IMPROVE- MENTO IN FEED WATER APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOLLERS.”
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Moy, of 37, Farringdon Street, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTO IN FEED WATER APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOLLERS.”
I, THOMAS MOY, of 37, Farringdon Street, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED WATER APPARATUS, APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS," to
be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object the adaptation and application to
steam boilers of a self-acting feed water chamber, fitted with suitable
inlet and outlet valves, and arranged in such a manner as to utilize some
of the heat from the furnace in order to feed the boiler by means of
steam pressure generated in such feed water chamber.

page_text: And my Invention consists in the use for this purpose of a chamber,
by preference composed of tubes, and of the requisito cubical capacity,
arranged so as to admit of its receiving a supply of water and becoming
heated by waste heat from the furnace, and fitted with valves, one of
which leads from a vessel containing water, and which may be called the
"supply cistern," the second leading from the feed water chamber to
the "supply cistern," and the third leading from the feed water chamber
to the boiler.
The said first-mentioned valve opens inwards to the feed water
chamber from the "supply cistern," from which it receives a supply
of water to circulate through the feed water chamber as required.
The said second-mentioned valve is opened and closed as required by
the means or mechanism herein-after referred to.
And the said last-mentioned valve is opened by the pressure within the
feed water chamber, and closed by that within the boiler.
The water level in the "supply cistern" should always be above the
highest part of the feed water chamber, unless in some cases it may be
desirable to supply the chamber with water under pressure.
The mechanism for opening and closing the second above-mentioned
valve consists of floating ball lovers or tubular levers, or both
combined.
When the water in the boiler becomes low the ball will descend or
the tubular lever will rise, or both combined will cause the second
above-mentioned valve to close. The feed water chamber being then
full of water the three valves will continue closed until the contained
water receives sufficient heat to overcome the boiler pressure on the
third valve, and when this has occurred steam forms therein and drives
the heated water into the boiler, and the water in the boiler conse-
quently continues to rise until by its rising it causes the lever or levers
to open the second valve; when this opens the pressure is reduced, and
the third valve is closed by the boiler pressure. The first above-
mentioned valve then opens and allows the feed water chamber to be
filled up with water from the supply, and the second-mentioned valve
remains open until the water level in the boiler is again reduced so as to
cause its closing to occur.
The tubular lever mentioned above is fitted at the required water
level horizontally in such a manner that it is always in communication

page_text: with the boiler, and when the water level is high in the boiler it is full
of water, and remains in a horizontal position, keeping the second valve
open, but when the water level in the boiler becomes low the lessened
weight of the lever allows it to rise, and the second valve is thereby closed.
The tubular lever is so balanced by a counterweight that when it is full
the counterweight is overcome, and when empty the counterweight
raises it. A similar effect is produced by using a ball and lever to open
the second valve.
In applying this Invention to the steam engine patented by me and
one Richard Edmund Shill, dated the 18th October 1871, No. 2762, and
to my improved form thereof in the Specification of my Patent dated
25th August 1875, No. 2977, I make the feed water chamber of tubes,
and the lever also is tubular, and I surround the generating tubes with
the feed water tubes, and I surround the feed water tubes with a suitably
shaped supply cistern," and by these means I utilize the products of
combustion.
kr
I also in some cases make the fire-bars tubular, such fire-bars being
part of the feed water chamber, and in some cases the fire-bars may be
composed of steam generating tubes. Duplicates of the various valves
and also of the feed water chamber may be used to insure efficiency
and prevent failure in case of any of the valves getting out of order.
By means of the above described arrangements the feeding of boilers
is rendered automatic, the constant attention of the attendant is un-
necessary, cconomy is promoted by utilizing the waste heat, and the need
of injectors and feed pumps is done away with.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Moy in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
0 Mox, of 37, Farringdon Street, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of October, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Moy, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Moy, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Moy, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FEED WATER APPARATUS, APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Moy, 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 Thomas Moy, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thercon (that is to say):
My Invention has for its object the adaptation and application to
steam boilers of a self-acting feed water chamber, fitted with suitable
inlet and outlet valves, and arranged in such a manner as to utilize some
of the heat from the furnace in order to feed the boiler by means of
steam pressure generated in such feed water chamber.
And my Invention consists in the use for this purpose of a chamber,
by preference composed of tubes, and of the requisite cubical capacity,
arranged so as to admit of its receiving a supply of water and becoming
heated by waste heat from the furnace, and fitted with valves, one of
which leads from a vessel containing water, which may be called the
"supply cistern," the second leading from the feed water chamber to
the "supply cistern," and the third leading from the feed water chamber
to the boiler,

page_text: The said first-mentioned valve opens inwards to the feed water
chamber from the "supply cistern," from which it receives a supply of
water to circulate through the feed water chamber as required.
The said second-mentioned valve is opened and closed as required by
the means or mechanism herein-after referred to.
pressure
And the said last-mentioned valve is opened by the
within the feed water chamber, and closed by that within the boiler.
The water level in the "supply cistern" should always be above the
highest part of the feed water chamber, unless in some cases it may be
desirable to supply the chamber with water under pressure.
The mechanism for opening and closing the second above-mentioned
valve consists of floating ball levers or tubular levers, or both
combined.
When the water in the boiler becomes low the ball will descend or
the tubular lever will rise, or both combined will cause the second
above mentioned valve to close. The feed water chamber being then
full of water the three valves will continue closed until the contained
water receives sufficient heat to overcome the boiler pressure on the
third valve, and when this has occurred steam forms therein and drives
the heated water into the boiler, and the water in the boiler conse-
quently continues to rise until by its rising it causes the lever or levers
to open the second valve; when this opens the pressure is reduced, and
the third valve is closed by the boiler pressure; the first above-mentioned
valve then opens and allows the feed water chamber to be filled up with
water from the supply, and the second-mentioned valve remains open
until the water level in the boiler is again reduced so as to cause its
closing to occur.
The tubular lever mentioned above is fitted at the required water
level horizontally in such a manner that it is always in communication
with the boiler, and when the water level is high in the boiler it is full
of water and remains in a horizontal position, keeping the second valve
open, but when the water level in the boiler becomes low the lessened
weight of the lever allows it to rise, and the second valve is thereby
closed. The tubular lever is so balanced by a counterweight that when
it is full the counterweight is overcome, and when empty the counter-
weight raises it. A similar effect is produced by using a ball and lever
to open the second valve.

page_text: In applying this Invention to the steam engine patented by me and
one Richard Edmund Shill, dated the Eighteenth October One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-one, No. 2762, and to my improved form
thereof in the Specification of my Patent dated Twenty-fifth August
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, No. 2977, I make the
feed water chamber of tubes, and the lever also is tubular, and I surround
the generating tubes with the feed water tubes, and I surround the feed
water tubes with a suitably shaped "supply cistern," and by these
means I utilize the products of combustion.
I also in some cases make the fire-bars tubular, such fire-bars being
part of the feed water chamber, and in some cases the fire-bars may be
composed of steam generating tubes. Duplicates of the various valves
and also of the feed water chamber may be used to insure efficiency, and
prevent failure in case of any of the valves getting out of order.
By means of the above described arrangements the feeding of boilers
is rendered automatic, the constant attention of the attendant is unne-
cessary, economy is promoted by utilizing the waste heat, and the need
of injectors and feed pumps is done away with.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention I will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed
by the aid of the accompanying diagrams, which will serve to illustrate
the action of the feed apparatus herein-after described.
Fig. 1 is intended to represent part of a supply cistern A and part of
a boiler B with a coal feeder G between them, all details of construction
being omitted, and the several cocks being numbered as herein-after
described.
Fig. 2 is intended to represent the horizontal tube or tubular lever
herein-after described as applied inside a boiler, and Fig. 3 is intendod
to represent the same as applied outside a boiler.
My Invention thus illustrated consists in feeding steam and other
boilers with water automatically by causing the water contained in the
boiler to act upon levers and cocks, taps or valves, which cocks, taps,
or valves are fitted to a chamber or chambers capable of being filled
with water and of receiving some of the surplus heat from the flues,
uptakes, or other channels for heat of such boilers, and when the con-
tained water is heated sufficiently to form high-pressure steam in such

page_text: chamber the contained water, or part thereof, is by the force of such
high-pressure steam driven into the boiler, whereby the water level
in such boiler becomes raised, and the rise of such water level causes
some of such cocks, taps, or valves to be opened, and by relieving the
pressure
of steam in the said chamber the flow of water into the boiler is
caused to cease until the water level is again reduced.
The chamber may be of any suitable form and dimensions to suit the
flue, uptake, or other channel of heat. In Fig. 1 it is shown in the
form of a coil. Water tubes are preferred, and of such arrangement
and form that the water circulates therein when steam is not being
formed in them.
In cases where it is convenient to use a feed water cistern, as
described in Moy's Specification, No. 2977 (1875), the tubes of the
water chamber are so arranged that when it is not feeding or driving
water into the boiler the water contained in the feeder is derived from
the cistern and circulates from the cistern through the feed chamber,
and into the cistern again; a pipe leads from this chamber into the
boiler, the cock or valve of which is open when feeding and closed when
not feeding.
The two following means are or may be employed to actuate the taps
or valves as required.
First. A horizontal tube is fitted inside large boilers (as indicated in
Fig. 2) and outside small boilers (as indicated in Fig. 3) at or near the
water level in such a manner that when the water level in the boiler
is at or above its proper height such tube is full of water, and the weight
of such water keeps such tube in a horizontal position. When the
height of the water in the boiler is reduced below its proper level such
tube becomes partly or quite empty, and it then leaves the horizontal
position and takes an inclined position on account of the reduced weight
of water therein. The tube is so balanced by a suitable weight or
weighted lever that the weight of water which it is capable of holding
will when full cause it to overcome the balance, and the want of such
water will when more or less empty cause the balance to raise one end
of such tube. These movements of the tube are used to actuate the taps
or valves in the manner herein-after described.
Secondly. Instead of the herein-last described horizontal tube I some-
times use a float of stone, iron, or other suitable material, and balanco

page_text: the same in the various modes which are well known in connection with
steam boilers. The movement of the float is also used to actuate the
taps or valves herein-after referred to.
The taps or valves necessary to be fitted to the feeder chamber consist
of three, and there may be four for greater security. If a coil of tube
is used in connection with a feed water cistern, as indicated in Fig. 1, the
two ends of such coil are fitted with a tap or valve at each, so that
when such taps or valves are closed by either the moveable tube or the
float herein-before described communication is entirely cut off from the
cistern, but when open the water freely circulates and communicates
with the cistern. A junction pipe D is connected with the lower end of
such coil or chamber, which junction is also connected with the boiler.
This junction in some cases has fitted to it a suitable cock or stop valve,
which may also be opened and closed by the mechanism before described.
If so fitted it may have for greater security a valve opening inwards to
the boiler, which is self-acting, and is closed by the pressure of steam
in the boiler when no feeding is taking place, and is only open when
the pressure of steam in the feeder exceeds that inside the boiler. This
latter valve is necessary when no cock or other stop valve is used on this
junction, but it may be omitted when such cock or valve is used on the
junction pipe, and the action of the fceder will not necessarily be
impaired by such omission.
I will now describe several modes of action in using this feeding
apparatus, and for this purpose I will number the several cocks, taps, or
valves as follows:--The cock or valve which leads from the highest
part of the feeder into the cistern I call "valve No. 2;" the cock or
valve which leads from the lowest part of the same feeder into the
cistern I call "valve No. 1%;" the inlet valve at the farthest end of the
junction pipe where it enters the boiler I call "valve No. 3;
" and
the additional cock or valve upon such junction pipe I call "valve 3
No. 4."
1st. In cases where Nos. 1, 2, and 4 are simple cocks when the
water level in the boiler is at its proper height; Nos. 1 and 2 are open
and No. 4 closed, the water circulating through the feeder without any a
steam pressure therein; when the water level falls Nos. 1 and 2 are
closed. and No. 4 opened; the steam pressure gradually rises in the
feeder until sufficient water is driven into the boiler.

page_text: 2ndly. In cases where Nos. 1 and 2 are simple cocks and No. 4 is
omitted altogether a similar action takes place, as last described.
3rdly. In cases where Nos. 1 and 2 are slide valves (No. 4 being
omitted) a similar action takes place, the slide valves taking the place of
the cocks.
4thly. In cases where No. 2 is either a cock or slide or other valve
actuated as before described, the valve No. 1 being an inlet self-acting
valve, the effect is similar to the foregoing.
In cases where No. 2 is a slide valve a small valve, which I call a
relief valve, is sometimes placed on the back of the valve, covering a
small port in the larger valve. This relief valve opens more easily than
the larger valve would when under pressure, and by relieving such
pressure previously to the other valves being opened it greatly reduces
the friction and consequent force required to move such valves.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim
as of my Invention is the combination of a feed water chamber with the
several openings therein and thereto, controlled by floats or by water
tube levers, as herein-before described, whereby the water level controls
the feed water, and whereby surplus heat from the furnaces of steam
boilers is made available to force highly heated feed water into steam
boilers, and whereby the feeding of such steam boilers is rendered
automatic.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Moy, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of April, in the year
Witness,
WILLIAM SPENCE,
8, Quality Court,
Chancery Lane.
THO. MOY. (L.S.)