IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOILERS WITH WATER AND INDICATING THE QUANTITY SUPPLIED
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOILERS WITH
WATER AND INDICATING THE QUANTITY SUPPLIED."-A communication from
abroad by Adrien Ilouget, Emile Bede, and Laurent Roufosse, all of
Verviers, in the Kingdom of Belgium.
Sealed the 18th June 1867, and dated the 29th January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th January 1867.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOILERS
WITH WATER AND INDICATING THE QUANTITY SUPPLIED," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is, first, to feed a steam boiler with water from
a reservoir placed above the boiler by means of a receiver which works auto-
matically, and which is placed side by side with the boiler and the above-
mentioned reservoir; and second, to measure the amount of water thus furnished
to the boiler, and to maintain in the boiler an uniform level and a constant
supply.

page_text: D The close receiver, above mentioned, communicates on one side with the
boiler by means of a valve which allows of the entrance of the water into the
boiler, but opposes its return; it communicates on the other side (by means
of another valve, which when it is open allows the steam to find its way into
the receiver) with the feeding reservoir by means of two tubes, in each of
which is fixed a valve, the one to allow of the entrance of the water and to
prevent its exit, and the other to permit the steam in the receiver to find its
way into the feeding reservoir when the valve is open. The valve that admits
the water to the boiler is worked automatically by the pressure of the water,
when the steam is admitted into the receiver. The water enters the receiver by
the valve (the steam valve having been closed) when the pressure in the
receiver is not greater than that of the atmosphere. The opening and closing
of the steam and escape valves is obtained by means of a float operating a
compound lever within the receiver, and which float is caused to act directly
npon the valves. In order to obtain a rapid and instantaneous play of the
levers upon the valves an additional float is provided within the receiver,
which rising and falling with the level of the water at each extreme operates
alternately one of two retaining catch levers, and allows the first-mentioned
float to operate the levers. A second escape valve is provided in the lid of
the receiver, and is operated by a spring attached to one of the combined
levers to assist in emptying the receiver of air which would necessarily find
its way in when the receiver is empty. In order to indicate the amount of
water that has passed into the boiler an indicator provided with a flexible
diaphragm and counting apparatus is fixed on the receiver or placed at a
distance, and may communicate with the receiver by a steam pipe, so that by
registering the number of vibrations of the flexible diaphragm the quantity of
water that has passed into the boiler will be known. In order that this
feeding apparatus should maintain a constant level in the boiler it is necessary
that the introduction of the water into the receiver or the boiler should be
regulated by the level of water in the boiler; it will be sufficient to have the
ordinary float within the boiler arranged to act upon a valve placed within thie
pipe leading to or from the receiver.
As a modification a case or receiving vessel may be placed within the
boiler, having at its bottom a small opening communicating therewith, and
mounted upon a balanced lever; into this vesse! the water from the feeding
apparatus may be allowed to fall through a pipe; the opposite end of this
lever is connected to the stem of the valve by a slotted fork. The filling and
emptying of this balanced case will operate the valve which admits the steam

page_text: to the feeding apparatus and thereby govern the action. In order to shut off
all communication between the feeding reservoir and the boiler when there is
no water a hand wheel and screw is provided to open or shut the valve as
may be required.
As another modification, a case is provided which may be placed either
in the interior or exterior of the boiler, into which the water shall be received
before passing into the boiler. In this case a float is placed which governs
the steam valve in the pipe leading to the feeding apparatus; the case has a
communication with the steam within the boiler and with the water by means
of pipes or openings made therein. By this means a certainty in the action
of the float governing the steam valves of the apparatus is ensured.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of
Ifer reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the
said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOILERS WITH WATER
AND INDICATING THE QUANTITY EMPLOYED," being a communication to me from
abroad by Adrien Houget Emile Bede and Laurent Roufosse, all of Verviers,
in the Kingdom of Belgium, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Edward Newton, my executors or adminstrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said

page_text: Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent. .
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
:-
The apparatus which forms the subject of the present Invention has for
its object, first, to supply water to a steam boiler from a reservoir situate
at a higher level than such boiler by causing it to pass through a receiver
which is brought automatically into communication with the boiler and the
reservoir; secondly, the apparatus serves to measure the quantity of water
so supplied to the boiler and to keep it at a constant level.
Fig. 1 (Sheet I.) in the accompanying Drawings represents an arrangement
of apparatus in sectional elevation; B is the closed receiver which communicates
with the boiler by means of a valve M, below which allows water to flow
into the boiler but prevents its return, it also communicates with the boiler
by a valve L which allows of the entrance of steam into the reservoir, it
communicates with the feed vessel by means of a pipe provided with a valve N
which allows of the entrance of water, but prevents its return into the vessel,
and by another pipe C¹ which conducts steam into the water of the close
vessel when the valve K is open. The valve M opens of itself by the pressure
of the water when the steam enters the receiver through the valve L; the
valve N is also raised by the pressure of the water, when by closing the valve L
and opening the valves K, T, the pressure in the closed reservoir is only
equal to that of the atmosphere. The valves L, K, are worked by special
arrangements of parts which form an essential feature of this Invention.
The principal part is a float placed either in the closed reservoir or in a case
placed inside or outside the boiler. This float follows the movements of the
water on its entrance into or exit from the boiler so as to effect the entrance
of a fresh quantity of water when the reservoir is emptied, or to cause the
entrance of steam at its upper part when it is filled. This float may according
to the various arrangements of boilers be placed either in the closed reservoir
itself, or in an intermediate case situate inside or outside the boiler, but in
any case it must determine the instantaneous and rapid working of the valves
which it is intended to operate.
In the arrangement shewn at Fig. 1, Sheet I., the float D is suspended

page_text: from a lever E which acts through the agency of other levers F, G, upon
the valves K, L, T. If, for example, at the commencement of the working
the receiver is empty the float D will be at the bottom of its course, the valve L
will be closed, and the valves K, T, open. The air contained in the receiver B
can escape freely throught the valve T, and no counter pressure preventing
the introduction of the water from an upper vessel into the said receiver the
valve N will rise and allow the water to enter and gradually fill the receiver.
(The water may also be admitted through the passage C", C, and pass under
the valve K.) The float has a tendency to rise and soon presses against
the valve L when the water has risen to a sufficient height that its action
upon the float shall exert upon the valve E a greater pressure than the
contrary pressure of the steam; this valve will then rise and afford a passage
for the steam, at the same time the valves K, T, will be shut and prevent the
escape of the steam. When the steam has entered in such quantity that the
pressure is equal to that in the boiler the weight of the water in the receiver
will open the valve M and allow water to pass into the boiler. As the level
descends in the receiver the float D will no longer be sustained, and it will
descend and allow the valve L to be again closed and open the valves K, T,
which will allow of the escape of steam into the water of the reservoir to
which it imparts its heat. When all the steam has thus escaped the operation
recommences as before. The object of the valve T is first to allow of the
complete discharge of that portion of the steam into the atmosphere which
cannot entirely escape through the pipe c which dips into the water of the
reservoir; secondly, the object of the valve T is to prevent a vacuum in the
apparatus and to prevent its being entirely filled. By this means the pertur-
bations resulting from any vacuum and from the immediate contact of the
steam with the water will be avoided. The play of the float D is not however
entirely free. It is subject to the play of another smaller float D' which
following freely the movements of the water when a certain lower level and
afterwards a certain higher level is attained successively releases the two
catch levers E', E", which retain the float D either at the highest or lowest
point of its course, consequently the movements of this float are more rapid
and powerful, and only take place when the water has attained a certain
upper or lower level. The result is that at each movement of the apparatus
a corresponding volume of water is always introduced into the receiver and
the boiler. It will, therefore, only be necessary to count these movements
in order to ascertain how many times in a given time a known quantity of
water has been fed into the boiler; this may be effected in various ways

page_text: one of the most simple consists in causing the steam each time it enters the
apparatus to act upon a flexible membrane a', which in rising acts upon the
index band of a dial indicator Z as shewn at Fig. 1. It may be observed
that this indicator may be placed at a distance from the apparatus provided
it be made to communicate with it by means of a small steam pipe. In order
that this feed apparatus may maintain a constant level in the boiler it is
necessary that the supply of water to its interior or to the interior of the
boiler should be regulated by the height of the level in the boiler. It will be
sufficient for this for a float P placed in the boiler to act upon a valve upon
the water supply pipe in the receiver or upon the pipe which supplies water
from the receiver into the boiler. A valve, as at O'may also serve to regulate.
the supply of water, and has the advantage of stopping it completely, when
the boiler being at rest its level does not alter. This valve arrangement
has, moreover, the advantage of dispensing with stuffing boxes, the friction
of which might cause a difficulty in the working.
The other Figures in Sheet I. represent another arrangement for main-
taining a constant level, Fig. 2 being a side view in section; Fig. 3, a back
view; Fig. 4, a side elevation taken at the side opposite to that shewn at
Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the indicator detached; and Fig. 6, a
plan view.
.
The apparatus consists of a hollow float f, mounted in the closed receiver R,
situate outside the boiler, and made to communicate with it by means of two
pipes A, B, so that the varying level in the boiler shall vary equally in the
receiver, and the hollow float in following the varying levels shall open or
close the passage C in communication with the apparatus, and thus cut off or
open the supply of water to the boiler through the pipe D, which may be
situate at any desired point of the boiler.
This apparatus has the advantage of being easily accessible, of being
independent of the boiler, and of indicating the level of the water by means of
a pointer E mounted on the fulcrum of the lever G, and also by a glass tube
indicator adapted to the receiver R.
Fig. 7, Sheet II., shews another arrangement on which the float F works
in a case mounted inside the boiler, and having an orifice at its lower part; if
this case be empty the float F being at the bottom of its course will open the
valve S and close the valve S¹, the steam on entering the receiver R drives out
the water through the valve S", which water by entering the case C more
rapidly then it can escape through the opening O (which is regulated for that
purpose) the float F will again rise and reverse the working of the valves S, S',

page_text: so as to allow the steam to escape from the receiver, and allow the water
from the feed reservoir to re-enter it. As this arrangement does, not allow
of the same upper and lower levels always being obtained in the receiver
it is necessary in order to measure the water supplied by this latter to place
inside it a float f, which in ascending and descending sets a ratchet wheel in
motion, the rotation of which corresponds to the volume of water which flows
out.
Fig. 8 represents an arrangement differing from the preceding one, but
based upon the same principle; in this case the vessel when full causes the
lever to rock and thereby work the valves, and when it has been emptied by
means of a small opening (the size of which is suitably regulated) the contrary
action will take place.
Fig. 9 shews another arrangement applicable to boilers which might be too
small for the reception of a float or a case. The case C is always in commu-
nication with the boiler by means of the pipes r,, the cocks of which are
only closed in case of repairs. It will be readily seen that the cock serves in
place of the opening O of Figures 7 and 8.
Fig. 10 shows a somewhat different arrangement of valves which may be
applied to the apparatus shewn at Figures 7, 8, and 9, so that the valves may
always have a tendency to close under the action of the pressures which they
support, which also takes place in the apparatus represented at Fig. 1.
The hand wheel V shewn in this Figure and in Fig. 7 allows of the two
valves being worked by hand in order to set the apparatus to work in cases
where, for instance, water should fail in the feed reservoir the apparatus
should have ceased to work. This arrangement. is not necessary in the
apparatus shewn at Figures 1, 7, 8, 9, as these apparatus may always be shut
off by means of cocks.
Having now describe this Invention of "Improved Apparatus for Supplying
Steam Boilers with Water and Indicating the Quantity Supplied," as com-
municated to me by foreign correspondents, I desire it to be understood that
what I claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent is, an arrange-
ment of apparatus for feeding a steam boiler automatically by means of a closed
reservoir brought alternately into communication with the boiler and a vessel
by the working of a float in such closed reservoir (or in a space in communi-
cation with it) for supplying to the boiler greater or less quantities of water
according to the variations of level in the boiler.
I claim also the application of a meter for measuring the quantity of water
supplied by the closed reservoir to the boiler either by the operation of a float

page_text: in such reservoir, or by the working of a piston, or any other analogous
working part to which motion is communicated each time that steam enters
or leaves the reservoir.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)