Improvements in and relating to Evaporators, Condensers, and the like, for Producing Fresh Water from Salt or Impure Water.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 6th July, 1900-Accepted, 25th Aug., 1900
Improvements in and relating to Evaporators, Condensers, and the
like, for Producing Fresh Water from Salt or Impure Water.
We, DAVID ALEXANDER BLAIR and JAMES BARTON BLAIR, both of Scotland
Street, in the City and County of Glasgow, Manufacturing Coppersmiths, and
ROBERT BAILLIE, of 3, Kirkwood Street, Ibrox, Govan, in the County of Lanark,
Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of our invention to be as follows:-
-
Our invention relates to evaporators, condensers, and the like, for producing
fresh water from salt water or from impure water, and has reference more
particularly to the construction and arrangement of the coils which form the
surfaces for the transmission of heat, the objects being to reduce the number
of joints in the heat transmitting coils and to ensure that the steam shall circu-
late uniformly through each set or series of the said coils, the latter being con-
nected either directly to the door of the evaporator or to the casing of the latter.
The improvements also comprise lifting gear for the inserting and withdrawing
of the heating coils, for the purposes of cleaning and examination, so that the
doors and coils will not tip or tilt over and jam.
We will describe our invention as applied to evaporators, but it will be under-
stood that it is equally applicable to condensers and the like and we construct
such apparatus as follows:-
The evaporator consists of an upright cylindrical vessel in the lower part of
which a series of horizontal helical double coils are placed. These coils are
arranged so that their axes are horizontal or nearly so and they are constructed
double and continuous, the upper part being the inlet and the lower or return
part being the outlet portion of the coil and there may be any desired number
of coils in parallel line over each other. These coils form the heat transmitting
surfaces of the apparatus the inlet ends being secured either to the door of the
apparatus or to the casing of the latter by means of pipes or ports on the door
or on a frame through which the steam passes from the inlet branch or valves.
The outlet ends of the double coils are secured in a similar manner to those of
the inlet coil and the condensed steam is led to the outlet valve or branch.
These pipes or ports are so arranged that if the inlet of coil is near the inlet
part of the pipe or port its outlet will be remote from the outlet part of outlet
pipe or port and this allows an equal distribution to take place in the coils.
The double coils are also arranged so that the steam passes only through one
double set of coils if low pressure or secondary steam is used, and when high
pressure steam is used the ports or pipes on the evaporator door are so arranged
that the steam after passing in and out the first double set of coils will enter
the set of coils below, leaving them and entering the next set before passing
through the outlet. An opening is provided in the evaporator casing sufficiently
large to permit the coils being inserted or withdrawn, and to facilitate this we
provide lifting gear with special means for preventing the coils and the doors
or frame from tipping or tilting over and jamming when inserting or with-

page_text: drawing the same. For this object pulleys are arranged on an arm or frame,
which may be hinged, and such that the hanger or shackel attached will not
tumble or rock over, the centre of gravity of the door and coils being outside
the base of the pulleys.
The supporting rods or arms when not in use are telescoped or slide into the
hollow stay or stays of evaporators.
Two or more doors may be fitted to the evaporator casing with lifting gear
to suit.
The steam inlet and outlet pipes are connected from the door where the coils
are secured to the door by a pipe or pipes to the steam supply and outlet to
tanks and branches and joints require to be broken when opening the door for
withdrawing coils, and although the said joints are in line with the evaporator
door joint they are separate and independent of the latter and can be screwed
or drawn up tight as such on account of the length of the arms between the
inlet branch and the inlet pipe, and the outlet branch and the outlet pipe.
Dated the 5th October 1899.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
Improvements in and relating to Evaporators, Condensers, and the
like, for Producing Fresh Water from Salt or Impure Water.
We, DAVID ALEXANDER BLAIR and JAMES BARTON BLAIR, both of Scotland
Street, in the City and County of Glasgow, Manufacturing Coppersmiths, and
ROBERT BAILLIE, of 3, Kirkwood Street, Ibrox, Govan, in the County of Lanark,
Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement in writing, reference being made to the accom-
panying drawings:-
Our invention relates to evaporators, condensers, and the like, for producing
fresh water from salt water or from impure water, and has reference more
particularly to the construction and arrangement of the coils which form the
surfaces for the transmission of heat, the objects being to reduce the number
of joints in the heat transmitting coils and to ensure that the steam shall circu-
late uniformly through each set or series of the said coils, the latter being con-
nected either directly to the door of the evaporator or to the casing of the latter.
The improvements also comprise lifting gear for the inserting and withdrawing
of the heating coils, for the purposes of cleaning-and examination, so that the
doors and coils will not tip or tilt over 'and jam.
And in order that our said invention and the manner of carrying same into
practice may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended three sheets
of explanatory drawings in which the same reference letters are used to indicate
corresponding parts in all the figures where shown. Figure 1 is a sectional
side elevation, Figure 2 a front elevation, Figure 3 a horizontal section, and
Figure 4 a plan view of an evaporator as constructed or fitted in accordance
with our improvements.
Figures 5 to 8 are corresponding views of an evaporator, but modified in
some of the details. While Figures 9 to 12 are similar views of an evaporator
with details further modified. And Figure 13 is a sectional view showing an
alternative method of securing the coils.

page_text: Referring to these drawings:
We will describe our invention as applied to evaporators, but it will be under-
stood that it is equally applicable to condensers and the like and we construct
such apparatus as follows:-
The evaporator consists of an upright cylindrical vessel A in the lower part
of which a series of horizontal helical double coils B B are placed. These
coils are arranged so that their axes are horizontal or nearly so and they are
constructed double and continuous, the upper part B being the inlet, and the
lower or return part B being the outlet portion of the coil, and there may be
any desired number of coils in parallel line over each other. These coils form
the heat transmitting surfaces of the apparatus the inlet ends being secured
either to the door of the apparatus or to the casing of the latter by means of
pipes or ports C with cast on flanges c bolted to the door D as in Figures 1 to 8
or on a framed as in Figures 9 to 12 through which the steam passes from the
inlet branch D¹ or valves. The outlet ends of the double coils are secured in a
similar manner to those of the inlet coil and the condensed steam is led to the
outlet valve or branch D. These pipes or ports C are so arranged that if the
inlet C of coil is near the inlet part of the pipe or port its outlet C will be
remote from the outlet part of outlet pipe or port C and this allows an equal
distribution to take place in the coils. The double coils B B are also arranged as
in Figures 1 to 4 so that the steam passes only through one double set of coils
if low pressure or secondary steam is used; and when high pressure steam is
used the ports or pipes on the evaporator door 1) are so arranged as shown on
Sheet 2 that the steam after passing in and out from the first double set of
coils B B enters by the passage C₁ the set of coils below, leaving them and
entering the next set when more than two sets are used before passing through
the outlet. An opening is provided in the evaporator casing sufficiently large
to permit the coils being inserted or withdrawn, and to facilitate this we pro-
vide lifting gear with special means for preventing the coils and the doors D
or frame from tipping or tilting over and jamming when inserting or with-
drawing the same. For this object pulleys are arranged on an arm or frame
which may be hinged and such that the hanger or shackle attached will not
tumble or rock over, the centre of gravity of the door and coils being outside
the base of the pulleys.
The supporting rods or arms when not in use are telescoped or slide into the
hollow stay or stays of evaporators.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2 a single sliding horizontal
arm is used and in the arrangement shown in Figures 5 and 6 two such arms a
are used which slide or telescope into a hollow sleeve a in main vessel A. The
pulleys are mounted at the upper end of the lifting bolt, and the latter
passes through the two shackle couplings, and is tightened up by a nut at
lower end, but is free to revolve so that the coils and door can be turned round
sideways after they have been drawn out from vessel. A stopper e is fitted to
slide in an eye-bolt-e and fall into a notch some distance from end of arm a
to prevent the latter being pulled out too far in sleeve while it also prevents said
arm from turning when coils are being turned round.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 9 and 10 the coils B B are secured
to a frame and this frame is hinged to the lifting gear radial arms d. The
door is hinged at and the portable radial arms d' are pivotted by the
pins to same so as to keep the coils B, B', in position when drawing them out.
Two or more doors may be fitted to the evaporator casing with lifting gear to
suit.
The steam inlet and outlet pipes are connected from the door where the coils
are secured to the door by a pipe or pipes to the steam supply and outlet to tanks
and branches, and joints require to be broken when opening the door for with-
drawing coils, and although the said joints are in line with the evaporator door

page_text: joint they are separate and independent of the latter and can be screwed or drawn
up tight.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 13 the ends of the coils B, B¹, are ex-
panded into the hollow frame d, the initial steam entering at do, and after
passing through the first double coil B, B', it passes through the duct C¹ to the
second double coil, and escapes by the outlet C, and this method of securing
the coils may be applied to all the forms of the evaporators illustrated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is:-
First. The improvements in evaporators, condensers and the like, which con-
sists in constructing and arranging the coils, so that the number of joints are
reduced, the efficiency of the evaporator increased, and space saved substantially
as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Second. The improvements in evaporators, condensers and the like which con-
sists in arranging the ports and branches so that the steam is equally distributed
throughout the coils, substantially as herein described in reference to and shown
in the accompanying drawings.
Third. The improvements which consist in arranging the arms connecting
the ports to the inlet and outlet branches to coils, whereby the joints are made
independent of the main evaporator casing door joint, substantially as herein
described in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. The arrangement in combination of the parts of evaporators, con-
densers and the like for producing fresh water from salt or impure water, sub-
stantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Fifth. In evaporators, condensers and the like, the method of lifting out
the coils of tubes from vessel, substantially as herein described in reference to
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Sixth. In evaporators, condensers and the like, the arrangements of appliances
for enabling the coils of tubes to be lifted out from vessel, substantially as
herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 5th July 1900.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.