Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Draining Water from Steam Pipes and like Containers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 11th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 9th Dec., 1897
ISIONAL STE
TION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Draining Water from
Steam Pipes and like Containers.
I, JOSEPH WILLIAM REED, of Mayfield, Jarrow in the county of Durham,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide means for automatically draining
and delivering large volumes of water under high pressures with great rapidity
and efficiency.
When high pressures are used, difficulty has always been experienced in opening
a large valve against same, and if a float be used its dimensions to secure the
necessary buoyancy become excessive, and if worked in the usual manner, there
are considerable practical difficulties in arranging for a rapid discharge of water
and a quick return action of the valve and parts. By my improvements I obviate
these difficulties, and in carrying out my invention I either use a float for con-
trolling the outlet valve, or I dispense with a float, and arrange the apparatus
as hereinafter explained.
When I use a float, it is enclosed within a suitable water receiving chamber
connected to the steam pipe or other vessel to be drained and having an outlet
leading to a combined valve chest and cylinder. The float chamber is provided
with suitable access doors and the usual fittings.
The float has a bottom guide rod and an upper spindle connected to a counter-
balancing lever device. The valve chest has an outlet pipe and contains a main
valve controlling same and attached to a piston of somewhat larger diameter
working in cylindrical part of said chest. A passage is formed preferably through
both valve and piston which is controlled by a foot valve of comparatively small
area and this valve is directly operated by a lever connecting with the float:
this "passage valve" has à stem passing to the upper side of the piston and sur-
mounted by an adjustable collar, or instead, the valve may be contained in a
continuation of the main valve adapted to ensure its proper working. The piston
may be an easy fit in its cylinder or a good fit and have a small hole through it
for the intentional leakage of water. Fixed upon the top of the piston is a bridge
or stirrup through which the lower end of. a spindle passes with an end stop
collar
The other end of the spindle is produced through the valve chest cover and
is screwed through a bridge surmounting same. In convenient position on the
bridge is an index arranged to show when read in connection with the position
of the spindle, the position of the main outlet valve and when in the centra
position the action of the said valve is automatic.

page_text: In use, with very little water in the receiving chamber' the float falls to its
lowest position and pulling down and opening the passage valve and closing or tend-
ing to close the main outlet valve. The water or steam will then flow to the space
above the piston more rapidly than leakage could occur through the hole in or past
same.
The pressures above the piston and below the main valvo will then be equalised
but owing to the area of the piston being in excess of that of the main valve the
latter would be firmly shut.
With a sudden inrush of water to the float chamber the rise of the float at
once closes the central valve passage and then the pressure above the piston falls
at once owing to the leakage referred to, so that the pressure acting on the main
valve would cause it to open fully and allow free discharge, the passage valve
following the action owing to the buoyancy of the float.
On fall of water the sinking of the float re-opens the passage valve thus
making free communication between the lower side of the main valve and the
space above the piston. Equilibrium of pressure at once follows (due to the
difference of area of piston and valve) restoring the parts to normal position ready
for the next discharge.
Thus with a float only of sufficient displacement to control the one small passage
valve above referred to, I am able to work the larger main outlet valve to obtain
increased discharge. As described it will be seun that the apparatus may also
when desired be worked by hand and though I have above referred to the passage
as formed through the main valve and piston it may in some cases be just as easily
arranged as a pipe outside the valve chest the action remaining the same.
When I dispense with a float I employ a similar receiving vessel in communi-
cation with a valve chest with outlet valve, piston and hand operating device all
substantially as above referred to -but without the said central or external valved
passage and alljacent to the said valve chest I place a self-acting apparatus con-
nected to the space above the piston valve in the valve chest by a valved pipe.
The said apparatus comprises an outer vessel with a cover containing an open
topped vertically reciprocating floatable pan. A tube projects downwards from
the cover fitted at its foot with a double seated foot valve or equivalent which is
connected by a link to the free ends of a pair of levers fulcrumed on a projection
from the said tube their other ends being jointed at opposite sides to the inner
walls of the pan near its top and preferably at its vertical centre line. The pan
is provided with suitable guides to secure stendy vertical motion and the levers.
are also specially arranged to ensure this.
The cover has a flared circular flange projecting downwardly to the pan mouth
to deflect inflowing water into the annular space between pan and outer vessel.
The top of the internal tube is connected by a pipe to the main outlet pipe below
the valve or to other convenient discharging vessel or place.
This supplementary automatic apparatus may be comparatively small, for
example its inlet and outlet pipes may have only a small proportion of the area
of the main discharge pipes,
Assuming a sudden inrush of water to the receiving vessel then ofs soon as this
rises above the bottom edge of the piston the water will leak through the leakage
space to the other side of the piston and thence by the valved pipe into the annular
space round the enclosed pan and overflow into the inside of the pan until it
rises to such a height as to overcome the buoyancy thereof together with the load,
if any, caused by the steam pressure on the foot valve. This will cause the pan
to sink and so lower the outer ends of the levers and cause the said valve to be
opened. As soon as this is opened the 'water will rush out of the pan through
the central tube and connections to the outlet pipe. This escape of water being
at a greater rate than water can leak past the piston it will cause a reduction of
pressure above the piston. As this piston is of greater area than the main outlet
valve it follows that when the pressure above the piston falls sufficiently the

page_text: pressure on the underside will cause it to rise and lift the outlet valve and so make
a large direct outlet for the water.
As soon as the water in the receiving vessel falls below the bottom of the piston
the water will cease to flow into the supplementary vessel and with no supply of
water the water in the pan will fall until the pan has sufficient buoyancy to cause
it to rise and by means of the levers above described, close the foot valve. On
this being closed, the steam leaking past the piston will quickly accumulate.until
the pressure is nearly the same as below when, owing to the relative large area of
the piston as compared with the outlet valve the latter instantly closes.
On the water rising in the receiver, the same cycle of operations will follow.
Dated this 9th day of December 1896.
J. C. CHAPMAN.
Agent.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Draining Water from
Steam Pipes and like Containers.
I, JOSEPH WILLIAM REED, of Mayfield, Jarrow, in the county of Durham,
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:-
The object of my invention is to provide means for automatically draining and
delivering large volumes of water under high pressures with great rapidity and
efficiency.
When high pressures are used, difficulty has always been experienced in opening
a large valve against same, and if a float be used, its dimensions, to secure the
necessary buoyancy, become excessive, and if worked in the usual manner, there
are considerable practical difficulties in arranging for a rapid discharge of water
and a quick return action of the valve and parts. By my invention I obviato
these difficulties, and in carrying out my invention I either use a float for con-
trolling the outlet valve, or I dispense with such float and arrange the apparatus
as hereinafter explained.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I will describe same with
reference to the accompanying drawings which show two forms of the apparatus
embodying my improvements.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of one form of apparatus wherein a float is used and
Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional part views illustrating modifications of details. Fig. 4
is a vertical section of another form of the apparatus, Fig. 5 is an enlarged hori-
zontal section on line -y of same and Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly in section,
of a modification.
The same reference numerals designate the same parts in all the figures.
Referring to Fig. 1, 1 is a float which is enclosed within a water receiving
chamber 2 connected to the steam pipe or other vessel to be drained by a pipe 3
and having an outlet 4 leading to a combined valve chest and cylinder 5. The
float 1 has a bottom guide rod 6 and an upper spindle 7 connected to one end of
a lever 8 provided at its other end with a weight 9 for balancing the float 1, this
lever 8 being centered on a suitably mounted spindle 10. The valve chest and
cylinder 5 has an outlet 11 communicating with a discharge pipe 12 and contains
a main valve 13 controlling same, which is attached to a piston 14, of somewhat

page_text: larger diameter, working in the upper part of the chest 5 as shown. A passage 15
is formed, preferably through both the valve 13 and piston 14, and this is controlled
by a foot valve 16, of comparatively small area, directly operated by a lever 17
pivoted on a pin 18 and joined to the valve 16 and float 1 by free joints as shown.
This passage valve 16 has a stem 19 passing to the upper side of the piston 14
and surmounted by an adjustable collar 20 and means are provided for the passage
of water or steam as hereinafter shown. The piston 14 may be an easy fit in its
cylinder, or, as represented, it may be a good fit and have a small hole 21 through
it for the intentional leakage of water. Fixed upon the top of the piston 14 is a
bridge or stirrup 22 through which passes the lower end of a spindle 23 having an
end stop collar 24. The other end of this spindle 23 is produced through the
chest cover and is screwed through a bridge 25 surmounting same. In convenient
position on the bridge 25 is an index 26 arranged to show, when read in connec-
tion with the position of the spindle 23 on which is a pointer 27, the position of
the main outlet valve 13 and when, as in the drawings, the pointer 27 is in its
central position opposite the line X the action of the said valve is automatic, but
when the spindle 23 is moved upwardly or downwardly as regards this line by the
hand wheel 28 the valve 13 is held open or shut respectively; in the former case,
the collar 24, abutting against the top of the bridge 22, lifts the combined valve 13
and piston 14, but when the spindle is screwed down, then the collar 24 acts on
the top of the stem 19, or, when such is not present as hereinafter mentioned,
then on the top of the piston 14, to shut the valve.
In use, with very little water in the receiving chamber 2, the float 1 falls to its
lowest position thus pulling down and opening the passage valve 16 and closing
or tending to close the main outlet valve 13 by the action of the collar 20 on the
top of the piston 14. The water or steam then flows to the space above the
piston 14 either through passages such as are shown at 21" Fig. 1 or equivalently
as will be readily understood through holes or flutings provided in the collar 20
itself, and the flow takes place more rapidly than leakage can occur through the
hole 21 in or past the edges of same, thereby equalising the pressure above the
piston 14 and below the main valve 13, but owing to the area of the piston 14
being in excess of that.of the main valve 13, the latter is firmly shut. With a
sudden inrush of water to the float chamber 2, the rise of the float 1 at once
closes the central valve passage 15 and then the pressure above the piston 14 falls
at once, owing to the leakage referred to, so that the pressure acting on the main
valve 13 causes it to open fully and allow free discharge through the pipe 12,
the passage valve 16 following the action due to the buoyancy of the float 1.
On fall of water, the sinking of the float 1 re-opens the passage valve 16 thus
making free communication between the lower side of the main valve 13 and the
space above the pi ton 14. Equilibrium of pressure at once follows (consequent on
the difference of area of piston and valve) restoring the parts to normal position
ready for the next discharge.
Thus with a float only of sufficient displacement to control the cne small passage
valve 16 I am able to work the larger main valve 13 to obtain increased discharge.
As described, it will be seen that the apparatus may also, when desired, be worked
by hand and should at any time the piston 14 tend to stick, the action of the
float 1 would assist to move it in addition to the steam pressure.
The stem 19 of the passage valve 16 may be dispensed with without affecting
the action above described and in such a case, as exemplified by Fig. 2, the main
valve 13 is provided with an extension 29 holed to permit of the passage of water
to the valve 16 contained therein. This part 29 serves to guide the reciprocations
of the valve 16 and co-operate by its shoulders 30 with the valve extremity to
effect the same purpose obtained by the combined action of the collar 20 and
piston 14.
Fig. 3 illustrates a modified arrangement of the passage 15, which, instead of
being formed through both the piston 14 and valve 13 as in Figs. 1 and 2, is formed
in the side of the chest 5 so as to communicate with the space below the valve 13

page_text: and above the piston 14. When the valve 16 is opened in this arrangement it
does not effect, as in Figs. 1 and 2, an initial blow or knock to close the valve 13,
which is advantageous though not absolutely essential, but if desired it may bo
obtained by a suitable projection on the valve 16 engaging the top of the piston 14
or other convenient part; with this exception, the operation is the same as in the
before described arrangements.
I will now explain the construction of the alternative form of apparatus shown
in Figs. 4 and 5 in which no float is used in the chamber 2. In this arrangement
I employ a similar receiving vessel 2 with inlet 3 and outlet 4 in communication
with a combined valve chest and cylinder 5 with outlet valve 13, piston 14, and
hand operating device including a stirrup 22, spindle 23, collar 24, bridge 25,
index 26, pointer 27 and hand wheel 28, all substantially as described with refer-
ence to Fig. 1, but without the central or external valved passages 15, and adja-
cent to the valve chest 5 I nlace a self-acting apparatus, shown on the right of
Fig. 4, connected to the space above the piston 14 in the chest 5 by a valved
pipe 31, the valve 32 thereon being for the purpose of disconnection to admit of
examination.
The said apparatus comprises an outer vessel 33, provided with a cover 34, con-
taining an open topped vertically reciprocating floutable pan 35. A tube 36.
screwed or otherwise fixed to the cover 34, projects downwards therefrom and is
fitted at its foot with a double seated foot valve 37 or equivalent, which is unite
by a link 38 to the free ends 39 of a pair of levers 40 fulcrumed on a projection 41
from the tube 36, their other ends being jointed, at opposite sides, to the inner
walls of the pan 35 near its top and at its vertical centre line, all as shown clearly in
Fig. 5, thus allowing the pan to be hung centrally thereby obviating any side pres
sure liable to cause friction and interfere with the sensitive action of the pan,
guided also at its bottom end by the fins 42 and by these mens steady vertical
motion is ensured.
The cover 34 has a flared circular flange 43, projecting downwards to the mouth
of the pan 35, to deflect inflowing water into the annular space 44 between the pan
and outer vessel 33. The top of the internal pipe 36 is connected by a pipe 45,
to the main outlet pipe 12 below the valve 13, or to other convenient discharging
vessel or place.
This supplementary automatic apparatus may be comparatively small, its outlet
and inlet pipes having only a small proportion of the area of the main discharge
pipe; for example, I find it very efficient to make the inlet pipe 31 and the outlet
pipe 45 about one seventh to one tenth of the area of the discharge pipe 12..
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
Assuming a suden inrush of water to the receiving vessel 2, then, as soon as
this rises above the bottom edge of the piston 14, the water will leak through the
hole 21 in or past the edges of same to the other side thereof and thence, by the
valved pipe 31, into the annular space 44 around the enclosed pan. 35 and overflow
into the inside of the pan until it rises to such a height as to overcome the buoyancy
thereof together with the load, if any, caused by the steam pressure on the foot
valve 37, This causes the pan to sink and so raise the ends 39 of the lever 40
and cause the said valve 37 to be opened by reason of its connection to these levers
through the link 38. As soon as this occurs, the water rushes out of the pan 35
through the central tube 36 and connection 45 to the outlet pipe 12. This escape
of water being at a greater rate than water can leak past the piston 14, a reduction
of pressure ensues above the piston 14 and as this piston is of greater area than the
main outlet valve 13, it follows that, when the pressure above the piston 14 falls
sufficiently, the pressure on the underside will cause it to rise and lift the outlet
valve 13 and so make a large direct outlet for the water.
As soon as the water in the receiving vessel 2 falls below the bottom of the
piston 14, the water ceases to flow into the supplementary vessel 33, and with no
supply of water, the water in the pan 35 falls until the pan has sufficient buoyancy
to cause it to rise and, by means of the levers 40 and link 38 above described, close

page_text: the foot valve 37. On this being closed, the steam, leaking past the piston. 14,
quickly accumulates until the pressure is nearly the same as below, when, owing to
the relative large area of the piston 14 as compared with the outlet valve 13, the
latter instantly closes.
On the water rising in the receiver again the same cycle of operations is repeated.
The supplementary apparatus is found in practice to work with great freedom
and the combined apparatus to act instantly and discharge a large volume of water
and then close instantly, thus accomplishing its purpose with great efficiency.
In Fig. 6 I show a modified arrangement for connecting the spaces above and
below the piston,14, and as will be seen, I form in the side of the chest 5 a pas-
sage 46 communicating with the said spaces by openings 47, that below the piston
being regulated by the spindle valve 48 operated as required at the end 49. By
this device no hole 21 is necessary in the piston 14, while the amount of leakage
may be adjusted, which is very advantageous.
In both forms of my improved draining apparatus access openings, closed by
doors or plugs, are provided where necessary, while each is supplied with a water
gauge 50 and the usual fittings requisite for proper working.
I am of course aware that in apparatus of the kind above referred to the use of
a float or a movable floating vessel adapted to be operated by inflowing water in
combination with levers and valves for automatically discharging water is not new,
and I lay no broad claim to such principle, but having now particularly described
and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. A float operated apparatus for automatically draining water from steam
pipes and like containers comprising a receiving chamber with an inlet pipe and a
float, said chamber communicating with a combined cylinder and valve chest con-
nected to main discharge pipe and containing an adjustable combined piston and
outlet valve the operation of which at the required times is effected and controlled
by a small valve directly operated by the float to control a passage communicating
with the spaces above the piston and below the outlet valve, whereby with a
float of just sufficient displacement to control the small valve (16) aforesaid the
larger discharge valve (133) is efficiently worked, the whole being arranged to
operate substantially in the manner and at the times hereinabove set forth.
2. The combination and arrangement of the various parts, constituting the im-
proved float-astuated apparatus for automatically draining water from steam pipes
and like containers, all arranged and adapted to operate substantially in the man-
ner herein de cribed in reference to and shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying
drawings and subject to the modifications described in reference to Figs. 2 and 3
thereof.
3. A compound apparatus for automatically draining water from steam pipes
and like containers comprising a receiving chamber with inlet pipe and communi-
cating with a combined cylinder and valve chest connected to the main discharge
pipe and containing an adjustable combined piston and valve controlling the said
discharge pipe, said cylinder and chest being in connection with a closed vessel
containing a centrally suspended floating vessel and internal discharge pipe fitted
with a foot valve and connecting with the main discharge pipe or equivalent, the
whole being arranged and adapted to operate substantially in the manner and at
the times hereinabove set forth.
4. The combination and arrangement of the various parts, constituting the im-
proved compound apparatus for automatically draining water from steam pipes and
like containers, all arranged and adapted to operate substantially in the manner
herein described in reference to and illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompany-
ing drawings and subject to the modified detail described in reference to Fig. 6
thereof.
5. In draining apparatus such as above referred to, the arrangement of hand
operated apparatus whereby the combined valve (13) and piston (14) is capable

page_text: of being opened, closed or rendered automatic at will, substantially as described
and illustrated in the drawings.
Dated the 9th day of October 1897
For the Applicant.
J. C. CHAPMAN,
Chartered Patent Agent,
70 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., and
3 St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne.