New or Improved Means or Apparatus for Softening and Filtering Water or other Liquids under Pressure.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 15th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Means or Apparatus for Softening and Filtering
Water or other Liquids under Pressure.
We THE WATER SOFTENING COMPANY Limited of 7 Victoria Street in the City of
Westminster and EDWARD EASTON of 11 Delalay Street in the City of Westminster
Civil Engineer and HENRY CARROD of 81 Chelsham Road South Croydon in the
County of Surrey Draughtsman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be
as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide new or improved means or apparatus by
which water or other liquids under pressure can be softened and filtered with great
facility and in a very perfect manner.
According to this Invention a closed vessel is provided in which is contained the
lime or other reagent to be used for treating the water or other liquid. This vessel is
preferably of a conical form with its smaller end downwards. It is provided at
bottom or at its lower part with an inlet for liquid and at its upper part with an outlet
for the solution or mixture of the re-agent. Below this re-agent vessel is another
vessel in which the liquid to be treated is received from the water main or other
source of supply of liquid under pressure. This same supply pipe has a branch by
which liquid is led into the re-agent vessel to mix with the lime or other re-agent and
the outlet pipe from this reagent vessel leads into the pipe which supplies the second
named vessel so that the re-agent and water or liquid to be treated are supplied
together to this second named vessel, being discharged thereinto preferably at the
lower part and passing off therefrom by an outlet at the upper part and flowing into
the lower part of a third vessel at the upper part of which is a filter of any suitable
material supported between perforated or reticulated plates or asbestos, cloth or other
suitable material. This third vessel has an outlet above the filter. When the apparatus
is in use the liquid under pressure enters the re-agent vessel and mixing with the
reagent therein carries it down and it passes with the liquid to be treated into the
second vessel where some of the matter therein settles out or deposits. The liquid as
it rises in the said vessel passes off by the outlet and the pipe in connection therewith
and enters the lower part of the third vessel where further impurities settle out. The
liquid passes up through the filter in this vessel and as it rises above the filter it flows
away by the outlet and is led to any desired place of storage or utilization. Suitable
means will be provided for clearing out the sludge or deposited matter from the
several vessels for instance there may be used a standpipe to which branch pipes
provided with valves lead from the lower part of each of the vessels.
Dated this 16th day of August 1889
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Means or Apparatus for Softening and Filtering
Water or other Liquids under Pressure.
We THE WATER SOFTENING COMPANY Limited of 7 Victoria Street in the City of
Westminster and EDWARD EASTON of 11 Delahay Street in the City of Westminster
Civil Engineer and HENRY CARROD of 81 Chelsham Road South Croydon in the
County of Surrey Draughtsman 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 :-
The object of this Invention is to provide new or improved means or apparatus by

page_text: which water or other liquids under pressure can be softened and filtered with great
facility and in a very perfect manner.
According to this Invention a closed vessel is provided in which is contained the
lime or other reagent to be used for treating the water or other liquid. This vessel is
provided with an inlet for liquid (from the main or source of supply) and with an
outlet for the solution or mixture of the reagent. In connection with this reagent
vessel is another vessel in which the liquid to be treated is received from the main or
source of supply. The outlet pipe from the reagent vessel leads into the supply pipe
by which the second named vessel is charged so that the reagent and water or liquid
to be treated are supplied together to this second named vessel from which the
mixture passes off into the third vessel in which is a filter of any suitable material
through which the liquid is caused to pass to the outlet. Means are provided for
clearing out the sludge or deposited matter from the several vessels.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood we shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the manner in which the same may be performed
and for that purpose shall refer to the annexed drawings the same letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts in both figures.
Figure 1 is a vertical section and Figure 2 is an elevation of an apparatus
constructed according to this invention.
The lime or other reagent with which the liquid is to be treated is contained in
a closed vessel A preferably of a conical form with its smaller end downwards and
having at its lower part an inlet a for liquid and having at the upper part an
outlet for the solution or mixture of the reagent with the liquid. The vessel A is
arranged on top of another vessel B into which the water or liquid to be treated is
admitted under pressure from the water main or other source of supply by a pipe C
and branch (fitted with a cock or valve c for controlling the supply from the
main to the vessel B when required. A branch pipe D provided with a cock or
valve a² leads from the pipe C to the inlet a of the vessel A, and a branch Ę from
the branch pipe C leads to the outlet b of the said vessel.
The vessel B communicates by a pipe F with another vessel G beneath the
vessel B. The lower part of the vessel is separated from the upper part by a
perforated plate d or its equivalent on which is placed filtering material covered
by a perforated plate e or the like to retain the filtering material in position.
The lime or other reagent is fed into the vessel A from a funnel or hopper H
through the valve h.
When the apparatus is in use the water or liquid from the main or source of
supply passes by the pipe C and branch into the vessel B and also by the
branch D and inlet a into the vessel A and mixing with the reagent therein the
solution or mixture passes out at and by the pipe E into the pipe C² where it
mixes with the water or liquid passing therethrough from the main or source of
supply and the mixture enters the vessel B where some of the matter contained in
the liquid settles out or deposits.
The liquid as it rises in the vessel B passes off by the pipe F which conducts it
into the vessel G where more of the impurities settle out of the liquid. The liquid
passes through the filtering material and then flows from the vessel by the pipe "H³,
for use or to any place of storage.
The cocks cand a² are regulated to give the required proportion of reagent
solution to the water or liquid. They can be used to close communication when
desired or for this purpose a cock may be placed on the pipe C thus not interfering
with the adjustment of the cocks c and a².
I is a stand pipe having branches i provided with cocks or valves for
establishing communication with the lower parts of each of the vessels A B and G
through which cocks branches and pipe water may be caused to flow for the
purpose of cleaning the vessels when required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven
tion and in what manner the same may be performed we wish it to be understood

page_text: that we do not confine ourselves to the precise arrangement hereinbefore described
and illustrated for example instead of arranging the vessels directly over one
another as shown they may be arranged side by side at different elevations, but
what we claim is :-
1. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts constituting an
apparatus for treating water or other liquids under pressure substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for treating water or other liquids under pressure the combination
of a reagent vessel and a settling tank with inlets respectively from the main or
source of supply of the water or liquid and with an outlet from the reagent vessel
leading into the inlet to the settling tank substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 15th day of October 1889.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co
Agents.