IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED WATER HEATERS AND REGULATORS FOR STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FEED WATER HEATERS AND REGULATORS FOR STEAM BOILERS." A com-
munication from abroad by James Pool, John Smith, and Michael Joseph
Foster, all of Friendsville, in the County of Wabash, and State of Illinois,
United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at,
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th January 1879.
ALEXANDER MELville Clark, of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED WATER HEATERS AND REGULATORS FOR
STEAM BOILERS." [A communication from abroad by James Pool, John Smith,
and Michael Joseph Foster, all of Friendsville, in the County of Wabash, and State
of Illinois, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to the class of apparatus known as feed water heaters
and regulators for steam boilers, by which the water in the boiler is retained at a
proper level without attendance from the engineer, and whereby economy of fuel is
attained by utilisation of the heat of the exhaust steam.
In the ordinary way of heating and feeding water to boilers the water is heated
in coils located in the furnace uptake, or in vessels located in close contact with the
fire or escaping gases, and also by exhaust steam, such as in condensers or other
vessels, and then forced into the boiler by pumps or injectors, and it is well known
that when the water rises beyond a certain temperature it cannot be forced into
the boiler, éither by pumps or injectors, and a large amount of power is necessary
to operate the pumps. These difficulties are avoided by this Invention.
The first feature of the Invention consists in automatically maintaining a proper
water level in steam boilers, thereby avoiding the dangers accompanying low water,
and obviating "priming." The second feature consists in equalising the resistance
due to the pressure of steam, thereby permitting the water to be fed with but small
power, notwithstanding the temperature. The third feature of the Invention
consists in the construction of the pump plunger and piston, whereby the resistance
of the boiler pressure to the plunger is balanced or equalised throughout the whole

page_text: stroke of the plunger. The fourth feature consists in the general arrangement of
the heater, receiver, and their connecting parts by which the water is heated,
sediment precipitated, and the water then supplied to the pump in a comparatively
pure state, as more fully described hereafter.
In carrying out this Invention the steam space of the boiler is connected by a
-pipe with the upper end, and the water space by another pipe with the lower end
of-a-receiver-which-is-preferably of cylindrical form, and is provided with two
diametrically opposed tubular projections or cylinders, about midway of its length,
in one of which works a pair of piston-heads-and-in the other a plunger, the latter
cylinder being formed with flanges for connection of a packing gland, while the
opposite cylinder has a flange for connection to a heater. These tubular projections
or cylinders may either be cast with the receiver or attached in any desired manner,
but should be in line with each other, and be bored out true for the plunger and
piston heads.
The diameter of the receiver is greater than that of the tubular pro-
jections or cylinders, so that the plunger may readily pass through it. The piston
heads are to be packed, as also the plunger cylinder.
The plunger is formed as follows:-The end working in the cylinder is solid, and
at about midway of its length it is formed with an annular recess, and near the
inner end with a second recess, the two being separated by a collar that forms one
piston head, the other piston head being at the outer end; the second recess is
much longer than the first, and acts as a bucket. The other end of the plunger is
formed with an ear piece for connection of the plunger to the power. The heater
is attached to the cylinder in which the piston heads work in such manner as to
allow the end piston to pass. therein. At the extreme movement of the plunger
the end piston head should be at about the centre of the heater, and the other at
the end of the cylinder next to the heater. An exhaust pipe or pipes run through
the heater, or the heater may be cast with exhaust passages that will furnish a
large heating surface. At one side of the heater is attached a pipe that connects
with a reservoir, which will be located at a height sufficiently to keep the heater
always supplied with water by gravity. At the top of the heater is a pipe for
relieving the heater of steam which might hinder the water entering from the
reservoir, this pipe also serving as an overflow pipe for the heater. The pipes con-
necting the steam and water spaces of the boiler with the receiver are provided
with steam cocks, which are used to close those pipes in case of accident to the feed
apparatus..
The following is the operation of the apparatus:-When the boiler is in use the
water in the reservoir will stand at the same level as in the boiler, and the steam
on entering will equalise the pressure, the plunger will be reciprocated continuously,
and the pressure will be equal at both ends of the recess, thus balancing the
plunger. Suppose the plunger and piston heads to be moving in the direction of
the heater when the end piston reaches the centre of the heater, which is the
extremity-of-its-motion in that direction, the other piston will be at the end of its
cylinder, and the recess or space between the pistons will be entirely within the
heater, and will consequently be filled with water. On the return stroke the space
will be moved into the receiver, and the water will discharge therein, which opera-
tion will be repeated at every return stroke of the plunger, until the water in the
boiler and receiver is at the proper level. It is obvious that when this level is
reached there will be no effect of raising the water afterwards, as the same quantity
of water will be carried back and forth. The steam and hot water carried back by
the plunger to the heater will assist in heating the feed water.
The apparatus is applicable to horizontal boilers, as well, and may be applied at
the ends or sides of the boiler.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7ths
July 1879.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED WATER HEATERS AND REGULATORS FOR
STEAM BOILERS." A communication from abroad by James Pool, John Smith, and
Michael Joseph Foster, all of Friendsville, in the County of Wabash, and State of
Illinois, United States of America.
This Invention relates to the class of apparatus known as feed water heaters and
regulators for steam boilers, by which the water is maintained at a proper level in
the boiler without attendance from the engineer, and whereby the heat of the
exhaust steam is utilized and fuel economized. In the ordinary way of heating
and feeding water to boilers the water is heated in coils located in the furnace up-
take, or in vessels located in close contact with the fire or escaping gases, and also
by exhaust steam, such as in condensers or other vessels, and then forced into the
boiler by pumps or injectors, and it is well known that when the water rises
beyond a certain temperature it cannot be forced into the boiler, either by pumps
or injectors, and a large amount of power is necessary to operate the pumps.
difficulties are avoided by this Invention.
These
The first feature of the Invention consists in automatically maintaining a proper
water level in steam boilers, thereby avoiding the dangers accompanying low water,
and obviating "priming."
The second feature consists in equalizing the resistance due to the pressure of
steam, thereby permitting the water to be fed with but small power, notwithstanding
the temperature.
The third feature of the Invention consists in the construction of the pump-
plunger and piston, whereby the resistance of the boiler pressure to the plunger is
balanced or equalized throughout the whole stroke of the plunger.
The fourth feature consists in the general arrangement of the heater, receiver,
and their connecting parts, by which the water is heated, sediment precipitated,
and the water then supplied to the pump in a comparatively pure state, as more
fully described hereafter.
The accompanying Drawing represents a vertical boiler with the improved appa-
ratus attached thereto, the said apparatus being shown in sectional elevation. A is
a receiver, connected at the upper end with the steam space of the boiler by a pipe B,
and at the lower end with the water space of the boiler by a pipe C. The pipes B, C,
are provided with cocks b, c, by which they may be closed in case of accident to the
feed apparatus. The receiver A is preferably of cylindrical form with conical ends,
and is cast with or attached to a cylinder D that forms two diametrically opposed
projections about midway of A. The cylinder D is fitted at one end with a stuffing
box and gland through which passes a plunger E. The other portion of cylinder D
extends through the heater F, and is connected at the extreme end with a valve and
water chamber G. The cylinder D has openings at a within A, and at f within F.
The plunger E is solid, and is formed in one with or attached to a piston rod carrying
pistons E, E, E³, working in cylinder D, and which are separated from plunger E
and from one another by spaces or annular recesses H, H³, Hº. Of these the
spaces H, H, are much longer than H and act as buckets. The other end of
plunger E is formed with an ear piece d to which the connecting rod from a crank
or other moving part of the engine is jointed. The parts are proportioned to allow
the piston E2 to pass into F, and when at the right hand end of its stroke the
piston E should be at the side of the heater F, the piston E2 at about the centre of
the same, and the piston Es within the valve chamber G. An exhaust pipe or pipes I
run through the heater F, or the heater may be cast with exhaust passages that will
furnish a large heating surface. The lower end of chamber G is connected by a

page_text: pipe J with a water reservoir R, and the upper end of chamber G is connected by
à pipe K to the heater F. At the top of F is a pipe L for relieving the heater of
steam, which-might-hinder the water entering from R; the said pipe L also serves
-as an overflow pipe for the beater; n, n, are valves in G.
The following is the action of the apparatus :-When the boiler is in use the water
in A will stand-at-the-same-level as in the boiler, and steam entering through pipe B
will equalize the pressure; the-plunger-E-will be reciprocated continuously, and the
- pressure will be equal at both ends of recess H, thus balancing the plunger.
Supposing the plunger and pistons-to-be moving-in the direction of the arrow, when
E reaches the centre of F, which is the end of its course in that direction, E¹ will
be at the side of F, and space H entirely within the heater F, and consequently H
will be filled with water through openings f. On the return stroke H¹ will be moved
into the position shown, and the water contained therein will discharge into A by
openings a, which operation will be repeated, at every return stroke of the plunger
until the water in the boiler and receiver is at the proper level.
It is obvious that when this level is reached there will be no effect of raising the
water afterwards as the same quantity of water will be carried back and forth.
The steam and hot water carried back by the plunger to the heater will assist in
heating the feed water. By this device the water in the boiler is prevented from
"priming" or falling too low, and is kept at nearly a permanent level, according to
the setting of the apparatus. But little power is required to operate the plunger, as
there is no resistance except friction. By the reciprocation described the heater F
is kept supplied with water by the piston E3 acting as a pump to raise water through
pipe J into the chamber G and cylinder D and force it into the heater by pipe K.
In some cases the heater may be supplied by gravity from an elevated reservoir, in
which case the piston E³ and chamber G would not be required. The apparatus is
applicable to horizontal boilers as well, and may be applied at the ends or sides of
the boiler.
The apparatus shown and described may be modified without departing from the
Invention.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. In a feed water apparatus for steam boilers, the plunger E having a space or
recess H and a piston head E' by which the plunger is balanced, in combination
with a piston E² and recess H¹, substantially as described and shown, and for the
purposes set forth.
2. The combination of the receiver A, balanced plunger E, and cylinder D, con-
structed and operating substantially as and for the purposes specified.
3. In a feed water heater the combination of the receiver A, balanced pump
plunger E, cylinder D, and heater F, arranged to operate in the manner set forth.
4. A feed water apparatus consisting-of-receiver A, connections B, C, plunger E,.
cylinder D, and heater F, said heater being provided with an exhaust steam pipe or
passage, as and for the purposes set forth.
5. The combination with a feed water heater, substantially as described, of the
auxiliary piston E³, valve chamber G, and connections to the reservoir, as and for
the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)