US1296881A - Regulator. - Google Patents

Description

W. J. TURNER.

REGULATOR.

APPLICATION HLEUAPR. 6. |91s.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

//v VEN Tan l/I/f A Tri/.s

Aplied to alter Vment of stiff and f lezible passages.V feature is to provide so that it canbe made WILLIAM J. TURNER, or rnovIDnivcn, RHODE ISLAND.

REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919,

` Applicaton'filed April 6, 1916. I Serial No. 89,359.

To all whom t may concern." Y

Beit known that l, WILLIAM tLIFURivnR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements iny Regulators, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to improvements in regulators. More particularly it `relates to means for making anyregulation, such as the opening or closing of a valve, required when the level of liquid in a principal container has changed. It is illustrated as it may be applied. in regulating the supply of feed water to a keep the level of water within the boilerl approximately uniform. lt may however, be used for other'purposes, as for example to regulate the dampers that control the lire under a boiler in a vapor or partial vacuum system of steam heating. In suchv a case the level of water within the boiler varies with the pressure ofsteam therein, and the regulating devices of the'invention may be apthe setting ofV the dampers when the pressure of steam has changed the water level. Adaptations of the invention to such an organization are illustrated and claimed more in detail in my applications for Letters Patent Serial Nos. 89,358 and 89,360. The invention is by no means limited to use in the connections thus shown.

The invention provides a movable receiver outside of but connected to the liquid space of the principal container, in free communication therewith and capable of holding the liquid in varying quantities, and supported on balancing means, such asV a lever, such that the balanceAV swings according as the Vweight of liquid in the receiver is greater or less than a predetermined amount. ln swinging it operates the desired mechanism, such as a valve, inthe proper direction, and without losing Aits communication with the principalcontainer sets itself in positie-n to be moved oppositely when arsuflicient ch ange Vto the opposite has occurred therein. Further features of the invention relate to the lmeans of supporting of such a receiver, and

of keeping the whole in stability and of holding it by a'single bolt; also to the means for Vsupporting it thus movably with respect to themain liquid container in an inexpensive way, as by providing parallelogram arrange- Another boiler where it is desired to I and shipped from a central factory in form for an ordinary workman or steam litter at the place of yinstallation to set it in proper conformity to the particular local conditions as to height of studding, level of water in boiler, etc., without error and Without special supervision of the setting, with the result that the appliance can-be usedV in connection with boilers or other liquid containers of any make and at any place, with proper supports cheaply madeA of'locally obtained materials. Another feature of the invention is the combination of such a receiver with a steam boiler working on a closed pressure system in which a circuit, including the water part o-f the boiler, receiver, and the steam part of the boiler, is a feature, so that the water in the receiver registers with the water level in the boiler and automatically provides for the opening or closing of the valve admitting feed wa-ter to the boiler in order to keep the water level approximatelypconstant and always safe in the boiler. And in this connectionA another feature provides for sure operation and positive control of the valve, automatically exaggerating or emphasizing its action.

Itis intended by sui-table'expression in the appended claims tocover whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed. The invention may be embodied in various means and applied in connection with apparatus of various types. In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates in side elevation an application of the invention as a regulator for feed water for a steam boiler; Y

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the receiver in section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, enlarged;

Fig. 3 is a plan of the same n section on the 'line- .3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. t is a side elevation, enlarged and in medial section, of a detail of Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same, in section on the line 5-5 of Fig. fl.

Referring tothe drawings, l0 indicates a steam boiler, l1 the water inlet thereto, l2 the dome or steam space, and 13 indicates the water level. A. standard built in sections of iron piping 14, has intervening fittings l5, 16 and 23, the middle one of which fulcrums a lever 17. On one arm of this is hung the receiver 18, and on the other arm is an adjustable weight 19. A pipe 20 connects the water space of the boiler with litting l5 whence a flexible connection 21 ccntinues to the lower part of receiver 18. The receiver is preferably rather long vertically. F rom its upper part a flexible connection 22 leads to fitting 23 and thence pipe 2l affords connection with the steam space 12 of the boiler. There is therefore, an uninterrupted circuit from the water space of the boiler through the receiver 18 to the steam space of the boiler so that the water in the receiver .will always stand at the saine level 13 as the water in the boiler, varying with it.

Although thus connected, the weight or' water in the receiver is sustained by the column or standard 14. One feature of the iiivention relates to the manner in ,which this column is constructed and the receiver supported inovably thereon, in order to provide stability and lightness coupled with the necessary strength and adaptability to the surroundings of its installation, which, in practice, vary greatly as to relative levels of floor, of ceiling and of water in the boiler. As illustrated, the receiver depends from a single bolt 25 Which, acting as a pivot, passes through one of the various holes provided in the simple bar lever 17;` and that lever in turn is supported at its fulcruin by a single pivot bolt 26 passing through the fitting 16. In view of the varying water level in it, it is desirable that the receiver hang vertically from its pivot. It also should be symmetrically disposed with respect thereto, as ya tendency to tip to either side iwould produce increased friction and decreased sensitiveness of action. Moreover, a simple suspension will not serve, for the space at the top of the receiver is hampered with a connection which ultimately leads to the boiler, or, in one of the other forms by a vent with a wide diaphragm controlling it, and these ought to be in the middle in order that the desired balance may be had. The bottom is likewise hampered by a connection which ultimately leads to the boiler. The invention provides means by .which the lever 17 passes through the metal which constitutes the receiver 1S, between these connections butV on the medial line near the top. Preferably the tank is of vertically elongated form, so that there is a considerable distance through which the level of water may rise or fall; and this level of water may even extend above the place where the pivotal support 25 is, but the receiver always hangs in stable position, notwithstanding tlie changes of level of water Vtherein and notwithstanding that the water is sometimes above the level of that sup-port, Y

because the center of the gray/ity of the receiver even when filled with water is Vbelow the bolt 25. To accomplishV this the shell that constitutes the receiver is formed with A two intersecting central passages from ex` Y -terior to'eXterior, through one of which the lever may be put, and through the other ofV which. the supporting pin passes, pene` trating both shell and lever but not penetrating' the interior of the shell. This is accomplished by providing deep recesses on opposite sides of the shell, so deep that they meet Yat the'center, in the provision made for the lever; and so deep in the provision made for the bolt, that there is only a web` ofV metal,-

but no water space, intervening between each andthe lever space, which .web receives the bolt 25 and supports the /whole shell.

lVithin the shell, the angular spaces b etween the deep indentations made by these recesses provide passagesth-rough which the' c watercanrise and fall. The hole through" whichthe lever goes has d-iverging walls above andl below, from the center outward, so that the receiver can` vremain vertically swinging on its pivotal support 25, notwithp to provide the desired balance for the tanklm The fitting 16 in the upright tubular column 14 is pierced by a hole extending' horizontally, through which the lever passes, and by another horizontally at right angles to the; lever hole, in avhich other is put the fulcrumA bolt 26. This fitting has bosses at top and bottom with which sections of iron piping connect. Thetting 15 for the water passage through the standard and theriitting 23 for the steam passage'V through the standard have similar bosses atdtop and bottom into which the lengths of iron pipe may be screwed. As iron piping is a commodity at hand in every community, the' invention as thus described affords a convenient means by which al single factory can supply the trade with these columns, in such form that the apparatus can be set at any desired level with respect to floor or ceiling, so as to make the tankV at a proper elevation with respect to the normal water level .within the boiler" or other container for liquid with respect to which the apparatus is to be used, without the burden of carrying a stock of assorted the parts 14"which constitute merely tubucut for" lar extensions of the column 111, VreachingV to shoes 4() supplied by the factory lfor engagement with the floor and ceiling respectively. These shoes have bosses with threads long enough to receive a considerable length Y stanchion, fixed thus bylset screws, andfloor and ceilingscrews. Y

From the lever 17 is a connection to ya valve 31 controlling the supply of feed water to the boiler, or to whatever else is to be operated or regulated. In the form illustrated sufficient weight isV to be placed at 19 to not quite balance the weight of the receiver, the connected parts and the'water in it, when the feed water is above normal level. The connection to the said feed'water valve 31 is arranged so that that valve is then closed but would be opened by a descent of the weights 19. TheV action is then very simple. Y Whenever the level` of water in the boiler becomes lower than the normal level, there is a less weight of water to be supported by Vthe lever. Upon this becoming sufliciently less,`it is over balanced by the weights 19, and the weights descend and the receiver rises and in so doing the said water valve 31 is pulled open by the lever 17. Upon such'rising the level of water in the receiver becomes relatively lower, owing to the rise of the receiver shell, andthe weight Yof water supported thereby becomes less, so

that there is an enhanced reponderance of Vthe weights 19. When su cient water has entered the boiler so that the level inthe receiver 17, corresponding to the level in the.V

boiler, has risen high enough for the receiver to over balance the weights, the re-v ceiver descends, thus shutting vthe said water valve. On accountY ofthe movement of receiver andthe differential between the level Vat which water operates it to open the said valve and that at which water; operates it to close the Vsaid valve, it is manifest that a substantial addition toV the water in the Yboiler is made each time the apparatus opcrates. The amount of'waterV thus intro# duced atneach operation of the regulator may be varied by varying the vertical travel of receiver, and this obviously may be done Vbyfixing the limiting stops V33er by setting the receiver at a dilferentdistance from the Vstandard which supports it.` x When the re-V ceiver swings down, owing to over balancingby weight of water therein, the overbalancing becomes greater as it descends be-V causeV the depth of water within it increases with the descent of'its bottom, and more'- water enters itin order to equal its former level, all of whichis supported on its end of the lever. Hence operation in the opposite direction to raise the receiver, swing the lever oppositely and open the valve again,

' will not occur until there Vhas been a material lowering of water Vlevel in the boiler, sutli-v cient to exhaust the extra amount of said water that was thus admitted when the receiver sank. This amount, being determined by the vertical movement of the receiver can be regulated at will by setting the receivers distance from the fulcrum of lever 17, and adjusting weights 19 accordingly, or by setting the stops that limit-the swing of lever 17. The factV that this differentiation between Vthe point at which the receiver will be swung down, and that at which it willrbe swungy up can be made to correspond to a ,A

considerable difference of level of water in the receiver enables the apparatus to be used alsoV for regulating the water supply to a partial vacuum or a vapor vsystem of steam Y heating, in which systems the water level varies more o1' less with variation of pressure in the boiler, one part of the system being open to atmosphere while another part may be subject to a slight vacuum or slight pressure. The said feed water regulator may be made with so great a differential between its limiting positions, and of suliciently large area in cross section horizontally, so that the uctuations of water level due to this variation of steam pressure do not afect it materially, and so that it is affectedV only Y by the more lfundamental changes of water level resulting from presence or absence of a sufficient body of water,

which determines the general zone in which thepressure'changes of steam will be effective.

If the regulating receiver be used to adjust the'position of dampers, for regulating the fire in a steam vapor heating system the top of the receiver may be open to the atmosphere Vinstead of being connected to theV steam part of the Vboiler as represented by passage 22, 23 and 24. In that case the changes of elevation of water inV the receiver will depend mainly upon ,the changes in pressure in the boiler, and the level of water in the receiver will not correspond with the' level in the boiler, butl will l rise, for example, when the level in Vthe boileris depressed by rise of steam pressure Y therein. VThis rise of water in the regulative ieceiveiadds to its weight so that it'presently swings downward thus operating its connections with dampers for regulatingthe lire; and when it has thus once operated the oftheA receiver has been madeup. Y In the meantime any changes of quantity ofwater inthe. boiler, such as would, require the injection ofl more feed-Water, make relatively little diiierencein the. Water in the regula+ tive receiver, 4butin-soy faras the addition of i'resh feed water cools the bodyof waterI already in the boiler, and thus-reducesthe,

rateofmaking steam, this diminishes the steampressure and thusinfluences the vregulatorto. open the drafts and' increase-.the

fire -in-orderto neutralize the eiifectaofthevv tor-the fitting where; the upper flexible-- connectionf isV j oi-nedy to the steamr passage,

andhaving aE vertical side, movable, con-l sisting vofthereceiver. As-the length ofl each of: the-flexible connections, whichmay be ofany suitable kind of flexible tubing, is equal :substantially tothe length of the lever- 17 'betweenits-fulcrum at 26 and itspivotal connection to! the-receiverd at 25, only a minimum ofiiexible tubing=is required. Indeed, if' suitablypackedl swinging joints were prov-idedrsti tubing; might be substitutedor-the flexible tubing, which would swingarlways: in parallelism with the lever- 17: This-isf an improvementover an ar-Y rangement which might be made, by runof the receiver directly downward to the supply. pipe.` under it, in which case the wholeverticaltravelofthe receiver would= have-toibo,- taken up by bends in: the-ilexiapproximately horizontally as illustrated,

there is a minimum of: bending,.and there`A fore-minimum of wear,iand=a maximum-of life for the tubing, expense becauseless is needed.

Byfthedescribed construction it will be seen that the regulative receiver hanging from a-single pivot'hangs always vertically instable equilibrium, and with abundance Y ofz power: tofWo-rk any valve ory other device required. Moreover its installationat proper levela-nd its permanent supportare effected by; an exceedingly simple mechanical contrivance-which cannot get 'outA of order andV which can be set correctly according-to:localconditions by a-local steam tter-,withgmaterials abundantly at hand,

trade for -thefwhole country.

s; Although/Vthe-invention is illustrated as` yningthe.flexible tubing from the bottom ble-tubing, Whereas-by leading the tubing;

as well as. minimum of'- downwardl-` to floor;

it may be'appliedto, -aISteam-heater working under pressure, for which p urpose :the pipe 24 provides a complete circuit, it kwill be understood thatitmight be used with a low pressureV or so-icalledvapor system or a vacuum 9 system.in:which cases thel return main is open to atmosphereA ork is connected to a suction producing means.- Inthat? case kthe pipe 24 might be omitted. The communication of the. receiver 18 :with the atmosphere, vand of the-Water return-pipe ofV the systemwith the atmospheregor withsuction, gives -theequivalent ofA the illustrated Y circuit .through z pipe` 24 :so that the receiver connect the receiver WithV ai container.:V for liquidsubject toffluctuationsf-oi' leveland to' permit free flowI of liquid in beth directions, said receiver b'eingfpenetrated .by said lever, andsupported thereby at'- av point in the-midst-thereof butff external tothe walls thereof;

2. In'combina-tion,` an actuating-balances lever having-weight von one armgand va receiver for liquid on its otherarm .and meansY separate from thef leveladapted to con-Y forf liquid nectither receiver with a container subject to fluctuations-of -levelA and touperf mit free-how of liquid` in both directions, said receiver being relatively lor-'1gverticallyv andhaving -two :intersecting horizontal passagesthrough its upper'p'art,.notpenetrat- L ingV the liquidcontain-ingwalls thereof," throughy one of which'the Vsaid lever passes;

and a-:pivot pin passingthrough .the-.other and through-said lever.'

3. In combination, an-1 actuating. balancelever having weight on one' arm-1v anda' receiver for liquid 'on its other arm ;V andfmeansf separateY from thev lever adaptedto conf nect the receiverfwith-a containerI for liquidV subjectto fluctuations.ofleveland to permit free flow of liquid in-both-direcrions, said receiver being.- arranged with Yits, center ofi gravity below the point-.atwhich.' it is sup-V ported von said lever; there beinga'fsupportingfcolumn, having aportion holding ata Y rigid vertical distance apart the fulcru'm for: said lever and a fitting constituting part of the connection from'thelrecei-verto said container, and having'other portions-consisting of separate.V tubulary pieces attached at top Vand'bottorn thereof and ithenceex; tendingv respectively 4. Ingcombination, an actuating balancel Y Vlex-"erjhavingweight on one `arm and a Vfre-1 Y thus enabling. a centra-l factory to supply the" upward to' Y ceiling 'and f cei'verv for liquid onv its other arm; Yand 1 meansrseparate 'fromf theLA lever.adapted-"tol .connectthe receiver with a container fori Copies of this patent may be obtained." for of and thence extending respectively upward to ceiling and downward to floor; said connecting means being flexible and eftending in parallelism With said lever from the receiver to the said iittin Signed by me at Boston, gMassachusetts, this twenty-eighth day of March, 1916.

W'ILLIAM J. TURNER.

Witnesses EVERETT E. KENT, JOSEPH T. BRENNAN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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