IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WATER INTO STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1885

page_text: We, THOMAS MCCULLOCH, and DAVID M°CULLOCH, both of Vulcan Foundry,
Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, and THOMAS WHITE, of 5 Thomson Street, Govan, Lanark-
shire, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention for " IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WATER INTO STEAM BOILERS
"
and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :---
The object of our Invention is to provide apparatus of improved construction
to feed and maintain an adequate supply of water in steam boilers.
The improved apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which.
Figures 1, and 2, are sectional elevations at right angles to each other, of a modifi-
cation as operated from an engine in proximity to the boiler.
The improved apparatus comprises a water vessel or chamber A which is
alternately filled with water and discharged by the pressure of the boiler steam on
the operation by the engine or motor of a slide valve B which covers or uncovers
water and steam ports in the lower part of a casing C. The valve casing C is in
communication with the boiler by means of a pipe D, whose orifice should be at
about the line of the water level to be, maintained in the boiler. When the
water level falls slightly below the end of the pipe D steam enters through it to
the valve casing C in which the valve B is slowly reciprocated by means of the
rod C connected to the engine. As the valve reciprocates it places in com-
munication two ports e, and f, whereby the feed water which enters by a pipe E
from a tank or other source of supply at a higher level, passes through the
port e through the valve and through the port f to a pipe F communicating with
the chamber A which is partly or entirely filled with the inflowing water. The
continued motion of the valve B closes the communication between the ports e, f,
and opens communication between the ports fg. At the same time the valve B
uncovers a port h in the casing communicating by a tube I with the interior of
the chamber A, so that the boiler steam in the valve casing C is admitted to act
on the surface of the water in the chamber A and forces it out through the pipe F
and ports f, g, to a pipe G communicating with the boiler into which the feed
water is discharged. The extent of feed depends upon the rate of reciprocation of
the valve B which may be connected either direct or through gearing to any
slowly operating part of the engine, or to a special motor.

page_text: When the level of the water in the boiler reaches the orifice of the pipe D hot
water instead of steam enters the valve casing C and passes into the chamber A
which becomes filled and so remains until the water level in the boiler is lowered
to such an extent that steam may enter and force the water into the boiler through
the pipe G. While the chamber A remains filled with water no further feed from
the tank and pipe E can take place, but after one charge of water is driven out of
the chamber A and the steam from the boiler is shut off by the movement of the
valve B, the steam remaining within the chamber A is at once condensed by the
inflow of cold water from the supply tank and the operation of alternately charging
and discharging the chamber A is continued.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
First. The combination of parts constituting the improved boiler feeding
apparatus herein described and illustrated.
Second. The arrangement of the operating valve (B) alternately covering and
uncovering steam and water ports in the casing (C) to charge and discharge the
chamber (A) substantially as herein described and illustrated.
Dated this Sixteenth day of January 1885.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.