Applicable for Use as Boiler Feeders.
Year: 1885

page_text: Applicable for Use as Boiler Feeders.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the County of Lancaster and 323 High
Holborn in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature
of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPERTAINING TO STEAM TRAPS
ALSO APPLICABLE FOR USE AS BOILER FEEDERS (a communication from abroad by
James B. Erwin of Milwaukee in the State of Wisconsin United States of America
Inventor) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
i
This invention relates to improvements in Steam Traps and pertains to that class
which may be used either solely for returning water arising from condensed steam
in heating coils and steam radiators or for such purpose, and also for introducing a
new supply of water from any exterior source, located above the boiler.
:
The construction of this invention is explained by reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which,
Figure 1 represents a vertical section of the water receptacle of the trap and of
such parts of the connecting pipe as disclose the operative mechanism therein.
Figure 2 represents a horizontal' section of the water receptacle and
Figure 3 a top view. Like parts are represented by the same reference letters in
both views.
.
The water receptacle A is divided into two equal apartments B B¹ by the angular
partition C which partition is so shaped as to bring nearly equal parts of the shaft E
upon the respective sides of the partition within the respective chambers or
apartments B B' whereby both floats D D¹ are enabled to be attached to the single
shaft E within their respective chambers. The shaft E is surrounded by a stuffing
nut H which closes all communication of steam or water between the
chambers B B. The floats D D¹ are made of equal bulk and gravity so that their
buoyant effect will be equal but the gravity of the material of which they are made
is not material, providing the bulk and gravity of each be the same. As is well
known it is most common to make floats hollow or construct them of light buoyant
material, it is obvious however that by the manner shown of attaching both floats
to a single pivoted shaft they can be made if desired; of solid metal or any
material wholly or partially solid without regard to their weight, as it is obvious
by thus counterbalancing one float with the other, they in effect weigh nothing

page_text: the gravity of one counteracts the gravity of the other, and the buoyant effect of
either float will be equal to the weight of water displaced by it. The floats D D¹
are supported slightly above their pivotal shaft, so that when they are moved in
either direction toward the right or left past their common centre of gravity they
will drop quickly in such direction whereby a quick positive movement is attained 5
for opening and closing the valves of the trap, which positive movement could not
be attained were the floats to rise and fall only with the rise and fall of water.
When using the trap for returning water from. the heating coils or radiators, it
becomes necessary to operate the steam valves II' only by the mechanical action of
the floats. The water valves J J and their connecting rods A¹ and levers b' as well
as the water pipes S and a a leading to them, may be dispensed with. Motion is
communicated to the steam valves I I¹ from the supporting arms h h of the
respective floats through the valve rods K K. The rods K K are suspended from
the valves II'so far above the arms of the float h h that said arms are not brought
in contact therewith until said floats are thrown past their centre of gravity
whereby it is obvious that the steam valves remain closed and undisturbed by the
action of the rising floats until the floats in dropping past their centre of gravity
have acquired a certain momentum.
Water from
It is obvious that as the valves I I' are located upon opposite sides of the pivotal
shaft one valve will be closed as the other is opened and vice versa.
the steam coils or radiators is conducted to a point below the check valves L L¹ by
the single pipe M and from thence to the trap through the two branch pipes N N¹.
The escaping water is conducted from the trap to the check valves 0 0 through
the branch pipes P P and from thence to the boiler through the single pipe R.
"The operation of the trap when returning water, from the steam heaters is as
follows: One of the apartments B¹ being empty, the float therein descends and
permits the steam valve of such apartment to close, as shown upon the right in
Figure 1, thus excluding the steam pressure in such apartment whereupon the
pressure of steam upon the condensed water which has accumulated in the drip
chamber of the coils, causes the water to ascend the pipes M and N and enters said
apartment of the trap. Simultaneously with the influx of water to the chamber B¹
steam is admitted upon the surface of the water in chamber B through the open
steam valve I, thus establishing an equilibrium of pressure in said apartment which
causes the water to flow of its own gravity from said apartment to the boiler
through the branch pipes P and single pipe R. It is now obvious that as the water
recedes from one apartment B and rises in the other apartment, the position of the
floats will be reversed, whereby the steam valve I will be opened and the steam
valve I closed, upon which event the apartment B¹ will be emptied of its contents
while the apartment B will be filled. It is obvious that as the steam pressure is
reversed from one apartment to the other, the respective inlet check valves L L to
such apartment will be closed, thus excluding water therefrom and the respective
outlet check valves OO will be opened, thus permitting the escape of water.
Also that as the steam pressure is excluded from either of the chambers B B¹ the
inlet water valves L L to such apartment will be opened by the influx of water and
the outlet check valves O will be closed by the pressure of steam or water against
them from the boiler. Thus the water is reversed from one apartment to the
other, one apartment being filled as the other is emptied, whereby a continuous
unbroken stream of water may be drawn from the pipes and discharged into the
boiler. In starting the trap, the air in the respective chambers is permitted to
escape as the water enters through the valve X which is of ordinary construction
To provide for introducing an additional supply of water from time to time as may
be required to supply the boiler, the same is readily admitted from any source
above the trap or from a city supply regardless of pressure through the pipe S by
opening the valve T. The valve T being open the water passes through the branch
pipes a a to the valve chambers b b above the respective valves JJ, and as said
valves are alternately raised by the action of the respective floats water is admitted
alternately to one apartment and then to the other as the steam is excluded

page_text: therefrom. The water may be thus admitted either alone or in conjunction with
the returning water from the heating coils as desired, and when thus admitted it is
caused to flow to the boiler by the admission of the steam as described, in like
manner as the condensed water from the heating coils.
If desirous to admit water other than that from the heating coils only, the
valve V is closed and the valve T is opened, but for the ordinary purposes of the
trap, the valve V is opened, and the and the valve T is closed.
The inlet water valves J J are alternately opened by the action of the respective
floats D D¹ as they descend with the escape of water, motion being communicated
from the short arms k¹¹ to said valve through the rods A¹ A' levers b¹ b¹ and
valve rods E¹ E. The levers 61 61 are supported by lugs a¹ a¹ to which they are
centrally pivoted as shown.
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
1st. The combination of two separate chambers, a single pivotal shaft extending
into and partially across each of said chambers, two floats one in each of said
chambers, secured to and adapted to counterbalance each other upon said pivotal
shaft, within the respective chambers, each of said floats being connected with and
adapted to control the action of the valves communicating with the respective .
chambers, substantially as set forth.
2nd. The combination in a steam trap of two separate chambers, a single pivotal
shaft extending into and partially across each of said chambers, two floats one in
each of said chambers, secured to and adapted to counterbalance each other upon
said pivotal shaft within the respective chambers; two inlet steam valves and ducts
and two inlet and outlet water ducts, and mechanism for communicating motion
from the respective floats to said inlet steam valves, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
3rd. In a steam trap the combination of two separate chambers B B¹, partition C,
pivotal shaft E extending through said partition, floats D D¹ arms K' K³ rods A¹ A¹
levers b' b valve rods E E valves J J and water ducts a a communicating from
the supply to the respective chambers, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
4th. In a steam trap, the combination with the two separate chambers B B' of
the two branch water pipes N N¹ each provided with outward closing check valves,
single pipe M, communicating between said branch pipes and the heating coils,
outlet branch pipes PP, each provided with inward closing check valves, single
pipe R communicating from said branch pipes P P to the boiler and steam pipes
communicating between the respective chambers and the boiler, substantially as
set forth.
5th. The combination within the receptacle A of the partition C, pivotal shaft E
extending through said partition into the respective chambers B B¹ stuffing nut H
closing communication between said apartments around said shaft arms h h,
floats D D¹ located above said pivotal shaft, valve rods K K suspended by pivotal
attachments from the steam valves II' above said arms h substantially as and for
the purpose specified.