Improvements in Automatic Feed Water Regulating Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application. 23rd Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Aug., 1898-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Feed Water Regulating Apparatus.
I, RESTEL RATSEY BEVIS, of Manor Hill, Birkenhead, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
My said invention has for its object the automatic regulation of the admission
of the feed water to steam generators so as to maintain a sufficiently constant water
level within the same: for, as the engines or motors supplied with steam from said
generators run at varying velocities, so will the supply of feed water required by
them vary in quantity, and its admission to the generator will be regulated by the
aforesaid apparatus to the quantity required, further as two or more generators
receive their supply of feed water from one feed pump, it commonly happeus that
with hand adjustment one of the generators may receive more than its proper
supply of the feed water, thereby unduly, and often dangerously lowering the
water level in the others, the application of my apparatus to each boiler will
automatically check, or shut off the feed water supply in any individual generator
when the proper water level is reached, and increase the supply to those which are
deficient, and so maintain an uniform water level in each generator.
In carrying out my invention I construct a valve chest made of gun metal, or
other suitable metal, of a cylindrical form having an annular or partly annular
space surrounding a cylindrical seat, perforated with a suitable number of openings,
of the proper area for the passage of the feed water, said seat is truly bored out,
and scraped to fit a plug mandril while the valve which works within it is turned
to fit the hollow mandril which fits the plug mandril, and is then scraped and
ground a working fit into the seat. The said valve is of the form known as a
hollow cylindrical piston valve, and I form in, or perforate through its shell, a
similar number of openings to those in the seat, so that when the openings in the
valve come opposite to those in the seat they will coincide with each other, and be
of the same area, and this position of the valve with regard to the seat, will be
known as the full open position.
To this valve chest opposite its annular or partly annular space, I attach the
customary feed check valve, either by casting them together in one casting, or by
bolting it thereto, or it may be placed at a distance therefrom with a pipe
connecting them together to the underside of this feed check valve is led the
feed discharge pipe from the pumps, and the water from the pump flows through
the check valve, into the aunular, or partly annular space surrounding the
perforated seat, thence through the openings of the seat and valve and into the
generator.
I attach the aforesaid valve chest to the end of the steam receiver of the
generator preferably below the water level, and I prefer to fit where it is
practicable an internal pipe inside the generator to lead the feed water to a position
where it must always be delivered below the water level which may be in said
generator.
Further I may as in the case of water tube generators of the Normand or other
similar types lead the feed water by internal pipes to the downcast tubes of such
generators to materially assist the circulation of the water through them.
I attach or bolt the aforesaid hollow piston valve to the end of a spindle or rod,
the other end of which passes inside the steam receiver, and is attached to the

page_text: short arm of a bell crank, I fit this bell crank with a float, it has also an arm with
balance weights to adjust the action of the float, so that it may freely rise and fall
with the water in the steam receiver, and have power enough to move the hollow
piston valve in its seat, to, or from, its full shut, or full open position, and thus in
an automatic manner regulate the supply of the feed water to the generator.
I also construct at the end of the regulating valve chest (away from the
generator) a door for the purpose of examining or removing the hollow piston
valve when necessary without requiring to go inside the boiler, I construct this
door with a projecting dome having a stuffing box in its crown, into which I fit a
spindle with a slotted end in the inside, which engages with a collar upon the end
of the rod of the hollow piston valve; upon the outside of the said dome beyond
the stuffing box I fulcrum a lever to which the aforesaid spindle is attached, and
by the lever is moved through the distance of its slotted end, until it comes in
contact with the collar upon the projecting end of the piston valve rod and further
pushes or pulls said valve backwards or forwards, or will leave or hold it, in the
full open position, should anything go wrong with the bell crank and its attachments
and it is also made to indicate by a pointer on the end of the lever placed opposite
a dial plate, the position in which the openings in the valve may be, with regard to
the openings in the seat.
In combination with the foregoing automatic feed regulating apparatus, I may
preferably fit a steam valve of suitable description upon the top, or other suitable
place of the steam receiver, to be opened and shut automatically by a rod or
spindle connecting said valve with the bell crank of the aforesaid apparatus, for
the object of admitting steam to drive an auxiliary pump or its equivalent when
by reason of leakage or other causes, the total quantity of water in the generator,
or group of generators may be lower than the lowest level at which the aforesaid
apparatus will work, and so pump additional water into said generator or generators,
from the reserve feed water tank, to make up for any loss of water due to
aforesaid causes.
I prefer by a suitable arrangement of feed check valves, to make this extra feed
water supply to pass through the aforesaid feed regulating valve or valves, so that
the generator or generators, which has or have the lowest water level may receive
the first supply.
In combination with the aforesaid automatic feed water regulating apparatus,
I also preferably fit a bye pass valve upon the feed pump which supplies the
generator or generators with feed water, with the objects of enabling said feed
pump to keep moving slowly, and to prevent any great excess of pressure in the
feed water discharge pipes, when by reason of the generator or generators being
so full as to close the regulating valve of the aforesaid apparatus against the
admission of additional water to them.
Dated this 22nd day of Novemba 1905
I, RESTEL RATSEY BEVIS of Manor Hill Birkenhead in the County of
Chester 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 :-
My said invention has for its object the automatic regulation of the admission
of the feed water to steam generators so as to maintain a sufficiently constant
water level within the same: for, as the engines or motors supplied with steam
from said generators run at varying velocities, so will the supply of feed water

page_text: required by them vary in quantity, and its admission to the generator will be
regulated by the aforesaid apparatus to the quantity required, further as two or
more generators receive their supply of feed water from one feed pump, it
commonly happens that with hand adjustment one of the generators may receive
more than its proper supply of the feed water, thereby unduly, and often
dangerously lowering the water level in the others; the application of my
apparatus to each boiler will automatically check, or shut off the feed water
supply in any individual generator when the proper water level is reached, and
increase the supply to those which are deficient, and so maintain a uniform water
level in each generator.
In carrying out my invention I construct a valve chest made of gun metal, or
other suitable metal of a cylindrical form having an aunular (or partly annular)
space surrounding a cylindrical seat perforated with a suitable number of openings
of the proper area for the passage of the feed water, said seat is truly bored out,
(and scraped) to fit a plug mandril while the valve which works within it is turned
to fit the hollow mandril which fits the plug mandril and is then scraped (and
ground) a working fit into the seat. The said valve is of the form known as a
hollow cylindrical piston valve and I form in or perforate through its shell, a
similar number of openings to those in the seat so that when the openings in the
valve come opposite to those in the seat they will coincide with each other and
be of the same area and this position of the valve with regard to the seat, will be
known as the full open position.
To this valve chest opposite its annular or partly annular space, I attach the
customary feed check valve, either by casting them together in one casting, or by
bolting it thereto, or it may be placed at a distance therefrom with a pipe
connecting them together: to the underside of this feed check valve is led the
feed water discharge pipe, from the pump and the water from the pump flows
through the check valve, into the annular, (or partly annular), space surrounding
the perforated seat, thence through the openings of the seat and valve and into the
generator.
I attach the aforesaid valve chest to the end of the steam receiver of the
generator preferably below the water level and I prefer to fit where it is
practicable an internal pipe inside the generator to lead the feed water to a
position where it must always be delivered below the water level which may be in
said generator.
Further I may as in the case of water tube generators of the Normand or other
similar types lead the feed water by internal pipes to the downcast tubes of such
generators to materially assist the circulation of the water through them.
I attach or bolt the aforesaid hollow piston valve to the end of a spindle or
rod, the other end of which passes inside the steam receiver, and is attached to
the short arm of a bell crank. To the long arm of this bell crank I fit a float.
The aforesaid crank has also an arm or arms to receive balance weights, opposite
to the arm to which the float is fitted to adjust the action of the float, so that
it may freely rise and fall with the water in the steam receiver, and have power
enough to move the hollow piston valve in its seat, to, or from, its full shut, or
full open position, and thus in an automatic manner regulate the supply of the
feed water to the generator.
I also construct at the end of the regulating valve chest (away from the
generator) a door for the purpose of examining or removing the hollow piston
valve when necessary without requiring to go inside the boiler, I construct this
door with a projecting dome having a stuffing box in its crown, into which I fit
a spindle with a slotted end in the inside which engages with a collar upon the
end of the rod of the hollow piston valve; upon the outside of the said dome
beyond the stuffing box I fulcrum a lever to which the aforesaid spindle is
attached, and by the lever is moved through the distance of its slotted end until
it comes in contact with the collar upon the projecting end of the piston valve
rod and further pushes or pulls said valve rod backwards or forwards, or will

page_text: leave or hold it, in the full open position, should anything go wrong with the bell
crank and its attachments and it is also made to indicate by a pointer on the end of
the lever placed opposite a dial plate the position in which the openings in the
valve may be with regard to the openings in the seat.
In combination with the foregoing automatic feed regulating apparatus, [ may
preferably fit a steam valve of suitable description upon the top, or other suitable
place of the steam receiver, to be opened and shut automatically by a rod or
spindle connecting said valve with the bell crank of the aforesaid apparatus for
the object of admitting steam to drive an auxiliary pump or its equivalent when by
reason of leakage or other causes, the total quantity of water in the generator,
or group of generators may be lower than the lowest level at which the aforesaid
apparatus will work, and so pump additional water into said generator or generators,
from the reserve feed water tank, to make up for any loss of water due to aforesaid
causes.
I prefer by a suitable arrangement of check valves, to make this extra feed
water supply to pass through the aforesaid regulating valve or valves, so that the
generator or generators which has or have the lowest water level may receive the
first supply.
In combination with the aforesaid automatic feed water regulating apparatus,
I also preferably fit a bye pass cock or valve upon the feed pump which supplies
the generator or generators with feed water, with the objects of enabling said
feed-pump to keep moving slowly, and to prevent any great excess of pressure
in the feed water discharge pipes, when by reason of the generator or generators
being so full as to close the regulating valve or valves of the aforesaid apparatus
again-t the admission of additional water to it or them.
Having now generally described my improvements in automatic feed water
regulating apparatus I now will particularly describe them with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Sheet 1 Figure 1 is a half front elevation and a half cross section of a water
tube steam generator of the Normond type, in which A. A is the steam reservoir
B B the down cast tubes, CC the steam generating tubes and D D the lower
water reservoirs.
The half front elevation shows the arrangement of the feed pump E, with the
feed water suction, and discharge pipes F and G, the latter G, led up to the feed
check valve H which in this case is formed in one casting with the chest J which
contains the feed water regulating valve, and is bolted to the front of the upper
steam reservoir below the water level K K in the manner shown.
Also is the bye-pass cock or valve fixed on the discharge nozzle of the pump,
and 2, the pipe from said cock or valve leading the escaping water back to the
suction pipe F.
The half cross section shows within the upper steam reservoir A. A, the float L,
the bell crank arm M, the balance weight N; the fulcrum bracket O bolted to
the bottom of the reservoir; dash plate P to prevent the rush of water and steam
from the steam generating tubes CC from disturbing the action of float L.
Sheet 2-Figure 2, is a longitudinal section of the "Normond" type of water
tube steam generators, in which as in Sheet 1, Figure 1 A. A is the steam reservoir,
B B the down cast tubes; C, C the steam generating tubes; and DD the lower
water reservoirs.
In the steam reservoir A A, below the water line K K, is shown the arrangement
of my automatic feed water regulating apparatus, consisting of float L, half
immersed in the water of the reservoir, and fitted to the long arm of the bell
crank M. Balance weights N fitted and cottered to the arms of the bell crank M
which are on the opposite side of the fulcrum to the arms on which the float is
fitted. Fulcrum bracket which is bolted to the bottom of the said steam
reservoir to prevent any shifting of the apparatus due to the motion of the ship, or
to any other cause, in this bracket O, are fixed the fulcrum pins on which the bell
crank swings.

page_text: Dash plates P P. stop bracket Q, to prevent the float from going lower than is
necessary for a sufficient opening of the ports in the valve with respect to those in
its seat. Spindle or rod R which connects the short arm of the bell crank M with
the feed regulating valve S, and as I preferably make the ratio between the long
and short arm of the bell crank 10: 1 it follows that when the valve moves through
the width of its port, and if that width be 3 ins., the float will move 32 ins. :
therefore that space is the distance between the lowest and highest water level in
the generator with a port opening of 3 in.: but the port opening may be made
more or less than 3 ins. as circumstances may require. 3. 3' are the internal pipes
by which I lead the feed water after it has been discharged from the feed pump,
and passed through the feed water regulating valve, to the down cast tubes B B,
to promote a more rapid circulation of the water through the generator. On the
left of the Figure 2 is shown in elevation the feed pump E, F is the feed water
suction pipe from the hot well or feed tank, and G, the feed water discharge pipe
led up, and bolted to the flange of the check valve H, while G' is a branch leading
to another, or other generators which receive their supply of feed water from the
same feed pump. In this view is also shown the byepass cock or valve I, and the
byepass pipe 2, as previously described.
Sheet 3-Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged views of the feed water regulating valve
and chest complete, and also of the feed check valve.
Figure 3, is a longitudinal section through the feed water regulating valve
chest J, showing the flange by which it is bolted to the end of the steam
reservoir A. A, and also shows the end of the spindle or rod R, connected to the
valve S, the other end of the said spindle being connected to the short arm of the
bell crank. In the view W is the valve seat. X are the ports or openings
passing through the valve and seat, and which are of an area suitable to the power
developed in the generator. Y is the annular space surrounding the seat W, into
which the feed water is discharged, after passing the feed check valve, T is the
indicating spindle with slotted end, which passes through, and works in stuffing
box in the end of door Z, and engages with lever U. Lever U is fulerumed on a
bracket cast upon door Z, and by means of the spindle T it pushes backward or
pulls forward the valve S in its seat W and moves the float gear also, with the
object of ascertaining if they are working freely, also the fulcrum end of said
lever is fitted with an indicating finger, and the fulcrum bracket with a dial
plate V, on which are lines marked OPEN and SHUT, the space between the
lines being equal to the width of the port, and when the ports of the valve and its
seat coincide, or are in the full open position, the indicating finger on the end of
the lever will be on the line marked OPEN, at the centre of the dial, and if the
lever he moved through the length of the slot in spindle T, without moving
valve S, the finger will be on the line marked OPEN at the side of the dial, and
if by an increase of the water in the generator the float be raised, and the
valve S be moved in its seat W, until the ports_be closed then if the lever he
moved until the inner end of the slot in spindle come in contact with the collar
on spindle R, the indicating finger on the lever will be on the line marked SHUT
on the inside of the dial V, and if said lever be moved in the opposite direction
until the outer end of the slot in spindle T come in contact with the outside_side
of a collar on spindle R, the finger on the lever will be on the line marked SHUT
beyond the centre of the dial V, and thus the one forms a check on the other and
any intermediate position of the valve S with respect to its seat W will be shown
by the finger on the dial V.
The telescopic link (4) connecting the lever to the chest J, is to keep the slotted
end of the spindle T in its proper position with relation to the collar on rod R, so
that the valve S may be moved by the action of the water in the reservoir upon
the float L from the open to the shut position, without coming in contact with the
ends of the slot in spindle T. The feed check valve H is shown partly full and
partly dotted behind feed regulating valve chest J.
Figure 4 shows an end elevation of the feed regulating valve chest J. with the

page_text: feed check valve chest H formed in one casting with it, but it is evident that the
two chests could be made separate and bolted together with flanges or they
could be kept at some distance apart and connected together by a pipe, if
necessary.
Sheet 4 Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional plan of the steam reservoir of the
generator, and Sheet 5 Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the same
reservoir, the former shows in plan and the latter in elevation, the arrangement of
my automatic feed water regulating apparatus as I carry it out in practice, and as
the same letters and figures refer to the same thing through all the drawings, the
description of the apparatus given in Sheet 2, Figure 2, is applicable to Sheets 4
and 5, only Sheet 4 Figure 5 shows more clearly the internal pipes 3 31 by which
I lead the feed water discharged from the feed pump after it has passed through
the feed water regulating valve to the downcast tubes B B to promote a more
rapid circulation of the water through the steam generator and Sheet 5, Figure 6,
shows the float L resting on the stop bracket Q, at the full open position, and is
shown in dotted lines at the shut position.
Sheet 6 Figure 7 is an end elevation of the steam reservoir A of the generator,
showing the feed water regulating valve chest J, with feed check valve H attached
bolted to the end of the reservoir, and a part of the feed discharge pipe G, and the
internal pipes 3 31 for directing the inflowing feed water to the down cast tubes BB
to promote circulation dotted.
Figure 8 is a section of said reservoir A showing a part of the steam generating
pipes C, C, leading into the reservoir, and the float L, protected by the dash
plates PP, from the inrush of water and steam out of the said generating
pipes C. C. also M is the bell crank arm, O. the fulcrum bracket, and Q the stop
bracket.
The arrangement by which I admit steam to an auxiliary feed pump, to pump
reserve water into the generators, in case the water becomes lower than the
lowest at which my automatic feed regulating apparatus will work, does not require
to be illustrated by drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention with reference to the accompanying drawings I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination of the float the bell crank lever, the valve rod and valve
substantially as described.
2. The combination of a number of generators, a feed pump and automatically
operated feed water admission valves substantially as described.
of the drawings.
3. The valve substantially as described and shown on Sheet
4. Automatic feed water regulating apparatus substantially as described and
shown in the drawings.
5. The combination with the subject matter of the preceding claims of an
auxiliary pump, substantially as described.
Dated the 31st day of July 1896.