A NEW OR IMPROVED AUTOMATIC PUMP OR BOILER FEEDER.
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Thomas Hughes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th August 1882. Communi-
cated from abroad by The Automatic Boiler and Engine Company, of New
Haven, State of Connecticut, United States of America.
"
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES of the firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents,
5 Chancery Lane, London A NEW OR IMPROVED AUTOMATIC PUMP OR BOILER
FEEDER. A communication to me from abroad by The Automatic Boiler and
Engine Company, of New Haven, State of Connecticut, United States of America.
My Invention has for its object to produce a self acting pump or boiler feeder by
means of which the water level itself is caused to regulate or maintain the
necessary supply of feed water in the boiler without personal supervision.
It consists of two pumps working in combination or in connection with each
other. One a plunger pump, on its up stroke draws from the supply in the usual
way through a suction pipe and valve-The other pump which may be piston
working in a cylinder is connected with the boiler by a pipe provided with a valve
at the proposed water level.
The chamber of the plunger pump communicates with the upper end of the
piston pump, and with a main discharge or delivery pipe to the boiler, by means of
pipes between which work a double ended valve and a safety check valve-A
overflow valve and pipe are also provided.
The operation of this pump or boiler feeder is very simple. If the water in the
boiler should be above the required level the piston pump on its up stroke would
draw in through its valve a cylinder full of hot water, but if below the required
level a cylinder full of steam at boiler pressure. Or in order words the pump
cylinder fills itself with hot water or steam as the water level in boiler rises above
or falls below the entrance of the pipe connecting it with the boiler.
On the down stroke of the plunger pump its suction valve closes, and the double
ended valve and safety check forced up so as to close the main discharge or delivery
pipe to the boiler and the water flows or attempts to flow into the pipe
communicating with the upper end of the piston pump. If this pipe and upper end
are filled with steam the water rushes up compressing or condensing the steam
before it until the whole charge has entered. At the beginning of the up stroke

page_text: the double ended and safety check valves seat themselves as before, the main
discharge or delivery pipe to the boiler being thereby opened again and all the
water that has entered the pipe communicating with the upper end of the piston
pump together with the contents of the said upper end is forced by the piston
pump through the main discharge or. delivery pipe into the boiler. Or in other
words to feed the boiler the plunger pump discharges first into the piston pump
and the latter completes the process. But if on the other hand the piston pump
and pipe to plunger pump are filled with hot water, the plunger pump in descending
forces up the double ended and safety check valves and closes the main discharge
or delivery pipe to the boiler the water thereby attempts to enter the pipe leading
to the piston pump as before but this pipe is already filled with water which
cannot be compressed, the pressure therefore rises until great enough to force up
the overflow valve and the water instead of as before getting into the boiler escapes
through the overflow pipe and may be used again. On the beginning of the
up stroke the double ended and safety check valves again drop and the piston
pump sweeps the hot water in its upper end and pipe through the main discharge
or delivery pipe into the boiler.
It follows therefore from this arrangement that if the water level is below the
entrance of the suction pipe from the boiler to the piston pump the full amount of
water drawn in by plunger pump passes into the boiler, but if the level is above
the suction pipe the feed water does not enter the boiler at all but escapes through
the overflow valve.
It
Amongst the advantages of this pump or boiler feeder, are its simplicity of
construction and certainty of action working equally well with air or steam.
can be placed at any desired distance from the boiler and will pump hot or cold
water.