the Feed Water for Steam Boilers.
Year: 1885

page_text: the Feed Water for Steam Boilers.
1 HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents 6 Breams Buildings
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of the invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS
"
FOR PURIFYING THE FEED WATER FOR STEAM BOILERS," to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object, to remove from the feed water all matters
which cause incrustation or sediment in steam boilers and thus to feed the water
into the boiler in a state, free of all such matters.
For this purpose the feed water is first fed into a heater of any suitable con-
struction either by the pressure from the water works or by any pumping device.
This heater is used in such cases only when hot water is not at disposal for feeding
purposes.
70° C
In this heater the water may be heated up to say 158° F
before it is passed into
a closed reservoir provided with partition walls and of such dimensions, that the
water may properly circulate therein. Besides the water a suitable chemical
solution such as will cause a precipitation of the matters held in suspension in the
water is introduced into this reservoir. The chemicals or chemical compound, are
chosen according to the quality of the feed water.
In order that the feed of such chemicals or chemical compound may always be
at such a standard ratio in proportion to the quantity of the feed water a pump or
a feed apparatus especially constructed for this purpose is employed and this pump
or apparatus must be worked with the boiler feed pump so that the chemicals or
chemical compound or compounds and the feed water are always admitted to the
reservoir in determined or fixed proportions.
The chemicals or chemical compounds will by acting for a certain period in the
reservoir upon the matters contained in the feed water cause the formation of
precipitates, that is to say if soda is employed, carbonates will be precipitated.
The water enters from the reservoir into one or more filter presses in which the "
water is filtered and in which the precipitates will accumulate; the filtered water

page_text: will then be admitted to the boiler feed pump either directly or by means of a
reservoir from which the pump draws the water. The filter press may be emptied
from time to time and be provided with fresh filtering material, such as cloth and
will also be provided with suitable channels or pipes for entrance of the water
from the reservoir and outlet of the filtered water.
When more than one filter press is employed they may be arranged with proper
pipes and valves, so that one may be in use while the other is being cleaned. The
main mass of precipitates is retained in the filter-press and in the reservoir before
mentioned for which reason the latter is arranged so as to be capable of being
easily cleansed and also to permit of the removal of the partition walls. The water
so far purified and filtered is now forced by the pump into a trough contained in a
suitable vessel and filled with coke, iron chips or other suitable substances. This
vessel is supplied with steam from the boiler and the water is heated by intimate
contact with the steam which causes all earthy matters contained in the water to
be retained by the layer of coke or iron chips or any other suitable material
deposited in the said trough.
This vessel with its trough is so arranged that it may easily be opened and
cleaned when the boiler is not at work. The feed-water issues from this trough
into the boiler in a perfectly clean condition.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Purifying
the Feed Water for Steam Boilers.
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil 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 has for its object to remove from the feed water all matters
which cause incrustation or sediment in steam boilers or generators, and thus to
feed the water into the boiler or generator in a state, free of all such matter, and
the invention consists in a process or method for effecting such removal, and also
in the apparatus by which such process or method is carried out.
In the accompanying drawing is shown an arrangement of apparatus employed
for the purpose above described.
The feed water is first fed into a heater A of any suitable construction, either by
the pressure from the water works, or by any pumping device-This heater is
เ

page_text: used in such cases only when previously heated feed water is not at disposal for
feeding purposes.
In this heater A, the water may be heated up to say 158° F.
70° C. before it passes into
a closed reservoir B provided with partition walls b*, and of such dimensions, and
so arranged, that the water may properly circulate therein in a zig-zag direction.
Besides the water, and through a supply pipe b, a suitable chemical solution, such
as will cause a precipitation of the matters held in suspension in the water, is
introduced into the reservoir B. The chemicals or chemical compounds or solutions
are chosen according to the quality of the feed water, the nature of the require-
ments being well known to chemists. In order that the feed of such chemicals or
chemical compounds may always be at a standard ratio in proportion to the
quantity of the feed water delivered to the steam generator by the feed pump D,
a pump or other suitable feed apparatus is employed, and this feed apparatus is
worked with the boiler feed pump D, so that the chemicals or chemical compound
or compounds are always mixed with the feed water in the reservoir B in deter-
mined or fixed proportions. Thus, if the nature of the boiler feed water has been
ascertained, and the chemical or chemicals, or compounds to be used as a remedy,
have been fixed upon, and if the strength of the solution of such chemical or
compound has been determined, then the feed apparatus d, always working at the
same or at any fixed ratio with the main pump D, will always deliver the exact
and standard quantity of such solution, not more, and not less, as is necessary, for
the quantity of water being discharged by the pump D. Though the chemicals
are supplied to the vessel B, still the flow of water through the apparatus is
regulated by the pump D, and therefore the quantity of chemical introduced
into B, must be in proportion to the discharge by the pump D, as before stated.
Thus, by way of example, if the pump D discharges 1 Gallon per minute, and it is
found that 1 pint of chemical is necessary to produce the desired effect upon
1 gallon of water, the capacity of the device d in relation to the pump D will be
as 1 to 8.
The chemicals or chemical compounds will, by acting for a certain period in the
reservoir B upon the matters contained in the feed water, cause the formation of
precipitates. The chemically treated water in the reservoir B passes into a filter
press C of any suitable construction, in which the water is filtered, and in which
any precipitates carried over, and solid extraneous matters, will be caught, and the
filtered water is drawn therefrom by the boiler feed pump D, or is allowed to run
into a closed reservoir, from which it is pumped to the boiler or other vessel.
When more than one filter press is employed, they may be arranged with proper
pipes and valves, so that one may be in use while the other is being cleaned. The
main mass of precipitates and extraneous matters is retained in the filter press C,
and in the reservoir B, and for this reason the latter is constructed so as to permit
of its being easily cleansed, and also to permit of the removal of the partition walls.
The water thus far purified and filtered may be pumped into the boiler direct, but
in most cases it is preferred to first treat it with steam, to remove any earthy matters
that may still be retained therein. For this purpose the water is pumped into a
vessel E, placed preferably on the top of the boiler. Inside this vessel is a trough E¹,
into which the water falls as it enters the vessel E, which trough E¹ is filled with
coke, iron turnings, or other suitable substances.-The vessel E is supplied with
steam from the boiler, and the feed water is heated by intimate contact with the
steam, which causes all earthy matters contained in the water to be retained by
the layer of coke, iron turnings, or other suitable material deposited in the said
trough.
The vessel E, with its trough E¹, is also so arranged that it may easily be opened
and cleaned when the boiler is not at work. The feed water passes from the
trough E¹ and vessel E into the boiler in a perfectly clean condition, as all matters
which are not deposited by precipitation in the vessel B, will be caught by the

page_text: filter press C, while such matters as are chemically suspended in the water, and
cannot be caught by the filtering medium, will be deposited in the vessel E E¹.
7
The apparatus above described will form, so to speak, a closed continuous conduit
of pipes, the various operations taking place in rapid succession in such closed
conduit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my Foreign Correspondent, I would here remark that I do not lay any
claim to the parts A, B, C, D and E, separately, nor to any particular construction
of said parts, but what I do claim is
1. The process as herein described for purifying the feed water supplied to steam
boilers or generators, and consisting substantially in the following operations, viz:-
preheating the feedwater, treating with chemicals, filtering, and submitting to the
action of steam, as and for the purposes set forth.
2. The apparatus for carrying out the process above referred to, and consisting
in the combination of a heating apparatus, a precipitating vessel, a filtering
apparatus, a feed pump, a chemical feeding device, and a steain treating vessel or
apparatus, substantially as shown and described, and constituting a closed continuous
conduit, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In apparatus for carrying out the process above referred to, the use, in com-
bination with the main boiler feeding pump D, of a suitable feeding device or
apparatus d, moved or worked by or in conformity with, or at a certain proportioned
speed to said boiler feed water pump, for the purpose of adding chemicals or a
chemical solution in a predetermined and constant proportion to the feed water, as
Bet forth.
1