US1063619A

US1063619A - Steam-power system.

Info

Publication number: US1063619A
Application number: US44608408A
Authority: US
Inventors: Elihu Thomson
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1908-07-30
Filing date: 1908-07-30
Publication date: 1913-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 1930-06-03

Description

2 BHEET8-BHEET 1.

Patented June 3,1913.

E. THOMSON.

STEAM POWER SYSTEM.

APPLIUATION FILED JULY 30, 1908.

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Witnesses:

E. THOMSON. STEAM POWER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1908.

PatentedJune 3, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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wltnessesi His orne y.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIHU rnomson, or swamrsco'rr, m'assacnusn'rrs, ASSIGNOB TO GENERAL nmorarc com any, A coaronarron or NEW YORK.

sri mownn SYSTEM.

Be it known that I, ELIHU TrroMsoiv, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, county of Essex, State of Massachu'seltts, useful Improvements in Steam-Power Sys-- terns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to meansQfOI generating elastic'fluid vapor for power purposes, and especiallyto steam boilers and their controlling devices for automobile vehicles.

For driving large trucks used for heavy haulage it is steam engines, and as these vehicles run at low' speeds and in a comparatively smooth and steady manner, itis possible to fire the boiler with solid fuel, such as coal or'coke,

instead of with gasolene, oil or other liquid hydrocarbon. The objection to solid fuel is that when the consumption of steam ceases there is apt to be a blowing off of steam at the safety valve owing to the continued heating of the boiler by the bed of burning fuel. flash or coil type, and is exposed directly to the fire, the shutting down of the steam consumption will cause the water to be driven out of the tubes, so that they are liable to overheat.

My invention aims to obviate these difliculties by locating the fire and the boiler in separate communicating chambers, with means for restricting or closing the communication between them so that the fire can no longer heat the boiler when it is desired to check the generation of steam. The restriction or closure may be made manually or automatically as desired. Means may also be provided for shutting off the air supply from the fire when the fire box is shut off from the boiler, steam valve of both of said means so that they can be operated simultaneously therewith when the engine is shut down by closing the valve. By thoroughly jacketing the fire box with a and, for so connecting the good non-conductor of heat the fire will re-' main alight for many hours and ready atany time to be brought into service by letting in air and opening up communication with the boiler.

The accompanying drawings illustrate.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed July 30, 1908. Serial m). 446,084.

have invented certain new and quite customary to employ Furthermore, if the boiler be of thethe engine with either or Patented June 3, 1913.

diagrammatically an embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 being a sectional elevation of a comp ete system, Fig. 2 showing a modification of the fire-box and boiler, and

Fig 3 being a sectional elevation ofsaid system showing a modification of the controllin levers.

The boiler 1, Figs. 1, or 33, Fig. 2,-is represented as a coil or flash boiler, but this is simply illustrative, as it may be of any desired type. In any case it is inclosed in a jacket 2,'Fig. 1, or 34, Fig. 2, of heat refracting material, provided with a flue or chimney 3, Fig. 1, or 35, Fig. 2, for the escape of hot gases, said flue being preferably directed downward, as shown. The boiler chamber may also have an opening at the top closed by a lid 4:, Fig. 1, or 36, Fig. 2, which can be removed when starting the fire in order to give a' good natural draft. The fire-box 5, Fig. 1, or 37, Fig. 2, also, good non-conductor of heat. grate (3, Fig. 1, or 38,

It contains a Fig. 2, of any suitable construction to support the coal, coke or other solid fuel 7 Fig; 1, or 39, Fig. 2, which may be fed in either by hand from time to time through an opening closed by a lid 8, Fig. 1', or door 8, Fig.2, or automatically by any well-known mechanism, as will be readily understood-..

Between thefire-box and the boiler chamber is a passageway which can be controlled so as to prevent the hot gases from exerting an undue heating effect upon the boiler. In Figs. 1 and 3 this passageway can be entirely or damper or valve 9, preferably arranged to slide, and capable of operation by suitable mechanism, such as the lever 10 and rocker arm 11 engaging with a connecting rod 12 pivoted to said damper. The lever is rendered adjustable by a latch 13 and a notched. quadrant 14, or other equivalent device. In order to control the supply of air to the ash-pit, a door 15, Figs. 1 and 3 or 40, Fig. 2, is provided, and if desired it may be operated by the lever 10 through a second rockarm 16 and connecting-rod 17. By slotting the rod 12, the lever can be manipulated to regulate the door after been shut, in order togovern the fire'while it is shut oil from the boiler.

Fig. 2' shows aconstruction by means of which, instead of employing a damper or is lined with a partially closed by a the damper 9 has valve to cut ofl the communication between the fire-box and the boiler-chamber, the same or a similar efiect can be produced by simply restricting the passageway between the fire and the boiler, as shown at 18. This passageway is so small that the radiation from the glowing fuel is not sufficient to overheat the boiler when steam consumption ceases, especially when the draft of air to the fire is checked by adamper in the ash-pit or in the flue or chimney leading from the boiler chamber. The size of the-passageway and the control of the draft may be so regulated as to permit a small leakage of heat to the boiler chamber, just sufiicient to maintain the pro-per temperature of the boiler, and therefore have it ready for sudden duty at any time. If desired, the passageway may be subdivided in any suitable manner, so as to distribute the flow of hot gases when the fire is under draft. Such a subdivision may be conveniently effected by the deflector or baffle-plate 19 located in the boiler chamber just above the passageway 18, which plate also checks radiation of heat from the fire to the boiler when the draft is cut ofi while the engine is shut down.

In order to illustrate a complete power system, I have shownthe boiler in Figs. 1 and 3 connected by a pipe 20 with an engine 21, the admission of steam to the cylinder being controlled by a throttle valve 22. The

- engine exhausts into a condenser 28 from on the lever 10.

which the water of condensation drains into the water-tank 24, which supplies the boiler through a steam pump 25 or other equivalent water-feeding device. The exhaust steam from the pump,and also any steam which passes through the condenser flows to an ejector 26, Figs. 1 and 3 or 41, Fig. 2, located in the down-draft flue 3 or 85 respectively for producing a draft on the fire when the engine-is running.

It is desirable to interconnect the mechanism for controlling the damper and door and that for operating the throttle valve of the engine, so that when the steam is cut off the fire will also be checked or shut off.

from the boiler. An arrangement for effecting this is shown in Fig. 3. A. sector gear 27 is secured to the stem of the throttle valve 22 and meshes with a rack 28 sliding in guides 29. A rod 30 is'pivoted to the rack and is provided with a plurality of notches 31 adapted to engage with a pin 32 When the lever 10 is moved to shut the damper 9 and door 15, the steam will be shut'oif also. Theno tches 31 enable the relative closing points of the damper and door and the throttle to be adjusted.

Since there is no blowing of steam through an exhaust pipe or at a safety-valve, and no.

overheating of the boiler when steam is not. being used, this system is especially adapted to trucks for use in city streets. But it is also applicable to railway vehicles, and even to stationary plants, being readily capable of automatic regulation for variations in speed or load, in ways which will be evident to the skilled engineer.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1. The combination with a generator for supplying motive fluid -to a prime mover, of a chamber containing said generator, 9. fire-box in' which fuel is burned to supply heat to the generator, a passage connecting the fire-box with the chamber to deliver heat to the latter,means arranged in the passage for checking the radiation of heat from the fire-box to the chamber to check the generation of motive fluid when the prime mover isshut down, a device for shutting off the admission of air to'the fire-box so that in cooperation with said means combustion and loss of heat by radiation will be substantially prevented, valve means for regulating the admission of motive fluid to the prime mover, and means for simultaneously closing the valve and said device.

2. The combination, with a boiler for supplying steam to an engine, of a chamber in which the boiler is located, a fire-box in which fuel is burned to supply heat to the boiler, a conduit between the fire-box and the chamber, means for confining the heat of the fire to the fire-box and checking combustion when the engine is shut down, comprising a non-conducting lining for the walls of the fire-box, means for shut-tin off the admission of air to the fire-box, an a device arranged in said conduit for checking the radiation of heat from the fire-box to the boiler, avalve for regulating the admission of steam to the engine, and mechanism for simultaneously opening and closing thevalve and said means for shutting off the admission of air to the fire-box.

3. The combination with a generator for supplyin elastic fluid vapor to a prime mover, o a chamber containing said generator, a fire-box for heatin the generator which is arranged separate rom said chamber' but in, communication therewith and means including devices arranged adjacent to the inlet and outlet of the fire-box for simultaneously shutting off the heat from the chamber to check the generation of vapor and the entrance of air to the fire-box to arrest combustion therein when the prime mover is shut down.

4. The combination with a generator for supplying elastic fluid vapor to a prime mover, o a chamber containing said generator, a separately arranged fire-box, a grate for solid fuel in said fire-box, a damper between the fire-box and the chamber, a door for regulating the supply of air to the firebox, and means for operating said damper supplying the entrance of air in the fire-box.

5. The combination with a generator for prime mover,

elastic fluid to a ,of a chamber containing the 'enerator, a fire-box se arate from the cham er, a grate for solid ihel arranged in said'fire-box, a conduit for conveying gases heated by the combustion of the fuel from the fire-box to the chamber to heat the generator during its normal operation, a damper in the conduit, a door for controlling the Supply of air to the fire, means connectin the damper and the door, and a device or actuating said means to shut off the heat from the chamber to check the generation of fluid and arrest combustion in the fire-box when the prime mover is shut down.

6.'The combination with a prime mover and a generator for supplying elastic fluid to the prime mover, ofa chamber containing the generator, a fire-box separate from the chamber, a grate for solid fuel arranged in said fire-box, a conduit for conveying the gases heated by the combustion of the fuel from the fire-box to the chamber to heat the generator during its normal operation, -a damper in the conduit, a door 'for controlling the supply of air to the fire, a de- 1 vicefor regulating the supply of elasticfiuid 'for to the prime mover, mechanism connecting the damper and the door with said device,

' and means for operating said device which acts through said mechanism to move the ,damperand the door to shut ofl the heat from the chamber to check the generation of fluid. and to arrest combustion in the firebox when said device is operated to out ofi the supply of fluid to the prime mover.

7. The combination with an engine and a generator for supplying steam to said engine, of a chamber containing the generator, a fire-box separate from the chamber, a grate solid fuel arranged in the fire-box, a conduit for conveying the gases generated and heated by the combustion of the fuel from the fire-box to the chamber to heat the generator during its normal operation, a damper in the conduit, a valve for controlling the supply of steam tothe engine,

a connection between the valve and the damper, and means acting through said connection to slmultaneously close the valve and v the damper.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of July, 1908.

ELIHU THOMSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. MCMANUS,,JR., HENRY O. WESTENDARP.