similar Apparatus.
Year: 1886

page_text: similar Apparatus.
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer 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:-
This invention relates to an apparatus for withdrawing the water resulting from
condensation from steam jackets, heaters, and other similar apparatus, said apparatus
being so constructed and organized that the water can be restored to the boiler
without the necessity of forcing it against the pressure of the steam therein, and
also that the starting and stopping of the pump, by which the water is restored to
the boiler, is made automatic, thereby dispensing with the attendance of an
engineer.
As a full understanding of the invention can be best imparted by a detailed
description of the construction and organization of the complete apparatus, all
further preliminary description will be omitted, and a full description given,
reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the invention.
Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional details of the valve or cock apparatus for
controlling the operation of the steam pump for restoring the water to the boiler;
Fig. 2 being taken upon the line x, x of Figs. 1 and 3, and Fig. 3 upon the line ","
of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating a modification which will be
hereinafter explained.
Referring to said Figures, it is to be understood that 10, 11 represent the high
pressure cylinders, and 12, 13 the expanding cylinders, of an ordinary compound
duplex engine, these cylinders being provided with ordinary steam jackets-The
cylinders 10-11 receive steam from the boiler A through the usual steam con-
nections 14-15, and after the steam has acted in these cylinders, it is exhausted in
the usual manner into the re-heater 20, from which it passes through the pipes 6-7
71

page_text: to the steam chests 8-9 of the expanding cylinders 12-13, from which cylinders it
is exhausted into the condenser, or into the open air. The pipe 15 is provided
with a branch 5, which is connected through branches, as 4, with the re-heater 20,
and with the steam jackets upon the cylinders 10-11 and 12-13, so that this
re-heater, and the jackets upon the cylinders, are provided with live steam under
the same pressure that exists in the boiler.
In order to withdraw the water resulting from condensation in the reheater 20
and the jackets of the cylinders 10-11,-12-13, the re-heater and the jackets are
provided with connections, represented by the pipes 16, by which any water
resulting from condensation is withdrawn from the reheater and jackets, as fast as
it accumulates therein.
.
The parts thus far described are simply illustrative of the constructions which
are in common use.
The pipe 16, into which the water is drained from the re-heater 20 and the
jackets of the steam cylinders, is connected to a closed tank B, which is located in
any convenient position, but upon a lower level than the steam jackets, and in
which the water accumulates under a pressure due to the steam in the boiler A.-
The tank B is provided, at a point near its bottom, with a pipe 25, which leads to
the suction chamber of a pump C, the force chamber of which is connected by a
pipe 24 with the boiler A.-The pump C, as shown in the present case, is an
ordinary direct acting duplex steam pump of the well known Worthington type,
and therefore needs no specific description.
The operation of the apparatus thus far described is as follows:-The throttle
valve 3 in the pipe 5 being opened, the steam from the boiler A will pass through
the pipe 15 into the branch 5, and thence through the branches 4 into the
re-heater 20 and the jackets of the steam cylinders 10-11, &c., in which re-heater
and jackets it will circulate in the usual manner, after which, any of the steam
which remains uncondensed will be forced through the pipes 16 into the tank B, so
that the water resulting from the condensation of the steam in the reheater and
jackets, which flows through the pipes 16 into the tank B, will accumulate therein
under a pressure equal to, or substantially equal to, that of the boiler. The
pump C being then set in motion, the water will be withdrawn from the tank B
through the pipe 25, and forced through the pipe 24 into the boiler, but the water
in the tank B, and consequently in the suction chamber of the pump, being under
a pressure equal, or substantially equal, to that existing in the boiler, the only
labor which the pump will be called upon to perform, will be that of raising the
water from the level of the tank to the level of the boiler; thus effecting a saving
of labor equal to that of forcing the water against a pressure equal to that of the
steam in the boiler.
In an apparatus of this character, it will of course not be necessary that the
pump C should operate continuously, and it is therefore desirable that means
should be provided by which the operation of the pump shall be controlled by the
accumulation of water in the tank B, so that whenever sufficient water accumulates,
in the tank to make it desirable to have it withdrawn, the pump will be set in
operation, and that as soon as the water in the tank has been withdrawn, the
pump will be stopped.
In the apparatus heretofore devised for accomplishing this result, the steam for
operating the pump has been supplied directly from the boiler, and the pipe
through which the steam passed to the pump was provided with a cock, which was
'controlled by a float, which rode upon the surface of the water in the tank.-In
the present organization, however, the pipe 23, through which the steam is supplied
'for operating the pump C, is connected to the upper side of the tank B, so that the
steam for operating the pump is drawn from the tank instead of from the boiler or
'other source.
The end of the pipe 23, which enters the tank B, is provided with a
cock 22, the plug 21 of which, is provided with an operating lever 19, to the end
of which is attached a hollow sheet metal float 30, which rides upon the surface of
the water in the tank. By thus taking the steam for operating the pump from the

page_text: tank B, the steam is caused to circulate more freely and rapidly through the
reheater and the steam jackets, and thus better results are obtained. By this
means, also, the cock or valve for controlling the supply of steam to the pump, is
located within the tank, so that no stuffing boxes are required in the walls of the
tank, and thus leakage is prevented.
The operation of this cock apparatus, in controlling the movements of the
pump C, is as follows: Whenever the water in the tank B has accumulated to such
an extent as to make it desirable to withdraw it, the float 30, riding upward upon
the surface of the water, will have turned the plug 21 to the position shown in
Figs. 2 and 3, so as to open the cock 22, and allow the steam to pass from the
tank B, through the pipe 23, to the steam cylinders of the pump, and set the pump
in motion. The pump being thus set in motion, the water will be withdrawn from
the tank B, and forced into the boiler A, until the level of the water in the tank
is lowered to such an extent that the float 30, riding downward upon its surface,
turns the plug 21, so as to close the cock, and shut off the further passage of steam
to the steam cylinders of the pump, and thereby arrests the pump. The pump
thus arrested will remain so until the water has again accumulated in the tank B,
when the operation just described will be repeated.
In using hollow floats, such as the float 30, in those positions where they are
subjected to pressure, as in the present case, great difficulty has heretofore been
experienced by reason of the fact that more or less water is forced through the
pores of the metal composing the float, so as to accumulate upon the inside, and in
time fill, or nearly fill, the float so as to destroy its buoyancy. In order to over-
come this defect in the present case, I provide the plug 21 and the lever 19 with
a longitudinal duct 2, which opens communication between the interior of the
float 30 and the transverse port 1 of the plug. By this means, whenever the float
is in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that the cock 22 is opened, the steam
from the tank B passes through the duct 2, and fills the float, so that the same
pressure exists upon the interior of the float as upon its exterior, thereby preventing
any water from being forced through the pores of the metal by the pressure in the
tank. The port 1 is made of such shape, as shown in Fig. 3, that when the water
falls in the tank, so as to allow the float 30 to fall and close the cock 22, communi-
cation will still remain open between the interior of the float and the pipe 23, but
the pressure in the pump being then less than that in the tank B, any water which
may have accumulated in the float from condensation, will be at once converted
into steam, and pass off through the duct 2 and pipe 23, thus keeping the interior
of the float free from any accumulation of water.
It will readily be seen that many modifications may be made in the details of
the cock apparatus just described, without departing from the essential features of
the invention, or losing its advantages. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the
opening and closing of the pipe 23, so as to start and stop the pump C, may be
effected by means of a valve instead of a cock. For this purpose, the pipe 23 is
caused to enter the side of the tank B, instead of its top, and the edge of the
opening upon the interior of the tank is arranged to form a seat upon which the
end of the tubular lever 19 rests, so as to surround and close the opening leading
to the pipe 23, when the float 30 is lowered by the withdrawal of the water from
the tank, and to be raised from said seat, so as to allow the steam to pass from the
tank into the pipe 23, when the float is raised by the accumulation of the water,
as shown in Fig. 4.
The operation of the apparatus, when thus constructed, as will readily be seen,
will be the same as that already described.
Many other modifications may be readily made in the construction of the cock
or valve apparatus, without departing from the invention, but the constructions
shown are thought sufficient to impart a full knowledge of the principle of the
invention.
In conclusion, it is to be remarked, that although it is preferable that the pump C
should be of the duplex form, as shown, yet the style of the pump may be varied,

page_text: or other forms of pump employed, without departing wholly from the invention.-
It is also to be remarked that the invention is herein shown as applied to the steam
jackets and re-heater of a compound engine, simply for the purpose of illustrating
its operation. Its application is not limited to this class of engines, or to any
class of engines, as it may be successfully employed in any case where it is desired
to withdraw the water of condensation from the cylinders of an engine, or from a
jacket heater or analogous apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my Foreign Correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
The combination with the closed tank B, arranged to receive the water of
condensation from a steam jacket heater or similar apparatus, of a pump arranged
to withdraw the water from the tank, connections between the tank and pump by
which the steam for operating the pump is taken from the tank, cock or valve for
controlling the supply of steam to the pump, and a float within the tank for
controlling said cock or valve, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the closed tank B, of the closed hollow float 30,
provided with the duct 2, which is arranged to communicate with the exterior of
the tank, whereby the water forced into the float will pass off in the form of steam,
substantially as described.
3. The closed hollow float 30, provided with the duct 2, which is arranged to
communicate with the interior of the tank, and with the pipe 23, according to the
position of the float, substantially as described.