US456072A - Feed-water heater and purifier - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) Y v W. WEBSTER. FEED WATER HBATBRAND yPUMPIBR.

UNrTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VARREN WEBSTER,l OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEED-WATER HEATER AND PURIFIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,072, dated July 14, 1891.

Application filed January 7, 1891.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN WEBSTER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful lmprovement in Feed-Water Heaters and 'Puriiers, which improvement is fully set forth 1n the following specification and accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements 1n feed-water heaters and purifiers; and it consists, first, of means for automatically operating the valve of the Water-supply pipe thereof, consisting of a gravity-regulating apparatus, as hereinafter described.

It further consists of means, as hereinafter described, for automatically regulating the iiuctuating pressure in the vacuum-chamber of the apparatus caused by the condensation of the steam by the iuflowing water.

It also consists of the combination of parts hereinafter described.

In the drawing, which represents a perspective view, having one side removed, of a feedwater heater and purifier embodying my improvement,A designates a tank having a water-inlet pipe B, with a valve C therein. .A series of pipes D within the tank connect with the pipe B and discharge into a trough E, Which is secured to the inner wall of the said tank. Below the level of one of the side Walls of the tank over which flows the Water is a series of inclined perforatedplates F, over and through which the water passes in its descent fromthe trough, so that it is sprayed as 1t falls.

G designates a wall or partition extending across the tank and having its lower end below the level of the outlet-opening H, so as to hold back any impurities or scum iioating upon the surface of the water in the vlowest part of the tank.

An exhaust-steam inlet-pipe J leads into the tank at the lower portion thereof, and an overow-pipe K leads from the tank, connecting with a drain-pipe L, which leads from the sediment-Well of the said tank, and has a valve L therein, the said overiow-pipe being provided with a check-valve M. So far as described the said parts are well known, being shown and described in United States Letters Patent granted to me for improvements in ap- Serial No. 377,060. (No model.)

paratus for purifying feed-water, and bearing date October 9, 1888, Serial No. 390,927, and are not claimed herein, being no part per Se of this invention.

' To automatically regulate the valve O of theinlet-pipe, thefollowing-described gravityregulating mechanism is used. N designates a suitable open pan or other receptacle filled 6o with water connected to an arm Pof the shaft Q, which latteris journaled in the sides of the tank or other suitable bearings, so as to be oscillated by the rise or fall of the pan, due to the quantity of water inthe lowerpart of the tank and in which the pan iioats. One end of the shaft Q passes through the side of the tank, preferably above the Water-level, and a rod Sis connected to an arm R thereof. The said rod S is also attached to one limb of a pivoted lever T, which latter has secured to its other limb a rod U, fastened to the valve O of the water-supply pipe, Whereby the oscillation of the shaft Q, caused by the rise or fall of the pan N, will, by means of the arm R and rod S, operate the said valve C, so as to control the supply of the water passing into the tank. A movable weight T, to counterbalance the weight of the material of the pan, is placed on one end of the lever T. The action of the gravityregulating apparatus thus described is posit-ive at all times under fluctuating pressures.

The steam-inlet pipe J is connected with an exhaust-pipe V, leading from an engine or other supply of exhaust-steam, the latter pipe having a communicating pipe WV, provided with a valve X, opening to the atmosphere.

To automatically control or regulate the iiuctuating pressure in partial vacuum withinvthe tank, which is due to the condensation of the steam by the inflowing water, an airexhaust pipe Y leads from the air-vent of the same, and is provided with a valve Z, o pening to the atmosphere. Between the valve Z and the said tank is an air-inlet valve A', having a downwardly-'projecting stem B ,with a head or disk O', adapted to support Weights thereon. The valve A is weighted, so as to regulate the pressure desired in the vacuumchamber. The operation of the said valves Z and A in connection with the steam-inlet pipe J, is as follows: As the steam and Water IOO enter the tank the air therein escapes through the valve Z, which opens outward. As the pump D is operated, drawing the purified water from the tank, the pressure of the air in the said tank is reduced, and when it is below the adjusted pressure the pressure of the air outside of the valve A will open the same, so that the atmospheric air will enter the tank through said valve until the pressure Within the tank, in connection withthe weights, counterbalances the atmospheric pressure, when the said valve will close and no longer admit the atmospheric air. rlhe reduction or lowering of the pressure Within the tank below the atmospheric pressure induces the flow of the exhauststeain in the pipe V toward and into the pipe J, and thus into the tank, in preference to its passage through the pipe YV and valve X,the latter remaining closed by reason of the atmospheric pressure thereon. lVhen it is not desired to use the steam in the tank and the pressure Within is equal to that of the atmosphere, the exhaust-steam will readily flow through the pipe lV, escaping through the valve X.

It will be noticed that, owing to the vacuumchamber and the induction therein of the current of exhaust-steam from the pipe J, there is no baclepressure of steam in said pipes.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l.. A feed-Water heater and puriilerhaving a vacuum purifying-chamber, an air-exhaust pipe leading therefrom With an automatically opening and closing valve therein. and a steam-pipe leading into said chamber, said parts being combined substantially as described.

A feed-Water heater and purilier having a vacuu1n-chan1ber, a steam-inlet pipe, an airexhaust pipe with automatically-operating valve therein, a discharge-pipe, a gravitating pan, a shaft with arm pivotally connected with said pan, an inletpipe with valve, a lever connected with said valve and to a rod having a pivotal connection with an arm of said shaft, and a Weight on said lever counterbalancing the Weight of the material of the gravitating pan, said parts being combined substantially as described.

3. A tank having a vacuum with a waterinlet pipe, an ainexhaust pipe with automatically-operating valve therein, and a steanr inlet pipe with communicating pipe having a valve opening' to the atmosphere, said parts being combined substantially as described.

e. A tank having a vacuum-chamber, an

air-exhaust pipe with an automatically-operating valve therein, a steam-supply pipe with a communicating pipe open to the atm0s phere, a Water-inlet pipe with valve therein, a discharge-pipe, a gravitating pan in said tank, a lever connected with said inlet-pipe valve and having a counterbalancc-Weight thereon. Afor the material of the gravitating pan, and mechanism connected With said lever and said pan for operating said valve, said parts being combined substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A feed-Water heater and purifier having an inlet Water-pipe with a valve therein, an oscillating shaft with a projecting arm, a pan pivotally connected with said arm, a lever connected with said inlet-pipe valve, a weight on said lever balancing the material of said pan, and a rod connected with said lever and to an arm on said shaft, said parts being combined substantially as described.

il. A feed-ivater heater and purifier having a tank, a water-inlet pipe with a valve, a g1avityregulator in said tank, an oscillating shaft having` an arm pivoted to said regulator, a pivoted lever having a rod pivoted to one end thereof and to an arm rigidly attached to said shaft, and a rod attached to the other end of the lever and to the valve in the supplypipe, said parts being combined substantially as described.

XVARREN XVEBSTER..

Vv'itnesses:

JOHN A. iVmnnnsnum, A. l. JnNNiNes.

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