Improvements in Means or Apparatus Employed for Purifying and Softening Water.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 26th May, 1888
Specification Accepted, 29th June, 1888
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus Employed for Purifying and
Softening Water.
We, GEORGE EDDISON STEAD of Skinner Lane, Linen Manufacturer, and ROBERT
LANCASTER of 21 Emsley Terrace, Hunslet Hall Road, Engineer, both of Leeds in
the County of York, 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:—
The object of our invention is to construct apparatus for purifying and softening
water and thereby rendering it suitable for use in boilers and for other purposes where
clear and soft water is required.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a part front elevation and section. Fig..2
part end elevation and section, and Fig. 3 a plan looking at the top.
In our invention we provide the primary filtering cylinder A, also the cylinder B.
and the two cylinders Cand C, the cylinder B being the heating cylinder, and C and C
are the two final filtering cylinders.
The dirty or impure water in the first instance enters and passes through the
primary filtering cylinder A, thence through heating cylinder B and afterwards
through the final filtering cylinders C and C¹.
The construction of the primary and final filtering cylinders are alike so far as
regards the filtering arrangement, and in order to shew the construction clearly the
filtering cylinders and are partly shewn in section, (Fig. 2) the water in each
case enters the cylinders at D, it then passes upwards through a filtering bed E,
consisting of any suitable filtering materials, but prior to this it percolates through a
grating or sieve F, and passing through the filter bed E it continues - its course
through another sieve or grating G into an upper chamber H.
This operation having been gone through in the primary filtering cylinder A, the
foreign matter, and particularly the larger particles are taken out of the water and a
quantity of such impurities are deposited into a lower chamber J.
The water after passing into the top chamber H in the primary filtering cylinder A
is conducted into the second vertical cylinder B at or nearly at the bottom thereof
by pipe K. Within this cylinder B is provided a coiled pipe L through which steam
is passed from some suitable source, and by such.means the water contained therein is

page_text: heated to about 212° Farenheit for the purpose of precipitating any carbonate of lime
that is held in solution by such water, the carbonic acid gas being allowed to pass off
as soon as it is free through a suitable opening M at the top. We would have
it understood that when the water contains sulphate of lime or other materials
requiring a greater heat, super heated steam may be passed into the coil L in order to
obtain such required greater heat.
After the precipitation which has taken place in cylinder B the water is conveyed
out of such cylinder through tube N to pump O, (which may be of ordinary construc-
tion) from thence it is forced into the final filtering cylinder C, the water passing
through it in the same manner as afore described for the primary filtering cylinder A,
from thence the water in a filtered state passes off at outlet tube P.
It will be seen by Fig. 2 that the water after passing through one filtering cylinder O
may be again conducted to the lower chamber of the second cylinder C₁ for the
purpose of continuing the filtering process, and in this last arrangement of filtering
any required number of cylinders may be employed that may be found necessary for
the thorough cleansing of the water.
In order to bring the water to the proper temperature in the primary filtering
cylinder A and the final filtering cylinders C and Cf steam may be admitted through
tubes R from any convenient source.
It is necessary to compress the filtering materials so as to retain it in position
during the filtering operation, and for this purpose we employ the compression
plates S, the desired pressure being imparted thereto through rods T and weighted
levers U..
In order to regulate the supply of water to the heating cylinder B we employ the
float which through the medium of the rods W- and lever X adjusts the throttle
valve Y thereby.
The impurities or precipitation which takes place during the filtering operation in
each cylinder can be withdrawn therefrom through suitable openings Z at the bottom
of each.
..
年
In order to clear the sieves and sides of the lower part of the filtering beds we
provide revolving scrapers 1 when required to which a rotary motion may be imparted
through suitable gearing 2, actuated by hand or power, or such scrapers may be of
paddle shape so that the incoming water may impart the required rotary, motion
thereto. Suitable valves are employed to regulate the supply of steam to the
cylinders, also to regulate the feed of water from one cylinder to another.
be
For the purpose of cleansing the filters after use, steam or steam and water can,
forced through such filters in the opposite direction to that which takes place during
the filtering operation, thus freeing and cleansing such filters from the dirt or
impurities accumulated
1-mulated therein.
"
1 A
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1
1st. The arrangement and construction of filtering cylinders A and C and,C'
substantially as and for purposes herein set forth..
2nd. The arrangement and construction of heating cylinder B, substantially as and 4
for purposes herein set forth.
"3rd. The arrangement, construction and combination of the various parts forming
the means or apparatus for purifying and softening water, substantially as herein
set forth