US1580380A - Compressed-air clarifier - Google Patents

Description

Apri113,192e. 4 j 1,580,380

R. R. MACDONALD COMPRESSED AIR GLARIFIER Filed Sept. l5, 1924 l v JZ Dmy.: ATTORNE 5 Patented Aprrl3, 192.6. l

AUNI-rriril') STATE' s. olrricief..

ROB ROY' MACDONALD, or NEW-rmx,- N: Y.

5Colmenar:ssnn-Avm CLAMFIER. V

Appucationffile-a september 13*7 1924. l, serial Nn. 737,625.r

To all who-m t may concern.' n j Beit knownthat LROBROY MACDONALD, a citizen of the United .States, residing at New York, inthe county audState ofNeW York, have 'inade a certain new: :and` useful Invention in. Compressed-Aira @lari-fiers,a Of which the follow-ing Vis a specifieation.

This invention relates tofrneans for clarifying, purifying or" drying` .air-,such as=co1n pressed air or' gas, forthe' like, and is directed inore `particularly toI a" centrifugalpurifier,

clarilier or drier.

The 1object of theinvention is to provide ade'vice of this-nature which.y is is'iunple' in" structure, economical of inainifactiire,-and efficient iir'operation.

A further'object of the invention is to provide a device'of'this nature 'hafvingstr'u'ctural afdvantagesf'and features of great util# ity and value',l both with respet toeeononiy Y of manufacture, ruggedness andelii--ciency' in l operation. y ,l Y

Furtherobjects of the'invention will@ ap# pear morel fully hereinafter.

' The invent-ionconsists'substantiallyin the Construction, combination, 'location and'relative arrangement 'of-parts, all-as willfbe more fully hereinafter setl forth asslrowir iny the accompanying ed out inf the appended claims. `l'"`Referring to' the drawing:

Figure l is a :view infront el.evation, p=ar tially in section, ofl a'-machinefenibodying iny invention. i 'V M I y Y Fig.. 2 is an enlarged detail view' in" section of the inotor end oflthe machine;

draw-ing and 'vtiriallyy point- The' saine partis designated bythe-saine" air, Oas, 0r thelike, isto be purified, clari- Z3 tied or dried.-l e

Inthe railway art, however,v where conipressed air 1sy employed for brake operation',

door operation, signaling, etc., considerable diiculty is encountered dueto moisture, dirt,

etc., in the air? which is generally eonipressed by acomp'ressor carried onxthe car -or tra-in,- stored in a-reservoir, and fedto theparts utilizing i the 'saine through I pipesterined 1 in the art airlines. v j V- The objections to dirt, dust and'fo'reig'n matter are obvious and the diiiculties encountered by thepresen-ce of moisturey inthe air are of ay serious nature, principally because the-,moistureeoming in contactwith metallic"r .parts v Causesrust and V rapid; deter-io f ration thereof, 'and in addition thereto, in cold weather -isfafptto freeze and clog the air Lines, 'renderingv thel -.resp`ective parts ordinarily operated by the compressed air, inoperative, with incidentfdiiieultyof operationfzor noneoperation of such devices eontrolled'thereby,fand even rdal-nger to` .thefca'r itself or the safety and even `lives@ofthe passengers on the-carV ,Y v

A' Ibis-amonggthe speciali-purposes oft-my .present i .invent-ion to provide a-co1npressed air' :clarifierf-l which is-y :exceedingly f simple in strueu-re, consumes;smallspac'e,'and at little expenseican bei installed Y onv ay compressed fair systenrandwith'minimum labor?, and which ensures. a.: dry, clean, clearqair '-.being` transmittedthrmrghthe air line.

I .will now =describe, :in vconnectionwith thedrawing forming a 'part hereof,`v one specific formi4 ofi compressed i air: clarifier embodying: ymy invention, but. I wishl itiv tobe understood that I do fnot desirexto be 4li-rnited or restricted to thenspecilic details of constri'iction.` whichl willf doei givenl. lhereinafter as .ineidentfzto `rthe'preferred form of -coinpressed Ia'r elariefierseleeted for` purposes; Aof illustration oftheV invention, as nia'nyi'nodlieations and changes ink details of'construction 'y willy :readily 'occur f to i those i sl {.illed A in the4 .aart without departing.. .from the. A spirit and scopev of fifnyfinvention as Ldeiined in ythe clai1ns.V y

In theforin selected for illustration, however, I have shown two complementary housingeastings l and 2 which are joined by a plurality of'bolts` passing through lugs fl? and 5 of the respective housing@ castings. The joint'between the two castings is lapped,- one over the other, preferably the upper housing l ,being lapped: overfthe housing', as shown, for purpose `'of proper alignment' of bearings, stuffing box and sleeve, :illes will-be more' fully hereinafter[set'forth v y Each of the 'castings 1 and 2'isl provided with central hubs 6 and 7 which are bored to provide a fit for the bearings, upper stufling box and sleeve. l prefer to have the bottom surface of the housing 2 smoothed and tapered as at 8, to form an annular well which discharges through a pipe line 9 into a tank 10 provided with a suitable means such as a common stop cock 1l for drainage of any moisture that collects .in the housing 2. An air inlet port is provided at 12 in the upper part of housing l which permits a free passage of the air into the upper part of the clarifier and at the same time permits a relatively free path for water, oil, etc., to the bottom section 2 and 6 into the drain tank 10.

yllhe rotor portion of the clarifier consists of two sections which, together, form the clarifying or purifying portion of the apparatus, and, as will be hereinafter explained, constitutes the centrifugal portion of the machine. rlhe lower section 1S is in the forni of a radial vane pressed onto the rotatable shaft le. The upper section is fastened to the hub of the lower section through a ring nut 15 preferably used in connection with a gasket. The clamping of the ring nut holds the two circular disks 13 and 16 in position with respect to each other, and between these two disks 13 and 16 a suitable purifying or drying, or combination of purifying and drying material, such for example, as hair felt is positioned. Where hair felt is employed l prefer to cement the same to the inner wall of the upper and lower disks 16 and 13 to prevent air from passing between the hair felt and the metal surfaces. also provide two holes 17 and 18 in the section 13 running through the hub from the hole section of the shaft 14, it being understood that the shaft 1&1 is hollowed from the portion thereof communicating with the holes 17 and 18 throughout the upper end thereof.

To withstand the centrifugal force of this portion of the machine while in operation, I employ a heavy annular screen 19 suitably positioned between the disks 13 and 16 and held in position with respect thereto, for example, by means of grooves formed in the opposed peripheral surfaces of the respective disks, as illustrated, and in addition to this precaution, l also find it advisable 'to employ a band of bronze wire 20 extending around the approximate central peripheral surface of the screen 19 and soldered thereto. It will be understood that the screen member 19 is provided with a great number of perforations throughout its entire annular surface to permit the free passage of air into the annular chamber formed between the disks 16 and 13, and it will be readily understood that the only passage for air from the inlet port 12 to the hollow shaft lt'is thus provided.

All surfaces of the upper and lower sec tions 16 and 13 of the rotor are preferably machined to secure proper balance, especially in view of the fact that it is rotated at high speeds and develops rather large centrifugal force.

l will now describe the bearings provided for the shaft 14. The upper bearing 20 for the shaft 14 is located .vithin the hub portion of the casing casting 1 and this bearing is preferably a ball bearing employing but one set of balls. This bearing acts merely as a guide. Similarly, the lower bearing 21 is located within the hub portion 7 of the casing casting 2, and, due to the fact that this bearing carries the weight of the shaft, the rotor and the motor, I prefer to employ two sets of balls. rlhe inner races of the bearings are held on the shaft by means of hexagon nuts 23 and 211, respectively, and preferably locked with machine screws. ln my preferred form of machine, the outer races are suction fitted in the bore provided therefor in the hub portions of the respective castings 1 and 2. ln the case of the lower bearing which supports the moving parts of the machine l provide auxiliary means for holding the outer race in position, which comprise, as shown, a retaining ring 25 held in place by bolts 26 preferably employing lock washers. The outer race of the lower bearing is likewise provided with an annular flange to form an extended section to act as a stop to prevent vertical movement. J ust above the lower bearing 21 I provide a sleeve 27 which is fitted by pressure in the housing or hub portion 7 and provides a neat running lit on the shaft 14 inside the hub of the rotor formed by the disks 16, 18, and is held in position in the housing 7 by means of machine screws 28. rlhe purpose of this sleeve is to prevent moisture within the centrifugal clarifier from getting into the lower bearing for the shaft. rllhe shaft employed, as hereinbefore described, is hollow from the holes 17 and 18 to the top thereof to allow the air to pass from the rotor through holes 17 and 18 thereof to the outlet connection 30 which is fastened to the top of the upper housing 1 by means of suitable bolts 31 preferably through a suitable gasket. VThe outlet housing has a central extension which lits over the end of the shaft lll to prevent oil from getting in the joint. The lower part of the shaft la is bored, as indicated at 32, to eliminate weight, but the bearing` thereof does not extend entirely through the shaft, thereby preventing` the air from holes 17 and 18 from reaching` the motor end. The stuliing boxes 341 and are located between the bearing 2O and the rotor 16, 13, and between the bearing 21 and the motor. rilhese are of the compression springv type for the purpose of tal-:ing up wear on the packing employed therein. rlhe upper stuffing box separates the wet air chamber from the outlet and e igeeogss holds the voilin the oil well, as will be hereinafter described. The lower stuffing vbox separates the wet yair chamber from the motorA and also holds the oil in the'oil well, as*`- will be hereinafter described. Y

The compression members 36 are located in place in any suitableA ma1iner,for7e: ample, by means of machine screwsg-The upper stu'tling box 3l is pressed into the housing andthe lower stuing box Slis fas tened to the housing by means of 'an annular flange .thereon which is rigidly held in place by means oftapping bolts and gaskets 3S,y as illustrated. f y A Itis desirable that .the air pressure at both stuffing boxes' be nearly. equalizednY I have found that a balancedpressure arrangement is of importance in the use lof themachinc, as it would -he disadvantageous*if not iinpracticable, to operate the machine with high air pressure on one side of theI packing Aa-ndy atngiospheric pressure lon theV other side.

f Enormous pressure of the packing would be required, resulting in excessive' Wear of parle ing and shaftand overheating of the shaft, also requiring` additional driving power to overcome excess'. friction. F or this reason, therefore, I have 4provided ,an` equalizing connection 39 controlled by archecl; valve 58 extending between the st ufting Abox onthe one end, and the pressure on the stuffingbox 234-. on theA otherend. f

, lVhile the .provisionofmeans for equalizing the pressure of theV stufling boxes in this or in similar manner, forms an iin-portant part of my invention asclaimed, nevertheless I do not desire to be limited or restricted inthisi'espect. s

I will now describe the o-il well arrangement hereinbefore referred to. The oil well 40 for the-.upper bearing is provided with the purpose oftakingcare of oil flow caused eoY by oil thrown olf by centrifugal force.

Iy will vnow describe thefmotor assembly and mounting; The armature of the motor designated generally atA 50 isl underhung on the lower end` of the driving shaft 14 and held ,thereonby mea-ns of a castellated nut 51 pro-vided with a taper fit vand hey orfpin The'housing whiehfy supports the field is fastened tothe lower housing' 2 by meansy of bolts or cap screws 55preferably with agasket, as shown. To complete the housing'for the motor a'r cap 56 screws into the wall of theinotorhousing 53, preferably through a gasket,jas shown2 in F-ig. l.

This cap is n'iaderemovable to facilitate in# spectii Land replace-ment of 4the motor brushes, and forthis purpose the center section of thecapis arranged, asrmdic'ated at 57, to accommodate awi'ench thereon. Dry

air is :conducted to ythe motortlirough pipe 'liner' 39, as here-inbefore.described, so that thereV 1s a continuous How of air in'and out' of the motor due to frequent increase and decrease, but :the .motor operating in compressedtair will provide better commutation and radiation. 'Innother words, a smaller motor can be used vfor the same horsepower output. Y Y

'When 'used outvf of l doors the heat 'generatedI in the vmotor will prevent water freezing in. the machine. This advantage is obtainedin'addition to the advantage of balancing the air pressure on the respective stuliing boXes,herei1ibefore setforth and to which attention might fbe'additionally calledV tothe fact that ifA the-lower stuffing box packing was'worn ythere would be a direct path to atmosphere which would affect the main supply of air used byfiair brakes in operating trains," for eXai'n-ple,'and,- .consequently, while I do not desire to be limited to the use of'purifying compressed air for train o )eration where an"unbalancinev effe-ctv wouldatlect the safeV operation of trains,

it willbeiioted that anl unbalanced effect-will result in, overheating and wear of.: compressors and'jmotors. e

lt will be understood that air-tiiglittermi# nialswith suitableinsulation,- suclr for example, as illustrated in'Vv Fig. 3, are to bel provided for electrical connections tothe motor wherein a plurality of-condu'ctors60` extend through the wall 53 f ofthe motor housing for attachment on the outside tor a' Source of current, `:and vfromftheL inside to thev motor terminals; the' conductor 6O1being insulated fromthe wall 53; by means ofy afsui-'t'a'bleinsnlator .61. Likewise lvan adjustable air valve 62 maybe Yprovided to permit an exhaust of air under ,pressureI` in the;v motor housing, should ,occasion require fthe 'exhaustion l of the: yai-rwithin the housing.

'll-he {operationv ofthe'kclarifier jis` as fol-y lows, it lbeing understood, 'of course, that the inotfor'rotat-es-the-shaft14 at a comparatively l'iighfrate :off speed. *Air is l admitted'L into the housing of the clarifier tlirough the port 12 and through the outerscreeir 19 and Ahair felt, which, due tot'he high speed 'of-rota*` tion, creates "more centrifugal force-:which throws yoil? the water vvfrom the air and air vapor, and yoil from the'foil vapor, also dirt,

water, oil and impurities, etc., downward to the drain pipe 9 and thence into the drain tank 10 where it is collected and drained ordinarily through the drain cock 11.

As hereinbefore stated, I prefer to use hair felt in the annular chamber formed between the screens 19 and 19 and the disks 1G, 13, but I do not desire to be limited or restricted in this respect, as curled hair, wool felt and drying agents, such as calcium chloride, or other similar materials can he employee. Similarly, in the event of purifying such gases as hiiminating gas whichl is operated at a comparatively low pressure, the balanced pressure condition on the lower stuiiing box will not be required and, therefore, the pipe connections 3S) will not be necessary. Also the motor cap 56 would not be required.

lVhen curled hair is used in the chamber of the rotor it will be preferable to cement the same to the inner surface of the rotor, the same as in the case of hair felt for the same purpose,-of ensuring all air passing ihrough the curled hair, and hence be cleaned rather than passing between the curled hair and the disks 16, 13.

I also wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited or restricted as to the motive power for imparting rotation to the shaft 14. It may frequently be desired to use some other source of power, for example, a. steam turbine or a motor belt drive, and I, therefore, desire to have the illustration of the preferred form of clarifier regarded in the illustrative sense rather than in the limiting sense.

The large area of the purifying rotor provided in the construction herein described, gives a free, unobstructed passage for the air either when the machine is in operation or when, through some accident or defect, it is no longer operative, so that a failure of the machine itself will not prevent a proper functioning of the apparatus, although the results will not be as efficient.

`With the construction thus described it is possible to clean the hair felt with the disassemblage of a minimum number of parts. All that is necessary is to disconnect the pipe connected to the outlet opening 30, and pour a cleaning fluid, such as gasoline, in the hollow shaft 11i through the opening 30. This, it will be apparent, effects a cleaning` of the rotor and atthe same time prevents gasoline from gettingl into the upper bearing or the upper oil well. The machine is then operated without air pressure for a short time so as to throw all dirt, eil, etc., and gasoline from the rotor and allow .it to drain into the drain reservoir.

The small cock 5S provided' in the balancing pressure' pipe connection 39 is employed in the event the machine is not operating, the purpose being to stop the flow of air which has not been clarified by the centrifugal operation of the machines from being allowed to pass to the motor.

`IIaving now set forth the objects and nature of my invention, and having shown and described a construction embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new and useful, of my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A purifier comprising` a chamber having an inlet thereto and an outlet therefrom, a shaft extending through said chamber, means for equalizing the pressure in the ends of said chaniber, a purifying device mounted on said shaft, means for compelling'y all air from said chamber to pass through the purifying device before reaching said outlet, and means for rotating said shaft.

Q. A purifying device comprising a chamber having an inlet thereto, means to equaliae the pressure in said chamber, a shaft hollow at one portion thereof extending through said chamber, a pair of spaced disks mounted on said shaft, purifying material located between said disks, means for establishing communication between said hollow shaft and the space between said disks, means to rotate said shaft, and bearings for said shaft located on opposite sides of said purifying device.

3. A purifier comprising a chamber having an inletthereto and an outlet therefrom, a shaft extending through said chamber, a purifying device mounted on said shaft and interposed between the inlet and the outlet, means for rotating said shaft, bearings for said shaft located on opposite sides of said purifying device, and means for equalizing the air pressure on said beara. A purifier comprising a chamber hav ing an inlet thereto, a shaft extending through said chamber having a portion thereof hollow and provided with a port therein con'imunicating with said chamber to form an outlet from said chamber, a purifying device mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith and positioned over said port, bearings for said shaft located on opposite sides of said purifying device, and means for equalizing the air pressure on said bearings.

5. A purifying device comprising a chamber having an inlet thereto, a shaft hollow at one portion thereof extending through said chamber, a pair of spaced disks mounted on said shaft, purifying material located between said disks, means for establishing communication between said hollow shaft and the space between said disks, means to rotate said shaft, bearings for said shaft located ou opposite sides of said purifying device, and means for equalizing the air pressure on said bearings.

G. A purifier' comprising a chamber havings.

Ving an inlet thereto and an outlet therefrom,

a shaft extending through said chamber, a purifying device mounted kon said shaft and interposed between the inlet and the outlet, means for rotating said Shaft, bearings for said shaft located on opposite sides of said purifying device, and means for equalizing the air pressure on said bearings, said shaftrotating means being also subject to the pressure equalization. t

7. A purifier comprising .a casingformed in two parts to form a chamber, a hub on each part extending into the chamber, an air inlet for the chamber, a shaft extending through said hub parts in said casing parts, a bearing for said shaft in each hub art, a centrifugal purifying device carried lliy said shaft and extending intosaid casing, and means-for affording an outlet from said chamber through saidpurifying device and said shaft.

y 8. A purifier comprising a casing formed in two parts to form a chamber, an air inlet for the chamber, a shaft extending through said casing parts, avbearing for said shaft in each casing part, a centrifugal purifying device carried by said shaft and extending into said casing, means for affording an outlet from said chamber,through'said'purifying device, and means forequalizing the air pressure on said bearings'.

9. A purifier comprising a casing formed in two parts to form a chamber, an air inlet for the chamber, a shaft extending through said casing parts, a bearing for said shaft in each casing part, a centrifugal purifying device carried by said shaft and extending into said casing, means for affording an out' let from said chamber through said purifying device, means carried by kone of said casingl parts forl rotating said shaft, andl means for equalizing the air pressure' on said bearings.

10. A purifier comprising a casing formed in two parts to form a chamber, an air inlet for the chamber, a shaft extending through said casing parts, a bearing for said shaft in eachcasing part, a centrifugal purifying device carried by said shaft and extending into said' casing, means foralfording an koutlet from said ychamber through said purifying device, means carried by one of said casing parts for rotating said shaft, means for equalizing the air pressure 0n said bearings, and means-for collecting and withdrawing the impurities thrown off Yby the lcentrifugal force ofsaid purifying device.

11. lA purifier comprising a casing fo-rmed in two parts to form a chamber, a hub on each part extending into the chamber, an air inlet lfor the chamber, a shaft extending through said casing parts, a bearing for said shaft in each hub part of said casing, a centrifugal purifying device carried by said shaft and Aextending into said casing, means for affordingl an outlet from said chamber through said Y purifying device and said shaft, means carried yby one of said casing parts for rotating lsaid shaft, and means yfor collecting and withdrawing the impuri- -ties thrown off by 'thece'ntrifugal force of said purifyingdevice. l l

12. A purifier comprising a casing formed in two parts to form a chamber, an air invlet for the chamber, a shaft'l extending "ties thrown of bythe centrifugal force o-f saidv purifying device.

Inv testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this tenth kday of September non ROY MACDONALD.

CLL

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