Improvements in Distilling Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 11th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1895
RUVIDIONAL DICITION
Improvements in Distilling Apparatus.
We, NICHOLAS YAGN, of 25 Basseinaya Street, St. Petersburgh, in the Empire
of Russia, Engineer, and SERGIUS BESSONOFF, of 31 Mockovaya, St. Petersburgh
aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
fullows:-
This invention has for its object a method of producing distilled water by means
of a series of multiple water evaporators at the expense of the heat of a single
quantity of steam, preferably high pressure steam, taken from a boiler. Successive
evaporations at gradually decreasing temperatures are performed in a series of
closed metallic vessels, provided with heating batteries, so that the heating battery
of each following vessel forms also the condenser for the preceding vessel. Such
an arrangement of apparatus allows a proportionally greater quantity of distilled
water to be obtained for each unit of combustible expended in the boiler in the
ratio of the increase in the number of vessels introduced into the series. The first
evaporating apparatus is the boiler, the steam from which is led into the heating
battery of the first vessel and here it condenses. This water of condensation may
according to circumstances be caused to return to the boiler, or be led into the
battery of the vessel following. The steam formed in the first vessel by the action
of the heating battery of this vessel passes into the battery of the second vessel in
which it condenses and causes the water in this second vessel to boil; the steam so
generated passes into the battery of the third vessel and so on, until the last vessel
is reached and steam from this is led to a condenser. At the same time in the
series of successive evaporations and condensations, the temperature gradually fails
from one vessel to the other. The water of condensation formed in the heating
batteries is led into a common collecting pipe or it passes from each battery into
the battery following where it mixes with the water of condensation formed in this
battery and both pass together into the battery following. The last battery is in
an open vessel and serves as a condenser. The hot water obtained in this vessel is
employed for feeding all the other vessels.
DESCRIPTION OF THE APPARATUS.
The apparatus is composed of one or several series of cylindrical metallic
vessels A A A in the lower interior parts of which are placed the batteries B B
consisting of clusters of metallic tubes, either straight or serpentine, and in general
any form or shape of heating surface. The batteries are provided with covers bc;
the covers c communicate by the tubes d d d with the steam spaces of the vessels
which immediately precede them with the exception of the cover c of the first
battery which is in communication with the steam space of the boiler D. By the
tubes K K K, water condensing in the batteries is led successively from the cover b
of the battery of each preceding cylinder to the battery of the cylinder following.
Water condensing in the battery of the first cylinder is led to the battery following
only when it is not intended for consumption or the boiler is of copper and tinned ;

page_text: This reservoir is continuously fed with cold water which is heated by the steam,
and hot water passing through the battery B'. By means of any feeding apparatus
the water thus beated is fed to the cylinders A A A which it fills in such a manner
that the level in these cylinders always remains at the mid-height of the glass
gauge tube with which every cylinder is provided. The feed is regulated by hand
or by aid of the automatic apparatus described further on.
Suppose that all the cylinders are filled with water to a suitable height and
that the water condensed in the battery of the first cylinder is returned to the
boiler.
If the steam from the boiler be allowed to enter the battery of the first cylinder,
the water filling this latter is heated, attains the temperature of 100° and then
commences to boil; the quantity of steam formed in a unit of time in this first
cylinder will correspond to the quantity of heat or to the number of calories lost
by the steam taken from the boiler and transformed into water during its passage
through the battery of the first cylinder. If the steam formed in the first cylinder
were led to the condenser, the quantity of distilled water would correspond directly
to the number of calories lost by the steam.
According to our invention the steam formed in the 1st cylinder is not
immediately led to the condenser but to the battery of the second cylinder.
Consequently the temperature of the water surrounding this battery is soon
elevated to 100° and if the steam had free outlet from the battery of this cylinder
to the atmosphere, the water would not boil and the steam would leave this battery
at the temperature of 100° without being condensed. But on passing by the
tube K, this steam meets the cock x which throttles the passage in such a manner
that condensed water only flows by this cock into the battery steam not being
allowed to pass. The pressure therefore and consequently the temperature of the
steam in the second battery will be raised, and a difference of temperature will be
established between the battery and the water which surrounds it; therefore the
water in the 2nd cylinder will boil and soon the quantity of steam formed in the
unit of time will correspond to this difference of temperature between the steam of
the battery and 100° (supposing that the steam goes out from the 2nd cylinder
into the atmosphere). This maximal difference of temperature will evidently occur
at the moment in which the quantity of heat transmitted by the first battery to the
water of the first cylinder is equal to quantity of beat transmitted by the 2nd battery
to the water of the 2nd cylinder. A like equality (in condition of the equality
of the surfaces of the batteries) will evidently only occur in the case of equality in
the differences of the temperatures of the boiler and of that of the steam of the
1st cylinder on the one side and of the steam of the 1st cylinder and 100° on
the other. Consequently if the temperature of the boiler steam is T° it will
T-100
in the 1st cylinder.
2.
be T
-
If the steam does not pass out from the 2nd cylinder to the condenser, but is
directed to the battery of the 3rd cylinder, which is identical with the 2nd cylinder,
it will commence to heat the water of the 3rd cylinder to 100° and then cause it to
boil for the same reason as in the 2nd battery-that is to say, that the steam
in passing out by the tube K will meet with the cock which causes it to be very
considerably throttled so that by this cock condensed water only can pass to the
3rd battery. It results that the pressure of the steam consequently the temperature
of this latter will be raised in this battery to such a point that the quantity of heat
transmitted by the 3rd battery to the water in the 3rd cylinder will be equal to the
quantity of heat transmitted by the second battery to the water in the 2nd cylinder,
and this latter quantity will be limited, as has been explained, to the quantity of
heat transmitted by the first battery to the water of the first cylinder. Equality

page_text: in the quantities of heat passing by the walls of the batteries, provided their
surfaces are equal, produces an equality in the differences of temperatures of the
steam passing through the batteries (in consequence of the cylinders which
immediately precede them) and of the water which surrounds each battery. Now
if the temperature of the boiler steam is T, the temperature in the first cylinder
T - 100
2
will be T -(-10%) in the 2nd T-
-
be T) will be
-
3
100
and in the 3rd 100° supposing
that the steam leaves the condenser at atmospheric pressure. It follows that in a
series of n evaporating cylinders on allowing the steam of the last cylinder to leave
the condenser at atmospheric pressure, that is to say, at the temperature of 100°,
the difference of temperatures between each pair of successive cylinders will be the
same in all the series. This difference (if the temperature of the boiler steam
T
On condition of the equality in the surfaces of all the
batteries, the total quantity of distilled water furnished in a unit of time by the
apparatus with n evaporators will be equal to the quantity of water produced in
the same unit of time by a single evaporator if the difference of the temperatures
of the steam in the battery and of the water in the cylinder of this evaporator
were equal to T
100 degrees. When all the evaporators are at work, this
difference of temperatures, as has already been mentioned, will in each of them
-
T - 100
be
n
n
-
and consequently the quantity of distilled water produced by each
evaporator will be n times less than the quantity above mentioned. But as the
quantity of steam which passes from the boiler to the 1st battery, (and con-
sequently the quantity of combustible expended) is measured by the quantity of
water condensed in this battery and is equal part of the total quantity of water
n
produced by the apparatus, it follows that the production of the total quantity of
water furnished by the apparatus will cost n times less than the same quantity of
water produced by a single immediate evaporator.
Instead of causing the steam to leave the last cylinder or condenser at
atmospheric pressure a certain degree of vacuum may be produced. This vacuum
may be obtained by placing the condenser at a certain height and causing the
condensed water to flow by a tube the end of which is at a lower level; there
results a suction which is proportional to the height of the water flow tube. It is
evident that a vacuum may also be produced by sucking the water from the
condenser by means of a pump. On account of the vacuum in the condenser the .
ebullition point of the water in the last evaporator cylinder will be lowered, that is
to say the temperature of the steam in this cylinder will no longer be equal to 100°
but to only 100° -a and will be so much less as the degree of vacuum in the con-
denser becomes greater. As it has already been shown that the total difference in
the temperatures of the boiler steam and the steam leaving the last cylinder should
be distributed in equal portions between n cylinders, it follows that the difference in
temperatures between each pair of cylinders will be greater in this latter case and
particularly instead of
T 100
-
22
it will be
T (100
n
-
a)
consequently the total
quantity of condensed water produced by the apparatus will be increased in the
same ratio. This increase in the production of the apparatus will however only be
obtained at the expense of the combustible the quantity of which will be increased
in the same proportion, for in this case the difference in the temperatures of the
boiler steam or the steam in the battery of the 1st cylinder and of the water in
T-100 + a
this latter will become greater viz. :
and consequently the transmission

page_text: of heat furnished by the boiler through the 1st battery increases in the same ratio
per unit of time.
It is seen therefore that the production of a vacuum in the
condenser in no way assists economy in the combustible but only renders it possible
to produce with the same battery surface a greater quantity of condensed water
per unit of time. This economy of combustible is exclusively obtained by
increasing the number of successive evaporators and in no way depends upon
the temperature and pressure in the condenser.
Figure 1 shows as an example the arrangement of apparatus with eight
vapourisers having batteries of different forms; the condenser being placed above
the outlet of the condensed water, which produces a certain degree of vacuum.
A A A are the cylinders, B B B the heating batteries, B₁ the condenser, D the
boiler; HH the separators, that is to say, the apparatus for obtaining dry steam
which is hereinafter described in detail. M is the refrigerator for the battery BI
of the condenser, All the evaporating cylinders are disposed as shown in
Figure 2.
Steam comes from the boiler Figure 1ª by the pipe d¹ and the cock Z into the
battery of the 1st cylinder and in the form of water of condensation returns to the
boiler. The steam formed in the first cylinder passes by the separator H and
the tube into the battery of the 2nd cylinder and passes out in the form of
condensed water by the tube K and the cock .r to be conducted to the pipe d where
it is mixed with steam coming from the second cylinder through the same pipe.
This mixture enters into the battery of the 3rd cylinder and passes out by the
tube K and the cock x to be conducted into the pipe d in which it meets steam
coming from the 3rd cylinder through the same tube and the mixture is conducted
into the battery of the 4th cylinder and so on until the last cylinder is reached, so
that this last battery is traversed by the water condensed in all the preceding
batteries which water is then led by the tube K and the cock into the pipe
which conducts it as well as the steam from the latter cylinder into the con-
denser B¹. The water condensed in all the apparatus passes out from this
condenser through a cluster of tubes of small diameter (to ensure better suction)
and escapes by the cock V. In order to more completely cool the water obtained
(if this be necessary) refrigerators of ordinary construction may be employed.
The vaporising cylinders are fed with the water previously heated in the reservoir M
which is distributed by the aid of a pump or other feed apparatus into all the
cylinders by the tubes a a. The feed may be regulated by hand, by the aid of
cocks y y by observing the water level indicators t t or the feed may be under the
control of an automatic regulator the construction of which will be described
further on.
Figure 2 shows an apparatus the cylinders of which are arranged in ascending
and descending steps. This arrangement is indispensable in the case in which, the
difference in temperatures of the successive cylinders being small, the excess of the
pressure in the last batteries over that in the cylinders containing these batteries
is not considerable, which necessitates the tubes K K being of less length in order
that the differences of pressure may overcome the pressures of the columns of
water in these tubes K K and consequently cause the water to mount to the
batteries of the neighbouring cylinders.
Figure 4 shows an apparatus in which the vacuum is formed in the condensers
by sucking out the water of condensation by means of a steam pump.
Figure 5 shows the construction of one of the cylinders to be employed when
the feed water contains salts in solution as for example brine. In this case the
tubes of the vapourising batteries would be quickly covered with a deposit of salts
and the production of steam would rapidly fall. To prevent this each vapouriser
cylinder A communicates by means of a tube with a small cylinder E. This tube
which is at the normal level of the water in the vapouriser allows the excess of
water that this vapouriser may contain free flow to the exterior through the
cylinder E and the lower tube o. The cylinder E includes a cluster of thin tubes
the ends of which open into two chambers g and h in such a manner that the feed

page_text: The evaporator cylinders are fed preferably with hot water from the reservoir M
which contains the last battery B¹. This water is led to the cylinders by means of
a steam pump or injector or by means of a special automatic feed apparatus. The
level of the water in the cylinders may be regulated by hand with the aid of the
cocks y y or by automatic apparatus as shewn in Figure 6.
From the lateral wall of the cylinder A a tube u u passes out, its upper end
communicates with the steam space of this cylinder and its lower end with the
bottom portion of the cylinder A which is filled with water. At the normal level
of the water in the cylinder, the tube is provided with a thin tube v the upper
end of which opens into the top part of a small cylinder w, which in its turn is in
communication with the same tube u, but below the starting point of the tube v.
Inside the small cylinder w is another cylinder Z Z which is hermetically sealed
and provided with a thin tube B, one of whose ends almost reaches to the bottom
of the cylinder Z, and the other end of which is provided with a small rubber bag y.
Another tube & passing through the upper cover only of the cylinder Z carries at
its free end a small rubber tube closed by means of a tube clip S. The small
cylinder Z is filled once for all with water, and the rubber bag y is placed between
two plates of a press one of which is a fixture and the other moveable one acts
upon a valve n and regulates the water level in the cylinder A. So long as this
level in the cylinder A and consequently in the tube u remains above the orifice of
the tube v, the regulator system is filled with comparatively cold water. The
small hagy remains flattened between the plates of the press and the valve n closes
the feed. But as soon as the level in the cylinder A falls to the point which allows
steam to enter into the cylinder w by the tube r, the small cylinder Z is heated
which causes the small bag y to swell in consequence of the expansion of the water
by heat. The moveable plate of the press will be raised and will open the valve n
allowing the feed water to enter into the cylinder. When the level of the water
again covers the orifice of the tube v the water will be cooled in the cylinders w
and Z, the small rubber bag will again be flattened and the valve w will close the
feed to the cylinder. In this manner the water may be maintained automatically
at the same level in all the vaporising cylinders.
METHOD OF OBTAINING DRY STEAM.

page_text: baffle plate M (Figure 3) the steam produced in this cylinder moreover passes
through a special separator K.
The baffle plate M is a curved metallic plate arranged in the steam space in such
a manner as to deflect downwards the particles of water and allow the steam to
ascend into the separator. This latter consists of a large pipe R closed at its outer
end and provided with lateral bent tubes ii through which the steam passes and
encounters the inner walls of the reservoir L at an acute angle. In this manner
the steam charged with particles of water receives a rotary motion consequently the
particles of water are thrown towards the walls of the reservoir from which they
return to the vaporising cylinders by the tube s s and the steam deprived of water
enters by the tube d into the battery of the cylinder following or (if the cylinder
be the last of the series) into the battery of the condenser.
It is evident that the details above described may be modified without altering
the nature of this invention.
Dated this 12th day of January 1895.
CARPMAEL & CO.,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Distilling Apparatus.
We, NICHOLAS YAGN, of 25 Basseinaya Street, St. Petersburgh, in the Empire
of Russia, Engineer, and SERGIUS BESSONOFF, of 31 Mockovaya, St. Petersburgh
aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the saine is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object a method of producing distilled water by means
of a series of multiple water evaporators at the expense of the heat of a single
quantity of steam, preferably high pressure steam, taken from a boiler. Successive
evaporations at gradually decreasing temperatures are performed in a series of
closed metallic vessels, provided with beating batteries, so that the heating battery
of each following vessel forms also the condenser for the preceding vessel. Such
an arrangement of apparatus allows a proportionally greater quantity of distilled
water to be obtained for each unit of combustible expended in the boiler in the
ratio of the increase in the number of vessels introduced into the series. The first
evaporating apparatus is the boiler, the steam from which is led into the heating
battery of the first vessel and here it condenses. This water of condensation may
according to circumstances be caused to return to the boiler, or be led into the
battery of the vessel following. The steam formed in the first vessel by the action of
the heating battery of this vessel passes into the battery of the second vessel in which
it condenses and causes the water in this second vessel to boil; the steam so generated
passes into the battery of the third vessel and so on, until the last vessel is reached
and steam from this is led to a condenser. At the same time in the series of
successive evaporations and condensations, the temperature gradually falls from one
vessel to the other. The water of condensation formed in the heating batteries
is led into a common collecting pipe or it passes from each battery into the
battery following where it mixes with the water of condensation formed in this
battery and both pass together into the battery following. The last battery is in
an open vessel and serves as a condenser. The hot water obtained in this
vessel is employed for feeding all the other vessels.

page_text: Suppose that all the cylinders are filled with water to a suitable height and
that the water condensed in the battery of the first cylinder is returned to the
boiler.
If the steam from the boiler be allowed to enter the battery of the first cylinder,
the water filling this latter is heated, attains the temperature of 100° and then
commences to boil; the quantity of steam formed in a unit of time in this first
cylinder will correspond to the quantity of heat or to the number of calories lost by
the steam taken from the boiler and transformed into water during its passage
through the battery of the first cylinder. If the steam formed in the first cylinder
were led to the condenser, the quantity of distilled water would correspond directly
to the number of calories lost by the steam.
According to our invention the steam formed in the 1st cylinder is not
immediately led to the condenser but to the battery of the second cylinder.
Consequently the temperature of the water surrounding this battery is soon elevated
to 1000 and if the steam had free outlet from the battery of this cylinder to the
atmosphere, the water would not boil and the steam would leave this battery at the
temperature of 100° without being condensed. But on passing by the tube K, this
steam meets the cock which throttles the passage in such a manner that condensed
water only flows by this cock into the battery steam not being allowed to pass.
The pressure therefore and consequently the temperature of the steam in the second
battery will be raised, and a difference of temperature will be established between
the battery and the water which surrounds it; therefore the water in the 2nd cylinder
will boil and soon the quantity of steam formed in the unit of time will correspond
to this difference of temperature between the steam of the battery and 100° (supposing
that the steam goes out from the 2nd cylinder into the atmosphere). This maximal
difference of temperature will evidently occur at the moment in which the quantity
of heat transmitted by the first battery to the water of the first cylinder is
equal to quantity of heat transmitted by the 2nd battery to the water of the
2nd cylinder. A like equality (in condition of the equality of the surfaces of the
batteries) will evidently only occur in the case of equality in the differences of
the temperatures of the boiler and of that of the steam of the 1st cylinder on the
one side and of the steam of the 1st cylinder and 100° on the other. Consequently
T-100
if the temperature of the boiler steam is T° it will be T.
in the 1st
2.

page_text: If the steam does not pass out from the 2ud cylinder to the condenser, but is
directed to the battery of the 3rd cylinder, which is identical with the 2nd cylinder,
it will commence to heat the water of the 3rd cylinder to 100° and then cause it to
boil for the same reason as in the 2nd battery-that is to say, that the steam in
passing out by the tube K will meet with the cock a which causes it to be very
considerably throttled so that by this cock condensed water only can pass to the
3rd battery. It results that the pressure of the steam consequently the temperature
of this latter will be raised in this battery to such a point that the quantity of heat
transmitted by the 3rd battery to the water in the 3rd cylinder will be equal to the
quantity of heat transmitted by the second battery to the water in the 2nd cylinder,
and this latter quantity will be limited, as has been explained, to the quantity of
heat transmitted by the first battery to the water of the first cylinder. Equality
in the quantities of heat passing by the walls of the batteries, provided their
surfaces are equal, produces an equality in the differences of temperatures of the
steam passing through the batteries (in consequence of the cylinders which
immediately precede them) and of the water which surrounds each battery. Now
if the temperature of the boiler steam is T, the temperaturo in the first cylinder
T - 100
will be T
in the 2nd T
2
- (T-100)
n
-
and in the 3rd 100° supposing that
the steam leaves the condenser at atmospheric pressure. It follows that in a series
of n evaporating cylinders on allowing the steam of the last cylinder to leave the
condenser at atmospheric pressure, that is to say, at the temperature of 100°, the
difference of temperatures between each pair of successive cylinders will be
the same in all the series. This difference (if the temperature of the boiler steam
T- 100
be T) will be
On condition of the cquality in the surfaces of all the
batteries, the total quantity of distilled water furnished in a unit of time by the
apparatus with evaporators will be equal to the quantity of water produced in
the same unit of time by a single evaporator if the difference of the temperatures
of the steam in the battery and of the water in the cylinder of this evaporator
were equal to T - 100 degrees. When all the evaporators are at work, this
difference of temperatures, as has already been mentioned, will in each of them
and consequently the quantity of distilled water produced by each
evaporator will be n times less than the quantity above mentioned. But as the
quantity of steam which passes from the boiler to the 1st battery, (and consequently
the quantity of combustible expended) is measured by the quantity of water con-
densed in this battery and is equal part of the total quantity of water produced
be
T-100
21
1
n
by the apparatus, it follows that the production of the total quantity of water
furnished by the apparatus will cost n times less than the same quantity of water
produced by a single immediate evaporator.
Instead of causing the steam to leave the last cylinder or condenser at
atmospheric pressure a certain degree of vacuum may be produced.
This vacuum
may be obtained by placed the condenser at a certain height and causing the
condensed water to flow by a tube the end of which is at a lower level; there
results a suction which is proportional to the height of the water flow tube. It is
evident that a vacuum may also be produced by sucking the water from the
condenser by means of a pump. On account of the vacuum in the condenser the
ebullition point of the water in the last evaporator cylinder will be lowered, that
is to say the temperature of the steam in this cylinder will no longer be equal
to 100° but to only 100° - a and will be so much less as the degree of vacuum in
the condenser becomes greater. As it has already been shown that the total
difference in the temperatures of the boiler steam and the steam leaving the last

page_text: T-100
12
it will be
n
cylinder should be distributed in equal portions between n cylinders, it follows that
the difference in temperatures between each pair of cylinders will be greater
T-(100-a)
in this latter case and particularly instead of
consequently the total quantity of condensed water produced by the apparatus will
be increased in the same ratio. This increase in the production of the apparatus
will however only be obtained at the expense of the combustible the quantity of
which will be increased in the same proportion, for in this case the difference_in
the temperatures of the boiler steam or the steam in the battery of the 1st cylinder
T-100+a and con-
n
and of the water in this latter will become greater viz.:
sequently the transmission of heat furnished by the boiler through the 1st battery
increases in the same ratio per unit of time. It is seen therefore that the
production of a vacuum in the condenser in no way assists economy in the com-
bustible but only renders it possible to produce with the same battery surface a
greater quantity of condensed water per unit of time. This economy of com-
bustible is exclusively obtained by increasing the number of successive evaporators
and in no way depends upon the temperature and pressure in the condenser.
Figure 1 shows as an example the arrangement of apparatus with eight
vapourisers having batteries of different forms; the condenser being placed
above the outlet of the condensed water, which produces a certain degree of
vacuum.
AAA are the cylinders, B B B the heating batteries, B₁ the condenser,
D the boiler; H H the separators, that is to say, the apparatus for obtaining dry
steam which is hereinafter described in detail. M is the refrigerator for the
battery B¹ of the condenser. All the evaporating cylinders are disposed as shown
in Figure 2 and Figure 2 this latter being a detached portion of the former
figure.
Steam comes from the boiler Figure 1* by the pipe d' and the cock Z into the
battery of the 1st cylinder and in the form of water of condensation returns to
the boiler. The steam formed in the first cylinder passes by the separator H and
the tube d into the battery of the 2nd cylinder and passes out in the form of
condensed water by the tube K and the cock to be conducted to the pipe d where
it is mixed with steam coming from the 2nd cylinder through the same pipe. This
mixture enters into the battery of the 3rd cylinder and passes out by the tube K
and the cock a to be conducted into the pipe d in which it meets steam coming
from the 3rd cylinder through the same tube and the mixture is conducted into the
battery of the 4th cylinder and so on until the last cylinder is reached, so that this
last battery is traversed by the water condensed in all the preceding batteries
which water is then led by the tube K and the cock into the pipe d which
conducts it as well as the steam from the latter cylinder into the condenser B¹.
The water condensed in all the apparatus passes out from this condenser through a
cluster of tubes of small diameter (to ensure better suction) and escapes by the
cock V. In order to more completely cool the water obtained (if this be necessary)
refrigerators of ordinary construction may be employed. The vapourising cylinders
are fed with the water previously heated in the reservoir M which is distributed by
the aid of a pump or other feed apparatus into all the cylinders by the tubes a a.
The feed may be regulated by hand, by the aid of cocks y y by observing the
water level indicators tt or the feed may be under the control of an automatic
regulator the construction of which will be described further on.
Figures 2 and 24 show an apparatus the cylinders of which are arranged in
ascending and descending steps. This arrangement is indispensable in the case in
which the difference in temperatures of the successive cylinders being small, the
excess of the pressure in the last batteries over that in the cylinders containing
these batteries is not considerable, which necessitates the tubes K K being of less

page_text: length in order that the differences of pressure may overcome the pressures of the
columns of water in these tubes K K and consequently cause the water to mount
to the batteries of the neighbouring cylinders.
Figure 4 shows an apparatus in which the vacuum is formed in the condensers
by sucking out the water of condensation by means of a steam pump.
Figure 5 shows the construction of one of the cylinders to be employed when the
feed water contains salts in solution as for example brine. In this case the tubes
of the vapourising batteries would be quickly covered with a deposit of salts and
the production of stearn would rapidly fall. To prevent this each vapouriser
cylinder A communicates by means of a tube with a small cylinder E. This
tube which is at the normal level of the water in the vapouriser allows the excess
of water that this vapouriser may contain free flow to the exterior through the
cylinder E and the lower tube o. The cylinder E includes a cluster of thin tubes
the ends of which open into two chambers 9 and hin such a manner that the feed
water before entering the vapourisers passes through the tube P and the chamber
into the tubes of the cylinder E and enters into the vapourises by the chamber /
and the tube . This water in passing through the tubes of the cylinder E in a
direction contrary to the movement of the hot water coming from the vaporiser A,
will gradually be heated, it in its turn cooling the water coming from this
vaporiser. If the length and the surface of the tubes be sufficient the difference
in the temperatures of the water which flows through the vaporisers by the tube o
and that which enters it by the tube may be as small as desired and in practice
may be reduced to 3-5 degrees. Therefore if the vaporiser receives a greater
quantity of water than that which it is able to evaporate and if at the same time
the excess of water constantly flows outside through the tube it is possible to
prevent the saturation of water by salt in the vaporiser and by this means
prevent the formation of deposits. On the other hand water entering into the
vaporising cylinder removes nearly all the heat from the water which goes out
from it in such a water that the loss of heat resulting from this continuous
evacuation from the vaporiser is altogether insignificant.
FEED WATER APPARATUS.
The evaporator cylinders are fed preferably with hot water from the reservoir M
Figure 1 which contains the last battery B. This water is led to the cylinders by
means of a steam pump or injector or by means of a special automatic feed
apparatus. The level of the water in the cylinders may be regulated by hand
with the aid of the cocks y y or by automatic apparatus as shown in Figure 6.
From the lateral wall of the cylinder A a tube u u passes out, its upper end
communicates with the steam space of this cylinder and its lower end with the
bottom portion of the cylinder A which is filled with water. At the normal level
I of the water in the cylinder, the tube u is provided with a thin tube v the
upper end of which opens into the top part of a small cylinder w, which in its
turn is in communication with the same tube u, but below the starting point of
the tube v. Inside the small cylinder w is another cylinder Z Z which is
hermetically sealed and provided with a thin tube B, one of whose ends almost
reaches to the bottom of the cylinder Z, and the other end of which is provided with
a small rubber bag y. Another tube passing through the upper cover only of
the cylinder Z carries at its free end a small rubber tube z closed by means of a
tube clip S. The small cylinder Z is filled once for all with water, and the rubber
bag y
placed between two plates of a press one of which is a fixed and the other
moveable one acts upon a valve n and regulates the water level in the cylinder A.
So long as this level in the cylinder A and consequently in the tube u remains
above the orifice of the tube v, the regulator system is filled with comparatively
cold water. The small bag y remains flattened between the plates of the press and
the valve n closes the feed. But as soon as the level in the cylinder A falls to the

page_text: point which allows steam to enter into the cylinder w by the tube v, the small
cylinder Z is heated which causes the small bag y to swell in consequence of
the expansion of the water by heat. The moveable plate of the press will be
raised and will open the valve n allowing the feed water to enter into the
cylinder. When the level of the water again covers the orifice of the tube v
the water will be cooled in the cylinders w and Z, the small rubber bag will again
be flattened and the valve we will close the feed to the cylinder. In this manner
the water may be maintained automatically at the same level in all the vaporising
cylinders.
METHOD OF OBTAINING DRY STEAM.
Although vaporisation takes place in a very quiet manner in the vapourising
cylinders in as much as the difference in the temperatures of the batteries and of
the water in each cylinder is not considerable, nevertheless to completely separate
from the steam all mixture of water each cylinder is provided in the interior with
a baffle plate M (Figure 3) the steam produced in this cylinder moreover passes
through a special separator R.
The baffle plate M is a curved metallic plate arranged in the steam space in
such a manner as to deflect downwards the particles of water and allow the
steam to ascend into the separator. This latter consists of a large pipe R
closed at its outer end and provided with lateral bent tubes ii through which
the steam passes and encounters the inuer walls of the reservoir L at an acute
angle. In this manner the steam charged with particles of water receives a
rotary motion consequently the particles of water are thrown towards the walls
of the reservoir from which they return to the vaporising cylinders by the tube s s
and the steam deprived of water enters by the tube d into the battery of the
cylinder following or (if the cylinder be the last of the series) into the battery
of the condenser.
It is evident that the details above described may be modified without altering
the nature of this invention.
The batteries B may very advantageously be constructed in the way indicated
by Figure 7 (lodged herewith) of corrugated metal.
The slight change of form which such batteries undergo from alternate heating
and cooling, causes the detachment of the scale which otherwise is liable to adhere
to their walls and thereby to diminish the efficiency of the apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:
--
1. Novel distilling apparatus characterised by the multiple evaporation of water
or other liquid by means of one quantity of vapour, preferably at high pressure,
taken from a boiler, in an indefinite number of vessels communicating consecutively
one with the other in such a manner that each successive vessel provides a con-
denser for the steam formed in the preceding vessel substantially as described and
shown in the annexed drawings.
2. In distilling apparatus in accordance with Claim 1, the conveyance of the
condensed liquid from battery to battery by the pipes K K with the regulating
cocks a thereon.
3. In combination with distilling apparatus in accordance with Claim 1 the
descending outlet S Figure 1 whereby a partial vacuum is maintained.
4. In distilling apparatus in accordance with Claim 1, the arrangement of the
distilling vessels A in successive steps as indicated by Figure 2.
5. In distilling apparatus in accordance with Claim 1, forming the several
distilling vessels in the manner shown by Figure 3, thereby ensuring that the steam
passing from vessel to vessel shall be dry.
6. In distilling apparatus in accordance with Claim 1, the combination with the
distilling vessels of heat transferers E as shown by Figure 5.

page_text: 7. In distilling apparatus in accordance with Claim 1, automatic mechanism such
as is shown by Figure 6 for the maintainance of a constant water level in the
distilling vessels.
Dated this 2nd day of Santambar 1895
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.