Method and Apparatus for Purifying Water by Boiling it in Open Vessels.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1896-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Method and Apparatus for Purifying Water by Boiling it in
Open Vessels.
I, ALFRED DERVAUX, of 45 Boulevard du Nord Brussels, in the Kingdom
of Belgium, 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 :-
If water intended to be consumed for any industrial purpose contains carbonate
of line, and if such water is purified by being boiled with aid of steam so as to
cause the dissolved bicarbonate of lime to turn into insoluble carbonate of lime,
which precipitates, the operation is economical only if losses of steam are avoided
by executing the method within a closed vessel.
There is, however, first, no possibility of avoiding such losses completely, because
there occur within the closed vessel many shocks which necessitate some steam-
consuming arrangements for their being removed or overcome. The operation
cannot properly be carried out if said shocks are not done away with; therefore,
the steam consumed for that purpose cannot be saved. Moreover, cleaning a
closed vessel 13 more difficult than cleaning an open one, owing to it being impossible
to watch the operation, especially in vessels of the kind in question because of the
steam consuming arrangements just mentioned.
The purpose of my present invention is to effect the purification of the calcareous
water within an open vessel, and without any loss of steam, and I attain that object
in general by inserting the boiling-vessel into a vertical current of water, or column
of flowing water respectively, in such a manner, that the steam developed within
said boiling vessel, and ascending within the same, or, more precisely, within the
calcareous water of the same, condenses before arriving at the surface of said
calcareous water.
Inserting the open boiling-vessel into a column of streaming water, and hindering
thereby the upper portion of the calcareous water from getting boiling, is a
characteristic feature of my novel method, and most important for the effect of the
same. The steam developed within, or introduced into, the boiling vessel, or, more
precisely, into the lower portion of the calcareous water of the same, could not be
hindered from escaping, if the temperature of the upper portion of said water
would not be, and constantly remain, so low as to be able to cause a condensation
of said steam. By constantly reducing the temperature of the upper portion of
the calcareous water in the same measure in which the lower portion of said water,
as well as the steam passing over from said lower portion to said upper one, tends
to increase the temperature of the said upper portion, i.e. by keeping the temperature
of the latter constantly low, the steam is constantly condensed, and any loss of
steam is obviously avoided.
In the practical execution of my novel method I prefer to effect the heating of
the calcareous water by means of steam that is introduced directly into said water.
The latter after being heated up to such a degree that a further heating would
result in a boiling of the whole quantity of the same, is caused to circulate, either
in a downward direction, or in an upward one, so that in the first case the direction
of the water is opposite to that of the steam, whereas in the second case the
direction of both substances is the same.
In carrying my invention into effect, I may make use of apparatus of different

page_text: forms of construction, but being based, of course, all on the same principle. I have
shown as examples two forms of construction in the accompanying drawing, in
which A is the vessel containing and receiving the water to be purified. The latter
is led into the vessel A through the pipe B, Figure 1, terminating at the top of
said vessel; the steam is led into the vessel A through the pipe V, which terminates
near the base of the said vessel. The water and the steam move, therefore, in
opposite directions. The steam gives its heat off to the water, and thus heats the
same, but the supply of either the water or the steam is regulated in such a way
that the steam cannot possibly get up to the upper surface of the water; it is in
any case completely condensed prior thereto. The water when arriving at the
piece of tube C is purified and leaves the apparatus at N after having passed
through the pipe S.
The regulation of the supply of water or steam may be effected by means of a
cock or valve inserted into the pipe B or V; said cock or valve may be operated
or adjusted by hand, but I prefer to operate or adjust the cock or valve in an
automatic way, and to let it be moved either from a float or from an areometer.
I have shown these two arrangements combined in Figure 1, but I wish it to be
understood, that I do not use them combined, but each singly i.e. either one or the
other. The effect obtained by the use of either a float or an areometer is the
same, but the manner of action is in a sense one contrary to the other, because on
too great a supply of steam an arcometer sinks, whereas a float rises. In either
case the connection with the cock or valve of the pipe B or the pipe V is such that
either the supply of steam is decreased or the supply of water is increased, so that
the proportion between the water and the steam becomes again the normal one.
The same effect is attained if the supply of steam is not so great as necessary
for the normal proportion, in that then the areometer rises or the float sinks. In
consequence of the connection above referred to either the supply of steam is
increased, or the supply of water is decreased, until the normal proportion (not so
much with regard to water and steam as to the percentage of the bicarbonate of
lime contained within the water) has again been reached.
In the form of construction' shown in Figure 1, G designates an areometer,
Fa float. The latter, or the areometer, is provided with a rod M the projecting"
upper end of which is connected to a lever or key b secured to the plug of the
cock or valve w. This valve is inserted into the pipe B, and regulates thus the
supply of water, but the lever or key d may be secured to the plug of the valve or
cock inserted into the pipe V, and regulating the supply of steam. There may
be a valve w as well as a valve v, which, of course, should be connected in such a
manner, that opening one occurs simultaneously with closing the other.
In the form of construction shown in Figure 2, the float F is arranged not
within the vessel A, but within a by-vessel R which forms a connection between
the pipes B B'. The water to be purified is in this case introduced into the boiling-
vessel A not at the top but at, or near to, the bottom, and flows thus in the same
direction as the steam. The manner of operation is exactly the same as above
described.
In order to make the downward movement of the float or of the areoincter more
steady, I prefer to make use of a spring X (Figs. 1 & 2) which tends to counteract
said downward movement, and the counteraction of which must therefore be over-
come by the float, or the areometer respectively, before the valve v or w can be
acted on; the flow of the water or of the steam through the pipes B or V is thus
rendered free of shocks which is advantageous for the proper working of the
apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A method of purifying water by boiling it, characterized by the water being
boiled within an open vessel inserted into a column of streaming water, and by the

page_text: steam being caused to condense before arriving at the upper surface of said water,
as set forth.
2. A method of purifying water by boiling it, characterized by the water being
boiled within an open vessel by means of steam introduced into said vessel, and
continually caused to condense before arriving at the upper surface of said water;
the latter forming a current, and the said vessel being inserted into said current, as
set forth.
3. A method of purifying water by boiling it, characterized by the water being
boiled within an open vessel by means of steam introduced into said vessel, and
continually caused to condense before arriving at the upper surface of said water
by regulating the supply of the latter, or of said steam, or of both bodies,
accordingly; the said water forming a current, and the said vessel being inserted
into said current, as set forth.
4. An apparatus for practising the method characterized by Claims 1, 2 or 3,
consisting of a vessel adapted to receive the water to be purified; a steam-conduit
terminating into the lower portion of said vessel, a conduit for said water, also
terminating into the vessel; and means for regulating the supply of the water, or
of the steam, or of both bodies, as set forth.
5. An apparatus for practising the method characterized by Claims 1, 2 or 3,
consisting of a vessel adapted to receive the water to be purified; a steam-pipe
terminating into the lower portion of said vessel; a pipe for said water, terminating
into the vessel in any height, and a valve or cock, or valves or cocks, inserted into
one of, or both, said pipes, as set forth..
6. An apparatus for practising the method characterized by Claims 1, 2 or 3,
consisting of a vessel adapted to receive the water to be purified; a steam conduit
terminating into the lower portion of said vessel; a conduit for said water
terminating into the vessel in any height; a valve or cock, or valves or cocks,
adapted to regulate the supply of the water, or of the steam, or of both bodies;
and a float or areometer operated by the said water, and operating in its turn one
of, or both, said cocks or valves, as set forth.
7. An apparatus for practising the method characterised by Claims 1, 2 or 3,
consisting of a heating vessel for the water to be purified; a conduit for said
water, terminating into said vessel; a by-vessel inserted into said conduit; a float
arranged within said by-vessel; a steam-conduit terminating into the lower portion
of the heating-vessel; a valve or cock, or valves or cocks, adapted to regulate
the supply of the water, or of the steam, or of both bodies, through said conduits,
and a connection or connections between said cock or valve, or cocks and valves,
and said float, as set forth.
Dated this 21st 1 of
ALFRED DERVAUX,
By Geo. H. Rayner,
Agent for the Applicant.