Improvements in Automatic Boiler Feeding Apparatus.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 28th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 18th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Boiler Feeding Apparatus.
GEORGE GORDON PICKING and WILLIAM HOPKINS both of Bow Road Bow
in the County of Middlesex Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in automatic boiler feeding apparatus
and it has for its object, improvements in the means of automatically supplying
steam or other boilers with water, and it consists of a feeder or vessel placed at
or above the level of the water in the boiler, this feeder has a constant supply of
water from the tank or source, and it is automatically closed to the supply and
opened to the boiler, or closed to the boiler and opened to the supply by the
action of a steam moved slide valve, which slide valve is operated by a smaller
valve, the movement of the smaller valve is regulated by means of a Hoat (made
of stone or metal) floating on the water in the feeder or vessel.
When the feeder or vessel is closed to the supply and opened to the boiler, an
equal pressure with the boiler is established in the feeder, and the water therein
contained falls by gravity into the boiler and in so doing (by means of the float)
reverses the steam moved slide valve, thus closing the connection to the boiler and
opening again to the supply so that the action continues as long as required.
This adaptation is especially useful for marine purposes in taking the water from
the condensers and supplying the steam boilers with same automatically.
In positions where the source of water supply is below the boiler an auxiliary
vessel placed at or above the level of the boiler must be used and this auxiliary
vessel is supplied with water from the feeder which is placed at any level convenient
to the water supply.
The auxiliary vessel being placed sufficiently high to allow the water to run
into the boiler by gravity.
By connecting the feeder to coils condensers, heaters and other apparatus the
water as it condenses from same can be returned to the steam boiler automatically
by means of this invention.
Dated the 28th day of July 1890
GEORGE GORDON PICKING.
WM. HOPKINS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Boiler Feeding Apparatus.
We GEORGE GORDON PICKING and WILLIAM HOPKINS both of Bow Road
Bow in the County of Middlesex Engineers 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 improvements in automatic boiler feeding apparatus
and it has for its object improvements in the means of automatically supplying
steam or other boilers with water and it consists of a feeder or vessel placed at
or above the level of the water in the boiler, this feeder has a constant supply of
water from the tank or source and it is automatically closed to the supply and
opened to the boiler or closed to the boiler and opened to the supply by the
action of a steam moved slide valve which slide valve is operated by a smaller
valve, the movement of the smaller valve is regulated by means of a float (made
of stone or metal) floating on the water in the feeder or vessel.
When the feeder or vessel is closed to the supply and opened to the boiler &-

page_text: equal pressure with the boiler is established in the feeder and the water therein
contained falls by gravity into the boiler and in so doing (by means of the float)
reverses the steam moved slide valve thus closing the connection to the boiler and
opening again to the supply so that the action continues as long as required.
This adaptation is especially useful for marine purposes in taking the water from
the condensers and supplying the steam boilers with same automatically.
In positions where the source of water supply is below the boiler an auxiliary
vessel placed at or above the level of the boiler must be used and this auxiliary
vessel is supplied with water from the feeder which is placed at any level convenient
to the water supply.
The auxiliary vessel being placed sufficiently high to allow the water to run into
the boiler by gravity.
By connecting the feeder to coils condensers heaters and other apparatus the
water as it condenses from same can be returned to the steam boiler automatically
by means of this invention.
Referring to the drawings
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a boiler feeder the float of which is an open
top cistern.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan taken through the slide casing.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through the slide casing.
The working of a feeder with this form of float is as follows.
The opening B is the exhaust outlet.
The opening C is connected to the water supply and D is the steam inlet.
As shown in Fig. 1 the feeder G being full of water and the position of the
slide as shewn steam is passing into the feeder G by the two ports a and band
the pressure being the same as in the steam boiler the water is falling from the
inside of the cistern float into the steam boiler through the hollow trunnion
piece and check valve the water in the feeder G outside the cistern float
having no escape remains, and when all the water has run out from the inside of
the cistern float it becomes buoyant and rises, in so doing it moves the small
valve by means of the lever this allows steam from the casing to pass up
the port g to reverse the main slide H the exhaust from the main slide escaping
up port and out at B. The slide H now being reversed and at the end of
casing the steam ports a¹ and are closed and by means of the recess and m³
under the slide valve a communication is made between 61 and the exhaust also
between a and the water supply.
The cistern float again fills with water and when full it sinks and moving the
lever moves the small valve K this reverses the main slide H the exhaust and
water being now closed steam passes into the feeder G by the ports a' and b¹ and
the action continues.
In Fig. 3 the check valve is shewn close to the feeder but when a check valve
is already fitted to the steam boiler this is not required.
Fig. 4 is an auxiliary vessel used in connection with the feeder G when the
water supply is below the level of the steam boiler as shewn in Fig. 5, the action
is as follows.
Supposing the feeder G to be placed below the water supply 1, in one position
of the main slide H the water I will flow into the feeder G when full the slide H
is reversed by the medus described and full steam pressure being in the feeder G
the water is blown through the check valve up the pipe n into the vessel J the
air and exhaust steam passing down the pipe o' and opening A on the feeder G
and thence out through the exhaust port and opening B when the slide H of the
feeder G reverses it uncovers the port and steam passing up the pipe of forms
equal pressure in the vessel J as in the steam boiler and the water falls from J
into the steam boiler. The slide H being in the position to refill the feeder G
while the vessel J is being emptied thus the action continues.
The same result may be obtained by placing the vessel J below at the water
supply and the feeder G above the boiler.

page_text: Fig. 6 simply shews another means of moving the small slide K by the level of
the water, and consists of a stone or tile float R and balance weight S working a
chain wheel and quadrant T which has a small levers to move the small slide K
this corresponding with the small end of lever in Fig. 1.
The weight S works in a tube which always remains full of water so that at any
position of the float the buoyancy is the same.
Fig. 7 is a cross section of the same arrangement for moving the small valve K.
Fig. 8 shews the feeder G connected to a steam boiler where the water supply I
is above the boiler.
The small valve K may be any shape cylindrical or flat as shewn.
As various adaptations of the float arrangement can be used for moving the
small valve K we do not limit ourselves to the means shewn in the drawings which
are simply given to illustrate the working of the feeder the float may be a stone
or tile suspended from a lever working inside the feeder and the balance weight
for same may be inside the feeder or outside if outside the spindle would have to
be packed by ordinary means or the small valve K may be operated by a ball float
on the end of a lever.
Having now described the nature of the said invention we wish it to be under-
stood that what we claim is.
In boiler feeding apparatus.
1st. The use of the small valve K to govern the movement of the main slide
valve when operated directly or indirectly by a float substantially as described.
2nd. The use of the auxiliary vessel J as described when the water supply is
below the boiler.
3rd. In boiler feeding apparatus the combination and arrangement of parts as
described in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and Figs. 6 and 7.
Dated the 28th day of April 1891.
G. G. PICKING.
WM.
HOPKINS.