Improvements in and Connected with Feeding and Feed-neating Apparatus of Steam Boilers.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 23rd Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 25th Jan., 1887.
Improvements in and Connected with Feeding and Feed-neating
Apparatus of Steam Boilers.
I, ALEXANDER CARNEGIE KIRK, of the firm of Robert Napier and Sons, Lancefield
House Glasgow in the County of Lanark, North Britain Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this Invention to be as follows, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to feed-heating arrangements of the kind described in the.
Specification of George and James Weir's Patent No. 5012 of 1876; and it has
principally for its object the regulating and controlling of the action of the apparatus
in an improved manner, more especially in cases in which as in some steam ships the
parts of the apparatus have to be some distance apart.
In apparatus of the kind referred to the feed water is heated by a part of the
steam withdrawn from the remainder before the working expansion of the latter is
completed.
In carrying out my Invention the water drawn from the condenser or hotwell is
supplied to the feed heater which feed heater is made large enough to serve as a tank
or reservoir, by a separate steam pump the action of which is controlled by a float in
the feed heater, the pump starting when the float descends below a particular point
and stopping when the float gets up to a particular point. The object is to insure
a supply which will always be sufficient for what is required to feed the boilers; and
in the event of the supply from the condenser not being sufficient the pump will by
means of suitable valve arrangements draw from the sea or other source. The float
may be arranged to act on the steam pump in various ways, the pump being of a kind
which will start of itself on steam being admitted to it. Thus the float may act on
the steam admission valve or it may act on the outlet valve of the pump.
For transferring the feed water from the heater to the boiler another steam pump
is employed similar to the one hereinbefore referred to, and this second pump may be
placed in the stoke hold or otherwise close to the boilers, and it may be connected
to the feed heater by any required length of pipe. The action of this second pump
may be regulated simply by means of the ordinary boiler feed cocks these deter-
mining the extent of effective outlet from the pump and thereby determining the speed
at which the pump works.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.

page_text: Apparatus of Steam Boilers.
I, ALEXANDER CARNEGIE KIRK, of the firm of Robert Napier and Sons, Lancefield
House, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, 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, that
is to say:
My said Invention relates to feed-heating arrangements of the kind described in the
Specification of George and James Weir's Patent No. 5012 of 1876; and it has
principally for its object the regulating and controlling of the action of the apparatus
in an improved manner, more especially in cases in which as in some steam ships the
parts of the apparatus have to be some distance apart; or when the boilers are in a
compartment or compartments difficult of access from the compartment in which the
feed heater is placed.
Apparatus of the kind referred to is applicable to compound engines working with
two or more stages of expansion the feed water being heated in such apparatus by a
part of the steam withdrawn from the remainder before the working expansion of the
latter is completed; and in my improved apparatus the steam for heating the feed
water is similarly derived before reaching the last cylinder from any receiver or
exhaust pipe of the main or other engines of a steam ship.
I hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings to be hereinafter referred to and
showing an arrangement of apparatus which may be used in carrying out my Invention
but which may be modified in different cases.
In carrying out my Invention the water to be heated is led from the condenser or
hotwell of the engines by a pipe, 1, to a tank, 2, from which it passes by a pipe, 3,
to a valve box, 4, and thence by a pipe, 5, to a steampump, 6, supplied with steam by
a pipe, 7. From the pump, 6; the water proceeds by a pipe, 8, to a valve box, 9,
and thence by a pipe, 10, to the top of the feed heater, 11, whilst the steam for
heating the water is led to the feed heater, 11, by a pipe, 12, proceeding from any
intermediate receiver or exhaust pipe of the main or other engines. From the feed
heater, 11, the water proceeds by a pipe, 13, to the valve box, 4, and thence by a pipe, 14,
to a steam pump, 15, which is supplied with steam by a pipe, 16, and which forces
the water through a pipe, 17, to the valve box, 9, and thence by a pipe, 18, into the
boiler or boilers. In the feed heater, 11, there is a float, 19, indicated by dotted lines,
carried by or connected to a spindle passing out through a stuffing box and having
on it a lever, 20, which is connected by a rod, 21, to the lever, 22, of a stop valve on
the pipe, 7, for supplying steam to the pump, 6, which pumps the water into the feed
heater, 11. The action of the pump, 6, is thus controlled by the float, 19, in the feed
heater, 11, the pump starting when the float descends below a particular point and
stopping when the float gets up to a particular point. The object is to insure a
supply of water which will always be sufficient for what is required to feed the boilers.

page_text: The float, 19, in the feed heater, 11, may be arranged to act on the pump, 6, in
various ways the pump being of any suitable one of the various known kinds which
will start of itself from any position of its moving parts. The float may be arranged
to act on the steam-admission valve as described or on a valve on the water dis-
charge pipe, 8.
The pump, 15, for transferring the water from the feed heater, 11, to the boilers,
is similar to the pump, 6, and this second pump, 15, although it may be placed in the
stoke hold or otherwise close to the boilers is by preference placed near and on a
level lower than the feed heater and may be connected to the feed heater, 11, by any
required length of pipe. The action of this second pump, 15, may be regulated simply
by means of the ordinary boiler feed cocks, these determining the extent of effective
outlet from the pump and thereby controlling the speed at which the pump works.
The
The pipes, 7, 16, for supplying steam to the two pumps, 6, 15, are by preference
branches from a single pipe, 23, provided with a valve the lever, 24, of which is
connected by a rod, 25, to a bellcrank lever, 26, which has suspended from it a
float, 27, (indicated by dotted lines) in the hotwell tank, 2. With this arrangement
the steam will be automatically shut off in the event of the tank, 2, becoming nearly
empty and the running-away of the pumps will thereby be prevented. Or the
float, 27, may be arranged to act on a valve on each branch of the steam pipe or on
valves on the water outlets of the pumps so as to effect the same purpose.
suction pipes of the two pumps, 6, 15, are connected to one valve box, 4, which has
also connected to it a pipe, 28, for drawing water from the sea through a stop
valve, 29; and the delivery pipes from the two pumps are connected to another single
valve box, 9, to allow of the pumps and other parts being connected and worked in
various ways when any accident to or derangement of any part, or when any other
circumstance renders it desirable. In each valve box, 4, 9, internal valves are pro-
vided which can be opened and closed or adjusted so as to put any particular inlet
pipe in communication with any particular outlet pipe. Thus when the feed heater, 11,
is not in use either of the pumps, 6, 15, may be employed to pump directly from the
hotwell tank, 2, into the boilers; and in the event of there being a deficiency of water
in the hotwell tank, 2, water can be drawn from the sea through the valve, 29, and
pipe, 28, and either be passed through the feed heater, 11, or be pumped directly into
the boilers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:-
1-The arranging or combining together of the feeding and feed-heating apparatus
of steam boilers substantially in the improved manner hereinbefore described.
2 The providing of feed-heating apparatus of the kind hereinbefore specified with
a float and connections controlling the pump or pumps supplying water to the feed
heater substantially as hereinbefore described.
3-The combining of a feed heater provided with a float and connections controlling
the pump or pumps supplying water to it with a pump or pumps for transferring the
water from the feed heater to the boiler or boilers and operating automatically in
accordance with the adjustment of the boiler feed cock or cocks, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.