Improvements in Apparatus for Producing Fresh Water from Salt Water.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Sept., 1893-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Producing Fresh Water from
Salt Water.
I, ALPHONSE NORMANDY, of Phillip Street, Victoria Dock Road, in the
County of Essex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
1. In this apparatus there are two closed outer chambers (hereinafter called first
and second evaporator casings).
2. In each first and second evaporator casing is a closed inner chamber (herein-
after called first and second evaporating chamber).
3. The first and second evaporator casings are partly filled with salt water so as
to surround the first and second evaporating chambers.
4. Steam from a boiler (hereinafter called first steam) is admitted into first
evaporating chamber, and is partly condensed therein into hot fresh water,
hereinafter called first fresh water, by the salt water outside first evaporating
chamber.
5. The salt water outside first evaporating chamber is partly evaporated by the
heat thereof, and the steam thus generated is hereinafter called second steam.
6. The second steam thus generated rises in the upper part of first evaporator
casing, and passes therefrom into second evaporating chamber and is partly
condensed therein into hot fresh water (hereinafter called second fresh water) by
the salt water outside second evaporating chamber.
7. The salt water outside second evaporating chamber is partly evaporated by
the heat thereof, and the steam thus generated is called third steam.
8. The third steam thus generated rises in the upper part of second evaporator
casing, and passes therefrom into a third inner chamber, hereinafter called the
condenser.
9. The condenser is contained in the upper part of a closed outer chamber,
hereinafter called the condenser casing.
10. In the lower part of the condenser casing is another closed inner chamber,
hereinafter called the cooler.
11. A current of cold salt water flows through the coudenser casing, so as to fill
it, thus surrounding the condenser and cooler with salt water.
12. The third steam passing into the condenser as above described is condensed
therein into hot fresh water (hereinafter called third fresh water) by the salt water
outside condenser.
13. The arst and second fresh waters are led to where required for feeding
boilers or other purposes.
14. The third fresh water passes into the cooler so as to be cooled therein, and
the cold third fresh water thus obtained passes through a filter to the drinking
water tanks, or sometimes direct to the drinking water tanks without being
filtered.
15. As the salt water in the first and second evaporator casings is being
constantly evaporated as above described, it is necessary to keep the first and
second evaporator casings supplied with about twice as much salt water as is
evaporated, in order to replace the water evaporated as above described, and to
replace about an equal quantity of salt water discharged from the first and
second evaporator casings, to prevent the water in these casings becoming too salt.
16. The supply of salt water to the first and second evaporator casings is
regulated by a feed apparatus as follows:

page_text: 17. This feed apparatus consists of an upper feed chamber communicating by a
small hole with a lower feed chamber.
"
18. The upper feed chamber is provided with a float carrying an equilibrium
piston valve, which slides past a side opening for admitting salt water to the upper
feed chamber and so that when salt water has risen to the desired height, in the
upper feed chamber, the Hoat in rising, causes the valve to cut off a diminished
supply of salt water thereto.
19. Enough salt water to supply first and second evaporator casings descends
from upper feed chamber through the small hole above named into the lower feed
chamber from whence it flows into the second evaporator casing..
20. Part of the salt water in the second evaporator casing is pumped therefrom
into the first evaporator casing, to keep it supplied with salt water as described
at 15.
'
21. To avoid pumping too much salt water out of the second evaporator casing,
I prefer drawing-it-off through an opening situate at such a height on this casing,
that the salt water therein cannot be pumped below the desired level.
22. Undue concentration of the salt water in the second evaporator casing is
thus prevented by a portion of the salt water therein being pumped away as
described at 20 and 21 and undue concentration of the salt water in the first
evaporator casing is prevented by blowing off a portion thereof so as to prevent the
salt water fed therein, in excess of the evaporation thereof, rising above the desired
height in the first evaporator casing.
23. I prefer making the first and second evaporating chambers so that they can
be revolved, so that every portion thereof can be brought opposite a cleaning door
in the first and second evaporator casings, and this may be done by making these
evaporating chambers revolve on trunnions passing through stuffing boxes in the
ends of the first and second evaporator casings, these trunnions being hollow, so
that steam may pass through one trunnion into the first and second evaporating
chamber, and the first and second fresh waters produced therein escape therefrom
through the other trunnions by passing through small holes of suitable size therein.
24. The filter mentioned at 14 consists preferably of a chamber full of animal
charcoal through which the third fresh water must filter before it passes to the
drinking water tanks.
Dated this 24th day of December 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Producing Fresh Water from
Salt Water.
1, ALPHONSE NORMANDY, of Phillip Street, Victoria Dock Road, in the
County of Essex, Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus for producing fresh water from salt water, as
I shall describe referring to the accompanying drawing, which is a diagrammatic
vertical section of apparatus according to my invention.
1. In this apparatus, there are two closed outer chambers (hereinafter called first
and second evaporator casings) E¹ and E².
2. In each of these casings is a closed inner chamber e¹ e³ (hereinafter called first
and second evaporating chambers).
3. The first and second evaporator casings E¹ E' are partly filled with salt water
so as to surround the first and second evaporating chambers el e³.
4. Steam from a boiler (hereinafter called first steam) is admitted by pipe B
into the first evaporating chamber e' and is partly condensed therein into hot fresh

page_text: water, (hereinafter called first fresh water), by the salt water outside the first
evaporating chamber e¹.
5. The salt water outside the first´evaporating chamber e¹ is partly evaporated
by the heat of e¹ and the steam thus generated is hereinafter called second steam.
6. The second steam thus generated rises in the upper part of the first evaporator
casing E and passes therefrom into the second evaporating chamber e², and is
partly condensed therein into hot fresh water (hereinafter called second fresh water)
by the salt water outside e*.
7. The salt water outside
is partly evaporated by the heat of e³, and the steam
thus generated is called third steam.
8. The third steam thus generated rises in the upper part of the second evaporator
casing E' and passes therefrom into a third inner chamber, (hereinafter called the
condenser) c.
9. The condenser c is contained in the upper part of a closed outer chamber C
(hereinafter called the condenser casing).
10. In the lower part of the condenser casing C is another closed inner chamber c¹
(hereinafter called the cooler).
11. A current of cold salt water flows through the condenser casing C, so as to
fill it, thus surrounding the condenser and cooler with salt water.
12. The third steam passing into the condenser c, as above described, is condensed
therein into hot fresh water (hereinafter called third fresh water) by the salt water
outside the condenser.
13. The first and second fresh waters are led together or separately to where
required for feeding boilers or other purposes.
14. The third fresh water passes into the cooler c' so as to be cooled therein, and
the cold third fresh water thus obtained passes through a filter to the drinking
water tanks, or sometimes direct to the drinking water tanks without being
filtered.
Sometimes the third fresh water is mixed with the second fresh water so as to be
led therewith to where required for feeding boilers or other purposes.
Sometimes the second fresh water is led into the cooler so as to mix with the
third fresh water, and cooled therewith in the cooler, and the mixed cold fresh
waters thus obtained pass through a filter to the drinking water tanks, or sometimes
direct to the drinking water tanks without being filtered.
15. As the salt water in the first and second evaporator casings E¹ E' is being
constantly evaporated as above described, it is necessary to keep these casings
supplied with about twice as much salt water as is evaporated, in order to replace
the water evaporated as above described, and also to replace about an equal quantity
of salt water discharged from the casings to prevent the water in these casings from
becoming too salt.
16. The supply of salt water to the casings E' E' is regulated by a feed apparatus
as follows:-
17. This feed apparatus consists of an upper feed chamber F communicating by
a small hole with a lower feed chamber F
18. The upper feed chamber F is provided with a float carrying an equilibrium
piston valve, which slides past a side opening for admitting salt water to the upper
feed chamber F so that, as salt water rises to the desired height, in F, the float,
rising, causes the valve to cut off or diminish the supply of salt water thereto.
19. Enough salt water to supply the first and second evaporator casings descends
from F through the small hole into the lower feed chamber F¹ whence it flows
into the second evaporator casing E.
Sometimes the salt water from the lower feed chamber F' is pumped into the
second evaporator casing E'.
20. Part of the salt water in E' is pumped therefrom by a pump P into E' to
keep it supplied with salt water as described in 15.
21. To avoid pumping too much salt water out of E³, I prefer drawing it off

page_text: through an opening situated at such a height that the salt water in E³ cannot be
pumped below the desired level.
22. Undue concentration of the salt water in the second evaporator casing E' is
thus prevented by a portion of the salt water being pumped from it as described
at 20 and 21; and undue concentration of the salt water in the first evaporator
casing E' is prevented by blowing off by a cock a portion of the salt water
(supplied to E' in excess of what is required for evaporation).
23. I prefer making the first and second evaporating chambers e¹ e so that they
can be revolved, so that every portion thereof can be brought opposite a cleaning
door in the casings E¹ E', and this may be done by making these evaporating
chambers revolve on trunnions passing through stuffing boxes in the ends of the
casings, these trunnions being tubular, so that steam may pass through the one
trunnion into the evaporating chamber in each case and the first and second fresh
waters produced therein may escape through the other trunnions by passing through
small holes of suitable size.
24. The filter mentioned at 14 consists preferably of a chamber charged with
animal charcoal, through which the third fresh water must filter before it passes to
the drinking water tanks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In apparatus for producing fresh from salt water the combination of a first and
second evaporating chamber, a condenser and cooler and salt water feed apparatus,
constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
1900
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.