Improvements in Heating and Increasing the Volume of Feedwater in connection with Steam Engines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1891-Accepted, 6th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Heating and Increasing the Volume of Feedwater
in connection with Steam Engines.
1 ALEXANDER MACLAINE of No. 1 Queens Elms, Belfast in the County of
Antrim Shipowner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
It relates to my Patent No. 14265 dated 4th October 1888 and constitutes
improvements and additions in connection therewith and especially with regard to
that portion of my said Patent describing a separate vaporising chamber or cistern
not connected with the smoke box uptake or funnel and placed by preference in the
engine room and which chamber I make by preference of malleable steel and place
in a vertical position with double steam coils inside as described in my said Patent,
and I now construct same with the addition of a manhole in its lower end which
greatly facilitates cleaning.
I also impel the sea or other water to be vaporised into the chamber or cistern
aforesaid by means of a pump instead of by means of an injector, as described in
my said Patent, and I arrange said pump with piping or other apparatus giving a
heat of water on the valve in the water supply pipe regulated by the float, so as to
have a pressure of water sufficient to overcome the steam pressure in the chamber
or cistern, or may arrange an alternative escape valve for the water coming from
the pump so as to modify and regulate the force of the incoming water from the
pump and prevent too much water pressure being put upon the regulating valve,
aforesaid.
I may also fit a test cock to ascertain if any salt water is coming over along with
the steam from the chamber or cistern, so as to make known if any priming is
taking place in the chamber, and also a test cock or gauge glass to ascertain if
there be any water of condensation in the lower steam coils of the chamber, and
may fit a wire gauze or other diaphragm across the chamber above the coils to
prevent priming, and instead of vaporising the water in said chamber or cistern by
means of the heat from the surface of the steam coils aforesaid as described in my
said Patent No. 14265 dated 4th October 1888, I may vaporise the water in said
chamber by fitting therein a perforated pipe coil or pipe coils into which I introduce
high pressure steam and blow same through the perforations in the coils direct into
the water in the chamber so as to incorporate the steam with the water and thereby
heat and vaporise it so as to increase the volume of the feedwater, and I prefer to
use very high pressure steam in the arrangements as described so as to lessen the
volume of steam condensation and may use other apparatus than perforated pipe
coils to mix the steam and water in the chamber or cistern as aforesaid, and I may
combine the improvements and additions as aforesaid with a feedwater heater
constructed substantially as described in my Patent No. 3701 dated 11th March
1887 or with any feedwater heater in which the steam for heating the feedwater
comes into direct contact with and becomes incorporated with same, and I declare
that I do not limit myself to the precise details as aforesaid.
Dated this Third day of September 1890.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Heating and Increasing the Volume of Feedwater
in connection with Steam Engines.
1, ALEXANDER MACLAINE of No. 1 Queens Elms, Belfast in the County of
Antrim Shipowner, 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 :—
It relates to my Patent No. 14265, dated 4th October 1888 and constitutes
improvements and additions in connections therewith and especially with regard to
the portion of my said patent describing a separate vaporising chamber or cistern
not connected with the smoke box uptake or funnel and plneed by preference in
the engine room and which chamber make by preference of malleable steel and
place in a vertical position with double steam coils inside as described in my said
Patent, and I now construct same with the addition of a manhole in its lower end
which greatly facilitates cleaning.
I also impel the sea or other water to be vaporised into the chamber or cistern
aforesaid by means of a pump instead of by means of an injector as described in my
said Patent, and I arrange said pump with piping, or other apparatus giving a
head of water on the valve in the water supply pipe regulated by the float so as to
have pressure of water sufficient to overcome the steam pressure in the chamber or
cistern, or I may arrange alternative escape valve for the water coming from the
pump, so as to modify and regulate the force of the incoming water from the pump,
and prevent too much water pressure being put upon the regulating valve aforesaid.
may also lit a test cock to ascertain if any saltwater is coming over along with
the steam from the chamber or cistern so as to make known if any priming is
taking place in the chamber and also a test cock or gango glass to ascertain if there
be any water of condensation in the lower steam coils of the chamber, and may fit
a wire gauze or other diaphragm across the chamber above the coils to prevent
priming, and instead of vaporising the water in said chamber or cistern by means
of the heat from the surface of the steam coils aforesaid, as described in iny said
Patent No. 14265 dated 4th October 1888, I may vaporise the water in said
chamber by fitting therein a perforated pipe coil or pipe coils into which I introduce
high pressure steam and blow same through the perforations in the coils direct into
the water in the chamber so as to incorporate the steam with the water and thereby
heat and vaporise it so as to increase the volume of the feedwater, and I prefer to use
very high pressure steam in the arrangements as described so as to lessen the
volume of steam condensation and may use other apparatus than perforated pipe
coils to mix the steam nud water in the chamber or cistern as aforesaid, and in
order that my said invention may he more fully understood, I shall now proceed to
refer to the drawings upon the sheet hereunto annexed in which the same figures
of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts throughout.
Fig. 1. is a vertical section, and Fig. 2. an elevation of the apparatus in which A
is the vaporising chamber or cistern, and B the feedwater heater the steam supply
for vaporising the salt water is taken by preference from the intermediate valve
casing reducing valve, or donkey boiler, and enters the evaporator at the valve
marked 1. passes down the double copper coils marked 2. out by the valve 3.
aud down the pipe 4. into the internal steam pipe 5. of the feedwater heater, and
is projected outwards and downwards through apertures in the lower part of
said pipe.
The feedwater from the hotwell enters the feedwater heater at 6. goes all round
the brass cone 7. and is projected inwards through perforations in the lower part of
same, the jets of steam and of feedwater meeting in the annular space 8. resulting in
the instantaneous condensation of the steam and heating of the feedwater therein.
The saltwater to be ovaporated is hy preference drawn from the hottest part of

page_text: the circulating discharge of the steam engine by means of a small feed pump worked
by the air pump side lever and enters the float chamber at 9. passing through a
small internal valve worked by the float 10. which is arranged to close the valve
when rising and open it when falling, so as to regulate the height of the saltwater
in the vaporising chamber. 11. is a spring relief valve with a waste pipe to carry
off any surplus supply from the feed pump.
The steam or vapour produced by the heat from the steam coils marked 2. passes
through the collecting pipe 12. and down through the pipe 13. into the internal
steain pipe 5. of the feedwater heater to be condensed therein, there is also a
connection to the surface condenser of the steam engine through the valve 14. if
required, 15 is the main feed pump suction, from the feedwater heater, 16 the
donkey feed pump suction, 17 a sea connection or circulation from bottom of main
boilers, 18 a feedwater heater safety valve, 19 an evaporator safety valve, 20 a
pressure gauge, 21 a perforated plate to prevent priming, 22 a test cock, 23 a piece
of pipe for adjusting travel of float, 24 a hand hole or manhole, 25 a brine cock,
26 a brine funnel with escape pipe, 27 a salinometer cock, 28 a test cock for water
in coils, and 29 brackets for securing evaporator and feedwater heater in position.
I declare that I may combine the improvements and additions as aforesaid with
a feedwater heater constructed substantially as described in my Patent No. 3701
dated 11th March 1887, or with any feedwater heater in which the steam for
heating the feedwater comes into direct contact with and becomes incorporated
with same, and I declare I do not limit myself to the precise details as aforesaid.
And having now described my said invention and the manner in which the same
is to be performed 1 declare that what I claim is,
1st. The use of a vaporising chamber or cistern for increasing the supply of
feed water to steam engines, constructed substantially as described and shown upon
the drawings hereunto annexed.
2nd. The use of said vaporising chamber or cistern combined with the use of
a feedwater heater as pr. my Patent No. 3701. of 11th March 1887, substantially
as described and shown upon the drawings hereunto annexed.
3rd. The use of said vaporising chamber or cistern combined with the use of any
feed water heater in which the steam for heating the feedwater comes into direct
contact with and becomes incorporated with same.
Dated this Second day of May 1891.