Improvements in and relating to the Feeding, Heating, and Circulating of the Water of Steam Boilers, and Appliances therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left. 22nd Jan., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Feeding, Heating, and
Circulating of the Water of Steam Boilers, and Appliances
therefor.
I, MICHAEL HUTCHISON, of West Coats Lodge, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the mode of, and
arrangements and combinations of appliances for heating the feed water of marine,
locomotive or other steam boilers by live steam within the boilers without the feed
water and live steam mixing together; and also for circulating the water within these
boilers; and which will be more simple, economical, and efficient than the appliances
heretofore in use for this purpose.
Under one arrangement of my improvements specially applicable to marine boilers,
I fit a close feed water chamber extending across and high up in the steam space of
the boiler. At the ends of this chamber I fit or connect tube plates carrying a series
of tubes extending from end to end of and within this chamber. Outside the tube
plates I fit a small pocket chamber or separator at each end of the tube chamber into
which the steam of the boiler would enter at the centre or lower part and pass up into
and heat the tubes within the tube carrying the heating chamber; and these end
separating pockets might have a small drain pipe leading down from their lower part
to the water space. The feed water,-whether supplied by the feed pumps of the main
engine, or that of the donkey engines from the hot well, condenser, sea, or otherwise,-
would pass into the tube chamber, preferably by having the feed pipe bolted to a
flanged branch connection at the centre of this chamber, and circulate outside the
tubes and get heated by the live steam in the tubes placed within this chamber, but
without the water and steam mixing together, as has been the case in appliances
heretofore in use. The feed water would then pass from this heating chamber by
one, two or more vertical pipes leading from branches at the lower part of this
chamber preferably near the extreme ends, down to a perforated horizontal pipe
placed in the water space at the bottom of the boiler where it would enter and be
distributed within the boiler and heat and circulate the water.
Under another arrangement of my improvements, I fit a series of tubes in the
steam space of the boiler connected to two tube plates one placed at each side of the
steam space of the boiler, and have a small close preferably cup shaped or conoidal
chamber outside these tube plates. The feed water pipe would be bolted or connected
to one of these chambers, and the feed water would pass through the tubes and be led
by a pipe from the chamber at the other end to the hereinbefore mentioned perforated
distributing pipe at the lower part of the water space of the boiler. The live steam
raised within the boiler would thus surround and directly heat the water passing
through the series of tubes in the steam space without mixing with same, and without
having an outer jacket or case in this arrangement. By slightly modifying this
arrangement the feed water may be made to pass through half of the series of tubes
in the steam space the one way, and return through the other half, by putting a
division in the end chambers, and be then carried by a vertical pipe to the lower
horizontal distributing pipe at lower part of boiler; and this arrangement would be
particularly suitable for locomotive boilers where great velocity and circulation of
feed water is required.
Under another arrangement particularly suitable for small or donkey boilers the
feed water would be heated by the live steam within the boiler by the water passing
from an entering chamber similar to that before described, through a series of coiled

page_text: pipes instead of straight pipes, extending round the steam space and carried near the
circumference to the bottom of the boiler where the ends of all the tubes would enter
the longitudinal distributing pipe or chamber, and deliver the feed water in a heated
state.
In starting the main boilers the water would be heated and circulated within same
by turning on a tap or valve connection by a pipe from donkey boiler to lower
distributing pipe where the live steam would enter and heat and circulate the water
within main boiler until the steam is raised within same.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1889
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Feeding, Heating, and
Circulating of the Water of Steam Boilers, and Appliances
therefor.
I, MICHAEL HUTCHISON, of West Coats Lodge, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings and to the letters and Figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the mode of, and
arrangements and combinations of appliances for heating the feed water of marine,
locomotive or other steam boilers by the live steam within the boilers without the feed
water and live steam mixing together; and also for circulating the water within these
boilers; and which will be more simple, economical and efficient than the appliances
heretofore in use for this purpose.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying the
same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended an
explanatory sheet of Drawings in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures where shown.
Figures 1 and 2 are longitudinal and transverse sectional elevations respectively,
taken on the irregular lines 1---1 and 2--2 each on the opposite Figures, of an
ordinary construction of double ended tubular marine steam boiler B, with two
furnace flues B2 fired from each end, and with the flame chamber B³ in the centre,
and hot flame return tubes B above, as fitted with my new or improved appliances
for heating and circulating the feed water within same. And Figures 3 and 4 are a
longitudinal section and an end section respectively, the latter taken on the line 3--3
Figure 3, to an enlarged scale, of my new or improved tubular feed-water heater,
which is placed in the steam space of the boiler and heated directly by the live steam
therein acting on the outside of the tubes a. Figures 5 and 6 show sectional and side
elevations of the steam nozzle and branch pipe fittings which are fitted in the main
boiler, preferably near the upper part of the water space for starting circulating and
heating the water within same by steam from donkey boiler before steam is got up in
main boiler. And Figures 7 and 8 are views corresponding to Figures 5 and 6 of a
modified form of this steam nozzle circulating appliance for being similarly placed in
the water space of the boiler, to draw in the water from the upper part of the water
space by the branches and openings into the branch, leading into the pipes which
force and circulate the water down to the lower perforated pipe in the boiler.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4 of these Drawings:-Under my improvements, I fit
a series of water circulating and heating tubes a in the steam space B' of the boiler B,
connected at their ends to two tube plates a¹ a² one placed at each side of the steam
space B' of the boiler B, and have small close preferably. cup shaped or conoidal inlet
and outlet water chambers 1, 2, jointed at to the outside of these tube plates a¹ a².

page_text: A feed water branch pipe 3 is bolted or connected to the inlet chamber 6' inside, and
to the end of the boiler where the feed hand screw valve chest c is jointed outside the
boiler, supplied by a branch c¹ from the feed pumps, and the feed water is thus forced
through these and the tubes a in the direction indicated by the arrows to the outer
end chamber 62 from which it is led by the pipe d down round one side water space of
the boiler to a horizontal longitudinal perforated distributing pipe d' placed in the
lower central part of boiler, so as to distribute it all over the lower water space of the
boiler from which it ascends to the top round the furnace flues and up the central and
side water spaces. The live steam raised within the boiler B, would thus surround
and act directly on the outside of the series of tubes a to heat the feed water passing
through them in the steam space B' of the boiler B without mixing with same, and
without having any outer jacket or case. By slightly modifying this arrangement
the feed water may be made to pass through half of the series of tubes a in the steam
space B₁ the one way, and return through the other half, by putting a division in the
end chambers 61 62, and be then carried by a pipe d to the lower horizontal dis-
tributing pipe at lower part of boiler; and this arrangement. would also be suitable
for all boilers where great velocity and circulation of feed water is required, as well
as for the type of marine steam boilers shown in the Drawings. A small pipe e, el,
is preferably fitted to the upper part of the inlet and outlet water chambers 61, 62, the
one to the inlet chamber b', being preferably led out through the boiler at e², and fitted
with a blow off tap to relieve all air or gases which may accumulate in this chamber,
and show that the tubos are being circulated full of water, while the small pipe e¹ from
the delivery end chamber 62 of the tubes a is led down to near the surface of the
water to blow off all air or gas into the steam space B¹.
Referring to Figures 5 and 6, in starting the main boilers before or while they are
being heated up by the fires in their own furnace flues B², I fit a stop steam valve to
the outside shell of the boiler B at f, carrying live steam from the donkey or other
Loiler to a branch f₁ of a nozzle chest f2 jointed on the inside of the boiler at this
part, the steam nozzle f¹ of which, would draw the water from the upper part of the
water space of the boiler through the branch g, and force it through the branch s
and pipo . Or as in Figures 7 and 8 draw the water in through apertures g' and
force it through the nozzle branch f" into the pipe f. In either case the water
passes down the descending pipe d' into the lower water perforated distributing
pipe d', thus heating and circulating the water by these means and steam from the
donkey boiler, until steam was got up in main boiler, and the steam from donkey
boiler would be shut off by the stop valve at f when the engine was started and the
regular feed set on through valve chest c and tubes a as before described; which
arrangements would maintain the water in these boilers of a uniform temperature,
and add greatly to the efficiency and economy of the boiler, whilst preventing irregular
expansion of the plates and tubes, which is so detrimental in causing leakage at the
joints and strains in the boiler.
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.-
First. The construction or arrangement and combination of appliances for the
feeding, heating and circulating of the water of steam boilers, substantially as herein
described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The constructing of a feed water heater in the steam space of marine or
other boilers, consisting of a series of tubes jointed at their ends to tube plates and
water chambers, and in which the water is forced through the tubes, and directly
heated by the live steam within the boiler acting on the outer surface of the tubes,
and without the feed water and live steam mixing together, substantially as herein
described, in reference to and shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Third. The constructing of the herein described appliances for heating and

page_text: circulating the water in main boilers before the steam is raised in same; by steam
from donkey or equivalent boiler, substantially as shown in reference to Figures 5
to 8 of the accompanying Drawings.
T
1000
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.