Improvements in Apparatus Used for Enabling Loss of Water from the Steam Boilers of Steam Engines to be Replaced, and for Heating the Feed Water and Maintaining a Vacuum.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Apr., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 9th Jan.,
1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 12th Feb., 1889
Improvements in Apparatus Used for Enabling Loss of Water from
the Steam Boilers of Steam Engines to be Replaced, and for
Heating the Feed Water and Maintaining a Vacuum.
I, JOHN KIRKALDY, of 40 West India Dock Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
According to this invention I form a combined feed water heater evaporator for
replacing waste from boilers with pure water and surface condenser.
I place the three parts one above the condenser at the bottom the evaporator above
it and the heater on the top of the evaporator.
The exhaust steam from the engine I lead into a steam chamber at the top of the
heater and downwards from this chamber through a series of vertical coiled_pipes to a
steam chamber at the bottom of the heater. The feed water to be heated supply to
the bottom of a casing by which the coils are surrounded and carry it off from the
top.
From the steam chamber at the bottom of the heater I lead the steam downwards
through a second set of vertical coils to a steam chamber below. These coils are
surrounded by a casing which is kept partially filled with water to be evaporated to
supply loss from the boilers-and finally I lead the steam downwards through a third
set of vertical coils to a hot well or chamber from which water resulting from the con-
densation of the steam is drawn off and returned to the boilers by feed pumps. It
may either be by the pumps of the main engines or by pumps worked by a small
vertical engine fixed on to the side of the condenser and evaporator―such small steam
pump would then also he made to work the circulating pumps.
The circulating water is supplied to the hottom of the casing surrounding the
lowest set of vertical coils and passes away from the top of this casing.
The vapor rising in the evaporator into the space above the water within it is led
downwards into a compartment of the steam chamber at the bottom of the evaporator
and through vertical coils leading therefrom to the hot well. It is not essential to have
steam chambers in between the three sets of vertical coils-they might all be coupled

page_text: up to form one continuous pipe and be simply carried through tube plates forming
divisions between the heater and evaporator and the evaporator and condenser
respectively.
In cases where a high vacuum is to be maintained in the condenser then in order to
prevent water from being drawn up from the lower part of the evaporator and carried
direct to the hot well without being evaporated, I place a loaded valve on the suction
pipe by which vapor is withdrawn from the evaporator so that there may always be a
light pressure in the evaporator.
A loaded valve may similarly be used for maintaining a higher pressure in the
evaporator than in the hot well whenever vapour is withdrawn from an evaporator into
the main condenser of a steam engine.
Dated this 10th day of April 1888

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus Used for Enabling Loss of Water from
the Steam Boilers of Steam Engines to be Replaced, and for
Heating the Feed Water and Maintaining a Vacuum.
I, JOHN KIRKALDY, of 40 West India Dock Road, 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 statenient :-
According to this invention I form a combined heater condenser and evaporator.
1 place the three parts one above the other or alongside each other-the condenser at
the bottom the evaporator above it and the heater on the top of the evaporator.
The exhaust steam from the engine I lead into a steam chamber at the top of the
heater and downwards from this chamber through a series of vertical coiled pipes
coils or passages to a steam chamber at the bottom of the heater. The feed water to
be heated I supply to the bottom of a casing by which the coils tubes or passages are
surrounded and carry it off from the top.
From the steam chamber at the bottom of the heater I lead the steam downwards
through a second set of coils pipes or passages to a steam chamber below. These coils
are surrounded by a casing which is kept partially filled with water to be evaporated
to supply loss from the boilers. The feed of water to be evaporated is controlled by a
float and valve as hereinafter explained and finally I lead the steam downwards
through a third set of vertical coils &c. to a hot well or chamber from which water
resulting from the condensation of the steam is drawn off and returned to the boilers
by feed pumps. It may either be by the pumps of the main engines or by pumps
worked by a small auxiliary engine fixed in any convenient position-such small
engine would then also be made to work the circulating pumps.
The circulating water is supplied to the bottom of the casing surrounding the lowest
set of coils and passes away from the top of this casing.
The vapor rising in the evaporator into the space above the water within it is led
downwards into the condenser. It is not essential to have steam chambers in between
the three sets of vertical coils they might all be coupled up to form one continuous
pipe and be simply carried through tube plates forming divisions between the heater
and evaporator and the evaporator and condenser respectively.
In place of the feed water heather, the evaporator, and the condenser being placed
one above the other they might be placed side by side and the steam be. passed
successively through them as above described.
In cases where a high vacuum is to be maintained in the condenser then in order to
prevent water from being drawn up from the lower part of the evaporater and carried
direct to the hot well without being evaporated I place a loaded valve on the suction
pipe by which vapour is withdrawn from the evaporator so that there may always be a
light pressure in the evaporator.
A loaded valve may similarly be used for maintaining a higher pressure in the

page_text: evaporator than in the hot well whenever vapor is withdrawn from an evaporator into
the main condenser of a steam engine.
In the drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn apparatus constructed according
to my invention.
Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of apparatus in which the feed heater
evaporator and condenser are placed one above the other.
Figure 2 is a side elevation and Figure 3 a plan of a modification in which these
three parts are in a row alongside of one another.
Figure 4 is a side elevation and Figure 5 a plan of a similar construction with the
three parts side by side and ranged in a triangle and with a small steam engine com-
bined with them for working air pumps circulating pumps and feed pumps.
In Figure 1, A is the feed water heater, B the evaporator and C the condenser.
The heater is composed of a cylindrical casing with tube plates a a across its ends
and with coiled pipes a passing through the casing from one tube plate to the
other. Above the upper tube plate is a dome cover to which exhaust steam from the
engine is admitted by the inlet D. The feed water to be heated is admitted by the
pipe E to the cylindrical casing of the heater A and passes off to the boilers through
the outlet E after being heated by the exhaust steam passing through the coiled
pipes a¹. The evaporator is composed of a cylindrical casing with tube plates b b
passing across its ends and with coiled pipes passing through the casing from one
tube plate to the other.
The evaporator is separated from the heater by a steam space F in the outer
cylindrical casing on which are doors F¹ to allow of the tube connections being
readily got at.
The condenser is formed similarly to the evaporator and heater with tubes c¹ and
tube plates c.
At the top it is separated from the evaporator by a steam space G.
Circulating or cooling water is admitted to the lower part of the cylindrical casing
of the condenser C by the pipe H and passes away from the upper part of this casing
by the pipe I. The cylindrical casing of the evaporator is kept about half full of
water drawn from the upper part of the cylindrical casing of the condenser through
the pipe J fitted with a valve J' opened and closed by a float in the evaporator. The
float and valve are shown separately at Figure 6.
The valve case is secured to the outer side of the evaporator as shown at Figure 1.
The arm carrying the float passes into the evaporator through an opening formed in
it for the purpose.
The suction tube from the condenser to the valve casing may be coupled to the
inlet J and a delivery pipe be coupled to the outlet J³ and led into the evaporator.
K is a gauge glass by which the height of water in the evaporator can be seen.
L is a pipe by which vapour produced in the cylindrical casing of the evaporator is
led away to the steam space G so that it may pass to the condenser tubes together
with the exhaust steam from the engine.
M is a well or chamber below the bottom of the condenser in which water resulting
from the condensation of the steam accumulates and is drawn off by the feed pumps
of the engine to be supplied to the heater A through the pipe. E and thence to the
boilers through the pipe E¹.
In Figures 2 and 3 the feed water heater A evaporator B and condenser U are
placed in a line side by side. The bottom chamber of the feed water heater is
connected by a pipe A with the top chamber of the evaporator and the bottom
chamber of the evaporator is connected by a pipe B' with the top chamber of the
condenser.
The exhaust steam from an engine enters the top chamber of the feed water heater
through the pipe D whilst a pipe M¹ passes from the bottom chamber of the con-
denser to the air pump of the engine.
The feed water to be heated passes into the bottom of the casing of the feed
heater through the pipe E and passes off from the top to the boiler through the
pipe E. cooling or circulating water is supplied to the bottom of the condenser
through the pipe H and passes off at the top through the pipe I.

page_text: Part of the circulating water which has become heated in its passage through the
condenser casing can from time to time be drawn off into the casing of the evaporator
through the pipe J.
Lis a pipe leading from the upper part of the evaporator casing by which vapour
produced in the evaporator is conveyed to the condenser to be condensed with the
exhaust steam from the engine.
K is a gauge glass for indicating the height of water in the evaporator.
In Figures 4 and 5 A is the feed water heater, B the evaporator and the
condenser. 00 are the steam cylinders of the auxiliary engine. PP are the
air pumps and Q Q the pumps for delivering circulating or cooling water to the
condenser.
H¹ is the suction pipe for the circulating pumps; H the delivery pipe passing
from the pumps to the bottom of the condenser casing. I is the circulating delivery
pipe from the top of the condenser casing.
D is the exhaust from the main engine to the feed heater.
auxiliary engine to the feed heater.
D exhaust from
A is the exhaust from the bottom of the
feed heater to the top of the evaporator and B₁ the exhaust from the bottom of
the evaporator to the top of the condenser.
M is the air pump suction passing from the bottom chamber of the condenser
and M² the air pump delivery. R is the steam supply pipe to the cylinders of the
auxiliary through an equilibrium valve. J is the pipe by which a portion of the
heated circulating water can be led off from the top of the condenser casing to
the evaporator.
L is a pipe to convey vapour from the upper part of the evaporator to the
condenser and E' is the pipe by which heated feed water passes off to the boilers.
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 1
claim is
1. The combination of a feed water heater evaporator and surface condenser in
such manner that steam is passed through them in succession one after the other sub-
stantially as described.
2. The construction of a combined feed heater evaporator and condenser sub-
stantially as herein before described and illustrated at Figure 1.
3. The modifications of this construction substantially as herein before described and
illustrated at Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5.
4. Placing a loaded valve in the suction pipe by which vapour is withdrawn from
the evaporator to the condenser so that there may always be a light pressure in the
evaporator.
5. The feed supply float valve substantially as described and illustrated in the
drawing annexed.
1
L
1
34 T
1000