US1657028A - Fuel-oil heater - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 24, 1928.

E. H. NELSON FUELOIL HEATER Filed June 30. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ,'l/z/la a [also/2 BY fis ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 24, 1928 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERIC HUGO NELSON, F MASSIIIILON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GRISCOM-RUSSELL COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FUEL-OIL HEATER.

Application filed June 30, 1926. Serial No. 119,546.

The present invention relates to heat-exchanging apparatus in general and resides in certain improvements on the fuel-oil heater disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 30,224, filed May 14, 1925.

In certain fields of heat power engineering, such as in naval or marine service, it is important that all joints in the shell construction of fuel-oil heaters be riveted, and

in addition, that no welded joints be exposed anywhere on the exterior surface of the apparatus. For this reason, the heater specifi cally described in that application is not acceptable for such use, notwithstanding the fact that otherwise the heater is highly successful and desirable.

. The principal object of the present invention is to obviate the external welded joints in the heater of my copending application without sacrificing any of the advantages of that construction thereby.

The invention will be further described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show the embodiment chosen to be herein disclosed. It is to be understood,

however, that these drawings and the Subsequent description thereof are only for the purpose of illustrating one typical form of the present invention, and the invention does f not lie solely in the drawings and is not confined thereto. In these drawings,

Fig. 1 is a vertical, central sectional view of a fuel-oil heater embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of'the fuel-oil heater;

. Fig. 3 is a section along line 3-3 of Fig. .1, sighting in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the joint of the 40 present invention as embodied in the upper part of the fuel-oil heater; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the joint of the present invention as embodied in the lower part of the fuel-oil heater.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings by numeral, the improved heater comprises a shell 1, preferably having riveted seams, (not shown) and surrounding a bundle of heat-transferring tubes 2, which extend longitudinally of the shell 1 and constitute the heat-transferring surface of the apparatus, which is in general constructed according to the principle of my copending application referred to above.

The shell 1 has a flange 15 at one end,

preferably riveted thereto, for the reason that the heater is particularly intended for use as a naval or marine-type heater.

the other end of the shell, a somewhat simipart in the place and manner shown, thus forming an annular lip 14., in the place shown, and possessing a sufficient degree of flexibility to absorb and accommodate relative longitudinal expansion and contraction between the tubes and the shell. The part by which the flange is directly riveted to the shell is cast, or forged and bent, to form. a collar, as shown, integral with the rest of the flange.

In order to obviate all exterior welds in the fuel-oil heater, the tube sheets 3 and 4 are shaped and extended as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 to form annular tongues 13 which fit into complementary recesses in the edge of the inner periphery of the flanges 15 and 15', which are riveted to the shell 1, and

the tube sheets are joined to the flanges on They are each constructed, as explained, as

an essentially separate annulus, with a kerf or annular groove in the interior surface in such a lace and of such a size as to form an annu ar lip possessing a sutficient de e of flexibility to absorb and accommo ate relative longitudinal expansion and contraction between the tubes and the shell.

The caps or heads 6 and 8 are bolted down onto the outer faces of the flanges or expansion rings 15 and l5cover the tongue 13 of the tube sheets by the ring of. bolts 20. A fluid-tight connection between the flanges 15 and 15, the shell 1, and the tube sheets 3 and 4 is then established asshown, with out necessitating any exterior 'weldedjointsat all thereby, as the surface of contact be tween the tube sheet and the absorbing flanges can quite satisfactorily be gasketed any exterior welded joints.

or packed, instead of welded. The under lip 14 of the flange 15 prevents the tube sheet 3 from dropping into the shell, if it is not otherwise secured.

If preferred, however, a weld or braze can be substituted for packing at this sur face of contact-22 between the tube-sheets and the flanges. The best forms of welds are the triangular welds shown at 22 in Figs. 1, 4 and 5. These welds are provided, however, solely to preserve fluid-tightness between the heads, the tube sheets, and the flan es.

T ese preferred Weld seams or brazes, however, are never subjected to any fluid pressure of any kind, inasmuch as they are protected by the caps or heads 6 and 8 and the flanges 15 and 15', as will be understood from Figs. 4 and 5, and this is the reason why they can be quite satisfactorily replaced by gaskets or packings, as suggested.

The tube sheet 4, at the other end of the shell, is secured to the flange 15 and the shell in the same way as the sheet 3, and in addition, may be provided with a drain plug 16 which drains the space 17 by means of the passage 18.

Oil enters the apparatus through the inlet opening 5 provided in the end-closure, head, or upper cap 6 0f the apparatus, which is bolted to the top of the flange 15, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and in a similar manner, cap 8 is bolted to flange ring 15. The oil passes through the interior of the heat transfer tubes 2 and issues through the outlet gpening 7, also in upper cap 6, as shown in ig. 2. In the arrangement here shown, a 'iepass construction is employed, the 0 eration of which in directing the flow of t e oil throughout the successive groups of tubes is clearly shown in the drawings, but does not constitute a principal object of the present invention, and is therefore not described in detail. 7

Heating steam is admitted to the shell 1 throughthe inlet opening 9 and circulates about in the shell, coming into direct contact with the exterior surfaces of the heat transferrin tubes 2. The condensate drains out throng the outlet 10 provided for that urpose. A baflie-plate 11 is also provide for the purpose of causing a uniform distribution of the steam upon its enterin the shell.

Hence the shell with the tube s eets at its respective ends and the tubes extending between the tube sheets constitute an essentially fluid-tight heat exchange unit without The end-closures, heads, or caps, 6 and 8 may be secured to the flanges 15 and 15' in any desired fashion, as, for instance, by bolting them toether. In the embodiment here shown, the flanges 15 and 15' are provided with studs 20. secured in the rings. The heads or caps 6 and 8 are provided with corresponding flanges 19 and 19' having in them a series of bolt holes which fit over the respective studs 20. Connection between the parts is established by screwing down the nuts 21 upon the upper threaded portions of the studs 20.

I have described my invention as combined with a heat exchange apparatus of the species disclosed in my co-pending ap lication, but it is to be understood from the oregoing description and explanation that my invention is also combinable with any heat exchange apparatus consisting of two headers, a shell, two tube sheets and a nest of tubes,

and in the resulting heat-exchanger there are no obligatory welded joints at all and no external welded joints whatsoever. The optional internal welded joint is never su jected to direct fluid pressure of any kind, and thus the apparatus is adapted to exceedingly high pressure and high temperature duty. The separate flanges connecting the heads, tube sheets and shell are simple beyond expectation to construct, as it is an easier mechanical operation to kerf a roove in a separate, flat annulus made accor ing to the present invention than to kerf the necessary expansion space in a sin le piece including the tube sheets integral 51B1'6Wii3l1.

I claim:

1. A heat exchanger comprisin a shell, a bundle of tubes therein, a tube s eet at the end of the shell having an annular tongue on its periphery, a head over the tube sheet, and a flange-like member lying completely outside of and surroundin said shell between said head and the she I end, said member comprising an essentially flat annulus of slightly larger diameter than the shell and having a collar formed on its shell-end face to fit over the end of the shell, the inner edge of said annulus having an annular groove therein extendin radially thereof a sufficient distance to divide the upper and lower portions of said edge into upper and lower annular lips, the upper lip having an annular recess in the head-side face thereof to receive the annular tongue on said tube sheet and the lower lip being connected to the shell by said collar..

2. Heat-exchange apparatus of the class described, comprising a containing shell,heat transfer tubes within the shell, a tube-sheet, said tube-sheet having an annular tongue on its periphery, a head forming with the tubesheet a chamber for distributing fluid to the tubes, and a flange associated with said shell and said tube-sheet between the head and the shell-end, said flange being of essentially Ill shell-side of said flange, said head-side lip having an annular recess in the outer edge thereof to receive the tongue on said tubesheet, the shell-side lip having a bend therein at right-angles to the annulus for slipping over the shell-end and attaching thereto.

3. A heat exchanger comprising a shell having a bundle of tubes therein a tube sheet at the end of the shell having an annular tongue on its periphery, a flange-like member surrounding the shell and having its greater portion lying completely outside of the shell, said member comprising an essentially flat annulus, the inner edge of which has an annular groove therein extending radially thereof a sufiicient distance to divide the upper and lower portions of said edge into upper and lower annular lips, the lower lip being connected to the shell and the upper lip having an annular recess in the outer face thereof to receive the annular tongue on said tube sheet, and a head forming with the tube sheet a chamber for distributing fiuid to the tubes, said head having a flat annular clamping face extending over said annular tongue on the tube sheet, and means for clamping said head to said flange-like member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ERIC HUGO NELSON.

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