Improvements in Apparatus for Sterilising Water.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application. 16th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 8th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Sterilising Water.
I, NICHOLAS YAGN of 25 Basseinaja, St. Petersburg, Russia, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The obtaining of large quantities of boiled water cooled down to the temperature
of the atmosphere is subject to considerable practical difficulties.
The heating of the water is not so difficult as the subsequent cooling of the same
to atmospheric temperature, as the water only cools very slowly owing to its great
heat-retaining capacity. A body of water contained in a barrel having a capacity
of from 2 to 4 hectolitres would take about 24 hours to cool down completely in
the atmosphere.
At the same time it has to be considered that the water, in consequence of long
storage in vessels when containing no air dissolved in it, assumes an unpleasant
flavour.
Also, the heating of more than 2 to 4 hectolitres of water would not be very
easily accomplished without special appliances, and the sterilizing would not be
carried out with perfect certainty when treated in such large bulk, owing to want
of proper care on the part of the attendants.
The apparatus which forms the subject of my present invention has for its object
to obviate the above named defects, by enabling large quantities of boiled water
to be readily reduced to a cold state.
I will describe the said apparatus with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which Fig. 1 shews a vertical section of the same, Fig. 2 a plan, Figs. 3 and 4 cross
sections on lines 1-1 and 2-2, Fig. 1; Figs. 5 to 8 shew details of construction of
the temperature regulator.
The apparatus consists mainly of two main parts, namely the boiler I and the
cooler H. The boiler is formed as a vertical pipe or cylinder similar in arrange-
ment to the Russian samovar, from which it differs however in that the internal
heating tube T is not supplied with charcoal, but is heated internally by means
of a petroleum lamp. This tube, which is generally made of copper, is similar
to an ordinary lamp glass and is fitted with its lower end over the burner of
the lamp.
The flanges ff soldered to the upper and lower parts of the tube T serve to
connect the same air tight by means of asbestos packing to the surrounding cast
iron casing K. The space between the casing K and the tube T serves for
containing the water to be heated.
At the upper end of the casing K is a pipe p formed in one therewith, which is
closed at top airtight by a cover q. In the pipe is a coils formed of a thin copper
pipe having a capacity of 15 or at most 30 cube centimetres. The ends of the
coils project through the cover g to which they are soldered; the one end is
covered by a caoutchouc cap, while the other end communicates with the regulator
to be presently described.
A tube t, the lower end of which passes through the cover q, serves to convey
the boiling water into the cooler H. In addition to the above described parts
it is of advantage to introduce into the upper part of the casing a copper tube
closed at the inner end and open at the outer end, for the reception of a
thermometer.
The cap B Fig. 1 has at its highest point an opening for the escape of air, which
is closed by means of a valve fixed to the top of the float L. The cooler consists

page_text: of a cast iron vertical tube or cylinder H closed at top by the said cap B which is
of the same size as the tube and is fixed thereto by flanges and bolts.
The lower end of the tube H is also connected by flanges and bolts with the
cylindrical lower continuation A secured by bolts to the base plate.
This vessel A has a lateral branch tube y provided with a cock for connecting
the cooler with the water supply or reservoir, which should be situated at least
from one to two metres above the apparatus, in order to insure a continuous flow of
water into and an uninterrupted flow out of the apparatus.
Within the tube H is situated a group of thin brass tubes a tinned inside and
outside, and having an internal diameter of from 10 to 22 m.m. This group of
pipes, which fills the interior of the tube H, is fixed together in the following
manner.
The ends of the tubes having been brought into a square or hexagonal form,
short caoutchouc tubes of not more than 20 m.m. length are fitted thereon which
assume the square or hexagonal form of the tube ends a, so that on pressing the
caoutchouc-covered ends of the tubes tightly together and securing them by a cord
or band tied round them, they will be formed into a water-tight plug through which
the open
ends of the tubes project. The lower open ends of the tube are
surrounded by a caoutchouc bag M while the upper ends fit into a conical socket O,
the interstices between the tubes and socket being filled in with hemp packing as
shewn at Fig. 3, while the socket O itself is secured between the flanges of the
tube H and cap B. By the above described means the water which flows through
the tubes a is effectually isolated from the water flowing through the tube H in
contact with the outer surfaces of the tubes a.
The ends of the tubes a might also be left circular while the outer surfaces of the
caoutchouc tubes are made prismatic.
If the latter are also made cylindrical, then on pressing the group together and
securing them as described, the small interstices intervening between them should
be filled in by plugs of wood or other material.
The above described mode of securing the tube ends is preferable to soldering
them to a tube plate, because it enables them to be readily separated from each
other for cleansing purposes when required. Such cleansing of the outer surfaces
of the tubes from scale &c. is of greater importance than the cleansing of the
interiors thereof, because the water flowing down the inner surfaces is being cooled,
and consequently does not tend to deposit scale in the form of lime salts, while the
water on the outer surfaces of the tubes, becoming gradually heated by conduction,
tends to deposit scale.
C
The caoutchouc bag M surrounding the lower ends of the tubes terminates at
bottom in a tube c whose outer diameter is made to taper, so as to be wedged
tight like a stopper, in the bottom opening of the part A, the tight fit being
increased by the pressure of the column of water in the tube H.
The continuation d of the tube c is led upward to the clamps of the regulator
which will be presently described.
It is of the greatest importance that water which, in the boiling operation, bas
not been raised to a predetermined temperature, shall not be allowed to pass away
from the apparatus.
This could not be sufficiently insured by depending upon
the carefulness of the attendant in watching the thermometer and regulating the
discharge in a corresponding manner, and in addition such a constant attendant
would entail expense. It is therefore desirable to provide an automatically acting
regulator for this purpose, which is arranged as follows. One end of the above
described coils is covered by a caoutchouc cap a while the other end is connected
by means of a thin metal or caoutchouc tube v with a caoutchouc bag that is
compressed between the two cheeks of the clamp Z Figs. 5 to 8.
Through the latter, at a point nearer its hinge passes the caoutchouc tube d,
which leads the water away from the apparatus. By means of a spring n
connected to one cheek of the clamp, and a screwed rod with nut y connected to
the other cheek, the pressure of the clamp can be regulated to any required

page_text: degree; a supporting screw Z" serves to prevent too great a compression of the
tube d situated in the clamp, while at the same time it allows of a sufficient
compression thereof to prevent the flow of water.
The bag r, the tube connecting it to the coils, and the coil itself are filled
with pure boiled water or with water containing a small quantity of alcohol or a
quantity of calcium chloride, or generally with a liquid or solution the boiling
point of which approaches the temperature to which the water is to be raised in
the boiler.
The action of the above described apparatus is as follows:
On opening the cock on the branch g which connects the apparatus with the
water supply main or reservoir, the apparatus at once begins to fill with water,
the air escaping at the same tinie through the opening in the cap B. The opening
remains open until the whole apparatus and cap are filled with water; the float L
then closes the opening and the supply of water ceases.
The cock is then closed,
and a lighted lamp is placed underneath the boiler so as to heat the water therein.
When the temperature of the water has been raised to the boiling point of the
liquid in the coils, the pressure of such liquid exceeds the atmospheric pressure,
in consequence of which a portion thereof is forced into the bag r of the regulator,
so that this bag in expanding will raise the cheek Z¹ of the clamp Z so that the
pipe d which before was compressed, will be allowed to open somewhat.
As the cock on the supply is closed, the water will first issue from the pipe d
only in small quantities at intervals in consequence of the pressure of steam
produced in the boiler by the heating, which will force the water down the pipes
of the cooler. While this preliminary heating of the apparatus is being effected,
the opening closed by the float L is secured by a caoutchouc cap or wood plug.
The pressure of the steam will gradually force all the water through the pipes of
the cooler and will then escape through the pipe d past the regulator. This must
be allowed to take place for at least from 10 to 15 minutes, in order to ensure that
the tubes a and pipes c and d shall be sufficiently heated to destroy all nicro-
organisms therein. The cock of the water supply is then opened, whereupon
water will issue from the apparatus instead of steam, which water will be cooled
down in the tubes of the cooler to such an extent that its temperature will only
exceed that of the supply or reservoir by at most 4 to 5 degrees C, although
shortly before it will have been raised to a temperature in the boiler equal to
the boiling point of the liquid in the coil s. Should the water not have been
raised to this temperature, it would cool the coils in flowing past it, and in
consequence hereof the bag r would be conipressed by the regulator and thus the
discharge of water through the pipe d would be automatically stopped, until the
water in the boiler had been raised to the said temperature.
The cold water entering flows from the main or reservoir into the lower part of
the casing H of the cooler, and rises along the outer surfaces of the tubes a
through which the hot water is flowing downwards, so that it will take up heat
from the latter and it will eventually issue in a heated state through pipe S into
the boiler.. By this arrangement, firstly the heat taken from the boiled water is
utilised in heating the feed water, and secondly, effectually cooled water is obtained
directly from the apparatus, thus saving all expense of separate cooling vessels.
A large proportion of the air which is separated from the water in the upper part
of the cooler will be carried down the tubes a by the hot water in the form of
small bubbles, which will mostly become gradually absorbed again by the water as
it cools down under continued pressure.
The surplus air will escape from time to time through the opening at the top of
the cap B.
The heating of the boiler by means of a petroleum lamp has the advantage
that, in making the lamp reservoir of sufficient capacity, the lamp can be made to
heat the apparatus effectually for a length of time, for example 24 hours, without
requiring supervision, whereas with any other description of fuel; a continual
supervision would be required.

page_text: The apparatus might however also be heated with charcoal and the like,
instead of by the lamp, by providing the tube T with a grating at bottom, and
filling it with such fuel. In factories and the like, where a steam supply is
available for heating purposes, the boiler T might be replaced by an ordinary
reservoir closed by a cover, through which a steam coil is passed, the other parts of
the apparatus remaining of the before described construction.
Dated this 16th day of May 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
UMIDELE SIMULTICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Sterilising Water.
I, NICHOLAS YAGN, of 25 Basseinaja, St. Petersburg, Russia, Mechanical
Engineer, 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 :-
The obtaining of large quantities of boiled water cooled down to the temperature
of the atmosphere is subject to considerable practical difficulties.
The heating of the water is not so difficult as the subsequent cooling of the same
to atmospheric temperature as the water only cools very slowly owing to its great
heat-retaining capacity.
A body of water contained in a barrel having a capacity of from 2 to 4 hectolitres
would take about 24 hours to cool down completely in the atmosphere.
At the same time it has to be considered that the water, in consequence of long
storage in vessels when containing no air dissolved in it assumes an unpleasant
flavour.
Also, the heating of more than 2 to 4 hectolitres of water would not be very
easily accomplished without special appliances, and the sterilising would not be
carried out with perfect certainty when treated in such large bulk, owing to want
of proper care on the part of the attendants.
The apparatus which forms the subject of my present invention has for its
object to obviate the above named defects, by enabling large quantities of boiled
water to be readily reduced to a cold state.
I will describe the said apparatus with reference to the drawings accompanying
my Provisional Specification in which Fig. 1 shews a vertical section of the same,
Fig. 2 a plan, Figs. 3 and 4 cross sections on lines 1-1 and 2-2, Fig. 1; Figs. 5
to 8 shew details of construction of the temperature regulator.
The apparatus consists mainly of two main parts, namely the boiler I and the
cooler H. The boiler is formed as a vertical pipe or cylinder similar in arrange-
ment to the Russian samovar, from which it differs however in that the internal
heating tube T is not supplied with charcoal but is heated internally by means of
a petroleum lamp. This tube, which is generally made of copper, is similar to an
ordinary lamp glass and is fitted with its lower end over the burner of the lamp.
The flanges ff soldered to the upper and lower parts of the tube T serve to
connect the same air tight by means of asbestos packing to the surrounding cast
iron casing K. The space between the casing K and the tube T serves for
containing the water to be heated.
At the upper end of the casing K is a pipe p formed in one therewith, which is
closed at top airtight by a cover q. In the pipe is a coils formed of a thin copper
pipe having a capacity of 15 or at most 30 cubic centimetres. The ends of the
coils project through the cover to which they are soldered; the one end is
covered by a caoutchouc cap, while the other end communicates with the regulator
to be presently described.
A tube the lower end of which passes through the cover q serves to convey the

page_text: boiling water into the cooler H. In addition to the above described parts it is of
advantage to introduce into the upper part of the casing a copper tube closed at the
inner end and open at the outer end for the reception of a thermometer.
The cap B Fig. 1 has at its highest point an opening for the escape of air which
is closed by means of a valve fixed to the top of the float L.
The cooler consists of a cast iron vertical tube or cylinder H closed at top
by the said cap B which is of the same size as the tube and is fixed thereto by.
flanges and bolts.
The lower end of the tube H is also connected by flanges and bolts with the
cylindrical lower continuation A secured by bolts to the base plate.
This vessel A has a lateral branch tube g provided with a cock for connecting
the cooler with the water supply or reservoir, which should be situated at least
from one to two meters above the apparatus, in order to insure a continuous flow of
water into and an uninterrupted flow out of the apparatus.
Within the tube H is situated a group of thin brass tubes a tinned inside and
outside, and having an internal diameter of from 10 to 22 m.m.
This group of
pipes, which fills the interior of the tube H is fixed together in the following
manner.
The ends of the tubes having been brought into a square or hexagonal form,
short caoutchouc tubes of not more than 20 m.m. length are fitted thereon which
assume the square or hexagonal form of the tube ends a, so that on pressing the
caoutchouc-covered ends of the tubes tightly together and securing them by a cord
ór band tied round them, they will be formed into a watertight plug through which
the open ends of the tubes project. The lower open ends of the tube are
surrounded by a caoutchouc bag M while the upper ends fit into a conical socket O,
the insterstices between the tubes and socket being filled in with hemp packing as
shewn at Fig. 3 while the socket O itself is secured between the flanges of the
tube H and cap B. By the above described means the water which flows through
the tubes a is effectually isolated from the water flowing through the tube H in
contact with the outer surfaces of the tubes a.
The ends of the tubes a might also be left circular while the outer surfaces of the
caoutchouc tubes are made prismatic.
If the latter are also made cylindrical then on pressing the group together and
securing them as described, the small insterstices intervening between them should
be filled in by plugs of wood or other material.
The above described mode of securing the tube ends is preferable to soldering
them to a tube plate, because it enables them to be readily separated from each
other for cleansing purposes when required. Such cleansing of the outer surfaces
of the tubes from scale &c. is of greater importance than the cleansing of the
interiors thereof, because the water flowing down the inner surfaces is being
cooled, and consequently does not tend to deposit scale in the form of lime salts,
while the water on the outer surfaces of the tubes becoming gradually heated by
conduction, tends to deposit scale.
The caoutchouc bag M surrounding the lower ends of the tubes terminates at
bottom in a tube c whose outer diameter is made to taper, so as to be wedged
tight like a stopper in the bottom opening of the part A, the tight fit being
increased by the pressure of the column of water in the tube H.
The continuation d of the tube c is led upward to the clamps of the regulator
which will be presently described.
It is of the greatest importance that water which, in the boiling operation,
has not been raised to a predetermined temperature, shall not be allowed to pass
away from the apparatus. This could not be sufficiently insured by depending
upon the carefulness of the attendant in watching the thermometer and regulating
the discharge in a corresponding manner, and in addition such a constant
attendant would entail expense. It is therefore desirable to provide an auto-
matically acting regulator for this purpose, which is arranged as follows. One
end of the above described coils is covered by a caoutchouc cap while the

page_text: other end is connected by means of a thin metal or caoutchouc tube with a
caoutchouc bag that is compressed between the two cheeks of the clamp Z.
Figs. 5 to 8.
Through the latter at a point nearer its hinge passes the caoutchouc tube d,
which leads the water away from the apparatus. "By means of a spring n connected
to one cheek of the clamp, and a screwed rod with nut y connected to the other
cheek, the pressure of the clamp can be regulated to any required degree; a sup-
porting screw serves to prevent too great a compression of the tube d situated
in the clamp, while at the same time it allows of a sufficient compression thereof to
prevent the flow of water.
The bag the tuber connecting it to the coils and the coil itself are filled with
pure boiled water or with water containing a small quantity of alcohol or a quantity
of calcium chloride, or generally with a liquid or solution the boiling point of
which approaches the temperature to which the water is to be raised in the
boiler.
The action of the above described apparatus is as follows:
On opening the cock on the branch g which connects the apparatus with the
water supply main or reservoir the apparatus at once begins to fill with water, the
air escaping at the same time through the opening in the cap B. The opening
remains open until the whole apparatus and cap are filled with water; the float L
then closes the opening and the supply of water ceases. The cock is then closed,
and a lighted lamp is placed underneath the boiler so as to heat the water therein.
When the temperature of the water has been raised to the boiling point of the
liquid in the coils, the pressure of such liquid exceeds the atmospheric pressure,
in consequence of which a portion thereof is forced into the bag r of the regulator,
so that this bag in expanding will raise the cheek Z¹ of the clamp Z so that the
pipe d which before was compressed, will be allowed to open somewhat.
As the cock on the supply is closed, the water will first issue from the pipe d only
in small quantities at intervals in consequence of the pressure of steam produced in
the boiler by the heating, which will force the water down the pipes of the cooler.
While this preliminary heating of the apparatus is being effected, the opening
closed by the float L is secured by a caoutchouc cap or wood plug.
The pressure of the steam will gradually force all the water through the pipes of
the cooler and will then escape through the pipe d past the regulator. This must
be allowed to take place for at least from 10 to 15 minutes, in order to ensure that
the tubes a and pipes c and d shall be sufficiently heated to destroy all micro-
organisms therein. The cock of the water supply is then opened, whereupon water
will issue from the apparatus instead of steam, which water will be cooled down in
the tubes of the cooler to such an extent that its temperature will only exceed that
of the supply or reservoir by at most 4 to 5º C., although shortly before it will have
been raised to a temperature in the boiler equal to the boiling point of the liquid
in the coil s. Should the water not have been raised to this temperature, it would
cool the coils in flowing past it, and in consequence thereof the bag r would be
compressed by the regulator and thus the discharge of water through the pipe d
would be automatically stopped until the water in the boiler had been raised to the
said temperature.
The cold water entering flows from the main or reservoir into the lower part of
the casing H of the cooler, and rises along the outer surfaces of the tubes a
through which the hot water is flowing downwards, so that it will take up heat
from the latter and it will eventually issue in a heated state through pipe S into
the boiler. By this arrangement, firstly the heat taken from the boiled water is
utilised in heating the feed water, and secondly, effectually cooled water is obtained
directly from the apparatus thus saving all expense of separate cooling vessels. A
large proportion of the air which is separated from the water in the upper part of
the cooler will be carried down the tubes a by the hot water in the form of small
bubbles, which will mostly become gradually absorbed again by the water as it
cools down under continued pressure.

page_text: The surplus air will escape from time to time through the opening at the top of
the cap B.
The heating of the boiler by means of a petroleum lamp has the advantage that,
in making the lamp reservoir of sufficient capacity, the lamp can be made to heat
the apparatus effectually for a length of time, for example 24 hours, without
requiring supervision, whereas with any other description of fuel; a continual
supervision would be required.
The apparatus might however also be heated with charcoal and the like, instead
of by the lamp, by providing the tube T with a grating at bottom, and filling it
with such fuel. In factories and the like, where a steam supply is available for
heating purposes, the boiler T might be replaced by an ordinary reservoir closed
by a, cover, through which a steam coil is passed, the other parts of the apparatus
remaining of the before described construction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for the continuous production of boiled cooled water, consisting
of the combination of a boiler and a cooling chamber or cooler in which the boiler
is composed of an upright closed vessel having passing through it a flue to the
lower end of which is connected a lamp so that the heat from the latter is conveyed
through the flue to the surrounding water substantially as described.
2. In apparatus such as is referred to in the preceding claim, constructing the
cooler of a long upright chamber containing tubes through which the water coming
from the boiler is made to flow in one direction while the water supply to the boiler
is made to pass through the chamber surrounding the tubes, in the contrary
direction the cooler being so constructed as to be readily taken to pieces,
substantially as described.
3. In apparatus such as is referred to in the preceding claims, the use of a
regulator constructed and operating substantially as described, in conjunction with
a steam coil, the pressure of steam in which controls the action of the regulator
upon the discharge of water from the cooler.
4. In the regulator referred to in the preceding claim the use of the herein
described automatic clamping device for compressing to a greater or less extent the
flexible tube through which the water flows from the cooler.
Dated this 8th day of January 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.