AN IMPROVED METHOD OF SOFTENING WATER
Year: 1884

page_text: I, PROSPER AUGUSTE MAIGNEN, of 22 Great Tower Street, in the City of
London, Filter Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention
for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF SOFTENING WATER" to be as follows:―
My invention relates to an improved method or process for the softening of hard
water, that is to say, the elimination of certain dissolved matters which cause hard-
ness, and it is designed to effect this object in a simple, correct and expeditious
manner, and to eliminate undesirable matters held in solution in proportion and to
any extent deemed desirable.
It will be applicable to drinking water, to the treatment of feed water to steam
boilers, and to the treatment of water generally in manufacturing processes where
purity and softness are desirable.
The processes hitherto employed for the softening of water have been either
imperfect or intricate. The substantial part of these old processes generally being
the application of solutions, such as lime water, which only act upon a part of the
salts, leaving the other parts still in solution. It is the opinion of authorities that
such processes are too delicate for general adoption; moreover, although they
remove a portion of the temporary hardness (caused by the presence of carbonate
of lime) yet they do not remove the permanent hardness due to the presence of
sulphate of lime and magnesia.
Now my process not only precipitates the carbonate of lime, but also the
sulphates of lime and magnesia, and this I effect by the following method.
I have found that by preparing in a very fine dry powder the substances which
I use to attack the different salts in solution, and which I shall call reagents,
thorough permeation of the water to be treated is secured. The feed of my com-
pound is either by hand or by mechanical means, and is preferably near the
supply, so that the powder shall fall into the water at the point of greatest agita-
tion and have the longest length of travel to effect its object.
The elements of my compound being of different degrees of solubility, attack the
various salts, which it is desired to throw out of solution, successively or in such a
way that the whole of their salts are effectively decomposed and thrown out of
solution.
•
In order to effect this object, I have chosen substances which are cheap, and
which act in such a way as to cause the precipitated matters rapidly to subside, so
as to leave little to do in the after treatment by subsidence or filtration.

page_text: By varying the constituents of my compound proportionately to the composition
of the water (previously ascertained by testing) and to the quantity of water to be
treated, I may precipitate the whole or any certain quantity of one or other
or all the matters to be eliminated, and where a mechanical feed is provided, I may
control the same by any suitable devico, such as by a paddle wheel or turbine
rotated by the flow of the water, or by means of a cataract valve driving a
feed from a hopper and a suitable agitator to prevent the powder clogging.
My compound then to fulfil these conditions-I form of Hydrate of Lime,
Calcined Soda, and Alum, which are thoroughly triturated and intimately mingled.
Where the water to be treated is Sea Water, I mix the further constituent of
Pyrolusite.
Dated this 7th day of June A.D. 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, PROSPER AUGUSTE MAIGNEN, of 22 Great Tower Street, in the City of
London, Filter Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF SOFTENING WATER" and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by tho
following statement:
-
My invention relates to an improved method or process for the softening of hard
water, that is to say by the elimination or precipitation of certain matters which
are objectionable or cause hardness, and it is designed to effect this object in a
simple, correct, automatic and expeditious manner, and to eliminate the said
undesirable matters which are held in solution, or in suspension, in proportion and
to any extent deemed desirable.
My invention will be applicable to drinking water, to the treatment of feed
water for steam boilers, and to the treatment of water generally.
In order that my invention may be the better understood, I now proceed to
describe the same, reference being had to the drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of one of my improved proportional automatic
feeding devices.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same device, with part transverse section
through the powder hopper.
The processes hitherto employed for the softening of water, have either been
imperfect or intricate and difficult to hold under proper control. The substantial
part of these old processes generally being the application of chemical reagents in
a liquid or semi-liquid form and acting imperfectly upon the liquid to be treated.
Now my process enables me to obtain the desired result with perfect regularity
and certainty, and this I effect by the following method:-
I have found, that by preparing in a fine dry powder the substance or substances
which I use to attack different salts in solution, and with which I desire to treat
the water (and which I hereinafter call the reagent, reagents, or the powder)
thorough permeation of the water to be treated is obtained. The finely powdered
character of the powder I use, enables me also to readily feed the same by
mechanical means, without clogging and with uniformity.
The feed of my powder by mechanical means is placed preferably near the supply,
so that the powder shall fall into the water at the point of greatest agitation, and
have the longest length of travel to effect its object.
One convenient form of such mechanical appliances, by which I effect the
proportional feed of the reagents or powder to the water to be treated, is as
follows:-
A is an overshot water wheel. The incoming steain of water or liquid, or a pro-
portionate part of it, into the tank B, in which the treatment or softening is to be
carried out, is placed over the upper rim of the said water wheel, and is regulated
in its flow by the ball tap C from the supply pipe. The speed of rotation of the
said water wheel A is thus regulated by the rate of efflux of the water from the
mid ball tap, increasing with the flow or stopping completely when the Bow ceases..

page_text: The water wheel is fixed upon a shaft D which, by means of the worm and worm
wheel E, rotates the vertical shaft F F. The upper part of the said shaft F carries
a stirrer or stirrers G, in the powder hopper H, containing the powder. At the
bottom of the said hopper other rotating arms G¹ push the powder, as the shaft
revolves through the open mouth at the side exit K. This orifice or exit K is
provided with a sliding door L, which by means of the thumb nut M, or equivalent
means, is exactly regulated to any required height of opening, so that any desired
quantity of powder is accurately ejected, from time to time into the water to be
treated by the action of the rotating arms G¹.
As the powder falls through the door, into the cistern below the hopper, other
agitating devices N N moved equally by the rotary action of the water wheel, or
by other independent means, stir the liquid and thus ensure the thorough permea-
tion of the falling powder throughout the body of the water to be treated.
It is obvious that instead of the overshot water wheel A, I may employ a turbine,
a cataract, or any form of water motor, that will produce a movement proportionate
to the flow of liquid through the supply pipe C.
I may also evidently use a feed screw or any other equivalent means for the
ejection of the powdered reagents from the hopper, without departing from the
principle of my improved method or process of treatment.
To effect then the softening of water by the method of treatment hereinbefore
described, I use in my automatic proportional feed apparatus, a powder which may
be conveniently composed of lime, soda, and alum, or any one or more of these or
their equivalents in quantities and proportion previously ascertained by test; but
it is evident that the method and appliance bereinbefore described as particularly
applicable to the purposes of softening water may be conveniently applied to the
treatment of liquids, so long as the precipitating reagent or reagents used, are in
the form of a powder and fed by an automatic device actuated or regulated by the
whole or part of the inflow of the liquid to be treated, and in quantity pro-
portionate to the desired precipitation to be obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
1st The method or process of softening water, by the automatic feed thereinto of
a powdered reagent or reagents, suite in quality and quantity to the nature of the
liquid to be treated and actuated or regulated by the inflow of the whole or part of
the said liquid, substantially as described.
2nd The construction of an automatic device, feeding a powdered reagent or
reagents into water by the rotation of a water wheel or by any other movement of
other water motor, to effect the said feed by, and proportionally to, the flow.or
part of the said flow of the liquid to be treated, substantially as described.
De Ma 10OK