IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED-WATER HEATERS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FEED-WATER HEATERS." A communication from abroad by George Simpson
Strong, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th July 1881.
.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED WATER HEATERS." A com-
munication from abroad by George Simpson Strong, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America.
This Invention relates to the construction and arrangement of feed water heaters
especially adaptable to locomotive boilers.
For this purpose the heater, which is saddle shaped, so as to correspond with
the shape of the boiler, which is arranged by preference free from contact with the
shell of the boiler, and supported by suitable brackets secured. thereto.
The advantages of the saddle shaped heater are, first, its ready application to the
boiler preferably at a point behind the chimney; second, its large capacity, without
adding materially to the bulk of the engine; and, third, its location at a point
where it cannot interfere with the working parts of the engine.
While different arrangements of pipes or passages for the circulation of the feed
water and exhaust steam through the heater may be adopted, the plan and appliances
preferred are those which will now be described.
The inner side and outer side of the body of the heater are both formed in the
first instance mainly in the arcs of circles concentric with the barrel of the boiler,
the front end and the rear end of the heater, which in the present case is made of
sheet iron, the lower ends of the two legs being secured to flanged bases of cast
iron, and to each of the latter is pched a cast iron receiver having its four sides
converging to an outlet which communicates with a waste pipe, the waste pipes of
the two receivers communicating with a discharge cock.

page_text: Two exhaust pipes are provided from the valve chests of the two cylinders and
two exhaust nozzles, the latter of which is of ordinary construction, so that the
exhaust steam has a direct passage through it; the one nozzle however is con-
structed with three chambers formed therein, the chamber through which a portion
of the exhaust steam from one of the cylinders takes a direct course into the smoke
box of the locomotive; the second chamber, through which another portion of the
exhaust steam from the same cylinder passes into a pipe; and the third passage,
through which the same exhaust steam (after taking the course explained hereafter)
passes by another similar pipe into the smoke box.
The first named pipe coinmunicates with a box in the lower portion of one leg
of the saddle shaped heater, and the second pipe with a similar box in the opposite
leg, and the two boxes communicate with each other through a series of bent tubes,
so that the exhaust steam, which finds its way through the second chamber of the
nozzle into the last mentioned pipe, must first enter the box with which that pipe
communicates, thence pass through the bent tubes into the other box, and finally
through the first pipe and through the third chamber of the nozzle into the
smoke box.
The feed water is first pumped into the heater, where a high degree of heat
is imparted to it by contact with the tubes before it finds its way into the
boiler.
On the top of the saddle like heater is provided a casing enclosing a chamber
which communicates with the said heater, and this chamber contains a coil heated
by live steam, and above the coil is placed a filtering medium, so that the feed
water must first be superheated by the coil and then pass through the filter before
it escapes through a suitable outlet.
Feed water is forced by the ordinary pumps or by an injector through a pipe
having a check valve into the heater, and passes from the heater at the top of the
same through the before mentioned outlet, and thence through pipes to the underside
of the spherical or chamber chest, a nozzle projecting from the said chest into another
chamber, which communicates with the steam boiler, the said chamber being
contained in a tube which is secured to the boiler, and to which the spherical chest
is attached.
Live steam passes through a pipe and branch pipe to one end of the steam
heating coil, the waste steam from the latter passing through an outlet tube
and check valve into the chamber formed within the tube, as before described.
The live steam pipe communicates with two other pipes through a check valve
which opens from the said pipe for the purposes hereinafter mentioned.
When the engine is running the superheated water under pressure, due to the
pump or injector, will pass down the two said pipes, keeping the check valve
closed, and through the spherical chest and nozzle into the boiler; in the meantime
the waste steam from the steam heating coil passes through the outlet pipe and
check valve into the tubular chamber, and is forced with the feed water into the
boiler.
When the connection between the feed pipe and the feed pump or injector is
closed and the waste cock opened, the check valve on the steam pipe will open, and
live steam will pass from the pipe through one of the two before mentioned pipes
into the heater at the top of the same, and will cause such a downward current
in the heater as will tend to cleanse the filter and interior of the heater, all sediment
which may have accumulated in the receiver being subsequently discharged through
the waste cock.
It will be understood that the heater is properly lagged or clothed with non-
conducting material, and that it is properly stayed internally to resist the pressure
to which it is subjected.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st January 1882.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED WATER HEATERS."
A com-
munication from abroad by George Simpson Strong, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America.
The said Invention relates to feed-water heaters especially adapted to locomotive
boilers, and has reference to the construction of the heater and to detached parts of
the same.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a perspective diagram.
Figure 2, a side view of part of a locomotive, showing the improved feed water-
heater partly in section.
Figure 3, an end view of Figure 2, showing the smoke box end of the boiler and
the heater in section, and
Figures 4, 5, and 6, detail views of devices which are used in carrying out the
said Invention.
A represents part of the body or barrel of a locomotive boiler, and B the heater
which is saddle shaped as shown, so as to correspond with the shape of the boiler;
this saddle shaped heater being by preference free from contact with the shell of
the boiler, and supported by suitable brackets a, a, secured thereto, as shown in
Figure 3.
The advantages of the saddle-shaped heater are, first, its ready application to the
boiler, preferably at a point behind the chimney; second, its large capacity without
adding materially to the bulk of the engine; and third, its location at a point
where it cannot interfere with the working parts of the engine.
While different arrangements of pipes or passages for the circulation of the feed
water and exhaust steam through the heater may be adopted, the plan and
appliances preferred are those which will now be described.
In Figure 3, 6 represents the inner side, and b' the outer side of the body of the
heater, both being made in the present instance mainly in the arcs of circles
concentric with the barrel of the boiler; d is the front end, and d¹ the rear end of
the heater, which in the present case is made of sheet iron, the lower ends of tho
two legs being secured to flanged bases e, e, of cast iron, and to each of the latter is
attached a cast iron receiver f, having its four sides converging to an outlet which
communicates with a waste pipe h, the waste pipes of the two receivers communi-
cating with the discharge cock i.
In Figure 3, D, D, represent the two exhaust pipes from the valve chests of the
two cylinders, and E, E', the two exhaust nozzles, the latter of which is of ordinary
construction, so that the exhaust steam has a direct passage through it, the other
nozzle E however is constructed in the manuer shown in the sectional view,
Figure 4, on reference to which it will be seen that three chambers are formed in
the nozzle, the chamber m through which a portion of the exhaust steam from one
of the cylinders takes a direct course into the smoke box of the locomotive, the
chamber m' through which another portion of the exhaust steam from the same
cylinder passes into the pipe F, and the third passage m² through which the same
exhaust steam (after taking the course hereinafter explained), passes from the
pipe F into the smoke box.

page_text: The pipe F communicates with a box G in the lower portion of one leg of the
saddle shaped heater (Figure 2), and the pipe F¹ with a similar box G' in the
opposite (Figure 3), and the two boxes communicate with each other through a
series of bent tubes H, so that the exhaust steam which finds its way through the
chamber m of the nozzle into the pipe F must first enter the box with which
that pipe communicates, thence pass through the bent tubes into the other box, and
finally through the pipe F and through the chamber m² of the nozzle E into the
smoke box.
The feed water is first pumped into the heater, where a high degree of heat is
imparted to it by contact with the tubes before it finds its way into the boiler.
On the top of the saddle-like heater B is a casing p inclosing a chamber I which
communicates with the said heater, and this chamber contains a coil J heated by
live steam, and above the coil is placed a filtering medium K, so that the feed-
water must first be superheated by the coil, and then pass through the filter before
it escapes through the outlet q.
Feed water is forced by the ordinary pumps or by an injector through the pipe M
and check valve N into the heater at the point indicated in Figure 2, and passes
from the heater at the top of the same through the outlet q, Figure 3, and thence
through the pipes, k, to the underside of the chest L which will be best observed
in Figures 5 and 6, a nozzle v projecting from the said chest into a chamber w
which communicates with the steam boiler, the said chamber w being contained in
a tube P which is secured to the boiler, and to which the chest is attached.
Live steam passes through a pipe R and branch pipe R¹ to one end of the steam-
heating coil J, the waste steam from the latter passing through the tubes and
check valve s¹ into the chamber w.
The live steam pipe R communicates with the pipes k, k¹, through a check valve x
which opens from the said pipe.
When the engine is running the superheated water under pressure, due to the
pump or injector, will pass down the pipes k, l, keeping the check valve x closed,
and through the chest L and nozzle v into the boiler; in the meantime the waste
steam from the steam-heating coil J passes through the pipes and check valve 81
into the chamber w, and is forced with the feed water into the boiler.
When the connection between the feed pipe M and the feed pump or injector is
closed and the waste cock i opened, the check valve x will open and live steam
will pass from the pipe R through the pipe into the heater at the top of the
same, and will cause such a downward current in the heater as will tend to cleanse
the_filter_and_interior of the heater, all-sediment-which may have accumulated in
the receiver f being discharged through the waste cock.
It will be understood that the heater is properly lagged or clothed with non-
conducting material, and that it is properly stayed internally to resist the pressure
to which it is subjected.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein before in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The combination of the body or barrel of a locomotive boiler with the
saddle-shaped feed water-beater, having internal pipes or tubes for the conveyance
of steam through the heater, substantially as herein before described.
Second. The within described feed-water heater, the same consisting of the
saddle-shaped casing, its boxes G, G¹, and curved tubes with inlets and outlets for
exhaust steam and feed water, all substantially as herein before described.
Third. The combination of the heater, its tubes H. and boxes G, G¹, with the
nozzle E having a chamber m' communicating with one box, and a chamber m²
communicating with the other box, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Fourth. The within described nozzle E having a chamber m for the direct
passage of a portion of the exhaust steam to the smoke box, a chamber m¹ for the

page_text: passage of another portion of the exhaust steam to the heater, and a third
passage m² for receiving the spent exhaust steam from the heater and directing it
to the smoke box, all substantially as hereinbefore described.
Fifth. The combination of the heater and the two receivers f. f, one for each leg
of the heater, with the waste pipes h, h, and discharge cock i, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Sixth. The combination of the saddle-shaped heater, with the chamber I, steam
heating coil J, and filter K, substantially as herein before described.
"
Seventh. The combination of the feed pipes 1, 1, the valve chest L, the nozzle v,
and chamber w, with the steam-heating coil J, and the waste pipes communicating
with the said chamber w, all substantially as herein before described.
Eighth. The combination of the heater, the feod pipe m, the discharge pipes k, k¹,
the live steam pipe R, and the check valve x, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
In witness whereof, I, tho said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of January,
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)