IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING HEATED FEED WATER TO THE BOILERS OF STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN KIRKALDY of 40 West India Dock Road Poplar in the County of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING HEATED FEED WATER TO THE BOILERS OF
STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
According to this invention I construct the apparatus by which feed water is
supplied to the boilers of steam engines in such manner that not only may the
water be heated as it is supplied to the boilers during the time the engines are
running but also so that it may be heated at the time when the boilers are
being filled by pumps worked by a donkey engine before the main engines are
started.
For this purpose the feed water in its passage from the feed pump of the engine
to the boilers I cause to pass through a feed water heater such as is described in a
provisional specification lodged by me on the 13th day of August N° 11241 or
other feed water heater in which the water can be heated by steam passing through
or outside of pipes with which the water is brought into contact.
Into the pipe between the feed pump and the heater I lead a branch pipe from
a pump or pumps worked by a donkey engine-I provide cocks or it may be a
single three way cock at the junction of the pipes by means of which water
supplied by the donkey pump may be admitted to the feed heater and shut off from
the feed pump of the main engine or may be opened from the engine feed pump
and closed to the donkey pump.
To one end of the heater is connected a steam pipe by which steam can be
supplied to the heater either from the main steam boiler or from the boiler of
the donkey engine and cocks or a single three way cock are provided to control
the admission of steam to the heater either from the one boiler or the others.
From the other end of the heater a pipe is led away to the hot well-any steam
which may pass through the heater uncondensed and any water produced by the
condensation of the steam will so be brought into the hot well.

page_text: In this way the steam boilers of marine steam engines can very rapidly be filled
with heated water by the pump worked by the donkey engine before starting the
main engines and when steam has been got up in the main boilers and the engines
have been started the heating of the feed water can be carried or by steam from
the main boilers.
In this way the boilers can always be fed with heated water not only when the
engines are running but also whilst they are standing and before steam has been
got up in them so that not only can steam be got up more rapidly in the boilers
but the boilers are also not subjected at any time to the strains ordinarily induced
in them by unequal heating and cooling of their various parts,
Dated this 10th dor of Sontember 188t
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I JOHN KIRKALDY of 40 West India Dock Road Poplar in the County of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING HEATED FEED WATER TO THE BOILERS OF
STEAM ENGINES ;" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
According to this invention I construct the apparatus by which feed water is
supplied to the boilers of marine steam engines in such manner that not only may
the water be heated as it is supplied to the boilers during the time the engines
are running but also so that it may be heated at the time when the boilers are
being filled by pumps worked by a donkey engine before the main engines are
started.
For this purpose the feed water in its passage from the feed pump of the engine
to the boilers I cause to pass through a feed water heater such as is described in a
provisional specification lodged by me on the 13th day of August No 11241 or
other feed water heater in which the water can be heated by steam passing through
or outside of pipes with which the water is brought into contact.
Into the pipe between the feed pump and the heater I lead a branch pipe from
a pump or pumps worked by a donkey engine I provide cocks or it may be a
single three way cock at the junction of the pipes by means of which water
supplied by the donkey pump may be admitted to the feed heater and shut off
from the feed pump of the main engine or may be opened from the engine feed
pump and closed to the donkey pump.
To one end of the heater is connected a steam pipe by which steam can be
supplied to the heater either from the main steam boiler or from the boiler of the
donkey engine and cocks or a single three way cock are provided to control the
admission of steam to the heater either from the one boiler or the others.
From the other end of the heater a pipe is led away to the hot well, any steam
which may pass through the heater uncondensed and any way produced by the
condensation of the steam will so be brought into the hot well.
In this way the steam boilers of marine steam engines can very rapidly be filled
with heated water by the pump worked by the donkey engine before starting the
main engines and when steam has been got up in the main boilers and the engines
have been started the heating of the feed water can be carried on by steam from
the main boilers.
In this way the boilers can always be fed with heated water not only when the
engines are running but also whilst they are standing and before steam has been
got up in them so that not only can steam be got up more rapidly in the boilers
but the boilers are also not subjected at any time to the strains ordinarily induced
in them by unequal heating and cooling of their various parts.
The drawing hereunto annexed shews a plan view of a marine engine having a
feed water heater combined with it in the manner above described to permit of the
poilers being always supplied with heated feed water.

page_text: A is the feed water heater which may be constructed as described in the
specification of a Patent granted to me N° 11241 in the year 1884 or may be
otherwise suitably constructed. B is the feed pipe from the main engines passing
to one end of the feed heater. Bx is a trap or grating such as shewn at Figures 2
and 3 and described in a provisional specification lodged by me No 606 in the
present year to prevent solid matters passing to the feed heater and to the boilers.
C is the feed pipe from a donkey engine. D is a three way cock at the junction of
the pipes. E is the pipe passing from the opposite end of the heater to the main
boilers. F is a steam pipe passing from the main boilers to the donkey engine and
to this same end of the feed heater. G is a steam pipe leading from the boiler of
the donkey engine into the steam pipe F. H is a pipe leading from the first
mentioned end of the feed heater to the hot well of the main engines to convey to
it any water produced by the condensation of steam in the tubular coils of the
heater.
I would state that I do not confine myself to the exact arrangement of the
parts as shewn in the drawing annexed as they might be in some vessels otherwise
more conveniently disposed. I would also state that I am aware that attempts
have before been made to heat the feed water for the boilers of steam engines on
its passage from the feed pump to the boilers by bringing the feed water into
contact with pipes through which the exhaust steam from the steam engine has
been allowed to pass but by such an arrangement the feed water could not be
heated to anything approaching the same temperature as the water in the boilers
and the boilers would still be subjected to injurious strains from unequal heating
and cooling. I do not therefore make any claim to the heating of the feed water
by exhaust steam from the engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The construction of apparatus for supplying heated feed water to the boilers of
marine steam engines in such manner that the feed water has to pass through the
feed heater and be thereby heated not only at the time when the feed water is
being supplied to the boilers by the feed pumps of such engines but also whenever
the boilers are being supplied with feed water from a pump worked by a separate
donkey engine substantially in the manner herein described and illustrated in the
drawing annexed.