Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Purifying the Feed Water of Steam Boilers.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th June, 1894-Accepted, 7th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Purifying the Feed
Water of Steam Boilers.
I HENRY JAMES TAYLOR PIERCY, of the Broad Street Engine Works,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in inventions for
which Letters Patent were granted to Edmund Carroll dated December 31st 1888
No. 19,033 and also to William Edward Gedge dated November 12th 1886
No. 14,646 the latter being the result of a communication by the said James
Edmund Carroll to him.
The apparatus to which my invention relates has for its object to conduct the
feed water as it enters the boiler through a pipe or channel in the upper part or
steam space of the boiler so that the water shall be heated by the said steam before
it is mixed with the water already in the boiler. The said heating expels the
carbonic acid by which carbonate of lime is held in solution in the water. The
said carbonate of lime is thereby precipitated and retained in the pipe or channel
and the heated water before it is mixed with the water already in the boiler
is deprived of practically the whole of the carbonate of lime it held in solution,
and any incrustation of carbonate of lime in the boiler wholly or largely
prevented.
The apparatus as usually constructed consists of a horizontal pipe or channel
running through the upper part or steam space of the boiler the said channel being
divided into two compartments by a horizontal diaphragm. The feed water
entering the lower compartment passes along the said compartment and reaching
its end rises through a hole or holes in the diaphragm into the other compartment
and returning to near that end of the boiler at which it entered rises through a hole
or holes in the upper side of the said compartment and is delivered to the water
already in the boiler. The water in passing through the lower compartment is
purified by the precipitation in the said compartment of the greater part of any
carbonate of lime it contained the last portions precipitated being deposited in the
upper compartment.
The apparatus described is difficult of manufacture with the requisite tightness a
portion of the water escaping from the lower compartment into the upper without
having pursued the course described, in consequence of the imperfect fitting of
the diaphragm, at the sides thereof and at the ends where the sections join each
other.
In manufacturing the said apparatus according to my invention I employ two
cylindrical pipes one above the other or side by side the ends of the pipes at the
water entering end being closed by a plate and the other ends being connected by
a semi-circular channel. Axial rods screwed at their ends pass from end to end of
the said tubes and by means of screw nuts the closing plate and the semi-circular
channel as well as the parts of which the tubes are built up are secured together.
I prefer to make the tubes in lengths connected by the conical end of one length
fitting into the hollow conical end of the adjacent length of tube, the screwing of
the screw nuts on the ends of the axial rods securing the portions of the tubes
together.
The apparatus constructed as described is economical in manufacture and
efficient in action, no portion of the feed water reaching the water already in the
boiler until it has travelled a distance nearly equal to twice the length of the boiler

page_text: and has been so heated that it has practically deposited the whole of the carbonate
of lime originally contained in it.
Dated the 14th day of September 1893.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Purifying the Feed
Water of Steam Boilers.
I HENRY JAMES TAYLOR PIERCY, of the Broad Street Engine Works
Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in inventions
for which Letters Patent were granted to James Edmund Carroll dated
December 31st 1888 No. 19033 and also to William Edward Gedge dated
November 12th 1886 No: 14646, the latter being the result of a communication by
the said James Edmund Carroll to him.
The apparatus to which my invention relates has for its object to conduct the
feed water as it enters the boiler through a pipe or channel in the upper part or
steam space of the boiler so that the water shall be heated by the said steam
before it is mixed with the water already in the boiler. The said heating expels
The
the carbonic acid by which carbonate of lime is held in solution in the water.
said carbonate of lime is thereby precipitated and retained in the pipe or channel
and the heated water before it is mixed with the water already in the boiler is
deprived of practically the whole of the carbonate of lime it held in solution, and
any incrustation of carbonate of lime in the boiler wholly or largely prevented.
The apparatus as usually constructed consists of a horizontal pipe or channel
running through the upper part or steam space of the boiler, the said channel being
divided into two compartments by a horizontal diaphragm. The feed water
entering the lower compartment passes along the said compartment and reaching
its end rises through a hole or holes in the diaphragm into the other compartment
and returning to near that end of the boiler at which it entered rises through a
bole or holes in the upper side of the said compartment and is delivered to the
water already in the boiler. The water in passing through the lower compartment
is purified by the precipitation in the said compartment of a large part of any
carbonate of lime it contained, the last portions precipitated being deposited in
the upper compartment.
The apparatus described is difficult of manufacture with the requisite tightness
a portion of the water escaping from the lower compartment into the upper
without having pursued the course described, in consequence of the imperfect
fitting of the diaphragm at the sides thereof and at the ends where the sections
join each other.
In manufacturing the said apparatus according to my invention I employ two
cylindrical pipes, one above the other or side by side, the ends of the pipes at the
water entering end being closed by a plate and the other ends being connected by
a semi circular channel. Axial rods screwed at their ends pass from end to end of
the said tubes and by means of screw nuts the closing plate and the semi-circular
channel as well as the parts of which the tubes are built up are secured together.
I prefer to make the tubes in lengths connected by the conical end of one length
fitting into the hollow conical end of the adjacent length of tube, the screwing of
the screw nuts on the ends of the axial rods securing the portions of the tubes
together.
The apparatus constructed as described is economical in manufacture and efficient

page_text: in action, no portion of the feed water reaching the water already in the boiler
until it has travelled a distance nearly equal to twice the length of the boiler and
has been so heated that it has practically deposited the whole of the carbonate of
lime originally contained in it."
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation Figure 2 in plan and Figure 3 in end
elevation taken at the closing plate end, apparatus constructed according to my
invention for heating and purifying the feed water of steam boilers applied. to a
Lancashire steam boiler indicated in dotted lines; and
Figure 4 represents in end elevation a modified arrangement for suspending the
apparatus in the steam space of the boiler;
Figure 5 represents in horizontal section, drawn to a larger scale, the principal
part of the apparatus and Figure 6 represents a cross section of the same taken at
the closing plate end and through the feed water inlet and outlet holes of the
apparatus.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
a and b'are the two horizontal and parallel cylindrical tubes constituting the body
of the apparatus supported or suspended in the upper part or steam space of the
boiler, the said tubes a, b being arranged preferably side by side as represented but
the said tubes may be arranged one above the other. The said tubes are made
(preferably) in lengths and are connected together by the conical end of one length
fitting into the hollow conical end of the adjacent length of tube as represented
at c, c Figure 5. The water entering and exit ends of the two tubes a and b are
closed by the plate d having annular depressions or seats in its face with which
depressions or seats the ends of the tubes fit; and the other ends of the tubes a
and are connected by the semi-circular channel or bend e within the tubular ends
of which the ends of the tubes a, b fit as best seen in Figure 5.
The several parts of which the apparatus is built up are secured together in the
following way.
In the axis of each of the tubes a and b, a rod f screwed at its ends, passes from
end to end, the said axial rods being made in lengths (preferably) and screwed
together at g, g.
The outer ends of the axial rods f,fare screwed and upon the
said screwed ends, screw nuts h, hand i, i are screwed. The screw nuts h, h at the
semi-circular channel end e bear against the flat end of the channel e and the screw
nuts i, at the other end bear against the strengthening ribk on the outer face of
the closing plate d. By screwing home the screw nuts h, h and i, i on the ends of
the axial rods f, f, the closing plate d semi-circular channel e and the several parts
of the tubes a and b are engaged and secured together as will be understood by an
examination of Figure 5.
I have represented two arrangements for supporting the apparatus in the upper
or steam space of the boiler, but I do not limit myself to any particular way of
supporting the apparatus in the steam boiler.
made
In Figures 1, 2 and 3 I have represented the apparatus supported by means of
screwed uprights p fixed by their feet to the boiler flue, screwed to clips q,
in halves and clipping the upper and lower portions of the two tubes a, b. These
clips and supports p, q are arranged near the ends of the apparatus and at the
middle, the number of clips and supports depending upon the length of the boiler
and the length of the feed water heating and purifying apparatus supported in the
boiler.
In Figure 4 I have represented the feed water heating and purifying apparatus
suspended from near the top of the shell of the boiler by means of clips and eye
screw bolts marked q and r, each eye bolt being furnished with a rings which is
hooked to the hook t rivetted to the shell of the boiler.
Any required number of the clips, eye bolts and hooks are used according to the
length of the apparatus to be suspended in the steam space of the boiler.

page_text: The feed water conducted by the feed pipe / enters the apparatus by the hole m
at one end and in the lower part of the tube a and passing along the said tube a to
the other end thereof is conducted by the semi-circular channel or bend e to the
other tube balong which it travels to the opposite end and rising through the hole n
in the upper side of the last named end of the pipe 6 is delivered into the boiler.
By the circulation of the feed water through the apparatus described, the water is
heated and the carbonic acid, by which carbonate of lime is held in solution in the
water, is expelled and the carbonate of lime precipitated and retained in the
apparatus, no portion of the feed water reaching the water in the boiler until it
has travelled nearly equal to twice the length of the boiler and has been so heated
that it has practically deposited the whole of the carbonate of lime originally
contained in it.
The branch of the feed water pipe I, outside the boiler, is provided with two
stopcocks u, x. By opening the stopcock u and closing the other stop cock x, the
feed water is permitted to circulate through the heating and purifying apparatus
represented before it enters ths boiler.
In order to cleanse the apparatus of the carbonate of lime deposited in it, the said
lime is blown out by closing the stopcock u and opening the stopcock x. By the
steam pressure within the boiler the deposit is blown out of the apparatus and
passing through the pipe / escapes by the open stopcock to the branch pipe .
Although I have represented the water heating and purifying apparatus as
consisting of two horizontal parallel tubes through which the feed water circulates
before it enters the boiler yet more than two tubes arranged side by side or in
communication with each other may be used in place of the two tubes represented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention :-
The improvements in apparatus for heating and purifying the feed water of steam
boilers hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings; that
is to say apparatus for the purposes described, supported or suspended in the upper
part or steam space of the boiler, consisting essentially of two (or more) horizontal
tubes arranged side by side or one above the other and connected together at one
end by a semi-circular channel or bend and closed at the other end by a plate, the
said tubes (made preferably in lengths) and the semi-circular channel or bend and
closing plate being secured together by screwed axial rods and screw nuts, the feed
water being made to travel through the whole length of the said apparatus and
being so heated that it practically deposits the whole of the carbonate of lime
originally contained in it before it reaches the water already in the boiler
substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated the Fourth day of June 1894.
HENRY JAMES TAYLOR PIERCY.