Patent ID: 8028526

Claim:
A method of starting a boiler feed pump comprising; operating a constant speed motor to power a variable speed fluid drive to rotate a driving gear engaged with a slidable gear rotating assembly movable between boiler feed pump gear engagement and disengagement, while said slidable gear rotating assembly is engaged with said boiler feed pump gear, increasing the speed of rotation of said boiler feed pump gear and said boiler feed pump by means of said fluid drive until said boiler feed pump is generating sufficient boiler feed water pressure and flow to justify operation of the boiler to which said boiler feed pump is operatively connected; firing up said boiler to generate steam to operate a steam turbine to rotate said boiler feed pump, and when said turbine rotates said boiler feed pump sufficiently to maintain a desired boiler pump pressure, operating said slidable gear rotor assembly to disengage it from said boiler feed pump gear.