Improvements in Liquid Feed Devices for Electrolytic and Kindred Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1899 -Accepted, 15th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Liquid Feed Devices for Electrolytic and Kindred
Apparatus.
I, RAOUL GIROUARD, of Westbrook, Cumberland County, Maine, U.S.A.,
Electrician, having a place of business at said Westbrook, 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:-
This invention relates to devices for feeding liquid to electrolytic apparatus or
to any vessels where such electrical conditions prevail that it is important to
guard against accidental leakage of electricity through the liquid contact of a
continuous stream to an external supply-tank and elsewhere, and where, also
the nature of the process carried on demands a substantially constant supply of
liquid. A situation where these conditions prevail is described in connection with
Fig. 10 of the specification of Letters l'atent No. 8001 dated April 24, 1894,
granted to Henry Carmichael.
My invention hereinbelow described accomplishes the object desired without
the use of moving mechanical parts, and is susceptible of nice adjustment to
regulate the quantity of liquid supplied.
In the drawing hereto annexed, there is shown a feed device which embodies
the substance of my invention. T is a supply reservoir which contains a quantity
of liquid N, which is to be fed to an apparatus, such as, for instance, the apparatus
described in Carmichael's patent aforesaid. The level of liquid N is maintained
substantially constant in the supply reservoir T, either by a ball-cock or by a
weir, in which latter case the liquid is fed to the supply reservoir in a constantly
superfluous quantity. From this reservoir, the liquid is to be delivered to the
receiving funnel K, which communicates by pipe M to the electrolytic or other
apparatus (which is not shown in the drawing). In order that the liquid N shall
be fed to the receiving funnel K in small, constantly intermitting quantities, my
feed apparatus is interposed between the supply reservoir T and the receiving
funnel K. A pipe A leads from the bottom of the reservoir T to a distributing
main B, which may be a pipe of suitable length from which at intervals project
risers C, the number of risers corresponding to the number of individual receiving
funnels K. The distributing main is shown only in cross-section in the drawing
for the reason that a multiple apparatus involves only the reduplication of the
single device which is there exhibited in cross-section. The top of the riser C
is closed with a plug D, which, in turn, is perforated so as to admit a capillary
tube E. The fit of the capillary tube in the plug D is such as to permit the
tube to be moved up or down in the plug, but sufficiently close to retain the
capillary tube securely in position in normal conditions. The upper end of
the capillary tube E enters the bottom of a delivery vessel G, which may be a
short section of tube closed at the bottom by a plug F which is penetrated by
the tube E. From the delivery vessel G an outlet pipe H leads to the receiving
which may
be
funnel K, the outlet I of the pipe H overhanging the funnel K,

page_text: simply constructed by introducing the pipe M through a plug L which fits the
lower end of the funnel tube K.
The delivery vessel G is moved to a position as shown in the drawing, where
the upper end of the capillary tube E and the outlet from vessel G to tube H
stand below the level of the liquid N in the supply reservoir T. If the outlet I
were closed, the liquid would soon find the same level as the liquid in the supply
reservoir, this level being indicated by the dotted line n. But as the outlet I is
open and the tube H, not being a capillary tube, is of sufficient capacity to carry
away freely all the liquid which can pass through the capillary tube E, the re-
sistance due to the very small bore of the capillary tube E reduces the level of
liquid in the delivery vessel G, say, to the level indicated by the dotted line n',
so that in practice the opening from the delivery vessel G to the pipe H will be
more than sufficient to carry off the liquid, and will never be covered by the liquid
in the delivery vessel G. In fact, were it not for the simplicity of the apparatus
here shown and the facility with which it can be constructed out of ordinary
material, the delivery vessel G might be reduced to a minimum no larger than
the tube H in which the capillary tube E might terminate. The employment
of the capillary tube in effect diminishes the head under which the liquid is
supplied to the delivery vessel, and this head can be adjusted to compensate for
variations in the internal bore of the capillary tube by pushing the tube up or
down in the plug D; at the same time, the arrangement here shown protects the
capillary tube against such casualties as stoppage by the introduction of accidental
foreign matter, and insures the continuous operation of the feeding apparatus.
The flow through this capillary tube is so small that the outlet end I of the tube H
is supplied with an intermittent succession of drops, which disengage themselves
and fall singly into the funnel K, thus automatically insulating themselves from
the continuous body of liquid in the feed apparatus and supply reservoir.
The capillary tube I prefer to make of glass, and, inasmuch as it is difficult
to obtain tubes of this material of uniform bore, I cut each tube of such length
as is found by trial to give the same flow as a standard tube when the liquid is under
the same head.
The function of the capillary tube is, in effect, to throttle the flow from the
reservoir, which it does by increasing the frictional resistance to the movement
of liquid. As the length of this throttling tube is increased, its bore may be
proportionately increased and the same effect be retained; I prefer to use a
tube of such small bore that it may correctly be termed " capillary"; but it is
evident that tubes which in other situations might not be strictly regarded
AS "capillary" will operate as full equivalents for a capillary tube, as I have
above suggested.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
:-
1. The combination with supply reservoir of a delivery vessel, a throttling
conduit connecting the supply reservoir with the delivery vessel, and an outlet
for the delivery vessel.
2. The combination with a supply reservoir of a delivery vessel, a capillary
conduit connecting the supply reservoir with the delivery vessel, and an outlet
from the delivery vessel.
3. The combination with a supply reservoir of a delivery vessel, a capillary
conduit connecting the supply reservoir with the delivery vessel, the said capillary
conduit being vertically adjustable, and an outlet from the delivery vessel.
4. The combination with a supply reservoir of a distributing main connected
therewith, risers branching from the distributing main, delivery vessels connected
with the said risers by capillary conduits, and outlets from the delivery vessels.
5. The combination with a supply reservoir of a distributing main connected
therewith, risers branching from the distributing main, delivery vessels connected

page_text: with the said risers by vertically adjustable capillary conduits, and outlets from
the delivery vessels.
6. The combination with a supply reservoir of a delivery vessel a capillary
conduit connecting the supply reservoir with the delivery vessel, the same delivery
vessel mounted on and carried by the capillary conduit and vertically adjustable
therewith, and an outlet from the delivery vessel.
T
1 1
ለለ
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the Applicant.