Improved Apparatus for Distilling Water.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Apr., 1892-Accepted, 28th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Distilling Water.
I JOHN KIRKALDY Engineer and Government Contractor 40 West India
Dock Road London do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the evaporation of sea or other impure water and the
condensation of the vapour therefrom for the purpose of obtaining pure water
chiefly for potable purposes.
The invention consists in the construction of portable apparatus comprising
combined or separate evaporator and condenser the heat for evaporation being
generally obtained by the use of oil as fuel but in some forms of the apparatus
block or slow burning fuel of suitable composition & form is employed, the apparatus
being also made so that common combustibles may be employed.
In general the apparatus consists firstly of a hase formed by or supporting an
oil lamp burner of suitable form or a grate or chamber for burning the other
materials referred to above. This base supports a vessel which contains the water
which is heated for evaporation & in some cases it is of such a form that by
projection upwards it forms an air jacket round the evaporating vessel for the
prevention of loss of heat. Within the evaporating vessel is a fire box, combustion
chamber or heating chamber which receives the products of combustion from the
fuel liquid or other. This chamber is generally formed of a cylindrical or of a
cylindro-conical form with radial or annular extensions, but is in some forms
provided with water or with hot gas tubes and with suitable tubes or passages for
the escape of the spent products of combustion. In other forms this chamber of
the simple or combined shapes is corrugated or fitted with ribs for the reception
and transmission of heat to the water. Another modification of this chamber
consists of a spherical or spheroidal upward extension with or without cross tubes
or tubes otherwise disposed as water circulation tubes or heated gas tubes. Above
the vessel containing the water which is heated for evaporation or beside this
vessel or surrounding it is a vessel containing water for cooling purposes and for
providing the supply to the evaporating vessel. This water containing vessel is
provided with flat, conical, tubular or other suitable internal spaces or chambers
or passages which contain or offer surfaces which act as condensing surfaces and
receive the vapour from the evaporating vessel and condense it & conduct away the
resulting fresli water. In some forms of the apparatus the condensing apparatus is
of single acting or simple effect order. In other forms these surfaces are so disposed
as to obtain a double or triple or quadruple evaporating and condensing effect.
In some forms of the apparatus in which the condensing surfaces and cold water
containing vessel are placed above the evaporating vessel, the surfaces flat or
conical, plain or corrugated are so disposed that the condensation takes place
on the under side and the condensed vapour trickles down as water to an annular
receptacle.
When these surfaces are multiplied for multiple effect, the upper part of those
surfaces which are between the evaporating vessel and the cooling water may
be covered with a textile material wire or other gauze or netting or asbestos or
other cloth or netting. The water which from the cooling water vessel is admitted
by a float controlling a valve or by other adjustable means falls upon or is admitted
to the evaporating vessel or to the upper parts of the evaporating and condensing
surfaces described & trickles down them freely or impeded by the covering above
mentioned, that which is not evaporated from the surface descends to the evaporating

page_text: .
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Distilling Water.
I JOHN KIRKALDY of 40 West India Dock Road London E. Engineer and
Government Contractor 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 the evaporation of sea or other impure water & the
condensation of the vapour therefrom for the purpose of obtaining pure water
chiefly for potable purposes.
The invention consists in the construction of portable apparatus comprising
combined or separate evaporator & condenser the heat for evaporation being
generally obtained by the use of oil as fuel but in some forms of the apparatus
block or slow burning fuel or other common fuels may be employed.
The apparatus constructed according to my invention is illustrated by the
drawings hereunto attached which I will now describe premising that the reference
letters employed are as far as possible in all the drawings used to denote the same
or similar parts or parts performing similar functions.
In Fig. 1, A is a vessel for containing the water to be evaporated by heat within
the chamber B derived from the combustion of oil in the lamp E by the wicks F
shown also at Fig. 2 a conical chimney G being placed over the wicks and causing
the products of combustion to impinge on the depression d in the chamber B and
to descend to the exits at X, shown also at Fig. 3. The vessel A is provided on
its exterior with a ring C which rests upon a ring carried by the legs D, shown
also at Fig. 2 and attached by brazing or otherwise to the lamp base E. Air for
the support of combustion enters at W. The lamp wicks are adjusted by the
wheels H in the usual way.
Resting on the top of the vessel A is a cold water vessel J kept in place by the
rim K in the same way as is a saucepan lid.
Water of the kind to be evaporated, sea water or other, is fed in at the funnel P
and the overflow, continuous or intermittent, according to the mode of supply,
passes away at Q. The bottom of the vessel J is preferably of the cone form
shown at L. Into the centre of this is fixed a conical valve seat R. Through the
centre of this passes the valve stem S guided by the guide stay T, operated by the
float U & carrying the valve V. The arrangement of this valve and connected
parts is shown to a larger scale by Fig. 4. When the water in the evaporating
vessel A stands at a sufficient height the float U by the stem S forces the valve
into the seat R and no water pusses into A from the vessel J, but when by
evaporation or by being drawn off by a cock as at C Fig. 19, the water falls in A
the float U fulls & with it the valve V allowing water to pass from J between the
stem S the valve case R & the valve V. By this means a constant or nearly
_constant level of water for evaporation is kept up in the vessel A.
The vapour formed in the vessel A passes upwards into the space M between the
bottom of the cold water vessel J & the similarly formed conical piece L'. The
vapour is condensed on the underside surface of Ĺ & trickles down this surface
to the lower part of the space M and passes away by a pipe O to any required
place.
Various modifications of my invention are shown by the drawings Figs. 5 to 27.
In Fig. 5 the conical surface L' of Fig. 1 is dispensed with the vapour condensed
by the cold surface L passing away at O. The depression of d in the combustion
chamber B is made of much greater depth, the lamp chimney is dispensed with and
the products are caused to pass up in between the heating surfaces of B & the

page_text: depression or pot d on their way out at X. X as also shown at Fig. 6. In this
form of apparatus the float U is of annular form & the stem S is attached to a
bridge v.
In the form shown by Figs. 7 & 8 the combustion chamber is further modified,
the depression d, not being employed while in Figs. 9 & 10 the depression is of
smaller form the upper part of the vessel A being enlarged as in Fig. 5. In the
form shown by Figs. 11 & 12 the combustion chamber B is of a conical corrugated
form, the high lamp chimney being employed as in Fig. 1, the bottom L of the
cold water vessel J is also corrugated, the float U is of annular form. The
products of combustion pass away at X X air for combustion entering as in several
other forms at spaces between the lamp base & the bottom of the vessel J.
In Figs. 13 & 14 the passage for the products of combustion is constructed
immediately over the lamp wicks & the combustion chamber B is spherical. The
float U for controlling the water level is annular & is connected to the valve stem
by a double bridge piece u. u.
In Figs. 15 & 16 is shown an arrangement in which the lower part of the
combustion chamber is of the form shown in Fig. 1, but which is extended
upwards by a chimney G into the enlarged upper space B, the products of
combustion being forced to take a path towards the exits X which causes them to
impinge on the heating surface.
In the form of the apparatus shown by Figs. 17 & 18 the combustion chamber is
fitted with a number of water cross tubes b, two smaller floats for controlling the
water level U & U being used instead of one central float. The products of com-
bustion pass away at X. The vapour formed is in this apparatus carried off from
the space M by the coiled condensing tubes Y & Y in the cold water vessel .J both
coils being connected & delivering water at O or the two coils may deliver at two
distinct outlets. An annular plate filling in the top of the space M is removable
by the handles or pins Z. Z.
In Figs. 19, 20, & 21 the oil lamp is replaced by a grate on which coal coke
charcoal or block fuel may be burned the products of combustion entering the
firebox B and passing away at X. The vapour formed in the
Ivessel A is carried off and condensed in the two coils part of the
the water in
the vessel J the two coils being joined and delivering the water of condensation
at O.
At V Fig. 19 is a regulator & hand door & at W is the fuel feed door.
In Figs. 22 & 23 is shown an arrangement of the apparatus with a dome shaped
firebox for burning ordinary fuel the vapour in this apparatus being condensed by
a conical surface L similar to that in Figs. 1, 5 & 7.
It
In Figs. 24 to 27 is shown a modification of the apparatus in which the water
supply vessel and condenser J is separate from the evaporating vessel A but
connected thereto by a vapour pipe m by which the vapour from the space M
passes into the coil Y where it is condensed and drawn off at O. In this form the
combustion chamber B may be cylindrical with or without the inwardly projecting
corrugations shown or it may be hexagonal or rectangular or other form.
extends from end to end of the vessel A, the exit for products of combustion being
at X. From the upper part of the cold water vessel J a small pipe p supplies a
small supply vessel; containing the supply valve V with water for evaporation,
the control float U being of the saddle form shown at Fig. 25. The jacket A sur-
rounding the evaporating vessel may be packed with non-conducting material to
prevent loss of heat. The connections of the pipes p & m between evaporator &
condenser may be ordinary unions or india-rubber sleeves.
The water supply for evaporation as well as that used for condensing will be
supplied as in the before described forms of the apparatus, by the funnel P by which
it is conducted to the bottom of the vessel J & rises on its
way to the over-
flow which in this case is through the pipe p to the outlet at O. The water
admitted at P descends to the lowest part of the condensing coil or coils Y &

page_text: thus reduces the condensed vapour to the lowest by these means obtainable
temperature.
In general the apparatus I have now described is of small dimensions & 'made of
materials which can be soldered together or brazed. Some of the forms however
such as Figs. 19, 22 & 24 may be of sizes which require rivetting in parts or welding
as will be understood by all acquainted with such work.
Having now described & ascertained the nature of my invention & in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is-
1. The several arrangements of combined portable oil-burning evaporating &
condensing vessels & apparatus for obtaining fresh water from sea or other water
substantially as herein described & shown by reference to Figs. 1, to 18.
2. The several arrangements of combined portable evaporating and condensing
vessels and apparatus for obtaining fresh water substantially as herein described &
shown by reference to Figs. 19 to 23.
3. The arrangement of separate evaporating & condensing vessels & apparatus
for obtaining fresh water substantially as shown & described with reference to
Figs. 24 to 27.
4. In evaporating & condensing vessels for obtaining fresh water substantially
as herein described & shown, the arrangement of float & supply valve as shown
by the parts marked R. S. U. V. and the condenser formed by the surfaces marked L
substantially as herein described & shown.
5. In oil-burning fresh water distilling apparatus, the arrangement of combined
lamp, combustion chamber & chimney substantially as shown in Fig. 1. 9. 11.
& 15.
JNO. KIRKALDY.