pipe C C¹, and which will conduct the heated feed water to a 4
pipe leading to the boilers, it might be direct, or with a check valve to prevent
à back flow of the water from the boiler, this arrangement making a double helix B B',
the one B running forwards, and the other B backwards, the same also as in Figure 3,
the current of the water being indicated by darts, in these Figures. In the arrange
ment shown in Figure 3, in which a duplex coil B'B', is placed to heat the feed water 50

page_text: in a flue A, leading the waste hot gases from a furnace to the chimney, a damper or
throttle valve would be fitted at the inlet end at A111, to shut off the supply when so
desired, the gases in this arrangement escaping at the upper or other end at A³, as
indicated by the arrows. In Figures 4 and 5 three coils of pipe B B B", are shown
as used for heating the feed water. In this arrangement, one coil B is jointed at 6 to
the inlet branches C, C', and led up spirally and connected by flanges B³, at it's other
end to a three-way branch chamber at B³, to which the one end of the other two
coils B, B", are also in like manner connected, and led down spirally and connected
to an exit three-way chamber B* at the other end of the chamber A, leading by the
branch C to the boiler, as in the other arrangements, and all as indicated by darts.
In this Figure the inlet and outlet ends A1, A3, of the casing A through which the
exhaust steam or waste gases pass to heat the coils B, B, B", are contracted by
flanged ends to attach them to jointing pipes to lead the gases to and from the
vessel A. The spiral pipes B B B", may either have the circumference of their coils
arranged parallel or concentric to the cylinder A, as shown in the Drawings, or the
coils B, B1, B", may be formed of a conoidal or tapering form when so desired. The
exhaust steam, or waste heated gases from the furnace on their passage through
the inlet cover at A" A", and through the cylinder A will thus fill the chamber
surrounding the belical coils B, B1, B₁, and heat their whole outer circumference, and
the water which is forced by the pumps through these coils B, B¹, B. Test cocks Cl
are fitted at the inlet and exit branches C C and C for ascertaining the temperature
of the water on it's entering and leaving the spiral pipes B B B and heating
cylinder A from time to time as desired. When exhaust steam is used for so heating
the coil B B B and feed water in same within the outer vessel A, this would be made
fluid tight, and the exhaust steam might afterwards be led from the exit end A³ to the
condenser; but when the wasto hot gases from the furnace were used, these would
be led to the chimney or chimney flue direct from the outlet end A³ of the heating
vessel A.
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 :-
:-
First. The arrangement and use of apparatus or appliances for heating the feed
water of steam boilers, in which the feed water is passed through spirally coiled tubes
connected at their one end to the discharge pipe from the feed pumps, said tubes
being encased within a metallic cylinder or flue and coiled spirally both up and down,
or both ways through it in reverse directions, and heated by exhaust steam or waste
gases passing through the enclosing casing, substantially as and in the manner herein
described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The construction, or arrangement and combination of the parts of
apparatus or appliances for heating the feed water of steam boilers, in which pipes
are coiled both ways within a metallic casing or flue, substantially as herein described,
in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Dated the 23rd July 1889.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.