Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Evaporating Water and Heating Feed Water.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 17th July, 1889-Accepted, 12th Oct.,
1889
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Evaporating Water
and Heating Feed Water.
I, EDWIN PAUL of 83 Newby Street Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
According to my present invention I construct apparatus for evaporating water and
heating feed water as follows
:-
I provide a cylindrical vessel whose axis I will assume to be vertical, within which
I place concentrically a second cylindrical vessel of smaller diameter. The inner
vessel is placed with its top in the same plane as the top of the outer vessel but
the axial length of the inner vessel being much shorter than that of the outer vessel,
the bottoms of the two vessels are a considerable distance apart.
I divide the annular space between the inner and outer vessels into three parts, by
means of two horizontal annular diaphragms, which have suitable flanges by means of
which the lower one is attached to the outside of the inner vessel and to the inside of
the outer vessel, and a joint is made between the two diaphragms by means of a ring
of india-rubber or other suitable material, thus forming a watertight annular space
between the cover of the vessel and the upper diaphragm, and a steam tight annular
space between the two diaphragms, the annular space below the lower diaphragm
being open to the lower part of the outer vessel, which will hereinafter be called the
lower chamber.
The bottom of the inner vessel supports one or more vertical tubes hereinafter
called pendent tubes which extend downwards into the lower chamber before referred
to. The said pendent tubes are parallel or taper, their lower ends are closed and their
upper ends pass through the bottom of, and open into the inner vessel.
These pendent tubes are attached to the bottom of the inner vessel in the following
manner The hole in the plate through which the tube passes is somewhat larger than
the tube and is fitted with a brass bush having an external collar bearing against the
upper side of the plate. The lower part of this bush which projects through the plate is
threaded and provided with a nut which beare against the lower side of the plate and
secures the hush in its place.
The upper internal edge of the bush is bevelled after the manner of an ordinary
conical valve seat, and the external collar already mentioned is threaded. The upper
end of the pendent tube is surrounded by a brass bush to which it is permanently
secured by brazing or otherwise. The external configuration of this bush is such that
when the pendent tube is introduced into the bush in the plate from above, a steam-
tight connection between the tube and the plate is readily made by means of a nut with
an internal flange which is screwed on to the external collar of the bush in the plate
already described.
To provide for the withdrawal of the pendent tube, the bush secured to the upper
end thereof projects some distance above the top of the bush in the plate and has an
external collar by which it may be gripped.
Inside each of the pendent tubes already described is placed a tube of smaller
diameter open at both ends, which will hereinafter he called a circulating tube.
The lower end of each circulating tube reaches nearly to the bottom of the pendent
tube in which it is placed, and its upper end rises above the top of the pendent tube
and is expanded so as to assume the form of a funnel with its outer edge curved down-
wards, forming a hood over the pendent tube but not closing the top thereof.
The circulating tube is provided with three or more external radial feathers, which
bear on the top of the pendent tube and support the circulating tube concentrically
within the said pendent tube.
-
Pendent tubes parallel or taper are also fixed to the lower annular diaphragm, and
extend downwards into the lower chamber, their lower ends being closed, and their

page_text: upper ends opening into the space between the annular diaphragms. These tubes
are fixed to the lower diaphragm in the method already described in the case of the
pendent tubes of the inner vessel.
In the centre of each pendent tube is placed an inner tube open at each end. The
lower ends of these inner tubes reach nearly to the bottom of the pendent tubes, and
their upper ends, passing through the upper annular diaphragm to which they are
affixed, open into the space above the upper annular diaphragm.
The method of attaching these inner tubes to the upper annular diaphragm may be
similar to that already described in the case of the pendent tubes.
The lower chamber containing the pendent tubes is supplied with steam, hereinafter
termed primary steam, from a boiler or other source by means of a suitable valve.
The feed water to be heated passes into the upper annular space through a suitable
branch, down the internal tubes, up the pendent tubes into the annular space between
the two diaphragms and leaves by a suitable outlet, being raised in temperature during
its passage by the heat transmitted through the pendent tubes from the primary steam
which surrounds them; the primary steain being condensed and forming water in the
lower chamber.
The water to be evaporated is supplied to the inner vessel and fills the pendent tubes
and the circulating tubes and is evaporated by means of the heat transmitted through
the pendent tubes from the primary steam which surrounds them.
The water to be evaporated is supplied to the inner vessel by means of a feed pump
which is operated by a steam cylinder or cylinders and controlled in the manner
described in a Provisional Specification lodged by me with an application for a Patent
No. 3450 of 1888 and I find it convenient to construct the pumps and the steam
cylinders as follows:-
I provide two steam cylinders whose axes are in the same vertical line and whose
closed ends are adjacent.
The open end of each cylinder is fitted with a stuffing box and gland, and each
cylinder has a steam plunger, the two plungers being rigidly connected outside the
cylinders by side rods. The plunger of the feed pump is connected to the two steam
plungers and this may conveniently be done by prolonging the lower steam plunger
so as to form the feed pump plunger.
The lower steam cylinder is supplied with steam under the control of a slide valve,
from the lower chamber by means of a pipe which enters the said lower chamber at or
about the level at which it is desired to maintain the water formed by the condensa-
tion of the primary steam therein. The slide valve of the lower steam cylinder is
operated in any of the ordinary ways so as to put the steam cylinder alternately in
communication with the said lower chamber, and with the exhaust pipe.
The upper steam cylinder is continuously in communication with the inner vessel
by means of a pipe which enters the said inner vessel at or about the level at which it
is desired to maintain the water therein.
The opening is fitted with a valve so constructed that while it allows a free passage
for the steam or water to leave the inner vessel, a constricted passage only is available.
for their return.
The action is as follows:-
Suppose the feed pump plunger to be at the top of its stroke, then the lower steam
plunger will have completed its instroke and the upper steam plunger will have
completed its outstroke.
The upper steam cylinder will be filled with steam or steam and water from the
inner vessel, and the slide valve of the lower steam cylinder will put the latter in com-
munication with the lower chamber; then the pressure of steam on the lower steam
plunger being greater than that on the upper steam plunger the feed pump plunger
will make its working stroke, and the steam or steani and water will be forced back
from the upper steam cylinder into the inner vessel.
The slide valve now opens the lower steam cylinder to exhaust, and the pressure in
the upper steam cylinder will be sufficient to make the upstroke, when the cycle of
operations is again repeated.

page_text: The steam supply for the lower steam cylinder being taken from the lower chamber
at the level at which it is intended to maintain the condensed water therein, any
accumulation of the said water will be prevented, as a portion will be withdrawn at
each down stroke of the lower steam plunger.
The exhaust steam and water from the lower steam cylinder may be lead into a
feed water tank and so returned to the boiler or it may be otherwise disposed of.
The automatic controlling action is as follows —
Should the level of water rise in the inner vessel on account of the feed supply being
in excess of the evaporative power, water instead of steam will fill or partially fill the
upper steam cylinder during the up stroke, and the lower velocity with which water,
as compared with steam can be forced through the constricted passage back to the
inner vessel, will retard the down or working stroke of the engine, and so diminish
the supply of feed water; As the level of the water falls the speed of the pump will
gradually accelerate until an equilibrium is established between the demand and supply
of feed water.
When salt water is to be evaporated I connect the plunger of a brine pump of
suitable diameter to the feed pump plunger so as to continuously withdraw a certain
proportion of the water supplied to the inner vessel and so keep the degree of saltness
therein within any required limit.
The steam generated in the inner vessel may be withdrawn therefrom through a
loaded valve, the pressure of steam in the inner vessel being such as to prevent priming
and enable the engine to make the up stroke.
Dind th: 19th day of Antohan 1000
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
26, Castle Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Evaporating Water
and Heating Feed Water.
I, EDWIN PAUL of 83 Newby Street, Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster,
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 :-
According to my present invention, I construct apparatus for evaporating water and
heating feed water as follows:-
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings which illustrate the apparatus, is an elevation,
Fig. II is a sectional elevation on the line AA of Fig. III, Fig. III is a sectional
plan on the line B B of Fig. II, and Figs. IV, V, VI, and VII show the details of the
tube connections.
Throughout the drawings similar parts are indicated by the same reference figures.
I provide an outer cylindrical vessel 1 of sufficient strength and suitably supported
on feet, and an inner cylindrical vessel 2, the top of each vessel being closed by the
cover 3. I divide the annular space between the vessels 1 and 2 into three parts 4, 5,
and 6, by means of the two annular diaphragms 7 and 8, having flanges as shown, by
means of which the diaphragm 8 is rivetted to the outside of the vessel 2 and to the
inside of the vessel 1; and a joint is made between the two diaphragms, the adjacent
edges of whose flanges are bevelled as shown, by means of the rings of rubber or
other suitable material 9, the upper diaphragm 7 being pressed down on the rings 9
by means of a number of studs 10 fixed to the cover 3, and of such a length that when
the cover is screwed down the requisite pressure on the rings 9 is obtained.
In order to avoid confusion only a portion of one of these studs is shown in Fig. II.
In this way the chambers 4 and 5 are made watertight. The space 6 commu-
nicates with the lower part of the outer vessel 1 and the whole of this space will
hereinafter be termed the lower chamber 6..

page_text: The bottom 12 of the inner chamber 2 supports a number of vertical tubes 11 which
will hereinafter be termed the pendent tubes; these tubes may be either parallel or
taper, their lower ends are closed and their upper ends open into the vessel 2.
The method of attachment of the pendent tubes to the bottom of the inner vessel is
shown to an enlarged scale in Figs. VI and VII.
Fig. VI is a half elevation and a half sectional elevation on CC of Fig. VII, and
Fig. VII is a half plan and a half sectional plan on D D of Fig. VI.
The hole in the plate 12, through which the tube passes, is somewhat larger than
the tube and is fitted with a brass bush 13 having an external collar 14 bearing against
the upper side of the plate 12.
The lower part of this bush is threaded and provided with a nut 15 to secure it in
its place, and the joint is made tight by packing between the nut 15 and the
plate 12.
The
upper part of the pendent tube is surrounded by a brass bush 16 which is
brazed thereto.
A steam-tight connection is made between the bushes 14 and 16 by screwing down
the nut 17 which is provided with the projecting pieces 18.
The bush 16 has an external flange as shown to facilitate the withdrawal of the
pendent tubes.
Inside each of the pendent tubes 11 is placed an inner tube 19 hereinafter called a
circulating tube. The lower end of the circulating tube is open and its upper end
which is also open rises above the top of the pendent tube and is expanded so as to
assume the form of a funnel, forming a hood 20 over the pendent tube but not closing
the top thereof.
The circulating tube is supported by the hood 20 bearing on the projecting pieces 18;
and it is kept concentric within the pendent tube by the radial feathers 21.
Pendent tubes 22 parallel or taper are also fixed to the diaphragm 8, and extend
downwards into the lower chamber 6; the upper ends of these tubes open into the
chamber 5. Inside of each pendent tube 22 is placed an inner tube 23 open at each
end its upper end is attached to, and passes through the diaphragm 7 and opens into
the chamber 4.
The method of attachment of the pendent tubes 22 to the diaphragm 8 and the
inner tube 23 to the diaphragm 7 is shown to an enlarged scale in Figs. IV
and V.
Fig. IV is a half elevation and a half sectional elevation on EE of Fig. V, and
Fig. V is a plan.
The method of attachment in each case is similar to that described in connection
with Figs. VI and VII, except that the nut 17 can now be made hexagonal there being
in this case more room between the adjacent tubes.
46 and 47 are stays to support the plate 12 and the flat bottom of the shell 1.
The feed water to be heated passes into the chamber 4 by the inlet branch 24 then
down the tubes 23, up the tubes 22 into the chamber 5, and leaves by the outlet 25,
being raised in temperature during its passage by the heat transmitted through the
pendent tubes from steam, hereinafter termed primary steam, which is admitted into
the lower chamber 6 through the steam inlet 45 and which is thereby condensed,
forming water at the bottom of the chamber.
The water to be evaporated enters the inner vessel 2 by the pipe 26 (Fig. III), fills.
the pendent tubes and the circulating tubes and is evaporated by the heat transmittedl
through the pendent tubes 11 from the primary steam which surrounds them; the
tendency to prime being obviated by the hoods 20.
During the operation of the apparatus it is necessary, first, to maintain the water at
the proper level in the inner vessel 2; second, when salt water is being evaporated; to
prevent the undue accumulation of salt in this vessel and, third, to prevent the water
formed by the condensation of the primary steam from rising above the proper level
in the lower chamber 6.
In order to maintain the water at a proper level in the inner vessel 2, I provide a

page_text: steam feed pump for supplying the feed-water to this vessel, whose action is automa-
tically controlled by the water level therein after the manner described in the
Specification of Letters Patent granted to me and numbered 3450 of 1888.
The undue accumulation of salt in the inner vessel 2 is prevented by continuously
withdrawing a certain proportion of the feed water by means of a brine pump; and
the water is prevented from rising above the proper level in the lower chamber 6 by
taking the steam supply for operating the feed pump from the chamber 6 at or about
the desired level, as hereinafter more fully described.
I provide two steam cylinders 27 and 28 in which work the plungers 29 and 30
which are rigidly connected outside the cylinders by the side rods 31.
The plunger 32 of the feed pump 33 is formed by prolonging the plunger 30.
The cylinder 28 is supplied with steam from the lower chamber 6 through the pipe 34
under the control of a slide valve in the valve casing 35.
The pipe 34 enters the lower chamber 6 at or about the level at which it is desired
to maintain the water formed by the condensation of the primary steam therein.
The slide valve is operated in any of the ordinary ways so as to put the cylinder 28
into communication with the lower chamber 6 and the exhaust pipe 36 alternately.
The cylinder 27 is continuously in communication with the inner vessel 2 by means
of the pipe 37 which enters the said inner vessel at or about the level at which it is
desired to maintain the water therein.
A valve 38 is placed in this pipe at the water level, of the kind described in the
before mentioned Specification, which is so constructed that while it allows a free
passage for the steam or water to leave the inner vessel, a constricted passage only is
available for their return.
When salt water is to be evaporated, I connect the plunger 39 of the brine pump 40
to the feed pump plunger 32 as shown, so as to continuously withdraw through the
pipe 41 and discharge overboard through the pipe 42, a certain proportion of the
water supplied to the inner vessel 2, and so keep the degree of saltness therein within
any required limit.
The water to be evaporated enters the feed pump through the suction pipe 43.
The action is as follows:-
Suppose the plunger 32 to be at the top of its stroke then the plunger 30 will have
completed its instroke and the plunger 29 will have completed its outstroke.
The cylinder 27 will be filled with steam, or steam and water, from the vessel 2 and
the slide valve will have put the cylinder 28 in communication with the lower chamber 6
through the pipe 34.
Then the pressure of steam being greater on the plunger 30 than on the plunger 29
the feed pump plunger 32 will make its working stroke, supplying the chamber 2
with the water to be evaporated through the pipe 26, the steam or steam and water
being forced back from the cylinder 27 into the vessel 2.
The slide valve now opens the cylinder 28 to exhaust and the pressure in the
cylinder 27 will be sufficient to make the upstroke, when the cycle of operations is
again repeated.
The steam supply for the cylinder 28 being taken from the chamber 6 at the level
at which it is intended to maintain the condensed water therein, any accumulation of
the said water will be prevented as a portion will be withdrawn at each down stroke of
the plunger 32.
.
The exhaust steam and water from the cylinder 28 may be led to the main condenser
and so returned to the boiler.
Should the level of water rise in the inner vessel 2 on account of the feed supply
being in excess of the evaporative power, water instead of steam will fill or partially
fill the cylinder 27 during the up stroke, and the lower velocity with which water, as
compared with steam, can be forced through the constricted passage back to the inner
vessel, will retard the down or working stroke of the engine and so diminish the supply
of feed water.
As the level of the water falls, the speed of the pump will gradually accelerate until
an equilibrium is established between the demand and supply of teed water.

page_text: .
The steam generated in the inner vessel 2 is withdrawn therefrom through the
loaded valve 44, the pressure of steam in the inner vessel being kept sufficiently high
to prevent priming past the valve 44 and to enable the plunger 29 to make the
upstroke.
I am aware that prior to my invention combined feed and brine pumps, and heat
transmitting surfaces consisting of an inner or circulating tube surrounded by an outer
tube with a closed end, have been used in apparatus for evaporating water, and to the
use of such I make no claim. Nor do I herein claim the method whereby the supply
of feed water to the vessel 2 is automatically controlled this being set forth in my
prior Patent aforesaid.
”
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
(1). In apparatus for evaporating water and heating feed water, the combination
of an outer shell 1 an inner vessel 2 closed by the cover 3, annular chambers +
and 5 formed by the diaphragms 7 and 8, and pendent circulating and inner tubes
substantially as described and illustrated.
(2). In apparatus for evaporating water and heating feed water the method of
attaching the pendent tubes to the tube plates and supporting the circulating and inner
tubes concentrically within them, substantially as described and illustrated in Figs. IV,
V, VI, and VII.
(3). The method of forming the chambers 4 and 5 by means of the diaphragms 7
and 8, the rings 9 and the studs 10 fixed to the cover 3, substantially as and for the
purpose described and illustrated in Figs. II and III.
(4). The method whereby the condensed water in the lower chamber 6 is prevented
from accumulating above a specified level, substantially as and for the purpose described
and illustrated in Figs. I, II, and III.
(5). The improved apparatus for evaporating water and heating feed water
substantially as described and illustrated in Figs. I, II, and III.
T1
1000
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
26, Castle Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
26, Castle Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.