Improvements in Hot Water Apparatus for Heating and similar Purposes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by RICHARD DURFEE REED, of Westfield,
Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, as
Trustee for John Richard Reed, of Westfield, Hampden County, and THE
E. N. GATES HEATING COMPANY, of Boston, Massachusetts, both in the
United States of America.]
Improvements in Hot Water Apparatus for Heating and similar
Purposes.
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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:―
This invention has for its object to provide a system for the utilization of hot
water for heating or other purposes, and particularly for heating, in which the
temperature at the radiators or points where the hot water is utilized may be
regulated or varied without changing the actual temperature of the water at the
point where it is heated. The invention also has for its object to provide a heating
system which shall be effective, economical and durable. To these ends the
invention consists in the improvements which we will now proceed to describe
and claim.
Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this Specification,
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a water heating system embodying our
invention.
Figure 2 represents a top plan view of a modification of said system.
Figure 3 represents a sectional elevation of a building provided with a heating
system embodying our invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all of the figures.
In carrying out our invention we provide a heater or receptacle a in which water
may be heated, said heater being here shown as a water receptacle of the kind
commonly known as a boiler, located over a furnace or fire-box a¹ which is arranged
to heat the water in the boiler a.
b represents a supply pipe which extends from the boiler a and is adapted to
conduct hot water therefrom through the locality or district in which the water is
to be utilized, said pipe being connected at suitable intervals with radiators or
other means for utilizing the water. The supply pipe b discharges the water
supplied to it through the radiators and, if desired, at its end opposite the receiving
end, each radiator being connected, as hereinafter described, at its receiving end
with the supply pipe and having at its delivering end an outlet adapted to discharge
water outside of the supply pipe. All the outlets of the supply pipe, whether
through the radiators or connected directly with the pipe, are arranged so that
there is practically no pressure opposing the departure of the water from said
outlets. By this we mean that there is no such opposition to or pressure upon the
discharged water in its departure from said outlets as would exist if the outlets
discharged directly into the boiler in which the water is heated, so that nearly the
same pressure would be exerted on the water at the delivering end as at the
receiving end of the supply pipe. The said outlets may be arranged to deliver
the water into a sewer, but for the sake of economy we prefer to discharge the water
from the supply pipe and radiators into a tank c from which it may be drawn, as
hereinafter described, and forced again into the boiler, this arrangement being
adopted for the sake of economy both of water and fuel, the heat remaining in the
water after it has passed through the pipe b being utilized.

page_text: The tank c is open to the atmosphere, so that the discharge of the water from
the pipe into said tank will not be attended by the pressure or resistance that
would be experienced if the pipe should be discharged directly into the boiler a.
The communication between the tank c and the atmosphere may be effected by a
pipe c' extending above the highest part of the system, or in any other suitable way
whereby the entrance of the return water into it will be practically free or without
resistance, as compared with the discharge of water into a boiler where the pressure
resisting the entrance of water will be such as to preclude any considerable change
in the rate or velocity of movement of the water.
d represents a pump which is arranged to maintain a pressure of water in the
supply pipe and radiators. Said pump is preferably arranged, as shown in
Figure 1, to draw water from the tank c and force it from said tank into the
boiler a, the boiler being kept filled with water, so that the force of the pump
maintains a constant circulation of water through the supply pipe b so long as said
pipe has an outlet. The capacity of the pump must exceed that of the outlet or
outlets from the supply pipe and radiators, so that a constant pressure can be
maintained by the pump against all radiating surfaces.
We prefer to employ a steam pump and to generate the steam used to operate
the pump in a steam boiler or generator e, which may be located beside the
boiler a and heated by a furnace e, as shown in Figure 1, said boiler being con-
nected with the pump by a steam pipe f.
We prefer to utilize the steam that operates the pump, after it has done its work,
in heating the water passing from the tank c to the boiler a, and to this end we
employ a casing or tank g which is connected with the tank c and with the pump so
that the water passes through said tank to the pump, and a coil or conduit 9¹
connected with the pump so as to receive the exhaust steam therefrom and arranged
in the tank g so that the water passing through said tank will be subjected to the
heat of the exhaust steam, the latter being condensed in said coil g'. The water of
condensation may be trapped and returned to the boiler, or may be otherwise
disposed of.. If desired, the exhaust steam coil or conduit g¹ may be placed directly
in the tank e, in which case the tank g will be omitted. By this arrangement all
the water passing from the tank to the boiler is subjected to the heat of the exhaust
steam and is partially heated before entering the boiler, so that the waste steam from
the pump is fully utilized.
j represents the return pipe which accompanies the supply pipe b and discharges
into the tank c. Said return pipe has a dead end at j', which is closed.
The radiators k, or other heat utilizing means, are each connected with the supply
pipe by an inlet branch or connection k¹ and with the return pipe by an outlet
connection k², so that the water enters each radiator through a pipe ¹ and is
discharged therefrom into the return pipe j through the pipe, the water discharged
from each radiator passing to the tank c. Each discharge pipe k² is provided with
a valve k³, the adjustment of which determines the volume of the flow of the water
through the accompanying radiator.
In Figure 1, we show the return pipe j as made separate from the supply
pipe and connected with it only through the radiators. In Figure 2 we show
the return pipe as a continuation of the supply pipe b and connected with the
discharging end of the latter, so that the water which reaches the extreme outer
end of the supply pipe without having passed indirectly to the return pipe through
the radiators, may pass directly to the return pipe through a connecting pipe m,
the radiators being connected in this construction, as in the one shown in
Figure 1, by inlet connections with the supply pipe and by outlet connections k²
with the return pipe, each of said outlet connections having a valve k³.
We prefer to provide the supply pipe with a valve n located between the last
point of connection of said pipe with a radiator, or other heat utilizing device, and
the discharge end of the pipe. Said valve, by regulating the velocity of the
escape or discharge of the water from the supply pipe, regulates the temperature
to a certain extent throughout the whole length of the pipe b and throughout the

page_text: radiators connected therewith. In the arrangement shown in Figure 1 the valve n
is located directly in said pipe and between the last radiator of the series and the
tank c.
We have found that by maintaining an artificially forced circulation in the pipes
and radiators of a hot water heating system by the action of a pump, as described,
and at the same time providing means for regulating the volume or velocity of flow
of the water discharged from the supply pipe 6, or from the radiators connected
therewith, we can effect a considerable variation in the temperature of the radiating
surfaces without varying the heat of the water supplied. Hence, by providing
the valves n at the discharge end of the supply pipe and the valves k³ in the
discharge connections of the radiators, we are enabled to control the temperature
and maintain it at any desired point within certain limits. To make either of said
valves effective, it should be adjusted so that there is always more pressure on the
entrance to the radiator or supply pipe than the valve is allowing to escape. This
will keep the system full and at a mean temperature. When it is desired to
increase the temperature, the valve is opened, whereupon the volume of water
passing will be increased and with a corresponding increase in the rapidity of the
radiation of heat. The rapidity of radiation may be decreased by partially closing
the valve. We consider it important, however, that the valve be always adjusted
so that the pipe or radiator controlled thereby cannot discharge water in excess of
the capacity of the supply pipe to furnish, and, further, that the capacity of the
pump be in excess of the maximum aggregate capacity of the outlets for the return
water, so that the supply of water in the supply pipe and in any radiator cannot
fall below the quantity required to fill the same and maintain a pressure against
the radiating surfaces.
It has been proved by experiment in a system in which the circulation is
natural and not artificial that, although at the entrance to a radiator the water
may be at a high temperature, the temperature of the radiating surfaces always
corresponds to the volume of water passing through the radiator, up to the point
when the radiating surface will practically be of the same temperature as the
supply water. We are aware that a valve in a hot water heating apparatus has
been placed in some cases on the supply, and in other cases on the return, end of
the radiator; but in either case the valve will not govern the temperature of
the radiating surfaces in a system without artificial circulation, because if the
valve be open equal to an area of one-eighth of an inch the temperature of the
water in the boiler will solely control the circulation and temperature at
the radiators, while in our improved system, having artificial circulation, the
valve will control the temperature of the radiator even when the water at
the point where it enters the radiator is of a temperature above the boiling
point.
In our improved system of heating we do not desire to usually heat the water
above 212 degrees where it enters the radiating surfaces, and not above 225 degrees
in the boiler and in the main lines, because the velocity with which the water
travels will convey as much heat to a given point by its velocity as it could if
it were superheated water of 500 degrees circulating more slowly or converted
into steam.
The improvement gained by having the discharge end of the piping of the
system emptying into a receiver without any pressure at this point against its free
departure that will cause anything like the same resistance or force that is given
to the water in the supply pipe, causes the water to travel with great speed, so
that the volume of water discharged, which represents so much heat, will be in
proportion to the difference in the pressure on the supply and return lines, rather
than on the size of the pipe conveying the water where the same pressure is on
each end of the supply.
Only one pump, and that to force water into the heating boiler, is necessary
to give all the force required for supply to the boiler and distribution from the
same.

page_text: An important advantage and a great saving of expense results from the fact that
small pipes can be used, said pipes conveying a volume of water with great velocity
heated to a comparatively low temperature and producing an effect equivalent to
that of a small quantity of water delivered at a much higher temperature at a
slower speed to the same point. It is also a fact that high temperatures cause the
disintegration of the material of which the boilers and pipes are constructed. Our
system is free from this objection because there is no necessity of heating the water
to an injurious temperature.
We are aware that attempts have been made to convey highly heated water to
points distant from the boiler by forming a loop which is really a portion of the
boiler, and causing a pump to keep this water in circulation; but in all such
attempts the pump has forced the water directly back into the boiler so that the
pressure has been alike on both ends of the pipe, hence there can be no regulation
of temperature or radiation by varying the volume passing through the pipes and
radiators.
The construction shown in Figures 1 and 2 relate to a system in which the water
is heated at a central station located in one building and is circulated through a
territory or district, it may be outside of said building, this being the arrangement
preferred when large areas including several distinct buildings are to be supplied
with heat.
In Figure 3 we show the adaptation of our invention to the heating of a single
building, the same principle being involved as in the construction first described,
the differences being sufficiently indicated by the drawings without the necessity of
additional description, further than to state that the outlet connection 2 between
the radiators and the return pipe may be provided with faucets k*, so that hot water
may be drawn from said pipes for domestic purposes.
We have also shown in Figure 3 a branch pipe 46 leading from the return
pipe and communicating with a series of faucets k³ which may supply the tubs k³
of a laundry.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :
1. The combination of a heater, a supply pipe leading from said heater,
radiators having outlet pipes, connections between said radiators and supply pipe,
the said supply pipe and the said outlet pipes leading to a tank open to atmospheric
pressure, and a pump for forcing water through the system, the size of the outlet.
from the supply pipe being such relatively to the capacity of the pump, that the
pump will maintain a pressure in the supply pipe, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
2. The combination of a heater, a supply pipe leading from said heater,
radiators having outlet pipes, connections between said radiators and supply
pipe, the said supply pipe and the said outlet pipes leading to a tank open to
atmospheric pressure, and a pump for forcing water through the system, and
means for altering the size of the outlet from the supply pipe, substantially as
described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.