US1223799A - Liquid-level indicator for steam-boilers. - Google Patents

Description

W. A. KITTS, SR.

LIQUID LEVEL INDICATOR FOR STEAM BOILERS.

APPUCATION HLED MAR. 2. 1915.

1,223,799. Patented Apr. 24,1917.

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WILLARD A. KITTS, SR., OF OSWEGO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO KITTS STEAM SPECIALTY CO., INC., OF OSWEGO, NEW YRK, A CORPORATIGN OE NEW YORK.

LIQUID-LEVEL INDICATOR FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

Application filed March 2, 1915.

To all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, WILL-ARD A. KITTs, Sr., a citizen of the United States, and resident of Oswego, in the county of 0swego, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Liquid-Level Indicators for Steam-Boilers, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact descrlption.

This invention relates to certain improvements in liquid level indicators for steam boilers and other containers in which the level of the liquid is susceptible to fluctuations from any cause.

In devices of this character and particularly in steam and water containing boilers, it is desirable to render the action of the indicating means or feed controller dependent upon some member which is in direct contact with and actuated by the varying levels of the water, and the main object of my present invention is to provide such a member that will effectively withstand the varying degrees of moisture, heat and pressure, to which it will be necessarily subjected, without liability of deterioration and at the same time be economical in manufacture and quickly responsive to the slightest variations of water level.

Another object is to provide said member with a closed chamber communicating with the water-containing receptacle or column in such manner as to cause a limited amount of such water to automatically flow thereinto so that its combined weight when immersed a predetermined depth in the water in the column will substantially counterbalance another weight in operative connection therewith, whereby both weights may be used in operating a suitable indicator such as fee controlling valve or signal.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the apparatus will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a water column of a steam boiler showing the application of my invention thereto as used in connection with an automatic boiler feed, an electrical arm being also shown diagram- Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Apr. 24, 191'?.

serial No. 11,478.

matically in connection with a valve-operating member.

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of a high water alarm mechanism used in connection with my invention.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a low water alarm also used in connection with my invention.

In carrying out the objects stated, a hollow member -1- of copper or equivalent sheet metal is supported within a water-containing receptacle consisting, in this instance, of a water column -2- having inlet and outlet pipes -3- and *lleading, respectively, to the lower and upper ends thereof and adapted to be connected in any well known manner to the water and steam chambers of the boiler so that the water in the column will assume the same level as that in the boiler.

The hollow member -1- is closed except that it is provided with a central tube -5- secured in the lower end thereof and extending downwardly a sufficient distance to enter the water or other liquid in the chamber -2-, its upper end being extended within the hollow member -lto a point preferably near the top thereof, leaving sufficient space to allow the water to pass upwardly from the lower end through the tube and to overflow into the interior of the hollow member so that the hollow member will be filled with waterto the level of the top of the tube.

The shell -lis preferably made in the form of an oblong spheroid to give it the necessary strength to resist internal and external pressures and to enable it to be made of comparatively thin sheet metal, and together with the body of water contained therein, constitutes a buoyant weight adapted to rise and fall with varying water levels in the chamber -2-, to be used as a primary controller for a suitable liquid level indicator in a manner presently described.

This indicator may be a valve-operating rod -6- for operating a valve -7- to automatically control the water feed or supply to a boiler, (not shown), or it may be used to operate an electric switch -8- of a signal circuit -9- as shown in Fig. l to operate an electric signal 1U-e, or pump motor -11-.

It is also evident that it may be employed for controlling the action of a steam whistle -12- to serve as a low water alarm, as shown in Fig. 3, or as a high water alarm, as shown in Fig. 2.

In all of these cases, the shell 1 must be adjusted in the water chamber -2- so that the lower end of the tube 5- will extend below the normal water level which it is desired to approximately maintain.

Vhen used as the primary controller for an automatic water feed, as for example.l in operating the valve -7-, Fig. 1, in which the line -A- represents approximately the water level which it is desired to maintain, the hollow shell -1- is adjusted so as to be partially immersed below Said level in which position it is counterbalanced by a weight 13 through the medium of suitable levers -14- and m15-- connected to each other by a link -16-, the lever 14- carrying the weight '13- being fulcrumed at one end opposite that to which the link -16- is connected to a suitable post 1T- secured to and depending from the top of the column -2- at the inside thereof.

The lever is fulcrumed intermediate its ends to a post 18`- also secured to and depending from the top of the water column and having its inner end pivotally connected to the upper end of a stem -19 which is secured to and extends upwardly from the upper end of the shell -1 The valve rod or stem -6- connects the lever 111- with the valve 7- through a gland -20- in the top of the column -2-, the point of connection between the valve stem and lever 1% being between the fulcrum of said lever and its point of connection with the link 1S- The weight of the member 13m and connections between it and the water-filled f shell-1 are adjusted to approximately equal the displacement of the hollow shell -1- so that the two weights counterbalance each other when the water level is approximately normal, as shown by the line -A-, in which positions the valve '-7- would be closed, thereby cutting ofi' the supply of water to the boiler, but it is evident that in case the water level should fall below normal, the combined weight of the A shell -1- with the water therein would filled with water before being installed in the water column -2- or before being connected to its supporting rod M19-, but in actual practice, I have found that if the empty member is placed in operative position in the water column with its lower end submerged in the water, the fluctuations of the steam pressure in the boiler will cause it to ll automatically within a very short time after installation.

For example, assuming that the empty shell is installed in the boiler or water column with its lower end partially submerged in the water at its normal operating level and that the external pressure tends to eX- ceed that within the hollow member, which, of course, would contain more or less air, then it is obvious that there would be an equal tendency to establish the same pressure within the member with the result that the water in which the hollow member is partially submerged would be forced by the excess external pressure upwardly through the tube -5-, thus causmg the water to overflow from the top of the tube into the lower part of the hollow member until the internal pressure equaled that of the external pressure, leaving a quantity of water trapped within the hollow member below the upper end of the tube -5-.

New, if the external pressure in the boiler or column 1 should be reduced below that of the internal pressure, it is evident that the compressed air above the upper end of the tube -5- would be forced downwardly and outwardly through said tube by such excess pressure until the internal and external pressure became again equalized, thus reducing the resistance of the compressed air within the hollow member to the inflow of an additional quantity of the water as the external pressure is again increased above that of the internal pressure, whereupon such additional quantity of water would be forced upwardly through the tube -5- and would overflow into the hollowmember 1- until the internal pressure is again equal to that of the external pressure.

In like manner repeated fluctuations of pressure would soon cause the filling of the hollow member 1 to the level of the inner or upper end of the tube -5- which as previously stated extends to a point near the top of the hollow member.

If it should be desired to operate a signal, as -10-, electrically to indicate that the water had receded from its normal level or to operate an electric motor pump as 11- to restore such level, one of the switch members -8- may be attached to the valve rod 1-6- so as to contact with the other member of the switch only when the water level falls below normal, in which case the signal circuit would be closed through the signal -10- or through the motor pump -11 as may be desired.

When this device is to be used for operating a high water alarm, such as a steam whistle 1Q- shown in Fig. 2, in which case the normal water level would be below the shell -1 as represented by the line -B, or rather the entire apparatus would be adjusted to bring the shell -labove such normal water level, under which conditions the combined weight of the shell -1- with the water therein exceeding that of the counter-weight -13-, would cause said shell to overbalance the counter-weight tending to rock the corresponding end of the lever -14- upwardly, and in order that this action may be used in controlling the operation of the steam whistle -1Qf-, or

equivalent signal, the valve stem -6- is.

substituted by a relatively shorter stem -6- carrying at its upper end a valve -7- which is normally seated in a steam passage -21- in the top of the column 2- and leading from the steam chamber of said column to the whistle.

It is, therefore, evident that as long as the water level is below the lower end of the shell -1- or approximately at the level of the line -B-, the combined weight of said shell with the water therein would hold the valve -7- closed against its seat, but in case the water should rise a suiiicient distance above its normal level to buoy the shell -1- upwardly the valve -7- would be opened to allow the steam to operate the whistle -12-.

On the other hand, if it is desired to use this device for operating a low water alarm, in which case the water level would be sutilciently above the buoying level of the shell -1- as represented by the line -C-, Fig. 1, it is evident that said shell would be normally buoyed upwardly against its own weight, thereby allowing the weight 13 and corresponding end of the lever to descend.

Under these conditions, the positions of the post -17- and valve rod or stem -6- would be reversed from the positions shown in Fig. 2, or as shown in Fig. 3, so that the normal up-position of the shell 1- would close the valve -7- in the passage -2l-.

On the other hand, if the water level should drop a suiiicient distance below its normal level, as indicated by the line -C-, to allow the hollow member -1- to descend, the valve -7- would be instantly opened to permit the steam to escape through the passage -21- for operating the low water alarm signal -12.

It is evident from the foregoing description that this device is susceptible to a wide range of uses without material alteration and that it is particularly simple and economical both in manufacture and use, and that the shell 1 is practically indestructible and is capable of standing the varying degrees of moisture, heat and pressure to which it may be subjected.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a water-level indicator for steam boilers, the combination with a water and steam-containing chamber, of a shell movable in said chamber and closed at the top, a tube secured to the bottom of the shell and extended some distance above and below said bottom, the upper end of the tube terminating within the shell, and counterbalancing means normally maintaining the shell in such position that the lower` end of the tube will be below the water level in said chamber, and means for indicating a variation in the normal relation of the shell and its counterbalancing means.

2. In a water-level indicator for steam boilers, the combination with a water and steam-containing chamber, of a shell mov able within said chamber and open at the bottom only, the remaining portions of the shell being closed against the passage of water therein or therethrough, means within the shell for retaining a body of water therein nearly equal to its capacity, counterbalancing means normally maintaining the shell in such position that the mouth of its opening is below the liquid level in the chamber, and means for indicating a change from the relative positions of the shell and its counterbalancing means.

3. In a water-level indicator tor steam boilers, the combination with a water-containing chamber, of a shell movable in said chamber by the rise or fall of water, means for admitting water into the shell from the bottom only, the remaining portions of the shell being closed against the entrance of water therein or therethrough, said means being arranged to maintain a quantity of water in the shell nearly equal to its capacity and means actuated by the movement of the shell from a certain position for indicating such movement.

4. In a water-level indicator for steam boilers, the combination with a water-containing chamber, of a shell movable in said chamber by the rise or fall of water, and provided with a reduced tubular extension projecting downwardly from the bottom thereof, counterbalancing means for normally maintaining the shell in such position that the lower end of the extension will be immersed in the water in the chamber, and

means for indicating a change in the relation of said shell to its counterbalancing means from normal.

5. In a water-level indicator for steam boilers, the combination with a water-containing chamber, of a shell movable in said Change of position of the shell due to a Yuri- :ition of the Wait-ei' 10T-Qi in the chambezv.

ln Wtnss ",i'hmeeff have hereunto set my hun@ this 23d duff of February, 1915. VILLARD A. KITTS, SR. Vtnesses F. E. SWEETLARD,

R. H. HOBBIE.

Go ies of this atent ma be obtained for fura cents each b adressn the Commissioner of Patents I Y Washington, D. C.

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