IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE FEED WATER FOR STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Heywood Whitehead, of the Royal George
Mills, in the Parish of Saddleworth, in the West Riding of the County
of York, Esquire, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR HEATING THE FEED WATER FOR STEAM BOILERS."
Sealed the 3rd July 1866, and dated the 16th February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Heywood Whitehead.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th February 1866.
I, JAMES HEYWOOD WHITEHEAD, of the Royal George Mills, in the Parish
of Saddleworth, in the West Riding of the County of York, Esquire, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE FEED WATER FOR STEAM BOILERS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for heating the
feed water for steam boilers. The feed water for steam boilers is commonly
heated by causing it to pass through a series of pipes in the flue of the boiler
furnace; on these pipes, however, soot and dust is found frequently to

page_text: accumulate, so as to prevent the system working efficiently. It has been
proposed to prevent this accumulation by the use of steam jets which are
carried by rotating pipes over the surface to be kept clean. When the steam
jets are carried by rotating pipes the corners of the series of pipes through
which the feed water passes are left uncleaned. According to my Invention
it is purposed to remedy this and to clean the whole surface of the pipes.
For this purpose small pipes are used, through which the streams or jets of
steam pass; these pipes are by preference suspended from a main pipe.
which is on wheels to facilitate its movement to and fro. This main pipe is
fed by steam from the boiler through a flexible pipe, or by a long pipe moving
through a stuffing box, which will allow the main pipes with the smaller pipes
to traverse the whole length of the water pipes which are liable to become
covered with soot. Where atmospheric air under sufficient pressure can be
readily obtained it may be used in place of steam, but in most cases steam
will be found most convenient. The heating pipes are arranged in a series of
tiers or zig-zags lying in a horizontal position, and so fixed that all the joints
are outside the brickwork, and in between these tiers or zig-zags and crossing
the heating pipes at right angles are small steam pipes which are perforated,
the perforations being on each side of the steam pipes, and over the centre of
the heating pipes which they cross. All these small steam pipes are con-
nected with one main pipe placed horizontally, to which steam can be
admitted as required. In place of steam air under pressure may be
employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Heywood Whitehead in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th August 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HEYWOOD. WHITHEAD, of the Royal George Mills, in the Parish of Saddle-
worth, in the West Riding of the County of York, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date. the Sixteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her. heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Heywood Whitehead, Her special licence that I, the said James
Heywood Whitehead, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Heywood Whitehead, my executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, 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
5 Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE
FEED WATER FOR STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said James Heywood Whitehead, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or 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 James Heywood Whitehead, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for heating
the feed water for steam boilers. The feedwater for steam boilers is com-
Omonly, heated by causing it to pass through a series of pipes in the flue of
the boiler furnace; on these pipes, however, soot and dust is found frequently.
to accumulate so as to prevent the system working efficiently. It has been
proposed to prevent this accumulation by the use of steam jets carried by.
rotating pipes over the surface to be kept clean; -by this system however the
5 corners of the series of pipes are left uncleaned. According to my Inven-
tion I clean the pipes more effectually in the following manner-For
this purpose small pipes are used through which the streams or jets of
steam pass;
these pipes are suspended from a main pipe which is on.
wheels to facilitate its movement to and fro. This main pipe is fed by
steam from the boiler through a pipe moving through a stuffing box, or
by other means which allow the main pipe with the smaller pipes to.
traverse the whole length of the water pipes which are liable to become:
covered with soot. The heating pipes are arranged in. a series of tiers or
zig-zags lying in a horizontal position, and in between these. tiers or. zig-zags
5 and crossing the heating pipes at right angles, are the small steam pipes
which are perforated, the perforations being on each side of the steam pipes
and over, the centre of the heating pipes which they cross. In place of
steam air under pressure may be employed..
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and

page_text: DISUMIITION OF THE DRAWING.
;
Figure 1 is a side view partly in section; Figure 2 is a plan in section
and Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of apparatus for heating feed water
arranged according to my Invention.
A, A, are pipes arranged in a cubical stack, and connected into a series
by U-bends in the manner shewn, it is preferred that the flanges should be
octagonal, as is shewn on a larger scale at Figure 4, as this affords a ready
way of supporting the pipes steadily in their place.
readily inserted, and
The lower extremity
A¹, A¹, Figure 4, are holes for the bolts by which the U-bends are secured,
the openings X between the pipes allow the bolts to be
afterwards they are by preference stopped or plugged up.
of the series of pipes A is connected with the feed pump or injector, and the
upper extremity is connected with the boiler. B, B, are walls forming a chamber
in which the series of pipes A are contained, it is covered at the top by a roof
partly of metal, on which a layer of ashes or other non-conductor of heat should
be spread to avoid loss of heat. At one end of this chamber is a passage in
direct communication with the flue of the boiler furnace, and at the other
a corresponding passage leading to the smoke stack, thus the heated products
from the furnace pass at right angles to the length of the pipes A. b, b, are
rails fixed on the top of the stack of pipes A; on these rails the small
wheels c run, and they carry between them the pipe D, to which is connected:
a pipe E which is able to slide through a stuffing box in and out of another
pipe F fixed to the side wall of the chamber, and which when required is
supplied with steam (or it may, but less conveniently, be compressed air) in
any convenient manner. Motion is given to the pipe D by means of a rack
G fixed to it, and which gears with a pinion on the axis H; this axis is
carried in fixed bearings, and is turned by the hand wheel I when it is
required to traverse the pipe D. K, K, are small tubes fixed into and com-
municating with the pipe D; they have small holes in them opposite the
pipes A. The holes may conveniently be about of an inch in diameter,
and be arranged above and below the centres of the pipes A, as is shewn at
K¹, K¹, Figure 3. By traversing the pipe D with its tubes K two or three
times from end to end of the stack of pipes A, at the same time allowing
strong jets of steam to issue from the holes therein, the pipes will be efficiently.
cleaned, and if this is done daily no accumulations will take place. L is a
door by which the soot may be removed.

page_text: Figure 5 is an end view of the apparatus with the brickwork and other
parts of the containing chamber removed.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Heywood Whitehead, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
JAMES HEYWOOD WHITEHEAD. (L.S.)