IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING WATER TO STEAM BOILERS AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN WATER PURIFYING APPARATUS TO BE USED IN CONNECTION' THEREWITH OB OTHER WISH
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Casper at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
August 1878.-A communication from abroad by Jules Farinaux,
of Lille, France.
I, EDWARD CASPER, of Finsbury Circus, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING WATER TO STEAM BOILERS AND OTHER VESSELS,
AND IN WATER PURIFYING APPARATUS TO BE USED IN CONNECTION' THEREWITH OB
OTHER WISH," -a-communication, to be as follows:-
My said Invention has for its object the construction of simple but
efficient apparatus, part of which is designed to maintain a constant and
uniform supply of water to the boiler or other vessel to be filled; while
the other part removes from the water, before it is admitted to the said
boiler or other vessel, all impurities which, if allowed to enter the boiler
with the water, would produce incrustation therein. The employment
of this apparatus therefore affords the means for completely avoiding all
accidents which arise from an imperfect method of regulating the feed
water of steam boilers and also the evils which are occasioned by the
-

page_text: incrustation or fouling of the shell, the tubes, and other parts of stem
boilers.
The said Invention consists in the peculiar construction of an
automatic feed or supply apparatus, which when arranged in com-
bination with the purifying apparatus, as herein described, will regulate
the admission of water to the said apparatus, that is to say, it will admit
thereto only the quantity of water required for the boiler or other vessel
to be supplied. This feed apparatus also comprises mechanism for
maintaining the water in the said boiler or other vessel at any desired
level, and the said Invention therefore consists partly in the peculiar
construction of this mechanism, and in its combination with the
aforesaid regulating apparatus. It also consists in the novel con-
struction of the purifying apparatus which frees the feed water from
calcareous and other salts held in solution therein.
"
The said purifying apparatus is constructed to operate as follows:-
The water to be purified is heated therein to a high temperature by
superheated steam or steam at a high pressure, in such a manner that
the water is exposed to a long contact with changing surfaces between
the steam and the water, and the water is retained in the said apparatus
long enough to insure the desired result.
The said Invention further consists in the combination of this
purifying apparatus with the aforesaid feed apparatus.
My improved feed apparatus is composed of a floating regulator
which is a metallic cylinder provided with three tubes. One of these
tubes serves for the introduction of the water brought either directly
from the feed pump or from a feed tank. In the interior of the said
cylinder I place a float which has a rod guided at its lower end in a
socket, and at its upper end in a stuffing box. Outside of this stuffing
box the said rod is provided with a cross or other joint, rendering it
dependent upon a double lever oscillating on a fixed bearing in a
standard at the top of the cylinder. The said lever has a weight
which serves to counterbalance the weight of the float and also
the friction of the stuffing box on the aforesaid rod. Another rod
jointed to the said lever controls through a toothed sector a double valve
placed on a seat communicating at one side with the feed pump or
pumps, and at the other side with the purifying apparatus and the
suction tank of the feed pumps. This double valve is so constructed

page_text: that when one of the two seats is opened, that is to say, is in com-
munication with the delivery of the feed pumps, the other is closed, and
vice versa. This double valve should be as nearly as possible in
equilibrium, and this result may be obtained by using butterfly-valves
and supporting them upon two disc seats at the sides of their
controlling rods.
One of the tubes of the said cylinder serves for the introduction of the
steam from the boilers or generators or from the purifying apparatus
and therefore maintains in equilibrium of pressure, the boilers, and the
automatic feed regulator.
The third tube serves for the exit of the water and its passage into the
boilers or generators. This tube is connected by another tube with the
apparatus for maintaining a uniform level in the boiler. This apparatus
is constructed as follows:-It has a metal box or case secured by a
flange upon the boiler. In the upper part of the said case I form a seat
for a valve which has a rod guided at the lower end in a small socket
and attached at its upper end to a screw rod which is adjustable
vertically in the upper cover of the case or box of the said valve. The
lower end of the said rod is jointed to a lever pivoted to a fixed point
inside the boiler and carrying at one end a float and at the other end a
weight to balance the said float.
My improved purifying apparatus which is intended particularly to
be used when the feed water is charged with sulphate of lime and for
sea water is constructed as follows:-It has an upper vessel provided
at its lower part with a pipe for introducing steam. This vessel is fixed
upon another vessel with a conical bottom which has an outlet pipe and
cock; this lower vessel communicates at its upper part with the
regulator through which the water passes to the boiler or boilers to be
supplied.
The upper vessel has a cover which communicates with a feed pump,
an injector, or other supply apparatus. This cover has at its lower part
a perforated plate.
From the upper vessel a cylindrical or taper tube extends into the
lower vessel. The said upper vessel contains a number of superposed
discs which have a number of slots or openings in them, so arranged

page_text: discs immediately above and below it. These discs are kept at a short
distance apart by washers.
Moreover the said apparatus has another very important and novel
contrivance for regulating the fall of the water throughout the
descending column. For this purpose I place at intervals of seven,
eight, or ten discs (more or less), cast-iron flanged collecting plates with
holes in their central portion; I thus divide the said discs into series.
If the water fell directly upon the upper disc it would be divided
irregularly upon the lower discs, but the collecting plate will not permit
it to fall upon the lower discs of the series except by being thrown from
the central part of the first disc of that series.
My improved purifyer and feed apparatus instead of being combined,
as herein described may be used separately if desired. If the purifyer is
dispensed with, the aforesaid double valve is arranged to communicate
directly with the tube of the regulator.
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