Improvements in Water Purifying and Softening Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 19th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 30th Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Purifying and Softening Apparatus.
We, GEORGE GLASS HOOPER, of 20 Bucklersbury, in the City of London,
Engineer, and FRANCIS HERBERT TYACKE, of Broad Street House, Old
Broad Street, also in the City of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in water purifying and softening
apparatus of the kind in which water is purified and softened by admixture with
lime water or other suitable re-agent or both and filtering, and it has for objects to
enable lime water to be produced in a simple continuous and economical manner,
and to enable lime water to be intimately mixed with the water to be purified in
such a way as to increase the efficiency of the apparatus and enable the same to be
constructed in a simple and comparatively inexpensive manner.
In order to produce clear, or comparatively clear lime water in a continuous
manner, there is employed a combined lime and water mixing and settling
apparatus, comprising a hopper preferably of conical form to contain cream of lime,
and a tank or vessel provided with partitions that serve to divide it into a mixing
compartiment and two or more connected settling compartments of gradually
increasing width.
Above the mixing compartment there is provided a water inlet pipe and the
aforesaid hopper which is provided with an overflow pipe and with a steam inlet
pipe, and within the last settling compartment is arranged a lime water outlet pipe
preferably perforated and provided it may be with filtering material, the arrange-
ment being such that upon admitting steam to the said receptacle, cream of lime
will be caused to flow through the overflow pipe and into the mixing compartment
wherein it will mix with the water admitted by the water supply pipe, and the
mixture of lime and water will thence flow from the mixing compartment in a
zig-zag direction through the settling compartments wherein solid lime will be
deposited, whilst clear lime water will flow off by the outlet pipe from the last
compartment. In one arrangement the overflow pipe is arranged vertically and so
as to extend through the bottom of the lime hopper. In some cases the steam pipe
may be replaced by a screw or rotary agitator to cause overflow of cream of lime.
In a modified arrangement, the lime receptacle with steam-pipe or agitator is
placed at a distance from the mixing compartment, and is provided with an
inclined pipe or trough terminating in a dished shaped receptacle arranged above
the mixing compartment which is provided with a perforated steam coil, and the
cock for supplying water to dissolve the lime, is made to terminate above the said
receptacle.
In order to effect the intimate mixture of lime water with the water to be
purified and softened, the two are caused to pass through a vertical mixing tube
provided with an internal worm or body having a screw-like zig-zag, or equivalent
surface or surfaces, and to be discharged into an inverted truncated conical or
pyramidal receptacle, or there may be more than one such receptacle, the arrange-
ment being such that the impure water and lime water will become intimately
mixed together, and will have imparted thereto a circular or gyratory motion that
will tend to effect rapid settling of solid impurities in the eaid receptacle, which is
arranged within a water tank below the said pipe, and above a mud cock,, the
treated water then passing off from the said tank through a filter.

page_text: The said worm or equivalent body may be mounted to rotate so that it can be
operated from time to time to clear the tube of deposited matter. A curved
guide of approximately conical form may be placed below the lower end of the
mixing tube to deflect the issuing water in a lateral direction.
The aforesaid improvements may be used together in one apparatus or one may be
used without the other according to circumstances.
In one arrangement in which they are used together, the combined mixing and
settling apparatus for producing the continuous stream of lime water is placed upon
the top of a tank provided internally near its upper part with a filter; and the water
mixing tube with mixing device is arranged vertically within the said tank, and
above an inverted' truncated conical false bottom, the lime water and the water to be
treated being admitted to the top of the mixing tube through suitable conduits.
The tank is provided at the top with an outlet pipe for purified and softened water,
and at the bottom with a mud cock.
:
Where a supply of steam for displacing the cream of lime, or motion for agitating
the lime and feeding it to the mixing compartment of the lime water producer, is not
available, any suitable or known construction of apparatus may be employed for
supplying lime water and impure water in suitable proportions to the mixing tube.
Dated this 19th day of May 1894.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Purifying and Softening Apparatus.
We, GEORGE GLASS HOOPER, of 20 Bucklersbury, in the City of London,
Engineer, and FRANCIS HERBERT TYACKE, of Broad Street House, Old Broad
Street, also in the City of London, Civil 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 reference to improvements in water purifying and softening
apparatus of the kind in which water is purified and softened by admixture with
lime water or other suitable reagent, or both, and filtering, and it has for objects
to enable lime water to be produced in a simple continuous and economical manner,
and to enable lime water to be intimately mixed with the water to be purified in
such a way as to increase the efficiency of the apparatus and enable the same to be
constructed in a simple and comparatively inexpensive manner.
In order to produce clear, or comparatively clear lime water in a continuous
manner, there is employed a combined lime and water mixing and settling apparatus,
comprising a hopper preferably of conical form to contain cream of lime, and a
tank or vessel provided with partitions that serve to divide it into a mixing
compartment and two or more connected settling compartments of gradually
increasing width.
Above the mixing compartment there are provided a water inlet pipe and the
aforesaid hopper, which is provided with an overflow pipe and with a steam inlot
pipe, and within the last settling compartment is arranged a lime water outlet pipe,
preferably perforated and provided it may be with filtering material, the arrange-
ment being such that upon admitting steam to the said receptacle, cream of lime
will be caused to flow through the overflow pipe and into the mixing compartment
wherein it will mix with the water admitted by the water supply pipe, and the
mixture of lime and water will thence flow from the mixing compartment in a zig-zag
direction through the settling compartments wherein solid lime will be deposited,
whilst clear lime water will flow off by the outlet pipe from the last compartment.

page_text: In order to effect the intimate mixture of lime water with the water to be
purified and softened, the two are caused to pass through a vertical mixing tube
provided with an internal worm or body having a screw-like, zig-zag, or equivalent
surface or surfaces, and to be discharged into an inverted truncated conical or
pyramidal receptacle, or there may be more than one such receptacle, the arrange-
nent being such that the impure water and lime water will become intimately
nixed together, and will have imparted thereto a circular or gyratory motion that
will tend to effect rapid settling of solid impurities in the said receptacle, which is
arranged within a water tank below the said pipe and above a mud cock, the
treated water then passing off from the said tank through a filter.
The said worm or equivalent body may be mounted to rotate so that it can be
operated from time to time to clear the tube of deposited matter.
A curved guide
of approximately conical form may be placed below the lower end of the mixing
tube to deflect the issuing water in a lateral direction.
The aforesaid improvements may be used together in one apparatus, or one may
be used without the other, according to circumstances.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is an elevation with part broken away, and Fig. 2 a plan, showing water
purifying and softening apparatus according to this invention.
1 is a conical hopper provided with a vertical overflow pipe 2 and serving to hold
cream of lime; 3 is a pipe by means of which steam can be admitted to the hopper
to agitate the said cream of lime and, by its condensation, to cause the same to
overflow into the pipe 2 which is flared at its upper end; 4 is a tank of triangular
shape in plan, provided with partitions 5 that serve to divide it into a mixing
compartment 6 hi
gcompartment 7, the whole forming combined lime and water
mixing and settling apparatus operating in the manner hereinbefore described.
This apparatus in the example now being described is supported by pillars 4*
upon the top of a tank 10 provided internally, near its upper part, with a filter 11
and with a vertical water mixing tube 12, which in this arrangement is, for
convenience, arranged to one side of the centre of the tank which is shown as of
cylindrical form. The mixing tube is suspended from the top of the tank and
is fitted with an internal screw blade 13 wound round a spindle 14 that is carried
by a cross bar at the top of the mixing tube and is provided with a hand lever 14ª
by which it can be turned, when necessary, for the purpose hereinbefore mentioned.
15 is a curved guide or deflector carried by the lower end of the spindle 14 and
arranged below the lower open end of the mixing tube to deflect issuing water in a
lateral direction. 16 is a loose conical receptacle arranged below and eccentric to
the mixing tube. 17 and 17 are inclined conduits into which lime-water and the
water to be softened, are respectively led from the lime-water outlet pipe 9 and
main water supply pipe 18 and by which such waters are delivered into the upper
end of the mixing tube wherein they are intimately mixed, and by flowing over the
screw blade 13, will have imparted thereto the circular or gyrating motion herein-
before referred to. A portion of the impurities thus rendered insoluble will be
deposited upon the screw surface and will serve to aggregate other insoluble
particles and so facilitate their separation from the water. The tank is provided
at the top with an outlet pipe 19 for purified and softened water that has
passed through the filter, and at the bottom with a mud cock 20 which may
conveniently be operated a hand lever 20° as shown. The mixing tube 12 may
be arranged centrally in the tank 10 if desired, in which case the conduits 17
and 18 may discharge into a horizontal conduit leading to the said tube.
.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing an alternative construction of lime hopper
and overflow wherein the steam pipe 3 (Figs. 1 and 2) is replaced by a screw or
rotary agitator 21 arranged in a fixed tube 21° and worked from above, and

page_text: water is admitted to the top of the tube by a pipe 3*, the mixture of cream of
lime and water thus produced escaping by two lateral overflow pipes 2* into the
mixing compartment of the mixing and settling apparatus.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation illustrating a modified arrangement wherein the
lime hopper or receptacle 1 with steam pipe 3 (or agitator) is placed at a distance
from the mixing compartment 6, and is provided with an inclined pipe or trough 22
terminating in a dish-shaped receptacle 23 arranged above the said mixing
compartment, which is provided with a perforated steain pipe 24 the steam
escaping from which serves as an agitator. The cock 8 for supplying water to
dissolve the lime is arranged to terminate above the said receptacle 23 from
which a mixture of lime and water overflows into the said mixing compartment,
whence it passes to the settling compartments as before.
Where a
supply of steam for displacing the cream of lime, or motion for
agitating the lime and feeding it to the mixing compartment of the lime water
producer, is not available, any suitable or known construction of apparatus may
be employed for supplying lime water and impure water in suitable proportions
to the mixing tube.
Fig. 5 is a vertical section, Fig. 6 a side elevation and Fig. 7 a plan, showing
such an arrangement of water purifying and softening apparatus. In this case the
tank 10 with filter 11 is carried by brick walls 25 and girders 25, and the mixing
tube 12 with screw blade 13, as well as the loose conical receptacle 16, is arranged
centrally within the tank. The apparatus for supplying lime-water comprises two
storage tanks 26, 26ª carried by girders 27 supported by columns 28, and a supply
tank 29 that is adapted to be placed in communication with either of the said
storage tanks at will, by way of one or other of two pipes 30, 30º. These pipes
are connected together at one end and to a ball cock 31 by which a constant head
of lime-water is maintained in the supply tank 29. To the other end of each of
the pipes 30, 30 is hinged or jointed a movable pipe 32 (Fig. 5) which is perforated
near its upper end and is provided with a float 32 whereby such end is at all times
maintained near the level of the water in the storage tank in which it is located,
notwithstanding variation in the height of such water level. The arrangement is
such that cream of lime can be introduced into either of the storage tanks 26, 26*
and mixed with water supplied by a branch pipe 18* with swivelled outlet 18 from
the main water supply pipe 18, and after allowing the lime to deposit, the clear
lime water thus obtained can be gradually run off from a point near the level
thereof into the tank 29. By providing two storage tanks as shown, lime water
can be prepared in one whilst that previously prepared in the other is being drawn
off. 29 is a supply tank similar to 29 and into which the impure water to be
treated is supplied from the main pipe 18 through a ball-cock for maintaining a
constant head of water in the said tank. The lime water and impure water are
run off in the proper proportions from the two supply tanks 29 and 29ª through
cocks 33 and a trough 34 into the upper end of the mixing tube 12 wherein they
are intimately mixed as before. As will be obvious the tanks 10 can be of various
forms in cross section.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. In water purifying and softening apparatus, combined lime and water mixing
and settling apparatus comprising a hopper provided with an overflow pipe or pipes
and a steam pipe or agitator, and a tank or vessel provided with partitions that
serve to divide it into a mixing compartment into which cream of lime is supplied
from the said hopper, together with water to form lime water, and two or more
connected settling compartments with the last of which a lime-water outlet pipe is
connected, substantially as described and shown.
2. In water purifying and softening apparatus, a vertical mixing tube provided
with an internal worm or body having a screw-like, zig-zag or equivalent surface

page_text: or surfaces over which the impure water to be purified and softened and the lime
water or other reagent used can be caused to flow, the arrangement being such that
the impure water and lime-water or reagent will become intimately mixed together
while passing downward through the mixing tube and will have imparted thereto
a circular or gyratory motion substantially as herein described for the purpose
specified.
3. Water purifying and softening apparatus constructed, arranged and operating
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and shown in Figs. 1 and 2,
or modified according to Fig. 3, or according to Fig. 4; and in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 of
the drawings annexed.
Dated this 19th day of February 1895.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.