Improvements in Water Softening and Purifying Apparatus.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1896
a
4.005 Macontad
6th Me 4007
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Softening and Purifying Apparatus.
We, FRANCIS HERBERT TYACKE, of Broad Street House, Old Broad Street,
in the City of London, Civil Engineer, and CHARLES EDWARD GITTINS, of
113 Iverson Road, West Hampstead, in the County of London, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to an improved construction and arrangement of
water softening and purifying apparatus that is automatic in its action and which
is specially adapted for laundries and household purposes.
The apparatus comprises a tank to contain the reagent, for example lime water,
used for purifying the impure water to be treated, a mixing and settling tank, a
storage tank for softened and purified water, an elevator adapted to raise reagent
from the reagent tank and discharge it into the mixing and settling tank in suitable
proportion relatively to the water to be treated, a water motor adapted to drive
the water elevator or conveyor and itself actuated by the water to be purified, and
a valve arranged on the pipe for supplying the water motor with water, this valve
being automatically controlled by the action of a float located in the storage tank
and being so constructed that it will only open or close a passage for the water
when moved nearly into one or other of its two extreme positions. The arrange-
ment is such that when the level of the purified water in the storage tank falls to a
predetermined lower level and not till then, the float will cause the valve to open
and permit the water to be purified-supplied under pressure-to pass to and drive
the water motor and thence flow into the mixing portion of the mixing and settling
tank where it will become mixed with lime water supplied by the elevator or
conveyor which is automatically set in operation by the working of the water-
motor. Water thus treated will continue to flow into the settling portion of the
tank thereby displacing the purified water previously standing therein and
cause the same to flow into, the storage tank until the level of purified water
therein is raised to the predetermined higher level when the valve, which until
this time will have been left full open, will be automatically closed so as to put
the apparatus out of action until the water level in the storage tank again falls
to the predetermined lower level, when the action will be repeated.
The reagent tank may form a separate compartment of the mixing and settling
tank which is provided with vertical partitions extending alternately from the top
and bottom of the tank but not of the full depth of the tank so as to form a
zig-zag passage through which the mixed impure water and lime water flows
and on the bottom of which the lime is allowed to settle when the water is at
rest. Or the vertical partitions may extend the full depth of the tank and be
perforated alternately at bottom and top commencing from the mixing portion
of the tank. Cocks at the bottom of the tank serve for drawing off the
deposited lime from time to time. In some cases a filter, settling plates or other
known means may be placed in the zig-zag passage for facilitating the clarification
of the water. The elevator may advantageously consist of an endless chain
arranged to work over cbain wheels and provided with inclined buckets or
receptacles adapted to raise lime water from the reagent tank and discharge it
into a vessel or shoot leading to the mixing and settling tank. The water
motor is preferably in the form of a bucket wheel over which the water to be

page_text: treated flows to the mixing tank and which is fixed to the shaft carrying the upper
chain wheel.
The water supply valve comprises a valve proper that is normally held in the
closed position by the pressure of the supply water acting through a bye-pass upon
a piston or diaphragm connected with the valve proper. The bye-pass is controlled
by a supplementary valve connected to a lever and float and controlling passages
leading to the water supply, to a space at one side of the piston or diaphragm and
to exhaust, and formed with a way adapted to connect the said space either with
the water supply or with the exhaust only when the valve has been nearly moved
into one or other of its two extreme positions. In one arrangement the valve
proper is a dise valve closing upon a perforated diaphragm between the inlet and
outlet of the valve case and connected to a piston of larger area by a stem
working fluid tight through a partition. The supplementary valve is a rotary
plug or cylindrical valve controlling the flow of pressure water to and from the
outer end of the cylinder in which the piston works.
Dated this 16th day of March 1896.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.
We, FRANCIS HERBERT TYACKE, of Broad Street House, Old Broad Street,
in the City of London, Civil Engineer, and CHARLES EDWARD GITTINS, of
113 Iverson Road, West Hampstead, 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 :-
This invention has reference to an improved construction and arrangement of
water softening and purifying apparatus that is automatic in its action and which
is specially adapted for laundries and household purposes.
The apparatus comprises a tank to contain the reagent, for example lime water,
used for purifying the impure water to be treated, a mixing and settling tank, a
storage tank for softened and purified water, an elevator adapted to raise reagent
from the reagent tank and discharge it into the mixing and settling tank in suitable
proportion relatively to the water to be treated, a water motor adapted to drive
the elevator or conveyor and itself actuated by the water to be purified, and a
valve arranged on the pipe for supplying the water motor with water, this valve
being automatically controlled by the action of a float located in the storage tank
and being so constructed that it will only open or close a passage for the water
when moved nearly into one or other of its two extreme positions. The arrange-
ment is such that when the surface of the purified water in the storage tank falls
to a predetermined level and not till then, the float will cause the valve to open
and permit the water to be purified-supplied under pressure-to pass to and drive
the water motor and thence flow into the mixing portion of the mixing and settling
tank where it will become mixed with lime water supplied by the elevator or
conveyor which is automatically set in operation by the working of the water-
Water thus treated will continue to flow into the settling portion of the
tank thereby displacing the purified water previously standing therein and cause
the same to flow into the storage tank until the surface of the purified water

page_text: therein is raised to the predetermined higher level when the valve, which
until this time will have been left full open, will be automatically closed so as
to put the apparatus out of action until the surface of the water in the
storage tank again falls to the predetermined lower level, when the action will
be repeated.
The reagent tank may form a separate compartment of the mixing and settling
tank which is provided with vertical partitions extending alternately from the top
and bottom of the tank but not of the full depth of the tank so as to form a
zig-zag passage through which the mixed impure water and lime water flows
and on the bottom of which the lime is allowed to settle when the water is at
rest. Or the vertical partitions may extend the full depth of the tank and be
perforated alternately at bottom and top commencing from the mixing portion
of the tank. Cocks at the bottom of the tank serve for drawing off the deposited
lime from time to time. In some cases a filter, settling plates or other known
means may be placed in the zig-zag passage for facilitating the clarification of
the water. The elevator may advantageously consist of an endless chain arranged
to work over chain wheels and provided with inclined buckets or receptacles
adapted to raise lime water from the reagent tank and discharge it into a
vessel or shoot leading to the mixing and settling tank. The water motor is
preferably in the form of a bucket wheel over which the water to be treated
flows to the mixing tank and which is fixed to the shaft carrying the upper
chain wheel.
The water supply valve comprises a valve proper that is normally held in the
closed position by the pressure of the supply water acting through a bye-pass upon
a piston or diaphragm connected with the valve proper. The bye-pass is controlled
by a supplementary valve connected to a lever and float and controlling passages
leading to the water supply, to a space at one side of the piston or diaphragm and
to exhaust, and formed with a way adapted to connect the said space either with
the water supply or with the exhaust only when the valve has been nearly moved
into one or other of its two extreme positions.
Referring to the accompanying drawings Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are respectively a side
elevation, a plan and an end elevation of water softening and purifying apparatus
according to this invention.
1 is the tank containing the reagent, 2 the mixing and settling tank and 3 the
tank for the treated water. 4 is the bucket elevator comprising an endless chain
working over a pair of chain wheels, the upper one of which is fixed upon the shaft
of an overshot bucket wheel 5 mounted in pedestal bearings 5 carried by the
tank 2. The elevator buckets are set so as to deliver reagent from the tank 1 into
a shoot 8 leading to the tank 2. 6 is the water supply pipe which is provided with
a branch pipe 6 leading to the water wheel 5 and extending over the tank 3, where
it is provided with a float valve 7 adapted to control the passage of water through
the pipe 6. After operating the water wheel 5 the water from the pipe 6* passes
into the tank 2 and is mixed with the reagent delivered by the elevator. The
water supply valve 7 is shown to a larger scale in Fig. 4 which is a central vertical
section. The valve proper is a disc valve 7* closing upon a perforated diaphragm 7°
between the inlet 7° and outlet 7d of the valve case and connected by a stem 7*
working fluid tight through a partition 7' to a piston 7 of larger area than the
valve 7 and fitting a cylinder 7 attached to the valve case. The supplementary
valve 7 is a rotary plug or cylindrical valve controlling the flow of pressure water
to and from the outer end of the cylinder 7 through the bye-pass 7' and exhaust
passage 7. 9 is a tap for the supply of water to the tank 1, which is provided
with an overflow pipe 1. The tank 2 has vertical partitions 2 extending
alternately from its top and bottom, and delivers purified water through the
pipe 2 into the storage tank 3 which is provided with an outlet pipe 3* and
an overflow pipe 3b. Outlet pipes 10 with stop cocks are provided for drawing
off the deposited sludge from the bottom of the tank 1 and from the bottom of
each division of tank 2.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
Apparatus constructed, combined, arranged and operating substantially as
hereinabove described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings
for softening and purifying water.
Dated this 16th day of December 1896.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.