Improvements in Apparatus for Cooling Waste Water, or Condensing Steam from Steam Boilers, Engines, Pumps, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 7th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 9th July, 1898
Improvements in Apparatus for Cooling Waste Water, or Condensing
Steam from Steam Boilers, Engines, Pumps, and the like.
We, JOHN ENGELBERT BECKMAN, of 431, East Utica Street, Engineer, and
JOIN FREDERICK BERRICK, of 1312, Main Street, Contractor, both of the City of
Buffalo, in the State of New York, United States of America, do hereby declare.
the nature of this invention to be as follows;-
-
This invention has for its object to provide means for cooling the waste water.
of steam plant before it is discharged into the sewer or drain, so that the waste
water enters the sewer or drain cool, and at the same time to save the water which
is employed for cooling the waste water. As now commonly practised the hot
water is mixed with cold water before it is discharged into the sewer, whereby
the waste water is cooled and the harmful results of discharging hot water into
the sewer are avoided but the cold water which is used for cooling is wasted in
this method, and as large quantities of cold water are required for this purpose
the cost of the wasted cold water is considerable. According to my invention the
cold water which is used for cooling the hot waste water and which absorbs the
heat from the waste water is used for feeding the boiler so that the heat which
has been extracted from the waste water is returned to the steam plant.
In carrying our invention into practice a receiving or expansion tank collects
the hot waste water from the various pipes which receive the hot water from the
blow-off cocks of the steam boiler, the drips of the steam engine and steam pumps
and other apparatus in the steam plant, which may be that of an office building
store or factory. This tank may also receive the exhaust steam through by a.
separate pipe.
A surface condenser is provided which surmounts the expansion tank and
receives the steam or vapor therefrom through pipes. These pipes open into the
space surrounding the cooling pipes of the condenser and the upper portion of
this space communicates with a vent pipe which opens into the atmosphere,
preferably through the roof of the building in which the plant is situated. The
cooling pipes communicate at their lower ends with the lower water chamber of
the condenser and at their upper ends with the upper water chamber.
The hot water discharge pipe through which the hot water escapes from the
expansion tank connects with the upper end of a cooling coil. The latter is
arranged in a closed cooling tank and its tail pipe extends through the lower
portion of this tank and leads to a sewer or drain. A trap and a fresh air inlet
are arranged in the tail pipe between the coil and the drain. The tank is pro-
vided with a blow off pipe opening into the tail pipe. An air inlet valve is
preferably arranged in the hot water discharge pipe leading to the coil to admit
air to the coil in case a partial vacuum should be formed in the same. The said
hot water pipe is preferably provided with a branch pipe through which the water

page_text: can be discharged from the receiving tank into the drain without passing through
the cooling coil for instance in cleaning the receiving tank.
A cold water pipe leads to the lower portion of the cooling tank and through
which the water which is used for cooling the hot water is supplied to the tank.
'The upper portion of this tank is connected with the lower water chamber of the
ondenser by a pipe the upper water chamber being provided at its upper end
with an escape pipe through which the hot water escapes.
The hot water parts with its steam or vapour in the expansion tank and the
steam or vapour escapes upwardly through the condenser and is condensed in the
same, the condensed water flowing back into the expansion tank. The hot waste
water flows from the expansion tank through the cooling coil and is cooled
in the same by the surrounding cold water and discharged cool through the tail
pipe into the drain. The incoming cold water becomes heated in the water cooling
tank and flows upwardly through the latter and through the connecting pipe
into the lower portion of the condenser. The water becomes still further heated
in the latter in condensing the vapour or steam and escapes more or less heated
from the upper end of this tank through the outlet pipe. This heated water may
now be supplied to the steam boiler after passing it through a feed water heater
of any suitable construction or by pumping it directly into the boiler, or it may
be otherwise utilized, as may be preferred.
By this means the heat which is contained in the hot waste water and exhaust
steam is extracted before the water is discharged into the sewer and the water is
delivered cool while the water which receives such heat is utilized thereby
avoiding the wasting of the water which has been used for cooling the hot waste
water.
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Improvements in Apparatus for Cooling Waste Water, or Condensing
Steam from Steam Boilers, Engines, Pumps, and the like.
We, JOHN ENGELBERT BECKMAN, of 431, East Utica Street, Engineer, and
JOHN FREDERICK BERRICK, of 1312, Main Street, Contractor, both of the City of
Buffalo, in the State of New York, United States of America, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
de particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:--
This invention has the object to provide means for cooling the waste water
of steam plant before it is discharged into the sewer or drain, so that the waste
water enters the sewer or drain cool, and at the same time to save the water which
is employed for cooling the waste water. As now commonly practised the hot
waste water is mixed with cold water before it is discharged into the sewer, whereby
the waste water is cooled and the harmful results of discharging hot water into
the sewer are avoided but the cold water which is used for cooling is wasted in
this method, and as large quantities of cold water are required for this purpose
the cost of the cold water is considerable.
According to my invention the cold water which is used for cooling the hot
waste water and which absorbs the heat from the waste water is used for feeding
the boiler so that the heat which has been extracted from the waste water is
returned to the steam plant.

page_text: The accompanying drawing represents a sectional elevation of an apparatus
used for carrying my invention into practice.
A represents the receiving or expansion tank which collects the hot waste water
from the various pipes a which receive the hot water from the blow-off cocks of
the steam boiler, the drips of the steam engine and steam pumps and other
apparatus in the steam plant which may be that of an office, building, store, or
factory. This tank may also receive exhaust steam through a pipe b.
C represents a surface condenser which surmounts the expansive tank and
receives the steam or vapor therefrom through pipes c. These pipes open into the
space surrounding the cooling pipes d of the condenser and the upper portion
of this space communicates with a vent pipe d¹ which opens into the atmosphere,
preferably through the roof of the building in which the plant is situated. The
pipes d communicate at their lower ends with the lower chamber D of the con-
denser and at their upper ends with the upper water chamber D¹.
E represents the hot water discharge pipe through which the hot water escapes
from the expansion tank and which connects with the upper end of a cooling
coil F. The latter is arranged in a closed cooling tank G and its tail pipe f
extends through the lower portion of this tank and leads to a sewer or drain H.
A trap and a fresh air inlet i are arranged in the tail pipe between the coil and
the drain. The tank G is provided with a blow off pipe opening into the tail
pipe f. An air inlet valve is preferably arranged in the hot water pipe E
leading to the coil F to admit air to the coil in case a partial vacuum should be
formed in the same. The hot water pipe E is preferably provided with a branch
pipe e through which the water can be discharged from the receiving tank A
into the drain without passing through the cooling coil for instance in cleaning
the receiving tank.
Krepresents the cold water pipe which leads to the lower portion of the cooling
tank G and through which the water which is used for cooling the hot water is
supplied to the tank. The upper portion of this tank is connected with the
lower water chamber D) of the condenser by a pipe and the upper water
chamber D has at its upper end an escape pipe m through which the hot water
escapes therefrom.
The hot water parts with its steam or vapor in the expansion tank and the
steam or vapor escapes upwardly through the condenser C and is condensed in
the same, the condensed water flowing back into the expansion tank through the
pipes c. The hot waste water flows from the expansion tank through the cooling
coil and is cooled in the same by the surrounding cold water and discharged
cool through the tail pipe into the drain. The incoming cold water becomes
heated in the water cooling tank G and flows upwardly through the latter and
through the pipe into the lower portion of the condenser C. The water becomes
still further heated in the latter in condensing the vapor or steam and escapes
more or less heated from the upper end of this tank through the pipe m.
heated water may now be supplied to the steam boiler after passing it through a
feed water heater of any suitable construction or by pumping it directly into the
boiler, or it may be otherwise utilized, as may be preferred.
This
By this means the heat which is contained in the hot waste water and exhaust
steam is extracted before the water is discharged into the sewer and the water is
delivered cool while the water which receives such heat is utilized thereby
avoiding the wasting of the water which has been used for cooling the hot waste
water.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The combination with a receiving tank which collects the hot waste water
and which is provided with an outlet nine for the escape of such water of a

page_text: surface cooler which is arranged below said outlet pipe and which has its upper
end connected therewith to receive the hot waste water from said tank, and which
is provided with a cold water supply by which the cooling water is admitted to
the cooler near the lower or discharge end thereof and with an escape for the
heated cooling water at the opposite end, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a receiving tank which collects the hot waste water
and which is provided with an outlet pipe for the escape of such water and above
said pipe with an ascending vapor escape pipe, of a surface condenser which is
arranged above said tank and connected at its lower end with said vapor escape
pipe, and a surface cooler which is arranged below the water outlet of said tank
and which has its upper end connected therewith to receive the hot water there-
from, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with a receiving tank which collects the hot waste water
and which is provided with an outlet pipe for the escape of such water and above
said pipe with an ascending vapor escape pipe, of a surface condenser which is
arranged above said tank and connected at its lower end with said vapor escape
pipe, a surface cooler which is arranged below the water outlet of said tank and
which has its upper end connected therewith to receive the hot water therefrom,
a supply pipe for admitting the cooling water to the lower end of said cooler,
and a connecting pipe whereby the partially heated cooling water is conducted
from the upper end of said cooler to said surface condenser, substantially as set
forth.
Dated this 7th day of Anvil 1800
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.