A NEW DISTILLING APPARATUS.
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau,
of the English and Foreign Patent Office for Inventions, 4, South
Street, Finsbury, London, and 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris,
for the Invention of "A NEW DISTILLING APPARATUS. "A commu-
nication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Armand Le
Comte de Fontaine Moreau at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd June 1853.
I, PETER ARMAND LE COMTE DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of the English
and Foreign Patent Office for Inventions, 4, South Street, Finsbury,
London, & 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "A NEW DISTILLING APPARATUS" to be as
follows:-
The Invention consists in constructing a new distilling apparatus for
converting sea water into potable water capable of being used on board
of vessels for culinary purposes, and in applying the steam formed by
the working of the said apparatus to other useful purposes.

page_text: I, PETER ARMAND LE COMTE DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of the English
and Foreign Patent Office for Inventions, 4, South Street, Finsbury,
London, and 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, do hereby declare that the
nature of the Invention for "A NEW DISTILLING APPARATUS" to be as
follows:-
The Invention consists in constructing a new distilling apparatus for
nverting sea water into potable water capable of being used on board
of vessels for culinary purposes, and in applying the steam formed by the
working of the said apparatus to other useful purposes, according to the
Drawings and description hereto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1, and 2, are two vertica sections of the apparatus repre-
senting its internal parts, and Figure 3, is a plan of the same.
It is composed of two vertical cylinders A, B, fixed air-tight on the
foundation plate c. The generating cylinder A, incloses the fire-
place D, cased in a brass envelope, having its lower extremity per-
forated, and its upper extremity provided with a cap. Below is the
ash-pit E. This fireplace is surrounded with water, the steam of which
being forced up in the casing to the top of the dome D', is stopped by
the plate V, set above the casing, the water driven up by the boiling
falls back into the space between the cylinder A, and the casing of the
fireplace D. The steam which remains over the surface of the water
rises to the top of the cylinder A, without taking with it any saline
matter, and escapes through the purge tap G, finally reaching the
recipient of the second cylinder B, and heating thereby the pan II,
where it remains for a certain time, increasing in pressure, and forces
the small valve I, open. The action of the valve I, affords a passage
for the steam, which is already in great measure condensed by its
having lost its caloric and reaches the condenser J, which is composed
of several double discs or plates J', having apertures in their periphery,
allowing the condensed steam to pass freely from one part to the other,
and finally reaches the tap K. The refrigerating water is brought into

page_text: the condenser by means of the ipe L, which reaches the upper part
of the refrigerator by one end, having the other in communication with
the sea. This last end of the tube L, Figure 3, is also provided with a
tap M, having three openings. Figures 1, and 3, serving to discharge
the water from the cylinder A, and to feed at the same time the con-
denser J. The generator A, is supplied by a feeding pump, which acts
in a direct manner into the condenser. The tap guage N, forms the
communication between the upper part of the cylinder B, and the lower
part of the condenser J, through the two pipes n, n'. The small
taps a, b, of the cylinder A, serve to discharge the air from the two
cylinders.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau in
the Great Seal Patent Office, on the 23rd December 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
PETER ARMAND LE COMTE DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of the English and
Foreign Patent Office for Inventions, 4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
and 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, Her special license that I, the said Peter Armand Le Comte
de Fontaine Moreau, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, 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, ex-
ercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention of "A NEW

page_text: DISTILLING APPARATUS," communicated to me from a foreigner residing
abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Peter
Armand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said 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 Peter Armand Le Comte de
Fontaine Moreau, 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 thereof
reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed, and to the figures
and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
The Invention communicated to me consists in constructing a dis-
tilling apparatus for rendering sea water fit for drinking purposes, in
which the heat produced may also be employed for culinary purposes.
The apparatus can be so constructed that the latent caloric of the
steam may be rendered available for the formation of fresh steam.
I will now proceed to describe the Drawing hereto annexed, in
which the same letters of reference in each of the Figures represent
similar parts.
Figures 1, and 2, are two vertical sections of the apparatus, re-
presenting its internal parts, and Figure 3, a plan of the same. The
apparatus is composed of two vertical cylinders A, B, fixed air-tight on
the foundation plate C. The generating cylinder A, incloses the fire
box D, and the ash-pit E; the box D, is surrounded with water up to
the level shown by Figure 2, which is seen externally by means of the
level in the tube represented in Figure 1. The same box D, is
enveloped by a brass casing, having the circumference of its lower
extremity perforated in several places, and the upper extremity provided
with a cap. This easing serves to check the boiling of the water
round the box D, and prevent the steam spreading over the whole of
the liquid. The steam and water conducted through the casing to the

page_text: upper extremity of box D, are stopped by the shield V, with which
the said box is provided, and the water driven up by the boiling falls
back within the space between the cylinder A, and the casing of the
fire box D. The steam which remains upon the surface of the water
rises to the top of the cylinder A, without taking with it any saline
matter, and escapes through the purge pipe G, having its upper end
open. The steam reaches the recipient in the second cylinder B, heating
thereby the pan H, where it remains for a certain tine increasing in
pressure until it forces the small valve I, to open. The action of the
valve T, affords a passage for the steam partly condensed by having lost
its latent caloric, and it reaches the condenser J. which is composed of
several pairs of concave enamelled brass discs J, communicating with
each other, and placed with their concave sides opposite, inclosing in the
space so formed a third brass disc J, enamelled both sides. This last
disc J, is provided on its periphery with apertures, allowing the non-
condensed steam to pass freely from one part to the other, so as finally
to reach the tap K. The refrigerating water is brought into the con-
denser by means of the pipe T, Figure 3, set at one extremity in the
upper part of the refrigerator, the other being in communication with
the sea.
The latter extremity of the tube L, is also provided with a
tap M, having three openings, Figures 1, and 3, serving to discharge the
water from the cylinder A, and to feed at the same time the condenser .J.
The generator or cylinder A, is supplied direct by feed pump 0,
through the aperture j. The guage tap N, allows a passage between
the upper part of the cylinder B, and the lower part of the con-
denser J, through the two pipes n, n. small taps a, b, serve to
discharge the air from the two cylinders A, B. The heat from the fire
placed at D. passes through the conduct pipe d, direct into the space C,
where it heats several cooking utensils, and follows the direction shewn
before escaping through the chimney P; an additional grate Q, is fixed
under the cooking utensils for supplementary heat when so required.
Figure 4, represents a modification of the apparatus. In that Figure
the apparatus is seen to be composed of two vertical cylinders for the
double application of the same caloric; that is to say, the steam
The

page_text: generated is conducted by the pipe a, into a cast iron receptacle S, set
at the bottom of the cylinder B, under the foundation plate, and from
that chamber S, the steam passes through a series of vertical pipes
placed in the interior of the cylinder serving for the passage of the
steam through the conduct pipes C, and C¹, to the condenser. This
condenser consists of a cylinder and discs similar to those herein-before
described, which cylinder is internally provided with a metallic casing,
and with a cap fixed to the cupola D', for the purpose herein-before
described, when speaking of the generator A, of the first apparatus,
and affording a free passage to the steam through the vertical pipe E,
communicating through its lower extremity with the central steam
conduct pipe of the condenser. The distilled water passes off without
intermission through the discharge pipe F, and the refrigerating water
is conducted to the condenser as in the previous apparatus. When
the condenser J, is set in the hold below water line the steam can be
condensed by causing it to communicate with the sea by means of two
pipes, the position of which is shown by t, t; these two pipes should be
placed one at the top and the other at the bottom of the cylinder, the
cold water being constantly introduced by the bottom pipe, and the hot
water being discharged by the upper one. The alimentation takes place
at the upper extremity of the refrigerator by means of a small pump,
which draws in the water already heated to a high temperature. This
second distilling apparatus can be constructed separate from the
generator, that is to say, the latter can be set between decks, and the
double distilling parts in the hold communicating together by means of
two pipes for steam and water. The cylinders are covered with wooden
staves to prevent the escape of caloric and the heating of the hold.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner of putting the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that
I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction herein
laid down. But what I claim as new, and intended to be protected by
the said Letters Patent, is, the constructing distilling apparatus for
removing the saline properties from sea water, and rendering it fit for
drinking purposes, in which the heat employed is reapplied to the gene-

page_text: ation of steam or to culinary operations, reference being had to the
Figures of the Drawing.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fon-
taine Moreau, have hereto set my hand and seal, this Seven-
teenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-three.
L. DE FONTAINE MOREAU. (L.S.)