A Process for Preventing Incrustation in Steam Boilers.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Jan., 1894-Accepted, 10th Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Process for Preventing Incrustation in Steam Boilers.
I, VICTOR GANE, of 78 Boulevard Voltaire, Paris, France, Operative, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
1
It is well known that petroleum, after a certain time, which is the shorter the
greater the pressure, can pass through the walls of any vessel containing it, whether
of metal, glass, porcelain or other material.
For example, the oil reservoirs of lamps become so pervious after a time that
others have to be substituted for them. Ou this property of petroleum is based my
invention for preventing incrustation in boilers, which I effect by causing the metal
of the boiler, when it is made, to imbibe petroleum, and to repeat this from time to
time. There are many ways of effecting this, but I find the following process
successful.
When the boiler is made I prove it cold with petroleum instead of water under
pressure maintained for several hours. After several months, I fill the boiler with
water and to this I add about 10 litres of petroleum to each cubic meter of the
capacity. I heat to a pressure of 1 to 2 atmospheres or even more, and then let
the contents run s'owly out, taking care not to lose the petroleum.
I then slowly and completely fill the boiler and maintain the pressure, hot or
cold until I can collect the petroleum which is lighter than water at the opening,
such as instance as the safety valve, where it was introduced.
Small boilers should be made to imbibe petroleum every 5 or 6 days, or even
daily.
In
As the petroleum only prevents adhesion of deposits it cannot remove them.
order to get rid of them, they should at every stoppage, after a few minutes of rest,
be discharged by blowing off.
In applying the process to an old boiler, the pressure should be maintained
longer.
When a boiler cannot be quite filled with petroleum, all deposits should removed
as completely as possible, and from 20 to 40 litres of petroleum to each cubic metre
of capacity should be added to the contents; the boiler should then be emptied,
slowly filled again and in both cases subjected to pressure hot or cold. The
process should from time to time be repeated, at first more frequently than it need
be afterwards.
As by applying this process the boiler is protected against incrustation, there is
a great economy of fuel or increased production of steam.
calcareous water can be used.
Dated this 22nd day of July 1893.
Moreover sea water or
ABEL & IMKAI,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Process for Preventing Incrustation in Steam Boilers.
I, VICTOR GANE, of 78 Boulevard Voltaire, Paris, France, Operative, 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:-
It is well known that petroleum, after a certain time, which is the shorter the

page_text: greater the pressure, can pass through the walls of any vessel containing it, whether
of metal, glass, porcelain or other material.
For example, the oil reservoirs of lamps become so pervious after a time that
others have to be substituted for them.
My invention is based upon the above facts and has for its object to apply them
to the prevention of incrustation in boilers generally whose internal surfaces are
liable to become coated with adhesive deposits in consequence of the evaporation or
chemical action of the liquids they contain, such as steam boilers, evaporating and
boiling pans of sugar manufactories &c. The process consists in causing the sides
of such boilers to absorb petroleum or other hydrocarbon, shale oil, or heavy oil
from tar, either purified or unpurified and either hot or cold, such oil to be applied
either under pressure or without pressure, and either to the boiler plates separately
at the time of manufacture or to the completed boilers, and the application of the
oil being repeated from time to time, the frequency depending upon the extent to
which the boilers are employed and the degree of impurity of the liquids
evaporated.
The said process may be applied in a variety of ways; the method of operating
which I prefer to employ for new boilers is as follows.
When the boiler has been manufactured, and before it has been subjected to any
ordinary proof under heating, it is subjected to a preliminary proof by filling it with
petroleum instead of water, and it is left some hours under pressure.
This proof may either be carried out cold, or, after taking due precautions against
ignition of the petroleum, under heating.
This having been completed, the boiler is then employed in the usual manner.
After from 2 to 6 months working, when the boiler has to be emptied for
examination, it is filled with water up to the dome, and there is introduced, either
through the safety valves or through other suitable openings, about 10 litres of
petroleum for every cubic metre of contents of the boiler. After closing the same,
the boiler is then heated to from one to two atmospheres or even higher, and the
contents are very slowly discharged under that pressure, retaining however the
petroleum. The boiler is then again slowly filled completely again, either cold or
under beating, the pressure being maintained until the petroleum which floats on
the water, is discharged through the opening through which it was introduced, in
order that it may be again used.
When the invention is applied to existing boilers, the process is somewhat
modified for the purpose of removing the calcarious and other incrustations that
have been formed therein by previous use.
The boiler is first completely emptied and allowed to dry, without cleaning. The
petroleum or other hydrocarbon is then introduced in the proportion of from
10 to 30 litres for every cubic metre of capacity and the boiler is slowly filled with
water from below, so that the water in entering causes the layer of petroleum to
rise slowly, thus bringing the same successively in contact with the whole surface
of the dry walls of the boiler, and after penetrating through the more or less porous
incrustations, to penetrate also into the metal walls of the boiler.
It is of importance that the sides of the boiler should be thoroughly dry before
treatment, because if they were left moist, the incrustation and the metal would
not absorb the petroleum as effectually as is necessary for the complete success of
the operation.
After the layer of petroleum has thus been brought in contact with the entire
surface of the boiler, it is withdrawn from the top in order to be utilised for
another operation. There will thus be only a comparatively small expenditure of
petroleum in carrying out the process, namely that which is actually absorbed by
the incrustations and the metal of the boiler.
The result of such absorption of the petroleum will be that after a few days even
the most firmly adhering incrustations will become detached, and will fall to the
bottom of the boiler, whence they are readily removed. The cleared metal surfaces

page_text: of the boiler will then be preserved from further incrustations by reason of the oil
which they have absorbed.
It is of advantage to add to the petroleum or other hydrocarbon employed a small
quantity of hydrocarbon that will become volatilised at a temperature below that
of the heated water, in order that, when absorbed, its volatilisation under pressure
may have the effect of breaking up the incrustations.
Thus it will be seen that my invention is not only applicable for preserving new
boilers from incrustations, or old boilers, after the incrustations have been
removed, but also for removing the incrustations from boilers already in use, as
hereinbefore described.
As further advantages of the invention may be mentioned the fact that, as by the
application thereof the boilers are preserved from incrustations, there is no loss of
heat such as necessarily occurs with incrustations, and that there is a corresponding
increase in the production of steam.
It also allows of the use of sea water, or of highly calcareous waters, for raising
steam.
It will be obvious that the invention is not only applicable to boilers for
generating steam but also to all boilers or analogous vessels to which heat is applied
for treating liquids contained therein which are liable to give off deposits forming
incrustations during the heating process to which they are subjected, such as boilers
or evaporating vessels employed in the manufacture of sugar, boilers for treating
hides with liquors charged with lime, and the like.
My invention enables such apparatus to be maintained in good order for a
considerable length of time under continuous working while under existing
circumstances the work requires to be stopped at frequent intervals for the purpose
of destroying the deposits by the application of hydrochloric acid &c.
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 :-
1. The process for preventing the formation or adherence of deposits or
incrustations on the internal surfaces of boilers as also for removing deposits already
formed, consisting in the application to such surfaces of petroleum, shale oil, or
other suitable hydrocarbon either cold or heated and either under atmospheric or
higher pressure, in such manner that the said oil is more or less absorbed by the
metal, substantially as described.
2. In the process for applying the petroleum or other hydrocarbon referred to
in the preceding claim, the method consisting in introducing the petroleum from
above in a layer floating upon water with which the boiler is more or less filled, so
as, by causing the water level to descend and ascend again, to bring the layer of oil
repeatedly in contact with the surfaces of the boiler, after which the remaining oil
can be again forced out through an orifice in the top of the boiler, substantially as
described.
3. The method of applying the petroleum or other hydrocarbon, as set forth in
the first claim, to old incrusted boilers, consisting in first emptying and thoroughly
drying the boiler, and then introducing the oil into the bottom of the empty boiler,
so that on raising it up by the introduction of water, the layer of oil only comes in
contact with perfectly dry surfaces, which will thus be in a condition to effectually
absorb the same, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of January 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.