A New or Improved Feed-water Heater and Purifier.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Jan., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Feed-water Heater and Purifier.
I, GEORGE WILLIAM LAUGHITON, Mechanical Engineer, of No. 224, West
24th Street, in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan and State of
New York, U.S.A., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to a new or improved feed-water heater and purifier to
be used in connection with an ordinary steam boiler in which the well-known
"surface-blow" is made use of to remove the grease and other impurities
accumulated as a scum on the surface of the water in the boiler, and the surface
steam-blow conducted through a system of tubes through which the feed-water
is also passed on its way to the boiler so that the heat of the surface-blow
raises the temperature of the feed-water to nearly boiler temperature while
suitable filtering chambers are interposed at suitable points to remove the grease
in the surface-blow and the impurities and scale-forming matter in the feed-
water before the water is fed into the boiler.
For this purpose the invention consists of an improved feed-water heater
and purifier which comprises in combination with a steam-boiler and feed-pump
a blow-off pipe terminating at the mean water level in the boiler, a heating
chamber connected with the outer end of 'said blow-off pipe, a grease-extractor
connected by a pipe with the opposite end of said heating chamber, a pipe
connecting said grease-extractor with the feed water supply pipe at the suction-
side of the feed pump for producing the preliminary heating of the feed-water
by its admixture with the hot water from the boiler, a feed-water pipe con-
necting the force side of the feed pump with heating-tubes in the heating
chamber, a filtering chamber, a pipe connecting the outgoing end of said
heating-tubes with said filtering chamber and a pipe leading from the filtering-
chamber to the steam boiler so as to supply the heated and purified feed-water
to the latter.
In a feed-water heater and purifier according to this invention I employ a
In the steam-boiler is arranged a
steam-boiler of any approved construction.
vertical blow-off pipe which passes through the shell of the steam-boiler and
the upper end of which is on a level with the mean water level of the boiler..
Below the steam-boiler is arranged a cylindrical chamber which is connected
with the lower end of the blow-off pipe said chamber being provided with
tightly-packed heads having stuffing-boxes at one head and connecting channels
at the other head. In the heating-chamber are arranged heating-tubes which
enter through the stuffing-boxes at one end of the heating chamber and which
One group of
are connected by the channel in the opposite end of the same.
pipes is connected by a pipe with the force-side or supply-port of the feed pump
while the other group of pipes is connected by another pipe with the lower
part of the filtering chamber.
The blow-off pipe is connected with the cylindrical heating-chamber near one
and while a crease-extractor is connected at its lower part by a pipe with the

page_text: opposite end of the aforesaid heating chamber. The upper part of the grease-
extractor is connected by a pipe with a feed-water supply-pipe at the suction
side of the feed pump while the upper part of the filtering chamber is connected
by a pipe with the aforesaid steam-boiler..
The filtering chamber and grease-extractor are charged with suitable filtering
material; the filtering chamber being charged with filtering material by which
the scale-forming substances are removed while the grease-extractor (which is
connected with the cylindrical heating chamber) is charged with material by
which the oil and grease that is removed from the surface of the water in the
boiler is collected.
The pressure of the steam on the surface of the water, in the boiler forces a
certain quantity of water with the grease that is formed in the nature of a
scum or film on its surface through the blow-off pipe into the heating chamber
from which the water passes through the grease-extractor which separates the
grease and oil from the same.
The water passes then to the pipe leading from the grease-extractor to the
feed water supply pipe and mingles with the feed-water that is drawn in through
said supply-pipe and suction pipe at the suction port of the feed pump. The
feed water which is thus mixed with the hot boiler water is heated to some
extent thereby and then passes through the pipes in the heating chamber and
is heated as it passes through said pipes therein. The highly-heated water
then passes through the filter which removes the scale-forming substances the
purified water being then conducted by the supply-pipe into the boiler.
The heat of the water forced through the blow-off pipe under the pressure
of the steam in the boiler serves to raise the temperature of the feed-water in
the pipes in the heating chamber to nearly boiling temperature. It mixes with
the feed water in the suction pipe and feed pump the feed water entering the
suction pipe in the form of an injector jet and after the preliminary heating
in the suction pipe and pump the feed is finally heated in the said pipes of
the said heating chamber. The grease blown off from the boiler is collected
in the grease-extractor while the scale-forming matter and impurities in the
feed water are collected in the filtering chamber so that the feed water is
supplied in highly-heated and purified form to the boiler.
My improved system of feed water heating and purifying has the following
advantages. First by employing the surface-blow the boiler is kept free from
grease and other impurities. Second, by interposing the feed-water heater
between the boiler and the feed pump the live steam which would otherwise be
lost in blowing off the grease from the surface of the water in the boiler is
utilised for heating the feed water. Third, by interposing the filtering chamber
and the grease-extractor the boiler is kept free from incrustation for the reason
that the scale-forming matter is separated while the oil is also collected for
vise.
Fourth, the feed-water heater and purifier forms a simple and inexpensive
addition to the boiler-plant while it produces a considerable saving in fuel not
only by supplying feed-water at nearly the temperature of the water in the
boiler but by removing the scale-forming substances from the feed water before
the same enters the boiler.

page_text: I, GEORGE WILLIAM LAUGHTON, Mechanical Engineer, of No 224, West
24th Street, in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan and State of
New York, U.S.A., do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to he particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:―
The object of this invention is to furnish an improved feed-water heater and
purifier to be used in connection with an ordinary steam-boiler, in which the
well-known surface blow" is made use of to remove the grease and other
impurities accumulated as a scum on the surface of the water in the boiler,
the surface blow being conducted through a system of tubes around which the
feed-water is passed on its way to the boiler, so that the heat of the surface
blow raises the temperature of the feed-water to nearly boiling temperature,
while suitable grease-extracting and filtering chambers are interposed at suit-
able points for removing the grease carried along in the surface blow and the
scale-forming matter carried along by the feed-water.
For this purpose the invention consists of an improved feed-water heater and
purifier, which comprises, in combination with a steam-boiler and feed-pump,
a blow-off pipe terminating at the mean water-level in the boiler, a heating-
chamber having interior tubes connected with the outer end of said blow-off
pipe, a grease-extractor connected by a pipe with the opposite end of said
heating-tubes, a pipe connecting said grease-extractor with the suction-pipe of
the feed-pump for producing the preliminary heating of the feed-water by its
admixture with the hot water from the boiler, a feed-water pipe connecting
the force-side of the feed-pump with said heating-chamber, a filtering-chamber,
a pipe connecting the out-going end of the heating-chamber with said filtering-
chamber, and a pipe leading from the filtering-chamber to the supply-pipe,
necting the pump with the boiler, so as to supply the heated and purified feed-
water to the latter.
'
con-
In
The accompanying drawing represents a side-elevation, partly in vertical
longitudinal section, of my improved feed-water heater and purifier, showing
the steam-boiler partly in vertical section, and the feed-pump in end-elevation.
Referring to the drawing. A represents a steam-boiler of any approved
construction. At or slightly below the mean water-level of the steam-boiler
is arranged the perforated end of a blow-off pipe B. which passes through the
shell of the steam-boiler and which is connected with the head of a feed-water
heater C, that is located below the boiler and composed of a cylindrical chamber
which is provided with tightly-packed heads C. the upper head having_a
stuffing-box for the blow-off pine B and the lower head an outlet-pipe e.
the feed-water heating chamber C are arranged heating-tubes D which are sup-
ported by perforated partitions D¹, and enclosed at their upper ends by a head D²
that is connected with the lower end of the blow-off pipe B. Below the end
of the blow-off pipe B is arranged a scattering-plate D3 by which the water
carried along by the surface blow is distributed to the heating-tubes D. The
lower head of the cylindrical chamber C is connected by the outlet pipe e
with the lower part of the grease-extractor E. the upper end of which is con-
nected by a pipe with the suction-pipe G of the pump P. The discharge-
port of the pump P is connected with the lower part of the heating-chamber C.
above the lower partition D¹. by a pipe f. while the upper part of the said
chamber is connected below the upper partition D¹ by a pipe fl with the lower

page_text: part of a filtering-chamber F. The upper part of the filtering-chamber Fis
connected by a pipe f with the discharge-pipe H of the pump, leading to the
boiler A.
The grease-extractor E and filtering-chamber Fare charged with suitable
filtering material; the grease-extractor E with filtering-material by which the
oil and grease that is removed from the surface of the water in the boiler is
collected, and the filtering-chamber with filtering-material by which the
scale-forming substances are removed from the feed-water, supplied to the
boiler.
The discharge-port of the pump P is connected with the feed-water supply
pipe H by a short pipe having a stop-cock A stop-cock f is likewise
arranged in the pipe leading from the discharge-port of the pump P, to the
heating-chamber C, and a stop-cock f in the pipe leading from the filtering-
chamber to the supply-pipe H, so that the entire feed-water heater can' be
shut off, and a direct supply of feed-water be given to the boiler by closing
the stop-cocks f,f,, and opening the stop-cock in the short connecting-
pipe h
The feed-water heater is thus cut out and can then be cleaned or
repaired without interrupting the supply of feed-water to the boiler.
The pressure of the steam on the surface of the water in the boiler, in
connection with the suction action of the pump, forces a certain quantity of
water with the grease, that is formed in the nature of a scum or film on its
surface, through the blow-off pipe B into the heating-chamber C, from which
the water passes through the grease-extractor E, which separates the grease or
oil from the same. This water passes then through the pipe al and mingles
with the feed-water that is drawn in through the suction-pipe G at the suction-
port of the feed-pump P. The feed-water which is thus mixed with the hot
boiler-water is heated to some extent thereby and then conducted around through
the pipes D in the chamber C and heated by contact therewith to nearly boiling
temperature. The highly heated feed-water then passes through the filter F,
which removes the scale-forming substances, the heated and purified, water being
then conducted by the supply-pipe H into the boiler. The grease blown off
from the boiler is collected in the grease-extractor E, while the scale-forming
matter and impurities in the feed-water are collected in the filtering-chamber F,
so that the feed-water is supplied in a highly-heated and purified form to the
boiler. The grease collected in the lower part of the grease-extractor E and
the impurities collected in the lower part of the filtering-chamber F are drawn
off from time to time as required through outlet-pipes e and f
My improved system of feed-water heating and purifying has the following
advantages:
Firstly, by employing the surface blow the boiler is kept free from grease
and other impurities; and secondly. the grease is collected for use and by
interposing the feed-water heater between the boiler and feed-pump. the live
steam, which would otherwise be lost in blowing off the grease from the
surface of the water in the boiler, is utilised for heating the feed-water.
Thirdly, by interposing the grease-extractor and filtering-chamber between the
blow-off pipe and boiler, the water in the latter is kept free from impurities
for the reason that the oil and the scale-forming substances are separated.
Fourthly, the feed-water heater and purifier forms a simple and inexpensive
addition to the boiler-plant. while it produces a considerable saving in fuel, not
only by supplying the feed-water at nearly the temperature of the water in
the boiler, but by removing the oil from the boiler and the scale-forming
substances from the feed-water before the same enters the boilers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination, with a steam-boiler and a feed-water pump for the same,

page_text: of a feed-water heater, consisting of a blow-off pipe in the boiler, a heating
chamber, heating-tubes in said chamber connected with the outer end of said
blow-off pipe, a grease-extractor connected with the opposite end of said heating-
tubes, a pipe connecting the grease-extractor with the suction-pipe of the pump,
and a supply-pipe connecting the heating-chamber with the supply-pipe of the
boiler, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination, with a steam-boiler and feed-pump, of a feed-water
heater and purifier, consisting of a blow-off pipe terminating in the boiler, a
heating-chamber, heating-tubes in said chamber connected with the outer end
of said blow-off pipe, a grease-extractor connected with the tubes in said
heating-chamber, a pipe connecting said grease-extractor with the supply-pipe
at the suction-side of the feed-pump for the preliminary heating of the feed-
water, a pipe connecting the force-side of the feed-pump with the heating-
chamber, a filtering-chamber, a pipe connecting the heating-chamber with the
filtering-chamber, and a supply-pipe leading from the filtering-chamber to the
supply pipe of the steam-boiler, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination, with a steam-boiler and a feed-pump for the same, of a
feed-water heating-chamber below said steam-boiler, said chamber being pro-
vided with heads, tubes supported by partitions in said chamber. a 'feed-water
pipe connecting the force-side of the feed-pump with the heating-chamber, a blow-
off pipe connecting the interior of the boiler with the tubes in said heating-
chamber, a grease-extractor connected with the tubes in said heating-chamber,
a pipe connecting the grease-extractor with the suction-pipe of the pump, a
filtering-chamber, a pipe connecting the heating-chamber with the filtering-
chamber, and a pipe connecting the filtering-chamber with the supply-pipe of
the steam-boiler, substantially as set forth.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
31. Southampton Buildings. Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.