IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS TO STEAM BOILERS AND OTHER RECEPTACLES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of No. 20, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE
SUPPLY OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS TO STEAM BOILERS AND OTHER
RECEPTACLES." A communication from abroad by Michel Hervier and
Léon Guizot, both of Paris, in the Empire of France, Engineers.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th July 1866.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE
SUPPLY OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS TO STEAM BOILERS AND OTHER RECEPTACLES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the construction of apparatus for regulating
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the supply of water or other fluids to steam boilers and other receptacles

page_text: which shall combine perfect accuracy of action with simplicity and economy
of construction. For these purposes in one arrangement the feed pipe is
conducted through the top of the boiler or other receptacle down below the
surface of the water or other fluid, and terminates in two parallel branches,
the lower ends of which are closed and rest upon the bottom surface of the
boiler. The surfaces of these branches that are opposite each other are
formed flat, and are by preference covered with brass or gun metal, and in
A
such flat sides are formed two apertures, exactly opposite each other.
slide, by preference also of gun metal, fits accurately between the flat surfaces
of the branches, and is capable of being moved up and down between them,
so as either to cover the before-mentioned apertures completely, or to uncover
them more or less. This slide is fixed to a lever, one end of which is hinged
to a bracket carried by the feed pipe, while the other end is connected by
means of a link to the one arm of a double ended lever suspended from the
top of the boiler, the other end of which lever is connected to a float. By
this arrangement when the water or other fluid in the boiler or receptacle
sinks below the proper level, the float in sinking with it draws up the lever
connected to the slide and thus causes the apertures in the feed pipe to be
more
or less uncovered by the latter so as to admit a fresh supply of fluid.
Or in place of forming the flat surfaces of the branches parallel as described
they are formed so as to constitute a cylinder, in the surface of which are the
before-mentioned opposite apertures, and the slide is made in the form of a
piston capable of moving up and down inside such cylinder, which piston is
in this case connected directly by means of a link to the lever carrying the
float.
In another arrangement of this apparatus two branches are made to project
horizontally from the feed pipe above the level of the water and terminate in
two flat parallel discs held a small distance apart by means of distance pieces.
Two other pipes lead from the outer faces of these discs down to below the
surface of the water or other fluid; between the discs fits a slide having a cavity
or cavities which when the slide is in a certain position establishes or establish
a communication between the said branch pipes and the pipes leading down
into the fluid. This slide is connected directly to the one end of the lever
carrying the float, which latter is situated inside a casing fixed in the boiler
or other receptacle and communicating with the fluid therein. for the
purpose of preventing any undue motion of the float arising from any
agitation of the surface of the surrounding fluid. When the fluid is at its
proper level the position of the float and consequently of the slide prevents the
intercommunication of the branch feed pipes and the pipes leading down into

page_text: the fluid, and the supply of the latter is cut off, while if the fluid and with it
the float sinks below that level the slide is moved so as to bring the cavity
or cavities opposite the pipes, thus establishing a communication between
them, and the fluid is thus admitted into the boiler or other receptacle. In
order to prevent the pressure inside the boiler or receptacle from forcing the
fluid back through the feed pipe in case the pumps break down a stop back
valve is fixed inside the feed pipe, which closes as soon as the pressure inside
the boiler exceeds that of the pumps. The rod from which the lever of the
float is suspended passes through a stuffing box in the top of the boiler, and
is provided outside with a screw nut so as to adjust the position of the lever.
A second rod also passing through a stuffing box in the top of the boiler
serves both as guide to the lever of the float and for moving the lever should
the slide stick between the discs. The feed pipe on passing out through the
top of the boiler is formed with an enlargement or chamber acting as a small
reservoir, which communicates by means of a branch with the main feed
pipe in cases where this serves to supply several boilers or other receptacles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th January 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DENTON ABEL, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles Denton Abel, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Denton
Abel, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charles Denton Abel, my executors, administrators, and 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS

page_text: TO STEAM BOILERS AND OTHER RECEPTACLES," a communication to me from abroad
by Michel Hervier and Leon Guizot, both of Paris, in the Empire of France,
Engineers, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles
Denton , my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their bands and seals, should particularly
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 Patnet.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Denton Abel, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
It is well known how important is the proper regulation of the supply of
water to steam boilers, and the maintaining of a constant water level therein.
A great number of apparatus have been proposed for this purpose, but have
mostly been completely or partially abandoned after a time on account either
of their want of efficacy, or of the numerous repairs, or of the great attention
they require.
The present Invention has for its object the construction of apparatus for
regulating the supply of water or other fluids to steam boilers and other
receptacles which shall combine perfect accuracy of action with simplicity and
economy of construction.
The arrangement of such apparatus will be readily understood from the
following description and accompanying Drawing thereof.
Figure 1 on the Drawing shows a sectional elevation, and Figure 2 shows
a sectional plan on line 1, 2, Figure 1, of one arrangement of this apparatus.
It consists of a cast-iron casing A, capable of being connected at top by
means of a socket to any feed pipe B. The casing is formed into two
branches a, a, below, into each of which the water passing down the feed
pipe enters so as to issue therefrom through two opposite apertures o and o¹.
Between these two apertures is a slide O fitting accurately against them, but
capable of moving up and down so as to cover or uncover the apertures.
according to the level of the water; for this purpose the slide is mounted on
a lever working on a fulcrum at c, and connected by means of the rod d to
the double ended lever f, the fulcrum of which is supported from the top of
the boiler as shown, while the other end is connected to the float F. Although
the casing A and slide O may be made entirely of cast iron, it is preferable in

page_text: order to prevent oxydation of the working surfaces to make the slide of gun
metal and to let it work against gun metal faces x and x¹ fixed to the
casing A, as shown at Figure 2. The casing is fixed to the bottom of the
boiler in order to prevent the breaking of the joint at b.
Figure 3 shows a sectional elevation, and Figure 4 shows a sectional plan
on line 3, 4, Figure 3, of a somewhat modified arrangement, acting, however,
upon precisely the same principle. In this case the branches of the casing A
are so formed as to constitute an annular passage a, having inlet apertures
o, o¹, for the fluid communicating with the central cylindrical space, in which
works a cylindrical slide O which in rising or falling by the action of the float
opens or closes the said apertures, and thus admits or cuts off the supply of
fluid. As before, the working surfaces of the slide O and the cylindrical
space x, x¹, are formed of gun metal. The slide is in this case connected
directly by means of the rod d to the lever f actuated by the float.
Figure 5 shows a sectional elevation, and Figure 6 shows a side elevation
of another arrangement, in which the slide is made annular and surrounds
the casing, which is formed cylindrical, whereby the construction of the
apparatus is simplified. A is the casing connected to the feed pipe B by a
socket joint b, and having inlet apertures o, o¹, opened or closed by the rising
or falling of the slide O, which is suspended by two links or rods d, d',
from the forked end f¹ of the lever f; this lever may be lengthened more
or less in order to adapt it to the float of an existing boiler.
Figure 7 shows a sectional elevation, and Figure 8 shows a side elevation
of an arrangement very similar to the foregoing one, namely, having an
annular slide surrounding a cylindrical casing. The casing A is here made
entirely of gun metal, as is also the slide O, which is suspended by means of
two rods d, d', and chains c, c¹, to the sectors f¹ on the forked end of the
lever f. The slide O is loaded with lead p to the requisite extent for balancing
the float. A rod N passing through a stuffing box in the boiler, and provided
with a loop between which the lever f works, serves to raise or depress the
latter by hand, and thus open or close the inlet apertures. o, o', in case of
accident.
Figures to 13 show an arrangement of the apparatus which is fixed to
the upper part of the boiler or other receptacle, instead of being immersed in
the water or other fluid as in the preceding arrangements.
Figure 9 shows a side elevation of the apparatus; Figure 10 shows a plan
of the same; Figure 11 shows a transverse section on line 5, 6, Figure 9;
Figure 12 shows a transverse section on line 7, 8, Figure 10; and Figure 18
shows a detached side view of the slide. The chamber B is put in com-

page_text: munication with the feed pump by the pipe A. The lower part of this
chamber communicates by means of a pipe b with receptacle C, which is
again connected to the pipe D and the elbow branches E, E¹, terminating
in two opposite discs F, F¹; these discs have two other branch pipes T, T',
which descend to the bottom of the boiler or other receptacle. Each of the
dises is lined on its inner face with a sheet of gun metal f, f¹, having holes
communicating with the apertures of the tubes E and T; they are held
rigidly at the required distance apart by means of bolts and distance pieces.
In the space between the discs F, F1, is a cast-iron slide H provided with
gun metal faces h, h', and which is mounted on a lever L suspended at M,
and guided in a loop at N, to the other end of which lever is connected the
float K by means of a rod.
The float is situated inside a receptacle k com-
municating with the fluid in the boiler in order to prevent the float from
being disturbed by the motion of the fluid. The slide H has an oblong hole y
corresponding with the position of the apertures of the pipes E and T, so
that when the slide is in such a position that its hole covers the apertures in
the discs F, F, the water or other fluid passing in through the pipe A enters
the boiler through the pipes T, T', but when by the rising of the level of the
water, and consequently also of the float, the slide H is moved downwards
and consequently closes the apertures of the pipes and cuts off the supply of
water or other fluid. Should by any accident the feed pumps stop working
the pressure in the boiler might force the water out of the same back through
the pipes; to prevent this a stop-back valve s is fixed in the pipe D. The
rod M, from which the lever L is suspended, is arranged so as to be capable
of being raised or lowered if it be required to adjust the position of the slide.
The looped guide rod N may also be employed, as previously described with
reference to Figure 8, to open and close the inlet passages by hand in case of
accident.
The before described improved apparatus if applied to steam boilers or
generators affords very great security, insuring a constant water level and
pressure of the steam, and effecting a considerable saving in fuel.
Having now described the nature of this Invention, and in what manner
it is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, I
wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details and
mode of applying the said apparatus, as shown on the accompanying Drawing,
as these may be variously modified according to the circumstances under
which the apparatus is applied without departing from the nature of the
Invention; but what I claim is the construction and employment of apparatus
for regulating the supply of water and other fluids to steam boilers and other

page_text: receptacles arranged and operating substantially as herein-before described
with reference to the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denton Abel, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of January,, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
CHARLES D. ABEL. (L.S.)