US1183867A - Counter-current condenser. - Google Patents

Description

Patented May 23,1916.

wi/mwoeb THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

JOHN F. GRACE, OF KEARNEY, NEW JERSEY,ASSIGNOR TO HENRY R. WORTHINGTON,

A CORPORATION OFNEW JERSEY.

COUNTEBFCURBENT CONDENSER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 15, 1913. Serial No. 801,169; a

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN F. GRAoE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kearney, county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Counter-Current Condensers, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to jet condensers, and especially to counter current condensers, the especial object of the invention being to provide an improved construction by which a more eflicient action shall be secured, and which shall be simple, cheap and convenient in manufacture and use',and further, to provide improved devices'for cooling the air, and separating water therefrom, sothat the size of the dry vacuumpump may be reduced. While the invention is especially applicable to counter current condensers, many of the features are applicable also to jet condensers of other classes, and'are thus claimed. 7 I 1 p For a full understanding of the invention, a detailed description of a counter current condenser embodying all the features of the same in their preferred form will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and the features forming the invention then specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical, central section of the condenser. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are cross sections of the same, on respectively lines 2, '3 and 1 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the condenser shell is preferably 'madein sections, as shown, A being the inlet section having the steam exhaustinlet 10 at'one side, B the condensing chamber section mountedon in-. let section A, and having the injection or condensing water inlet 11, C the'air outlet chamber mounted on section B and having the air outlet 12, connected to the usual dry vacuum pump, andD the discharge outlet section below inlet section A, having the outlet 13 connected to barometric pipe or discharge pump. These sections are preferably arranged, as shown, so that each lower section supports those above-it, and the construction is preferably such, as described hereafter, that the condenser shell and all he Wat r trays and o h r partswi h.

in the shell may be supported and properly 1 held in place without the use of any bolts in contact with the circulating water, or at any place within the condensing chamber, so that only. one metal,usually cast iron, is in contact with the water, thus enablingthe condenser to be used with water containing acids, without injury, and reducing largely the expense of manufacture and erection of the condenser, by avoiding the drilling and tapplng for bolts, and the fitting, bolting, etc., in erection. 1

Q Referring now to the interior construction of the condenser, 14: isa vertical sleeve within the casing opposite the water'inlet 11, forming a condensing water chamber 15 between it and the outer shell, this sleeve 14: being seated on an interior shoulderil on casing section B, and preferably being provided with an annular series. of openings 2, through which small water jets are thrown inwardly.v Within the sleeve 14," and re? ceiving the condensing water flowing over the top edge of the sleeve, is the first water tray 16 provided withsmall jet openings 3 over its bottom, through which the water fiowsdownward.- This tray 16 is supported by feet 4 set into notches in standards 5 on the next lower lwater tray 17, and is open at the center within the series of perforations 3 to receive the air pipe 18 extending upward and through which the air passes to the air chamber C andair outlet 12. The second tray 17 is provided with perforat-lOIIS'G in its bottom, which preferably are .larger than perforations 3, 'andthe water flows in jets through these'perforations and off the bottom of the, tray 17 between the standardsb, into the third tray 19,. which is provided with bottom perforations 7, preferably larger than theperforations 6. Thistray. 19 is hunginside the casing sec- 7 tion 13, by cars 20 on the tray, having vertical ribs 8 on theirunder side which extend downward 7 between inwardly projecting lugs 9 upon the casing, so that the tray is held in proper circumferential position and supported by the lugs. This-third tray19 also supports the second tray 17, the latter having feet 21 resting 'on' the, bottom of tray 19.

Below tray 19 is the fourth tray, this tray being formed by inner flange 22 on the inlet casing A and short vertical cylinder 23 set into the opening Within the flange to form the inner wall of the tray and supported by ears 26 on the outside of the cylinder, which rest upon the said flange 22. The opening for the cylinder is not concentric with the casing, but arranged at one side of the center, away from the steam inlet 10, thus securing a better distribution of the steam by carrying the steam over farther from the inlet toward the opposite wall of the casing. The cylinder 23 is provided on the side away from the steam inlet with a I openings 7 in tray 19. The steam inlet 10 and inlet casing'A may be turned in any direction desired relatively to the casing section B, for convenience in'erecting, and the cylinder 23, with the notched edge 25 on the side of the condenser away from inlet 10, is held in position by vertical ribs 27 on the top of one of thesupporting lugs 26. between one or the other of the pairs of lugs 28 on the inner side of the casing section B'. The

' cylinder preferably smaller thanthe opening in flange 22' and held in position in the opening by ribs 29 on the outside of the cylinder, so that. a narrow water space is provided around the cylinder through which water flows downward. The sheet of water flowing downward through this space on the rear side of the con'denser'is broken up into jets and thrown forward by baffles .30, but the'sheet. of water at the front or inlet side of the condenser is preferably continuo ls or nearly so to directthe' steam around the condenser tothe free entry space at the backand secure proper steam distribution.

Referring now to the air cooling and separating devices, the air pipe 18 is supported by a flange on the bottom of trayv 16, and in turn connects at its upper endwith the center of separator E, the air pipe 18 conmeeting with curved radial passages 31 in the separator, by which a. centrifugal or cyclonic action is. secured, acting to separate the water from the air, the water then flowing downward into tray 16, and the air passing upwardthrough chamber 0 and air pipe 12 to the dry vacuum pump. The cen- .trifugal air separator is supported at its edges by resting on interior shoulders 32 on the upper end of casing section B.

A spray pipe ispreferably used forspraying water into the air in pipe 18 below the separator E, spray pipe 33 being shown for this purpose, the lower end of which is formed in any suitable manner to secure the spraying action desired. In cases in which the condensing water is of sufficiently low temperature, this spray pipe may be supplied with condensing water or may be omitted, but the independent spray pipe construction shown also enables cold water to be brought in from another source for cool-- ing the air, so that water of any desired temperature may be used for this purpose, irrespective of the temperature of the condensing water. This feature is important, in that it enables a smaller dry vacuum pump to be used.

The invention provides a very efficient counter current condenser, by which the desired condensing action can be secured with a smaller condenser and a less quantity of condensing water than previously used, and which is cheap of manufacture, and simple and convenient in construction and repair. The gradually increasing size of the openings in the bottoms of the trays, with the smaller openings above, is important in that any foreign matter coming into the condenser of such size as to pass through the first openings, passes readily through the rest of the trays tothe discharge, and the larger material is collected in the top tray, from which it may readily be removed through the handhole 40 shown. An important feature also is the fact that the excess' water flowing from the upper pans passes directly downward to the bottom pan at the side or in the outer portion of the condensing chamber, so as not to close the spaces between the'pans or choke the passage to the air suction, as is liable to happen in other counter current jet condensers in which the water is delivered in all quantities in a serial flow from pan to pan. This condenser also secures the advantage of using the central space, with a heavy rainfall thereinthrough the slots in the pans, so that the water is finely divided through the entire condenser. The water spray arrangement opposite the exhaust inlet also provides for proper distribution of steam and avoids the tendency to deadness, the steam being directed around the condenser and having a: free entry at the rear side, so as to be well distributed throughout the vcondenser.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact form or arrangement of parts shown, but that the features forming the invention, as defined by the claims, may be embodied in different constructions.

What is claimed is 1. In a counter current condenser, a plurality of water trays arranged one above the other, said traysbeing arranged for the discharge of overflow from the edges of' the trays outward to the condenser wall and downward outside the lower trays and provided with spray openings in the bottoms of the trays, the spray openings of the successive trays increasing in size from the upper tray downward, in combination with a condensing Water supply to the upper tray.

2. In a counter current condenser, a plurality of water trays arranged one above the other and provided with spray openings in the bottoms of the trays, said trays being arranged for the discharge of overflow from the edges of the trays outward to the condenser wall and downward outside the lower trays, to leave the central part of the condenser open for the steam and water sprays.

3. In a counter current condenser comprising a shell, an inlet shell section having a side steam inlet and a top flange provided with an opening for the passage of steam and water, in combination with a cylinder in said opening forming with the flange and shell a water tray and having the tray wall on one side formed to divide water-flowing over the edge of the cylinder into separate streams, said cylinder being positioned on the inlet section to bring the divided stream Wall onto the side of the condenser away from the steam inlet in different positions of the inlet section. a

4. In a. condenser comprising a shell, an inlet shell section having a side steam inlet and a top flange provided with an opening for the passage of steam and water, said opening being eccentric to the section and on a side away from the inlet, in combination with a cylinder in said opening forming with the flange and shell a water tray and having the tray wall on one side formed to divide water flowing over the edge of the cylinder into separate streams, said cylinder being positioned on the inlet section to bring the divided stream wall to the side of the condenser away from the steam inlet in different positions of the inlet section.

5. In a condenser comprising a shell, an inlet shell section having a side steam inlet and a top flange provided with an opening for the passage of steam and water, in com-.

bination with a cylinder in said opening forming with the flange and shell a water tray and having the tray wall on one side formed to divide water flowing over the edge of the cylinder intoseparate streams, said cylinder being positioned on the inlet section to bring the divided stream wall onto'the side of the condenser away from the steam inlet in different positions of the inlet section, and a substantially continuous water passage in front of the steam inlet to provide a substantially continuous sheet of water for directing the entering steam around the inlet section of the condenser.

6. In a condenser having a steam inlet at the side, water spraying devices above the steam inlet arranged to produce a substantially continuous sheet of water in front of the'steam inlet to direct thestream around i the condenser, and divided streams for admission of the steam to the condenser space away from in front of the steam inlet.

from the inlet 10 for forming separated streams of water at the rear side of the condenser between which the steam passes.

8. Incombination with condensing chamber B, of steam inlet section A having side steam inlet 10 and top flange 22 provided with a top opening, of cylinder 23 .in said opening forming with the condensing chamber section and flange a water tray and through which the steam passes upward and the water spray downward, and divided wall 25 on the side of the cylinder away from the inlet 10 for forming separated streams of water at the rear side of the condenser between which the steam passes, said cylinder being separated from the flange in front of the steam inlet to provide a substantially continuous water space through which a sheet of water passes down in front of the steam inlet to direct the steam around the condenser.

9. A counter-current condenser having a plurality of water-trays arranged oneabove the other and provided with spray openings in the bottoms of the trays, and with the top tray and a lower tray or trays separated from the wall of the condenser to provide space for the overflow from the upper tray or trays to pass between the lower tray or trays and the condenser wall.

10. A counter-current condenserhaving a plurality of water-trays arranged one above the other and provided with spray openings in the bottoms of the trays, and with the top and intermediate trays separated from the wall of the condenser to provide space for the overflow from the upper tray or trays to pass between the intermediate trays and the condenser wall directly to the bottom tray.

11. counter-current condenser having a plurallty of water-trays arranged one above the other and provided with spray openings in the bottoms of the trays, and with the top and intermediate trays separated fromthe wall of the condenser to provide space for the overflow from the upper trayor trays to pass between the intermediate trays and the condenser wall directly to the bottom tray, and means whereby overflow from the- 7 bottom tray produces a substantially continuous sheet of water in front of the steam inlet, and divided streams of ater on the side away from .the steam inlet.

12. In a counterycurrent condenser, the combination with a condensing shell section having side condensingwater inlet and an interior "shoulder below said inlet,,of a cy1- inder supported ,by said shoulder and i,arranged, to form with said; shell a reservoir,

.andaplurality of watertrays-arranged one above the otherwithin and extendigngbelow said cylinder, said trays supported from connecting said separator withthe space between the-first and second ofsaid trays.

14. In counter current condenser, the

combinationwith a plurality of water trays arranged-fine above the other and provided with-spray openings inthe bottoms ofsaid trays, of .a centrifugal air separator in the upper portlon of sald condenser having an air pipe coimectin-gsaid separator with the space betweenthe two top trays of said plurality,.and aspray pipewithin saidair pipe .andYin-dependent of the condensing water connection for spraying Water into the air before its'passage .to the separator.

In testlmony'whereof, I have hereunto set my. hand, in-the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN F. GRACE.

-Witn'esses J. A. GRAVES, C. TSAW'YER.

Copies ,of-itmsapatentgnay he obtained Ior'five ,eents each, .rbyaddressing the .commissioner-aot Batents.

Washington, D. 0."

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