Improvements in Feed Regulators or Distributors for Steam Boilers.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application. 20th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 19th Apr., 1895-Accepte1, 15'h June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Feed Regulators or Distributors for Steam
Boilers.
We, JAMES WEIR, GEORGE WEIR, and JOHN RITCHIE RICHMOND, all of
Holm Foundry, Cathcart, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Engineers,
do bereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows, that is to say :-
Our said invention has for its object the constructing of feed regulators or
distributors for steam boilers in an improved manner, and so as to be simple,
effective, and not liable to get out of order. We have also specially in view the
constructing of the apparatus so as to be advantageously applicable to a set of two
or more boilers working in connection and fed by branch pipes from one main feed
pipe, and so as to distribute the feed water to the several boilers in accordance
with their respective requirements.
In one modification of our improved apparatus, which is partly inside of the
boiler or inside of a compartment or separate vessel communicating with the boiler,
the feed-water inlet from the branch feed pipe is controlled by an ordinary disk
valve which closes against the inlet orifice, the valve being consequently acted on
by the pressure of the feed water in the branch pipe. The valve is pressed
towards the seat by a lever, to which a float is fixed. The float may be of any
convenient shape or kind, but in one modification it is hollow, and has openings
in its top, through which it is kept filled with water, the lever being made with
one or more channels to lead the water entering at the feed inlet to the float. A
weight or spring is applied to the float lever to counterbalance the parts more or
less, and tending to close the valve. The fulcrum of the lever is formed with a
pin fixed in a bracket or piece from both sides of which it projects; and the
lever is formed with two parts projecting at its inner end and forined with eyes
or sockets to fit and hinge upon the oppositely projecting ends of the fulcrum pin,
whilst screws screwed into the outer sides of the socket parts bear on the end of
the fulcrum pin and serve for adjusting the lever so that the inner sides of its
socket parts are not in frictional contact with the bracket or part in which the
fulerum pin is fixed. On the branch pipe supplying each boiler, there is, by
preference, fitted a valve to be opened by the water passing to the boiler, and
which has applied to it a spring which can be adjusted so as, if required for any
purpose, to modify the pressure of the feed water on the valve controlled by the
Hont.
Each boiler of a set is provided with the apparatus herein before described, and
the effect of the combinations is to cause the water in the several boilers of the set
to be maintained at their proper levels, notwithstanding possible differences in the
quantities of water required for the several boilers.
In many existing arrangements of boiler feeding apparatus the inlet valve is
closed or opened accordingly as the water in the boiler is above a certain level.
But in our improved apparatus the position of the inlet valve depends on the
pressure of the feed water, on the pressure in the boiler, and on the pressure or
resistance which the valve is made to exert against the entering feed water by the
action of the float. It follows that if at any time the water levels in two boilers
are such as to cause different pressures on the two inlet valves one valve will be
more open than the other and will allow more water to pass; and as the smaller

page_text: pressure will be due to a relative greater deficiency of water, the boiler requiring
inore water will receive a correspondingly greater supply.
With the apparatus hereinbefore described applied to a set of boilers by branch
pipes from one main feed pipe, the pressure in the main pipe will correspond to the
average height of the water levels in all the boilers of a set; and advantage may
be taken of this by applying a pressure gange to any convenient part of the main
feed pipe, for example, in the engine room, the indications of such a gauge
serving to show at any time the conditions of the boilers as regards their supply of
water.
Dated this Nineteenth day of June 1894.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants Agent.
improvements in Feed Regulators or Distributors for Steam
Boilers.
We JAMES WEIR, GEORGE WEIR, and Jons RITCHIE RICHMOND all of
Holm Foundry Cathcart in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Engineers,
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 :-
Our said invention hns for its object the constructing of feed regulators or
distributors for steam boilers in an improved manner and so as to be simple,
effective and not liable to get out of order. We have also specially in view the
constructing of the apparatus so as to be advantageously applicable to a set of two
or more boilers working in connection, and led by branch pipes from one main
feed pipe and so as to distribute the feed water to the several boilers in accordance
with their respective requirements.
In our improved apparatus, which is partly inside of the boiler or inside of a
compartment or separate vessel communicating with the boiler, the feed-water
inlet from the branch feed pipe is controlled by an ordinary disk valve which
closes against the inlet orifice, the valve being neted on by the pressure of the feed
water in the branch pipe and opened only when that pressure is in excess.
The
valve is pressed towards the seat by a lever to which a float is fixed. The float
may be of any convenient shape or kind but preferably it is hollow and with or
without openings in its top, through which it is kept filled with water, the lever
being made in the former case with one or more channels to lead some of the water
entering at the feed inlet to the Hoat. A weight or spring is applied to the float
lever to counterbalance the parts more or less and tending to close the valve.
And in order that our said invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, we hereunto appent three sheets of explanatory
drawings to be hereinafter referred to, and showing our improved apparatus.
Figure, 1, on Sheet, I, of the drawings is a plan, Figure, 2, is a longitudinal
vertical section, and Figure, 3, a transverse vertical section of one modification of
our improved apparatus.
Figure, 4, is a section of the lever showing two modifications of a detail
hereinafter described.
Figure, 5, is a vertical section of a modification of the inlet valve.
Figure, 6, on Sheet, 2, is a sectional elevation of a second modification of our
improved apparatus.
Figure, 7, is a sectional elevation, Figure, 8, is a plan, and Figure, 9, is a

page_text: feed check valve.
Figure, 10, is a sectional elevation of a differential gauge hereinafter described.
Figure, 11, on Sheet, 3, is a transverse vertical section of a boiler with a third
modification of our improved apparatus applied to it.
Figure, 12, is a sectional elevation of the apparatus as at right angles to
Figure, 11.
In these drawings the same reference letters and numerals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
In the modification of the apparatus shown in Figures, 1, 2, and 3, the feed-
water inlet, A, from a branch feed pipe, (such as, A 1, Figure 11,) is controlled by
a valve, B, which closes against the inlet orifice, the valve being consequently
acted on by the pressure of the feed water in the branch pipe. The valve, B, is
pressed towards the seat, B1, by a lever, C, to which a float, C1, is fixed, the
lever being connected by pins, A 2, to a bridle, A 3, which presses on the valve by
a pin A4, in it. The float, C1, in this modification is hollow and has an
opening, C2, in its top through which it is kept filled with water, the lever, C,
being made with channels, C3, on it into which some of the water.drops on issuing
through the valve, B, and by which it is led to the float, C 1. A weight, D, is
applied to the float lever, C, and is such as to somewhat overbalance the parts and
keep the valve, B, closed excepting when there is excess of pressure in the feed
inlet pipe A. The fulcrum of the lever, C, is formed with a pin, F, fixed in a
bracket or piece, F 1, cast on the inlet pipe, A, from both sides of which bracket
it projects and the lever, C, is formed with parts having eyes or sockets, F 2, to
fit and hinge upon the oppositely projecting ends of the fulcrum pin; whilst
screws, F3, screwed into the onter sides of the socket parts bear on the end of
the fulcrum pin, F, and serve for adjusting the lever, C, so that the inner sides of
its socket parts, F2, are not in frictional contact with the bracket F 1, or part in
which the fulcrum pin, F, is fixed.
In Figure, 4, are shown two modifications of parts connected with the fulcrum
piu, F. The pin, F, is formed with end journals and in one method the screw, F 3,
is cup-shaped and forms a bearing for the journal end, and in the second method
the journal ends have bearings formed for them by rollers, F4, which encircle
them and work in a recess concentric with the journal, being held therein by a
cover, F5, fixed to the lever, C, and having a projecting central nipple, F 6, to
hear on the end of the fulcrum pin.
In Figure, 5, a form of duplex differential valve is shown which may be used
instead of the disk valve, B, when such valve has to open against very high
pressures and in cases where such valve has to be of considerable size.
In Figure, 6, a second modification of the apparatus is shown. In this case the
feed water inlet, A. is similar to that of the first modification excepting that the
valve, B, opens downwards. The float, C 1, is hinged by short arms, C, to the inlet
pipe, A, and instead of the weight, D, a spring H, is used this spring being formed
with an arm (which has hooked on to it a link, H 1, attached to the top of the float)
and being fixed to a piece, J, hingad to a bracket, K, formed on the top of the
inlet pipe. The piece, J, is connected by an eye-piece J 1, and link, J 2, to a
rod, 3, which passes through a stuffing box, J 4, formed with a bridge, the rod,
the outer part of which is screwed, being adjustable by a handled nut, J 5, bearing
on the bridge of the stuffing box. The float, C1, is hollow and without openings
but contains a little water the function of which is to generate steam which having
the same pressure as that in the boiler will prevent the boiler water or steam
forcing its way into the float.
On the branch pipe supplying each boiler, there is by preference fitted a valve, L
(Figures, 7, 8, and, 9,) to be opened by the water passing to the boiler, and which
has applied to it a spring, M, which can be adjusted by handles, N, so as if
required for any purpose to modify the pressure of the feed water on the valve, B,
controlled by the float, C 1. An additional stop valve, P, is also fitted into the

page_text: same valve box with the valve, L, to allow of water being adinitted directly into
the boiler without passing the float-controlled valve should this be at any time
desirable.
In Figures, 11, and 12, a third modification of the apparatus is shown. The
float lever, C. is in this case similarly connected by a bridle, A 3, to the valve, B,
which opens downwards, and an extension of the float lever, C, has the weight 1)
applied to it. The float, C 1. is hollow but without opening to the boiler space buz
any boiler water or steam forcing its way into it may be allowed to escape by
means of a pipe, R, connecting it to a stop-cock, RI, on the outside of the boiler.
Each boiler of a set is provided with the apparatus hereinbefore described, and
the effect of the arrangements is to cause the water in the several boilers of the set
to be maintained at their proper levels, notwithstanding possible differences in the
quantities of water required for the several boilers.
In many existing arrangements of boiler feeding apparatus the inlet valve is
closed or opened accordingly as the water in each boiler is above a certain level.
But in our improved apparatus the extent of opening of the inlet valve in each of
a set of boilers depends on the pressure of the feed water, on the pressure in the
boiler and on the pressure or resistance which the valve, B, is made to exert
against the entering feed water by the action of the float, C 1, an excess of
pressure in the feed pipe, A 1, being required to open it at all.
It follows that if
at any time the water levels in two boilers are such as to cause different pressures
on the two inlet valves, B, one valve will be more open than the other and will
allow more water to pass; and as the smaller pressure will be due to a relative
greater deficiency of water, the boiler requiring more water will receive a
correspondingly greater supply.
With any of the modifications of the apparatus hereinbefore described applied to
a set of boilers by branch pipes from one main fecal pipe, the pressure in the main
pipe will correspond to the average height of the water levels in all the boilers of
set and advantage may he taken of this by applying a differential pressure
gauge to any convenient part of the main feed pipe, for example, in the engine
room, the indications of such a gauge serving to show at any time the conditions of
the boilers as regards their supply of water.
The gauge to be used for this purpose is preferably of the kind shown in
Figure, 10, and comprises a casing, S, which carries by arms, T, an indicator
dial, V, and is fitted with a cover, W, which is formed with a cylindrical piece, X,
extending inside the casing, S. Fitting inside the cylindrical piece, X, is an open-
bottomed piston, S 1, inside which is a helical spring. S2, capable of being
adjusted by a screw pin, S3; and the piston, S1, has screwed into it a rod, S4,
which extends upwards and actuates the indicator pointer, V I. The feed water
has access by the opening, S5, to the upper side of the piston, S1, and the main
steam has access by the opening, S6, to the under side, and as the feed water
pressure is greater than the boiler pressure the piston is pressed downwards and
causes the pointer, V 1, to indicate the difference.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In connection with a set of two or more steam boilers receiving their feed
water by branch pipes from the same main feed pipe, or pipes, regulating or
distributing the respective amounts of feed to the several boilers through inlet
valves in or connected with each boiler and controlled by floats such valves opening
only by excess of pressure in the inlet feed pipes and in proportion to the require-
ments of each boiler, the parts being arranged and operating substantially as
herein before described.
2. In combination with such water feeding apparatus as forms the subject-matter
of the first claim, applying to the branch feed pipe or pipes of each boiler a valve
such as is berein before described with reference to Figures 7, 8, and 9, of the

page_text: accompanying drawings loaded by a spring which is adjustable substantially as and
for the purposes herein before described.
3. Applying a differential pressure gauge such as is shown in Figure, 10, of the
accompanying drawings to the main feed pipe or pipes supplying a set of two or
more boilers substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
4. Constructing and combining the parts of and connected with the fulcrum of
the float lever in the improved manner substantially as herein before described.
Dated this Eighteenth day of April 1895.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.