IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM TRAPS OR APPARATUS BY WHICH WATER MAY BE DRAWN OFF FROM PIPES OR VESSELS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sydney Pitt, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM TRAPS OR APPARATUS BY WHICH
WATER MAY BE DRAWN OFF FROM PIPES OR VESSELS." A communication
from abroad by Charles de Nottbeck, of St. Petersburgb, in the Empire of
Russia, Civil Engineer.
Sealed the 7th October 1879, and dated the 18th April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sydney Pitt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th April 1879.
SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
TRAPS OR APPARATUS BY WHICH WATER MAY BE DRAWN OFF FROM PIPES OR
VESSELS." [A communication from abroad by Charles de Nottbeck, of St. Peters-
burgh, in the Empire of Russia, Civil Engineer.]
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam traps or apparatus by
which water may be drawn off from pipes or vessels containing steam.
For this purpose an arrangement is employed, such as is represented in the
annexed Drawings. Figure 1 is a section, and Figure 2 a plan of a portion of the
apparatus.
Figure 3 is a side elevation, and Figure-4 a plan to a smaller scale, showing the
general arrangement. The remaining Figures are local sections.
a is the steam pipe or vessel; b, the outlet for the water to drain into the trap.
The trap consists of a receiver c, carried by two tubular arms d and e, and counter-
poised by a weight f, which, when the receiver is empty, sustains it in the position
represented in full lines in Figure 3. The water from the vessel a then drains past
the cock g through the tubular arm d into the receiver c, which, when full, falls
into the position indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 3. The ports of the cock g
are so formed that this cock is open in either position of the receiver, but the
cock in connection with the tubular arm e is only open in the lower position of
the receiver c, and then the pressure of the steam within the receiver forces the
water out up the hollow arm e, to the outlet at i. As soon as the receiver c is
empty, the counterbalance raises it, and the cock h is closed, preventing any further
escape of steam.
The hollow arm e is continued nearly to the bottom of the receiver, whilst the
arm d only enters at the top of the receiver.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Sydney Pitt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th October
1879.
SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
TRAPS OR APPARATUS BY WHICH WATER MAY BE DRAWN OFF FROM PIPES OR
VESSELS." A communication from abroad by Charles de Nottbeck, of St. Peters-
burgh, in the Empire of Russia, Civil Engineer..
The object of this Invention is especially to free steam pipes of condensed water
without loss of steam by a self acting apparatus attached to the steam pipe in any
desired position.
The apparatus consists essentially in a double cock body, of which one of the
ways, the entrance, is always in communication with a hollow ball suitably counter-
poised, which pivots about a centre coincident with that of the cock, and controls a
hollow cylinder enveloping the cock body so as to open and close the outlet passage.
This hollow ball receives the condensed water, and filling by degrees, it ultimately
falls; it takes round with it the cylinder which thus is made to uncover the outlet
passage, and this being then in communication with the lower part of the ball, all
the water contained in the ball is driven out through it by the pressure of the steam
and it flows away. Tho ball being thus lightened, rises, the outlet passage is again
closed, and the inlet passage, which is always open, remains only in communication
with the ball which again fills as before.
The Invention may be carried out in different ways. The arrangement which
appears the most suitable is represented by the Drawings annexed.
Figure 1 is a general view of the apparatus, the dotted lines represent the
position of the different parts when the ball is full. Figure 2 is a plan of the
same; Figure 3 is an horizontal section on the line A, B; Figure 4 is a vertical
section on the line C, D; Figure 5 is a vertical section through the entrance
passage on the line E, F ; Figure 6 is a vertical section through the outlet passage
on the line G, H; Figure 7 is a view of the apparatus adapted to a steam pipe.
The apparatus is composed of a fixed horizontal cock body a, by preference
slightly conical at the two ends, having an entrance at b and an outlet at c (Figures
1 and 4).
The two ways are entirely distinct the one from the other, as is seen in
Figure 4; the entrance passage leads to an opening d in the face of the cock body,
and the outlet passage c to an opening e, which is also formed in the face of the
cock body, only the opening e has but half the circular aperture of the opening d,
so that can be closed whilst d continues still open. Around the cock body a
cylinder or casing f works; it is made in two parts, turning upon the cock body as
an axis. This cylinder or casing which is perfectly adjusted and fitted to the cock
body, controls the mouths of the passages d and e; in front it carries the two
sockets g and h corresponding to the passages, namely, corresponding to the
opening d, and h to the opening e. These two sockets are fitted with pipes g¹ and
h, which both terminate within the hollow ball i, to which they are firmly fixed.
One of the pipes g' opens into the upper part of the interior of the ball, whilst the
other is prolonged nearly to the bottom; on the opposite side, the cylinder or
casing carries two ears, to which there is fixed (by preference, inclining downwards
as it is shewn in the Drawings), a counterpoise serving to maintain the ball in
an horizontal position, until it contains sufficient water to require emptying. The
openings & and e are arranged in respect to the cylinder or casing f in such a
manner that when the ball is in the horizontal position shewn in full lines in
Figure 1 the opening d is uncovered and the opening e is closed; but when the
ball falls to the position shown by the dotted lines, both the openings are un-
covered.
In the horizontal position, the opening d only being open, all the condensed
water which the steam pipe brings to the apparatus pours through it into the

page_text: interior of the ball; when the apparatus inclines to the position indicated by the
dotted lines, the aperture being open, whilst the other is not entirely closed, the
pressure of the steam drives out by the opening e the quantity of water from the
interior of the ball, necessary to allow it to ascend to the horizontal position, which
results in the closing of the aperture e, and gives full opening to the aperture d.
The steam may be made to enter at one end of the cock body in place of at the
centre, which will involve a different formation of the cock, but this or similar
variations will not constitute a departure from the Invention, which consists in the
construction of an automatic apparatus composed of a cock having two passages,
and a ball or receiver suitably balanced, and which descends in consequence of the
accumulation of water within it, thereby giving motion to the cylinder, or casing, or
moveable part of the cock, substantially in the manner and for the purpose above
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sydney Pitt, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
SYDNEY PITT. (LS.)