Improvements in Apparatus for Water Heating and Purifying.
Year: 1889

page_text: Complete Conific
Date of Application, 18th May, 1889
1 Loft ALL
1000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Water Heating and Purifying.
I, LOUIS AUGUSTE CHEVALET, of 22 Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, France, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In order to purify the water for feeding steam boilers there are two processes in
use; in one, chemical reagents are employed to precipitate the salts of lime
that all waters contain in solution, whilst in the other, the water is brought to a certain
temperature either in open tanks or in heating apparatuses heated by the waste flames
coming from the fire box.
My improved apparatus utilizes the second mentioned means but to a much greater
extent than has been the case hitherto; it is based upon the fact that if calcareous water be
brought to the boiling point, the carbonic acid which it contains, and which keeps in
solution the salts of lime and of magnesia is set at liberty with the steam; such salts
of lime and of magnesia are then deposited.
1
Nearly all water heating apparatuses which utilize waste steam cause deposits of
calcareous matter or tartar as it is called, but they can only partially eliminate the-
tartar, because water even when warm holds some carbonic acid in solution, and this
carbonic acid keeps in solution an equivalent quantity of lime or magnesia. If it is
required to clear water entirely of its tartar, it will be apparent from analyses of
water at different temperatures, that such water must be kept at a boiling point for a
certain time in order to get rid of its carbonic acid and effect the deposit of all its
tartar. It may be inferred from the foregoing, that in order to eliminate all
calcareous matter from water an apparatus is required that will keep it boiling long
enough for all the carbonic acid to be driven off.
The apparatus forming the subject of this invention is based upon these facts. It
is composed of a closed tank of any suitable form, above which are placed four or
more vats; all these vats are supplied with a four-branched steam pipe and an
overflow pipe like a distilling column. The water to be purified enters at the top of
the column and descends from one vessel to another by the overflows, and on its way
it meets the current of steam which comes in by a tube underneath the first, vat:
this steam first condenses, then heats the water to the boiling point, and finally escapes
by the tube at the top of the column. When the water reaches the boiling point at
the top of the column, it descends from vat to vat and is boiled again each time until
it loses all its carbonic acid, and consequently all its tartar. This tartar, which is
calcareous, is chiefly deposited in the vats, and more especially in the upper ones.
As soon as the water reaches the tank it becomes clear, if the tank is a pretty large
one, and then the feeding pump carries it away to the boiler free from tartar and at
fully 100° centigrade. A clearing pipe is placed at the bottom of the tank to clear
away any accumulation of dirt from the bottom.
In case the water to be purified contains sulphate of lime, it will suffice to put a
little carbonate of soda in at the top of the apparatus, the quantity of carbonate of
soda should be equivalent to the amount of sulphate of lime 'shown by analysis to be
in the water; deposits of carbonate of lime would still be obtained in the vats.
and the water would only contain slight traces of salts of lime and sulphate
of soda.
This apparatus is more especially suitable for purifying the water of non-condensing
engines by utilizing their steam, but if the engine is condensing, the purifier is fed
with the water of the condenser, a jet of steam is then brought into the water
direct from the boiler until slight puffs of steam come out from the top of the
apparatus.

page_text: It is obvious that this apparatus may be used for purifying water other than that
used for steam boilers.
Dated this Tighteenth day of May 1889
C. URQUHART FISHER,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Water Heating and Purifying.
I, LOUIS AUGUSTE CHEVALET, of Troyes, 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 :-
In order to purify the water for feeding steam boilers there are two processes in
use in one, chemical reagents are employed to precipitate the salts of lime that all
waters contain in solution; whilst in the other, the water is brought to a certain
temperature either in open tanks or in heating apparatuses heated by the waste flames
coming from the fire box.
My improved apparatus utilizes the second means but to a much greater extent
than has been the case hitherto; it is based upon the fact that if calcareous water be
brought to a boiling point, the carbonic acid which it contains, and which keeps in
solution the salts of lime and of magnesia is set at liberty with the steam; such salts
of lime and of magnesia are then deposited on the sides of the vessels in which the
water is boiled.
Nearly all water heating apparatuses which utilize waste steam cause deposits of cal-
careous matter or tartar as it is called, but they can only partially eliminate the tartar,
because water even when warm, holds some carbonic acid in solution, and this carbonic
acid keeps in solution an equivalent quantity of lime or magnesia. If it is required to
clear water entirely of its tartar, it will be apparent from analyses of water at different
temperatures, that such water must be kept at a boiling point for a certain time in
order to get rid of all its tartar. It may be inferred from the foregoing, that in
order to eliminate all calcareous matter from water, an apparatus is required that
will keep it boiling long enough for all its carbonic acid to be driven off.
The apparatus forming the subject of this invention is based upon these facts.
In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I shall now refer to the
accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the vertical apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the horizontal apparatus.
Fig. 3 a sectional view of fig. 2 by x, y; and
Fig. 4 shows a modification in the vats.
The apparatus is composed of a closed tank A of any suitable form, above which
are placed five or more round vats B B B B B. Each vat B contains, 1st a chimney c
covered with a cap c¹ toothed at the edges and supported by three iron bars forming
a tripod and preventing it from rising. 2nd. 1, 2, 3, or 4 tubes d called overflows.
A funnel D serves to introduce water into the uppermost vat; in order to regulate
the admission of water, a float H turns on as required a tap E by means of two levers
and a connecting rod when water is taken from the tank A.
Before the tank is A a round or square box C called a scourer; the steam escaping
from an engine and which is fatty, strikes at a short distance the plate a a, and the
greasy water which collect, upon this plate runs through a discharge pipe
placed underneath the scourer. By this means the steam is clean when reaching the
purifier.
If the water to be purified is not only calcareous, but contains plaster, a Mariotte's
vessel F containing a solution of more or less concentrated carbonate of soda is placed
on the top of the apparatus. This vessel is intended to provide a regular continuous
flow of solution of carbonate of soda into the water to be purified. An overflow
pipe placed on a level with the water in the tank A, carries away any excess. of

page_text: water in the apparatus. The water is drawn off hot and free from calcareous matter
at a certain distance from the bottom of the tank A so as to avoid the slime and dirt
which are always deposited at the bottom.
When water is introduced by the funnel D it flows downwards from vat to vat by
the overflows until it reaches the tank A. If when the apparatus is supplied with
water a jet of steam is brought from the scourer C, such steam will first be condensed
in the water of the first vat B; it will bring the water to a boil, upon which the
bubbles of steam will escape under the caps c¹ to the second vat B where the same
operation takes place, and so on until the excess of steam passes out of the
apparatus.
When the steam leaves the apparatus the boiler may be fed with the water in
the tank A, such water being boiling and freed from calcareous matter; when it
is drawn off, the float H falls and turns on the tap E to admit fresh water into the
apparatus.
The apparatus works as follows: as the water flows downwards from vat to vat it
is boiled in each vat, and on its way loses all its carbonic acid and consequently
its calcareous matter is deposited in the vats B B. Experience shows that the two
uppermost vats contain the most calcareous matter and that the others contain less
and less the nearer they are to the tank A, whereas the latter contains none at all;
some little mud however collects in it but that is easily cleaned out by means of a
discharge pipe.
The purifying column must be provided with two, or sometimes four overflows, for
the calcareous matter soon stops them up. These overflows are a distinct feature of
my invention, as they are not to be found in ordinary purifying columns. The caps
also are soon covered with this tartar, so that they must have a sufficient section for
the steam to pass without resistance in the water.
This apparatus may be made to provide boiling water, and if this water is calcareous
it will on leaving the apparatus only draw 5 or 6 Boutron & Boudet's hydrometric
degrees, and that without having introduced anything into it. This result cannot be
surpassed by boiling water over a fire in laboratory experiments.
If the water to be purified contains sulphate of lime or plaster, the apparatus will
not eliminate it, but if to the water there is added the same quantity of carbonate of
soda as sulphate of lime shown by analysis to be in the water, the latter will lose its
sulphate of lime by double decomposition, for the sulphate of lime will be converted
into carbonate of lime which will be deposited with the carbonate of lime which is in
the water, and in sulphate of soda which will go into the boiler.
The Mariotte's vessel F is intended to regulate the introduction of this salt. It
consists of a sheet iron vessel F, completely closed; in the centre there is a tube, on
the top of which there is a funnel G, the tube being fitted to slide in a stuffing box g.
It is filled by turning on the air tap and the carbonate of soda dissolved in water
is poured into the funnel G. When full, the air tap his turned off and the tap i is
turned full on. The liquid in the funnel can only pass from the vase if air enters it
by the central tube, and it will only pass out in the same proportion as the air enters.
The outflow is regulated by pushing in the central tube G more or less deeply, in
such manner as to run off the contents of the vase in 12 hours for instance, if the
engine runs 12 hours, and the flow will be constant during the whole time. If the
water itself which is to be purified flows in the purifier regularly, it is certain by
this means to receive the required quantity of carbonate of soda without any further
attention whatever.
When the apparatus is stopped, the tap i is turned off.
The apparatus above described is my vertical purifier; it requires a certain height
of ceiling which makes it impracticable in certain places, but to meet that objection
the apparatus may be laid down and made to do the same work by a few slight
modifications.
My horizontal purifier consists of a rectangular case A divided into compartments
by the separations bbb bb; this case is closed at the top by a plate of metal carrying
sheets of iron c c c c, toothed at the bottom. These sheets of iron come within an inch

page_text: or two of the separations bbb bb and are shorter and shorter as they near the side
at which the water enters; they form so many chambers or compartments BB B
equivalent to the vats used in the vertical apparatus. At the bottom of each
separation b b b there is a hole e in which passes freely an iron rod G sliding in a
stuffing box, or else they are provided with an overflow d as in fig. 4.
The case A is provided, like the preceding apparatus, with a tube for bringing
steam, together with its scouring box, an overflow H. a second overflow H' if
thought necessary, a float D which commands a valve F by the connecting rod E.
The lid of the heater may be provided with a rim round the top so as to form a
cistern C.
The apparatus works as follows: let it be full of water and the latter be passing
through the overflow H¹; if then steam is brought from the engine by the pipe O, it
will lower the level of the water in A and raise it successively in each compartment B
so as to cover the teeth of the plates ccccc and if there is too much water in the
cistern it will run off by the overflow H. When the water has thus risen successively
the steam will pass between the two plates b and c and in order to escape it will
bubble up in the water of each compartment and produce exactly the same effects as
those above described, the excess of steam passing away out of the case. The calcarcous
matter will be chiefly deposited in the two compartments nearest to the inlet of the
water and as such deposit might stop up the holes in the overflows e e, the latter
should be cleared occasionally by stirring the rod G.
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. The bubbling of steam from engines, in the water to be purified, such bubbling
to take place successively in the distilling column aforesaid, and which I have modified
in view of the calcareous matter which forms deposits therein.
2. The application of a box for scouring the steam by the shock of the latter
against a plate without holes in order to obtain water free from grease for the
boiler.
3. The application of Mariotte's vessel to the purifying apparatus in order to
introduce the solution of carbonate of soda required when the water contains plaster,
such introduction being accomplished regularly and without supervision.
4. The general arrangement of the horizontal purifier and its application to steam-
boats, portable engines and locomotives.
5. Its adaptation for heating water for steam boilers, such adaptation being
intimately connected with the process of purifying water when waste steam is used
for the purpose.
Dated this 4th day of February 1890.
C. URQUHART FISHER,
Agent for the Applicant.