US1318786A

US1318786A - Apparatus fob blowing- qbe

Info

Publication number: US1318786A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-10-14
Anticipated expiration: 1936-10-14

Description

F. W. MILLER.

APPARATUS FOR BLOWING OFF, WASHING, AND REFILLING LOCOMOTIVE BOILERS-- APPLIQATION FILED MAY I8| I9I8,

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

:. Ill-I V UNITED STATES JPATENT OFFICE,

FRANK w. MILLER, OF CHICAGO, 'I InoIs,

APPARATUS FOR BLOWING OFF, WASHING, Ann REFILLING- LOCOMOTIVE-BOILERS.

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it: known that I, FRANK NV. .MILLER, a citizen of the United .States, residing at Chicago, in'the county oiiQook-and State of Illinois, have invented certain: new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Blowv ing Ofi, Washing, and Refilling Locomotive-Boilers, of which the following is a specification. 7

' This invention relates to the general art of blow-oil, washout and refilling systems'for locomotives, and more particularly to such Systems in which the heat of the discharged steam is'utilized to heat the washout and refilling'water.

The primaryto provide a system object of the invention is and economy and adapted for use by rail roads having a comparatively limited locomotive equipment. Another object is to provide a system in which the'loconiotive Water and fuel tankor tender may be utilized, in lieu'bf the usual separatetank or. hot-well, forthe heating of the washout and refilling water. Another object is to'provide an apparatus which may conveniently be mounted between two adjacent tracks of a round house or'other locomotive shed and may with-equal facility serve alocomotive on either'track; *A further object is to provide a system in which the blowing ,ofi of the steam is facilitated through" the employment of an auxiliary steam condenser interposed in the'p'ath of the steam from the boiler to the waterftank and supplied, through a closed circulation system, with waterfrom the water" tankitself. v Otherobjects and attendantadvantages of'the invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art froni the following description,--taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part' of this specification, and wherein Ihave illustrated one"prarcti-cal and operative form of app'aratus in which'the invention may be embodiedand by whichit may be carried-out. ,In thedrawing Y 'Fig'ure'lis vertical longitudinal section through a stall ofa'roilndhouse, showing a locomotive insideeelev-ation" therein and also showing an" apparatus embo'dying my iinprov e chblow off, washout and refilling system mounted'upon a post or-stanchion between two adjacent tracks.

ofthe character specified' characterized by extreme simplicity 1 p i c i ten Patented'0ct.v14,'1919. Application filed May 18,1918. seriai-nazaaess. I

Fig. 2 is atransverse section, on the line Referring to the drawing, 5 and- 5 designate a pair of railway tracks located side by slde in adjacent stalls of a locomotive roundhouse or shed, one of said stallsbeing indicated generally at 6. Between the rails-of each track is the usual pit 7 connecting with the sewer, and through which the foul'water from the locomotive boiler, is discharged. Between the tracks is an upright post or' stanchion 8 that may. conveniently form one ofthe supports of the roof, and on this post is mounted a bracket 9 on which is supported a c'ondenser cylinderor tank 10, this condenser having therelation of an auxiliary to the main condenser which, in the present system, consists of the water tank of the locomotive 'tenderindicated at 11 in Fig.1. From the top ofthe condenser extends a steam pipe 12 consisting of a plurality of fiexiblyjointed sections whereby said pipe at its outer end is adapted to be connected into thesteam dome '13 of a locomotive boiler ltlocated on either of the tracks and 5/. From the lower enduof the condenser there extends another steam pipe 15, also consisting of a plurality "of flexibly jointed'sections by meansof which the. outer endsection 15 may be introduced into the water-tank of the locomotive tender 11 on either of the tracks 5 and 5. The pipe 15 may be lowered intoand withdrawn from the water tank of the tender by :a simple manually operated device for this purpose, which, as herein shown, consists of a rope orchain'lficoimected to said pipe, passing over a pulley 17 suspended from the'roof fiand anchored at 18 to a suitable catch block or'hook'. p I

' 19- des'ignates a bracket'mounted on the post 8jbelo'w the bracket 9 and supporting a pump 20 and an electric motor 21 for driving the pump.- A hose 22 .connected to the intake side of the pump is adapted at its outer end to be coupled to the discharge 7 nozzle 23 of the water tank of the tender. A

pipe 24: connected to the discharge side of the filling hose 27 of suflicientlength to serve a locomotiveon either of the adjacent tracks 5 and 5. "Manually operable-valves or

cocks

28 and 29 are interposed in the

branch pipes

25 and 26, respectively, by which the discharge from the pump can be directed through either of the said pipes at will.

In the operation of the present system, a locomotive having been run into one of the stalls to approximately the position shown in the drawing, the upper steam pipe 12 is connected into the steam dome l3 and the lower steam pipe 15 is lowered into the water tank of the tender 11, as shown. The hose 22 is also connected. to the discharge nozzle 23 of the tender, the valve 29 is closed and the valve 28 is opened, and the pump 20 is started in operation. The steam in the boiler blows off through the pipe 12, condenser 10, and pipe 15 into the water contained in the water tank of the tender 11, thereby imparting its heat to the latter. At the same time the water in the water tank is circulated by the pump 20 through the condenser 10, by which the steam is partially condensed on its way to the water tank, and its heat more effectively and thoroughly transferred to the water, it being noted that there is a continuous closed circulation of the water in'the water tank while the steam isblowing off.

As soon as the blowing off of the steam is substantially completed, the usual drain cock on the under side of the boiler is opened above the pit 7, and the dirty water and accumulations of scale and sludge are discharged into the trough and thence to the sewer. As soon as the boiler is emptied, the valve 28 is closed, the valve 29 is opened, and thereupon the pump 20 operated to force the heated water from the tank of the tender through the hose 27 the nozzle of which is inserted into the various hand holes of the boiler to thoroughly wash out the boiler. This operation is continued until the boiler is thoroughly washed out, after which the boiler drain cocks and hand holes are closed, and the hose is inserted into or connected with the boiler above the Water line so that the boiler is refilled by the heated clean water from the tender tank.

It will be observed that both the apparatus for and method or operation of blowing 0H, washing and refilling the locomotive herein shown and described are extremely simple and easy of manipulation, and involve comparatively slight expense of construction and installation. By utilizing the water tank of the locomotive tender as the means for conserving the heat of the blow off steam and also as the source of supply of the washout and refilling water, considerable economy is effected over more elaborate systemswhere a special tank for this purpose is provided. The use of the condenser 10 is not essential, but the same is preferably employed as constituting a helpful auxiliary to the water tank itself which, of course, performs the. function of the main condenser. It will also be manifest that by making the steam and water conductors flexible as shown, a single installation is equally well adapted to serve 10- comotives on either of the two tracks be tween which the apparatus is installed.

It is believed that the foregoing and other advantages of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those familiar with systems of this character from the foregoing, without further description. The details of construction and arrangement illustrated and described are, of course, capable of considerable modification and variation without departing from the substance and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a locomotive blow-off, washing and refilling system, the combination of a steam condenser located adjacent a track, a flexibly jointed steam pipe leading from said condenser and adapted to be connected into a boiler of a locomotive on said track, another flexibly jointed pipe leading from said condenser and adapted to be entered into the water tank of a'locomotive tender on said track, a pump, an intake pipe for said pump adapted to be connected to said water tank, and a connection from the discharge side of said pump to said condenser.

2. In a locomotive blow-off, washing and refilling system, the combination of a'steam condenser located between adjacent tracks, a pipe adapted to conduct blow-off steam from a locomotive on either of said tracks to said condenser, a pipe adapted to deliver steam and water from said condenser below,

the water level in the tank of a tender on either of said tracks, a pump, an intake pipe for said pump adapted to draw water from the tank of a tender on either of said tracks, and a connection between said pump and. said condenser for delivering water from the pump to said condenser. V

3. In a locomotive blow-ofi', washing and refilling system, the combination of a condenser located adjacent a locomotive pit, a pipe adapted to deliver blow-off steam from a locomotive to said condenser, a pipe connected with said condenser and adapted. to be introduced into the water tank of a locomotive tender through which steam and water are delivered from said condenser to said tank, a pump, an intake pipe for said pump adapted to be connected to said tender tank, a branched delivery pipe from said pump, a connection between one of said branches and said condenser, and a washout hose connected to the other branch.

45. In a locomotive blow-off, washing and refilling system, the combination with asuitable support located between adjacent tracks of a roundhouse, of a steam condenser mounted on said support, a flexibly jointed steam pipe leading from said condenser and adapted to be connected into the boiler of a locomotive on either of said tracks, another flexibly jointed steam pipe leading from said condenser and adapted to be entered into the water tank of a locomotive tender on either of said tracks, a pump mounted on said support, a hose connected to the intake side of said pump and adapted for connection to said water tank, and a pipe connection from the discharge side of said pump to said condenser.

5. -In a locomotive blow-off, washin refilling system, the combination with a suitable support located between adjacent tracks of a roundhouse, of a steam condenser mounted on said support, a flexibly Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. G. I

and

jointed steam pipe leading from said condenser and adapted to be connected into the boiler of a locomotive on either of said tracks, another flexibly jointed steam pipe leading from said condenser and adapted to be entered into the water tank of a locomotive tender on either of said tracks, a pump mounted on said support, a hose connected to the intake side of said pump and adapted for connection to said water tank, a pipe connection from the discharge side of said pump to said condenser, a washout and refilling hose also connected to the discharge side of said pump, and valves in said last-named hose and said pipe connection whereby the discharge from the pump may be directed through either.

FRANK W. MILLER.

Commissioner of Patents,