IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Maitland, of Alloa, in the County of
Clackmannan, North Britain, Brewer, and William Gorrie, of
Rosemains, Cranston, in the County of Midlothian, North Britain,
Factor, for the. Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
HEATING WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS."
Sealed the 1st February 1854, and dated the 24th September 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Maitland
and William Gorrie at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 24th September 1858.
We, CHARLES MAITLAND, of Alloa, in the County of Clackmannan,
North Britain, Brewer, and WILLIAM GORRIE, of Rosemains, Cranston,
in the County of Midlothian, North Britain, Factor, do hereby declare
the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
HEATING WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS" to be as follows :-
This Invention relates to the heating of large quantities of water by
steam for manufacturing as well as for horticultural and other purposes,
the object being to expose a very large liquid surface to the direct
action of the steam. To this effect the vessel in which the operation is
carried on is divided horizontally by a number of perforated plates or

page_text: discs, to which are fitted numerous small tubes rising a short distance
above the surface of the plates. The steam, which enters by a pipe at
the bottom of the vessel, ascends through these tubes, whilst the water,
which is introduced by a pipe at the top of the vessel, descends from
plate to plate by means of dripping pipes, the upper edges of which
are a short distance above the plate, whilst their lower extremities dip
into cups upon the plate below, these cups preventing the ascent of the
steam through the dripping pipes. The dripping pipes and cups are
placed alternately at each end of the plates, so that the water has to
traverse the whole length of a plate before it can find its way to the
plate below. The dripping pipes and cups may be dispensed with, and
the water allowed to descend through openings where the pipes would
be, if used; it is, however, preferred to have the pipes and cups. By
these means an immense liquid surface is exposed to the direct action
of the steam, whilst the currents of water and steam do not interfere
with each other, and all regurgitation and noise is avoided. The
steam in its ascent becomes condensed and mingles with the water,
which passes off in a heated state by a siphon or weighted valve at the
bottom of the vessel. Pipes are provided communicating with the
under sides of the plates to allow the air to pass off and give place to
the steam. This system of heating is chiefly intended for and applica-
ble to heating large quantities of water for breweries and distilleries,
baths and washing establishments, and to horticultural purposes, as
the water is rendered much softer than that heated by ordinary
methods, whilst much less fuel is required to raise the water to a
given temperature.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent;
filed by the said Charles Maitland and William Gorrie in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 24th March 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, s
CHARLES MAITLAND, of Alloa, in the County of Clackmannan, North
Britain, Brewer, and WILLIAM GORRIE, of Rosemains, Cranston, in the
County of Midlothian, North Britain, Factor, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Charles Maitland and William
Gorrie, Her special licence that we, the said Charles Maitland and
William Gorrie, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the Charles Maitland and William Gorrie, our ex-
ecutors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said Charles Maitland and
William Gorrie, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly de-
scribe 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 we, the said Charles Maitland and William
Gorrie, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say:
Our said Invention relates to the heating of large quantities of water
by steam for manufacturing as well as for horticultural and other pur-
poses, the object being to expose a very large extent of liquid surface to
the direct action of the steam. To this effect the vessel in which the
operation is carried on is divided horizontally by a number of perforated
plates or discs, to which are fitted numerous small tubes rising a short
distance above the surface of the plates. The steam, which enters by
a pipe at the bottom of the vessel, ascends through these tubes;

page_text: whilst the water, which is introduced by a pipe at the top of the vessel,
descends from plate to plate by means of dripping pipes, the upper
edges of which are a short distance above the plate, whilst their lower:
extremities dip into cups upon the plate below, these cups preventing.
the ascent of the steam through the dripping pipes. The dripping
pipes and cups are placed alternately at each end of the plates, so that
the water has to traverse the whole length of a plate before it can find
its way to the plate below. The dripping pipes and cups may be,
dispensed with, and the water allowed to descend through openings,
where the pipes would be if pipes were used; it is, however, preferred
to have the pipes and cups in such apparatus. By these means an
immense liquid surface is exposed to the direct action of the steam,
whilst the currents of water and steam do not interfere with each other;
and all regurgitation and noise is avoided. The steam in its ascent
becomes condensed, and mingles with the water, which passes off in a
heated state by a siphon or weighted valve at the bottom of the vessel.
Pipes are provided communicating with the under sides of the plates.
to allow the air to pass off and give place to the steam.
This system
of heating is chiefly intended for and applicable to heating large
quantities of water for breweries and distilleries, baths and washing
establishments, and to horticultural purposes, as the water is rendered
much softer than that heated by ordinary modes, whilst much less
fuel is required to raise the water to a given temperature.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood
we shall now proceed to describe the several Figures on the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto attached, and illustrating one mode of carrying out
our said Invention. Figure 1, on the Sheet of Drawings is a vertical,
and Figure 2, is a horizontal section of our water heating apparatus.
Figure 3, is a front elevation of a steam boiler such as may serve to
supply the steam required for our apparatus, The actual heating
apparatus consists of a chamber divided horizontally into compart-
ments, each compartment being composed of a frame A; of stout
wooden planks held together by horizontal tie rods B, whilst the
entire series of compartments are bound together into one firm
structure by vertical tie rods C, and transverse cast iron bars D; the

page_text: whole resting upon brick walls E, or other convenient substructure or,
upport. Each compartment is divided off from the adjoining ones by:
diaphragm of thin copper or other suitable material, such diaphragms;
being secured between the framing of each compartment. The lowest-
liaphragms F, forms the bottom of the vessel, and is formed with a single
aperture G, for the egress of the heated water by the siphon shaped;
pipe H. The steam for effecting the heating operation is introduced im-
mediately above the bottom or diaphragm F, by the pipe I, which is in
communication with the steam boiler J, and is furnished with valves K,
whereby the supply of steam can be regulated. The remainder of the
diaphragms L, with the exception of the top one M, are each perforated.
at short intervals, short tubes N, being fitted into the perforations on the
upper sides of the diaphragms. In the present example there are
about one hundred pipes on each diaphragm, each pipe being about an
inch and a half long and an inch in diameter. Into each of the
diaphragms L, is also fitted a dripping pipe or tube O, which is of
much larger diameter than the pipes N, and rises 'slightly above them,
whilst its lower end is at about the same distance above the next
lower diaphragm, and is immersed in a cup P, fixed upon the upper
side of the latter. This arrangement of dripping pipe and cup, without
in the least impeding the passage from diaphragm to diaphragm of the
descending water, effectually prevents the ascent of the steam, which
consequently finds its way through the pipes N, bubbling up through
the shallow film of water, which is maintained above the mouths of the.
pipes N, in consequence of the slightly greater height of the pipes O,
provided for the water's descent. The dripping pipes and cups O, P, are
placed alternately at the opposite ends of the diaphragms L, so that the
water is constrained to traverse each diaphragm in succession during
its descent. The arrangement described renders the opposed currents
of steam and water entirely independent of each other, so that although
the steam acts directly on a very extended surface of water, passing
through it in numerous small jets, it does not at all impede the easy
and continuous flow of the latter through the apparatus. In rising
through each diaphragm the steam becomes condensed, and mingles
with the water, and as the cold water; is introduced at the top this

page_text: condensation is equally gradual and perfect, the water as it descends
meeting with more and more heat at each step, and the rising steam,
as it gradually parts with its heat, still finding the water through
which it has to pass in a sufficiently cold state to extract more heat
from it. The top diaphragm is formed without the pipes N, but has
a dripping pipe Q, by which the water passes to the compartment
below. The top of this pipe Q, is covered by a rose R, which prevents
the ingress of foreign matters along with the water. The cold water
is introduced by the pipe S, and flows over the diaphragm M, passing
thence by the rose R, and pipe Q, to the compartment below. Each
of the diaphragms L, and also the top one M, is provided with a
pipe T, rising considerably above the level of the water in each com-
partment. This is intended more especially for the upward escape of the
air set free from the water whilst being heated. These pipes are placed
alternately at the opposite ends of the diaphragm L. It will be obvious
that the number of compartments A, may be increased or diminished
to suit different requirements, and although we prefer the dimensions of
pipes and other details mentioned and indicated in the Drawings, yet
we do not confine ourselves to these, as various dimensions and
tions may be adopted without altering the action of the apparatus.
And instead of diaphragms fitted with tubes, simply perforated plates
may be used with the same result or nearly so.
propor-
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, we may observe, in conclusion, that we do not confine
or restrict ourselves to the precise details or arrangements which we
have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be
made therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features
of our Invention; but what we consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of apparatus for
heating water and other liquids, as herein-before described.
.
Second, the system or mode of heating liquids by steam wherein the
water entering at the top or one end of the apparatus traverses a series

page_text: of diaphragms arranged one below the other, and presents thin strata
of liquid to the action of the steam issuing or bubbling up from
beneath through perforations or tubes in the diaphragms, as herein-
before described.
Third, the application and use in apparatus for heating water and
other liquids by steam of dripping pipes and cups for the downward
conveyance of the water, so as to prevent the interference and conflic-
tion with each other of the opposed currents of ascending steam and
descending water, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the system or mode of heating liquids by means of minute
ascending steam jets passed through thin traversing films or layers of
descending liquid.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Maitland, in behalf of
myself and of the said William Gorrie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
CHARLES MAITLAND. (L.S.)
CHARLES MAITLAND. (L.S.)