US1158232A

US1158232A - Condensing apparatus.

Info

Publication number: US1158232A
Application number: US79796013A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles Volney Kerr
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1913-10-29
Filing date: 1913-10-29
Publication date: 1915-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 1932-10-26

Description

I c. v. KEIIII.

CONDENSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 29. |913.

Patented 061;. 26, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

II WA @Hor/11mg o COLUMBIA PLANOGRAIH co.,\vAsHINcI1-0N, D. c.

C. V. KERR.

CONDENSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.29. I9I3.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'Snom/Ito@ @Hom/ava o COLUMBIA PLANouR/mn co.,wAsr1lNa'roN, u. c.

CONDENSING APPARATUS.

Application filed October 29, 1913.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES V. KERK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wellsville, in the county of Allegany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Condensing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to steam condensing apparatus for engine plants and of the type which I have termed baro-surface condensing.

The objects of my invention are: First: To so arrange and construct the circulating pump, condenser, and air pump, and connect up the same, as to enable the water passing through the condenser, to act and perform the function of withdrawing the air in the condenser which has been liberated from the condensed exhaust steam. Second: 'Io so construct, arrange and connect up different elements comprising the system, that a high vacuum is produced in the condenser without the use of a costly and complicated piston air pump, thereby producing a most simple and eective condensing system, requiring a minimum use of water and repairs. Third: To construct and arrange the different elements comprising the apparatus so that a condensing plant is produced which is compact, of low first cost, of high and constant efficiency, and in which all the parts are easily assembled or taken apart, quickly inspected or repaired, and kept clean of incrustation. Fourth: To so construct and arrange the parts of the air-pump, and so conneet the same up in the apparatus, that a high vacuum is produced in a surface condenser without the use of a piston air pump operated by steam or other motive fluid. Fifth: @ther objects and advantages of the construction and arrangement of the sytem will appear from the detailed description of the preferred form, to be hereinafter given.

rIhe invention consists of structural features and relative arrangements of the elements comprising the invention which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the two sheets of drawings, illustrating the preferred form of my invention, in which similar reference characters indicate the same parts in the several gures: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the condensing system; Fig. 2 is a vertical longi- Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Uct. 26, 1915.

Serial No. 797,960.

tudinal section of the air pump on line II-II of Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the pump taken on line III-III of Fig. 2.

In the. drawings as shown in Fig. 1, the numeral 1 indicates a circulating pump of the centrifugal class, of any approved form, but more especially of the type shown in my co-pending application for patent, Serial No. 786,946 and iled August 27, 1913. 'Ihe inlet or suction side of said pump 1 is connected by means of the pipe 2 with any suitable cooling water supply 3. Interposed in the pipe 2 between the cooling water supply tank 3 and the suction inlet of the pump 1, is provided a screen box 4 to intercept any impurities or floating material and keep them from passing into the pump 1 and the condenser. 5 is any condenser of the surface type, but preferably of the form shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 796,747, iiled Oct. 23, 1913, and is provided with an upper steam inlet 6, a lower condensed steam outlet 7, and` a lower air collecting chamber 8, having an outlet 8. Said condenser 5 is also provided with a lower water inlet 9 and an upper water outlet or discharge 10, said inlet 9 being connected by means of a pipe 11 with the discharge outlet of the pump 1. In said pipe 11 betweenthe inlet 9 of condenser 5 and discharge of the pump 1, is interposed a check valve 12 to prevent the water from running downward in the piping, if the pump 1 is stopped for any reason. At the top of the condensing system is provided an improved form of barometric7 air pump 13 which is carried by any suitable supports 13', and consists of a casing 14, preferably conical in shape (see Fig. 2) having an upper opening 15 and a lower opening or discharge 16. The opening 15 is closed by a circular perforated plate 17 through which is inserted the upper ends of a series of vertical and depending tubes 18 of graduated length, the longest of said tubes being near the axis of the conical casing 14, and at the center section of the circularv plate 17, while the shortest tubes are nearest the outer edge of the plate 17 as shown in Fig. 2. Attached to the casing 14 and supported over the plate 17 and opening 15, is a cap 19 provided with an upper water inlet 20. The upper and larger end of the conical casing 14 is provided with an annular enlargement forming an air suction chamber 21, which is pro-- vided with an air inlet opening 22, said chamber 21 forming a ledge for receiving the supports 13 ,of the air pump` 13. The water outlet opening 10 of the condenser 5 is connected by a pipe 23 with the water inlet 20 of the air pump 13, and pipe 24 connects the outlet 8 of the air collecting chamber 8 in the condenser 5 with the air inlet opening 22 of the air suction chamber 21 within the air pump 13. The discharge or lower opening 16 of the airpump 13 is connected by a pipe 25, for conveyingthe water and entrained air, to a tail race 26.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The circulating pump 1 having been primed, is put into operation and as soon as vacuum is formed, exhaust steam is passed through the upper inlet 6 and into the condenser 5. Said pump draws the cooling water from the supply tank 3 up the suc-V tion Ypipe 2 through the screen box 4 and forces said water from the discharge of the pump beyond the check valve 12 through the pipe 11 into the lower water inlet 9 of the surface condenser 5, thence around the outside of tubes of the surface condenser and out ofthe discharge opening l0 and up and through the pipe 23. The cooling water reaching the upper end of the pipe 23 flows into inlet 20 of cap 19 of the air pump 13, and isdistributed uniformly over the perforated plate 17, from whence said water Hows intoand down the depending tubes 18. The water discharging from the lower ends of the tubes 18 forms a series of separated water jets which present a large total surface to the air, said jets drawing, the air surrounding the tubes 18 and collected in the annular chamber 21, and continually forcing or ejecting the air into the lower section of the conical casing 14, where it becomes entrained with the rapidly descending water fallingcthrough the discharge or lower opening 16 into the pipe 25 from which the air and water are conveyed to the tail race 26.y As the cooling water continues to lflow Vdownwardly through the pipes 18, a high vacuum isproduced in the chamber 21, and the Yair liberated from the condensed steam and collected atV the bottom of the condenser in the, air chamber 8, passes out through the openingy 8 into the air discharge pipe 24, and is drawn through the inlet 22 into the space surrounding the tubes 18, where said air is constantly and efflciently carried down and out with the dis-v charging water. Thus itvwill be seenY that the same water that is employed to condense the exhaust steam in the condenser is used-to evacuate the air from said condenser, and this construction and arrangement avoids lthe use of the usual costly and com- A plicated piston air pump, and reduces the condensing system of a steam planty to its simplest and most efficient form.'- Furthermore, as the cooling water is taken from and discharged to the same level, the power required in the circulating pump is only that necessary to overcome the friction in the piping and condenser, and on account of the large cross section of the condenser employed, the frictional resistance is reduced to a minimum. Also in view of the cooling water discharged from the air pump carrying air with it at the temperature of the water, the density of said water is less than normal, and it is found best to arrange the lower end of the air pump 13 from thirty to forty feet above the level of the tail race 26,` and while somewhat higher than the usual barometric condensers, it is not detrimental n the efficient operation thereof, as the vacuum in the barometric air pump 13 is very high and assists in lifting the water to the height mentioned.

As will be seen from the foregoing detailed description of the system, and its method of operation, all the objects and advantages of the invention recited in the statement of invention, are fully and efIiciently carried out, and the condenser is capableof maintaining a high vacuum with a minimum consumption of cooling water and coal.

lVhat I claim is 1. A condensing apparatus comprising a surface condenser having a water inlet, a water outlet, an exhaust steam inlet, a condensed steam outlet and an air collecting chamber, an air ejecting pump casing having a water inlet connected above the barometric height with the water outlet of the condenser, a water outlet connected with a tail race, and an air exhausting chamber connected with the air collecting chamber of the condenser, a series of tubes within the air pump casing, said tubes being so arranged as to have their upper ends in communication with the water inlet of the pump casing and their lower ends discharging into the water outlet of the pump casing and in communication with the air exhausting chamber of the pump casing, and a circulating pump having its inlet connected with a cooling water supply and its discharge connected with the inlet of the surface condenser.

2. A condensing apparatus comprising a surface condenser having a water inlet, a water outlet, an exhaust steam inlet, a condensed steam outlet and an air collecting chamber, an air ejecting pump casing disposed at a higher level than the condenser having a water inlet connected above the barometrc height with the water outlet of the condenser, a water outlet connected with a tail race, and an air exhausting chamber connected with the air collecting chamber of the condenser, a series of separated vertical tubes within the air pump casing, said tubes being so arranged as to have their upper ends in communication with the water inlet of the pump casing and their lower ends discharging into the water outlet of the pump casing and in communication with the air exhausting chamber of the pump casing, and a circulating pump having its inlet connected with a cooling water supply and its discharge connected with the inlet of the surface condenser.

3. A condensing apparatus comprising a surface condenser having a lower water inlet and an upper water outlet, an upper steam inlet, a lower condensed steam outlet and a lower air collecting chamber, an air ejecting pump casing having a water inlet connected above the barometric height with the water outlet of the condenser, a water outlet con' nected with a tail race, and an air exhausting chamber connected with the air collecting chamber of the condenser, a series of separated vertical tubes of dierent lengths within the air pump casing, said tubes having their upper ends in a common plane and in communication with the water inlet of the pump casing and their lower ends terminating in diii'erent planes and arranged to form a substantial conical conguration and discharge into the water outlet of the pump casing and in communication with the air exhausting chamber of the pump casing, and a circulating pump having its inlet connected with a cooling water supply and its discharge connected with the inlet of the surface condenser.

4f. A condensing system comprising a surface condenser having an air collecting chamber, a circulating pump connected with the condenser, an air ejector pump consisting of a hollow conical casing having an upper water inlet at the larger end of the casing connected with the condenser, and a water outlet at the smaller end, an annular air exhausting chamber at the larger end of the casing having an inlet opening connected with the air collecting chamber of the condenser, and a series of separated tubes within the conical casing and projecting through the air chamber, said tubes having their upper ends communicating with the upper water inlet and their lower ends discharging into the outlet of the casing.

5. A condensing system comprising a surface condenser having an air collecting chamber, a circulating pump connected with the condenser, an air ejector pump situated above the condenser and consisting of a hollow conical casing having an upper water inlet or opening at the larger end of the casing connected with the condenser, and a water outlet at the smaller end, an annular air exhausting chamber at the larger end of the casing having an inlet opening connected with the air collecting chamber of the condenser, a perforated plate interposed in the water inlet or opening of the pump, and a series of separated tubes within the conical casing and projecting through the air chamber, said tubes having their upper ends se cured in the perforated plate and communieating with the upper water inlet and their lower ends discharging into the outlet of the casing.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES VOLNEY KERR.

Witnesses:

VOLNEY A. Knien, ELIZABETH A. KERK.

Copies of this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.