Apparatus for Automatically Regulating the Supply of Feed Water to Steam Boilers and for Heating, and Purifying such Feed Water.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Lef, 20th July, 1897-Accepted, 21st Aug., 1897
Apparatus for Automatically Regulating the Supply of Feed Water
to Steam Boilers and for Heating, and Purifying such Feed Water.
I, ERNEST PETERSEN, of 2 Fountain Court, Guildhall Yard, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the Specification to my Application for a Patent No. 43230 I described an
apparatus for automatically supplying feed water to steam boilers and for heating
and purifying such feed water, consisting of a cylindrical chamber into the lower
part of which the feed water was forced by the main feed pump and whence it passed
upward through filtering layers in which were imbedded steam coils, for purifying
and heating the feed water. The said chamber communicated with the water space
of the boilers above the filtering layers, and in its upper part it contained a piston
working steam tight, above which the chamber communicated with the steam space
of the boiler.
The piston was connected by a tubular stem to a piston slide valve controlling two
ports in a cylindrical extension of the chamber one of which ports communicated with
the hot well of the engine while the other communicated with a donkey pump for
supplying additional feed water to the chamber, the arrangement being such that
when the feed was excessive, the piston, in rising caused the slide valve to establish a
communication between the part of the chamber below the piston and the hot well,
so that a portion of the feed escaped back into the latter, while when the feed was
deficient the piston in falling established a communicated between the steam space
of the boiler and the donkey pump so as to supply an increased feed.
According to one part of my present invention, I separate the part of the above
described apparatus which effects the purifying and heating of the feed water, from
that part which automatically regulates the supply of feed water, for which purpose I
arrange the apparatus as follows:-
The apparatus for purifying and heating the feed water consists of a lower chamber
containing the filtering layers, and an upper chamber into the top of which the feed
water is forced so as to fall down in a more or less fine shower or spray; these two
chambers communicate with each other by a tubular connection within which is a
Recond smaller tube that passes down through the filtering layers and terminates at
the upper end in a funnel shaped mouth situated in the lower part of the upper
chamber. The steam space of the boiler is connected by a pipe with the annular
space of the upper chamber surrounding the said funnel shaped mouth, so that boiler
steam in rising through such space into the upper chamber effectually heats the finely
divided feed water descending through the same, and the heated water being caught
by the funnel mouth of the inner tube descends through the latter into a space in the
lower chamber below the filtering layers. From this space the feed water rises through
the said layers into the upper part of the chamber which communicates by a pipe
with the chamber of the automatic feed regulating apparatus, which is constructed
and operates in precisely the same manner as the said apparatus described in my
Application No. 4323, with the exception that the filtering layers contained
therein are done away with. From this apparatus the feed water is led to the
boilers.

page_text: The before described tubular connection between the upper and lower chambers of
the apparatus is of such a length and so arranged relatively to the boilers to be fed,
that the height of the column of water therein exceeds the height of the water level
in the boiler to such an extent as to balance the weight of the piston in the automatic
feed chamber the feed valve on the boiler being also subject to a regulated spring
pressure for balancing the weight of the piston. Thus as soon as the water level sinks
below the normal level in the boiler, it will also sink in the tubular connection of the
feed heating apparatus and will thus cause the piston of the automatic feed apparatus
to descend and effect an increased supply in the manner above described.
The upper part of the said tubular connection is connected by a pipe and stop
cock with a tank into which any light oil that may escape through the filtering layers
and accumulate in the upper part of the said tube can be drawn off from time to
time.
The automatic feed apparatus can either be permanently fixed to the feed heating
and purifying apparatus, or it may be separate therefrom so that either the feed
heating and purifying apparatus can be used without the automatic feed regulator
or the latter can be used without the former.
According to another arrangement of the above described apparatus I so modify
the construction of the automatic feed regulator that when the feed is excessive
instead of causing the piston in rising to discharge the excess of heated feed water
back into the hot well which entails a certain loss of heat, I cause it to regulate the
supply of cold water from the feed pump to the feed water heating and purifying
apparatus.
For this purpose, the piston of the automatic feed regulating apparatus controls
a port leading to a donkey pump, as before, but there is no port leading to the hot
well; in lieu thereof, the piston has fixed to its upper end a rod which extends through
a stuffing box in the top of the chamber and is attached to a piston valve in a valve
chamber connected to the feed pipe leading from the main feed pump to the top of the
before described feed heating apparatus, so that as the piston rises in consequence of
excessive feed water entering the feed regulator, it raises the piston valve and thereby
causes it to reduce the supply of feed water to the feed heating apparatus to a
corresponding extent.
The weight of the piston with its rod and the piston valve are in this case balanced
by a balance weight attached to one end of a cord passing over a guide pulley the
other end being attached to the rod of the piston valve.
By separating the feed water heating and purifying device from the automatic feed
regulator according to my above described invention, I avoid the necessity of having
a steam boiler at a somewhat higher pressure than those whose feed is to be
regulated, as was requisite in the arrangement described in my Application
No. 43239, and consequently the improved construction can be used with a single
boiler.
Dated this 26th day of October 1806
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Apparatus for Automatically Regulating the Supply of Feed Water
to Steam Boilers, and for Heating and Purifying such Feed Water.
I, ERNEST PETERSEN, of 2 Fountain Court, Guildhall Yard, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
In the Specification to my Patent No. 4323 of 1896 I described an apparatus for
automatically supplying feed water to steam boilers and for heating and purifying
such feed water, consisting of a cylindrical chamber into the lower part of which the
feed water was forced by the main feed pump and whence it passed upward through
filtering layers in which were imbedded steain coils, for purifying and heating the
feed water. The said chamber communicated with the water space of the boilers
above the filtering layers, and in its upper part it contained a piston working steam
tight, above which the chamber communicated with the steam space of the boiler.
The piston was connected by a tubular stem to a piston slide valve controlling two
ports in a cylindrical extension of the chamber one of which ports communicated
with the hot well of the engine while the other communicated with a donkey pump
for supplying additional feed water to the chamber, the arrangement being such that
when the feed was excessive, the piston, in rising caused the slide valve to establish
a communication between the part of the chamber below the piston and the hot
well, so that a portion of the feed escaped back into the latter, while when the feed
was deficient the piston in falling established a communication between the steam
space of the boiler and the donkey pump so as to supply an increased feed.
According to one part of my present invention, I separate the part of the above
described apparatus which effects the purifying and heating of the feed water, from
that part which automatically regulates the supply of feed water, for which purpose
I arrange the apparatus as I will describe with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which Figure 1 shews a vertical section of one arrangement and
Figure 2, a section of a modified construction.
The apparatus for purifying and heating the feed water consists of a lower
chamber a containing the layers of filtering material & through which the feed water
is to be passed and an upper chamber c in which the feed water is heated before
passing through the filters. The two chambers are connected together by a tabular
connecting part d which is of some height, and is in such a position relatively to the
boilers D to be fed, that the water level in d stands at a certain height above the
water level of the boiler for the object to be presently explained.
Within the tubular part d is a tube e extending from the lower end of the
chamber c, down through the layers of filtering material b, communicating with the
space below these. At the upper end it has a funnel shaped mouth e¹ between
which and the funnel shaped lower end of c is an annular space, which communicates
by a branch c' with the steam space of the boilers D, so that the steain from the
boilers can rise up through such space and through annular opening between and el
into the upper part of the latter. The top of chamber c communicates by a pipe f
with the main and donkey feed pumps, the feed water being made to enter the
chamber through a perforated plate or other suitable known device whereby it will be
converted into a finely divided shower or spray.
Thus the water in descending will be brought into intimate contact with the steam
and will consequently be effectually heated thereby; it will then fall into the funnel
mouth el of pipe e, through which it will descend to below the filter layera b, and in
being forced up through these by the pressure of the column of water, it will rise up
in the part d to a certain level, and will flow through a branch into the feed
regulator A, which may either be attached to the feed heater as shewn, or it may
be entirely separate therefrom.
When it is required to clear the filter bed of deposit by blowing steam through in
a downward direction, the tube e is closed by a valve e actuated by a lever e.
Any light oil entering the feed heater and purifier with the water may accumulate
in the upper end of the tube e; this can be drawn off from time to time through
a branch pipe & with stop cock.
The tubular part d may be provided with a branch at d' for connection with the
steam space of the boiler in lieu of or in addition to the branch c¹.

page_text: The feed regulating apparatus A with its piston I and piston valve K is constructed
and operates in precisely the same manner as the apparatus described with reference
to Figures 1 to 6, with the exception that the filtering layers and steam coils are
omitted. It communicates at A3 with the feed valve H of the boiler, which is an
equilibrium feed valve of any known construction controlled by a spring that
balances the weight of the piston I.
The water will stand at a so much higher level in the tube e than in d, as is
requisite to ferce the water through the filtering layers. The apparatus A communicates
at A' with the steam space of the boiler, at L with the hot well or overflow tank and
at M with the steam cylinder of the auxiliary donkey feed pump.
By connecting the branch g of the feed heater and purifier direct with the boiler
the apparatus may be used without the feed regulator A.
Figure 2 shews another modification of the above described apparatus, in which the
feed regulator A, instead of causing any excess of feed water to flow back to the hot
well or overflow tank, is made to regulate the supply of feed water to the feed heater
and purifier. For this purpose the piston valve K nctuated by the piston I only
controls the communication between the steam space and the auxiliary feed
pump; it has attached to its upper end a rod i passing through a stuffing box in the
top of the chamber A and connected by a loop with the rod of the piston
valve working in a valve chamber k on the pipe f leading from the main feed pump
to the top of the chamber c of the feed heater Figure 1.
Thus on the piston I rising in consequence of excess of feed water entering the
chamber A, it will, in raising the piston valve j more or less restrict the supply of
water to the feed heater.
In this construction, instead of supporting the weight of the piston by a spring
acting on the boiler feed valve, and by a column of water in the feed heater and
purifier, it is supported by a balance weight, attached by a cord passing over a
pulley to the rod i of the piston; by this arrangement the apparatus can be applied
to any boiler without requiring a special construction of feed valve for the purpose.
The piston valvej which is made adjustable relatively to the piston I may either
be arranged as shewn, or in any other known manner.
In the arrangement shewn, the passages fl pass over from the circular form at
the outer end to a narrow vertical opening in the piston valve chamber.
The piston valve has a small passage through it to equalize the pressure on its
upper and under side.
By separating the feed water heating and purifying device from the automatic
feed regulator according to my above described invention, I avoid the necessity of
having a steam boiler at a somewhat higher pressure than those whose feed is to be
regulated, as was requisite in the arrangement described in my Patent No. 4323
of 1896, and consequently the improved construction can be used with a single
boiler.
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. In apparatus for automatically regulating the supply of feed water to steam
boilers and for heating and purifying such feed water such as is herein referred to,
constructing the automatic feed regulator A with piston I and valve K separate from
but communicating with the apparatus for heating and purifying the feed water such
apparatus being arranged and operating substantially as herein described.
2. In apparatus for automatically regulating the supply of feed water to steam
boilers such as is herein referred to, arranging the piston I in combination with a
valve device such as j k on the feed water supply pipe, whereby on the occurrence of
excessive feed, the supply of water to the boiler is more or less restricted by the
motion of the said piston and valve device substantially as described.
3. Apparatus for heating and purifying feed water for steam boilers, constructed

page_text: and operating substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1 of the
drawings.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.