IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER AND DELIVERING WATER TO STEAM BOILERS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Josiah Lane at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th January
1867.
I, JOSIAH LANE, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER AND DELIVERING WATER TO STEAM BOILERS,
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in
apparatus for heating water by means of the waste steam of steam engines,
and for delivering water to steam boilers, whereby the attendant can deliver at
pleasure from the said apparatus to the feed pump of the boiler water of the
ordinary temperature, or water boiling hot, or water of an intermediate
temperature.
I construct the said apparatus in the following manner :-The water to be
supplied to the boiler is drawn or pumped from a cistern or reservoir, into
which the water is introduced at a point near its bottom. The waste steam
from the steam engine is introduced through a pipe into the reservoir at top
and plays down upon the surface of the water. An opening in the top of the
reservoir permits the escape of any uncondensed steam. The water is thereby

page_text: heated at its surface. By the motion of the water the heat is transmitted
downwards, but the temperature of the water rapidly diminishes from the
surface downwards, and is not materially higher at the lower part of the
reservoir than that which the water has on being introduced into the reservoir.
In or near the axis of the reservoir is a vertical pipe passing out near the
bottom of the reservoir at its side, this vertical pipe is perforated with a
series of oblong holes arranged spirally. The vertical pipe is covered by
another pipe working closely upon it and closed at top; this outer pipe is also
provided with a series of oblong holes arranged spirally; the spiral on which
the holes are arranged in the outer pipe is different from that on which the
holes are arranged in the inner pipe. The said holes in the inner and outer
pipes respectively being so arranged that any one of the holes in the outer pipe
can at pleasure be brought to coincide with the hole in the inner pipe at the
same vertical height. For example, in one position of the outer pipe the top
hole therein coincides with the top bole in the inner pipe, and water can pass
from the reservoir through the said top boles down the inner pipe to the feed
pump of the boiler, the water in this case being drawn from near the surface
is very hot. By turning the outer pipe through a small angle the second
hole in the outer pipe may be made to coincide with the second hole in the
inner pipe, the top hole being closed, and thus by turning the outer pipe
through various angles any one of its holes from the highest to the lowest may
be made to coincide with a hole of corresponding height in the inner pipe.
Water may thus be drawn from various levels in the reservoir of a temperature
higher or lower according to the position of the outer pipe upon the inner one.
A rod or axis passing from the top of the outer pipe through the top of the
reservoir carries a handle by which it is turned, and an index finger on the
said rod traverses a dial plate on the top of the reservoir by which the position
of the outer pipe may be determined.
In addition to heating and delivering the feed water of steam boilers my
Invention may also be applied to various other purposes, such, for example, as
the heating of water for baths, and delivering water of different temperatures
to baths.