IMPROVEMENTS IN BOLLER FEED AND ALARM
Year: 1885

page_text: Steam Bollers.
I, ALEXANDER HENRY REED, of Suffolk House, Laurence Pountney Hill,
Cannon Street, in the county of Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of the invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN BOLLER FEED AND ALARM and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention consists in the combination with a float situated in the interior
of a steam boiler and with a pipe or opening through which steam from the steam
space of the boiler has access to the interior of the float, of a pipe which forms the
stem of the float and communicates with the interior thereof, a valve acted upon
by said pipe, and a pipe intended to convey steam to the steam pump. With the
parts above mentioned are combined a water alarm and an alarm valve, the
position of which is governed by the main valve and which, when open admits
steam to the alarm pipe. It also consists in a steam pressure alarm valve which
is operated by the pressure of the steam when it exceeds the desired point, placed
in the interior of the boiler and connected to an alarm by a suitable pipe. The
invention has also reference to certain details in the construction as fully pointed
out in the following specification and claims, and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing, in which
Fig. 1 represents a sectional view of a steam boiler provided with my feed and
alarm.
Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the boiler feed and alarm detached on a larger
scale than the previous figure.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line xx fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line y y fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is an horizontal section on the line ¹¹ fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is an horizontal section on the line y¹ y' fig. 3.
Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.
In this drawing the letter A designates the steam boiler which may be &
plain cylinder boiler, or a tubular boiler. In the interior of this boiler is placed

page_text: a chamber B, in the upper end of which is secured a block C, from which extend
pipes D, E, and P. These pipes extend to the outside of the boiler and they
support the chamber B in the desired position. The pipe D connects at its outer
end with the steam chest of the feed pump F and serves to supply steam to this
pump whenever it is desirable to start the same. The inner end of the pipe D
communicates through a channel a in the block C with the interior of the
chamber B. The pipe E is connected at its outer end with an alarm which may
be situated at any place suitable for the same and the inner end of said pipe com-
municates with a channel b in the block C.. The open end of this channel forms the
seat for a valve c, which I term the water alarm valve and the stem of which passes
through a lever d and is secured therein by a pin or other suitable means.
This
lever swings on a pin e, secured in lugs projecting from the block C and on its free
end is secured a weight f, which serves to hold the valve c down in its seat.. The
chamber B is by preference made cylindrical and it fits in the bore of the main
valve G, the lower portion of which forms a steam space g, which when the valve
is raised to the position shown in fig. 3 communicates with the interior of the
chamber B, through openings h, (figs. 3 and 4). The valve G is provided with
ears i, which are connected by a pivot j, to a hollow head H which swings on
pivots kk (figs. 3 and 5) and in which is secured a pipe I. Said head is ground
steam tight into the concave bottom of 'the valve G and it communicates through
openings with the steam space g in said valve. The pivots k k pass through
links m m which connect by a pin n with bracket J .secured in the interior of the
boiler.
The pipe I extends into the interior of the float K which is firmly secured
thereon, so that said pipe practically forms the stem of the float. In the top of
the float is secured a pipe L which opens into the steam space of the boiler and on
this pipe is secured a weight M. From this description it will be seen that the
pressure on the inside and outside of the float is balanced and the danger that the
float may collapse is entirely avoided.
In the position which the float occupies in the drawing, steam enters through
the float and its tubular stem I, into the head H, the steam space G and chamber B
whence it passes through the pipe D to the feed pump F. If the water rises in
the boiler the valve G is depressed the steam is shut off from the pump F and the
motion of the pump stops. If from some cause the float sinks down until it strikes
the boiler flue O, the valve G is raised up so that it presses against the weight f,
the lever d is forced upward, the alarm valve c is opened and steam from the steam
space of the boiler passes through the water alarm pipe E to the alarm. Under
normal conditions however, whenever the float sinks down to the mean water line,
the feed pump is started and an almost uniform water level is maintained in
the boiler,
If from any cause such as a derangement of the feeding apparatus or excessive
firing, the pressure of steam in the boiler becomes greater than is desired an alarm
will be given by the pressure alarm as follows: the pipe P connects the pressure
alarm proper with a steam chamber m² in the block C which is closed against the
entrance of the steam by a valve n¹. This valve is subject to the action of a
lever o, having its fulcrum at p and carrying a weight q, so adjusted that when the
pressure exceeds the desired point, the valve n¹ will be forced open by the steam
admitting it to the steam chamber m, and then through the pipe P to the alarm.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
.
1. The combination substantially as herein described of the float, situated in the
interior of a steam boiler, the pipe or opening through which steam from the steam
space of the boiler has access to the interior of the float, the tubular stem of the
float, the valve acted upon by said tubular stem and the pipe intended to convey
steam to the steam pump.

page_text: 2. The combination, substantially as berein described, of the float situated in
the interior of a steam boiler, the pipe or opening through which steam from the
steam space of the boiler has access to the interior of the-float, the tubular stem
of the float, the valve acted upon by said pipe, the alarm valve c, and the alarm
pipe.
3. The combination, substantially as herein described, of the float, the pipe or
opening admitting steam into the float, the tubular stem I, the pivotted head H,
the valve G, the chamber B, and the steam pipe D.
4. The combination substantially as herein described of the float, the pipe or
opening admitting steam into the float, the tubular stem I, the pivotted head B, the
valve G, the lever d, the alarm valve c, and the alarm pipe E.
5. A steam pressure alarm valve operated by the pressure of the steam when
it exceeds a desired point, placed in the interior of the boiler and connected to
an alarm by a suitable pipe substantially as shown and described.
6. A steam pressure alarm valve operated by the pressure of the steam when it
exceeds a desired point, placed in the interior of the boiler and connected to an
alarm by a suitable pipe, said valve being arranged in and forming a part of the
block C of the water alarm substantially as shown and described,