IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR CLEANSING OUT THE SCUM, AND REMOVING THE SEDIMENT FROM THE WATER IN STEAM BOILERS, AND PREVENTING INCRUS- TATION THEREIN
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Topham, of the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, Mechanist, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR CLEANSING OUT THE SCUM, AND REMOVING
THE SEDIMENT FROM THE WATER IN STEAM BOILERS, AND PREVENTING INCRUS-
TATION THEREIN."
Sealed the 19th September 1862, and dated the 24th March 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Topham at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents with his Petition, on the 24th March
1862.
I, JOHN TOPHAM, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham,
Mechanist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE..
MENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR CLEANSING OUT THE SCUM AND REMOVING THE SEDI-
MENT FROM THE WATER IN STEAM BOILERS, AND PREVENTING INCRUSTATION THEREIN,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object the cleansing out of scum, and the removal
of sediment from the water in steam boilers, and preventing incrustation of the
same, and for this purpose I employ the apparatus herein-after mentioned.
At or near the bottom of the boiler, I place one or more lengths of pipes
running from end to end inside the boiler; these pipes I connect together by
collars at each end, through which collars two or more screw pins are passed
provided with nuts, by means of which the collars may be brought together
so close as to form a water-tight joint, a suitable packing interposing between
[Price 8d.1

page_text: such collars; or the collars may be turned true and ground so as to fit together
and thus form a water-tight joint at any convenient part of each length of
pipes. I insert a socket junction pipe having a socket or flange on the side
thereof, in or upon which I secure by water-tight joint a vertical pipe which
projects through the top of the boiler, and terminates on the outside thereof
in a stop-cock, valve, or sluice; the first mentioned lengths of pipes lying
inside the boiler, I perforate with any required number of holes at a suitable
distance from each other, taking care that the holes are on the under side of
the pipe, and a little on each side of a line drawn from end to end of the
pipes, the area of the whole of the holes being less than the area of the outlet
pipe, stop-cock, valve, or sluice, so that when the sediment has cacumulated
that it lies on each side the pipe, if the valve, sluice, or stop-cock is open it
will be forced along the horizontal pipes, and escape up the outlet pipe,
through the valve, stop-cock, or sluice, and where two or more boilers lie side
by side I sometimes connect the sediment valves, stop-cocks, or sluices by
means of short pieces of pipe, so that the sediment from each boiler may be
forced out by the pressure of the water through the same end of the discharge
pipe..
And for the purpose of cleansing out the scum which floats on the surface of
the water in steam boilers, I employ similar pipes to those before mentioned,
but these said similar pipes have a portion of their circumference flat, on
which I secure a shallow trough, which gradually inclines from each side
towards the centre which is over the flat part of the pipe and through the
centre and flat part of the pipe, I perforate a number of holes, and when I
have connected a number of the pipes together, I provide them with an outlet
junction valve, and pipe or pipes similar to the last before mentioned; or I
connect the pipes to the vertical pipe before mentioned for cleansing out the
sediment, while the scum as it rises to the surface of the water flows over the
sides of the trough, which are on a level or nearly so with the top of the water
in the boiler; the valve being opened the pressure of the steam will force the
scum in the trough through the holes in the bottom of the same through the
length or lengths of pipes, and out at the valve and pipe or pipes as often as
required according to the quality of the water in use. In some boilers the
horizontal pipes will require a forked junction at one or both ends, a pipe
secured in each fork, and being properly perforated on the under side, such
pipes will then clear out the sediment from each side of a flange which such
fork and pipes embrace.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Topham in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME I, JOHN
TOPHAM, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Topham, Her special licence, that I, the said John Topham
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Topham, my executors, administrators, and 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 USED FOR CLEANSING OUT THE SCUM AND REMOVING THE SEDIMENT
FROM THE WATER IN STEAM BOILERS, AND PREVENTING INCRUSTATION THEREIN,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Topham, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 I, the said John Topham, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention has for its object the cleansing out of scum and the removal
of sediment from the water in steam boilers, and preventing incrustation in
the same, and for this purpose I employ the apparatus herein-after mentioned,
At or near the bottom of the boiler I place one or more lengths of pipes
running from end to end inside the boiler; these pipes I connect together by
collars at each end, through which said collars two or more screw pins are
passed provided with nuts, by means of which the collars may be brought
together so closely as to form a water-tight joint; packing may be interposed

page_text: between such collars, or the collars may be turned true and ground so as to
fit together and form a water-tight joint. At any convenient part of each
length of pipes I insert a socket junction pipe, having a socket or flange on
the side thereof, in or upon which I secure by water-tight joint a vertical pipe
which projects through the top of the boiler and terminates on the outside
thereof in a stop-cock, valve, or sluice. The first mentioned lengths, of pipes
lying inside the boiler I perforate with any required number of holes at a
convenient distance from each other, taking care that the holes are on the
under side of the pipe, and a little on each side of a line drawn from end to
end of the pipes, the area of the whole of the holes being less than the
area of the outlet pipe, stop-cock, valve, or sluice, so that when the
sediment has so accumulated as to lie on each side of the pipe, then if the
valve, sluice, or stop-cock is open the scum will be forced along the horizontal
pipes and escape up the outlet pipe through the valve, stop-cock, or sluice.
Where two or more boilers lie side by side, I sometimes connect their
sediment valves, stop-cocks, or sluices by means of short pieces of pipe, so
that the sediment from each boiler may be forced out by the pressure of the
water through the same end of the discharge pipe. And for the purpose of
cleansing out the scum which floats on the surface of the water in steam
boilers, I employ similar pipes to those before mentioned, but these said
similar pipes have a portion of their circumference flat, on which I secure a
shallow trough which gradually inclines from each side towards the centre
which is over the flat part of the pipe, and through the centre and flat part of
the pipe I form a number of holes, and when I have connected a number of
the pipes together, I provide them with an outlet junction valve and a pipe or
pipes similar to the last before mentioned to convey the scum away; or I
connect the pipes to the vertical pipe before mentioned for cleansing out the
sediment, while the scum as it rises to the surface of the water flows over the
sides of the trough which are on a level or nearly so with the top of the water
in the boiler; the valve being opened the pressure of the steam will force the
scum out of the trough through the holes in the bottom of the same, and
through the length or lengths of pipes, and out at the valve and pipe or pipes;
this operation is repeated as often as required according to the quality of the
.water in use.
In some boilers the horizontal pipes will require a forked junction at one or
both ends, a pipe being secured in each fork such horizontal pipes being
perforated on the under side, in manner described, for the first-named pipes,
such pipes will then clear out the sediment from each side of a flange which
such fork and pipes embrace.

page_text: Having thus set forth the nature of the said Invention, I now proceed to
explain the manner of performing the same, with reference to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a sectional side view of my apparatus as arranged in a double
flued boiler, with part of the boiler, flues, and pipes broken away; Figure 2 is
a transverse section of the same looking from the front end; and Figure 3 a
plan thereof shewing the whole length of the boiler flues and apparatus.
Throughout the whole of the Figures the corresponding parts are lettered
alike.
A, Figures 1, 2, and 3, is the boiler; B, B, are lengths of pipes connected
by collars C and disposed within the boiler from end to end thereof, at or near
the bottom of such boiler, or one length of pipe B might suffice for a short
boiler; through the collars Care passed two or more screw pins provided with
nuts, by which the collars may be brought together so closely as to form a
water-tight joint. A packing may be interposed between the collars, as shown
at Figures 9 and 10, Sheet 3; or the collars may be turned true and ground
so as to fit together in such wise as to form a water-tight joint, such a joint is
shewn at Figure 11, Sheet 3. At any convenient part of each length of pipes
I insert a socket junction pipe D, having another socket or flange on the side
thereof, in or upon which I secure by water-tight joint a vertical pipe E
which projects through the top of the boiler, and is provided at its outer end;
that is, the end outside the boiler, with a stop-cock, valve, or sluice F, whereby
communication is opened and closed between the pipe E and an outlet pipe G,
into which the pipe E leads. I perforate the pipes B with any required
number of holes at a convenient distance from each other, the said holes being
formed through the under side of the pipe a little distance from and on each
side of a line drawn from end to end of the pipes. These holes are more
fully shown at Figure 12, Sheet 3, which represents one of the pipes turned
bottom upwards. The number and size of the holes will be varied according
to the length and capacity of the boilers to be furnished with my apparatus,
but the area of the whole of the holes should be less than the area of the outlet
pipe or pipes G, stop-cock, valve, or sluice F, so that when the sediment has
so accumulated as to lie within the pipe B on each side of the line drawn
between the holes on the under side, if the valve, sluice, or stop-cock is opened,
the sediment will be forced along the pipes B and up the pipe E, and escape
by the outlet pipe G, after first passing through the valve, stop-cock, or sluice.
When two or more boilers lie side by side, I sometimes find it convenient

page_text: to connect their respective sediment and scum valves, stop-cocks, or sluices by
means of short pieces of pipe to one outlet pipe G, so that the sediment and
scum from each boiler may be forced out by the pressure of the water through
the same end of the outlet pipe, which may be carried any distance.
In some boilers, as, for instance, those having a flange inside running
the length of the boiler, the horizontal pipes B will require a forked
junction on one or both ends, a pipe being secured in each fork, and
perforated on the underside in manner herein-before described with respect to
the first-named pipes B; such pipes will then clear out the sediment from
each side of the flange H, which such fork or forks and pipes embrace. This
arrangement is fully shown in Figures 4 and 5, Sheet 2, whereof Figure 4 is
a side view of a boiler in section with the apparatus therein; and Figure 5, a
sectional view across the boiler looking from the front end.
In boilers in which flood waters are used, or other water holding a large
quantity of sediment in solution, I employ several horizontal pipes B lying on
or near the bottom of the boiler, and perforated on their under side as before
described, or I use an arrangement of pipes, as shown in Figure 6, Sheet 2,
which is a cross section of a boiler and pipes, and Figure 7, Sheet 2, which is
a side view of such pipes lying near the bottom of a boiler, part only of which
is shown; Figure 8 is a plan of the same arrangement, and Figure 13,
Sheet 3, is a plan of the under side of same drawn to a larger scale, the under
side being shewn uppermost to exhibit the perforations therein. B is a hori-
zontal pipe, having paps or projections cast on two opposite sides thereof;
these paps or projectious are tapped to receive the screwed end of short
pipes B, or I use short pipes B' with flanges at one end, by which I bolt
them to a flange on the pipe B, which said short pipes are perforated as
shewn; the horizontal pipes B may be passed through either end of the boiler
or through the bottom, top, or side of the boiler, and be connected to a sluice,
stop-cock, or valve interposed between the pipe Band the outlet pipe G, or be
passed out, as shown in Figure 1, Sheet 1, or through any other convenient
part of the boiler.
For the purpose of cleansing out the scum which floats on the surface of
the water in steam boilers, I employ pipes B2, which are similar to the pipes B,
before mentioned, except in having a portion of their circumference flat, on
those pipes I secure shallow troughs K,which gradually incline from each side
towards the centre, which is over the flat part of the pipe B, through the centre.
of the troughs, and the flat part of the pipes I perforate a number of holes.
This arrangement is exemplified in Figures 14, 15, 16, Sheet 3. Figures 14
and 15 being transverse sections, and Figure 16 a longitudinal section;

page_text: Figure 17 is a plan of a pan and portion of pipe. When I connect a number of
such pipes and troughs together I provide them with a separate outlet junction
valve similar to the first mentioned to convey the scum away,or I connect the
pipes to the before mentioned vertical pipes E for cleansing out the sediment,
while the scum as it rises to the surface of the water flows over the sides of
the trough, which are on a level or nearly so with the top of the water in the
boiler. When the valve is opened the pressure of the steam will force the
scum which is in the trough through the holes in the bottom of the trough,
and through the length of pipes and out at the valve and escape pipe as often
as required, according to the quality of the water in use. I would here
mention that I do not confine myself to the size and shape of the pipes, or to
the size, shape, and number of holes in the under side of such pipes for
the removal of the sediment in the water, nor to the number and shape
of the pipes and troughs, nor to the number and shape of the holes in
the top of the pipes and in the bottom of the troughs for the removal
of scum off the top of the water, as the size or diameter of the pipes and
troughs and the number and size of the holes may be varied according to the
length and capacity of the boilers to be furnished with my apparatus, but the
collective area of the holes in the under side of the horizontal pipes should be
less than the area of the opening through the outlet cock, valve, or sluice,
also the collective area of the holes in the troughs and the pipes below them
when that arrangement is used should be less than the area of opening through
the outlet cock, valve, or sluice.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim arranging and
combining apparatus in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Topham, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Office,
Nottingham.
JOHN TOPHAM. (L.B.)