US1674536A - Fuel feeder - Google Patents

Description

June 19, 192.8. G. o.' WILLHIDE FUEL FEEDER,

/Filed' June .29, 1927' 2 sheetssneet L zffmaMY//yide v-vn-Negs:

. INVENTOR am BY ATTORN EY Patented June 19, 1928'.

.GLENN o. WILLHIDE, oFBAnTIMonE', MARYLAND.

FUEL FEEDER.

y Application filed June 29, 19277. Serial No. 202,389.

My lpresent invention has reference to an automatic stoker which is primarily designed forvfeeding the; fireof a locomotive butmay, of course, be successfully employed for feeding fires of other furnaces, andmy object is to simplify andimprove the existingV art by producing ay steam jet of a novel construction which employs fewer parts than those Vof the usual type, which may be attached to the furnace in an easier vand quicker manner than is usual and vwhich Will spread the fuel inan even manner over the entire grate surface.

A still further object that includes a head having steam passages therethrough and nozzles at the ,outlet end of the head, and which also includes a steam chest which is directly connected to the head and has ports alining withpthe passages in` thehead, and` eachrof the said ports is individually controlled by a needle valve so that the passage of steam through anyone of the ports maybe regulated to insure an vevenwdistribution of thel steam andlikewise an even distributionof the fuel in the five box, a single handoperated valve controling the'admission of steam to the chest.

Theinvention will be fully and comprehensively understood Vfrom a cpnsideration of the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings which form part of the application, with the understanding, however, that the improvement is capable of extended application and is not confined to the exact showing of the drawings nor to the precise construction described and, therefore, such l. changes and modifications may be made therefrom as do not affect the spirit of the invention nor exceed the scope thereof asexpressed in the appended claim.-

In the drawings: Figure l is adetail sectional view through a sufcient portion ofthe fire box of a locomotive to illustrate the application of kmy p improvement thereon. f n

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the 1mp theprovision ofV a jet for mechanical or automatical stokers lFigure .i3 is an endview thereof.

` Figure 4 ,is` a. sectional viev7 on the line t-4 offigure 2. y y i n Figure 5, is a detail enlarged sectional view on the linel 5-5 of Figure 2. VIn the ordinary steam jet construction: for

orchest isgarranged against the outer wall of the furnacebelow the door andhas connecled'thereto a plurality of tubes which extend downwardly therefrom: and have branches that pass through the said furnace wall and which branches are provided with coupled extensions that are connected directly to the head of the jet. 2 The tubes are, of course, individually controlled by valves. The construction is complicated, requiresA a comparatively greater amountof time and labor in .the `installation thereof, does not permit of repairs or replacement of parts in an easy manner and comprises a comparatively large number of elements so as a whole the device is complicated, expensive in manufacture and likewise expensive in installation. n,

lVith the improvement the steam chamber or chest is directly connected to the head of the jet and, therefore, the parts are in longitudinal alinement. This permits of the improvement being arranged in the ,doorway`of the furnace', and only necessitating a partial vcutting away of the lower portion of the door.

The steam receiving member of the improvementis in the. nature of a metal block, and is also in the. nature of a steam chest and Will bey thus hereinafter referred to. The chest is indicated by the numeral 1 and ymechanical stokers the steam inletvchamber the steam compartment therein by the numeral 2. `The outer straight ywall vof thev steam chest l is bored to provide any des ired number of longitudinally arranged y'equidistantly spaced threaded openings, and -in each of these openings, there is screwed linner wall of thechamber 2 the block conaofi stituting the steam chest is bored to provide threaded openings that are arranged each directly opposite the openings in which the nipples 3 are screwed. These openings are smaller than the openings for the nipples and screwed in these openings there are other nipples The nipples 5 have headed ends that are received in the chamber 2, and the bore of the device, at the heads thereof are preferably flared and provide seats for the conical ends 7 of needle valves 8. The valves 8 have threaded portions .fl-that are screwed through the nipples 3, and theouter ends of the nipples have screwed thereon cap nuts 1() which are in the nature of packing boxes and through which the valves' 8 pass. The outer ends of the valves are squared, as at 11, for the reception of a suitable Wrench or vhandle whereby the separate valves may be regulated with respect to their seats. y

The. inlet pipe for the chamber of the steam chest is vertically disposed and is indicated by the numeral 12. vThe passage through this pipe is controlled by'a hand valve 18, and the pipe is, el course, directed to the steam supply.

The distributor or jet head is also in the nature of a metal block, and as a. whole the same is indicated by the numeral 1li. The outer end of the head is rounded, and the Y inner end thereof is formed with a widened a gasket and thickened portion 15 that is centrally formed with a` substantially rectangular lug 16 to be received in the pocket or depression Ll in the inner face of the valve chest. Passing through openings inV the end 15 of the head lll, and through similar openings in the steam chest there are holt members 17 engaged by the usual nuts 18. The bolt members compress between the confronting surfaces of the steam chest andthe head 1e This insures a fluid tight joint between the elements constituting the im# provement.

The nozzle head 14 is provided with longitudinally arranged preferably equidistantly spaced passages 2O which communicate between the straight and rounded ends of the head. These passages 2O also communicate with openings 19 in the gasket, the said openings being disposed opposite the valve seats or nipples 5. The rounded outer end of the head has screwed therein nozzles 21 which communicate with the respective passages 20.

As disclosed by Figure 1 of the drawings., the nozzle end of the jet head 111 is arranged directly over the vertical conveyor housing 22 of the stoker, and the mouth or outlet of the housing is surrounded by a protecting grate 23 .of the usual construction.

yVith my improvement the fireman, by merely opening` the door 24 of the furnace 25., can observe the force of spray through kcheaply manufactured.

'expensive proposition.

the pressure through the several nozzles so,

that the fuel will be 'spread evenly over the entire grate surface of the lire box. The' steam inlet to the steam chest can be read-ily controlled by operating the valve 18. The improvement is of an extremely simple construction, which may be easily installed, and

The parts constitnting the improvement may be readily disassociated for replacements or repairs with- `out requiring a great amount of physical exertion.` The advantages of my improvement will, it is thought, ,be perfectly apparent and appreciated by those skilled in the art to which such invention relates.

lfVith my improvement should the fireman on the locomotive or in the terminal leave the fire so thatv the same gets into the stoker pot under the distributor and burn this portion of the device the end of the distributor could be easily taken oil and a new end applied without renewing the whole distributor. Otherwise, this would be. a very Thus by making my improvement of a two piece casting`,the trouble and expense usually occurring from this cause is greatly reduced. Also my particular construction eliminates the necessity of making new valve bonnets and spuds and drilling out and tappingthe steam chest so that new parts can be applied. Alsol the distributorl canbeapplied well below the high velocity in the upper part of the lire box, making it positively sure that an equal distribution of coal can be `placed in the fire box at all times and under any and all conditions. Furthermore should it bel Afound necessary to make any repairs tothe distributor at any time, the distributor can be taken out of the fire boX without smouldering or otherwise interfering with the fire and repairs can thcn'hemade to the distributor while the same :an be `again readily applied. This is not true with respect to any other class of distributors with which l am acquaint-ed.

Having described the invention, I claim In an apparatus of the classdescribed, a steam distributor head, having an outer rounded end, and substantially equidistantly spaced longitudinal passages extending therethrough, nozzles screwed in the head and communicating with the respective passages, said head having an inner thickened and widened end that is centrally formed with a lug, a steam chest'comprisinga block having a steam chamber therein and'having one of its faces formed with a-po'cket to receive thelug of the distributor head therein, a compressible gasket between the confronting ends of the steam chest and head, removable means connecting the chest and head, nipples screwed through 'thesteam Chest and communicating with the respective passages in the head, outer and larger nipples screwed through the outer end of a steam chest and arranged opposite thejrst mentioned nipples, needle Valves screwed through the last mentioned'nipples and nding` seats in the first mentioned nipples, a

packing box on the last mentioned nipples for each ofthe needle valves and a Valve controlled steam inlet pipe for the chamber l0 of the steam chest.

vIn testimony whereof I aix my signature. y

GLENN o. WILLHIDE.

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