Continuous Apparatus for the Sterilization of Water or other Liquid by Ebullition.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 6th Oct. 1894
An Improved. Continuous Apparatus for the Sterilization of Water
or other Liquid by Ebullition.
I, ERNEST HERSCHER of La Société Geneste Herscher & Cie of 42 Rue du
Chemin Vert, Paris in the Republic of France, 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 :-
The apparatus which forms the object of this invention has for its object to
produce a continuous flow of water or other liquid, which, during a given time, has
been subjected to the temperature of ebullition, and afterwards completely cooled,
with this guarantee, that, when the temperature of boiling point. has not been reached,
no discharge or flow can be produced.
A boiler B.
I. The reservoir A (which is maintained at a constant level) shown on the
accompanying drawing, is a reservoir with a ball cock Z, but it may be replaced
by any other suitable arrangement which ensures the water standing at a constant
level.
II. The cooling vessel C is formed of two vessels placed one within the other.
The cold water which has not been sterilised, flowing from the constant level
reservoir A, penetrates into the lower part at d and circulates from below upwards
in the annular space comprised between the internal and external vessels. In this
passage, the liquid encounters an opening 9, into which part of it passes in order to
escape by the pipe 9 r. This unutilised portion serves to increase the cooling
action. The other portion continuing its ascending course, reaches the summit,
and falls back by the opening e and the pipe ƒ and g into the boiler. During this
course, the impure water is warmed, whilst cooling the water already boiled
which circulates from the top downwards in the internal vessel. This latter
water reaches the centre vessel by the pipe m, descends to the bottom, and
is discharged in a cooled condition through the opening p of the pipe np.
The internal reservoir may be of any suitable form, such as a coil, a cylinder,
a star-shaped or corrugated cylinder (as shown on the drawing in Figure 2) or
the like.
III. The boiler B, which may be of any suitable form, cylindrical, rectangular
or the like, has a prolongation X X₁ at the centre of its lower part. The
heating takes place round this prolongation by means of an annular gas jet or
series of jets y y', or by a furnace of any suitable kind. A pipe tu passes through
all the lower part of this boiler. This pipe is closed at the bottom, and provided
with a neck or socket b serving as a seat for a valve, and a neck or socket c.
The tube tu is overhung by a bell S S¹ formed in one piece with a bar s b¹,
the end 6' of which forms a valve resting on the tubular socket b which is thus
closed.
When boiling takes place, the steam produced accumulates in the bell S S¹ as
far as its lower edge 1-2. The bell is then buoyed up, it rises and uncovers

page_text: the socket b. The water of the reservoir A, which flows in by this opening b,.
enters the pipe tu, without, however, being able to rise beyond the level of 1-2 (if
it be supposed that the level 3-4 in the boiler is at the same height as the
level 5-6 in the cooling vessel C). It may happen that the level 3-4 may be a
little lower than 5--6; then the level of the water in the pipe t u will exceed 1-2
by as much as 5-6 exceeds 3-4. In any case, the water which enters the pipe tu
by the socket cannot directly penetrate into the boiler. It escapes by the
opening c and flows at d into the cooling vessel C. As has already been stated, a
part of this water runs away by the pipe 9r (without being utilised) the end r being
lower than the level 7-8 in the feed reservoir. The other portion rises up to
the level 5--6 and flows away by the opening e and the pipe f g into the
boiler at g.
The bell S S have a very small opening h, serving to allow of the escape of the
air when the apparatus is first filled with fresh water.
The feeding of the boiler thus takes place by the opening g. The water rising
above the furnace commences to boil, the steam produced escapes round the
bell SS in order to be caught under a second bell T T' with a raised dome
enclosing a reversed bell V V₁, and having in its centre two pipes j k and m l. The
surface of the water under this bell maintains itself at the level 9-10 of the lower
end of the pipe ml. The steam caught under the bell T T' passes into the
reversed bell VV' and escapes by the opening into the pipe 1m. As regards
the water entering at g, it passes through the opening i of the bell T T', rises
almost up to the upper level 3-4, descends by the pipe jk into the bottom of the
reversed bell, and escapes with the steam into the pipe I m.
The various parts of the boiler have, therefore, the following functions :-
The pipe Im with the bell TT' serves to withdraw the water by means of
the steam, and convey it into the cooling vessel. If the water does not reach
boiling point, it is impossible for it to pass through this pipe lm, which rises higher
than the level 7-8 in the feed tank. This is the essential guarantee of the
apparatus.
and
The pipe jk together with the reversed bell V V₁ and the opening i serve for
conveying the water to the top of the boiler before it escapes by the pipe 1 m,
thus ensure for it a prolonged continuance at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade,
which is important for the perfection of the sterilisation.
Finally, the bell S S¹ with the rod s b¹ and the valve bb, have for their object
(when the boiling is arrested) to intercept the circulation of the cold water,
and consequently to stop the escape of the supplementary cooling water by the
opening r.
Under these conditions, the apparatus works, or ceases to work, automatically
according as to whether the furnace is lighted or not, without it being necessary
to manipulate any other tap than that which may be necessary for producing the
lighting or the extinction of the furnace (the tap for the gas furnace in case it is
heated by gas).
In order to simplify the apparatus, the_bell SS', together with the rod s bl
and the valve, may be suppressed. The prolongation XX' of the boiler
may then also be dispensed with. The socket a of the feed reservoir is then
directly connected with the socket d of the cooling vessel. The opening r must
further be provided with a tap, which must be closed when the apparatus is not
at work.
The pipe qr may be dispensed with in cases where a considerable cooling is
not required, for instance, for the preparation of water intended for surgical purposes.
This simplification naturally carries with it the preceding one.
For apparatus of large dimensions, it may be necessary to arrange several cooling
vessels, one behind the other.
Finally, the apparatus may be completed by the addition of one or more filters,
and of a reservoir for the purpose of storing the sterilised water or other liquid as
produced.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An apparatus for the automatic and continuous production of cold water
sterilised by ebullition, consisting in the combination of a reservoir (A), a boiler (B)
and a cooling vessel (C), substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
2. In an apparatus of the kind described for sterilising water or other liquids by
boiling, the arrangement, in a boiler (B), of a bell (T T') provided with a
passage (i) in combination with a reversed bell (V V!) and two pipes (jk and I m),
such arrangement having for its object to withdraw water mixed with steam
in order to convey it to a cooling vessel, after this water has remained in the
boiler at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade during a sufficient space of time,
substantially as herein before described and with the object set forth.
3. In an apparatus of the kind described for sterilising water or other liquids by
boiling, the combination, with two bells (T T¹, V V¹) and two pipes (j k l m), of a
bell (S S¹) having a rod (s 6¹) forming a valve, a pipe (ut) for supplying water, and
pipes (ab, cd) conveying the water to the cooling vessel, such arrangement having
for its object to interrupt the circulation of cold water when the boiling is stopped,
substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 4th dore of Santember 18OA
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.