Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Purifying Feed Water for Steam Generators and the like.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1891-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Purifying Feed Water
for Steam Generators and the like.
I, WARREN WEBSTER of No. 491 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America, Inventor, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in feed water heaters and purifiers, and
consists in providing the same with a device for automatically operating the valve
of the water supply pipe thereof.
It further consists of means as hereinafter described for automatically regulating
the fluctuating or varying pressure in the vacuum chamber of the apparatus,
caused by the condensation of the steam by the inflowing water. It also consists
of the combination of parts hereinafter described.
In the drawing which represents a perspective view having one side removed, of
a feed water heater and purifier embodying my improvement, A designates a tank
having a water inlet pipe B, with a valve C therein. A series of pipes D within
the tank connect with the pipe B, and discharge into a trough E, which is secured
to the inner wall of the said tank. Below the level of one of the side walls of
the tank over which flows the water, is a series of inclined perforated plates F,
over and through which the water passes in its descent from the trough, so that it
is sprayed as it falls.
G designates a wall or partition extending across the tank, and having its lower
end below the level of the outlet opening H, so as to hold back any impurities or
scum floating upon the surface of the water in the lowest part of the tank.
An exhaust steam inlet pipe J leads into the tank at the lower portion thereof,
and an overflow pipe K leads from the tank, connecting with a drain pipe L, which
leads from the sediment well of the said tank, and has a valve L' therein, the said
overflow pipe being provided with a check valve M.
To automatically regulate the valve C of the inlet pipe, the following described
gravity regulating mechanism is used.
N designates
a suitable open pan or other receptacle forming a float which is
filled with water and connected with the arm P of a shaft Q, which latter is
journalled in the sides of the tank or other suitable bearings, so as to be oscillated
by the rise or fall of the pan, and in which the pan floats. The arm P is of such
length as to prevent sinking of said pan entirely.
One end of the shaft Q passes through the side of the tank, preferably above
the water level, and a rod S is connected to an arm R thereof.
The said rod S is also attached to one limb of a pivoted lever T, which latter
has secured to its other limb a rod U, fastened to the valve C of the water supply
pipe, whereby the oscillation of the shaft Q, caused by the rise or fall of the
pan N, will by means of the arm R and rod S operate the said valve C so as to
control the supply of the water passing into the tank. A movable weight 'T' to
counterbalance the weight of the material of the pan is placed on one end of the
lever T. The action of the gravity regulating apparatus thus described, is
positive at all times under fluctuating pressure.
The steam inlet J is connected with an exhaust pipe V leading from an engine
or other supply of exhaust steam, the latter pipe having a communicating pipe W
provided with a valve X opening to the atmosphere.
To automatically control or regulate the fluctuating or varying pressure in the
partial vacuum within the tank which is due to the condensation of the steam by

page_text: the inflowing water, an air exhaust pipe Y leads from the air vent of the same, and
is provided with a valve Z opening to the atmosphere.
Between the valve Z and the said tank is an air inlet valve A¹ having a down-
ward projecting stem B with a head or disc C adapted to support weights
thereon.
The valve A' is weighted so as to regulate the pressure desired in the vacuum
chamber.
The operation of the said valve Z and A¹ in connection with the steam inlet
pipe J, is as follows:
As the steam and water enters, the tank, the air therein escapes through the
valve Z which opens outward. As the pump D' is operated, drawing, the purified
water from the tank, the pressure of the air in the said tank is reduced, and when
it is below the adjusted pressure, the pressure of the air outside of the valve A!
will open the same so that atmospheric air will enter the tank through said valve,
until the pressure within the tank in connection with the weights, counter-balances
the atmospheric pressure when the said valve will close, and no longer admit the
atmospheric air. The reduction or lowering of the pressure within the tank, below
the atmospheric pressure, induces the flow of the exhaust steam in the pipe V,
towards and into the pipe J, and thus into the tank in preference to its passage
through the pipe W, and pipe X, the latter remaining closed by reason of the
atmospherio pressure thereon. When it is not desired to use the steam in the tank,
and the pressure within is equal to that of the atmosphere, the exhaust steam will
readily flow through the pipe W, escaping through the valve X.
It will be noticed that owing to the vacuum chamber and the induction therein of
the current of exhaust steam from the pipe J, there is no back pressure of steam; in
said pipes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my Baid inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare, that, what I
claim is :-
First. A feed water heater and purifier, having a tank, a water inlet pipe with a
valve and a device in said tank for automatically operating the valve in said water
inlet pipe, said parts being combined substantially as described.
Second. A feed water heater and purifier, having a tank with vacuum chamber,
a water inlet pipe leading into said tank, and having a valve and a device: for
automatically operating said valve, the parts being combined substantially as
described.
Third. A feed water heater and purifier, having a tank with a vacuum chamber,
an air exhaust pipe with an automatically opening and closing air inlet valve
therein, a steam inlet pipe with communicating pipe having a valve-opening to the
atmosphere, and a water supply with an automatically operating valve therein.
Fourth. A feed water heater and purifier,, having a vacuum purifying chamber,
an air exhaust pipe leading therefrom with an automatically opening and closing
valve therein and a steam pipe leading into said chamber, said parts.being combined
substantially as described:
Fifth: A feed water heater and purifier, having a vacuum chamber, a-steam inlot
pipe, an air exhaust pipe with automatically operating valve therein, a discharge
pipe, a float; a shaft with arm pivotally connected therewith; an inlet pipe with
valve, a-lever connected with said valve and to a rod having a pivotal connection
with an arm of said shaft, and a weight on said lever counter-balancing the weight
of the material of the float, said parts: being combined substantially as described.
Sixth. A tank having a vacuum with a water inlet pipe, an air exhaust pipe with
automatically operating valve therein, and a steam inlet pipo with communicating
pipe having a valve opening to the atmosphere, said parts being combined
substantially as described.
Seventh. A tank having a vacuum chamber, an air exhaust pipe with an
automatically operating valve therein, a steam supply pipe with a communicating

page_text: pipe open to the atmosphere, a water inlet pipe with valve therein, a discharge
pipe, a float in said tank; a lever connected with said inlet pipe valve and having a
counter-balance weight thereon for the material of the float pan, and mechanism
connected with said lever and said float for operating said valve, said parts being
combined substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Eighth. A feed water heater and purifier having an inlet water pipe with a valve
therein, an oscillating shaft with a projecting arm, a float pivotally connected with
said arm, a lever connected with said inlet pipe valve a weight on said lever
balancing the material of said float and a rod connected with said lever and to an
arm on said shaft, said parts being combined substantially as described.
Ninth. A feed water heater and purifier having a tank,, a water inlet pipe with a
valve, a float in said tank, an oscillating shaft having an arm pivoted to said float,
a pivoted lever having a rod pivoted to one end thereof, and to an arm rigidly
attached to said shaft, and a rod attached to the other end of the lover and to the
valve in the supply pipe, said parts being combined substantially as described.
Dated this 14th day of July 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.