IMPROVEMENTS IN PREVENTING THE INCRUSTATION OF STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREVENTING THE INCRUSTATION OF STEAM
BOILERS." A communication from abroad by Charles James Eames, of
the City of New York, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 14th November 1865, and dated the 29th June 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Willian Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 29th June 1865.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do bereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREVENTING THE INCRUSTATION OF
STEAM BOILERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the employment or use of layers or strata of
native or artificial carbonate of baryta, which may be combined with layers or
beds of siliceous sand, sponges, or other analogous substances placed alternately,
and with oxalate of baryta as media for filtration of water, holding in solution
sulphate or carbonate of lime, or such earthy substances as are known to cause
"furring" or incrustations in steam boilers. The Invention consists also in the
use or application of the above salts of baryta in the treatment of water contain-
ing salts of lime or manganese or other impurities as a means of decomposing

page_text: them by maceration or any other process either previous to or after the
admission of the water into the boiler.
In carrying out the Invention a filter is formed in a tank by placing
alternate layers or courses of fine siliceous sand, native carbonate of baryta or
"witherite " in coarse powder, or instead thereof artificially prepared carbonate
of baryta, next another layer of siliceous sand, then a layer of baryta in
powder, and so on alternate layers of siliceous sand or fine gravel, and carbonate
and oxalate of baryta, until the tank is one-third or half full.
The feed water before it enters the boiler is made to run into a reservoir,
and it percolates or filters through and enters into the tank below deprived of
its sources of incrustation. The sulphate of lime and other earthy salts
contained in the water on meeting carbonate of baryta become decomposed.
Instead of letting the water run down through the different strata of salts
and sand, the same effect may be produced by forcing the water up through
the filtering media or by passing it through in any other direction.
The sulphate of lime contained in the water may be decomposed by macera-
tion with carbonates and oxalates of baryta, but the process of filtration is the
most effective.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th December 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN PREVENTING THE INCRUSTATION OF STEAM BOILERS," being a

page_text: communication to me from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to,
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):-
This Invention consists in the employment or use of layers or strata of
native or artificial carbonate of baryta, which may be combined with layers or
beds of siliceous sand, sponges, or the analogous substance placed alternately and
with oxalate of baryta as media for the filtration of water, holding in solution
sulphate or carbonate of lime or such earthy substances as are known to,
cause "furring" or incrustations in steam boilers. The Invention consists
only in the use or application of the above salts of baryta in the treatment of
water containing salts of lime or manganese or other impurities as a means of
decomposing them by maceration, or any other process either previous to or
after the admission of the water into the boiler. For the purpose of filtering
the water previous to the introduction of it into the boiler, a filter is constructed
over a tank or other suitable reservoir by placing alternate layers or courses
of the ingredients to be used, viz, fine siliceous sand, native carbonate of baryta
or "witherite " in coarse powder, or instead thereof artificially prepared car-
bonate of baryta; next another layer of siliceous sand somewhat coarser than
the previous, then a layer of baryta in powder, and so on alternate layers of
silicious sand or fine gravel and carbonate and oxalate of baryta placed in
succession until the tank is one-third or half full, the number of layers depending.
upon the depth of the tank and the proportion of the earthy salts in the
water, which latter can be determined by chemical analysis.
The feed water before it enters the boiler is made to run into that part of
the reservoir containing the above layers of salts of baryta and other substances.
It percolates or filters through these matters and the sand and enters into the
tank below deprived of the matters which would form incrustation. The
sulphate of lime and other earthy salts contained in the water on meeting
carbonate of baryta become by double decomposition converted into carbonates
of lime, alumina, and other salts, and these being in turn decomposed by the
oxalates of baryta are converted into insoluble oxalates of lime and carbonate

page_text: of baryta. The latter are ready for renewed action by filtration while the sand
facilitates the separation of the deposit of oxalate of lime. It is obvious that
instead of letting the water run down through the different strata of salts and
sand, the same effect may be produced by forcing the water up through the
filtering media or by passing it through in any other direction. The same
effect of decomposing the sulphate of lime, and other earthy matters contained
in the water may be produced by maceration with carbonates and oxalates of
baryta, but the process of filtration appears to be the simplest and more
effective of the two.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and having explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid.
First, the employment or use for the purpose of filtering the feed water of
steam boilers of layers of carbonate of baryta, with or without layers of or beds
of siliceous sand, or other analogous substance and oxalates of baryta.
Second, the application or use of carbonates and oxalates of baryta as a
means of decomposing the salts of lime and other earthy matters contained in
water by maceration or any other manner (either previous or after the admission
of the water into a steam boiler), so as to produce the desired result.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)