feed-heater

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. An apparatus for raising the temperature of the water supplied to a steam-boiler, either by the direct heat of the fire or indirectly by exposing it to the latent heat of the exhaust-steam from the engine. Such boilers are also designed to purify the feedwater by filtering out solid impurities, by precipitating lime or other materials that might form incrustations in the boiler, and by restraining oil and grease by means of absorbent filters.
2. n. A boiler for cooking food for cattle.