Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Softening, Cleansing, and Filtering Water Continuously or in Quantities as Required.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Softening, Cleansing,
and Filtering Water Continuously or in Quantities as Required.
I JOSEPH WRIGHT of 16 Great George Street Westminster London S.W.
Mechanical 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 :-
My Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for ensuring automatically.the
softening and cleansing of water and the filtration of the same after having under-
gone the operation of cleansing or filtering may be separately effected and the
operations may be performed either continuously or in quantities as required and my
said Invention has for its object the provision of such means as will ensure the
operations of both cleansing or softening and filtration being carried on jointly.or
separately without the expenditure of any power other than that supplied by the
water to be treated while further the apparatus is so constructed as to cause
the supply of water to it to automatically govern the starting and stopping of the
operations as required, the quantity or volume of water supplied to the apparatus
to be cleansed softened or filtered being capable of minute regulation. In carrying
.my Invention into effect preferably construct the body of the apparatus of iron
plates built up so as to form a vertical rectangular tank or reservoir having a greater
length than width and of any suitable height-This tank I divide into separate
chambers by transverse plates or diaphragms reaching from the top to the bottom, of
the tank each of these chambers being again divided for part of their depth into
two sub-chambers or compartments by longitudinal plates or diaphragms reaching
from nearly the top to nearly the bottom of the tank-At the top of the tank and
at one end thereof is constructed a shallow compartment or pocket, for the reception
of the untreated water while a compartment or pocket is also constructed at the
other end of the tank for the reception of the filtered or softened and cleansed
.water.
A. shaft mounted above the main tank and capable of free rotation has keyed on it
at or near one of its ends a suitable water-wheel or turbine so placed that the
incoming stream of untreated water flowing from a suitably formed nozzle or
"nozzles shall.after actuating the wheel or turbine fall into the shallow compartment
or pocket provided for its reception-In this shallow compartment or pocket is
placed a suitable float by whose action the supply of untreated water to the wheel or
turbine and so to the different chambers to be therein treated and subsequently to the
filter is controlled-On the same shaft as the water wheel or turbine are secured any
suitable number of pulleys so disposed along the length of the shaft as to each
stand over one of the chambers or compartments into which the main tank is
divided or any number of the pulleys may be arranged to stand over each or
any of the compartments.
Hanging freely over each of the pulleys is an agitator which may conveniently be
in the form of an endless chain reaching nearly to the bottom of the compartment
in which it works when the water wheel or turbine is actuated and so thoroughly
agitates or.rouses the water in the compartment-The compartments over which the
pulleys are placed occupy say half the width of the tank the other compartments
occupying say the other half width the entrances to each set of compartments being
controlled by an arrangement of distributing valves or gates in longitudinal passages
or channels between the two series of compartments and constructed so that they can
be adjusted and closed-These valves or gates control the supply of water from
compartment to compartment and chamber to chamber and so govern the total
output of the apparatus while further the said valves or gates are so arranged and

page_text: disposed as to allow of any one or more of the chambers being shut off for examina-
tion without interfering with the softening and filtering action being carried on in
the other chambers.
".
The course of the water through the apparatus is caused by its natural tendency to
find its own level the flow being induced owing to the withdrawal of water from the
exit end of the apparatus and is as follows: The untreated water flowing from the
inlet having caused the water wheel or turbine to revolve passes into the shallow com-
partment or pocket containing the float and thence it flows out by an aperture into the
aforesaid channels between the first two sets of distributing valves or gates controlling
the passage to and from the reagent chambers the said valves or gates being so
adjusted as to cause one portion of the liquid to pass into and from the reagent
chamber and another portion of the untreated water to flow with the liquid coming
from the reagent chamber into the agitating chambers. The distributing valves or
"gates having been adjusted in the manner hereinafter described the flow of water goes
on from compartment to compartment and chamber to chamber and then through the
filter (if filtration is to be effected) into the receptacle for filtered water until the pre-
determined level is attained. As the water passes off at the exit a fresh supply is
continuously admitted at the inlet and the water as it passes through the apparatus is
thoroughly mixed step by step in the several compartments with the reagents used for
softening and cleansing in the said compartments in the first one or more of which
'suitable reagents have been placed as before stated while in the next chamber or group
of chambers the water is violently agitated with the reagents the last two or more
chambers before reaching the filter being unprovided with agitators and consequently
serving as settling or precipitation chambers. Each chamber is provided with a suit-
'able arrangement (such as tightly closable doors) for cleaning out.
As the water is only supplied in proportion to the rapidity with which it can pass
away the maximum output of the apparatus is controlled by the area of the outlet or
exit nozzle the area of which once fixed or adjusted renders it impossible to
exceed the predetermined maximum quantity of water which passes through the
apparatus.
Having thus set forth the nature of my invention I will now proceed to more parti-
'cularly describe the manner in which the same can be carried into effect reference
being made to the accompanying Drawings-
Figure 1 is an end elevation from the filter end; Figure 2, a sectional side elevation
Figure 3 an end elevation from the wheel or turbine end and Figure 4 a plan of the
apparatus Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the filter Figure 6 showing on
the same enlarged scale the arrangement provided for cleaning out the chambers
Figures 7 and 8 are respectively end sectional elevation and plan of one set of
distributing valves or gates while Figures 9 and 10 are front elevation and plan of the
same Figure 11 shows diagramatically the method of distributing the water by the aid
of the valves or gates so as to flow (in its natural tendency to find its own level) from
compartment to compartment and chamber to chamber and so to the filter and, so as to
allow of any one or more of the chambers being cut out for examination or
cleaning without interfering with the general working of the plant.
The same letters of reference refer to the like parts in all the figures-
The main tank or body of the apparatus T is divided into the chambers 1 to 13
(see Figure 11) by the transverse plates a. a. extending from top to bottom of
the tank and into subchambers or compartments by the longitudinal plates b. b.
Fig. 2. extending nearly to the bottom thereof the space at bottom forming the
coinmunication from the compartment on one side to its companion compartment
on the other side. The shallow compartment or pocket A receives the untreated
water the--compartment or pocket B receiving the filtered water which passes
through the orifice O to the point of storage or consumption-The shaft S is
mounted in bearings (and has keyed on it the water wheel W (for which a
turbine may be substituted if desired) worked by the untreated water flowing from
any suitably formed nozzle or nozzles the float F placed in the pocket A closing
the valve V when sufficient. water has been admitted-On the shaft S are secured

page_text: a suitable number of pulleys P P P P over which the endless chain agitators d d d'd
are placed the last two or more chambers being unprovided with these agitators
to enable the said chambers to act as settling or precipitating chambers.
Each chamber is provided with a suitable arrangement for cleaning which is shown
as consisting of the curved sludge pipes D. D. D. discharging by means of the
cocks E. E. E. in the trough I common to all the chambers and provided with the
outlet G. The curved pipes D cocks E and flanges may be readily removed from
the opening e (see Figure 6) which then becomes a hand-hole.
Chambers 1. 2. 3 and 4 (see Figure 11) are those which contain the reagent the
set 1 and 2 being duplicates of the set 3 and 4 the two being provided so that either
can be used whilst the other is out of use for cleaning charging or repair.
When the set 1. 2 is in use the gates or valves g₁ g³ and are closed the gate or
valve is fully opened or removed. The gate or valve g is opened to an extent in
accordance with the requisite proportion of untreated water which is to pass into the
re-agent chamber. The gate or valve g² is opened to an extent to pass the untreated
water which does not pass through the re-agent chamber. If the set 3 and 4 be in
use the gates g. 92 g are all closed and the gates g' g³ g³ are opened as described with
regard to the set 1 and 2 when that is in use.
The untreated water passes from the pocket A by the aperture J into the channel h.
The predetermined proportion of water passes into the compartment 1 and thence
under the partition and up the compartment 2 and out by the gate where it
meets and mingles with the water to be treated which passes through the gate g².
.The united streams of re-agent water and untreated water pass together by the
aperture and thence through the gate 9 down the compartment 5 under the
partition up the compartment 6 through the gate g³ and thence down the com
partment 7 up the compartment 8 down the compartment 9 up the compartment 10
down the compartment 11 up the compartment 12 and down the compartment 12ª
and out at the bottom thereof as shewn by the arrow in Fig. 2. and into the chamber 13.
and thence up to and through the filter (if filtering is to be done) and out of the
apparatus as hereinafter described the gates 7 and 8 being oven and the gates g
being closed. In the compartments in which the chains d are situated the water is
thoroughly agitated and mixed with the re-agent whilst in the others 9 to 13 the
impurities settle out. If the water is not to be filtered it can be withdrawn from
the chamber 13 by a suitable outlet.
When one of the chambers is to be cut off for cleaning or other purpose the
gates gf and g appertaining thereto are closed and the gate between them is opened
to forin a passage for the water to the chamber behind to the chamber in advance of
the one so cut off.
The passages between the valves or gates of the succeeding chambers are arranged
with a deflecting division k to cause the water to take the course described and
indicated by the arrows as before stated the water may be drawn off direct from
the chamber 13 or be caused to pass through the filter and be drawn off at O as
desired.
The valves or gates are each provided with passages or ports corresponding with.
passages or ports in the faces against which they work and to which they may be held
by indiarubber or equivalent packing pieces.
The gates, once adjusted on their frames to allow the proper flow are secured in
place by the set screws s. s. s. and thus the flow to the compartments can be minutely
regulated and fixed.
Having passed through the whole of the compartments or chambers (or such of
them as may be open) and having reached the settling chamber 13 the water is
then free to pass through the filter which is constructed as follows: (see Figure 5)
a hollow face plate F. P. has mounted upon it a number of (in this case six) perforated
or reticulated tubes c. t (say of copper) each bent in upon itself and closed at one end
by the perforated plate V. These tubes are so disposed about the faced plate F. P. as
to allow of the uppermost one when turned to the top (by turning the face plate in its
bearings P) being out of the water. The whole of the exposed surfaces of each of

page_text: 'tliese tubes is covered by a bag of filtering cloth or other suitable filtering
material fm of the same shape as 'the tube and the water passing through this
filtering medium and the perforated tubes ct and plate V enters the hollow face
plates Pby the openings p² formed therein, and passing out by the tubular support U
hollow bearing h. b. and conical nozzle c n enters the receptacle B. for filtered
water passing on through for distribution or storage. To change the filtering
medium fm. it is only necessary to move round the face plate . P. until the
perforated tube whose cover it is desired to replace is above the water line.
It will be understood, that though I prefer to .construct the apparatus in the
manner hereinbefore described and as shewn by the accompanying drawings, I may as
a modification use agitators in the compartments on either or both sides of the
apparatus, the second set of agitators being preferably mounted on an auxiliary
shaft and driven either by a separate motor or by gearing from the main agitator
shaft. Again I may in one ог more of the chambers have the longitudinal
diaphragm down to the bottom so as to form separate mixing chambers in which
to mix the reagents or a comparatively shallow tank or tanks constructed of any suitable
metal may be dropped into one or more of the chambers for the same purpose the
mixed reagents in either case being lifted from the separate mixing chambers or
tanks by a pump or the auxiliary chain agitator may be provided with buckets for
the purpose of lifting the mixed reagents from the separate inixing chambers or tanks
and distributing them by any suitable means as required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
First. The construction of apparatus for cleansing or softening or cleansing or
softening and filtering water in the manner substantially as hereinbefore described and
shewn with reference to figures 1. 2. 3 and 4.of the accompanying drawings.
Second. The construction of a filter the filtering medium of which is readily
replaced, and whose maximum output is governed or controlled by the area of the
outlet such as a conical nozzle piece in the manner substantially as hereinbefore
described and shewn with reference to Figure 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
Third The construction of distributing valves or gates for controlling the distri-
bution of liquid to a series of compartments or chambers and its admission to, or
exclusion from any one or more of the chambers in the manner substantially as
herein before described and shewn with reference to Figures 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Dated this 29th day of January 1890.