Improvements in Apparatus for Effecting the Separation of Solid Matter from Fluids, Applicable also for Separating Water or Liquids from Steam or other Vapours or Gases.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 10th Sept.. 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 19th Oct., 1888
Improvements in Apparatus for Effecting the Separation of Solid
Matter from Fluids, Applicable also for Separating Water or
Liquids from Steam or other Vapours or Gases.
We ISAAC SHIMWELL MCDOUGALL of Irk Vale Chadderton in the County of
Lancaster Manufacturing Chemist and THOMAS SUGDEN of Greengate Street Oldham,
in the County of Lancaster Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of
this Invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to provide a simple and efficient apparatus or
device for separating solid matters from fluids applicable also for separating water or
liquids from steam or other vapours or gases. It is applicable for example to the
separation from steam of dirt or foreign matter which otherwise would enter the
working parts and injure them or impede the working of the engine in which
the steam is used and it may be arranged so as also to cause the water carried over
with the steam to be deposited or it is applicable for the separation of solid matter
from liquids.
The apparatus or device consists of a well or wells and a separator or filter preferably
arranged in a vertical or inclined position in the wall or walls of a casing through
which the fluid passes (for example on its way through a steam pipe from a boiler to
a cylinder). The lower part of this chamber constitutes or has formed thereat the
well or wells to receive the dirt or solid matter and the water if so desired.
We will describe arrangements according to this Invention premising that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise details which we hereinafter mention. Taking first
the apparatus as designed with the object of separating solid matter from a fluid. We
provide a chamber into the upper part of which the Huid enters and from which it
passes by an opening in its side at such a distance from the bottom of the chamber
as to constitute the lower part of the chamber a well for the reception of the solid
matter. The outlet opening in the side is covered by a grid over which is placed a
filtering or separating medium such for example as felt or wire gauze or both in one
or more layers of either or each and these are most conveniently affixed by means of

page_text: a ring and screws passing through all and into tapped holes in the side of the chamber
around the outlet. Thus the fluid which enters the chamber has to pass through the
filtering medium or separator and the solid matter is intercepted by the same and
caused to deposit in the well and can be removed through an opening in the side of
the chamber closed tightly by a cover this opening and cover being preferably opposite
the outlet so as to give convenient access to the filtering medium or gauze when
necessary. Or the deposit may be removed by a blow off cock. When the apparatus
is constructed to intercept solid matter and water which would otherwise pass along
with steam into the cylinder or other place we prefer to make the apparatus of a
circular casing divided into two chambers by a partition with an opening therein at
a sufficient distance above the bottom of the chamber to constitute a well in each
chamber. The said opening is provided with a filter or separator as hereinbefore
described. The inlet for steam opens into the first chamber at some distance above
the bottom thereof and the outlet opens from the upper part of the second chamber
there being preferably a baffle extending at the side of each chamber opposite the
inlet. The steam enters the first chamber and solid matter is intercepted and deposited
together with water in the well of the first chamber and the steam passes through the
filter or separator into the second chamber where any remaining water is deposited
and the steam thus dried then passes over to the outlet pipe. The wells may have
doors in the side or may terminate in outlets leading to receptacles and steam traps
or equivalent arrangements may be used with these to allow of the passage of the
water or matter deposited but not of steam. There may be a scraper or brush
arranged so that it can be moved over the filter or separator by hand or by mechanical
means. The filter or separator may if desired be arranged as a drum or cylinder
instead of a disc as described and in this case the outlet for fluid will communicate
with the interior of the drum or cylinder and the inlet with the chamber
in which the drum or cylinder is placed so that the fluid passes into the chamber and
thence through the drum or cylinder which intercepts solid matter which is deposited
in the well forming the lower part of the chamber from which it can be removed as
required as herein before described. In order to keep the filter or separator clean it
may be rotated against the cleaner or brush which may also be rotated or may be
stationary or the drum or cylinder may be stationary and the cleaner or brush be caused
to revolve around it. The inlet may be inside the cylinder and the outlet be from
the outside when the cleaning device would be inside the cylinder. There may be
several filters or separators arranged in one apparatus or in several apparatus in con-
nection with each other so that the fluid passes through them in succession and in this
case the filter or separator through which the fluid first passes should be the coarsest
and that through which it last passes should be the finest."
The apparatus may if desired have blow off valves for removing the deposited
matter.
Dated this 10th day of December 1887

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Effecting the Separation of Solid
Matter from Fluids, Applicable also for Separating Water or
Liquids from Steam or other Vapours or Gases.
We ISAAC SHIMWELL MCDOUGALL of Irk Vale Chadderton in the County of
Lancaster Manufacturing Chemist and THOMAS SUGDEN of Greengate Street Oldham
in the County of Lancaster Mechanical 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 has for its object to provide a simple and efficient apparatus or
device for separating solid matters from fluids applicable also for separating water
or liquids from steam or other vapours or gases. It is applicable, for example, to
the separation from steam, of dirt or foreign matter, which otherwise would enter
the working parts and injure them or impede the working of the engine in which the
steam is used, and it may be arranged so as also to cause the water carried over
with the steam to be deposited.
The apparatus or device consists of a well or wells, or a depositing place or places,
and a separator or filter preferably arranged in a vertical or inclined position in the
wall or walls of a casing through which the fluid passes, (for example on its way
through a steam pipe from a boiler to a cylinder). The lower part of this casing
constitutes or has formed thereat the well or wells or place or places to receive the
dirt or solid matter or liquid or both.
And in order that our Invention may be clearly understood we will now describe,
with reference to the accompanying drawings, arrangements according to this
Invention, premising that we do not limit ourselves to the precise details which we
describe and illustrate.
Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical section and Figure 2 a front elevation of an
apparatus constructed according to our Invention for separating solid matter from
fluids. We provide a chamber A into the upper part of which the fluid enters by
the passage
and from which it passes by an opening C in its side and escapes by the
outlet passage D), the lower part a of this chamber below the opening (constituting a
well for the reception of the solid matter separated from the fluid. The opening () is
covered by a grid or perforated support E over which is placed a filtering or
separating medium F, such for example as felt or wire gauze or both in one or more
layers of either or each and these are most conveniently affixed by means of a ring G
and screws passing through all and into tapped holes in the side of the chamber
around the outlet. The fluid which enters the chamber has to pass round an angle in
its passage to the filtering medium or separator whereby its force is baffled so as to
prevent the said medium being injured or the solid matter from being forced

page_text: thereinto. The solid matter intercepted by the medium deposits in the well a and
can be removed through an opening I in the side of the chamber normally closed
tightly by a cover K this opening and cover being preferably opposite the opening C
so as to give convenient access to the filtering medium when necessary or the deposit
may be removed by a blow off cock in a pipe L connected to the lower part of the
chamber A and so arranged that whether the apparatus has the inlet and outlet
passages in a vertical position or in a horizontal position tho discharge passage at L
will be at the lowest part of the chamber. When the apparatus is constructed to
intercept solid matter and water which would otherwise pass along with the steam or
other vapour into the cylinder or other place, we prefer to make the apparatus of a
casing divided into two chambers by a partition as shown by Figures 3 and 4 of the
drawings Figure 3 being a vertical section on the line 1-2 Figure 4 and Figure 4 a
horizontal section on the line 3-4 Figure 3. We will explain it as applied to
steam but it may of course be used for separating solids and liquids from other vapours
or gases.
The partition M which divides the chamber A into two compartments a¹ a² has an
opening C therein which is provided with wire gauze perforated porcelain or other
suitable filtering medium or separator F as described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
The inlet B for steam opens into the first compartment a¹ at some distance above the
bottom thereof and the outlet D opens from the upper part of the second compartment a²
there being preferably a baffle as at b extending across the compartment a² in front of
the outlet D. Steam enters the first compartment a' by the inlet B and passes
thence through the separator F into the compartment a any solid matter entering the
compartment a with the steam being intercepted by the separator F and deposits in
the first compartment. The steam thus freed from solid matter passes through the
filter or separator F into the second compartment a water which may have been
present with the steam being separated and deposited in the said second compartment.
The steam thus dried then passes over the baffle to the outlet pipe D. One or both
of the compartments at a may have an opening I in the side provided with a close
fitting door for gaining access thereto for cleaning or repairs. The compartments a¹ a²
terminate in outlets as shown at L leading to receptacles; and a steam trap or
equivalent arrangement may he used with the outlet from the compartment a² to allow
of the passage of the water but not of steam. There may be a scraper or brush
arranged so that it can be moved over the filter or separator by hand or by
mechanical means for the purpose of keeping the separator clean or a jet of steam
or water may be forced in a reversed direction through the filtering medium for this
purpose. The brush arrangement which we have illustrated consists of the brush N
connected by a rod n passing through a stuffing box and provided with means
for operating by hand or power to move the brush over the surface of the filtering
medium.
Figures 5 and 6 are respectively a longitudinal section and a transverse section
of a filter or separator in the form of a drum or cylinder instead of a disc as herein
before described.
The wire gauze or other filtering medium F in the form of a tube is placed over or
round a metal or other suitable perforated drum or cylinder E and may be held
securely thereon by means of a longitudinal rod or bar O arranged to enter a
longitudinal recess P in the cylinder so as to draw the filtering medium with it into
the said recess and thereby tighten it round the cylinder. The bar or rod O may be
drawn into the recess P by means of bolts Q passing through the ends of the rod and
through lugs R on the ends of the cylinder and secured by nuts as shown, or the
filtering medium may be secured to the cylinder in any other convenient manner.
The cylinder E is fitted at one end with a spindle S passing through a gland or
stuffing box T in the outer casing A its opposite end being provided with a socket or
collar fitted to turn on a tube or hollow trunnion D attached to and entering the
opposite end of the casing A which tube constitutes the outlet for the fluid. Beneath
the cylinder E is a brush or scraper N which may be caused to rotate in contact with
the filtering medium F for the purpose of. keeping it from clogging, or the said

page_text: scraper may be stationary and the filtering medium may be caused to rotate in
contact therewith if desired. The cylinder may be caused to rotate slowly in the
casing A by any suitable means; in the drawing we have shown it as being driven
by means of gearing, the spindle S being provided with fast and loose pulleys for
receiving motion from any suitable prime mover and a spur wheel V being keyed
on the said spindle gearing with a corresponding wheel W fast on the axle of the
brush or scraper N.
The fluid to be filtered enters the chamber A at the inlet passage B and passes
thence through the filtering medium F and through the perforations in the drum
or cylinder E into the interior of the said cylinder and out therefrom through the
hollow trunnion or outlet D.
The
The solid matter contained in the fluid when it enters the chamber A is intercepted
by the filtering medium and deposited in the well a forming the lower part of the
chamber A from which it can be removed as required as herein before described.
In order to keep the filter or separator clean it may be rotated against the cleaner
or brush which may also be rotated as hereinbefore described or the drum or cylinder
may be stationary and the scraper or brush be caused to revolve around it.
inlet and outlet passages for the fluid may be reversed that is the fluid may be
admitted by the hollow trunnion D to the interior of the cylinder and after passing
through the perforations therein and through the filtering medium to the outside it
passes out of the casing A through the passage B in which case the filtering media
and the cleaning device would be inside the cylinder. There may be several
filters or separators arranged in one apparatus or several apparatus may be connected
with each other so that the fluid passes through them in succession and in this case the
filter or separator through which the fluid first passes should be the coarsest and that
through which it last passes should be the finest.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what wo
claim is:
:-
First. In apparatus for separating solid matter from fluids a casing provided
with a separating or filtering medium arranged at an angle to the direction of the
flow of the fluid in combination with a well or depositing place for the reception
of the solid matter intercepted by the filtering or separating medium substantially
as herein before described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
Second. In apparatus for separating solid matter and liquids from steam or other
vapours or gases, a double chambered vessel having an opening in the partition
which separates the two chambers the said opening being covered with a filtering
or separating medium through which the steam or other vapour is caused to pass
from one chamber to the other and by which the solid matter is intercepted and caused
to deposit in the bottom of the first chamber whilst any liquid passing with the
steam or vapour through the filtering medium will deposit in the second chamber
substantially as herein before described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
Third. In apparatus for separating solid matter from fluids a filtering or separating
medium in the form of a hollow drum or cylinder placed in a chamber into which the
fluid is admitted and caused to pass through the filtering medium to the outlet, whereby
the solid matter is separated from the fluid substantially as herein before described with
reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. The combination with either of the arrangement of apparatus hereinbefore
described and claimed of a brush or scraper or means for forcing through steam or
water for preventing the clogging of the separating or filtering medium substantially
as herein before described.
Fifth. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts constituting
an apparatus for separating solid matter from fluids substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Sixth. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts constituting
an apparatus for separating solid matter and liquids from steam or other vapours or
gases substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
Seventh. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts
constituting apparatus for separating solid matter from fluids substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying
drawings.