IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED WATER HEATERS POR STEAM GENERATORS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Brown and Charles Neale May, of
North Wilts Foundry, Devizes, in the County of Wilts, Engineers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED WATER HEATERS POR STEAM
GENERATORS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Brown and
Charles Neale May at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 24th February 1870.
I, WILLIAM BROWN and CHARLES NEALE MAY, of North Wilts
Foundry, Devizes, in the County of Wilts, Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED WATER
HEATERS FOR STEAM GENERATORS," to be as follows:-
-
This Invention relates to certain improvements on the feed water
heaters described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to us
on or about the 3rd of December 1867, No. 3439, and has for its object

page_text: the prevention of injury to the apparatus arising from the freezing of the
water therein.
According to this Invention it is proposed to employ some means for
allowing of the free expansion of the water in the apparatus should the
water have been allowed to remain therein and become frozen.
Various means may be adopted for effecting this object, amongst which
we may give as examples the following:-By constructing one or more
air vessels on any convenient part or parts of the water jacket or
apparatus, or by otherwise making the jacket of such a shape that it
will always contain air as well as water, the water when expanding in
the act of freezing compressing the air acting on an elastic medium_in_
lieu of upon the rigid sides of the apparatus itself. Or the inner or
steam pipe, as well as the outer casing or jacket, may be made of an
oval or equivalent section, so that the inner pipe will be free to contract
and the outer one to expand. Or a diaphragm or india-rubber, thin
sheet metal, or other suitable elastic material, or a thin metallic tube
filled with air may be placed inside the jacket, or a valve with a
spring attached may be used, or the inlet or outlet pipes may be made
to drop down or protrude beyond the inner surface of the heater casing
or jacket.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Brown and Charles Neale May in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th August 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
BROWN and CHARLES NEALE May, of North Wilts Foundry, Devizes,
in the County of Wilts, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said William Brown and Charles Neale May, Her
special license that we, the said William Brown and Charles Neale May,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said William Brown and Charles Neale May, our executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, or 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, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED
WATER HEATERS FOR STEAM GENERATORS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said William Brown and Charles Neale May, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, should par-
ticularly 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 we, the said William Brown and Charles
Neale May, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawing and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, that is to say :-
Our said Invention relates to certain improvements on the feed water
heaters described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to us on
or about the Third day of December One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-seven, No. 3439, and has for its object the prevention of injury to
the apparatus arising from the freezing of the water therein.
According to this Invention it is proposed to employ means for
allowing of the free expansion of the water in the apparatus should the
water have been allowed to remain therein and become frozen.
Various means may be adopted for effecting this object, amongst which
we may give as examples the following, viz. :-By constructing one or
more air vessels on any convenient part or parts of the water jacket or
apparatus, or by otherwise making the jacket of such a shape that it
will always contain air as well as water, the water when expanding in
the act of freezing compressing the air, or acting on an elastic medium in
lieu of upon the rigid sides of the apparatus itself. Or the inner or
steam pipe, as well as the outer casing or jacket, may be made of an
oval or equivalent section, so that the inner pipe will be free to contract.
and the outer one to expand. Or a diaphragm of india-rubber, thin

page_text: wherein the cylinder and boiler are fixed together as to afford perfect
freedom of expansion to the water when such water becomes frozen
therein, whereby the bursting of the jacket is prevented.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Brown and Charles
Neale May, have to this our Specification set our hands and
seals, this Twenty-third day of August One thousand eight
hundred and seventy.
WILLIAM BROWN.
(L.S.)
0 Witness,
JAMES NEWMAN,
CHARLES NEALE MAY. (L.S.)
Clerk to Messrs. Brown & May,
Devizes.