Improvements in and Connected with the Feeding, Heating, and Circulating of the Water of Steam Boilers.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in and Connected with the Feeding, Heating, and
Circulating of the Water of Steam Boilers.
I, JOHN GILMOUR of 17 Oswald Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention, to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to and comprises certain improvements in the mode of,
and in the construction, or arrangement and combination of the parts, of apparatus
for or connected with the feeding, and heating of the feed water of steam boilers, and
in the mode and means of circulating the water contained within these boilers, and
specially designed for the main boilers of marine steam engines, but also applicable to
the boilers of land steam engines for the purpose of maintaining a more uniform
temperature of all the water within, and of the shell of these boilers at all parts, which
has the advantage of preventing sudden or irregular expansion and strains in the
boiler shell. These improvements will effect the said combined purposes in a more
simple and direct manner and give the boilers increased steam power with less
consumption of fuel than has been done by the appliances heretofore used.
The nature and novelty of the invention or improvements consist all as follows:-
In feeding the water into the boiler,-whether by the feed pumps of the main engine
other-
or that of the donkey engines from the hot well, condenser, or from the sea or
wise, oll through a special construction of heating vessel and connections placed and
fitted within the steam space of the boiler and as high above the level of the water
therein as possible; and further in directing the current of feed water from the said
vessel as it is heated into the open or wide entrance bench, (where the steam meets it)
down a central pipe leading to the lowest parts of the boiler, where it is distributed to
heat and cause a circulation of the water at the lowest motionless part of the boiler.
Under one arrangement I lead the feed water from the pumps on main engine by a
pipe fitted with a stop valve before entering the boiler, and led up and connected to a
short chest or chamber with a perforated bottom bolted to the inner surface of the top
From the
of the boiler, preferably, at the centre, high up within the steam space.
lower flange of this chamber a short wide central branch or contracting nozzle would

page_text: project and gather all the feed water from the perforated bottom, and lead it into the
annular nozzle or funnel branch of an inverted conoidal or tapering pipe or combining
chamber, some distance above the water level and jointed. to the upper end of a
vertical pipe projecting down to the bottom of the boiler, and having its lower end
jointed to the centre of a horizontal distributing pipe. This horizontal pipe would
extend on each side towards both ends of the boiler, and be formed with a number of
openings or nozzles at intervals along its length to eject and distribute the heated
water at this lowest and coldest part of the boiler as will be hereinafter described. Tho
combining chamber round the lower branch or nozzle of the feed chest in the steam
space of the boiler would be open at the top or have openings all round it and tho
live steam of the boiler would enter this chamber and mix with the water passing from
the feed pumps and chamber above, and heat the water while passing downwards
through the vertical pipe so that when it reached the lower end it would be delivered
through the openings in the horizontal pipe at the same temperature as the steam, and
thus heat and cause the water at the bottom of boiler to be circulated, at its coldest
and motionless part, and a uniform temperature to be maintained throughout the
boiler. In starting to raise steam in the boilers of the main engines, the donkey
boiler and engine would be first started; and the donkey pump set on to draw water
from the low blow off pipe of the main boiler and force it in by the feed pipe leading
into the feed water heating and circulating vessel fitted in the steam space of the
boiler, and a small steam pipe from the donkey boiler, fitted with cock, and led to the
upper part of the said feed water vessel of the main boiler, would be set on, so that
the donkey engine would keep up the circulation of the water in the main boiler while
the steam was being got up in it, thus gradually raising the temperature of the whole
water, and all parts of the boiler itself from its cold state to the temperature due to
the pressure of steam within the boiler as soon as the steam was got up in the main
boiler, this would heat the water in circulating and allow the cock of the steam pipe
from the donkey boiler to be shut off. For the proper working and discharge of the
water from the feed chest within the boiler a small air escape pipe is led from the
upper part of the feed water chamber at centre of upper surface of boiler to the side
of boiler, where a regulating stop valve is fitted, and from this a pipe is led to the hot
well to convey all air extracted from the top of foed and mixing chambers and any
steam that may pass off with the air.
Instead of leading the feed water to a small close steam mixing chamber in the
centro of the upper part of 'the steam space of the main boiler as described, it may by
another arrangement be led into the one end preferably the back end of a hori
zontal duplex open feed box extending from the back to the front end of the
upper part of the steam space of main boiler, preferably fitted with vertical
projecting transverse vanes at intervals along its length, to the front end where
the water falls down and returns through the lower division, to the back end of
the boiler and down through a pipe leading to the distributing pipe in the lower
part of the boiler below the fire-box flue where it is delivered and circulated.
this way the steam enters and heats the water in its passage through the two
upper open troughs in the steam space, and passes down with the feed water through
the vertical pipe and delivers the feed water in a heated state to the horizontal
distributing pipe to act as in the former arrangement.
Dated this 14th day of March 1888.
•
In

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with the Feeding, Heating, and
Circulating of the Water of Steam Boilers.
1, JOHN GILMOUR, of 17 Oswald Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings and
to the letters and figures marked thereon that is to say:-.
My Invention has reference to and comprises certain improvements in the mode
of, and in the construction, or arrangement and combination of the parts, of.
apparatus for, and connected with, the feeding, and heating of the feed water of
steam boilers, and in the mode and means of circulating the water contained
within these boilers and specially designed for the main boilers of marine steam
engines, but also applicable to the boilers of land steam engines, for the purpose
of maintaining a more uniform temperature of all the water within, and of the
shells of these boilers at all parts, which has the advantage of preventing sudden
or irregular expansion and strains in the boiler shell. These improvements will
effect the said combined purposes in a more simple and direct manner and give
the boilers increased steam power with less consumption of fuel than has been done
by the appliances heretofore used.
The nature and novelty of the invention or improvements consist all as follows:-
In feeding the water into the boiler, whether by the feed pumps of the main
engine, or that of the donkey engines, from the hot well, condenser, or from the
sea or otherwise, all through a special construction of heating vessel and connections
placed and fitted within the steam space of the boiler, and as high above the level
of the water therein as possible; and further in directing the current of feed water.
from the said vessel, as it is heated, into the open or wide entrance branch, (where the
steam meets it) down a central pipe leading to the lowest parts of the boiler, where
it is distributed to heat and cause a circulation of the water at the lowest motionless
part of the boiler, and thus distribute or equalize the temperature of the water in
the whole boiler.
•
And in order that my said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended an explanatory Sheet of Drawings, in which the same reference letters are
used to indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures where shown. Figures 1 and 2
are a front end view partly in section and a longitudinal section respectively of
the front part of a marine steam boiler as fitted with one arrangement of my new
or improved apparatus or appliances for feeding, heating, and circulating the water.
And Figures 3 and 4 are side and edge views respectively, the former in section of
the new water feeding-in, and steam mixing and heating chamber, to a larger scalo
than shown in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of the upper steam
space of a boiler as fitted with another arrangement of iny new or improved water
feeding in and steam heating and mixing box or chamber.

page_text: Referring to these Drawings,-under the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 4,
I lead the feed water from the pumps on main engine by a pipe A fitted with a
stop valve and chest A' before entering the boiler B, and led up and connected to the
upper end of a short water feeding-in chest or chamber C placed as high as possible
above the water level, the said pipe A being formed with a rose or perforated end A²
inside the chest C, which is placed preferably at the centre, high up within the steam
space
B₁ of the boiler B and secured to the upper shell of the boiler at B. From
the lower central part of this chamber a short wide central trumpet shaped branch D
would project some distance above the lower end of the chamber C to the water level
and gather all the feed water coming from the perforated end A2 of the pipe A and
lead it into this upper end D of the vertical pipe D jointed to it at D" and continued
down to the lower water space B2 of the boiler, under the fire flues indicated by dotted
lines at B3, B4, and having its lower end jointed to the centre of a horizontal
distributing pipe D². This horizontal pipe D extends on each side towards both ends
of the boiler B, and is formed with a number of lateral branches or openings D³ on
its under side, at intervals along its length, to inject and distribute the heated water at
this lowest and coldest part of the boiler as will hereinafter be described, and all as
indicated by the arrows. The combining chamber Cround the inlet perforated branch
or nozzle A² of the feed pipe A at the steam space of the boiler has a steam inlet
chamber c preferably fitted with a valve c through which the live steam of the
boiler B B would enter this chamber C, or this chamber C might be open at top or
have openings formed round it, through which the steam would enter, and mix with
the shower of feed water passing from the feed pumps through the pipe A, and rose A²,
and heat the water while passing in a divided manner downwards through the vertical
pipe D D', so that when it reached the lower end of this pipe D' it will be delivered
through the openings D³, in the horizontal pipe D2 at the same or nearly the same
temperature as the steam, and thus heat and cause the water at the bottom B³ of the
boiler B to bo circulated, at its coldest and motionless part up between the furnace
flues, and through between the heating tubes B to the top B¹, and a uniform
temperature to be maintained throughout the boiler. In starting to raise steam in the
boilers of the main engines, the donkey boiler and engine would be first started and
the donkey pumps set on to draw water from the low blow off pipe, or from a special
branch and valve chest E, E', E2, from above the furnaces (shown in Figure 1);
of the main boiler and force it in by the feed pipo A, A², leading into the feed water
heating and circulating vessel C fitted in the steam space B' of the boiler B.
While
a small steam pipe not shown in the Drawings, would be led from the donkey boiler
to the upper part of the said feed water vessel C of the main boiler and would be set
on by an opening and closing valve fitted on it, so that the donkey engine would keep
up the circulation of the water in the main boiler while the steam was being got up
in it, thus gradually raising the temperature of the whole water, and all parts of the
boiler itself from its cold state to the boiling temperature, and to the temperature due
to the pressure of steam within the boiler, and allow the cock of the steam pipe from
the donkey boiler to be shut off, when the main feed may then be set on, and the
regular circulation of the water go on as before described. For the proper working
and discharge of the water from the feed chest C within the boiler B, a small air
escape pipe a is led from the upper part of the feed water chamber at centre of
upper surface of boiler B to the end of the boiler, where a regulating stop valve a' is
fitted, and from this a pipe is led to the hot well to convey all air extracted from the
top of feed and mixing chamber C, and any steam that may pass off with the air.
And a pipe b would be led from the lower water space of the mixing chamber C to
draw off any sediment that may collect in this chamber C by turning on the hand
tap fitted on this pipe 6 outside the boiler B.
Referring to Figure 5-Instead of leading the feed water from the pipe A
and valve A into the small close steam mixing chamber C in the centre of
the upper part of the steam space B₁ of the main boiler B as described, it may by
another arrangement be led from the pipe inside the steam space of the boiler to
the one end, preferably the back end, of a horizontal duplex or double-shelved open

page_text: feed box F, F¹, made in sections jointed at F", and extending from the back
to the front end of the upper part of the steam space B₁ high up above the
water level of the main boiler B, preferably fitted with vertical projecting transverse
vanesat intervals along its length, to the front end where the water falls down and
returns through the lower division F, to the back end of the boiler and down through
the pipe D leading to the distributing pipe D in the lower part of the boiler below
the fire-box flues B3, B4, where it is delivered and circulated, all substantially as
in the former arrangement. In this way the steam enters and heats the water in
its passage through the two upper open troughs F, F, in the steam space B¹, and
the water passes down through the vertical pipe D'D', and is delivered in a heated
state to the horizontal distributing pipe D³, D³, to act all as described in reference
to the former arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said
my
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I, declare that what I
claim is :-
°
First. The construction, or arrangement and combination of the parts of apparatus
or appliances for feeding, heating, and circulating the water in steam boilers,
substantially as and for the advantages herein described, in reference to and shown
in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. In steam boilers, the fitting of a steam and water mixing chest or
chamber in the steam space above the water level, connected to a vertical pipe,
leading to a horizontal distributing pipe in the lower part of boiler, to feed, heat
and circulate the water through the boiler, substantially as and for the advantages
herein described, and distinguished in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.
Third. In steam boilers, the fitting of a horizontal duplex or double-shelved open
box with vertical transverse projecting vanes, in the steam space above the water
level, connected to a vertical pipe, leading to a horizontal distributing pipe in the
lower part of boiler, to feed, heat, and circulate the water, substantially as herein
described and distinguished in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.
Fourth. In steam boilers, the circulating of the water in the main boilers before
steam is raised in them, by a donkey feed pump from a lower part of the boiler
through the steam heating and mixing chamber placed in the steam space of the boiler
above the water level, substantially as herein described, in reference to and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.