IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FILTERING AND DEFECATING WATER BY RADIATION, IN THE MODE OF CLEANSING THE SAID APPARATUS, AND IN ITS SEVERAL APPLICATIONS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Charles Henderson, of the Firm of
Henderson and Company, British and Foreign Patent Agents, of 31,
Charing Cross, in the in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FILTERING AND DEFECATING WATER BY
RADIATION, IN THE MODE OF CLEANSING THE SAID APPARATUS, AND IN ITS
SEVERAL APPLICATIONS."-A communication from abroad by Gustave
Demailly, Civil Engineer, of the City of Brussels, and Kingdom of
Belgium.
Sealed the 10th June 1873, and dated the 19th December 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Charles
Henderson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
I his Petition, on the 19th December 1872.
I, ARTHUR CHARLES HENDERSON, of the Firm of Henderson and
Company, British and Foreign Patent Agents, of 31, Charing Cross, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FILTERING AND DEFECATING
WATER BY RADIATION, IN THE MODE OF CLEANSING THE SAID APPARATUS, AND IN

page_text: ITS SEVERAL APPLICATIONS," a communication to me from abroad by
Gustave Demailly, Civil Engineer, of the City of Brussels, and Kingdom
of Belgium, to be as follows:-
My improved filtering apparatus consists of twin or double filters
communicating one with the other, and in which the water is filtered by:
radiation, that is to say, the water enters the apparatus and occupies its
interior, passing through the filtering substances, and converging towards
central pipes pierced with holes, one in each filter, which deliver it in a
filtered state to a conduit.
The Invention also relates to the application of the filters for purifying :
water containing calcareous salts, so as to render it fit for industrial
purposes, by preventing incrustation of boilers. Before passing these
waters through my apparatus, waters which are rich in bicarbonate of
lime, I add to them in their limpid state a little lime water, which im-
mediately troubles them by the formation of insoluble carbonate of lime, :
then passing them through my apparatus the carbonate is retained, and
the water is purified and clarified. The water is led by a conduit pipe,
and distributed to the two filters by a three-way tap. It spreads itself in
the spaces comprised between the envelopes of the apparatus and the
filtering cylinders. It passes through these by the pressure from the
conduit, and passes out clarified through the perforated and central tubes
in each of the apparatus; it is then distributed by the three-way taps
below the filters. The filtering matter in one cylinder is charcoal, and
in the other sponge.
To prevent any choking of the filters they are coupled as before men-
tioned, which admits of cleansing them with the filtered water, for in
using unfiltered water it deposits on the filtering layers nearest the
central tubes foreign matters which would end in rapidly obstructing the
apparatus..
The following is the manner of cleaning one or other of the filters :—
The arrival of water is shut off by closing the central three-way tap in
whichever filter it is intended to clean, the lower three-way taps being
also closed to prevent the exit of the filtered water, but they are arranged
so as to put the tubes in the center of the filters in communication by
means of a pipe. Thus, if it is desired to clean the filter on the left, the
water admitted into the other filter flows through the communicating

page_text: pipe and ascends the central pipe, and the pressure forces it to pass
through the filtering cylinder inversely, that is to say, from the centre to
the circumference of the filter, and draws along with it the foreign
matters deposited by the water inside the cylinder, and flows outside by
a discharge pipe. Whilst cleaning the filtering cylinders are set in
motion by means of fly wheels worked by hand, or by straps passing
over pullies in place of fly wheels. The centrifugal force, combined
with the pressure of the water in the filtering cylinders, assists in freeing
the filters of the matters deposited by filtration.
A brush is arranged and fixed inside the envelope so as to admit of
cleansing the external surface of the filtering cylinder during the
revolving motion thereof. The circular divisions, as well as the centre
tubes, are of sheet iron perforated and rendered inoxydable.
The lower plate of the filtering cylinder may be furnished with wings
or flyers, and the water arriving as before described imparts an impulsion
to the wings, which sets in motion the whole filtering cylinder, whose
rotation is regulated by locking a pivot beneath it, more or less. The
filtering matters may be either wool shearings rendered imputrescible, or
sponge, or paper pulp.
For larger apparatus the filtering cylindrical surfaces are two in
number, and the water traverses the layers and presents itself clarified in
the central circular capacities, thence flowing through openings in the
lower plate. The cleansing is effected as before.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Arthur Charles Henderson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARTHUR
CHARLES HENDERSON, of the Firm of Henderson and Company, British
and Foreign Patent Agents, of 31, Charing Cross, in the County of
) Middlesex, send greeting.
"
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of December, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Arthur Charles Henderson, Her special
licence that I the said Arthur Charles Henderson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Arthur Charles
Henderson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 APPARATUS FOR FILTERING AND DEFECATING
WATER BY RADIATION, IN THE MODE OF CLEANSING THE SAID APPARATUS, AND IN
SEVERAL APPLICATIONS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Arthur Charles Henderson, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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.
ITS
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Arthur Charles Henderson, 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 and accompanying Drawings, that is to
say:-
The apparatus forming the subject of the present Invention is destined
to clarify, filter, and purify waters charged with foreign matters, or
containing calcarious and other salts in solution, so as to render them
fit for domestic and industrial purposes by preventing incrustation of
boilers. Waters rich in bicarbonate of lime when boiled furnish
calcarious deposits, but if clear by adding thereto a little lime water
they are immediately troubled by the formation of insoluble carbonate
of lime. Then in this condition by passing them through the filtering
apparatus the carbonate is retained and the water flows out purified and
clarified. If the waters are selenious, by adding thereto a little carbonate
of soda insoluble carbonate of lime is formed, which is eliminated by

page_text: filtration, and there will remain sulphate of soda in solution in the
water, but this salt presents no obstacle in industrial usage.
b
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings represent a sectional
elevation and a sectional plan of twin filters, which are cleansed one by
the other by aid of the filtered water. The water led by the pipe A is
distributed to the filters M and N at a, a, by the three-way tap R; it
spreads itself in the spaces 6 comprised between the case of the apparatus,
and the filtering cylinders F, F, passes through them by pressure, and
comes out clarified by the perforated tubes o and o³ of each apparatus;
it is then distributed to the pipes S, S', by the taps R¹, R", which are
also three-way.
To avoid choking the filters a pair of apparatus are united, which
admits of their being cleansed with the filtered water, for by using
unfiltered water it would deposit on the filtering layers nearest the
central tube foreign matters which would terminate by rapidly obstruct-
ing the apparatus.
•
The following is the mode of cleansing either of the filters :-The
water is cut off from whichever filter it is intended to clean by turning
the tap R. The taps R, R", are also closed to prevent the exit of the
filtered water, but they are arranged so as to put the tubes o and o¹ of
the filters in communication by aid of the pipe y, the result of which is
as follows:-Supposing it is desired to cleanse the filter N the water
admitted into the filter N flows through the pipe y and reascends in
the central pipe o¹, and pressure forces it to pass inversely through the
filtering cylinder, that is to say, from the centre to the circumference of
the apparatus N, and draws along with it the foreign matters deposited
by the water inside the cylinder and flows outside by the discharge
'pipe E. Whilst cleansing the filtering cylinders are set in motion by
aid of the fly wheels K and K³, either by hand or mechanically by
aid of bands passing over pullies communicating with the fly wheels.
The centrifugal force combined with the pressure of the water unite
in separating the foreign matters deposited in the filtering cylinders.
A brush p is fixed inside the case so as to allow of cleaning the
exterior surface of the filtering cylinder whilst the latter revolves. The
circular divisions c and c¹, as well as the tubes o and o¹, in the centre of

page_text: the apparatus, are purified and clarified, the carbonate being retained or
witheld.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Charles Henderson, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of June in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.