US1561591A - Combined radiator and boiler - Google Patents

Description

Nov.117,19 25. 1,561,591

I L. G. BOSTEDO COMBINED RADIATOR AND B OILER Filed July-12 1924 1 11207115 Lam's a$0md Patented Nov. 17, 1925,

UNITED stares 1,561,591 PATENT oricn.

LOUIS (3-. IBOS'I'EDO, 01? OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED RADIATOR AND BOILER.

Application filed July 12,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs G. Bosrrno, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Radiators and Boilers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to radiators used as heating agents for domestic and otherpurposes, and has reference more particularly to that type of radiators wherein the radiator is equipped with its own heating agent and constitutes an independent heating unit.

Radiators of the combined radiator and boiler type wherein a body of water is heated by fluid and solid fuel and circulated as hot water or steam through the tubes of the radiator are known. My present invention, in contradistinction to these, employs an electric boiler for heating the water and preferably converting the same into steam which is circulated through the radiator tubes, condensed thereby as it gives off its heat, and returns to the boiler, thereby providing a closed system wherein the water re quires to be replenished only at long intervals and in small quantities to supply suchdeficiency as may arise through leakage of steam and water vapor.

My invention also includes a novel construction and organization of electric boiler which, as applied to a radiator, is preferably incorporated in one of the legs thereof, but which is capable of advantageous use in other relations and for other purposes.

One object of my invention is to provide a practical and efiieient radiator unit of the general type above described wherein the water or steam used as the heat carrier may be heated or generated byan electric current. Another object is to provide a radiator unit of the combined radiator and boiler type which can be cheaply and economically manufactured and installed, and shall be independent and easily portable. Another object is to provide av radiator of this type which shall be automatic in its heating effect, yielding a higher degree of heat under conditions of room temperature requiring the same and yielding a lower degree of heat under higher room" temperature conditions.

Other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following de 1924. Serial No. 225,592.

tailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in vertical section, of the complete outfit; and

Fig. 2 is an elevation, at right angles to Fig. 1, of one of the radiator floor supports or feet.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates as an entirety the heat radiating element proper herein conventionally shown as comprising a pair of upright tubes 11 connected by parallel transverse tubes 12. So far as the broad features of the present invention are concerned, any other structure of radiator proper may be employed.

The vertical elements 11 of the radiator are supported upon vertical legs designated as an entirety by 13 in turn resting upon feet 14.

One of the legs 13 constitutes the heating element of an electric boiler for heating the water or converting it into steam for circulation through the radiator tubes 11 and 12. As herein shown the leg at the left hand is structurally organized to constitute such element, and referring to the details thereof, 15 designates a rod constituting a positive electrode which extends downwardly through the left hand limb 11 of the radiator suitably insulated therefrom by a bushing 15 and through a T-coupling 16 connected to the lower end thereof, terminating in a block or disc 17 below the lower end of the coupling 16 and insulated from the latter by a block 18. 19 designates a pipe of cast-iron or other suitable metal, the upper end of which is entered into the lower end of the coupling 16 and the lower end of which is entered into the upper end of the hollow foot 1 1-. Within and coaxial with the pipe- 19 is a second pipe 20 preferably of brass, into the upper end of which the electrode block or disc 17 is fitted, and the lower end of which rests upon another insulating block 21 that overlies the foot member 14; and is in turn supported by an intermediate block 22 from a plug 23 which closes the lower end of the central member of the foot 14. The upper and lower ends of the tube 20 are provided with one or more holes 20, plac ing the annular spaces on both sides of the tube 2O in communication.

24 designates an electrode rod, preferably of brass, located within and preferably coaxial with the tubes 19 and 20, the upper end of said rodrcarrying an insulating cap 25, and its lower end resting upon the insulating block 21. The lower end of the rod 24 has an axial socket or bore 26 in which slidably fits a rod 27 extending downwardly through the supporting block 22 into the plug 23, from which latter a line 28 leads to any suitable ground. The slip connection 26, 27 avoids the necessity of cutting parts to exact lengths and also takes care of expansion and contraction of the rod 21 while maintaining a continuous circuit to the ground. The rod 2t may be dispensed with, since its function is only auxiliary to the tube 19 to increase the electrode surface.

Fig. 2 shows one practical form of the ground supports or feet of the radiator the same being made up of a cross fitting 29, the upper limb of which receives the outside pipe 19 and the lower limb of which is closed by the plug 23, and a pair of oppositely extending elbow fittings 30, the lower ends of which are closed by plugs 31. The inner opposed sides of the cross fitting 29 are also formed with tapped bosses which are con nected by a horizontal pipe in which is included a cross fitting 3 lforn'iing the lower support for a gauge tube 35 and carrying a depending drain cock The upper end of the gauge tube 35 is connected into the T-fitting 16 through an elbow o? and a short pipe section 38.

The leg 13 on the other side of the radiae tor is. as herein shown, composed of a pipe 39 at its upper end connected into a Y-fitting 40 and at its lower end into the central upstanding limb 29' of the other foot member 1 1-. The branch 4:0 of the Y-litting 40 con stitutes a filler opening for water and is closed by a plug 11 which preferably has a line hole 41 to vent the interior of the pipe 39 to the atmosphere. The right hand limb 11 of the radiator proper is not joined to the fitting so but merely rests thereon, and to lock the parts against lateral displacement the lower end of the limb 11 is preferably fitted with a bushing 12 screwed therein and proj ect-ing into a countersink 13 in the upper end of. the fitting 40. The bushing 42 is tapped to receive the upper end of a pipe 14E that extends downwardly through the fitting 40 and preferably through the pipe 39 and into, and nearly to the bottom, of the lower limb of the cross fitting 29. This pipe 39 serves to conduct condensed steam from the radiator proper back to the boiler. Into the lower end of the right hand vertical limb 11 of the radiator is connected an ordinary air vent 45.

In the practical use and operation of the radiator, water is supplied to the boiler through the filler opening 40 to a suitable level such as that indicated by the dotted line XX in Fig. 1. At the start, the Water level is, of course, equal in both legs. The current having been turned on, the circuit of flow is down through the electrode 15 and its foot 17 to the pipe 20, thence across the water filling the annular spaces on both sides of the pipe 20 to the outer pipe 19 and the centralelectrode rod 2%, and from both of the latter to the ground. The passage of the current across the annular water columns rapidly generates steam which flows upwardly into and through the radiator proper. As the steam cools and condenses the condensate flows down the pipe 14 joining with the column of water surrounding the lower portion of said pipe. Steam is thus being simultaneously generated in one leg of the radiator, condensed in the heat radiating element, and returned in the opposite leg to the body of water from which it is formed.

An important feature and advantage ofthe temperature in said room, the more rapid is the condensation of the steam and the higher the vacuum formed in the radia tor tubes, and consequently the water level in the boiler leg containing the electrodes rises thereby exposing a greater surface area of the water to the passage of the current and consequently generating an increased volume of steam. Conversely, as the temperature in the room rises, the condensation of steam is slower, the vacuum in the radiator decreases, the water level in the said boiler leg falls, the area. of water exposed to the heating action of the current is decreased, and the volume of steam generated is decreased. It will thus be seen that the radiator does not require any mechanical thermostat or like regulating device but, by virtue of its own construction, automatically takes care of changes of temperature in the room and automatically supplies the required volume of heat within certain limits. If more heat is required, more water is supplied to the boiler. A slight evaporation, of course, occurs gradually through the filler opening which is vented to the atmosphere, as described, but in practice the system will require refilling at comparatively long intervals only. The wire drawing of air through the filler plug vent 41 steadies the boiling at the electrodes and reduces the fluctuations in level of the water. The boiling capacity may be changed within a considerable range by increasing or decreasing the volume of water in the boiler.

I claim-- '1. In a combined radiator and boiler, the combination with a hollow heat radiating structure, of an electric water heater including a water electrode continuous with said heat radiating structure and forming with the latter an independent heat generating and radiating unit.

2. In a combined radiator and boiler, the combination with a tubular heat radiating structure, of an electric water heater including a water electrode underlying and supporting said tubular heat radiating structure and forming with the latter an in dependent heat generating and radiating unit.

3. In a combined radiator and boiler, the combination with a hollow heat radiating structure, of an electric steam generator in cluding a water electrode underlying and supporting said heat radiating structure and supplying steam to the latter, and means for returning condensed steam from said heat radiating structure to said boiler; said elements unitedly constituting an independ-' ent heat generating and radiating unit.

at. In a combined radiator and boiler, the combination with a tubular heat radiating structure, of an electric steam generator including a water electrode underlying and supporting said heat radiating structure and supplying steam to one end of the latter, and a pipe for returning condensed steam from the opposite end of said heat radiating structure to said boiler; said elements unitedly constituting an independent heat generating and radiating unit.

5. In a combined radiator and boiler, the combination with a tubular heat radiating structure, of hollow supporting legs continuous therewith and a pipe connecting said legs, said legs and pipe constituting a boiler structure, and electrical means in said boiler structure for converting water therein into steam.

6. In a combined radiator and boiler, the combination with a hollow heat radiating structure, Off hollow supporting legs continuous therewith and a pipe connecting the lower portions of said legs, said legs and pipe constituting a boiler structure, and electrical means in one of said legs for heating the Water in said boiler.

7. In a combined radiator and boiler, the combination with a hollow heat radiating structure, of hollow supporting legs continuous therewith and a pipe connecting the lower portions of said legs, said legs and pipe constituting a boiler structure, electrical means in one of said legs for converting water in said boiler into steam, and a pipe for returning condensed steam from said heat radiating structure to another leg of said boiler.

8. An electric water heater, comprising a tubular electrode connected to one side of a source of electric current, and a second tubular electrode of less diameter disposed coaxially within and insulated from said firstnamed electrode and connected to the other side of said source; the annular space between said electrodes adapted to contain a body of water heated by the passage of the current through the same.

9. An electric water heater, comprising an apertured tubular electrode, a second tubular electrode surrounding and insulated from said first-named electrode, and an elec trode rod within and insulated from said first-named tubular electrode; said firstnamed electrode being connected to one side of a source of electric current, and said second electrode and said electrode rod being connected to the other side of said source; and the annular spaces between said electrodes adapted to contain a body of water heated by the passage 01": the current through the same.

LOUIS G. BOSTEDO.

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