Process and Apparatus for Aerating Main or Town Water with Carbonic Acid.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1898
Complete Specification Left. 28th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Process and Apparatus for Aerating Main or Town Water with
Carbonic Acid.
I, LOUIS RÜHL, of Worms-on-the-Rhine, Germany, Brewery Director, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It is well known that the filter-beds or apparatus employed in waterworks remove
the carbonic acid from the water thereby rendering the said water difficult to digest
and imparting a flat taste to it. It does not appear that any attempts have yet
been made to restore carbonic acid to water that has been so deteriorated. This
operation entails a great many difficulties. First, care must be taken that the
carbonic acid shall not pass back into the main but that it shall only be actually
imparted to the water which flows out, and then that it shall be intimately mixed
with the same. This intimate mixing is difficult to effect because it has to be done
in a very short time and in a very limited space.
To the use of carbonic acid in the easily obtainable form of liquid carbonic acid,
there is the particular objection that the refrigerating action of the expanding
carbonic acid upon the water must be carefully avoided in order to prevent the
freezing of the pipes and apparatus, which would interfere with the working of the
system. Further, care must be taken that the carbonic acid shall be imparted only to
the drinking water, and that it shall be kept away from the non-drinking water, as
otherwise the consumption of carbonic acid would be too great.
Now this problem is solved according to the present invention :-
By providing a flask of carbonic acid for each separate service-tap;
By arranging the carbonic acid supply pipe so as to communicate with the water-
pipe only after a free outflow of water has been established and when the velocity of
the flow of water allows of a current or flow of the carbonic acid only in the direction
of the outflow orifice of the water;
By causing the carbonic acid supply pipe to be closed again before the closing of
the water-tap; and, finally,
By making provision for effectually preventing the water from entering the
carbonic acid supply pipe. Arrangements are also made for spraying the water and
for causing the carbonic acid which is in contact with the water to also become
dissolved in the latter.
The most suitable form of apparatus for carrying out this process has been found
to be a special double valve which is provided with two inflow or supply pipes or
orifices and two valve chambers such that the water flows into the upper chamber
and that, after the inflow of water has been established, the lower chamber is opened
and the rising and rapidly outflowing carbonic acid mingles with the water in such a
manner that the water is prevented from entering the other chamber whilst also the
carbonic acid is caused to be effectually carried along towards the outflow orifice of
the tap. In this arrangement it is necessary that the reducing valve of the carbonic
acid flask should be set so that the carbonic acid shall have a pressure at the point
where it enters the water channel about one-tenth greater than the pressure of the
water at that point during the outflow. At its entrance into the valve the water is
CD

page_text: divided into thin streams upon which the current of carbonic acid impinges, and,
before flowing out the water passes out of a collecting chamber through narrow
apertures into a vertical pipe so that the pressure is maintained in the valve as much
as possible.
The accompanying drawings illustrate a form of arrangement of the apparatus.
Figure 1 shews the general arrangement. Figure 2 is a section through the tap on a
larger scale.
A is the water pipe which leads to the place of supply, B is the carbonic acid flask
which is arranged as near as possible to the tap and is connected through the reducing
valve C and the cock D with the pipe d which leads to the outflow tap. The latter
is provided in the tap casing E with the two valve seats F and G together with the
appurtenant valves ƒ and g. At H is the water inlet. K is the end of the carbonic
acid supply pipe. The valve is so constructed that the valve f is operated upon
directly by the valve spindle S. Immediately underneath this valve and connected
thereto is a valve spindle s with spring t from which the valve g is suspended with a
certain amount of play. This play is so great that the valve f is capable of opening
fully before the collar or shoulder u on the valve spindle s strikes against the valve g
and thus raises the valve. Therefore the carbonic acid flows (but only after the flow
of water has been completely established) with great force from below, impinges upon
the water (which flows through the strainer V and which is advantageously made to
flow in obliquely with a downward inclination) and mingles intimately with the said
water in the chamber between the two valves. A hollow ball L on the end of the
out flow connection or union L that carries the outflow pipe M, serves as a collecting
chamber from which the water rises through narrow holes into the vertical leg of the
outflow pipe M. The narrow holes, as also the necessity of upward flow, co-operate
with the hollow space of the ball to further promote an intimate mingling of the
carbonic acid with the water.
Besides this self-contained construction of tap, which allows of drawing non-drinking
water without carbonic acid by slightly turning the handle of the valve and of
drawing water with an addition of carbonic acid by turning the said handle to a greater
extent, there are other possible arrangements in which, for instance, two separate taps
are provided on the water pipe and carbonic acid is supplied only to one of said taps.
But this very arrangement has been found to entail drawbacks, viz.:-that it is only
possible, with great difficulty, to prevent the carbonic acid from flowing back into the
water pipe, and an undesired emptying of the whole stock of carbonic acid into said
water pipe from taking place. It is also possible to utilize the absorption of heat
which takes place on the evaporation and expansion of the carbonic acid, for the
purpose of cooling the water. For this purpose the carbonic acid flask must be
placed "upon its head "and the reducing valve must be arranged as near as possible
to the water tap. Then by operating the tap in such a manner as to allow first a small
quantity of water to flow away, so as to allow all the warm and already gaseous carbonic
acid situated behind the valve to flow out, it will be possible to utilize the entire
advantage of the absorption of the heat.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Process and Apparatus for Aerating Main or Town Water with
Carbonic Acid.
I, LOUIS RÜHL, of Worms-on-the-Rhine, Germany, Brewery Director, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
It is well known that the filter-beds or apparatus employed in waterworks remove
carbonic acid from the water thereby imparting to it a flat taste and rendering it
difficult to digest, but no attempts appear to have yet been made to restore carbonic
acid to water that has been so deteriorated. This operation entails a great many
difficulties, as care must be taken that the carbonic acid shall not pass back into the
main but shall only be imparted to the outflowing water and shall be intimately mixed
therewith, this intimate mixing being difficult to effect within the very short time
and very limited space available.
To the use of carbonic acid in the easily obtainable form of liquid carbonic acid,
there is the particular objection that the refrigerating action of the expanding car-
bonic acid upon the water must be carefully avoided in order to prevent the freezing
of the pipes and apparatus, which would interfere with the working of the system.
Further, care must be taken that the carbonic acid shall be imparted only to water
to be used for drinking, in order to avoid the excessive consumption of carbonic acid
without interfering with the drawing off from the same tap of unimpregnated water
to be used for other purposes.
Now this problem is solved according to the present invention:-
By providing a flask of carbonic acid for each separate service-tap; by arranging
the carbonic acid supply pipe so as to communicate with the water-pipe only after a
free outflow of water has been established and when the velocity of the flow of water
allows of a current or flow of the carbonic acid only in the direction of the outflow
orifice of the water; by causing the carbonic acid supply pipe to be closed again
before the closing of the water-tap; and finally by making provision for effectually
preventing the water from entering the carbonic acid supply pipe. Arrangements
are also made for dividing or spraying the water and causing the carbonic acid which
is brought in contact therewith, to become dissolved therein.
The most suitable form of apparatus for carrying out this process has been found
to be a special double valve which is provided with two valve chambers so arranged
that the water flows into the upper chamber and that, after the inflow of water has
been established, the lower chamber is opened and the rising and rapidly outflowing
carbonic acid mingles with the water in such a manner that the water is prevented
from entering the other chamber whilst the carbonic acid is caused to be effectually
carried along towards the outflow orifice of the tap. In this arrangement it is necessary
that the reducing valve of the carbonic acid flask should be set so that the car-
bonic acid shall have a pressure at the point where it enters the water channel about
one-tenth greater than the pressure of the water at that point during the outflow.
At its entrance into the valve the water is divided into thin streams upon which the
current of carbonic acid impinges, and, before flowing out the water passes out of a
collecting chamber through small apertures into a vertical pipe so that the pressure is
maintained in the valve as much as possible.
•
The drawings accompanying my provisional specification illustrate an arrangement
of the apparatus wherein Figure 1 shews the general arrangement, and Figure 2 is a
section through the tap on a larger scale.
In Figure 1, A is the water pipe which leads from the place of supply, B is the
carbonic acid flask which is arranged as near as possible to the tap and is connected
through the reducing valve C and the cock D with the pipe d which leads to the out-
flow tap. Referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that the tap casing E is provided with
the two valve seats F and G against which close the two valves ƒ and g which respec-
tively control the flow of the water from the inlet Hand of carbonic acid from the carbonic
acid supply pipe K. The valve f is operated upon directly by the valve spindle S whilst
immediately underneath this valve and connected thereto is a valve spindle s to which
the valve g is connected with such an amount of play that the valve f may be opened
fully before the collar or shoulder u on the valve spindle 8 engages with and raises
the valve g which is pressed to its seat by a spring t. Thus the carbonic acid is only per-
mitted to flow after the flow of water has been completely established and rising with

page_text: great force, the carbonic acid impinges upon the water as it passes in a divided form
through the strainer V (at which point it may advantageously be made to flow in an
obliquely downward direction) and mingles intimately with the water in the chamber
between the two valves. A hollow spherical socket I on the outflow connection or
union L carries the outflow pipe M and serves as a collecting chamber from which the
water rises through small holes into the vertical leg of the outflow pipe M, the small
size of the holes and the necessarily upward flow, co-operating with the hollow space
of the ball to further promote an intimate mingling of the carbonic acid with the
water.
Besides this self-contained construction of tap, which allows of drawing non-
drinking water without carbonic acid by turning the handle so far as to only open
the valve and of drawing water impregnated with carbonic acid by turning the
handle to a sufficient extent to open first the one and then the other valve as above
described, there are other possible arrangements in which, for instance, two separate
taps are provided on the water pipe and carbonic acid is supplied only to one of
said taps. But this arrangement has been found to entail drawbacks, viz. :-that
it is only possible, with great difficulty, to prevent the carbonic acid from flowing
back into the water pipe, and an undesired emptying of the whole stock of carbonic
acid into said water pipe from taking place.
It is also possible to utilize the absorption of heat which takes place on the
evaporation and expansion of the carbonic acid, for the purpose of cooling the water.
For this purpose the carbonic acid flask must be placed in an inverted position and
the reducing valve must be arranged as near as possible to the water tap. Then by
operating the tap in such a manner as to allow first a small quantity of water to flow
away, so as to allow all the warm and already gaseous carbonic acid situated behind
the valve to flow out, it will be possible to utilize the entire advantage of the
absorption of the heat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A method of and means for revivifying main water by means of carbonic acid,
characterized by the fact that at each point of draw-off, there is provided a carbonic
acid flask which is put into communication with the water only after the draw-off
tap has been fully opened, and is put out of communication therewith before the
draw-off tap is closed, so that carbonic acid can flow only into the moving current
of water, whilst the "striking back" of the carbonic acid into the water pipe, and
the "striking back" of the water into the carbonic acid supply pipe, are prevented.
2. A method of and means for revivifying main water as specified in Claim 1,
wherein the water is divided into fine streams upon which the carbonic acid is
caused to impinge.
3. An apparatus for carrying out the method of revivifying main water with
carbonic acid as specified in Claim 1, consisting of the double-chambered valve, so
arranged and operated that the water enters the upper chamber, and the valve which
controls the admission of carbonic acid to the lower chamber is opened only after
the upper valve has been fully opened, and preferably by means of a second valve
spindle which depends from the upper valve and which is loosely connected with the
lower spring pressed valve substantially as herein specified.
4. In the herein described apparatus, the arrangement of a separate collecting
chamber from which the water flows up through small holes into a vertical leg of
the outflow pipe.
2
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.