IMPROVEMENTS, IN THE APPARATUS FOR CIRCULATING, HEATING, AND. PURIFYING OF WATER FOR STEAM BOILERS, AERATED WATER MANUFACTURERS, BREWERIES, AND THE LIKE, AND FOR WASHING PURPOSES
Year: 1879

page_text: "
LETTERS, PATENT to, Alfred Austin Rickaby, of Bloomfield Engine Works,
Sunderland, in the County of Durham, Engineer, for the Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS, IN THE APPARATUS FOR CIRCULATING, HEATING, AND.
PURIFYING OF WATER FOR STEAM BOILERS, AERATED WATER MANUFACTURERS,
BREWERIES, AND THE LIKE, AND FOR WASHING PURPOSES."
Sealed the 20th February 1880, and dated the 5th September 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Austin Rickaby
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th September 1879.
ALFRED AUSTIN: RICKABY, of Bloomfield Engine Works, Sunderland, in the
County of Durham, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS FOR CIRCU-
LATING, HEATING, AND PURIFYING OF WATER FOR STEAM BOILERS, AËRATED
FOR
THE LIKE, AND
WASHING
WATER MANUFACTURERS, BREWERIES, AND
PURPOSES."
My Invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of
apparatus for circulating, heating, and purifying water for steam boilers, breweries,
washhouses, aërated water manufacturers, and dyers.
The improvements comprise various modifications of detail and arrangement to
suit the. different circumstances under which the apparatus is necessarily employed.
The apparatus consists of a cast or wrought iron circular vertical vessel divided trans-
versely into an upper and lower chamber. The upper chamber contains within it a
revolving vertical spindle provided with a series of circular trays or boxes disposed
horizontally one above the other, and of a less diameter than the said chamber. The
top and bottom of the apparatus is closed with steam tight covers, and suitable inlet
pipes for steam and water respectively are fitted opposite each other at the upper part
of the upper chamber. When, from any source, steam and water are forced into this
chamber through these pipes, they play or act upon vanes or flys attached to the afore-
said spindle causing it to revolve as well as the trays or boxes fixed thereon. The
water in passing downward over the trays in succession deposit therein any foreign
matter held in mechanical suspension. The lower chamber is in communication with

page_text: the upper one and is provided with an outlet pipe communicating with the boiler to
which my apparatus may be applied. Over the mouth or inlet of the said outlet
pipe and suitable filtering medium is advantageous placed, consequently the water
is forced through this filter before it enters the said boiler.
Provisions are made by which the filtering medium may, when it has become
clogged, be cleansed by driving, in a contrary direction to that previously taken by
the water, a stream of steam through the filter; the sludge and dirt is collected and
carried off by a sludge pipe fitted to the lowest part of the apparatus. The vanes
or fan will disentegrate, so to speak, the feed water when the apparatus is in
action.
Various modifications of my apparatus may be made to suit the ever varying
conditions of locality and circumstances; for instance, the lower or outlet chamber
may be fixed alongside the upper or inlet chamber instead of beneath as above
described, and further the water and steam may be made to enter at the bottom of
the inlet chamber and ascending pass over the trays and boxes. In some cases I
provide the outlet chamber with a relieving valve which would come into operation
when from any negligence the filtering, medium had become wholly or partly
impervious to water.
The trays or boxes may also be arranged in steps fixed spirally on a stationary
spindle and enclosed within an inner circular chamber, being somewhat similar to a
spiral staircase. The edges of the boxes may be serrated to disintegrate the feed
water, which upon reaching near the bottom of this inner chamber would pass out
of small aperture into an annular space existing between the inner partition and
the outer casing of this part of the apparatus; from thence the water' could be
suitably conducted to the filtering or outlet chamber if desired, and according
to the purity of the feed water. The steam before entering the apparatus may be
superheated.
"

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Austin Rickaby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th March 1880.
ALFRED AUSTIN RICKABY, of Bloomfield Engine Works, Sunderland, in the.
County of Durham, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS FOR CIRCU-.
LATING, HEATING, AND PURIFYING OF WATER FOR STEAM BOILERS, AERATED.
WATER MANUFACTURERS, BREWERIES, AND THE LIKE, AND FOR WASHING
PURPOSES."
My Invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of
apparatus for circulating, heating, and purifying water for steam boilers, breweries,
washhouses, aërated water manufacturers, and dyers.
The improvements comprise various modifications of detail and arrangement to
suit the different and necessary circumstances under which the apparatus may be
employed.
My improved apparatus consists generally of a cast or wrought iron circular
vertical vessel divided into an upper or inlet chamber and a lower or outlet
chamber. The upper chamber contains within it a revolving vertical spindle down
the centre provided with a series of circular trays or boxes disposed horizontally one
above the other and of a less diameter than the said chamber. The top and bottom of
the said apparatus is closed with steam tight covers, and suitable inlet and outlet
pipes fitted to both chambers. If from any source steam and water be forced into
the inlet chamber and made to play or act upon vanes or flys attached to the
aforesaid spindle, the spindle and also the trays before mentioned revolve, while
the water making its way to the outlet pipe passes over the said trays in succession
and deposits therein any foreign matter formerly held in suspension.
The lower chamber of my apparatus is in communication with the upper one and
is provided with a sludge box and an outlet pipe communicating with the boiler to
which my apparatus may be applied. Over the mouth or inlet to the said outlet,
pipe any suitable filtering medium may be advantageously placed so that the water
is forced through this filter before it enters the said boiler.
Provisions are made by which the filtering medium may, when it has become
clogged, be cleansed by driving a stream of steam or water in a direction contrary
to that previously taken by the feed water. The sludge and dirt previously
collected in the sludge box is carried off by a sludge pipe fitted to the lowest part
of the apparatus.
The vanes
apparatus is in action.
Various modifications of my apparatus may be made to suit the ever varying
conditions of locality and circumstances under which my Invention may be
employed; for instance the lower or outlet chamber above described may be fixed
alongside the inlet chamber instead of beneath as before explained. In some cases
I provide the outlet chamber with a relieving valve which would come into
operation if, from any neglect, the filtering medium had become wholly or partly
impervious to water.
or fan will disintegrate, so to speak, the feed water when. the
The trays or boxes may also be arranged in steps fixed spirally to a stationary
spindle representing somewhat a spiral staircase for the water to flow over before
entering the boiler. The edges of the boxes may be serrated to disintegrate the
feed water.
The steam before entering the apparatus may be superheated.
I will now proceed to explain my said Invention more in detail by aid of
the accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the letters and figures marked
thereon.
c

page_text: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a cast or wrought iron vessel in which are
placed any convenient number and size of tubes into which the feed water enters
at B, and traverses backwards and forwards through the whole of the tubes, and
flows out at C (as is usually the case with feed water heaters) either directly into
the boiler or through a filter or purifying apparatus, and thence into the boiler.
Steam is admitted through inlet A direct from the boiler; X is an end view of the
cast iron cellular cap for fixing over the tube ends and directing the stream of
water to flow from one tube into the other, thus the feed water circulates from end
to end through the whole series of tubes as shewn by the direction of the arrows,
see Figuré 1.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of my improved apparatus for heating and
purifying water for steam boilers, breweries, washhouses, aerated water manu-
facturers, and dyers, which in this instance consists of two circular cast or wrought
iron vessels, one of which, the inlet, is a disintegrator, and in which is a vertical
spindle with a number of trays fixed thereon. This vertical spindle with the trays
is made to revolve by a fan fixed on the lower end of the spindle. Steam is
pumped in at A. and the feed water at B (see also Figure X' which is a plan of
the fan and bottom of the disintegrator showing the vertical spindle in section).
The combined action of the steam and feed water passing into the inlet chamber
and impinging upon the vanes of the fan necessarily produces rotation of the
spindle and trays and forces up the water over into the second or outlet chamber
and down through the filter bed G which is composed of charcoal or any other
suitable filtering medium.
The feed water on its passage through these two chambers has now become;
1st, warmed by admixing with the steam entering from the pipe A; 2nd, deprived
of its earthy particles by depositing the same in the circular trays; and 3rd; further
purified of all deleterious properties by passing through the filtering medium G. It is
now in a fit state of purity to flow out at C and be used lor the purpose intended.
A relieving valve V is provided and may be placed as shewn on the Drawing, or
it may be fitted on the outside of the outlet chamber as may be found most
convenient. This arrangement is designed in case the filter should by neglect
become clogged, the feed water would then open the valve and escape, thus
preventing an accident occurring to the feed pumps that might otherwise arise.
The filtering action of the apparatus may be made to act upward by reversing the
positions of the inlet and outlet pipes.
At D Figure 2 is an inlet pipe for steam or water to enter and to blow out
through the outlet E the accumulation of mud or deposit and thus cleanse the
filter.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a circular cast iron or wrought iron vessel
and is a modified arrangement of my Invention. In this case the feed water enters
at B and passes over and through a number of conical trays placed base to base
and apex to apex. The water taking the direction shewn by the arrows after
tumbling" over the ridges or protecting wings with which each tray is provided
passes through perforations made near the base of the upper cone and near the apex
of the lower cone "tumbling" from tray to tray, and leaving sedimentary deposits
on the high side of each ridge, finally passes through and over sludge boxes wherein
the sludge is deposited, the water then free from mineral particles passes out at C
to the boiler. A is the inlet for steam which intimately mixes with the feed water
and promotes the precipitation of solid matter. Outlets for blowing out deposits
are shewn at D.
Figure 4 shews a coil to be placed in the funnel or flue of the boiler as may
be found most convenient for superheating the steam for the before mentioned
apparatus.
Figures 1 and 3 I place either inside or outside of boilers as may be found most
convenient.

page_text: In all of the above mentioned modifications I prefer to use the steam direct from
the boiler and to be superheated before going into the apparatus.
The steam or superheated steam after being used in my apparatus to raise the
feed water to boiling point may be afterwards conveyed through a pipe to an
engine and utilized. This would be best effected by the insertion of a stop cock in
the upper cover or closed upper end of the inlet chamber communicating with a
pipe leading to the said engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of my
said Invention together with the manner in which the same is or may be carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I claim as the Invention
secured to me by the above in part recited Letters Patent, is the means employed
for circulating, heating, and purifying of water for steam boilers, aërated water
manufacturers, breweries, and the like, and for washing purposes, substantially as
and in the manner above described and illustrated upon the accompanying Drawing
or any mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Austin Rickaby, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
A. A. RICKABY. (L.S.)