IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WASTE AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND PREVENTING THE ADHESION OF SEDIMENT IN STEAM BOILERS AND PIPES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smith, of High Crompton, near Oldham, in the
County of Lancaster, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WASTE AND OTHER SUBSTANCES,
AND PREVENTING THE ADHESION OF SEDIMENT IN STEAM BOILERS AND PIPES."
Sealed the 13th September 1867, and dated the 18th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th March
1867.
1, JOHN SMITH, of High Crompton, near Oldham, in the County of Lan-
caster, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WASTE AND
OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND PREVENTING THE ADHESION OF SEDIMENT IN STEAM BOLLERS
AND PIPES," to be as follows:-
My Invention is particularly applicable for washing the waste that has been
employed for cleaning machinery, and that is to a great extent saturated with
oil and grease, and it consists in placing the waste or other substances to be
cleaned in a vessel connected by pipes and taps to a steam boiler and to the
steam engine; this vessel is capable of resisting the same pressure as the
steam boiler. The vessel is so connected to the boiler that any desired amount
of water and steam can be forced through the waste or other substance to be

page_text: cleaned. The waste or other substance is placed in the vessel together with
the requisite quantity of soda, soap, or other suitable material; the steam is
then turned into the vessel to loosen or remove the oil and grease, or other
impurities from the waste or other substances to be cleaned; the steam is
then turned off, and the feed water is allowed to run through the waste or
other substances, and carry forward into the boiler the oil, grease, and other
impurities loosened and separated by the steam. The oil and grease discharged
from the waste in combination with the soda and soap, or other material
employed for liberating them, when mixed with the water prevent the adhesion
of sediment in the boiler and steam pipes; they will also assist in lubricating
the piston and cylinder of the steam engine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN.
SMITH, of High Crompton, near Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Smith, Her special license, that I, the said John Smith, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Smith, 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 THE PROCESS
OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WASTE AND OTHER SUBSTANCES AND PREVENTING
THE ADHESION OF SEDIMENT IN STEAM BOILERS AND PIPES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Smith, 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 Inven-
tion, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Smith, do hereby declare the
nature of my said 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 Invention is particularly applicable for washing the waste that has
been employed for cleaning machinery, and that is to a great extent saturated
with oil and grease, and it consists in placing the waste or other substances
to be cleaned in a vessel connected by pipes and taps to a steam boiler and
to the steam engine. The vessel is so connected to the boiler that any desired
amount of water and steam can be forced through the waste or other substance
to be cleaned. The waste or other substance is placed in the vessel together
with the requisite quantity of soda, soap, or other suitable material; the
steam is then turned into the vessel to loosen or remove the oil and grease
or other impurities from the waste or other substances to be cleaned; the
steam is then turned off, and the feed water is allowed to run through the
waste or other substances, and carry forward into the boiler the oil, grease,
and other impurities loosened and separated by the steam. The whole or a
part of the oil and grease discharged from the waste in combination with the
soda and soap, or other material employed for lubricating them, when mixed
with the water prevent the adhesion of sediment in the boiler and steam pipes;
they will also assist in lubricating the piston and cylinder of the steam
engine..
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a plan of a set of steam boilers to which my improvements are
applied, and Figure 2 is an elevation of the same.
a are the boilers, which are connected as usual by the steam pipes b com-
municating with the steam engine; c is the feed water cistern; d, the feed
pump, connected as usual by the pipes e to the boilers a; fis the vessel con-
taining the waste or other substances to be washed; this vessel is made by
preference of sheet iron, and the rim of the vessel is surrounded by a shallow
trough g; the lid h is to close the vesself during the process of boiling; the
lower part of the vessel is in communication with the steam pipes 6 by the
pipe 6; the pipe e¹ forms the communication between the feed water pipes e
and the lower parts of the vessel f; and the pipe c¹ forms the communication.
between the upper part of the vessel for the lower part of the trough 9, and
the feed water cistern c; g' is a pipe from the trough g to the bucket or
receptacle i. All the pipes b, c, e', and g' are provided with taps, which are

page_text: opened and closed by the attendant. The mode of operation is as follows:-
Supposing all the taps to be closed the attendant first opens the tap in the
pipe e, which allows water from the feed pipe e of the steam boilers a to pass
into the vessel or wash boiler f, and when the wash boiler is about half filled
the tap in the pipe e¹ is closed to shut off the water; ten pounds of soft soap
and ten pounds of soda ash or any other equivalents are then put into the
wash boiler. When these ingredients are dissolved throw in two hundred
pounds of the waste or any other substances to be washed, and allow the whole
to steep from ten to forty hours (in most cases when waste is being washed
ten hours are sufficient, and in washing wool about half an hour would be
sufficient), then turn the tap of the pipe 6 partially in order that a little
steam may pass into the wash boiler f, or just sufficient to boil the water;
this should be done by preference in the afternoon when the engine stops for
the day, so that there may be no waste of steam. After boiling a sufficient
time the steam is shut off, and the tap in the pipe e¹ is opened to admit more
water, and when the level of the water reaches the rim of the boiler the oil or
grease extracted by the boiling process from the waste or other substances
under operation runs over the rim into the shallow trough g, and is collected in
the bucket i; or the oil and grease may be skimmed off by hand, or it may be
discharged into the feed water cistern c. During the operation of collecting
the oil or grease the tap in the pipe e¹ must be nearly closed, or sufficiently
open to lift the oil or grease over the rim of the vesself into the trough g,
but when the oil or grease is collected the taps in the pipes e¹ and c¹ are
opened, thereby allowing the washing liquor to pass into the cistern c, from
whence it is pumped with the feed water into the boiler or boilers, or into the
fuel economizers. The circulation of water through the washing boiler is
allowed to continue for about three hours, or until the water passing through
becomes clean, the waste or other material is then taken out of the hot water
and passed through iron squeezing rollers or other apparatus to extract the
moisture, and then it is dried in any convenient manner.
The oil and grease
recovered from the waste or other substances will answer for lubricating,
boring, screwing, and tapping machines, and for many other purposes.
It is evident that the heat required in the above process will not cost any-
thing in works where steam power is employed, and that the soft soap, soda
ash, or other equivalents, and the oil and grease extracted from the waste
when pumped into boiler and fuel economizers prevent the adhesion of inju-
rious substances to their interior, and assist also in lubricating the pistons and
cylinders of the steam engines supplied by the boilers.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described a convenient

page_text: mode of carrying the same into operation, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the details given, as the same may be varied or modified
according to the nature of the fibrous or other substances to be operated upon;
I would also remark that my Invention may be advantageously applied in
steaming cop bottoms, and in washing wool, and recovering the oil or fatty
matter with which it is saturated; and I claim,-
First, the process and apparatus described for washing waste and other
substances, and forcing the water with the ingredients employed for extracting
the oil and grease, together with the oil and grease, or a portion thereof,
into the pipes and other apparatus in connection with the boiler for the purpose
of preventing the adhesion of sediment therein.
Secondly, I claim the mode described of recovering oil and grease, or fatty
matters from soiled cotton waste, and from wool and other substances.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, have hereto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.
JOHN SMITH. (L.S.)