CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE SEDIMENT AND SCUM FROM THE INTERIOUR OF STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Knowles, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE SEDIMENT AND SCUM FROM THE
INTERIOUR OF STEAM BOILERS."
Sealed the 21st June 1864, and dated the 23rd December 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Knowles at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
December 1863.
I, JOHN KNOWLES, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS (IN APPARATUS) POR REMOVING THE SEDIMENT AND SCUM FROM THE
INTERIOUR OF STEAM BOILERS," to be as follows:-
My improvement consists, (1,) of angular, semicircular, or round cast or
wrought iron tubes of any length found to be most convenient, and are made
on a graduated scale from the front to the back of the boiler according to the
amount of water each length of tube is required to convey. (2.) These tubes
are then jointed together and placed in a longitudinal position at or near the
bottom in the interior of the boiler. (3.) In or about the centre of these
tubes is a partition for the purpose of forming a double canal, one of which is
for the purpose of communicating with the surface and the other with the
bottom of the water in the boiler, or two single tubes can be used and placed
one above or alongside the other to answer the same purpose. (4.) The

page_text: object of the double canal is for the purpose of preventing the scum that is
being blown through from the surface interfering with the sediment that is
being blown out of the bottom of the boiler at the same time. (5.) The
upper canal communicates with the surface of the water by means of vertical
pipes placed thereon at various distances, and are attached thereto by means
of flanges and bolts. (6.) On the top part of these vertical pipes are placed
transverse tubes, into which are fitted a number of small vertical tubes having
slots in them, which slots have slides for the purpose of rising and falling with
the water by means of air-tight tubes to which these slides are attached, or
they can be attached to any other suitable floating substance. (7.) These
slides are placed a little below the surface of the water, so as to allow the
scum to enter the slots, and be conveyed into the upper canal at the bottom
of the boiler. (8.) The same object can be attained by making a number of
perforations in the transverse tubes, and causing them to move up and down
the vertical pipes by means of air-tight tubes or any other suitable floating
substance. (9.) The bottom canal communicates with the water at the
bottom of the boiler by means of perforations made in the sides or underneath
thereof, the number, distance, shape, and size of these perforations being
regulated to form an equivalent to the outlet or valve. (10.) When this
apparatus is so fitted and set to work, the sediment which has accumulated at
the bottom of the boiler, and the scum which has formed on the surface
of the water will be blown through the perforations and slots the whole
length of the boiler at the same time on the attendant opening the tap or
valve to which this apparatus is attached, and should be blown off at least
twice each day. (11.) The best time for doing this is before the attendant
or fireman breaks up his fire in the morning for getting up steam, and again
before starting the engine after dinner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Knowles in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
KNOWLES, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three; in the-twenty-seventh year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Knowles, Her special license that I, the said John Knowles,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Knowles, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE SEDIMENT AND SCUM FROM THE INTERIORS
OF STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Knowles, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Knowles, 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 and Drawings (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists in adapting to the interiors of steam boilers certain
improvements in apparatus for the purpose of removing (from time to time
as may be required) the impurities or scum from the surface and the sediment
from the bottom of the water in such boilers at the same time or separately,
as the case may be.
And in order that the manner in which my Invention is to be performed
may be more fully understood and readily carried into operation, I will
proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference being made
to figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of an ordinary cylindrical steam boiler;
Fig. 2, 3, and 4 are transverse sections of the same, showing the various
arrangements of double tubes and the various modifications. of floating
skimming apparatus connected therewith.
a, a, Fig. 1, is the supposed water line; b, b, b, is the position of the flues
passing through c, c', c, and d, d¹, d, are the double tubes or canals fixed at
or near the bottom, and can be made either angular, semicircular, or oval, and,
on a graduated scale from front to back of the boiler, as shewn at. Fig. 1.
These tubes or canals when fitted are attached to the opening in the front of
the boiler at F, and communicates with the tap J. The bottom part of these-

page_text: top of the vertical
tubes communicates with the water in the boiler by means of a number of
small openings underneath them, as at 0, 0, 0, 0, and are for the purpose of
draining any sediment (equally the whole length of the boiler) that may have
been precipitated to the bottom during the process of generating steam; these
openings or perforations are made in numbers, size, and distance to be an
equivalent to the outlet or tap J. The object of these tubes being made on a
graduated scale is, that on opening the tap J the sediment will be drawn
simultaneously the whole length, and that the back tubes d' and d will not
fill faster than the tap J can take it away. The upper chamber or canal in
these tubes c, c', c², are for the purpose of communication with and conveying
from the surface of the water any impurity or scum that may have accu-.
mulated thereon during the process of generating steam.
On the upper part
of these tubes are placed vertical pipes e, e¹, e²; on the
pipe e is fixed an oblong cistern or chamber g, being fourteen to sixteen inches
deep and as broad as the boiler will admit, as at g, Fig. 2. In the
front part or side of this cistern is a number of grooves or openings for
the purpose of admitting the water to the interiors of the cistern ready
to be conveyed down the vertical pipe e, with which it communicates to
the chamber or canal c, and ready to be discharged by tap J through
opening F. In front of these grooves or openings is provided a slide or
slides extending the whole length of the cistern g, and is attached to an air-
tight tube or any other floating.substance h; this slide is for the purpose of
preventing the water entering the cistern below the surface, and is kept in its-
position by means of the air-tight tube or any other floating substance to
which it is attached, and on opening the tap J the scum only will be blown
through along with the sediment that may have been precipitated to the
bottom at the same time.
Another mode of skimming the surface of the water in steam boilers is
shewn at the vertical pipe e', Fig. 1; on the top of this vertical pipe e' is
fixed a transverse tube K, into which are fitted or cast a numbers of smaller
vertical tubes L, L, L, L, L. These tubes have small slots in them for the
purpose of admitting the water into the transverse tube K ready to be dis-
charged through the upper chamber or canal C¹; in front of these slots or
grooves is a slide or slides m, and is attached to an air-tight tube n, or any
other floating substance, these slides being placed a little below the surface to
prevent any water entering the tubes through the slots below the surface, and
is kept in its position by means of the air-tight tubes, and as the water line a, a,
rises or falls, the surface will always be properly skimmed.
Another mode or modification of skimming the water in steam boilers by

page_text: means of floating skimmers is shewn at the vertical pipe el, Fig. 1; into this
vertical pipe e¹¹ is fitted a smaller tube p, on the top of which is fixed per-
forated tubes q, q', placed at or near right angles to each other, and supported
on the surface of the water by means of any kind of floating substance found
to be suitable. These perforated pipes or tubes are kept a little below the
surface of the water, so that the scum is drawn through the perforations into
tube P, thence through pipe e¹¹ into chamber c, Fig. 4, and on opening the
tap J is discharged from the boiler along with the sediment that may have
accumulated at the bottom of the boiler through the chamber or canal .d; at
the same time this arrangement of apparatus for keeping the surface clear of
scum and the bottom clear of sediment will require to be attended to at least
twice each day.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my
improvements in apparatus for removing the sediment and scum in steam
boilers, together with the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I
wish it to be particularly understood that I claim as my Invention,-
First, the arrangement and combination of angular, semicircular, and oval
graduated tubes for removing the sediment in steam boilers.
Second, the arrangement, modifications, and combinations of apparatus for
removing the scum from steam boilers by means of floating skimmers, as set
forth and described in and by the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, either in
combination with or separately from the tubes for removing the sediment.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Knowles, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
JOHN BRINSLEY SHERIDAN.
June 18th, 1864.
JOHN KNOWLES. (L.S.)