US1631475A - Control means for regulating the output of atomizers and the like - Google Patents

Description

June 7, 1927. 1,631,475

' F. B. COMINS CONTROL MEANS FOR REGULATING THE OUTPUT OF ATOMIZERS AND THE LIKE J (if? 62 22390 Patented June 7, 1927.

onirsn STATES ara-s E'ATENT o new{ FRANK B, ooivrms, or NEwroi AssAoHUsET'rs, AssIeNoR T0 AMnRIoAN MoIs'rEN 11m ooMP NY, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION o vr In I i 'coNrRoL MEANS FOR REGULATING THEOUTPUT oF AToMIznns'IANn H LIKE.

Application filedMarch 6,1924. serial No. 697,365.

g This invention relates to improvements in control means for regulating the. output of an atomizer and the like. More especially it provides an. improved rotary worm pump adapted, while running at uniform speed, to lift water from a well in varying quantities, dependent-upon'and controllable by varying the level at which the supply in the well is maintained. The capacity of devices of this sort heretofore proposed, has been a substantially fixed rate Y for any given speed of pump rotation, ex-

cept in so far as the capacity may be I changed by stopping the pump and resetting a valve thereon which governs the admission of water to the lifting means. Accordingly, in the application of these devices to humidifying apparatus, where the rate at which water is introduced into the atmosphere is of paramount consideration, the worm pumps heretofore known have not been characterized by that regulatability of output desirable in apparatus of this sort, with possibility of control while the apparatus as a whole is in operation.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide apparatus which has a regulatable lifting output, adapted to be controlled entirely by changing the level of the supply from which it pumps. It follows from this, that by devices already known, the rate of a system of humidifiers, located at intervals throughout a considerable area, can be controlled from a single place, without the necessity of visiting each to regulate it, or of operating them at an excess rate with intermittent periods on cessation of humidifying action while the excess becomes absorbed. Another object is to provide a pump of the character described that will be self cleaning and thereby free of any danger of becoming clogged while in use.

' These objects are attained by providing a controllable level of supply water and a worm pump of helical for1n,'wh'0se radius increases as its convolutions progress upward, from the inlet or lower end of the pump, in the direction ofdelivery. Surrounding the worm is asleeve which preferably is more or less conical and which turns with the worm, preventing water from being throwniout laterally therefrom by ticular application of the invention illustrated, the water is delivered by the pump 1 and conveyor to the under side of the horizontal rotor of a humidifier. The sleeve 'is belled outward at its upper end, toward at the adjusted level, which signifies, in

each case, at a certain levelin the space within the well and outside of the sleeve which is immersed therein, when the apparatus is not operating. By varying the level 'of the water the effect isgained of a varying depth of immersion of the sleeve in the water; and by this means the amount of water fed by the pump to the rotor is readily controlled. Assuming thatthe entrance opening for water in the bottom closure of the sleeve is at the level of the surface of the water'in: the well, or an "infinitesimal amount below it, the rotationfof the pump wilt lift the water which enters through that opening but will ceasetaking water as soon as the well level has'fallen to below the opening so'that the water seal thereof is broken; and the taking of water will begin again as soon as enough more water has been supplied'to raise the level. In practice this would probably happen very quickly through the supply pipe, but as the difference of level between this slightlyv lowered surface of water in the swell and the tank supply level is only infinitesimal, the rate of flow would be relatively slow; and at any rate the quantity of water flowing through the opening into thew or'm sent the minimum capacity at which the would always be small and -WOL1ld-repre- I pump can be operated, it being assumed 7 that the pump is being "rotated at a high speed .by' a motor on its shaft. However, if the level of water in the wellbe main ta'ined'at' a head of one inch, for example, fabovextheopening, equivalent to immersion centrifugal force, and serves as a part of the conveyor for the water. In: the par-j of the sleeve to" thatdepth,;thei*e will be I but the replacing such water as passes through the opening into the well. Assuming that the said opening has a size restrictive, so that the cross section is less than that of the worm, the amount of water which flows in through the opening under this head of one inch "will be greater than where the head is zero as above assumed; and it will be less than if the head were two inches, which may be taken as another variant level, for example. Thus by varying the level of water in the well the operative head'pressing water through the restricted orifice in the bottom of the sleeve is varied at will;

and thus the output from the pump to the rotor is controlled Meanwhile, owing to the conical nature of the construction, any

lint, and especially any matted, masses of lint which may have gathered in the well and gotten into the worm, is carried forthrough the :pump. In practice it isobserved that although the water level may be one or two inches above the bottom entrance orifice of the sleeve when the apparatus is not rotating, the level inthe well tends to sink to the level of this bottom opening when the apparatus is working; principle above stated applies equally, with the head being furnished through the supply piping from the distant level-controlling supply tank.

It is intended that thepatent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claim, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the capacity control features of the invention.

tion; with the level control means being shown somewhat diagrammatically on reduced scale Figure 2 is a similar elevation of a modi- --fied form-of sleeve; and

Figure 34s an elevation showing the de- -t11lS- of the water level control means.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a-rotorof a vertical humidifier, fast on a shaft 12 having connection with some form of power source (not shown) for effecting its rotation; and 14 is the bottom or pan of the humidifier, whose central portion Water is supplied to the well through a pipe 17 threading into its bottom opening 18 and leading from any controllable source, preferably a tank 19, having a ball float 20,

placed at about the same level as the well.

By means hereinafter described, the controlling position of this float can be varied they extend farther from the shafts axis as the threads progress upward toward the rotor. A sleeve, 25, more or lesscomcal, 1s

fitted around these edges and at the top 25 is belled outward toward the rotor. At the bottom of this sleeve is an opening 26 to permit water to be fed to the worm pump, according to the head maintained above the level of the opening, by the float tank appartus 19 or other means employed for this purpose. This opening is sufficiently large to pass enough water to supply the maximum delivery when the maximum head for which the apparatus issuited is employed, and yet isso small that the degree of head will make a difference in the amount of flow through it. The sectional area of the spaces a between the threads being larger than this opening, and being of gradually increasing size, due to the cone shape, any foreign matter. passing through the opening will haveample freedom in the larger spaces between the threadsto pass out of the pump with the water. An annular baiiie 28 may be fixed between the well and -.the sleeve, to prevent any water which drains along the pan from striking the sides of the sleeve at a height from which it might be carried upward on the outside of'the sleeve and thence be discharged to the rotor.

In Figure 2 a modified form ofsleeve is shown which is partly conical and partly cylindricalv The cylindrical portion 25 extends from the bottom upward to about the maximum heightito which the water level rises in the well, and the conical portionw25 is from the upper end of the cylindrical portion to the belled top 25'. This form of sleeve has been found advantageous where the rotative speed is such that if the cone extended below water level some of the water surrounding it would be Carried up on the outside surface thereof and be discharged onto the rotor. The vertical wallof the cylindrical portion does not so lift the water about-it, and consequently the only water delivered-to the rotor is that which passes through the interior of the sleeve. :If an annular space exists, as illustrated, between the edge of the worms convolutions and the inner wall of the cylindrical portion, that does not appreciably effect the work of the pump, for even though it does permit of a falling back over the edge of some of the water lifted, thisloss is incidentally compensated for by the-slight raising of the level of the supply, above that at which it lUO . would otherwise stand when the operator sets the level of supply tank at whatever point gives the desired humidifier output.

is lifted along the incline of the worm, and V gradually begins to rotate and be thrown outward laterally against the inner surface of the sleeve by centrifugal force. When it reaches the upper end of the worm, the water continues upward on the inner wallof the sleeve and finally, at its termination, leaps across the small space between" the edge of the latter and the rotor, after which it continues on the rotor, under the influence of centrifugal force, to the fog, generating means of the humidifier. When the supply level is low only a small quantity reaches the thread surface, but if the supply level is raised a greater amount is lifted. In consequence, the output of the pump at any instant is dependent upon the height of the water in the well or supply, so that by controlling the latter the output of the pump is regulated. By keeping the supply level constant and the rotative speed unchanged, the

amount ofwater delivered to the rotor will remain the same. Without stoppingoraltering the pump speed, and without visiting the several humidifiers the pump delivery of each may be varied, by merely altering the level of the supply to change the effective head above the sleeve opening 26.. Thus the capacity of the pump may be varied while the humidifier continues in operation.

In Figure 3 is shown a dev1ce for controlling the supply level, comprising a' plunger valve 22, subjected constantly to supply pressure tending to open it, and a float adjuster 21 pivotally mounted on the valve at 21 having suitable; connection with the plunger so that -when swung upward about its pivot the plunger is seated and the valve closed. The stem 20 of the float 20 is movable within a hollow in the under side of the adjuster about a pivot screw 31. Its limit of swing upward, with respect to the adjuster, isdetermined by the setting of the screw 30 whichthreads through the ad juster and bottoms on the stem. According ly if this screw is turned inward, the float is thereby set downward so that when raised by the water in thetank it will engage the valve op'eratively, to close it, at a lower level of water than it would if the screw had been set higher. In consequence the supply is maintained .at any desired level according to the setting of screw 30.

, Another method of control is found in the valve 31 set in the line ofsupply. If this be partly closed, so as to restrict to-a desired degree the flow of water to the humidifier, the supply to it maybelregulated to any-. thing less than the maximum which the level in tank 19 would provide, thus getting an effect of lowered headon the opening 26.

in the bottom of the pump sleeve, so long as the pump is operating and constantly removing waterrfrom the well. The differ-' 1 ential, between the draft of water from the well by the pump, and'the supply to the; well by return drainage from th'epan 14k and fresh supply through the valve 81,

under head of the level in tank 19,- then constitutes the factor which determines the amount that will fiow'in through the opening 26 to be lifted. Where the supply comes through a reducing or flow restricting valve,

as 31, it may be more accurate to speak of this differential as a virtual head of liquid pressure at the inlet opening 26, but it will be understood that in either case reference is made to the variations of pressure with which the water is' opening. 7 r

- I claim as my invention:

to the rotor of a humidifier or the like, comprising a rotatable shaft having a helical worm thread and a housing therefor, having an opening below the level of the sup ply, for admission of liquid to the spacebetween the convolutions; said opening being of such small area and so arranged that under the working head it does not admit as much water as the worm can lift, so that a variation of head 'ofthe water to which it is exposed makes material variation in pressed into the inlet i the amount of water that flows through the day of February, 1924.

FRANK B. .COMINS.

Means for lifting liquid from asupply .7

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