IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING FEED WATER TO STEAM BOILERS, AND IN MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE SAME
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ernest de Pass, of the Office for British and Foreign
Patonts, 68 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING FEED WATER TO STEAM
BOILERS, AND IN MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE SAME Communicated to him
from abroad by La Société Volpp Schwarz et Compagnie, of 17 Boulevard
Saint-Martin, Paris, France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernest de Pass at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd June 1882.
FOR
ERNEST DE PASS, of the Office for British and Foreign Patents, 68 Fleet Street
in the City of London, Patent Agent. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
SUPPLYING FEED-WATER TO STEAM BOILERS, AND IN MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE
SAME. Communicated to me from abroad by La Société Volpp Schwarz et
Compagnie of 17, Boulevard Saint-Martin, Paris, France.
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for supplying feed-water
to steam boilers, and in means for actuating the same, and it consists of a float and
valve supply apparatus fixed on or in connection with the boiler with which it is in
communication by means of a steam and a water pipe. The position of the float
varies with the level of the water in the boiler, and these variations are utilized
to open and to close the valve which regulates the supply of water, it being caused
to open on the slightest fall of the water level in the boiler, and allow water to
flow from a cistern or reservoir above the boiler into the pump tank. The pump
is then started, and it stops of its own accord whenever the level in the tank falls
to a suitable point.
The supply apparatus with regulating valve consists of a box or chamber, the
lowest level therein being at the same height as the level in the boiler. This box
or chamber contains the Boat to which is fixed a lever which is pivoted on the
upper part of a valve box fitted to the chamber, and by means of connecting rods
acts on a piston and opens or closes the valve according to the rise or fall of the
float. The valve opens when the water level in the boiler falls, and allows the
water to flow into the tank. The pump starts, when the water has attained a
certain level therein, by means of gearing hereinafter mentioned, and the feeding
of the boiler takes place, until the level in the tank has fallen sufficiently.
The pump with the above mentioned starting and stopping mechanism rests on a
frame forming a cistern or tank into which the water coming from the supply

page_text: apparatus flows. Two supports on this frame receive the driving and crank
shafts the driving shaft receives its motion from a pulley, and transmits it to tho
crank shaft through suitable gearing. The crank pin transmits motion to the
piston rod and piston by means of a connecting rod and piston cross head, the
latter of which works in guides.
The pump-barrel is fixed to a projection on the frame which is separated from
the cistern or tank by a wall in which are narrow orifices for preventing the
entry of impurities
The water rises through a suction valve from the space between the pump
barrels and the wall of the cistern into the pump, which is a double acting one, and
has on each side a suction and a delivery valve
The water passes into the boiler through passages and a supply pipe; a safety
valve allows the water to escape, should the supply become obstructed from
any cause.
The means for throwing the pump into gear are as follows: As soon as the
valve of the supply apparatus allows the water to pass into the cistern or reservoir
from the pump tank, the float therein commences to rise, and raises, by means of a
rod, a lever, until a stud on this lever, abuts against a pin on a catch lever; the float
continuing to rise throws the catch on this lever out of gear and the operating
mechanism is then free to work.
The mechanism for operating the working of the pump consists of a weighted
lever operated sideways as soon as the catch of the lever, above mentioned, is
disengaged. The lower part of this weighted lever presses against the stud of a
disengaging frame, and by carrying it forward brings a belt on to a fixed pulley,
thus starting the pump. The weighted lever carries a friction roller, which bears
against a cam keyed on the crank shaft, and is thereby caused tô oscillate at every
revolution.
The mechanism for effecting the throwing out of gear of the pump, consists of an
elbow lever whose horizontal arm forms a hook which, held in position by its own
weight, is in engagement with another stud on the disengaging frame during the
working of the pump. A weight fixed on a third lever tends to bring back the
fork to the loose pulley, by means of a fourth lever. When, by reason of the feed,
the float in the pump commences its downward stroke the stud, hereinbefore
mentioned bears against the pin of the catch-lever and lowers it until the catch
engages with the weighted lever. At the following up stroke of the pump a
projection on the piston cross head pushes a pin aside and disengages the stud of
the disengaging frame. The weight which acts on the fourth lever pushes back
the fork and shifts the belt on to the loose pulley and thereby stops the pump.
The above described four levers form the guide for the fork, which can be placed
to the right or to the left by shifting a rod.
In order to avoid overflow in the pump tank the following arrangement may be
employed.
The rod carrying the float in the tank is jointed to a counter weighted lever
which balances a portion of the weight of the float, and of the rod, and under the
axis of this counterweighted lever is a finger actuating a forked lever. As soon as
the tank is filled this finger acts on the said fork and by closing a valve cuts off
the flow of the water.
If an indicator be adapted to the pump to ascertain the number of its strokes,
the pump will also serve as a water meter for the quanity of water which is
introduced into and vaporized in the boiler.
The pump may also serve to ascertain the working power of the boiler, and to
control the engine if desired.
Springs may be employed in place of the weighted lever above mentioned.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Ernest de Pass in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th December 1882.
ERNEST DE PASS, of the Office for British and Foreign Patents, 68 Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
SUPPLYING FEED WATER TO STEAM BOILERS, AND IN MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE
SAME Communicated to me from abroad by La Société Volpp Schwarz et
Compagnie, of 17 Boulevard Saint Martin, Paris, France
The continually increasing use of steam generators of large heating surface and
small water volume necessitates the installation of a feed pump that can maintain
the water level of the generator as constant as possible.
A constant pressure is
thus obtained which corresponds to the best utilisation of the steam and to the
maximum of useful effect of the feed water heater in which the water remains
the longest possible time, and attains the maximum temperature for a regular
feed corresponding to one successive supply of steam. Hence an important
economy of fuel.
The automatic feed pump hereinafter described is destined to give these results.
It consists generally of a distributor which is fixed on the shell of the generator
itself or adjacent thereto and in communication with the boiler.
In this distributor is enclosed a float the different positions of which resulting
from the variations in the water level of the generator are utilised to open and
close a regulating valve. The valve opens on the slightest fall of the water level
of the generator and allows the water to flow from a reservoir placed above the
generator into the pump cistern. The pump is thus connected, and it stops of
itself when the level of the water in the pump cistern has fallen to a suitable point.
In the accompanying drawings Figs. 1 and 2 represent the pump in section,
taken through the lines A B of Fig. 2, and C D of Fig. 1 on a scale of one fifth
the natural size. Fig. 3 is a section taken through the line E F of Fig. 1 on a
scale of one fifth the natural size. Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line G H of
Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line I K of Fig. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FLOAT DISTRIBUTOR APPARATUS WITH THE
REGULATING VALVE.
The float distributor apparatus, Figs. 6 and 7, consists of a casing 1 which is in
communication with the generator by means of the steam pipe 2 and water
conduit 3; the lowest lovel there indicated being at the same hoight as that of the
generator. The casing contains the float 4, on which is fixed the lever 5. This
lever is suspended on the upper part of the valve chest 6. It acts on the piston 8
(Fig. 7) through the connecting links 7, and shuts or opens the valve 9, according
as the float rises or falls.
The valve 9 opens when the level of the water in the generator falls, and admits
water from the cistern to the lower part of the pump. This entrance of water
into the pump cistern, connects it when it has attained a certain level by means
of the arrangements hereinafter described, and the feeding of the generator takes
place until the level in the cistern has fallen to a certain point.

page_text: The disconnection of the pump would take place at every revolution of tho
shaft, if at the moment when the finger of the piston cross-head disengages tho
lever 53, the lever 47,, under the action of the weight 48, hnd not retained
the stud 58 until the lever 53 had caught the stud 59 of the disconnecting frame
on the 'return of the piston.
During this action the weight 48 keeps the weight 55 suspended. The dis-
connection of the pump is always offected in a position which allows of the lever 47
being connected. The boss of the cam during the stoppage of the pump is on the
opposite side of the shaft.
"
To prevent overflow of water from the pump cistern the following arrangement
is employed.
The rod 40 of the float 39 is jointed to the counterweight lever 63 Fig. 4 which
balances a portion of the weight of the float and rod. On the axis of the lever 63
is the finger 64 (Fig. 5) which actuates the fork of the lover 65 (Fig. 6).
As soon as the reservoir is full, the finger 64 acts on the fork and by closing the
valve 66 interrupts the passage of water into the reservoir
In accordance with what is before stated the principle of the pump connection
consists in the following system.
The water level of the generator in falling, tends to cause the descent of a
suspended weight which, first, connects the pump by means of any suitable
connection, and then raises a lighter weight.
The first weight is again raised and held after the sufficient quantity of water
has been introduced into the generator, or into the pump cistern, according to the
system employed to obtain the desired level. The second weight is, on the contrary,
set free, to disconnect the pump. Instead of weights, springs may be employed just
as well.
If the pump is fitted with a speed counter, indicating the number of its strokes,
this may serve as a water meter with respect to the quantity of water introduced
into the generator and there evaporated.
The pump may also serve to measure the work, because the generator always
contains the same quantity of water, and when on the occasion of a trial there is
the same volume afterwards as before, it would only be necessary to show how
much water had been introduced during the time of the trial. The weight of this
water is equivalent. to that of the steam consumed, it will therefore be easy to
determine the work that an engine requires to cause it to work.
The pump may also serve to control the steam engine itself.
•
Having ascertained by experiment that the engine is in good order, it is only
requisite to note the quantity of water it consumes whilst running without load.
If, later on, an increase in the consumption of fuel gave rise to the belief that the
steam engine was in bad order, it would only be necessary to run it without load
and again ascertain by the pump the quantity of water it requires.
Having now described the nature of the invention and the manner in which the
samo may be performed, I declare that I claim, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents.
1. Any automatic feed pump in which the fall of the lovel of the water in the
generator effects the release of a suspended weight (or of a spring) which connects,
first the pump, by any system of connection, and which afterwards raises a less
heavy weight substantially as herein described, the first weight being again raised
and engaged by the movement of the pump itself after the introduction into the
boiler of a quantity of water sufficient to raise the level to the normal height; the
second weight, which is smaller, being on the contrary, disengaged and dis-
connecting the pump by its fall, as set forth.
2. Any float distributor apparatus which by reason of the fall of the level in the
boiler opens a valve which admits water from the cistern into the pump, and
which closes the valve, consequently interrupting the passage of the water when the
normal level is reached, substantially as herein described.
.
3. The utilization, substantially as set forth, of the water, which enters the pump

page_text: for the purpose of connection, whilst the level in the pump cistern is rising, and
for the disconnection when the water conduit is closed, and the level in the tank
falls by reason of the suction, with arrangements for promoting the connection,
the same consisting of the float 39, rod 40, lever 41, and curved lever 44 as described
and sliewn.
4. The arrangements, as herein described, for effecting the connection, the same
consisting of the lever 47, weight 48, friction roller 51, and cam 50, of the bolt 58
and disconnector 57.
5. The mechanism, herein described, for effecting the disconnection of the pump,
the same consisting of the lever 53, the boss 56, the lever 60, and the lever 54,
with the weight 55 and the disconnector 57.
6. The apparatus above described for preventing overflow of water from the
cistern, the same consisting of the counterweighted lever 63, with the finger 64, and
the forked lever 65 with the valve 66.
7. The combination of the pump with a speed counter by which the pump may
be employed as a water meter, and for measuring the work of engines (that is to
say, serve as a dynamometer) as specified.
8. The special arrangements described in the present specification and represented
in the accompanying drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Ernest de Pass have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Eighteenth day of December in the year 1882.
ERNEST DE PASS {་ས༽