IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING SEA AND OTHER WATER
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Angier March Perkins, of Francis Street, Regent
Square, Gray's Inn Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING SEA AND OTHER WATER."
Sealed the 12th February 1861, and dated the 21st August 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Angier March Perkins
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st August 1860.
I, ANGIER MAROH PERKINS, of Francis Street, Regent Square, Gray's Inn
Road, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING SEA AND OTHER
WATER," to be as follows:
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for distilling
sea and other water. For these purposes a boiler of a cylindrical or other
suitable form, and by preference, with an internal fire-place or furnace is used;
and the peculiarity of my Invention 'consists in applying externally of such
boiler a steam-tight metal jacket or case of 'such dimensions as to leave a spacē
between it and the exterior of the boiler. At the upper part of the boiler an
opening or passage is made communicating with the external jacket or case in
such manner that the steam or vapour as fast as it is generated passes from
the upper part of the boiler into the jacket or case, and by reason of the

page_text: exterior surface of the jacket or case being in contact with the outer atmo-
sphere, that portion of the steam which is in contact with the case or jacket
will be continually cooled and condensed, whilst the exterior of the boiler itself
will be kept heated by the steam which is in contact therewith and most
distant from the outer atmosphere.. The water thus obtained by condensation
in the jacket or case is allowed to flow out at the bottom by a syphon pipe or
otherwise. When the fire-place or furnace used in the boiler is of such
dimensions as to evaporate more water in the boiler than will be condensed by
the jacket or case, then provision is made for conducting off part of the steam
from the jacket or case into a series of tubes, pipes, or narrow passages
externally acted on by the outer atmosphere.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Angier March Perkins in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th February 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, ANGIER
MARCH PERKINS, of Francis Street, Regent Square, Gray's Inn Road, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Angier March Perkins, Her special licence that I, the said Angier
March Perkins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Angier March Perkins, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times. thereafter during the term therein expressed,; should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for: "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING' SEA AND OTHER WATER,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Angier March Perkins,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in, writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and, seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and, in what manner the same was
to be performed,. and cause. the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within. six. calendar months, next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters. Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Angier March Perkins, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
*This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for distilling
sca and other water. For these purposes a boiler of a cylindrical or other
suitable form, and by preference with an internal fire-place or furnace, is
used, and the peculiarity of my Invention consists in applying externally of
such boiler a steam-tight metal jacket or case of such dimensions as to leave a
space between it and the exterior of the boiler. At the upper part of the
boiler an opening or passage is made communicating with the external jacket
or case in such manner that the steam or vapour as fast as it is generated
passes from the upper part of the boiler into the jacket or case, and by reason
of the exterior surface of the jacket or case being in contact with the outer
atmosphere, that portion of the steam which is in contact with the case or
jacket will be continually cooled and condensed, whilst the exterior of the
boiler itself will be kept heated by the steam which is in contact therewith and
most distant froin the outer atmosphere. The water thus obtained by con-
densation in the jacket or case is allowed to flow out at the bottom by a
syphon pipe or otherwise. When the fire-place or furnace used in the boiler
is of such dimensions as to evaporate more water in the boiler than will be
condensed by the jacket or case, then provision is made for conducting off
part of the steam from the jacket or case into a series of tubes, pipes, or
narrow passages externally acted on by the outer atmosphere.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING, PLATE I.
:
Figure 1-is a sectional elevation of the apparatus; Figures 2 and 3 are
two horizontal sections of parts, thereof, and Figure 4 is a transverse section.
A is the fire-box; B is the boiler, made water and steam tight, except at the
top; C, a shallow tray. or vessel,. which I call a priming box, placed within and
at a short-distance from the top of the boiler in order to intercept any water
that may flow over with the steam, when a pipe D, D, will lead it back into
the boiler, leaving the steam to pass off as pure as possible through the
opening at a, a. The outer case E, E, is made water and steam tight, it com-
pletely surrounds the boiler, and it is combined with the reservoir below,
leaving a small space between the reservoir and the boiler. F is a reservoir
for receiving the distilled water, which is fixed to the bottom of the case E,
and is provided with several ribs or dividing plates b, b, so arranged that the
water as it flows to the outlet syphon K, Figure 4, may flow through a zig-zag

page_text: course; G, G, is a coil of pipe placed in conformity with the spaces made by
the ribs or plates 6 in the reservoir F, one, end of which coil is connected to
the bottom of the boiler at H (Figures 3 and 4) and the other end to a
supply cistern at I (Figures 1 and 3). The pipe G is so connected in respect
to.the cistern I and to the boiler B, that the water shall flow into the boiler in
a direction contrary to the flow of the pure water which flows out of the
syphon at K. The water is supplied through the cock L. The supply
cistern I is filled with a filtering material to purify the water before it enters
the boiler. I prefer charcoal for this purpose.. M is the overflow to prevent
the possibility of filling the boiler too full; N is the brine pipe, with a regu-
lating tap, by which the water in the boiler when it becomes saturated with
salt may be discharged; O is the hand-hole for removing any sediment or
incrustation from the boiler; S, Figure 4, is a plate which covers the plates b.
in the reservoir, and it is so inclined that the distilled water. may fall into the
compartment most distant from the outlet; T (Figures 2 and 3) is the end of
the pipe.G, which joins the supply, cistern I.; V, W, (Figure 1) are two pipes,
to which a congeries of pipes may be attached when required to distil more
water than the outer case E will condense; Qis the door, upon which a piece
of iron is bolted, so as to deflect the heat before it escapes up the flue; R, the
flue. The boiler being filled with salt or other impure water up to the proper
level, the water being, first, by preference, passed through a filter, and the fire.
lighted, the steam will rise and flow out all round the edges of the tray C into the
space E, E, surrounding the boiler, down which space it will descend and will
envelope the boiler with steam, which will prevent any loss of heat from the
sides of the boiler itself; at the same time the case will condense that portion
of the steam which comes in contact with it. The pure water will trickle
down the inner surfaces of the case E and fall into the recipient. F, and flow
along its zig-zag course to its outlet at the syphon K. The distilled water
will be reduced in temperature by the cold water which flowing through the
feed pipe G into the boiler, in the opposite direction. The effect of this
arrangement is to heat the feed water and to cool the distilled water. Should
it be required to increase the amount of the distilled water to, the full
evaporating power of the boiler, then any number of congeries of tubes may
be connected at V, W, as shewn in the Figure 5, Plate 2. If the, distilled
water be required for drinking it should be filtered through charcoal.
is

page_text: plan thereof. A is a boiler open at the top, as before explained, into which a
coil of pipe B is introduced, one end of which is connected to a steam boiler,
which is, by preference, worked to about a pressure of 10 lbs. or more, and the
other end of the pipe is so connected to a steam trap as to regulate the proper
quantity of steam. C is the tray or shallow vessel; D, D, the pipe for
returning the water received thereby to the bottom of the boiler; E, E, the
outer case; F a tank, which receives the distilled water; G, G, are pipes
made to conform to the zig-zag spaces in the reservoir F; L, the cock or tap
for supplying the filter I with water; M, the overflow; O, the hand-hole for
removing any sediment or incrustation from the boiler; P is a steam trap of
an ordinary construction, which is connected to the bottom of the coil B in
the boiler A, and to the reservoir at that part which is nearest to that com-
partment into which the distilled water flows; T, the end of the coil of pipe
which joins the boiler; U, the end of the coil of pipe in the boiler which joins
the steam trap P; V, W, a congeries of tube attached to the top of the steam
case, and the bottom of the reservoir when required to distil more water.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to
the parts of the apparatus separately, but what I claim is the mode herein
described of combining the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Angier March Perkins, have hereunto
set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one,
A. M. PERKINS. (L.S.)