An Improved Evaporating and Condensing Apparatus for Producing Fresh Water from Sea Water or other Fluid for Drinking Purposes and for Boiler Feed.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd July, 1889
Complete Specification Left. 16th Oct.. 1889-Accepted. 30th Nov.. 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Evaporating and Condensing Apparatus for Producing
Fresh Water from Sea Water or other Fluid for Drinking
Purposes and for Boiler Feed.
I, HENRY FERGUSON, of 7 St. Martin's Place Trafalgar Square London W.C.,
gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved apparatus for the evaporation and condensation
of fresh water from sea or other fluid for drinking purposes or for boiler feed, and is
designed to effect the same by means of especially simple and convenient apparatus
and in an economical manner.
By a well known law water under a vacuum enables the evaporation to be effected at a
comparatively low temperature, and this law I take advantage of in carrying out the
evaporation of sea or other fluid under a vacuum by means of steam, utilising the
pre-heated condensing water for evaporation.
As all marine boilers from which the steam is condensed in surface condensers after
use, lose some portion of the said steam by leakage, or other causes while in operation,
it is most important to supply this constant loss of feed water from some fresh water
source, otherwise the objects for which such an expensive apparatus as a surface
condenser and its accessories are used, would be defeated, as any addition of sea water
to make up
for the loss of fresh water, seriously deteriorates from the efficiency and
safety of the boiler, particularly in the case of high pressure or multitubular boilers
used with forced draught, such as those employed in torpedo boats.
My apparatus in addition to being suitable for the production of fresh water for the
supply of that water lost by leaks from the boiler and in other ways is also particularly
applicable for the production of a supply of filtered, aerated, drinking water.
I am aware that apparata have been known for sometime past, for the evaporation
of salt water, and its condensation into fresh water, but the particular objects of my
invention are to afford means whereby the use of high pressure steam for evaporating
the sea water in the evaporator can be employed by which a high duty may be
obtained from an apparatus of small weight and occupying little space, parti-
cular regard being had to special arrangements for the easy and rapid circulation of
the salt water in the evaporator, and also the production of dry steam from the saine,
in order that the resulting water from the condensation of the steam may be practically
pure and fresh; for should the steam be saturated to any extent with the salt water it
would be carried over into the condenser and the resulting water of condensation
which should have been fresh would have a brackish taste.
In order to carry my invention into effect I preferably arrange the evaporator
within the centre of the condenser the latter being in the form of an annular
chamber.
The space between the two chambers may be packed with non-conducting material
such as asbestos or material of other similar character.
The evaporator has a diaphragm arranged at each end between which the tubes are
supported.
The sea water for evaporation being contained in the inside of these tubes, and the
live steam surrounding them. Around this chamber 1 arrange a passage or passages
which form another connection; besides that of the tubes between the upper and lower
chambers of the evaporator so that the water as it rises heated up the tubes may
return by the said passages thereby setting up a complete system of circulation or flow
and return.
Upon the upper part of the evaporator a still head is arranged having a neck at the
lower end of such a size as will embrace the whole space covered by the tubes and
return passages the upper part of the still head I make of a larger diameter than the
lower part and suspended from the top cover of the still head is a circular baffle plate

page_text: of about the same diameter as the lower neck, which extends downwards till it reaches
the neck.
This baffle plate has a vertical slot extending from the top to the bottom and on
each side of this slot within the annular space around the outside of the baffle plate, a
second baffle plate is arranged starting from the top cover and lying in a diagonal
position a certain distance around the annular space.
The exit pipe to the condenser is taken out of the still head at a point on the opposite
side of that in which the slot is situated, and has its end projecting a considerable
distance inwards.
The objects of these special arrangements are, that as the steam rises in the
evaporator it may carry a large amount of salt water with it and passes through the
slot and impinges on the diagonal baffle plates giving the stream a downward direction,
which aided by centrifugal force generated by the steam travelling round the annular
space throws all the water upon the lower part of the outside wall of the chamber, the
two streams meeting under the exit pipe which as herein-before described is taken
inward to a considerable distance so that the water falls to the bottom of the annular
space and returns downward to the evaporator, the dry steam passing through the said
exit pipe to the condenser. The condenser I may make of the ordinary type in such
a proportion of course as will deal with the steam that is evaporated.
The feed water for the evaporator is taken from the circulating water delivery as it
leaves the condenser, so that the feed water has a considerably higher temperature
than would be the case if the feed was taken direct from the sea.
The feed water may be regulated and kept at a constant height by a self acting
floating valve of any ordinary description.
I may use with this apparatus any convenient combination of pumps such as the
following:-
One steam cylinder driving a cross-head, from which is worked in any convenient
manner, a circulating pump, a fresh water pump, aerating pump, brine pump, and
feed pump for boiler.
I may pass the fresh water through any convenient form of cooler and filter.
I may use any convenient arrangement of cocks and fittings in order to convert
the evaporator into a condenser so as to turn the whole apparatus into a condenser.
I may use any suitable series of evaporators combined together so that the
evaporated steam in the first of the evaporators may be utilized for evaporation in the
second apparatus instead of using live steam from the boiler and so on; the final
condensation only occurring in the last of the series.
The condensing chamber of a single apparatus may be used for secondary evapora-
tion by the steam generated in the primary evaporator, and the ultimate and final
condensation may be effected in a chamber connected to a part of the main condenser
of the propelling engine.
Dated this 92nd dow of Tul. 1980
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Evaporating and Condensing Apparatus for Producing
Fresh Water from Sea Water or other Fluid for Drinking
Purposes and for Boiler Feed.
I, HENRY FERGUSON, of 7 St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square, London W.C.
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described, and ascertained, in and by
the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved apparatus for the evaporation and condensa-
tion of fresh water from sea water or other liquid for drinking purposes or for boiler-
feed, and is designed to effect the same by means of especially simple and convenient
apparatus and in an economical manner.

page_text: This baffle plate has a vertical slot j¹ extending from the cover J to nearly the
bottom of the plate; and on each side of the slot within the annular space around
the outside of the baffle plate, another baffle plate K K' is arranged reaching from
the cover J near the top of the slot and lying in an angular position a certain
distance round the annular space the lower part of the plates K K¹ extending
rather more than half way down the baffle plate j.
The exit pipe L to the condenser is taken out of the still head H at a point on
the opposite side of the head as that on which the slot is situated, and has its
connection with the still head so arranged that the greatest volume of steam is
taken from the upper part of the still head so that it shall be as dry as possible.
The condenser B is as herein-before described an annular chamber placed around
the evaporator A and has the tube plates on the upper and lower ends of the
chamber supporting the tubes c, the ends are closed by covers c¹, of dome section
which form the circulating chambers above and below the tubes c.
The steam is conveyed to the condenser from the evaporator by the pipe e
entering the condenser at e¹, where it condenses between the tubes c and is drawn
through the pipe d by the fresh water pump D from the bottom of the condenser
where it collects. The circulating water is forced by the circulating pump P
through the tubes in the condenser entering at h and leaving at h¹.
The brine which collects at the lower part of the evaporator is drawn away by
the pump g through the pipe g² to the delivery pipe g³.
The feedwater for the evaporator is regulated and kept at a constant height by
a self acting valve m arranged within a chamber M.
This valve is of the ordinary double heat type and has arranged a certain distance
up the valve spindle a float of any suitable material such as copper.
The feed pipe R which is led from the circulating delivery pipe R so that the feed
water may be as hot as possible, enters the chamber M at the side so that it is in
communication with the regulating valve m.
A pipe is led from the bottom of the chamber M to the bottom of the evaporator
and a similar pipe is led from top of the chamber M to the pipe e so that the
bodies of water in the chamber M and the evaporator are in equilibrium and it
follows that if the feed valve chamber is in a proper position relatively to the
evaporator, a constant level will be maintained in the latter by the automatic
regulation of the supply by the valve m being governed by the level of the water in
the chamber M.
In conjunction with this apparatus I use a steam pump N of a very compact and
ingenious construction in which the five pumps for various purposes viz. circulating
pump P, Fresh water pump D, aerating pump D¹, Brine pump g' and Feed pump
for boiler gare driven direct from one steam cylinder through the medium of a cross
head O which is situated directly opposite to the steam cylinder 02.
The circulating pump P consists of two cylinders p p situated side by side and
connected together by the passage m¹.
The suction pipe enters the cylinder p at n and the delivery pipe is connected to
the cylinder p¹ at n².
Upon the top of the circulating pump the fresh water pump D is arranged.
The piston on the plunger of this pump is utilised for drawing the fresh water
from the condenser and forcing it through the filter Q, the annular space r round
the pump rod at the back of the piston being used as an aerating pump, the suction
valve being in communication with the atmosphere, and the delivery valve 2 with
the fresh water delivery pipe d².
The brine pump gl and condensed steam or boiler feed pump g₁ are arranged
one on each side of the steam cylinder 0 and are likewise operated by the cross
head O.
In order to cool and filter the water as it is pumped from the condenser I pass
the same through a cooling filter vessel Q, figures 1 and 2 into which the water to
be filtered is introduced by the pipe d². A perforated plate q is placed over the
tubes to distribute the flow of water. The upper part of the filter is divided by a

page_text: diaphragm and a transverse rib into two parts, into one of which fresh water is
delivered from the condenser by the feed pump D. It then passes through a series
of tubes 2 to the lower part of the filter and ascends again through similar tubes c³
to the outlet S. The cock s serves to regulate the amount of circulating water
admitted to the condenser.
The water from the circulating pump enters the pipe R², surrounds the whole of
the said tubes (thus further cooling the fresh water) and issues from the outlet R³
and passes thence to the condenser. The tubes ce³ are filled with charcoal or
other approved filtering medium to filter the water as it passes through the said
tubes; the resulting product is thus cooled and filtered, and excellent to drink.
The action of the sea water in the evaporator is as follows, viz. as the water is
heated in the tubes it rises and displaces the cooler water which return by the
passages E so that a constant circulation is kept up.
As the steam is given off, it rushes through the slot into the annular space in
the still head H and impinges upon the inclined baffle plates K K₁ giving the stream
a downward direction so that any water that may be carried up by the steam will be
thrown down to the bottom of the annular space afterwards draining up into the
evaporator through the space between the bottom of the baffle plate and the neck
of the stillhead and also the water that may be left in.
The steam travelling round the annular space is thrown by centrifugal force
through the outer side, the steam rising to the top of the annular space and escaping
to the condenser by the pipe e which projects inwards.
I may convert the evaporator into a condenser and work both chambers as
condensers, I arrange the cocks e², e³, s¹ and s² and pipes t and on the line steam
and circulating services so that by opening the cocks e³, s¹, s and closing the cock e³,
the circulating water will pass through the evaporator entering at t¹ and discharging
through the cock into the main circulating pipe R, Live steam being admitted to
the condenser B through the pipe f.
It is obvious that any suitable series of the apparatus may be combined together
the evaporated steam in the first evaporator being utilized for evaporation in the
second apparatus instead of further live steam from the boiler and in such case both
chambers of the first and following apparatus may be utilized for evaporation the
final condensation only occurring in the last of the series.
Or, the condensing chamber of a single apparatus may be used for secondary
evaporation, by the steam generated in the primary evaporator and the ultimate and
final condensation may be effected in, or in a chamber connected to, the main
condenser of the engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. In an evaporating and condensing apparatus the combination of an evaporator
capable of evaporating at a high pressure, a condenser, feed regulating valve and a
compact and convenient steam pump consisting of 5 different pumps operated direct
by one steam cylinder substantially as described.
2nd. In such an evaporating and condensing apparatus an evaporator having a
still head, provided with a baffle plate and wing baffle plates in order to separate
moisture or water from the steam substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3rd. In such an evaporating and condensing apparatus an evaporator having
passages EE connecting the upper and lower portions of the evaporator in order to
produce rapid and complete circulation of the sea water contained therein substantially
as described.
DL: 1 Cal
cout 1000
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, Agents for the Applicant.