Improvements in and connected with Steam Heated Evaporators.
Year: 1894

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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION:
Improvements in and connected with Steam Heated Evaporators.
I, JAMES WEIR, of Holm Foundry, Cathcart, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows,
that is to say :-
My said invention relates to apparatus such as is used in connection.with marine
steani engines for evaporating sea water to obtain fresh water, and is heated by
steam of suitable high pressure, in any convenient arrangement of tubes, my
objects being to secure increased efficiency and economy with diminished weight,
to avoid injurious results from corrision and to obtain other practical advantages.
My improved apparatus can also be used with advantage for evaporating various
liquids or solutions.
i
In carrying out my invention I by preference employ for the heating part of the
operation apparatus of the kind described in my and George Weir's, Patent
Specification No. 6007 of 1887; but I have such apparatus always full of the
water to be evaporated and I provide in connection, therewith a separate upper
compartment or a separate vessel at a higher level which I connect with the heating
vessel in a manner to obtain a vigorous, circulation.
When a separate upper vessel used one or more pipes from the top or upper
part of the heating vessel are connected to it and extended up to its upper part and
made with downwardly directed nozzles, such pipe or pipes being for upward
currents. One or more down-current pipes connected to the lower part of the
upper vesšel extend down to the lower part of the heating vessel. The heating
action causes steam and water to pass up the up-current pipe or. pipes, the water so
passing up separating in the upper vessel and returning through the down-current
pipe or pipes. The upper vessel is fitted with an outlet pipe to convey the steam.
to any apparatus in which it may be used. A single upper vessel may be connected
with two or more lower heating vessels and any one of the latter may be shut off.
by stopcocks or the connecting pipes for inspection or cleaning purposes without
stopping the operation of the rest of the apparatus.
In some cases the entire apparatus may be contained in a single casing or shell of
any convenient form, such casing being internally divided by a partition into upper
and lower compartments: The lower compartment is to form the heating part and
is provided with steam beating tubes; and its upper part communicates by one or
more pipes or passages with the upper part of the upper compartment, this upper
compartment being at its lower part connected by one or more down-current pipes
extending down to the lower part of the lower compartment.
The water to be evaporated may be fed in at any convenient part; preferably.
into the down current-pipe or pipes or into the lower vessel or compartment.
Dated this Eighth day of December 1894.

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Improvements in and connected with Steam Heated Evaporators.
I, JAMES WEIR, of Holm Foundry, Cathcart, in the County of Renfrew, 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 apparatus such as is used in connection with marine
steam engines for evaporating sea water, to obtain fresh water, and is heated by
steam of suitable high pressure, in any convenient arrangement of tubes my
objects being to secure increased efficiency and economy with diminished weigh',
to avoid injurious results from corrosion and to obtain other practical advantages.
My improved apparatus can also be used with advantage for evaporating varions
liquids or solutions.
t
In carrying out my invention I, by preference, employ for the heating part of
the operation, apparatus of the kind described in my and George Weir's Patent
Specification No. 6007 of 1887; but I have such apparatus always full or nearly
full of the water to be evaporated and I provide in conuéction therewith a separate
upper compartment or a separate vessel at a higher level which I connect with
the heating vessel in a manner to obtain a vigorous circulation.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood I hereunto append two sheets of explanatory drawings
to be hereinafter referred to, and showing examples of evaporators as made with
my improvements.
Figures, 1, 2, and 3, on Sheet, I, are vertical sections of three separate
modifications.
Figure, 4, is an elevation of a detail of the second modification.
Figures, 5, 6, on Sheet, 1, and 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, on Sheet, 2, are vertical
sections of known kinds of evaporators as fitted with my improvements.
Figure, 12, is a horizontal section corresponding to the lower part of Figure, 3;
and
Figures, 13, 14, and 15, are vertical sections of details hereinafter described.
In these drawings the same reference letters and numerals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
In the modifications shown in Figure, 1, a separate upper vessel, A, is used, and
a pipe, B, from the top. or upper part of the heating vessel, C, extends up to the
upper part of the vessel, A, such pipe being for upward currents. A down-current
pipe, D, connected to the lower part of the upper vessel, A, and provided with a
regulating valve, (such as, D 1, shown in Figures, 3, 5, etc.) extends down to the
lower part of the heating vessel, C.; The heating action of the steam-heated
tubes, E, causes steam and water to pass up the up-current pipe, B, the water so
passing up separating in the upper vessel, A, and returning through the down-
current pipe, D. The upper vessel, A, is fitted with an outlet pipe, G, to convey
the steam to any apparatus in which it may be used; and liability to prime is
diminished by a baffle plate, H, or to effect the same purpose downwardly directed
nozzles may be formed on the top of the up-current pipe, B.
Each heating tube, E, is connected at its ends to a section of a pipe, E1,
and the several pipe sections (as shown in a similar modification delineated in
Figure, 14) are strung on tubes, E 2, fixed into the end cover, C 1, of the heating
vessel, C. The several sections of pipes, E 1, are checked at their ends to fit into
each other and they are compressed or held against the cover, C 1, by rods, C2,
fixed at one end into the cover and at the other end to a spring or expansion
plate, C 3, provided with set pins, C4, to bear on the end pipe sections. Sea

page_text: water is admitted to the heating vessel, C, by the pipe, J, and water gauges, K,
are provided to show the water level in the vessels, A, C.
In the modification shown in Figure, 2, a single upper separating vessel, A, is
connected with two (or it might be more) lower heating vessels, C. Each heating
vessel, C, is connected to the separating vessel, A, by a separate up-current pipe, B,
provided with a stop valve, L, and a single down-current pipe, D, into which the sea
water is fed by a pipe, J, communicates with the separating vessel and by branches,
with both heating vessels, each branch being provided with a stopcock, M. Any of
the heating vessels, C, may be shut off from the separating vessel, A, for inspection
or cleaning purposes, without stopping the operation of the rest of the apparatus, by
closing its stop valve, L, and stopcock, M, on the up and down current pipes, B,
and D.
In the modification shown in Figure, 3, the entire apparatus is contained in a
single casing or shell of any convenient form such casing being internally divided
by a partition, N, into upper and lower compartments, A, and C. The lower
compartment is to form the heating vessel, C, and is provided with steam heating
tubes, E. The upper part of the heating vessel, C, cominunicates with the upper part
of the upper compartment, A, by an up-current pipe, B, formed with downwardly
directed nozzles, B 1, to prevent priming the upper compartment being at its lower
part connected by a down-current pipe, D, extending down to the lower part of the
lower compartment. Sea water is admitted by a pipe, J, connected to the down-
current pipe, D, but it may be admitted at any convenient place. Steam is
admitted to the tubes, E, by a stop valve, P, and water of condensation drains
off by the pipe, Q. The vapour escapes by the pipe, G, to the vessel provided to
receive it.
In Figures, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, modifications of various known kinds of
evaporators are shown as with my improvements applied to them. The separate
upper compartment, A, is in all the cases arranged in the same casing with the
heating compartment, C, and up-current and down-current pipes, B, and, D, and
other details are connected to them similarly to the corresponding parts of the
modifications herein before described.
Figure, 13, shows a method of arranging and fixing the heating tubes, E, sub-
The pipe
stantially like that hereinbefore described with reference to Figure, 1.
sections, E1, in this case are large enough to allow of three heating tubes, E,
being fixed to each of them. The several sections, E 1, are checked at their ends
to fit into each other and they are held together by a screw clamping bar, R; and
any set can be detached from the rest for examination or repair.
Figure, 14, shows a slightly different method of arranging and fixing the heating
tubes, E, the pipe sections, E 1, being made for having two tubes, E, fixed into
each. The tubes, E, may be brazed into the pipe sections, E1, or they may be
expanded into them, as shown in Figure, 15, provision for doing this being made
by having opposite to each tube an opening closed by a screw plug, S, through
which the expanding instrument may be inserted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The forming of improved steam-heated evaporating apparatus by combining
one or more lower vessels or compartments containing steam-heated tubes and
kept full or nearly full of water with one or more upper vessels or compartments
the lower and upper vessels or compartments being connected by up-current and
down-current pipes or passages, the parts being arranged and operating substantially
as hereinbefore described.
Dated this Eighth day of October 1895.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.