IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING FRESH WATER AT SEA BY MEANS OF DISTILLING APPARATUS COMBINED WITH THE COOKING STOVES OR OTHERWISE."
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew Brown, of Waterloo Road, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Brass Founder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OBTAINING FRESH WATER AT SEA BY MEANS OF DISTILLING APPARATUS
COMBINED WITH THE COOKING STOVES OR OTHERWISE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew Brown at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
June 1861.
I, ANDREW BROWN, of Waterloo Road, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Brass Founder, do, hereby, declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING FRESH WATER AT SEA BY MEANS OF DISTILLING
APPARATUS COMBINED WITH THE COOKING STOVES OR OTHERWISE," to be as
follows:-
When the still or evaporating boiler is used in connection with cooking
stoves I place it towards. the top and back of the same, so that the waste heat
from the fires.may.be economized. I obtain a supply of sea or salt water to
the still or evaporating boiler through the condensing worm chamber from the
cistern in ordinary. use, or from either of them, when they are placed at a
greater elevation than the said still or evaporating boiler.
The most distinguishing feature of my Invention, however, consists in
making the feed" self-acting, and. this I accomplish by the following appa-
ratus: A float is placed in the still or evaporating boiler, to this float I affix

page_text: a rod, which passes through the cover of the said still and couples to the end
of a lever supported on a bracket; at the other end of the lever, attached to a
rod with length regulating spring and nut is a valve or tap, situated in the salt-
water supply pipe; as the water falls in the still the float descends and opens.
the supply, and vice versa.
The arrangements of taps with various ways are such that the supply to the
condensing chamber from the ordinary cistern may be carried off as waste, and
the tap at the inlet to the still is made to carry off the brine continually
collecting in the said still.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Andrew Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANDREW
BROWN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Brass Founder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Andrew Brown, Her special licence that I, the said Andrew Brown, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Andrew
Brown, 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 OBTAINING
FRESH WATER AT SEA BY MEANS OF DISTILLING APPARATUS COMBINED WITH THE
COOKING STOVES OR OTHERWISE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Andrew Brown, my executors or administrators, by. an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particu-
larly 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 Andrew Brown, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per:

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
When the still or evaporating boiler is used in connection with cooking
stoves I place it towards the top and back of the same so that the waste heat
from the fires may be economised. I obtain a supply of sea or salt water to
the still or evaporating boiler through the condensing worm chamber from the
cistern in ordinary use, or from either of them, when they are placed at a
greater elevation than the said still or evaporating boiler.
The most distinguished feature of my Invention, however, consists in
making the "feed" self-acting, and this I accomplish by the following
apparatus: A float is placed in the still or ovaporating boiler to this float I
affix a rod which passes through the cover of the said still and couples to the
end of a lever supported on a bracket. At the other end of the lever, attached
to a rod, with length regulating spring and nut, is a valve or tap situated in
the salt water supply pipe. As the water falls in the still the float descends
and opens the supply, and vice versa.
The arrangements of taps with various ways are such that the supply to the
condensing chamber from the ordinary cistern may be carried off as waste, and
the tap at the inlet to the still is made to carry off the brime continually
collecting in the said still.
I now proceed more fully to describe the particulars of my said Inven-
tion, and what I believe to be the most economical means of carrying the same
into practical effect. For this purpose I will make reference to the Sheet of
Drawings accompanying this, in which the same letters of reference designate
like parts in all the views.
I would remark, however, that the description herein-before contained, which
is a copy of my 'Provisional Specification, represents the length regulating
spring and nut on the valve or tap spindle, whilst in the Drawings they are
shewn connected at the other or float spindle end, and this modification has
been suggested to maintain a steadier and more uniform "feed," and to
counteract the motion of a ship at sea, as will be seen in the description
herein-after contained. I would also remark that I havo shewn a filter in the
Drawings, but to this I make no claim, it is merely shewn as a means
whereby a sweeter and more palatable water can be obtained.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my apparatus combined with a cooking stove
and of the necessary arrangements of parts for carrying out the same, all being
shewn in situ; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, with the exception of
the condenser worm, which is shewn in clevation; Fig. 3 a side elevation of
the evaporting boiler and cooking stove; Fig. 4 a plan view of part of Fig. 3
'

page_text: and of the condenser and filter; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the condenser, and
Fig. 6 a longitudinal elevation of the filter.
A represents the supply cistern in ordinary use, placed on the top of the
deck-house B, and usually filled by a force pump on board the ship; C, the
condenser or condensing worm chamber made of metal and bolted quite air-
tight; it communicates with the cistern A by two pipes a, a, one as uptako
for hot water and any steam generated, the other for supply of the colder water,
a circulation being maintained as is well known. These pipes may either be
connected to a three-way cock b, as shewn in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, where the third
way c is for running off the waste water and steam generated in the condensing
worm chamber immediately after commencing to distil, and before the circu-
lation herein-before mentioned is allowed, or they may have separate cocks d, d,
as shewn in Fig. 4, in which latter case one of the cocks will have two ways
(or the three-way cock might be used) so as to carry off the waste water and
steam above referred to. D, the evaporating boiler, the bottom of which I by
preference make of malleable iron with a T flue or tube e passing through the
same, and the top of cast iron, and fasten them together by bolts or otherwise;
f, tubes secured and open to the said evaporating boiler to cause a circulation
from the bottom of the water upwards to or about the water line; these tubes
by being placed in the fire flue transmit considerable heat -to the water.
When the boilers are large tivo or more flues or tubes might be used;
E, the cooking stove, the effectiveness of which remains unimpaired as the
heat required for the evaporating boiler is simply that which hitherto has
passed off into the chimney. g, fire-place; h; ovens; i, chimney; j, pieces
of perforated angle iron rivetted to the bottom of the boiler to prevent
sudden egress of the combustible gases; k, dampers. placed at the ends
of the T flue to allow the cooking stove to be used when the distilling apparatus
is not at work; F, the float made of copper, porcelain; or other durable
metal or material; 1, the float spindle moving through a stuffing. gland m
in the boiler cover; n, the regulating nüt and spring, the former of which
determines the "lift" of the float and consequently the opening allowed for
passage of "feed" water, and the latter counteracts the surging of the water
in the boiler, through the rolling and pitching of the ship, by yielding and.
returning without opening the "feed" valve at every slight motion; o, the
lever with balance weight p; q; bracket supporting the said lever o, to which is
jointed the spindler of the feed controlling valve or tap s, placed in the supply
pipe t, communicating between the condenser and boiler; u, à stuffing gland
to allow for the working of the ship; v, a two-way cock through which the
boiler is supplied at w, but which is also suitable for emptying the boiler by

page_text: the passage or pipe x; y, y¹, surface, blow-off, and sediment cocks fitted with a
water level guage and waste pipe ; I, steam passage to the condenser.
The upward pipe a' is carried a sufficient height to prevent flooding of the
boiler, and the downward annular passage 63, formed by encircling the upward
pipe with another of larger diameter, acts also as a condenser by the action of
the atmosphere thereon; c, a stuffing gland to yield to the working of the
ship. d, the condensing worm. This I surround at the top with an annular
ring, so that the hottest water in the condenser shall be drawn off for feeding
the boiler; e, the condensed fresh water exit to the filter J, where the said
condensed water percolates through charcoal and other porous media and is
stored for use; or when this is full is passed on to a reservoir for that purpose,
in which it may be aerated if desired; f³, waste tap for emptying the condensing
chamber.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the most
economical means of carrying the same into practical effect on board ship, I
would have it distinctly understood that I do not confine myself thereto, as it
will be readily seen by any one acquainted with the construction of such
apparatus that substantially the same arrangements can be used when a
separate framework is made use of, neither do I confine myself to the precise
details herein laid down as they may be variously modified without departing
from the leading features thereof, but what I claim as secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
Firstly, regulating the supply of the feed water by a float placed inside the
evaporating boiler, operating by or through any suitable connections or arrange-
ments for the purpose herein set forth.
And, secondly, the general arrangement of apparatus herein described for
the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
ANDREW BROWN. (L.S.)
In the presence of
JOHN THOMSON KING, Patent Agent,
4, Clayton Square, Liverpool.