Improvements in Injectors.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 7th Acr., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES WHITTEMORE, of 37, Congress Street,
West Detroit, Michigan, United States of America, Attorney.]
Improvements in Injectors.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent Agents
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 invention relates particularly to new and useful improvements in automatic
steam injectors.
The main object of the invention is to provide a steam injector of this kind with
simple and efficient means for automatically starting the injector, and for
maintaining the stream under extreme conditions of temperature of the feed water
and pressure of the steam.
To this end the invention consists of an injector having two separate overflow
valves automatically controlling the initial and the secondary overflow respectively
and adapted to be reciprocally unseated by the pressure of the initial overflow
and seated at the proper time independently of each other by the pressure of the
secondary overflow.
The invention further consists in the novel construction and arrangement of a
valve for regulating the quantity of the incoming water solely in relation to
abnormal pressures of steam, and further in certain details of construction, com-
bination and arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth and
particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings, the injector is shown in vertical, longitudinal sectional view.
A represents the casing of the injector which is provided with the steam inlet
branch A', the water inlet branch A2, the overflow branch A3 and the delivery
branch A, to each of which is connected the respective pipe connection (not
shown) all constructed and arranged to operate as in the usual manner.
B is the steam inlet tube, C is the suction tube and D is the combining and
delivery tube, all in suitable relation to each other and secured in suitable
partitions in the casing, which divide the casing into a steam chamber E, a water
chamber F, an exhaust or overflow chamber G and a delivery chamber H.
The steam inlet branch communicates into the steam chamber E, the outer end
of which is closed by a screw plug 1 through which the stem J of the valve passes.
This stem is pivotally secured to a lever which is fulcrumed at K' to a vibratory
link K, which is secured in any suitable manner to the casing.
The steam tube B is provided with a tubular extension a, which forms a guide
bearing for the sleeve 6 of the valve.
This sleeve is secured to the valve stem by means of a swivel connection which
affords a slight play for the sleeve to be guided freely by the extension a in opening
and closing the valve, and openings c are formed in the sleeves for steam admission
ports.
The water chamber F is provided with an extension F' into the water branch
and communicates therewith through a valve controlled opening L. The valve M
controlling said opening has one or more ports d, and is operated by a screw threaded
spindle which passes through a suitable plug and stuffing box in the casing and
carries on the outside a suitable knob or handle for turning the spindle to seat or
unseat the valve M.

page_text: The overflow arm which extends downwardly from the underside of the casing
communicates through lateral openings N and O, formed on opposite sides and in
axial line with each other with the valve chambers N¹ O', the former of which
communicates with the overflow chamber G and the latter with the delivery
chamber H.
The openings NO into the overflow arm are controlled by the horizontally
sliding wing valves P, Q, which are in axial line with each other and of different
area, the valve P having the larger area.
These valves are supported in position by suitable tubular guide bearings ej
formed around the openings for the wings to slide on, and the stem of the valve Q
extends in contact with or in such close proximity to the valve P that the two
valves act one upon the other in unseating and seating the valves. Thus, in
unseating the valve P, the valve Qwill be unseated also, and in seating the
valve Q, the valve P will be seated also if not otherwise closed. The valve P is
provided with a shoulder g which extends into the seat of said valve and thereby
the valve Qin seating the valve P will be held still open some distance when the:
valve P is already closed, thus closing the initial overflow in advance of the
secondary overflow.
The tubular guide bearing f extends toward the valve P a sufficient distance to
form a stop which limits the opening of the valve P and when thus open it obstructs
the discharge of the overflow through the opening O.
The parts being thus constructed and arranged as shown and described they are
intended to operate as follows:
As shown in the drawings, no steam is admitted to the injector, but on opening
the steam admission valve by means of the lever K the steam will be admitted into
the interior of the injector. The water is admitted into the water chamber from the:
water branch through the ports d (although the valve L may be closed) and it is
drawn up and into the suction tube as soon as a vacuum is created by the flow of
steam into the injector.
The valves Q and P are either open when the steam enters or will be opened by
the first impulse of steam or steam impelled water on account of there being a
larger pressure on the larger valve P against a smaller pressure against the smaller
valve Q, thus unseating the valve P which also forces open the valve Q.
The water drawn through the suction tube C will in the first stage of the
operation mainly escape into the overflow chamber G and from there out through
the initial overflow opening N into the arms A³, and hold the valve P open, but
as the force of the stream increases and carries the water into the delivery chamber,
the secondary overflow will be established through the opening O' and the tubular
bearing (aided by the wings of the valve Q) will direct the overflow against the
valve P (which is in its way) and thus tend to close it against the force of the
initial overflow.
With the increasing force of the stream, the secondary overflow increases in
force while the initial overflow correspondingly decreases and thus the valve P is
moved to close at the proper time by the preponderating force of the secondary
overflow acting directly upon it. The valve P is thus adapted to be closed by the
force of the secondary overflow independent of the valve Q and if it is not fully
closed in this way it will be closed as soon as there is a vacuum created in the
chamber G.
The valve Q when fully open is virtually balanced and thus it can remain open
while the valve P is closing. It is closed at the proper time by the frictional force
of the escaping overflow along the wings of the valve which force at the..
e proper
time overcomes the frictional resistance of the valve on its bearings and draws it to
its seat and thereby establishes the stream into the boiler.
'
Each valve is thus adapted to be closed by the secondary overflow at the proper
time one after the other and independently of each other. At the same time
should the valve P from any cause not close of its own accord, the valve Q

page_text: reciprocally closes the valve P, but on account of the shoulder g the valve P
nevertheless closes in advance of the valve Q and the latter cannot close until the
proper conditions for seating it has been established.
This relation of the valves provides for the automatic working of the injector
under different conditions, thus if a very copious overflow should take place in the
chamber G by reason of very hot feed water for instance, the valve P would at
the proper time be forced to close by the valve Q and the stream would thus be
established into the delivery chamber and thence into the boiler, and the boiler
pressure acting on the valve Q would keep the valve P closed by said pressure and
hence the injector is enabled to work with very hot feed water, which it could not
do if the valve P were not so held.
On the other hand, the closing of the valve P may be independently effected at
the proper time solely by the force of the secondary overflow, and thus the vacuum
in the chamber G is quickly established if the proper conditions exist.
The valves P and Q are horizontally sliding valves and thus the action of
gravity does not constitute any factor which governs their automatic operation and
to distinguish this specific feature of the valves from other valves which are acted
on by gravity, they can be designated as "floating valves," meaning thereby
valves which float with the current of steam or water.
Thus while the valve P is adapted to unseat the valve Q and hold it open by
the force of the initial or primary overflow, the valve Qis adapted reciprocally to
seat the valve P and hold it closed by the force of the secondary overflow, at the
same time both valves are adapted to be seated at the proper time independent of
each other by the force of the secondary overflow.
The specific arrangement of the valves P and Q in relation to the overflow an
and to the casing is important in one particular, namely, should the check valve
in the connection with the boiler become leaky and hot water thus leak into the
injector, it cannot find its way into the water branch A2 but has a chance to escape
freely from the overflow chamber G through the valve chamber N' and by forcing
the valves P and Q open, out into the overflow arm.
To explain the peculiar advantage of the valve M we will suppose the injector
to be used on a locomotive: here the pressure of the steam varies within large
limits and therefore the quantity of water which the injector can take care of
varies considerably. In the use of an injector on a stationary boiler the engineer
can readily detect, by watching the overflow, whether his injector has enough water
or too much, and can thereby regulate the quantity of water admitted by an
ordinary valve. On locomotives this is different, there the overflow pipe carries
the water away to a place below the foot board (as a measure of necessary
protection) and the engineer cannot therefore see it, therefore the valve Lis
arranged in such a manner that when closed, the ports d admit enough water for
any variation of steam pressure between fixed limits, say between 25 lbs. and
125 lbs. Should the steam gauge therefore indicate a pressure above 125 lbs., he
would know that he has not enough water (without consulting the overflow) and must
open the valve. Suppose now he knows that by giving the valve one half turn he
admits a quantity of water of which the injector can take care of, say between a
pressure of 75 lbs. and 200 lbs., he has all the provision he needs to regulate the
water supply without consulting the overflow and he needs only to distinguish
between the closed position and a fixed open position of the valve M (which may
be made visible by a suitable mark or index on the handle).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :
1. The combination with the jets, of the horizontally sliding co-operating
overflow valves, arranged and operating, substantially as described.
2. In an injector, the combination with a casing and water chamber formed

page_text: therein, of a water inlet branch communicating with the chamber through a fixed
port and a valve interposed between the inlet branch and chamber for increasing
the flow from the branch into the chamber.
Dated this 30th day of January 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.