US1259720A - Low-water alarm. - Google Patents

Description

W. C. BLUNDELL.

LOW WATER ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2. 191

1,259,720, I Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

entertainers, 191's.

Application filed March 2, 1917. Serial No. 153,532.

To all whomitmoy concern: H v 7 Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. BLUNDELL, a citizen of the United States. residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Low-Water Alarms of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to low water alarms and signals for indicating the low water stage in steam boilers and the like, and has for its object the provision of a device for this purpose which may be readily attached to the different types of boilers and which embodies simplicity of structure and economy. v

A further object of this invention is to provide an alarm for indicating the low water stage in locomotive boilers particularly, but which may be also used for stationary boilers.

A further object is to provide a device which includes an expansion element connected with both the water and steam compartments of the boiler which may be heated by the steam and expanded for operating the signal when the water in the boiler reaches the danger stage, and which will be readily cooled when the water supply has been replenished.

I am aware that the use of an expansion tube in a device of this kind is not in itself new and that other devices for this purpose have been invented, patented and used .for a number of years but I am not aware that any device has heretofore been used or known which embodies the improvements set forth in this application. Other objects may appear in the following description.

In the consideration of this invention reference is had to a former invention of mine relating to water indicating means for boilers as disclosed in Letter Patent granted to me on April 10, 1917, Patent Number 1.221.963; and also to another invention disclosed in an application for patent filed by me on Sept. 5, 1916, Serial No- 120,860.

. Referrirg to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my alarm device showing a form for use in connection with locomotive boilers. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, Fig. 3 is a right hand end elevation of the same, and Fig. 4 is a left hand elevation of Fig; 1 showing a modified form of device.

Similar characters of reference are used in the -specification andin-the several views of the drawings for indicating similar and like parts.

In the form of device shown in Figs. 1, 2, and '31 provide a water column 1 which has extensions 2 and 3 formed thereon near the top and bottom, respectively. lhe interior of the water column 1 is subdivided into two compartments, the upper compartment 4 being the. shorter of the two and being separated from the lower compartment 5 by means of the partition 6. The upper compartment 4 is connected with the steam compartment of the boiler 7 by means of a pipe 8 and an elbow 9, and a valve 10 is connected with the pipe 8 intermediate of the water column 1 and the boiler 7 so that the steam supply from the boiler may be regulated or shut off" as desired.

The lower compartment 5 of the water column is connected with the water compartment of the boiler 7 by means of a pipe 11, an elbow l2 and the pipe 13, a dripcock 14 being connected with the pipe 11 and the elbow 12 for draining the water therefrom, and a valve 15 being connected with the elbow 12 and the pipe 13 for regulating or shutting off the water from the water column. The extension 3 occupies a position on the water column 1 which is slightly above the low water stage in the boiler and a passage 16 is formed therein which communicates with the water chamber 5 of the water column.

One end of an expansion tube 17 is threaded or otherwise suitably secured in the passage 16 of the extension 3 so that the interior of the tube will communicatewith the chamber 5 in the water column. The outer end of the tube 17 is attached to a T 18 which is closed at the outer end by means of a plug 19. p p

The extension 2. of the water column has a passage 20 which communicates ,with the steam chamber 4 and is connected with a pipe 21 which terminates at its outer end in a T 22. A whistle 23 is attached by means of the base 24 and a pipe 25 to the T 22, and a flexible tube 26 connects the T 18 on the expansion tube 17 with the T 220m the pipe 21. Suitable unions 27 are provided on the ends of the flexible tube 26 for facilitating the attachment of the tube to the Ts. Thus, an uninterrupted passage for the Water and steam is provided for connecting the chamber 4, the tube 26, the tube 17, and the chamber 5 and the tube 25 in which the water from the boiler may rise to a height to correspond to that in the boiler, and when the low stage of water is reached the steam may descend through the chamber 4 and the tube 26 into the expansion tube 1.7, and thus displace the water for expending the tube 17.

The plug 19 on the end of the T 18 is slottedto' receive and serves to pivotally' hold a vertically disposed lever 28. The lower end of this lever is pivotally attached to a horizontally disposed rod 29 which is rigidly attached at the other end by means of nuts 31 to a depending lug 30 formed on the outer end of the extension 3. The upper end of'the lever 28 is pivotally attached to the outer end of a rod 32 and the other end of this rod is similarly attached to the lower end of the whistle lever 33 which operates the valve stem 31 of the whistle, in the usual manner.

The leverage of the lever 28 is such that a very slight movement of the lower end, caused by the expansion of the tube 17, will effect a suflicient movement of the upperend of the lever to operate the whistle 23. It will be observed that when this device is attached to the boiler in the manner shown, in the event that the water in the boiler is above the level of the pipe 8 the chambers 4: and 5 in the water column, the tubes 17 and 26 and the pipes 21 and 25 will be filled with water and it will be impossible for the steam to gain access to the whistle valve 24 but when the water descends below the level of the pipe 21, the steam will enter this pipe and be admitted to the pipe 25 into contact with the whistle valve. In such case the tube 17 and a portion of the tube 26 will be filled withwater as the stage of the water in the b01161 in such event, will be above the low water stage. lVhen, however, the low water stage is reached the steam will enter the tube 17 through the tube 28 and the T 18, thus replacing the water, and heating the tube 17 and causing it to expand. It is obvious that the expansion of the tube 17 will move the plug 19 and the T 18 outwardly from the water column but the lower end of the lever 28, in. such case, is held against movement by the rod 29 which is stationary, and the upper end of the lever 28 is moved outwardly and serves to operate the whistle valve stem 3% by means of the lever 33, thus admittingthe steam to the whistle and sounding an alarm.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be observed that the water column 1 may be dispensed with in some cases and steam pipes 8 and 13 which are connected with the boiler may be attached directly to the pipe 21 and the tube 17. In such case a lug 30 which is similar to the lug on the extension 3 may be provided on the elbow 35 attached to the pipe 13 in order to provide means for attaching the rod 29 thereto.

A valuable feature of this invention consists in the connection of'the tube 17 with both the water and steam compartments of the boiler. Experience has proven that should this expansion tube be connected only with the steam compartment, while it will heat rapidly when the steam is ad mitted into it, it will not cool rapidly enough and the alarm will continue to sound for some time after the water. has been replenished. In my improved device however as soon as the water in the boiler rises so that it may enter the tube17, this tube will be cooled immediately to a temperature suflicient to contract the tube and shut otl the steam supply from the whistle.

It should be understood that 1 do notlimit myself to the use of a whistle or to an alarm, as it obviously is possible to provide a mechanical signal which may be operated by the steam pressure; nor do I limit myself to the exact form of the other elements shown, for it is conceived to be possible to.

modify the structure somewhat to meet different conditions obtaining with different types of boilers.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A low water alarm for steam boilers including an expansible tube connected at opposite extremities with the steam and water portions of the boiler and positioned wholly between the high and low water levels of the boiler to permit the circulation of steam and water therethrough, and signaling means connected with and arranged for operation by the expansion of said tube.

2. A low water alarm for steam boilers comprising an expansible tube connected with the steam and water compartments of the boiler and positioned between the high and low water levels thereof, signal means attached to and arranged for operation by the expansion of said tube, and operating means for said signal.

3. A low water alarm for steam boilers comprising a water and a steam connection with th boiler at the low and high water levels, respectively, a signal attached to said steam connection, an expansible tube connected with said water connection and with said signaland arranged'to permit the circomprising a horizontally extended steam V connected with said steam connection, and a flexible connection for affording communication between said tube and said signal.

5. A low water alarm for steam boilers comprising separate water and steam con nections from the boiler at the low and high water levels, respectively, an expansion tube for affording communication therebetween and arranged for being completely filled with water and steam according to the stage of the Water in the boiler, and steam actu ated signaling means connected with said steam connection and with said tube for operation coincidently with and by the expansion and contraction of said-tube.

6. A low water alarm for steam boilers comprising steam and water connections extending from the high and low water levels of the boiler, a water and steam column connected with and supported therebetween and having disconnected steam and water compartments, an expansion tube in communication with the water compartment therein, a steam pipe communicating with the steam compartment therein, a connection between the outer extremity of said tube and said steam connection, a signal in communication with said steam connection, and signal actuating means operable by the expansion and contraction of said tube.

7. A low water alarm for steam boilers comprising separate steam and water chambers connected, respectively, with the steam and water compartments of the boiler, an expansion tuloe communicating with said water compartment and supported substantially in the plane of the low water level, a steam connection leading from said steam chamber and communicating with the outer extremity of said tube, a steam actuated signal connected with said steam connection intermediate of said steam chamber and said tube, and signal operating means supported on and operable by the expansion of said tube.

8. A low water alarm for steam boilers comprising a rigid support having separate water and steam chambers therein connected, respectively, with the water and steam portions of the boiler, an expansion tube supported thereon and disposed in the plane of the low water level, a steam connection between said tube and said steam chamber, a signal communicating with said steam connection and positioned intermediate of said tube and said steam chamber, an operating member rigidly held at one end on said support, attached to said tube and also attached to said signal, for admitting steam to the signal coincidently with the expansion of said tube.

9. A low water alarm for steam boilers comprising a horizontally disposed expan sion tube supported substantially in the plane of the low water level of the boiler and communicating at opposite extremities with the steam and water portions of the boiler, a signal communicating with the steam compartment thereof, and operating means for admitting steam to the signal coincidently with the expansion of said tube.

10. A low water alarm for steam boilers comprising a continuous connection mount- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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