Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Boilers, Evaporators, and the like, and for Brining Evaporators.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 16th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1896
Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Boilers, Evaporators, and
the like, and for Brining Evaporators.
I, DANIEL ARTHUR. QUIGGIN, of 21 Brasenose Road, Liverpool in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:--
This invention relates to means for feeding boilers, evaporators and the like, and
for brining evaporators, and is specially applicable to multiple effect apparatus for
evaporating salt water to produce fresh water, and the object is to dispense with
the use of pumps in such apparatus.
I will describe my invention as applied to a triple effect apparatus in which
boiler steam is used to evaporate salt water with the object of producing fresh
water. In such apparatus the steam from the boiler passes through the heating
surfaces of the first evaporator, is condensed therein, and evaporates the salt water
in the first evaporator; the vapour so produced is in turn passed through the
heating surfaces of the second evaporator; and so on.
To maintain the action of such apparatus it will be seen that it is necessary
(a) to feed the evaporators with salt water, (b) to return to the boiler the water
formed by the condensation of the boiler steam, and (c) to periodically brine the
evaporators to prevent the salt water therein becoming too concentrated.
The feeding is effected as follows ;-
A receiver is provided into which the water to be fed flows by gravity through
a non-return valve, the receiver also communicates, through a non-return valve,
with the water space of the boiler or evaporator to be fed, as the case may be ;
when the feed water reaches the desired level in the receiver, the interior of the
latter is subjected to a steam pressure greater than that within the vessel which is
being fed, with the result that the water in the receiver is forced into the said
vessel. In those cases where no pressure greater than that in the vessel which is
being fed is available, as for example, where the condensed water has to be
returned to the boiler, the receiver is placed at a higher level than the boiler,
so that when the interior of the receiver is subjected to the steam pressure.
of the boiler, the water therein flows into the boiler in virtue of the difference
of level; water may also in this way be fed to an evaporator without using
any higher pressure than that in the evaporator. After the water is forced
out of the receiver the latter is, of course, filled or partly filled with steam; to get
rid of this steam, to allow the next charge of water to enter the receiver, and to
economically employ the steam, I provide a connection between the receiver and
the atmosphere, through one of the heating surfaces of the evaporator, and open
this connection when the connection to the steam space of the boiler, or evaporator,
as the case may be, is closed.
In some cases 1 prefer to construct the receiver in two separate compartments,
an upper compartment into which the condensed water drains or into which the,
boiler feed enters, and a lower compartment having the connections described and
into the lower portion of which the water collected in the upper compartment.
passes, through a non-return valve; this prevents the steam pressure interfering
with the supply when the latter is intermittent or slow.
I employ a similar receiver to effect the brining, modified as follows;-
The receiver is in this case placed at the same level as the evaporator and
communicates separately with the steam and water space of the latter; the water

page_text: in the receiver is therefore, when both these connections are open, at same level as
in the evaporator. At intervals the communication to the steam space is closed,
and as the communication to the water space is fitted with a non-return valve, the
contents of the receiver may, by opening it to the atmosphere, be allowed to run to
waste by gravity; or it may be forced out through a non-return valve by the steam
pressure in the evaporator, or where the pressure in the evaporator is less than that
of the atmosphere, a higher steam pressure may be employed to expel the brine; in
each case the steam is economically employed as before.
The valves which open the receiver to the steam pressure and to the exhaust
may be operated by floats controlled by the water level in the receiver, in which
case the apparatus may be made automatic; in some. cases, however I prefer to
employ a small motor which actuates a line of shafting, and to operate the several
valves of the different receivers by connecting the spindles thereof to the shafting
through suitable reducing gear, the speed of the shaft being regulated to open and
close the valves at the appropriate times.
Dated this 15th day of January 1896
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Boilers, Evaporators, and
the like, and for Brining Evaporators.
I, DANIEL ARTHUR QUIGGIN, of 21 Brasenose Road, Liverpool in the County
of Lancaster, 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 statement:-
This invention relates to means for feeding boilers, evaporators and the like, and
for brining evaporators, and is specially applicable to multiple effect apparatus for
evaporating salt water to produce fresh water, and the object is to dispense with
the use of pumps in such apparatus.
I will describe my invention as applied to a double effect apparatus in which
boiler steam is used to evaporate salt water with the object of producing fresh
water. In such apparatus the steam from the boiler passes through the heating
surfaces of the first evaporator, is condensed therein, and evaporates the salt water
in the first evaporator; the vapour so produced is in turn passed through the
heating surfaces of the second evaporator, and thence to the atmosphere or a
condenser as the case may be.
To maintain the action of such apparatus it will be seen that it is necessary (a) to
feed the evaporators with salt water, (b) to return to the boiler the water formed
by the condensation of the boiler steam, and (c) to periodically brine the evaporators
to prevent the salt water therein becoming too concentrated.
The feeding is effected as follows;-
A receiver is provided into which the water to be fed flows by gravity through
a non-return valve, the receiver also communicates, through a non-return valve,
with the water space of the boiler or evaporator to be fed, as the case may be;
when the feed water reaches the desired level in the receiver, the interior of the
latter is subjected to a steam pressure greater than that within the vessel which is
being fed, with the result that the water in the receiver is forced into the said
vessel. In those cases where no pressure greater than that in the vessel which is
being fed is available, as for example, when the condensed water has to be returned
to the boiler, the receiver is placed at a higher level than the boiler, so that when

page_text: the interior of the receiver is subjected to the steam pressure of the boiler, the
water therein flows into the boiler in virtue of the difference of level; water may
also in this way be fed to an evaporator without using any higher pressure than that
in the evaporator. After the water is forced" out of the receiver the latter is, of
course, filled or partly filled with 'steam; to get rid of this steam, to allow the next
charge of water to enter the receiver, and to 'economically employ the steam,
I provide a connection between the receiver and the atmosphere or condenser,
through one of the beating surfaces of the evaporator, and open this connection when
the connection to the steam space of the boiler, or evaporator, as the case may be,
is closed.
In some cases I prefer to construct the receiver in two separate compartments, an
upper compartment into which the condensed water drains or into which the boiler
feed enters, and a lower compartment having the connections described and into the
lower portion of which the water' collected 'in the upper compartment passes,
through a non-return valve; this prevents the steam pressure 'interfering with the
supply when the latter is interimittent or slow.
I employ a similar receiver to effect the brining, modified as follows;-
The receiver is in this case placed at the same 'level' as the evaporator and
communicates separately with the steam and water space of the latter; the water
in the receiver is therefore, when both these connections are open, at same level as
in the evaporator." At intervals the communication to the steam space is closed,
and as the communication to the water space is fitted with a non-return valve; the
contents of the receiver may, by opening it to the atmosphere, be allowed to run to
waste by gravity; or it may be forced out through a non-return valve by the steam
pressure in the evaporator, or where the pressure in the evaporator is less than
that of the atmosphere, a higher steam pressure may be employed to expel the
brine; in each case the steam is economically employed as before.
.
The valves which open the receiver to the steam pressure and to the exhaust
may be operated by floats controlled by the water level in the receiver, in which
case the apparatus may be made automatic; in some cases, however, I prefer to
employ a small motor which actiates a line of shafting, and to operate the several
valves of the different receivers by connecting the spindles thereof to the shafting
through suitable reducing gear, the speed of the shaft being regulated to open and
close the valves at the appropriate times.
"
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In the accompanying drawings Fig. I shows my invention applied by way of
example to a plant comprising a boiler and two evaporators arranged as a double
effect evaporating apparatus; Fig. "II is a detail view, to larger scale, of a
modification and will be referred to more particularly hereinafter.
Referring in the first instance to Fig. 1; 1 is the boiler, 2 is the first evaporator
and 3 is the second evaporator; 4 is the receiver for returning the condensed boiler
steam to the boiler, 5 is the receiver for feeding the first evaporator, and 6 is the
receiver for brining the last evaporator.
Boiler steam is led through the 'pipe 7 to the heat transmitting surfaces 8 of the
first evaporator, and the steam generated by the evaporation of the water in the
evaporator is led by the pipe 9 to the heat transmitting surfaces 10 of the second
evaporator, from which the generated steam passes by the pipe 11 to a suitable
condenser. The evaporators may be of any of the well known types, 'and the heat
transmitting surfaces thereof are therefore merely indicated conventionally by the
dotted rectangles 8 and 10.
...
The various connections to the receivers 4, 5 and 6 are closely analogous and are
as follows each is surmounted by a three-way cock 12, that is to say the cock
has three branches and the plug has two ports' at' right-angles, so that the centre
branch fixed to the receiver can be put into communication with either of the other
two branches at will.
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In the case of the receiver 4, the opposite brauches of the cock 12 are connected
respectively to the steam space of the boiler by the pipe 13, and to the steam
pipe 9 by the pipe 14; 15 is a pipe leading from the outlet or drainage end of

page_text: the heat transmitting surfaces 8 of the first evaporator, and 16 is a pipe leading
through the check valve 24 to the water space of the boiler.
The receiver 5 communicates, through its cock 12, by the pipe 17 with the steam
space of the first evaporator 2, and by the pipe 18 with the steam pipe II. 19 is
the water supply pipe, and 20 is a pipe leading to the water space of the
evaporator 2.
The receiver 6 communicates, through its cock 12, by the pipe 32 with the steam
space of the second evaporator, and by the pipe 21 with the atmosphere. 22 is a
pipe connecting 6 with the water space of the evaporator 3, and 23 is a waste
pipe.
Non-return screw-down valves or cocks are fitted at each of the places
marked V.
The action is as follows; The receiver 4 being empty, the plug of the cock 12 is
turned so as to communicate with 14, any return of water from the boiler being
prevented by the check valve 24. Under these circumstances, the pressure in 15
being greater than in 14, the drainage from 8 will be forced into the receiver 4.
When 4 is nearly full, the cock 12 is turned so as to cut off 14 and open to 13,
when the water in 4 will flow by gravity into the boiler, and the action is repeated
by turning the cock 12 back to its original position.
The action in the case of the receiver 5 is analogous; when the receiver
communicates with 18, it will be readily filled by the pipe 19 from the sea or a
tank, as the evaporator 3 is usually worked so that the pressure in 11 is below
atmospheric pressure. On placing the receiver in communication with 17 instead
of 18, the water therein will flow by gravity into the evaporator 2.
The evaporator 3 is fed from 2 through the communication pipe 25, the effect
being to brine the first evaporator into the second, where the temperature is lower
and the tendency to scale therefore less.
In the case of the brining receiver 6; when the receiver communicates with 32,
the brine will flow into the receiver, and on cutting off the communication with 32
and opening to the atmosphere through 21, the brine will flow out by 23 to waste.
The drainage from the heat transmitting surfaces 10 is led by the pipe 26 to the
condenser.
The various cocks 12 may be operated, as already stated, by a small motor
which actuates a line of shafting. The shaft is geared to the spindles of the cocks
by chain or toothed gearing or the like which is not shown in the drawings, as the
details of the mechanism are of ordinary type and can readily be arranged to suit
individual cases.
Referring now to Fig. II; this is a section through one of the receivers,―say 5,
and shows an alternative construction for automatic working without the necessity
for a motor.
In this arrangement, the piston valve 27 takes the place of the three-way
cock 12, the pipes 17, 18, 19 and 20 being identical with those similarly figured in
Fig. 1.
The valve 27 which is solid, is operated by the spindle 28, the weight of which is
supported by the spring 29. 30 is a float sliding freely over the rod and adapted
to abut against the upper and lower washers 31 fixed to 28.
The action is as follows;-The receiver being empty, the float is in its lowest
position abutting against the lower washer 31, and the valve is in its lower
position, opening the pipe 18 to the receiver and cutting off 17. Under these
circumstances, water flows in through 19 until the receiver is nearly full, when the
float abuts against the upper washer 31, raises the valve 27, so cutting off the
pipe 18 from the receiver and opening the pipe 17 thereto. The receiver now
discharges through 20 until the float again abuts against the lower washer 31, when
the action is repeated.
Whilst I have described this part of my invention with reference to the
receiver 5, it is clear that an exactly similar construction may be adapted in the
case of the receivers 4 and 6.

page_text: 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 I
claim is ;-
1. The improved means for feeding, brining and returning the condensed steam
to the boiler in an evaporating apparatus, comprising a series of receivers provided
with pipe connections and cocks or valves, substantially as described and illustrated
in Fig. I.
2. The improved device for automatically operating a receiver such as 4, 5 or 6,
consisting of a float therein adapted to operate a piston or the like valve at its
upper and lower positions so as to effect the desired alternative connections;
substantially as described and illustrated.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.