other Water Reservoirs.
Year: 1885

page_text: other Water Reservoirs.
I EDWIN HARRY ALFRED HEINKE of 16 South View Villas Anlaby Road,
Upper Teddington in the County of Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER LEVEL INDICATORS FOR
STEAM BOILERS AND OTHER WATER RESERVOIRS" to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide efficient and simple means for indicating
more clearly than heretofore the level of water in steam boilers and other water
reservoirs, and the invention refers to the construction of water level indicators for
that purpose.
According to my Invention I introduce into the water level indicator or gauge a
liquid having no affinity to water such as oil which is preferably coloured say red
but which remains when introduced into the gauge upon the surface of the water
therein and rises and falls with same in such manner that the base of the coloured
liquid in the gauge is the same level as the water in the boiler or reservoir and
thus shows in the glass gauge by looking at same the exact position of the water
and the oil or other material being coloured there is no difficulty for the attendant
to see the position of the water which is sometimes of importance for example
at night
According to my invention I provide means for the introduction of the oil into
the gauge which latter should be made of glass and for this purpose I provide
above the gauge or indicator mounting a reservoir for the oil or other liquid which
is to be introduced into the gauge glass; this reservoir may vary in size but
I prefer to give it a capacity about forty or fifty times that of the glass gauge; it
is fitted with a stop cock below and the cock tube is screwed into the water gauge
mounting and with a thread corresponding with that on the lower or blowing off
cock on the mounting at the lower end of the glass gauge so that the oil reservoir
and the lower cock fitting are practically of the same size and pattern which is of
great importance and more especially in an economical point of view. To the
upper mounting I fit a pipe leading into the steam space in the boiler the said pipe
being bent in an upward direction and this pipe is in communication with the oil

page_text: passage from reservoir to gauge so that when the boiler becomes inclined as
sometimes for example takes place when the locomotive is ascending a gradient
the oil in the gauge can run up the bent tube when the locomotive is on the
gradient and return to the glass gauge when she assumes the horizontal position.
To apply the invention fill the reservoir with liquid not having an affinity to water
open the cock on the top gauge mounting so as to admit just sufficient oil to the
water in the gauge and immediately close the cock until a fresh supply of oil is
required which would not be the case until the oil in the gauge is blown off. The
oil always remains on the surface of the water in the gauge and thus indicates the
position of the water in same and consequently in the boiler. The arrangement is
very simple and can be applied to any guage.

page_text: Improvements in Water Level Indicators for Steam Boilers and
other Water Reservoirs.
I, EDWIN HARRY ALFRED HEINKE, of 16 South View Villas, Anlaby Road,
Upper Teddington in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
The object of my invention is to provide efficient and simple means for indicating
more clearly than heretofore the level of water in steam boilers and other water
reservoirs, and the invention refers to the.construction of water level indicators for
that purpose.
According to my invention I introduce into the water level indicator or gauge,
a liquid having no affinity to water such as oil, which is preferably coloured, say.
red, and which remains, when introduced into the gauge, upon the surface of the
water therein, and rises and falls with same in such manner that the base of the'
coloured liquid in the gauge is the same level as the water in the boiler or
reservoir, and thus shows in the glass gauge the exact position of the water, and
the oil or other material being coloured, the attendant has no difficulty in seeing
the level of the water in the gauge, which is likely to occur where the light is bad,
labor unskilled, or at night on locomotives.
According to my invention I provide means for the introduction of the oil into,
the gauge glass, and for this purpose I provide above the gauge or indicator'
mounting a reservoir for the oil or other liquid which is to be introduced into the
gauge glass.
The accompanying drawings illustrate clearly the manner in which I
invention into effect.
carry my
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the reservoir for the coloured oil showing stop
cock and screw for securing same to the top water gauge mounting, Figure 2 is a
side elevation of the water level indicator showing the same applied to a locomotive
boiler, a portion of which latter is shown in section, and this view is drawn on a
smaller scale than the previous figure, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of my
improved water level indicator, showing the same applied to a so called Lancashire
boiler. Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in all the figures.
A is the oil reservoir, B is the stop cock or hollow plug which is made so as to
contain the exact quantity of oil necessary or required for one charge. This stop
cock or plug B may have a small hole drilled, and a groove round, in order to
equalize the pressure of steam, and to make the oil flow into the gauge glass at
once after blowing through. The plug on being turned round empties its contents
into the gauge glass, and a steam tight joint is maintained.
C shows the screw whereby the reservoir is connected to the top mounting D of
the gauge glass E; F is the blow off cock; G is the pipe leading from the top or
upper mounting D to the steam space in the boiler and if necessary or it is desired,
it may be carried up to the dome.
That part in the water gauge which is shown in the drawing black, and marked
with the letter H is intended to represent the coloured material in the gauge and
,

page_text: "
which I prefer to colour red, and the material with which I prefer to colour the oil
red is that called Alkanet" and I have found this material to answer well in
practice, and more especially because when it is mixed with the oil no deposit
is left and the glass gauge is in no way discoloured; and for which material as
a colouring matter for the oil I have applied for Provisional Protection the
26 May 1886. The reservoir A may vary in size but I prefer to give it a capacity
about forty or fifty times that of the glass gauge E. The stop cock B is screwed
into the top water gauge mounting D, and this cock B may be of the same pattern
as the blowing off cock F on the mounting at the end of the glass gauge E so that
the oil reservoir A and the lower cock fittings are practically of the same size and
pattern, of importance from an economical point of view.
To the upper mounting I fit the pipe G leading into the steam space in boiler,
the said pipe being bent in an upward direction and may be carried up into the
dome if necessary; and this pipe G is in communication with the oil passage
I
from reservoir A to gauge E so that when the boiler becomes inclined as sometimes
for example takes place when the locomotive is ascending a gradient, the oil in the
gauge can run up the bent tube G and returns to the glass gauge when the boiler
assumes the horizontal position again and is not wasted.
To apply the invention, fill the reservoir A with coloured liquid not having an
affinity to water; open the cock B on the top gauge mounting so as to admit just
sufficient oil to the water in the gauge E, and immediately close the cock B.until a
fresh supply of oil is required which would not be the case until the oil in the
gauge E is blown off.
The coloured oil always remains on the surface of the water in the gauge E and
thus indicates the position of the water in same, and consequently in the boiler or
other water reservoir.
The arrangement is very simple and can be applied to any gauge at a small cost.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of iny said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
In water level indicators for steam boiler and other water reservoirs, the con-
struction and employment of apparatus for indicating the level therein by means
of a coloured fluid having no affinity to water all substantially as herein before
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
OU
T