IMPROVEMENTS IN AN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING FRESH WATER FROM SALT WATER
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alphonse René Le Mire de Normandy, of 67, Judd
Street, Brunswick Square, in the County of Middlesex, Analytical Chemist,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING FRESH
WATER FROM SALT WATER."
Sealed the 16th April 1859, and dated the 19th February 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alphonse René Le Mire
de Normandy at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 19th February 1859.
I, ALPHONSE RENÉ LE MIRE DE NORMANDY, of 67, Judd Street, Brunswick
Square, in the County of Middlesex, Analytical Chemist, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AN APPARATUS FOR
OBTAINING FRESH WATER FROM SALT WATER," to be as follows:-
In the Patent which was granted to me on the 20th of August 1856, for
obtaining fresh water from salt water, I described, Figure IX., a cistern p, p,
with a copper float s provided with a plug, pressing and closing a tube of
vulcanized indian-rubber contained in a tube u for regulating the supply of salt
water to the evaporating cylinder. Now, my improvement consists in a different
arrangement of water regulator, wherein the copper float, which I found to be
powerfully acted upon and destroyed by the salt water with which it is in contact
is replaced by a float of pottery, carthen, delftware, or even of glass, though

page_text: I prefer the other materials on account of their being less fragile, and I
provide the said float with an ordinary valve working in an ordinary seat, by
the raising of the said float when there is enough water to buoy it up so as
to close the aperture of the feeding pipe, instead of the plunger acting on a
vulcanized indian-rubber tube, which I found was liable to become distorted
or otherwise damaged so as to interfere with its proper action.
In the Patent above mentioned, the priming box was a distinct vessel; my
improvement now consists in uniting the priming and feed box into one single
vessel of suitable size, and in such a way that on the one hand the steam may
as heretofore deposit and return to the evaporator any priming or salt water
which may be mechanically projected or carried over with the steam, but that
on the other hand the said box may in acting as a priming box moderate or
arrest the splashes induced by priming, and at the same time by means of the
float which it contains serve as a feed box also.
In the above-named Patent, I had likewise described a steam trap whereby
the non-condensed steam was prevented from escaping; I found however that
the vulcanized indian-rubber tube there described was liable, like that of the
feed box, to become after a certain time altered in shape or otherwise damaged
so as to interfere with the free passage of the condensed steam. I have
accordingly resorted to a different arrangement of steam trap, which consists
of a box of cast iron or other suitable metal containing a float, which may be
made as usual of copper, but which I prefer to be made of stone or delftware,
which float is provided with a plunger, working within the box in a central
vertical tube cast with the box, the bottom part of which tube is in commu-
nication with the condensed steam, and provided on one of its sides with a
branch tube protruding outside of the box, and through which the condensed
steam may flow when the float is up. When, however, there is not enough
condensed water accumulated within the box to buoy up the float, the plunger
being then down inside the vertical tube, and therefore filling it, though not
closely, the condensed water cannot escape, at least freely, through the lateral
tube, and consequently no steam, or only a trifling quantity of it, can pass.
When, however, a sufficient quantity of condensed water has accumulated
within the box to buoy up the float, the plunger attached to the lower
extremity of it being then raised more or less above the opening of the lateral
tube in question, no uncondensed steam can escape; but that which is con-
densed, and which in fact has lifted the float up, finds then a ready exit.
And, lastly, my improvement consists in a different mode of constructing
the sheaf or bundle of pipes of the evaporator, condenser, and refrigerator,
namely, by engaging the two extremities of such pipes, cut in proper lengths,

page_text: into a plate of cast iron or of wrought iron, or other metal, containing holes
somewhat larger than the pipes themselves, so as to answer the purpose of a
stuffing box; gasket, vulcanized indian-rubber or other suitable packing
material is then pressed round each pipe of the said sheaf or bundle so that
on placing over the said pipes thus provided with the packing material
another plate of cast or of wrought iron or other metal acting as the gland or
pressing collar of a stuffing box, and bolting tightly together the first and the
second plate between which the packing of each extremity of every pipe is
placed, a sheaf of pipes is thus made, without the necessity of screwing or
coning the extremities of the said pipes as heretofore, so that if at any time
it be found necessary to replace one or more of these pipes in the said bundle
or sheaf, it may be done simply by unbolting the two plates between which
the packing at each extremity of the said pipe or pipes is pinched or pressed,
to permit the immediate removal of the defective pipe and its replacement by
another.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alphonse René Le Mire de Normandy in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 30th July 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALPHONSE
RENE LE MIRE DE NORMANDY, of 67, Judd Street, Brunswick Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Analytical Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Alphonse René Le Mire de Normandy, Her special licence that
I, the said Alphonse Rene Le Mire de Normandy, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said Alphonse René Le Mire de
Normandy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AN
APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING FRESH WATER FROM SALT WATER," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Alphonse René Le Mire de Normandy,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,.or

page_text: their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alphonse René Le Mire de Normandy,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawing, that is to say :-
In the Patent which was granted to me on the 20th August 1856, for
obtaining fresh water from salt water, I described, Figure IX., a cistern p, p,
with a copper floats provided with a plug t, pressing and closing a tube of
vulcanized indian-rubber contained in a tube u for regulating the supply of
salt water to the evaporating cylinder. Now, one of my improvements
consists in substituting for the copper float, which I found to be acted upon
and eventually destroyed by the action of the sea water, a float of pottery,
earthen, delfeware, or even glass, though I prefer the other materials on
account of their being less fragile. These floats may be made to act in
various ways, but the arrangement which I prefer consists in passing through
the said float a rod of copper or other inetal or alloy of a suitable nature,
making of course the perforations in the float through which it passes water-
tight by means of a washer of india-rubber, or of leather, or of gasket and
red lead, and a nut, as is well known to engineers; and I put at the top of
the said rod, traversing the float, an ordinary valve working in an ordinary
seat, or else a disc of metal covered with vulcanized indian-rubber acting as a
valve, so that when there is enough water admitted into the cylinder into
which the said float is contained, the said float may, by being buoyed up,
close the aperture of the feeding pipė, or else open it and allow of the feeding of
water to take place by falling or subsiding when the quantity of water in the
said cylinder ceases to be sufficient to buoy up the said float.
In the Patent above mentioned, the priming box was à distinct vessel; my
further improvement consists in uniting the priming and feed box into one
vessel of suitable size, and in such a way that the steam may, as heretofore,
deposit and return to the evaporator any priming or salt water which may be
mechanically projected or carried over with the steam, but that on the other
hand, the said box may, in acting as a priming box, moderate or arrest the
splashing induced by and at the same time serve as a feed box alsó.
The Fig. I. hereto annexed shows the arrangement. a, steam tube from
the evaporator leading the steam into the priming and feed box A, A; b, par

page_text: tition reserved in the casting, communicating with the interior of the box
and provided with portholes c, so that the salt water with which the said
steam may be charged or mixed is deposited at the bottom of the said box
and is returned to the evaporator by the pipe d, whilst the pure steam passes
through the portholes c into the steam pipe e in communication with the
condenser, not represented in the Figure, but which will be well understood
by referring to my former Patent. f is the float, which regulates the supply of
salt water to the apparatus by means of the valve g, as will be well understood
also by reference to my former Patent.
My further improvement consists in a different method of constructing the
sheaf bundles or series of pipes used for evaporating sea water, or condensing
or refrigerating the steam or fresh water obtained therefrom by evaporation.
The improved method in question consists in passing the two extremities of
Such pipes, previously cut in proper lengths, into a plate of cast iron or other
suitable metal containing holes somewhat larger than the pipes themselves, so
that the said pipes may be most freely put into them; gasket and red lead or
ä vulcanized indian-rubber ring, or any other suitable material used for the
packing of stuffing boxes, is then pressed round each pipe of the said sheaf,
bundles, or series of pipes, so that on placing over the said pipes, thus provided
with the packing material, another plate of cast iron or other suitable metal
perforated with holes corresponding to each of the pipes and somewhat larger
than the said pipes, it may act as the gland or general pressing collar of a
stuffing box, and by bolting the first and the second plate, between which the
packing of each extremity of every pipe is placed, a sheaf or system of pipes
is thus made, without the necessity of screwing or coning the extremities of
the said pipes as heretofore, so that if at any time it be found necessary to
replace one or more of the pipes in the said bundle or sheaf, it may easily be
done by unbolting the two plates between which the packing at each
extremity of the said pipe or pipes is pinched or pressed, whereupon the
removal of the defective pipe or pipes, and the substitution of other pipes may
be easily effected.
There are, of course, various ways of practising this improvement, but the
plan which I prefer is represented in Figure 2. a represents a portion of a
cylinder, containing a bundle, sheaf, or system of pipes used for evaporating
sea water, or condensing or refrigerating the steam or fresh water obtained
therefrom by evaporation; b, cast-iron plate, perforated with holes, through
which the pipes h pass; c, holes reserved in the cast-iron plates so as to act
as the recess of a stufling box; d, rings of zinc or other suitable material
placed over a ring of caoutchouc, previously put round the pipes and pressed

page_text: down to the bottom of the holes c; e, rings of vulcanized caoutchouc, previously
put round the end of each pipe; f, pressing plate, provided with holes corre-
sponding to the pipes, so that by screwing the bolts g the zinc rings d squeeze
the rings of caoutchouc, so as to make the joints. round each pipe quite tight.
g, bolts for screwing the pressing plate and the cast-iron plates together.
When the object is to evaporate sea water by means of pressure, steam
generated in an ordinary steam boiler, or to condense steam, whether at a
pressure or not, or to refrigerate the fresh water resulting from the condensed
steam, the said steam or the said condensed fresh water is admitted through
the tubes J, fastened to a cap which covers all the pipes h, immersed in sea
water, whereby the steam is condensed or the water is refrigerated, and falling
into the lower cap l, it escapes through a pipe which may be placed at any
point of the lower extremity of the said cap l, or on the side thereof.
Having now described my said improvements and the mode of performing
them, I claim as my Invention, the description of float berein-before mentioned,
and likewise the method of making the joints of pipes, herein-before described
in the construction of evaporators, condensors, and refrigerators, employed in
obtaining fresh water from salt water.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alphonse René Le Mire de Normandy,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
WM. COLLER,
9, Lancaster Place,
Strand.
A. NORMANDY. (L.S.)