Improvements in the Heating and Circulating of Water in Buildings or other Places and Appliances connected therewith.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 27th June, 1859
Complete Specification Left, 26th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 3rd May, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Heating and Circulating of Water in Buildings
or other Places and Appliances connected therewith.
I, ROBERT MITCHELL RITCHIE, of Alline Works, 169, Fountain Bridge, in the
City and County of Edinburgh, Heating and Ventilating Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of my Invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in connection with the
arrangements and fittings of close pressure water and circulating heating pipes,
known as the high pressure or "Perkins" system, in which there are two or more
coils of close pipes ranged in the heating furnace, combined in cross circulation in
the furnace, that is, each coil having an outflow and return circulating pipe of the
enclosed hot water it might be to heat one part of a building, and a return to the
second or next coil, which would have an outflow and circulation of its own, it might
be to another part of the building, and have its return pipe joined to the inflow or
return of the next coil, or to the inflow of the first coil when only two coils are used.
And the main object or purpose of the improvements is to be able to stop or cut out
any one of the outflow heating currents, or any number or all of them except one
when more than two coils are used, which has not been heretofore found possible or
practised.
The nature and novelty of the improvements consist all as follows:-In joining all
the outflow pipes by a single cross pipe near the furnace, and all the return pipes by
a corresponding cross pipe, as say for example in a system of three coils and outflow
circulations. Then on all the outflow pipes of the several coils, above or beyond the
said cross pipe connecting them, a screw or other shut off valve would be fitted, and
in the centre of each cross pipe between the said outflow pipes a corresponding shut
off valve would be fitted; as also in the centre of the cross pipes, joining the three
return or inflow shut off pipes. of each coil. These shut off valves and their chests
would preferably be fitted to their flow branches at right angles with the branches
fully a diameter out of the direct line with cach other, so that a screw spindle could
work out through a stuffing box in the valve chest with a hand wheel on it, having
the spindle screwed within the upper part of the chest with a valve on its lower end,
capable of being screwed up on a close valve face between the flow branches in the
chest, and so shut up the water course through the valve face and water branches.
Thus then for working the whole of the three circuits as usual, all the new shut off
valves on the outflows would be left open, and all the stop valves on the new cross
branches might be left close, (or they might be left open) when the arrangement
would be substantially as if there had been no cross pipes but they would all
preferably he left open before putting on the fires for the expansion of the water
The return
previously pumped or filled in to the whole of the pipes, without air.
from the first outflow circuit would enter the inflow of the second coil, and after
passing through this coil pass out by its outflow and back by its return to the inflow
of the third coil, and out by its outflow and back through its, the last, return to the
inflow of the first coil, and out through this and its outflow as first stated to complete
the circuit as one system of circulation, in addition to circulating through each coil.
For this new arrangement an ordinary valve cistern would preferably be fitted on one
of the last return pipes similar to that fitted at the upper part of the circulation pipes,
to allow of a free discharge of the water of expansion in the pipes when heated out
through the loaded valve, and also fitted with an inlet valve iminersed in the water,
which would allow water to be admitted from the cistern to the pipes when they were
cooled down without the possibility of the admission of air. In this way it will be
seen that any one or two of this triple circulating arrangement of pipes might be shut

page_text: off by closing the screw valve of its or their outflow, and when shut the water would
flow through the cross pipes and valves left open to and through any of the outflow
pipes in which their screw stop valve was left open, and return back through their
return pipes and cross pipes and valves left open to all the respective coils and
complete the circulation.
In some cases, when it was desired to short circuit any of the outflow pipes and
return adjacent pipes, one of these screw stop valves might be fitted between the out-
flow pipe and the return pipe, with a double seat and double faced valve and screw
spindle, so as either to open the outflow pipe of the arrangement, and close the valve
chest to the return pipe, when the circulation was to go on in the usual way out and
back through these pipes, but by reversing the screw valve to shut the outflow
beyond it, and open the outflow through the valve chest to the return pipe, this
would short circuit the current from and back towards the coil.
Dated this 27th day of June 1880
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Heating and Circulating of Water in Buildings
or other places and Appliances connected therewith.
I ROBERT MITCHELL RITCHIE, of Aldine Works, 169 Fountain Bridge, in the City
and County of Edinburgh, Heating and Ventilating Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing,
reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in connection with
the arrangements and fittings of close pressure water and circulating heating pipes,
known as the high pressure or "Perkins" system, in which there are two or more
coils of close pipes ranged in the heating furnace, combined in cross circulation in
the furnace, that is, each coil having an outflow and a return circulation pipe of the
enclosed hot water, it might be to heat one part of the building, and a return to the
second or next coil, which would have an outflow and circulation of it's own, it might
be to another part of the building, and have its return pipe jointed to the inflow
or return of the next coil, or to the inflow of the first coil when only two coils are
used. And the main object or purpose of the improvements is to be able to stop or
cut off any one of the outflow heat distributing currents, or any number or all of
them except one when more than two coils are used, which has not been heretofore
found possible or practised.
And in order that my said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended
an explanatory Sheet of Drawings in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures where shown. Figure 1 is a front
elevation of a rectangular heating furnace or stove F with grate fire in the centre,
and fuel feeding door F2 on top, and with furnace and ash pit cleaning doors F3, F4, at
the one end, and a chimney flue F³, on top at the other end, all so far much of an
ordinary construction, and having the front side plate as broken away or removed at f,
to show the internal water circulating and heat generating coils, which are here
shown as three in number A, A1, A2, each fitted with their respective outflow, and
return branches a, a², a³, and a, a, a, and with their valves B, b, and fittings
' constructed in accordance with one arrangement of my improvements; and
Figure 2, is a sectional plan view as taken near the line 1-1 in and corresponding
to Figure 1. Figure 3 is a perspective elevation showing an outside view of the
furnace F, and outflow and return pipes a to all and fittings complete. And Figure 4
is a sectional view showing one of the shutting off valve, or reversing return current
valve when that is required.

page_text: a,
,
Referring to these Drawings, the improvements consist all as follows:-In joining all
the outflow branches a, a, a³, of the three pipes by a cross pipe near the furnace,
and all the return branches a¹, all, all, by a corresponding cross pipe ³, as say
for example in a system of three coils A, A1, A2, and outflow and return
circulations A³, A', A'. Then on all the outflow pipes a, a, a³, of the several heat
generating coils A, A2, A', above or beyond the said cross pipe 6 connecting them,―
a screw or other shut off valve and valve chest b, B, is fitted at B, B, B, like that
shown detached in Figure 4. And in the centre of each cross pipe 6", between the
said outflow pipes a, a, and a², a³, a correspouding shut off valvo and valve
chest b B, is fitted at B1, B2; and similar shut off valves and valve chests b, B, are
fitted at B1, B3, in the centre of the cross pipes 2 joining the return or inflow
pipes a, a, and all a¹ of each coil A, A', A2. These shut off valves and their
chests B as shown in Figure 4, are preferably fitted at right angles to their flow
branches or 62, with the branches fully a diameter out of the direct line with
each other, so that the screw spindle b', of the valve b, may work out through a
stuffing box in the front end of the valve chest B with a hand wheel 6x on it, having
the spindle screwed within the outer part of the chest B, with the valve b on its inner
end, capable of being screwed up on a close valve face at B× between the flow
branches in the chest, and so shut up the water course through this valve face and
water branches, although shown open in Figure 4. Thus then for working the whole
of the three heat distributing-circuits A³, A", As, and heat generating coils A, A¹, A²,
as usual, all the new shut off valves B, in the chests at B, B, B, on the outflow
branches a², a³, would be left open, and all these stop valves on the new cross
branches 61, 62, might be left open, or they might be left closed when the arrangement
would be substantially as if there had been no cross branches, but they would all
preferably be left open, before putting on the fires, for the expansion of the water
previously pumped or filled into the whole of the heat generating coils A, A', A²,
and heat circulating distributing pipes A3, A4, A6, without air. These close hot
water circulating pipes, which are carried through the building for distributing the
beat, are shown as broken away at A* from their respective outflow and return
branch pipes a, a, a³, and a, a, a, but in Figure 1 the arrows on these and the loop
ends A³, A, A, show the mode of joining them up and the direction and circuit of the
water to and through them back to the heating coils A, A1, A3, to effect the purposes
of my invention. Thus the hot water from any one of the outflow pipes, as say a, of
the first heat generating coil A, would pass out through the building in the heat
distributing coils A³, and return and enter the inflow all of the second coil A', and
after passing through this coil pass out by its outflow a³ and heat distributing coils A*,
back by its return a to the inflow of the third heating coil A2, and out by its
outflow a², to and through the heat distributing coils A, and back to the last return
inflow pipe a¹ of the first coil A, and out through this and its outflow branch a, as first
stated, to complete the circuit through the whole as one system of circulation, in
addition to circulating through cach heat generating coil A, A', A², not closing in any
one of its circuits with the individual heating coils. But this might also be effected
by coupling up the heat distributing pipes A³, A, and A, in the crossing manner
shown by the dotted lines and arrows in Figure 1. For this new arrangement two
safety water branches c and c¹ are fitted to one of the outflow and return pipes,
as a and a respectively, by one pipe c² from the loaded valve c³ of a water cistern C
fitted above the level of the heating coils as shown detached in Figure 5, and similar
to those heretofore fitted. to these high pressure pipe heating arrangements at the
upper part of the heat-distributing circulation pipes as A³, A, A, to allow of a free
discharge of the water of expansion from the pipes, when heated, out through their
loaded valve c³, and also fitted with an inlet valve c', both immersed in the water
cistern C, which would allow water to be admitted from the cistern to the pipes when
they were cooled down, without the possibility of the admission of air. In this way
it will be seen that any one or two of these triple circulating arrangements of heat
distributing pipes A³, A', A, might be shut off by closing the stop valve at B, B, B,
of its or their outflow branches a, a, a³; and when shut, as say that at B on the

page_text: and
outflow pipe a of the first coil A, the water would flow through the cross pipes
valves b, B, left open at B1, B2, to pass through any of the other outflow pipes a², a³,
in which their screw stop valve b at B, B, was left open, and return back through
their inlet pipes a' a¹¹¹, and cross pipes 63, and valves b B, left open at B1, B3, to all
the three heat generating coils A, A1, A2, and thus keep up and complete the
circulation, in all these coils, whatever number, except one, of the outflow circulating
pipes A3, A4, A6, were cut off, as indicated by the arrows in these Figures.
any
In some cases, when it is desired to short circuit any of the outflow pipes or part of
the heat-distributing currents, to the return adjacent pipes, one of these screw top
valves B, might be fitted between the outflow pipe and return pipe of of
the heat distributing pipes A3, A4, A5, with the double or extra seat, and double faced
valve b, on the screw spindle &, as shown in Figure 4, with an extra pipe and branch B³,
so as to either open the outflow pipe of one section of the circulation and close the
valve to the other or return pipe, when the circulation was to go on in the usual way
out and back through these pipes, or by reversing the screw valve bb, to shut the
outflow by the valve seat Bx to the pipes beyond it, and open the outflow through
the extra end valve seat and branch B of the short circuit or return pipe; the
dotted arrows in Figure 4 indicate this stopping-off a part and shortening the current
from and back towards the coil. A plug is inserted in this extra valve seat and
branch B when not required, as indicated in Figure 4, and all the other Figures.
Although only three heat generating coils A, A1, A2, and heat-distributing
circuits A3, A4, A³, have been here described and shown, it is to be understood that
either fewer or more may be similarly coupled up in circuit and used in accordance
with these improvements, by connecting pipes and valve fittings, so as to enable
any or all except one of the heat-distributing circuit pipes to be cut off in like
mauner.
Having now particularly described and ascertainal the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is,
First. The construction, or arrangement and combination of the parts of water
heating and circulating close pipes or coils and their valves and fittings, so as to be
able to stop or cut off any or all except one of the outflow heat distributing currents,
substantially as and for the advantages herein described, in reference to and shown in
the accompanying Drawings.
Second. In a system of lieat generating, circulating and distributing water coils and
pipes, the connecting of all the outflow and return pipes from and to the several coils
by cross branch pipes and shutting off and opening distributing valves, either with
single or double faces and ports, substantially as aud in the manner and for the
advantages herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.
Third. In a system of heat generating, circulating and distributing water coils and
pipes, the circulating of the water through all the heat generating coils, whatever
number except one of the heat distributing pipes may be cut off, by the use of cross
branches and valves between their outflow and return branches, substantially as and
in the manner herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.
TL 11 ML 1900
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Agents.