Improvements in Heating, Increasing and Purifying Feedwater in Connection with Steam Engines.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 28th June, 1889-Accepted, 31st Aug., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Heating, Increasing and Purifying Feedwater in
Connection with Steam Engines.
I ALEXANDER MAC LAINE of No. 1 Queens Elins Belfast in the County of Antrim
Shipowner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I heat the feedwater of steam engines by introducing into the vaporising
apparatus described in my Patent No. 12556 of 16th September 1887 copper
or other suitable piping arranged in a coil or other suitable shape which piping
I supply with steam of high temperature from any convenient source and I
that the heat from said steam shall assist the heat of the waste gases in the
smoke box uptake or funnel in vaporising the sea or other water in the apparatus and
I may blow steam of high temperature direct into the apparatus and may incorporate
same with the sea or other water therein.
arrange
And I may place the piping as aforesaid in a separate chamber or cistern not
connected with the smoke box uptake or funnel and supply said piping with steam
of high temperature as aforesaid and with the heat derived therefrom vaporise the
sea or other water which, I admit into the chamber or cistern, and I may blow steam
of high temperature direct into the sea or other water in said chamber or cistern, and
I lead the steam produced from said sea or other water in said chamber or cistern by
said heat as aforesaid into a Feedwater Heater constructed substantially as described
in my Patent No. 3701, dated 11th March 1887.
And I may also lead the steam of high temperature as aforesaid from the inside of
said piping into my said Feedwater Heater to assist in heating the foodwater therein
and thus utilize the feedwater for conveying the heat of the steam from both sources
as aforesaid into the main boilers and thereby obtain a most economical result, and I
by preference fit said chamber or cistern with an automatic supply of sea or other
water and also fit it with blow off and other requisite fittings and I do not limit
myself to the precise details as aforesaid and may use any Feedwater Heater in
which the steam for heating the feedwater comes into direct contact with and becomes
incorporated with same.
And I purify the feedwater of steam engine boilers by passing it through a
chamber or vessel constructed by preference of cast iron and placed by preference
inside of the boiler, and in which chamber or vessel, I arrange sheets of zinc between
which the feedwater passes and becomes freed from acid contaminations likely to bo
injurious to the structure of the boiler, and I arrange said chamber or vessel with a
cover suitably placed which cover is made movable so that the sheets of zinc as afore-
said may be removed or renewed as requisite, and I by preference combine said
chamber or vessel with the Internal Boiler Heaters and circulators described in my
Provisional specification No. 5228, 9th April 1888, and I do not limit myself to the
precise details as aforesaid.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Heating, Increasing, and Purifying Feedwater in
Connection with Steam Engines.
1 ALEXANDER MAC LAINE of No. 1 Queens Elms Belfast in the County of Antrim,
Shipowner 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 :-
I heat the feedwater of steam engines by introducing into the vaporising apparatus

page_text: described in my Patent No. 12556 of 16th September 1887 copper or other suitable
piping arranged in a coil or other suitable shape which piping I supply with steam,
by preference of high temperature from any convenient source, and I arrange, that
the heat from said steam shall assist the heat of the waste gases in the smoke box
uptake or funnel in vaporising the sea or other water in the apparatus and I may blow
steam of high temperature, direct into the apparatus and may incorporate same with
the sea or other water therein, and I may place the piping as aforesaid in a
separate chamber or cistern not connected with the smoke box, uptake, or funnel,
and supply said piping with steam of high temperature as aforesaid and with the
heat derived therefrom, vaporise the sea or other water which, I admit into said
chamber or cistern and I may blow steam of high temperature direct into the sea or
other water in said chamber or cistern, and may lead the steam produced from said
sea or other water in said chamber or cistern by said heat as aforesaid into a Feed-
water Heater constructed substantially as described in my Patent No. 3701 dated
11th March 1887, and I may also lead the steam of high temperature as aforesaid
from the inside of said piping into my said Feedwater Heater, to assist in heating
the feedwater therein and thus utilize the feedwater for conveying the heat of the
steam from both sources, as aforesaid into the main Boiler, and thereby obtain a
most economical. result, and I by preference fit said chamber, with an automatic
supply of sea or other water, and also fit it with blow off, and other requisite cocks
and fittings. And I purify the feed water of steam engine boilers, by passing it
through a chamber or vessel constructed by preference of cast iron, and placed by
preference inside of the boiler and in which chamber or vessel, I arrange sheets of
zinc between which the feed water passes and becomes freed from acid contamina-
tions likely to be injurious to the structure of the boiler and I arrange said chamber
or vessel with a cover suitably placed which cover is made removable so that the
sheets of zinc as aforesaid may be removed or renewed as requisite, and I may
combine said chamber or vessel with the Internal Boiler Heaters and Circulators
described in my Provisional specification No. 5228 of 9th April 1888. And in order
that my said Invention may be more fully understood, I shall now proceed to refer
to the drawings upon the sheets hereunto annexed in which the same figures of
reference indicate the same or corresponding parts throughout.
Figs. 1. 2. 3. sheet 1. show the vaporising apparatus described in my Patent
No. 12556 of 16th September 1887. fitted with a coil of copper piping marked a
which I supply with steam of high temperature as aforesaid to assist. the heat of the
waste gases in vaporising the sea or other water in the apparatus, and 1 may make
perforations in the piping in order to blow steam direct into said water and
incorporate it with same.
Figs. 1. sheet 2. is a vertical section of the Feedwater Heater and Air and Oil
Receiver described in my Patent No. 3701 of 11th March 1887, combined with a
seperate chamber or cistern not connected with the smoke box, uptake, or funnel,
and placed by preference in the engine room to receive the sea or other water to be
vaporised as aforesaid and Fig. 1. sheet 3. is a side elevation of same, in which a is
the Feedwater Heater, the Air and Oil Receiver and c the separate chamber or
cistern as aforesaid. In this combined apparatus the steam supply by preference of
high temperature enters the chamber or cistern at 1. passes through the double coils
of copper piping 2. leaving them at 3. and passes down the pipe 4. into the central
steampipe 5. of the Feedwater Heater to be condensed therein as described in my
aforesaid Patent No. 3701 of, 11th March 1887.
The sea or other water to be vaporised enters the chamber or cistern at 6. aided by
an ordinary steam injector 7. and the heat from the steam in double coils of piping 2.
vaporises this water, the steam or vapour from which escapes by the steam collecting
pipe 8. and passes down the pipe 9. into an internal perforated coil pipe 10. through
the perforations of which it passes and becomes condensed in and incorporated with
the feedwater in the Feedwater Heater thereby heating same and also increasing its
volume so as to make up for the steam waste of the engines, 11 is an alternatives pipe
to steam engine surface condenser enabling any superfluous steam to be sent into the

page_text: 15 a
surface condenser, 12 is a movable top, and 13 a movable bottom to the chamber,
and the pipe coils are also made movable, all being fastened with screw bolts, to enable
the apparatus to be easily and readily cleaned, 14 is a brine draw off cock
salinometer cock, 16 a regulating float working a valve on the water supply pipe to
chamber arranged so that when the water rises in the chamber the valve closes, and
when it falls the valve opens, 17 is a gauge glass, to show the height of the water in
the chamber, 18 a safety valve, and 19 a steam pressure gauge.
Figs. 1 & 2. sheet 4. show the Internal Boiler Feedwater Heaters described in my
Provisional Specification and also in the complete specification of my Patent No. 5228
of 9th April 1888, combined with an Internal Boiler Purifying Chamber marked D.
made by preference of cast iron which the feedwater enters at 20. and passes between
the series of zinc plates 21. which attract the oxygen and other injurious elements in
the feedwater purifying same and rendering it non-injurious to the structure of the
boiler, after which it passes through the internal boiler feedwater pipes 22. and is
discharged into the boiler.
And by preference also purify the feed water by constructing the purifying
chamber D with a small air collecting dome on top marked 23. from which I lead
a small air pipe 24 by preference to the hotwell of the steam engine, arranged
so that any deleterious gases in the feedwater will rise into the air collecting
dome and may be permitted to escape into the hotwell regulated by a cock on the
pipe 24.
And I declare that I do not limit myself to the precise details as aforesaid and may
in combination with said Evaporating chamber or cistern use any Feedwater Heater
in which the steam for heating the feedwater comes into direct contact with and
becomes incorporated with same.
And having now described my said Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is,
1st. The addition of piping supplied with steam of high temperature to assist the
heat of the waste gases in vaporising the sea or other water in the vaporising
apparatus of my Patent No. 12556 of 16th September 1887, substantially as described
and shown upon the drawing hereunto annexed.
2nd. The use of a separate vaporising chamber or cistern constructed substantially
as described and shown upon the drawings bereunto annexed.
3rd. The use of said chamber or cistern combined with the use of a Feedwater
Heater as per my Patent No. 3701 of 11th March 1887, substantially as described
and shown upon the drawings hereunto annexed.
4th. The use of said chamber or cistern combined with the use of any Feedwater
Heater in which the steam for heating the feedwater comes into direct contact with
and becomes incorporated with same.
5th. The use of a Feedwater Purifying Chamber or vessel placed inside the boiler
constructed substantially as described and shown upon the drawings hereunto
annexed and,
6th. The use of said purifying chamber or vessel combined with the use of
Internal Boiler Heaters and Circulators as per the Provisional and complete specifi-
cation of my Patent No. 5228 of 9th April 1888, substantially as described and
shown upon the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated 27th June 1889
ALEXANDER MAC LAINE.