Improvements in Heating Feed-water and Extracting Oil and Air therefrom in Connection with Steam Engines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 3rd Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 6th Dec., 1887
Improvements in Heating Feed-water and Extracting Oil and Air
therefrom in Connection with Steam Engines.
ALEXANDER MAC LAINE of No. 1 Queens Elms Belfast in the County of Antrim
Shipowner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I construct Feed-Water Heaters for steam engines formed with an outer shell or
casing inside of which I place a perforated pipe or perforated hollow cone round
which and between the pipe or cone and the easing the feed-water from the hotwell
comes and is drawn through the perforations in the pipe or cone by the action of
the boiler feed pump or pumps and projected in jets through the perforations towards
the centre of the pipe or cone, and inside of said pipe or cone I place a perforated
steam tube into which I convey the steam supply intended for heating the feed-water,
which steam supply enters said perforated steam tube with a degree of pressure
dependent on the source from which it is taken and expands outwards in jets into the
space between the steam tube and the pipe or cone and therein meets and commingles
with the jets of feed-water coming inwards through the perforations in the pipe or
cone, producing an exceedingly rapid condensation of the steam supply and most
effective heating of the feed-water on its passage to the boiler feed pump or pumps-
I do not limit myself to the exact form and construction of the Feed Heater as
described and may reverse its action by introducing the feed-water into the perforated
central Lube and the steam supply outside the perforated pipe or cone and combined
with the Feed-water Heater as described I may arrange the extraction of Oil and also
the extraction of Air from the feed-water in the manner following, viz.--
I make by preference the sectional area of the Feed-water Heater much larger than
that of the feed-water pipes so that the Feed-water in the Heater has time to settle and
the oil therein rises to the top of the Feed-water Heater by preference into a recess
formed round the inside of the top of the outer shell or casing above the level of the
incoming feed water, and from this recess it rises into an oil receiver arranged with
suitable cocks and fittings for drawing off the collected oil at intervals; and may
extract air from the feed-water in the manner following, viz.-The air released by the

page_text: rapid condensation produced by the opposing jets of steam and feed-water rises freely
between and among the feed-water jets and ascends to the top of the pipe or cone
passing through apertures made therein and escaping by preference into the recess at
the top of the outer shell or casing as described; from which by preference it rises
along with the oil into the oil receiver and passing through the oil, or water and oil,
in the receiver escapes by an air pipe leading from the upper part of the oil receiver
to the upper part of the hotwell or other convenient place of discharge; and I do
not limit myself to the precise arrangements for oil and air Extractors as described
and may vary same according to circumstances.
Dated this 9th day at March 1887

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Heating Feed-water and Extracting Oil and Air
therefrom in Connection with Steam Engines.
ALEXANDER MAC LAINE of No. 1. Queens Elms, Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Shipowner do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement. :-
I construct Feed-water Heaters for steam engines formed with an outer shell or
casing inside of which I place a perforated pipe. or perforated hollow cone round which
and fictween the pipe or cone and the casing the feed water from the hotwell comes
and is drawn through the perforations in the pipe or cone by the action of the boiler
feed pump or pumps and projected in jets through the perforations towards the centre
of the pipe or cone and inside of said pipe or cone I place a perforated, steam tube
into which I convey the steam supply intended for heating the feed-water, which
steam supply enters said perforated steam tube with a degree of pressure depondent
on the source from which it is taken and expands outwards in jets into the space
hetween the steam tabe and the pipe or cone, and therein meets and commingles with
the jets of feed-water coming inwards through the perforations in the pipe or cone
producing an exceedingly rapid condensation of the steam supply and most effective
heating of the feed-water on its passage to the boiler feed pump or pumps.
I do not limit myself to the exact form and construction of the Feed-water Heater
as described and may reverse its action by introducing the feel-water into the
perforated central tube and the steam supply outside the perforated pipe or cone; and
combined with the Feed-water Heater as described, I may arrange the extraction of
oil and or the extraction of air from the feed-water in the manner following viz.,
I make by preference the sectional area of the feel-water Heater auch larger than
that of the feed-water Pipes so that the feed-water in the Heater has time to settle
and the oil therein rises to the top of the Feed-water Heater by preference into a
recess formed round the inside of the top of the outer shell or casing above the level
of the incoming feed-water and from this recess rises into an oil Receiver placed at a
higher level and arranged by preference with cocks gauge glass, and fittings, for
faclitating the drawing off the extracted oil at intervals; and I may extract air from the
feed-water in the manner following viz.,-The air released by the rapid condensation
produced by the opposing jets of steam and feed-water in the space between the central
steam tube and the pipe or cone rises freely between and among the feed-water jets
and ascending to the top of the pipe or cone passes through apertures made therein
and escapes by preference into the recess at the top of the outer shell or casing as
described, from which by preference it rises along with the oil into the oil and air
Receiver and passing through the oil, or the water and oil, in the Receiver escapes by
an air pipe leading from the upper part of the oil and air receiver to the upper part of
the Hotwell or other convenient place of discharge, and I do not limit myself to the

page_text: precise details of the arrangement for oil and air extraction as described and may vary
same according to circumstances; and in order that my said invention may be more
fully understood I shall now preceed to refer to the drawings upon the sheet hereunto
annexed, the same letters of reference indicating the same or corresponding parts
throughout.
Fig. is a sectional elevation of a Feed-water Heater fitted with an oil and air
Receiver and
Fig. 2 is a cross section of same when fastened by brackets by preference to the
back of the condenser.
a is the outer shell or casing of the Feed-water Heater.
is the suction from Hotwell through which the feed-water enters the Feed-water
Heater.
c is a perforated hollow cone round which the feed-water comes and through the
perforations in which it is projected inwards in jets.
d is a perforated central steam tube through which the steam supply for heating
the feed-water is introduced and expands outwards in jets through the perforations
therein and said steam tube may or may not be closed at the bottom.
is the condensation space between the perforated steam tube and perforated hollow
cone in which the opposing jets of steam and feed-water meet and commingle producing
very rapid steam condensation.
is the suction from Feed-water Heater to main engine feed pump or pumps.
is the suction from Feed-water Heater to donkey feed pumps.
is an inlet for auxiliary feed or for circulating water from main boilers if
required.
7 is a recess formed round the inside of the top of the outer shell or casing above the
level of the incoming feed-water.
k. is a passage for oil, air, and water, connecting the Feed-water Heater with the
air and oil Receiver.
I is the oil & air Receiver.
mym, are cocks for drawing off oil at intervals.
n, is an escape pipe for leading the air extracted from feed-water to the upper part
of the hotwell or other convenient place of discharge.
o is the approximate level of oil or water in the oil and air Receiver, on which by
preference a gauge glass is fitted to show this level.
p is the back of the steam engine surface condenser to which the Feed-water
Heater and oil and air Receiver may be attached by brackets and I are brackets.
Having now described the nature of my said invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed declare that what I claim is,
1st. The use in steam engines of a Feed-water Heater substantially as described and
shown upon the drawings hereunio annexed.
2nd. The use in steam engines of an oil and air Receiver for extracting oil and air
from feed-water substantially as described and shown upon the drawings hereunio
annexed, and
3rd. The use in steam engines of a Feed-water Heater substantially as described
and shown upon the drawings hereunto annexed combined with the use of an oil and
air Receiver for extracting oil and air from feed-water substantially as described and
shown upon the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this First day of November 1887.
ALEXANDER MAC LAINE.