IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING STEAM AND HEATING WATER APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE DISTILLATION OF LIQUIDS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur William Lovell Reddie of the Office for Patents
66 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Patent Agent for an Invention
of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING STEAM AND HEATING WATER
APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE DISTILLATION OF LIQUIDS."-A communication to
him from abroad by Eduard Theisen of Lindenau near Leipsic in the Kingdom
of Saxony, German Empire
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur William Lovell
Reddie at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th December
1882.
ARTHUR WILLIAM LOVELL REDDIE of the Office for Patents 66, Chancery Lane
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CON-
DENSING STEAM AND HEATING WATER, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE DISTILLATION OF
LIQUIDS." [A communication to him from abroad by Eduard Theisen of Lindenau
near Leipsic in the Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire.].
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for condensing steam and
distilling fluids, and also for heating and distilling feed water for steam boilers and
these improvements consist in devices by which a large bulk of condensed or
distilled water is obtained with the use of but a small quantity of cooling fluid.
The main advantage of such apparatus is due to the fact that the cooling water
employed is converted into a product of condensation of distillation by means of
the caloric of the steam to be condensed, and by means of a system of counter
currents.
The apparatus employed for this purpose mainly consists of two parts arranged
either one above the other or one at the side of the other and constructed of
corrugated plates, the corrugations or waves of which plates may have a special
form according to the purpose to be accomplished, or instead of such plates pipes or
tubes, arranged one above the other, may be employed.

page_text: The steam to be condensed enters through a pipe into the space or chamber
formed by two of the corrugated plates and is condensed by cooling this space
externally. The steam would accumulate at the bottom of the upper part of the
apparatus as condensed water; the latter however is immediately evacuated by a
pipe leading to the bottom of the lower part of the apparatus. This pipe is
preferably arranged as a stand pipe and prolonged to such a height that the column
of water therein forms a counterweight or nearly so to the pressure of steam
entering the apparatus from above.
The cooling water for condensing the steam in the upper part of the apparatus
enters at the bottom of such part by a pipe and ascends into two narrow channels
by the pressure of a pump, or other pressure.
These two cooling channels are formed by the corrugated plates of the condensing
chamber above mentioned, and by hollow walls or partitions projecting from the
sides of the apparatus into the curves or waves of the corrugated plates. These
hollow walls or parts are filled with some non-conducting material such as asbes.
The cooling water in ascending its narrow channels is converted into steam
towards the upper part of such channels (near the entrance of the steam to be
condensed) by means of the caloric contained in the said steam. The steam from
the cooling water is conducted by a pipe, provided with a suitable valve or cock,
into the top part of the. lower apparatus. In order to prevent water and steam
together from being evacuated by the said pipe, which might be the case if the
cooling water in the top of the upper apparatus were to boil, a steam dome is
preferably formed by meams of a small stand-pipe and by a partition placed across
the larger steam pipe. The steam originating from the cooling water descends
through the large pipe, enters the top part of the lower apparatus and is, therein
condensed by the cooling water ascending by the external channels of this lower
apparatus. The temperature of such water will be some degrees lower than the
temperature of the steam to be condensed. This condensed. steam, converted into
water enters an eduction pipe, whereas the condensed water which has acted as
cooling water in ascending through the channels of the lower part of the apparatus
is evacuated with a somewhat higher temperature at the top of the lower part of
the apparatus, and is mixed with the condensed product issuing from the bottom
of the lower part of the apparatus.
All sediments contained in the cooling water, and deposited on the outer surfaces
of the corrugated plates, may be readily removed by opening the walls of the
apparatus which may be easily accomplished by loosening the clamps which hold
the parts together. It is obvious that by the above described arrangement. and
working of the apparatus a distilled product resulting from the condensation of
steam entering into the apparatus, and from the evaporation of the cooling water
used for such condensing process will flow off, and that the water after having been
converted into steam, during or immediately after the process of condensing the
steam, is hereafter again condensed in the same apparatus.
Water gauges at both sides of the upper part of the apparatus serve respectively
to control the ascending cooling water to be converted into steam, and the water
resulting from the condensation of descending steam.
The parts of the apparatus are held together by cramps consisting of screw bolts
with claw heads. These bolts are threaded in opposite directions and enter into a
nut or nuts threaded internally to correspond. By turning the nut the cramps
may be tightened or loosened.
As a modification in the form of the cramps they may be each provided with
two claws, one solid with the bolt and one moveable thereon and shifted by a
nut. If such apparatus be used for the simple purpose of condensing steam and
heating fluids, the two parts of the apparatus are preferably employed in such a
manner that the steam enters into the centre of the upper part and the cooling
water into one side of the lower part.
In working with high pressure steam the apparatus may be multiplied in such

page_text: manner that the heat of the steam as well as the heat of cooling water converted
into steam may (by arranging a series of corrugated plates forming alternately
condensing chambers for descending steam; and cooling chambers for ascending
water to be converted into steam) be made use of in such a manner that it' will
only require the continuous addition of a comparatively small amount of fresh
cooling water to work the apparatus with a continuous flow of steam.
It will thus be seen that according to this improved method the cooling water
used in the condensation of steam is converted by means of counter currents and
by means of the heat contained in the steam, first into steam and then into
distilled water, by which combined process one product only is simultaneously
obtained from the steam and from the cooling water.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Arthur William Lovell Reddie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th June 1883.
ARTHUR WILLiam Lovell RedDIE of The Office for Patents 66 Chancery Lane
in the County of Middlesex Patent Agent "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CON-
DENSING STEAM AND HEATING WATER APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE DISTILLATION OF
LIQUIDS A communication to me from abroad by Edward Theisen of Lindenau
near Leipsic in the Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for condensing steam and
distilling fluids and also for heating and distilling feed water for steam boilers,
and these improvements consist in devices by which a large bulk of condensed or
distilled water is obtained with the use of but a small quantity of cooling fluid.
The main advantage of such apparatus is due to the fact that the cooling water
employed is converted into a product of condensation or distillation by means of
the "calories" of the steam to be condensed, and by means of a system of counter
currents.
The apparatus employed for this purpose mainly consists of two parts arranged
either one above the other, or one at the side of the other, and constructed of
corrugated plates the corrugations or waves of which plates may have a special
form according to the purpose to be accomplished, or instead of such plates pipes
or tubes arranged one above the other may be employed.
In the annexed drawings Fig 1 shews a condensing apparatus constructed
according to the present invention partly in section. Fig 2 is a cross section of
the same with a view of the right hand side wall. Fig 3 is a cross section with
a view of the left hand side wall.
In this apparatus the steam to be condensed enters through the pipe a into the
space or chamber formed by two corrugated plates and descends in the form of
water owing to the cooling applied to this space externally as will hereafter be
described.
The water which accumulates at the bottom of the upper part of the apparatus
from the condensation of the steam is immediately evacuated by the pipe b into
the lower portion of the apparatus in which part the condensed water enters at the
bottom at c. The pipe is preferably arranged as a stand-pipe and prolonged to
such a height that the column of water in this pipe forms a counter weight, or
nearly so, to the pressure of steam entering the apparatus at a.
The cooling water which is required to condense the steam in the upper part of
the apparatus enters into such part by the pipe e and passes upwards by the two
narrow channels m n by the pressure of a pump or other means.
These two channels m n are formed by the corrugated plates of the condensing
chamber above mentioned and by hollow walls or parts projecting from the sides
of the apparatus into the waves of the corrugated plates.
These hollow walls or parts are filled with some cheap non-conducting material
such as ashes &c.
The cooling water in ascending the narrow channels m n is converted into
steam in the upper part of such channels (near the entrance of the steam to be
converted) by means of the "calories" contained in the last named steam.
The steam arising from the, now heated, cooling water is conducted by the
pipe fitted with a suitable valve or cock into the upper part of the lower
apparatus which it enters at g.
In order to prevent water and steam together from being evacuated by the

page_text: pipe f, which might by the case if the cooling water in the top of the upper
apparatus were to boil, a steam dome is preferably formed by means of a stand-
pipe and by a partition in the pipe f. The steam arising from the, now heated,
cooling water descends through the pipe f enters into the upper part of the lower
apparatus and is condensed by the cooling water ascending in the channels m n
of this lower apparatus, the temperature of which water will be some degrees lower
than the temperature of the steam to be condensed.
This condensed steam converted into water enters the eduction pipe h whereas
the condensed water which has acted as cooling water in ascending through the
channels m n of the lower part of the apparatus is evacuated with a somewhat
higher temperature at d in order to be mixed with the condensed product from h
as clearly shewn in fig: 1.
All sediments contained in the cooling water entering at e and deposited on the
outer surfaces of the corrugated plates may be readily removed by opening the
walls of the apparatus which is easily accomplished by loosening the cramps o.
It is obvious that by the above described arrangement and working of the
apparatus a distilled product will flow off at d and h resulting from the con-
densation of the original steam entering into the apparatus, and from the
evaporation of the cooling water used for such, condensing process which. water,
after having been converted during such process into steam, is subsequently
condensed in the same apparatus.
The water gauges i and k at both sides of the upper part of the apparatus serve,
the one for the control of the ascending cooling water to be converted into steam,
the other for the control of the water resulting from the condensation of descending
steam.
The cramps o consist of two screw bolts with nose shaped heads. These bolts
are threaded in opposite directions and enter into one nut also provided at the two
ends with threads of opposite directions corresponding to the threads of the
respective bolts by turning this nut in the one or the other direction the cramps
will be tightened or loosened Fig 4 shews a modification of the cramps-
provided with one nose solid to the bolt and one moveable nose shifted by the
nut on the bolt.
If such apparatus be used for the simple purpose of condensing steam and
heating fluids the two parts of the apparatus are preferably employed in such
manner that the steam enters into the upper part at a and the cooling water into
the lower part at 'The steam condensed in the upper part descends by the
pipe b and enters the top of the lower part at b' to be educted as condensed water
ath while the cooling water entering at h' is warmed in the lower part and after
having entered the upper part at c₁ will leave this part through the pipe ƒ and
cock fin a heated state.
In working with high pressure steam the apparatus may be multiplied in such a
manner that the heat of the steam, as well as the heat of cooling water converted
into steam, may (by arranging a series of corrugated plates set the one apart from
the other in horizontal distance and forming alternately condensing chambers for
descending steam, and cooling chambers for ascending water to be converted into
steam) be made use of in such a manner that it will only require the continuous
addition of a comparatively small amount of fresh cooling water to work the
apparatus with a continuous flow of steam. A further modification of the apparatus
is shewn in Fig 5 in side view with the side walls in section, and in Fig 6 in cross
section with inside view of the right hand end wall; the apertures for the exit of
the cooling liquid being indicated in dotted lines in Fig: 6, as these apertures are in
the left hand end wall only.
The apparatus in this case (unlike that shown in Figs 1 and 2) has one
condensing chamber only-The small channels m n for the ascending cooling liquid
at both sides of the condensing chamber however are divided by horizontal
partitions m³ n¹ in the upper part of the apparatus.
In this apparatus the steam to be condensed enters by the pipe a between the

page_text: two corrugated plates forming the condensing chambers and descends, while the
cooling liquid enters at e and ascends in the channels m n flowing off in part
below the partition walls m¹ n' at b.
.
Below these partitions m¹ n¹ and somewhat above the aperture b two apertures
are provided in the end walls of the apparatus communicating with the channels
mn and uniting outside the end wall by the pipe ; and above the partitions m² n¹
apertures are provided in the same manner connected together by a pipe s the two
pipes and being connected by the cock or valve v.
8
Through these channels of communication one part of the cooling liquid is
conducted into the channels m n above the partitions m' n¹ (the pipe b being
extended above the entrance of pipe s) the quantity of such liquid passing into
the upper channels m n being regulated by the cock v. This part of the cooling
liquid is converted into steam near the entrance of the original steam, the secondary.
steam thus created in the upper channels m n being conducted to an upper closed
vessel x.
The water carried along with such steam will deposit at the bottom of
the said vessel x and may be evacuated by the cock a¹, whereas the steam itself is
conducted by the pipe provided with the valve f¹, and enters at g into the water
condensed from the original steam, and becoming also condensed flows off with such
water at d as pure distilled water.
This arrangement of apparatus is especially adapted for all those industrial
establishments in which is required both a vast amount of hot water, and a certain
amount of distilled water, such as dyeworks, chemical works, breweries etc.
For this purpose the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 is especially suited, in
which the quantity of distilled water to be obtained from the water which has
served as cooling liquid for condensing purposes may be regulated by the cock v.
A further modification in the apparatus is illustrated by Figures 7. 8 and 9
characterised by the construction that within a compartment or chamber through
which the cooling or condensing water flows from below to the top, a series of
vessels or chambers g formed by corrugated plates are suspended at a in such
manner that after the removal of one of the side plates f and after unscrewing the
joints for the outlet of the condensed products at e. e. e. the said vessels or chambers g
may be swung each around its pivot at a so as to enable the outside surfaces of the
corrugations to be cleaned from all deposits.
If preferred the cleansing of these surfaces may also be accomplished by removing
one of the head or end walls h, the waves or corrugations being cleansed by brushes
inserted between them. The bodies g are formed by two identical corrugated
plates which are closed at both sides by soldering or any other method of jointing
and which meet at top and bottom. At top they hang over the pipes i which for
the entrance of steam are made tight by stuffing. boxes, and at bottom they.
terminate in the pipes e which are secured by screw joints to the channel b common
to all for the outlet of the products of condensation.
The steam to be condensed enters at c and is distributed simultaneously through
the entire series of vessels or chambers g. while the cooling fluid enters the bottom
of the apparatus at d and leaves it at the top at d³.
This form of apparatus may also be used in the following manner a number of
them being combined or united in one system in order to create a successive action
of condensing and evaporating by first admitting in one of the apparatus primary
steam of high pressure which is condensed, thereby evaporating the cooling fluids
the steam of which is condensed in the second apparatus and so on, by which
system a large bulk of products of condensation is gained by a comparatively very
small amount or addition of fresh cooling fluid
In order to maintain as nearly as possible an equal pressure between the high
pressure steam to be condensed and the cooling water, for the purpose of using very
thin corrugated plates in the apparatus, the entrance of the water and of the steam
is provided, with a self-acting regulating device of well-known construction by
which if the water pressure is in excess the water entrance is partly or entirely
closed, whereas if the steam pressure is in excess the steam entrance is partly or

page_text: entirely closed. This device may consist either of a balanced ball upon which the
steam or water pressure acts through the medium of a diaphragm or of a slide valve
acting in the same manner. As such self acting regulating devices are well known
to all experts the same need not be described or illustrated in detail.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention of "Improved apparatus
for condensing steam and heating water, applicable also to the distillation of liquids"
as communicated to me by my Foreign Correspondent and explained in what
manner the same may be carried into practical effect I wish it to be understood
that I claim
First The novel construction of steam condensing apparatus described with
reference to Figures 1. 2 and 3 of the drawings whereby the cooling water used in
such condensation is, by means of the heat (calories) contained in the said steam,
converted first into steam and then into distilled water, and one product only is
simultaneously obtained from the steam and from the cooling water, substantially
as set forth.
Secondly The construction and arrangement of apparatus described with reference
to Figures 1. 2 and 3 of the drawings, for the purposes set forth.
Thirdly The use in the condensation of steam and distillation of fluids of the
modified construction and arrangement of apparatus described with reference to
Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings whereby one portion of the condensing liquid may
be drawn off as hot water and the remaining portion may be converted into steam
and may be drawn off as pure distilled water along with the water resulting from
the condensation of the original steam entering the apparatus, substantially as set
forth.
Fourthly The use in the condensation of steam of the modified construction and
arrange of apparatus described with reference to Figures 7. 8. and 9 of the
drawing for the purposes set forth
Fifthly The combination in one system of a number of steam condensing or
distilling chambers such as those described with reference to Figures 7. 8. and of
the drawings, whereby steam, especially high pressure steam, may be condensed and
fluids evaporated, and a large yield of the products of condensation be obtained
by the use of a comparatively small quantity of cooling fluid, substantially as set
forth
In witness whereof I the said Arthur William Lovell Reddie have hereunto
set my hand and seal the fifth day of June in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three
ARTHUR W. L. REDDIE (L.S.)