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 Library 
 
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 tlie Cornell University Library. 
 
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 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924004982660 
 
I^S- London Office: 
 
 |»^' - 16, Victoria Street, 
 
 !|i ir ■ ":i Westminster/ 
 
 I A NEW SYSTEM 
 
 'Sm OF 
 
 iOFTENING 
 
 ^1 HV =^ AN-o = 086695 
 
 i 
 
 I rURIFYING 
 
 ■*S: 
 
 
 HARD WATER 
 
 For Manufacturing Purposes, and for use in Steam Boilers. 
 
 ICC" 
 
 . f ft V. 
 
 
 SOLE MANUFACTURERS: 
 
 MATHER & PLATT Ltd., 
 
 Salford Iron Works, 
 
 MANCHESTER. 
 
Cornell University Library 
 TP 263.M42 
 
 A new system of softening and purifying 
 
 3 1924 004 982 660 
 
 A NEW SYSTEM 
 
 Softening and Purifying 
 Hard Water 
 
 FOR MANUFACTURING PURPOSES, AND FOR USE 
 IN STEAM BOILERS. 
 
 Protected by Letters Patent granted to 
 L. Archbutt, F.I.C, and R, M, Deelev, M.Inst., M.E. 
 
 SOLE MANUFACTURERS: 
 
 MATHER & PLATT Ltd., 
 
 Salford Iron Works, 
 
 MANCHESTER. 
 
 london office: 
 16, Victoria Street, Westminster. 
 
MANCHESTER 
 
 PALMER, HOWE AND CO., 
 
 PBINCESS STREET, 
 
DESCRIPTION 
 
 Plaj<t and Process for Softening 
 
 Purifying Hard Water. 
 
 THE PURIFIER. 
 
 fiHE drawing represents a Purifier suitable 
 ^ for the treatment of from 5,000 to 
 
 10,000 gallons per hour. It consists of a 
 cast-iron tank, measuring 32ft. X i6ft. X loft. deep, 
 divided into two equal parts by a transverse 
 partition of cast or wrought iron. The two 
 tanks thus formed are fitted up exactly in the 
 same way, and are intended to be used alter- 
 nately, so as to maintain a continuous supply of 
 softened water. 
 
FILLING. 
 
 Hard Water is admitted to either tank by 
 means of the Supply Pipe (i), which is connected 
 up to a pump or main. The water is run in up 
 to the level of the top of the well (4) . 
 
 PREPARING THE CHEMICALS. 
 
 While the tank is filling, the proper quantities 
 of Lime and Sodium Carbonate" (58 % Soda Ash) 
 are weighed out, with the addition, in some cases, 
 of a very smal] quantity of Aluminium Sulphate, 
 or Alumino-ferric Cake, and these are boiled up 
 with water in the small Chemical Tank (2), by 
 means of steam from the steam pipe shewn in 
 the drawing. Sometimes the Aluminium Salt is 
 dissolved in a separate quantity of water and 
 added separately. 
 
 ADDING THE CHEMICALS. 
 
 The Trajector (3) is put into action by opening 
 its steam valve, and then the chemical liquid is 
 run out of the chemical tank into the well. The 
 trajector creates a powerful current of water from 
 the well, through the projecting pipe, across the 
 tank, and into this current the chemicals pass. 
 The well, being open at the sides and bottom, 
 
fills as rapidly as it empties, and by the circu- 
 lation thus set up, rapid and thorough mixing of 
 the chemicals and the hard water is effected. 
 
 ACCELERATED PRECIPITATION. 
 
 After the chemicals have been added and 
 mixed with the water, and the trajector has been 
 shut off, steam is admitted to the Blower (5), 
 which causes air to be sucked down the orifice 
 and forced out of the perforations in the pipes 
 laid close to the bottom of the tank. The 
 currents caused by the rising air-bubbles carry 
 up some of the mud from the bottom of the 
 tank, and thus diffuse throughout the water (in 
 which the chemicals have produced a precipitate 
 of fine particles) a large number of coarser and 
 heavier particles, identical in crystalline struc- 
 ture with the fine particles. To these coarse 
 particles, most of the fine particles soon become 
 attached, and subsidence of the precipitate is 
 thereby greatly accelerated when the water is 
 allowed to rest; and the further advantage is 
 gained, that the chemical reaction, which be- 
 comes very sluggish in its last stages, is promoted 
 by the presence of a large number of crystalline 
 particles in active movement throughout the 
 water. 
 
SETTLING. 
 
 After the blower has been in operation for 
 fifteen minutes, the steam is turned off, and the 
 water is allowed to rest. The result is, that in 
 about thirty minutes, or from that to one hour, 
 very nearly all the precipitate will have settled 
 to the bottom of the tank, and the water, even 
 down to a depth of six feet from the surface, 
 will not contain on an average more than about 
 one grain per gallon of suspended matter. 
 
 TESTING THE WATER. 
 
 River Waters, and others liable to variation, 
 are tested at this stage as follows: — A little of 
 the clear water is taken out of the softening tank 
 with a dipper and poured into a small white 
 basin containing a few drops of a solution of 
 silver nitrate. If there be no excess of lime, a 
 white milkiness will be produced, a slight excess 
 of lime will cause a pale yellow colour, and a 
 larger excess will produce a brown precipitate. 
 We aim at getting the pale yellow colour. If 
 the colour obtained be too pale, we add a pound 
 or two more hme to the next tank; and if the 
 colour be too dark, we add a pound or two less. 
 
Traces of free lime do not injure the water for 
 any purpose, as, by the subsequent carbonating 
 process, all free caustic alkali is neutralised and 
 converted into bi-carbonate. 
 
 DRAWING-OFF AND CARBONATING. 
 
 These operations are automatically and simul- 
 taneously effected by means of the Floating 
 Discharge Pipe (g), of rectangular section. Fuel 
 Gas from the Coke Stove (7), constructed so as 
 to produce a minimum of carbonic oxide, is 
 forced continuously by means of a very small 
 steam blower (8), along the horizontal limb of 
 the gas pipe, down the vertical limb, to the 
 four-way junction, where there is an outlet for 
 the condensed water ; the gas passes thence 
 up the sloping limb, through the side of the 
 softening tank, to a small swivel which works 
 concentrically with the large swivel of the 
 discharge pipe ; from the swivel the gas rises 
 through a small pipe fixed to the discharge pipe, 
 and finally enters the nozzle of the latter through 
 the Gas Inlet (16) shewn in the enlarged section 
 of the nozzle (15). On leaving the end of the 
 inlet pipe, the gas is caught by the current of 
 water flowing down the discharge pipe, which 
 
is repeatedly splashed upwards by the ribs fixed 
 at intervals along the bottom of the pipe, and in 
 this way a thorough mingling of the gas and 
 water is effected. The gas and water pass to- 
 gether through the Ball Tap fixed over the small 
 Supply Tank (12) into which the softened and 
 carbonated water falls, and from which it is 
 drawn off for use, whilst the residual nitrogen, 
 etc., of the fuel gas escapes into the air. If the 
 small tank should fill up and cause the ball tap to 
 close the outlet of the discharge pipe, the gas 
 then accumulates in the pipe until the water in 
 the nozzle is depressed below the orifice of the 
 Gas Escape (17), up which the gas passes into 
 the atmosphere without bubbling through and dis- 
 turbing the water in the softening tank. A strip 
 of Angle Iron fixed to the side of the tank, two 
 feet from the bottom, indicates the level down to 
 which the water is drawn off. Shortly before the 
 water reaches this level the further descent of the 
 discharge pipe is arrested by a hollow casting 
 (10) perforated with a ring of holes. The whole 
 or a portion of the hard water enters the tank 
 through these holes and thus keeps the mud 
 from accumulating near the discharge orifice. 
 
REMOVING THE MUD. 
 
 The mud may be allowed to accumulate to a 
 depth of about twelve inches, and may then be 
 swept out of the tank through the Mud Doors 
 (13), into a brick trough which conveys it into a 
 drain, about one inch of mud being left in the 
 tank to carry on the clarifying process. An alter- 
 native and generally preferable method is to 
 utilize the perforated pipes at the bottom of the 
 tank. The main blower pipe is extended through 
 the side of the tank, and there terminates in 
 a valve (14), by opening which for a few minutes 
 at intervals the accumulation of mud beyond 
 what is necessary for the clarifying process is 
 prevented. 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS. 
 
 All the mechanical operations are very simple, 
 and the labour involved is light. So far as labour 
 is concerned it costs no more to soften 20,000 
 gallons at one time than to soften 2,000 gallons; 
 and where the quantity of water required per 
 diem is not large enough to warrant the cost of 
 special labour it is better, where there is room, to 
 erect a plant of greater capacity than is absolutely 
 necessary, because then the number of softenings 
 
10 
 
 per diem is lessened, and, as each softening takes 
 only a few minutes, the boiler attendant can spare 
 enough time to do what is required. 
 
 The softening tanks are also storage tanks ; a 
 point to be remembered when considering the 
 space occupied. Existing storage tanks can be 
 iitted up as softening tanks if of suitable size 
 and shape. 
 
 The steam used by the Trajector and Blower 
 together is only sufficient to raise the temperature 
 of the water about 3° F., and, when the water is 
 required for boilers, more or less of the heat is 
 returned to the boilers and must not therefore be 
 charged to the softening process ; if we charge 
 the whole of it, it amounts to very little. 
 
 The reasons for carbonating the softened water 
 were fully explained in the paper read before the 
 Society of Chemical Industry in June, i8gi. 
 Uncarbonated softened water forms a deposit 
 in pipes, and especially in the feed apparatus of 
 steam boilers, which may becorne very trouble- 
 some. This is not a peculiarity of water 
 softened in our apparatus. In fact, the un- 
 carbonated softened water produced by our 
 process is, as we have proved, less likely to give 
 trouble from deposit in pipes than water softened 
 
by some other processes in which the chemicals 
 are used in considerable excess and the same 
 efficient means are not adopted for ensuring the 
 completion of the chemical reaction. It must be 
 distinctly understood that the amount of carbonic 
 acid introduced into the softened water is very 
 small, and simply has the effect of restoring the 
 artificially-softened water to the condition of a 
 naturalty soft water. 
 
 ADVANTAGES CLAIMED. 
 
 The process is based upon correct scientific 
 principles, in consequence of which we are able 
 to soften water by means of the cheapest 
 chemicals used in the most economical propor- 
 tions. As the excess 'of alkali thus introduced 
 into the water is quite small, the subsequent 
 carbonating of the softened water is easily 
 accomplished, and thereby a soft water is pro- 
 duced which is suitable for all purposes ; it is 
 palatable, forms no deposit in pipes or mains, 
 and cannot injure the most delicate skin or fabric. 
 By the system of treating the hard water in large 
 volumes, intermittently, more reliable results are 
 obtained than by any existing continuous process. 
 The plant is cheap, and very simple ; there is 
 
12 
 
 nothing about it to get out of order, and there 
 are no filters to become clogged. 
 
 OUTPUT. 
 
 In the following formula for two tanks: — 
 V = The number of gallons of softened water 
 
 supplied continuously per hour. 
 X = The working capacity, in gallons, of each 
 
 tank. 
 y = The number of minutes required to fill 
 
 each tank. 
 z = The number of minutes required for 
 
 settHng. 
 
 60 X 
 
 V = j j — 
 
 By using three tanks instead of two the output is 
 doubled. 
 
 The following table contains a few examples, 
 a period of thirty-five minutes being allowed for 
 settling : — 
 
 ;t= Working cap- 
 
 j'=Time required 
 
 u=Yield per hour, with 
 
 acity of each tank 
 or division. 
 
 to fill a tank or 
 division. 
 
 2 tanks 
 or divisions. 
 
 3 tanks 
 or divisions. 
 
 12,000 galls 
 
 30 minutes 
 
 8,000 galls. 
 
 16,000 galls. 
 
 12,000 ,, 
 
 20 ,, 
 
 9,000 ,, 
 
 18,000 ,, 
 
 12,000 ,, 
 
 10 
 
 10,000 ,, 
 
 20,000 ,, 
 
 20,000 ,, 
 
 30 
 
 13.300 .. 
 
 26,60b ,, 
 
 20,000 ,, 
 
 20 
 
 15,000 ,, 
 
 30,000 ,, 
 
 20,000 ,, 
 
 10 ,, 
 
 17,000 ,, 
 
 34.000 ,, 
 
13 
 
 COST OF SOFTENING WATER. 
 
 To remove Calcium Carbonate (carbonate of 
 lime) from water costs very little, because lime 
 alone is necessary, and is very cheap. To 
 remove Calcium Sulphate (sulphate of lime), 
 alkali must be used, which greatly increases the 
 cost. Both lime and alkali are necessary for the 
 removal of Magnesium Salts, and, what is more, 
 the alkali has to be used in greater relative 
 proportion. Waters containing much magnesium 
 salts are therefore the more costly to treat. But 
 the costliness of softening is, in many cases, a 
 measure of the necessity for softening ; and it is 
 often the more economical to soften a bad water, 
 which can be had for the pumping, than to 
 purchase a town's water which is itself only less 
 hard than the existing supply. In the following 
 table the analyses of nine typical samples of water 
 are given, together with the cost of the chemicals 
 needed to soften each by our process, and reduce 
 the hardness to from 3° to 5°. 
 
14 
 
 
 
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 3