Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Evaporating Liquids.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 1st Sept., 1891-Accepted, 31st Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Evaporating Liquids.
I JOHN KIRKALDY of 11 Stainsby Road East India Road in the County of
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to that class of apparatus in which the heating or evaporation
of fresh or sea water or other liquids is effected by the heat of steam transmitted
to the liquid through metallic tubes or plates which separate the water from the
steam. These tubes or plates provide suitable surfaces for heating water and corre-
spondingly for condensing steam or vapour. The primary steam used for the
purpose may be either the exhaust steam from an engine, live steam from a steam
boiler or it may be taken from one of the receivers in a multiple-stage expansion
engine or from any other available source.
It must be understood that inasmuch as the steam which heats or evaporates
water in apparatus of this kind is condensed by the abstraction or transference of
the heat which is imparted to the water, any such apparatus is necessarily a heater
or evaporator and a condenser.
In referring to the several modifications of my invention the apparatus will be
spoken of by one of these names according as the details are arranged for either
operation as the primary one.
My invention as applied to the construction of an evaporator by means of which
fresh water may be obtained from for instance sea water for drinking purposes or for
providing make up feed water for steam boilers consists in the employment within the
vessel which contains the water to be evaporated, of an internal chamber of a cylin-
drical or partly cylindrical and partly polygonal form either plain or corrugated.
Into this interior chamber or vessel which may be of different dimensions in different
parts steam is admitted by a pipe attached at one end for heating the surrounding
water, suitable provision being made for the egress of air and of the water of con-
densation. This interior chamber is generally but not in all cases traversed by
transverse water heating and circulating tubes. In some cases the interior chamber
is placed excentrically within the water chamber.
Within the space above the water in the evaporating vessel when this is vertical
is the upper part of a pipe or pipes for carrying off the vapour the lower part of
the pipe or pipes passing through the water which is being evaporated. When the
evaporating vessel is horizontal the vapour is generally taken off externally from
the upper part. In the vertical form of the apparatus the outer and inner vessels
are attached to one base after the manner of that described in the Specification of
the Patent granted to me No. 15146 1885 the steam inlet and the vapour outlet,
condensed steam drain and other fittings being attached thereto. Water inlet and
outlet apparatus as described in the Specification of the Patent granted to me
No. 5871 1889 and gauge glass apparatus, are also attached to the outer vessel or
the base and other fittings as described in the Specification of the Patent No. 438
granted to me in 1889 including those for the removal of impurities from the steam
& the brine and sludge from the sea water and a safety valve or a loaded valve for
the prevention of priming.
In some forms of the apparatus the evaporating vessel may be surrounded by
other vessels which may contain water to be heated on its way to the evaporator
In the modifi-
vessel and also vapour spaces in which the vapour may be condensed.
cation of the apparatus as employed for heating feed water the outer case is provided
with feed water inlet and outlets so placed that the water traverses large heating

page_text: surface & the exhaust or live steam inlet and outlet and drain for water of con-
densation are attached to one end or to the base of the apparatus, the steam being
delivered at a suitable distance within the internal heating chamber. In the
horizontal form of the apparatus the internal or primary heating chamber receives
the steam from an inlet so placed that it acts upon the greatest amount of the surface
of the inner chamber and of the tubes when used. In some cases the internal
chamber is surrounded by segmental or continuous or spiral directing plate or plates
so that the water must take a long course in passing from one end of the vessel to
the other, or from the inlet to the outlet.
Either of the modifications of my invention herein described may be so arranged
that one two or three or more may be connected together in such a manner that the
whole of the heating possible from the primary steam used may be effected in stages
part of the heating being done by the second or tertiary vapour generated in the
evaporating vessels of the first second or third apparatus. The several apparatus
are so connected that the water of condensation of the primary steam and secondary
& tertiary steam or vapour are either collected together or kept separate as required
and also so that the relation of the evaporating, heating, and condensing apparatus
to each other are such as to secure their greatest combined or separate actions each
performing its function as part of a series of operations or as one complete operation,
that is to say one apparatus may act as an evaporator and condenser both of primary
& secondary steam & vapour-or it may act either as evaporator or condenser or as
heater.
By the arrangement of heaters and evaporators and condensers herein described
I secure great simplicity in construction easy access for cleaning large heating
surfaces & easy connections.
Dated this 1st day of December 1800.
JNO. KIRKALDY.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Evaporating Liquids.
I JOHN KIRKALDY of 11 Stainsby Road East India Road in the County of
London 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 :-
My invention relates to that class of apparatus in which the heating or evapora-
tion of water or other liquids is effected by the heat of steam transmitted to the
liquid through metallic tubes or plates which separate the water from the steam.
A general description of my invention was given by me in the Provisional Specifi-
cation deposited with my application dated 1 December 1890 and numbered 19550.
I will now describe my invention in detail by reference to the four sheets of
drawings hereunto attached.
In these drawings
Figs. 1 and 2 show an elevation and a plan of a vertical form of my evaporator
and
Figs. 3 & 4 show vertical and horizontal sections of the same.
Figs. 5 & 6 show a side and an end elevation of a horizontal form of my
evaporator and
Figs. 7 and 8 show a longitudinal and a transverse section of the same.
My invention as applied to the construction of an evaporator & condenser, consists
in the employment within the vessel which contains the water to be evaporated, of
an internal chamber A preferably of a cylindrical form. Into this interior chamber
or vessel steam is admitted by a pipe B Figs. 1, 6, 7 and 8, and by the valve F,
Figs. 5 & 6 for heating the surrounding water suitable provision being made by
means of the cocks C & D for the egress of air & of the water of condensation.

page_text: This interior chamber A is generally but not in all cases traversed by transverse.
water tubes E Figs. 3, 4, 7 & 8.
In some cases the interior chamber is placed excentrically within the water
chamber G. Within the space above the water in the evaporating vessel when this
is vertical is the upper part of a pipe H or pipes Figs. 1, 3, & 4 for carrying off the
vapour the lower part of the pipe or pipes passing through the water which is being
evaporated. When the evaporating vessel is horizontal the vapour is generally
taken off externally from the upper part as by pipe H Figs. 5 & 6.
In the vertical form of the apparatus the outer and inner vessels G & A are
attached to one base I after the manner of that described in the Specification of
the Patent granted to me No. 15146 of 1885, the inlet B and the vapour outlet H,
condensed steam drain D and other fittings C being attached thereto.
Water inlet and outlet apparatus J Fig. 5 with parts and for the object described
in the Specification of the Patent granted to me No. 5871 of 1889, and gauge glass
apparatus K are also attached to the outer vessel or to the base and other fittings
as described in the Specification of the Patent No. 438 granted to me in 1889
including those for the removal of impurities from the steam before or on entrance
into the pipe B, the removal of brine by the cock C & sludge from the sea water,
the cover for cleaning out the vessel A, a safety valve L and in some cases a
loaded valve on the pipe H or circuit of the pipe or pipes H for the prevention of
priming.
In some forms of the apparatus as in Figs. 9 & 10 the evaporating vessel G may
be surrounded by other vessels which may contain water to be heated on its
way to
the evaporator vessel. In this case the upper part of the vessel G or part of it is
removed & the exterior of all the vessels will cover it, (and in some cases an
intervening vessel) like a. dome, this outer vessel G¹ Fig. 9 being attached to the
base in the same manner as the vessel G Fig. 3. Between this outer vessel and
the vessel G may be placed an intervening vessel G without top. There will in
this construction be an outer space S generally used for containing water, some of
which will pass into the vessel G for evaporation. In some cases a pipe or pipes H
similar to H Fig. 1 or a coil of single or double character will take off vapour &
pass down to the base at V through the water in this exterior space between the two
outer vessels and away at H¹³.
Between the two outermost shells or vessels, (the space between which will
generally contain water) and the vessel G there will be an annular space S' which
will form an air or vapour jacket round G and the outer wall of this space will
form a condensing surface, the water of condensation being taken away by a pipe D
from the base and all air removed by another pipe. Instead of the base plate as
shown in Figs. 1 to 4 I may in some cases employ a cast iron base Fig. 9 divided into
compartments T. U. V for the steam, water of condensation and vapour respectively.
In the modification of the apparatus as employed for heating feed water the
outer case is provided with feed water inlet & outlets so placed that the water
traverses large heating surface and the exhaust or live steam inlet & outlet and
drain for water of condensation are attached to one end or to the base of the
apparatus, the steam being delivered at a suitable distance within the internal
heating chamber.
In the horizontal form of the apparatus the internal or primary heating chamber
receives the steam from an inlet valve F and pipe B which also forms a dirt
arrestor.
In some cases the internal chamber is surrounded by segmental or continuous or
spiral directing plate or plates so that the water must take a long course in
passing from one end of the vessel to the other or from the inlet to the outlet.
At the bottom of the vessel G Figs. 5 to 8 are fixed blow off or sludge valves M M
Figs. 5 & 6, and a valve for emission of the water of condensation in the interior
vessel A is provided as at N Figs. 5 & 6.
Either of the modifications of my invention shown by Figs. 1 to 8 may be so
arranged that one two or three or more may be connected together in such a manner

page_text: that the whole of the heating possible from the primary steam used may be effected
in stages, part of the heating being done by the secondary or tertiary vapour
generated in the evaporating vessels of the first, second or third apparatus, by
passing it into the cooling pipes such as H or the cooling surfaces described of
each successive apparatus.
The several apparatus are so connected by pipes that the water of condensation
of the primary steam and secondary & tertiary steam or vapour are either collected
together or kept separate as required and also so that the relation of the evaporating
heating & condensing apparatus to each other are such as to secure their greatest
combined or separate actions each performing its function as part of a series of
operations, or as one complete operation. That is to say one apparatus may act as
an evaporator and condenser both of primary & secondary steam & vapor or it
may act either as evaporator or condenser or as heater. I have not shown these
pipe connections of the apparatus in my drawings because the means of making
them are well known as in triple effect apparatus and will be understood from the
foregoing description.
By the arrangement of heaters and evaporators & condensers herein described I
secure great simplicity in construction, easy access for cleaning, large heating
surfaces and easy connections.
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. In an apparatus for distilling water the internal vessel A for receiving the steam
for heating the water for evaporation in combination with a base I and exterior
vessel G tubes E vapour pipe H & water inlet & outlet regulating apparatus J sub-
stantially as shown & described in Figs. 1. 2. 3. & 4.
2. In a horizontal water distilling apparatus the combination of parts with
internal excentrically placed vessel A containing cross tubes E and inlet & outlet
regulating apparatus J substantially as described and shown with reference to
Figs. 5. 67 & 8.
3. In apparatus for distilling water the internal vessel A in combination with an
outer vessel G and one or more intermediate vessels or divisions forming vessels in
combination with vapour pipes connections and fittings substantially as described
with reference to Figs. 9 & 10.
4. The combination of the apparatus herein described in series so as to obtain
double triple or quadruple effect from the heat of the primary steam.
Dated this 1st day of September 1891.
JNO. KIRKALDY.