Apparatus for Heating Liquids under Pressure.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Aug., 1894-Accepted, 17th Nov., 1894
TROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Apparatus for Heating Liquids under Pressure.
I LIONEL ROBERT LITTLER SQUIRE of Clarendon House, St. John's Wood
Park, London N.W. Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus so constructed that liquids may be heated to
a desired temperature under pressure with a small expenditure of fuel, the flow of
the liquid, and the supply of steam being regulated automatically.
In order to accomplish this, I construct a tall cylindrical vessel which may be of
iron or copper according to circumstances. This vessel is furnished with a false
bottom in which a number of small thin tubes are fixed, which unite in a chamber
open at the top near the top of the apparatus. The liquid to be treated is pumped
in between the bottom of the apparatus, and the false bottom, and rising through
the tubes passes into the above named chamber, and overflows into the space outside
the tubes. In this outside space the liquid is kept at a constant level by means of
a float which governs an outlet valve at the bottom of the outside space. The
upper portion of the column of liquid thus formed is traversed by a steam coil
which may, or may not, be perforated. The admission of steam is controlled by a
balanced valve, which is operated by a piston working against a spring in a
cylinder at the top of the apparatus, so that as the pressure in the apparatus
increases the balanced valve is gradually closed.
The action of the apparatus is as follows;-The liquid pumped in beneath the
false bottom rises in the tubes and is heated by the hot liquid descending in the
outside space.
It then overflows from the chamber at the top of the tubes into
the upper part of the outside space which is the zone of highest temperature.
It is here raised to the required temperature by the steam coil, and gradually
descending in the outside space gives up its heat to the incoming liquid in the
tubes, and finally leaves the apparatus by the valve operated by the float at a
temperature not much above that at which it entered the apparatus. The pressure,
and consequently the temperature to which it has been heated remaining constant
as a result of the piston and balanced valve device.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Heating Liquids under Pressure.
1 LIONEL ROBERT LITTLER SQUIRE of Clarendon House, St. John's Wood
Park, London, N.W. Mechanical Engineer, 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 so constructed that liquids may be heated to
a desired temperature under pressure with a small expenditure of fuel, the flow of
the liquid and the supply of steam being regulated automatically.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 represents one form of the apparatus
shewn in section.
A A is a vertical cylinder closed at
chamber B B by a perforated plate CC.
the top, and separated from a bottom
Into the perforations of this plate are

page_text: expanded or soldered, small tubes a a, preferably of copper, which at their upper
extremity terminate in a chamber of conical form D D open at the top, a space
being left round this chamber between it and the external cylinder.
Around the outside of the conical portion of the chamber a steam coil E. E. is
fixed, which may either be closed at the end, and perforated with small holes, or it
may be not perforated in which case it must be brought out through the wall of the
external cylinder, and provided with a steam trap, (not shown in the drawing).
The steam is admitted to this coil by means of a balance valve F which is
operated by the movements of a piston moving in a cylinder c, and controlled by
a spring d acting on its upper side. In the centre of the apparatus there is a float G
which raises or lowers a cylindrical sleeve e perforated at the top, which opens more
or less the slits on the small closed cylinder f, and so allows the liquid to escape
with more or less rapidity according to the position of the float. This sleeve valve
may be replaced, but less conveniently by a balanced valve of the ordinary
construction.
The float G is surrounded by a thin tube g soldered into the bottom of the
conical chamber D D and passing completely through and somewhat above the
chamber. This tube separates the float from the conical chamber but there are
slits h. h. cut in the bottom of the tube so as to allow the liquid outside the small
tubes a a to pass to the sleeve valve, which is regulated by the float. H. H. represents
a cast iron base upon which the apparatus rests.
The action of the apparatus is as follows;-The liquid to be treated is pumped in
through the pipe I into the chamber B B from which it rises through the tubes a a
into the conical chamber D D. From this it overflows into the space at the upper
part of the cylinder A A where it encounters the action of the steam.
The liquid
then gradually descends in the space outside the tubes a a giving up its heat to
the incoming liquid in the tubes and finally passes out through the slits h h in the
tube g, and the slits in the sleeve valve f, and out of the apparatus through the
pipe K.
In this way the liquid reaches the upper part of the apparatus heated already to
a high temperature, while the liquid which has been treated leaves the apparatus at
a temperature not much above that of the incoming liquid.
The regulation of the quantity of liquid at any time in the apparatus is effected
by the action of the float G, which rises and opens the outlet valve when there is
too much liquid in the apparatus, but falls and shuts the outlet valve when the
level of the liquid falls too low. The regulation of the steam and of the pressure,
and consequently of the temperature, to which the liquid is to be heated in the
upper part of the apparatus' effected by the movements of the piston b in the
cylinder c. When the temperature and consequently the pressure becomes too
great the piston rises compressing the spring d against which it acts, and at the
same time closes more or less the balance valve F. If, on the contrary, the
temperature and consequently the pressure falls, the spring d forces down
the piston band at the same time opens the balanced valve F and admits more
steam. The apparatus is consequently automatic.
Fig. 2 represents another form of the apparatus shewn in longitudinal section,
and Fig. 3 a transverse section of the same.
AA is a horizontal cylinder closed at one end by a cover A' and at the other
end by a perforated plate C C which is furnished with a thick rim, and transverse
ribs of the same height as the rim between each pair of perforations.
In the perforations of this plate are expanded or soldered U shaped tubes a a
of nearly the same length as the cylinder. A cover D is bolted to the rim of
the perforated plate, so that it and the ribs of the perforated plate form
chambers B B into which one set of tubes discharge, and from which the next set
of tubes lead into the adjacent chamber, so that any liquid pumped into the lower
chamber is forced to traverse the entire length of the tubes before reaching the
top chamber.
From the top chamber a pipe J leads to another cylinder L L placed above the

page_text: first, which is closed by the two covers L' L'. This cylinder, in which the heating
is accomplished, is furnished with a steam pipe E E which, as in the case of Fig. 1
may be either perforated or not. The steam pipe is furnished with the same device
for regulating the steam as shown in Fig. 1., viz., a balance valve, or as is shown in
this case, a sleeve valve F controlled by a piston 6 and a spring d.
In this form of the apparatus the tube g containing the float G is placed at the
side of the apparatus and communicates with it through the pipe M, which by
means of the 3 cocks N N N may be made to draw off from either end or from the
middle of the lower cylinder. A small pipe O establishes a communication between
the upper cylinder L L and the upper part of the tube g containing the float. The
action of the apparatus is as follows ;-
The liquid to be heated is pumped in at the inlet I. It then traverses the
tubes a a and passes out by the pipe J into the upper cylinder L L where it is
subjected to the action of steam. From this cylinder it descends by the pipe P
into the lower cylinder in the space outside the pipes, giving up its heat to the
incoming liquid in the pipes a a, and then passes through the pipe M to the sleeve
valve controlled by the float G which regulates the rate of discharge. The
action of the float in regulating the discharge, and that of the piston and spring in
regulating the steam is the same as that already described in Fig. 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is;-
1. Maintaining a constant temperature of the boiling liquid to be treated by
means of a piston acting against a spring controlling the balanced or sleeve valve
which regulates the admission of the steam substantially as described.
2. The combination of the tube arrangement by which the heat of the outgoing
liquid is transmitted to the incoming liquid, with the balanced valve and spring
referred to in Claim 1 and with the float and valve arrangement by which the
quantity of liquid in the apparatus is maintained at a constant level so as together
to form an apparatus suitable for the purpose indicated, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1894.
W. S. SQUIRE,
Agent for the Applicant.