US1713833A

US1713833A - Indicating and regulating apparatus

Info

Publication number: US1713833A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1929-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 1946-05-21

Description

y 21, 1929- v F. s. KOCHEND-ORFER 1,713, 33

INDICATING AND REGULATING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 29, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l fizz/9W ffeczrzb5%cfim@r er May 21, 1929. F. s. KOCHENDORFER INDICATING AND REGULATING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 29, 1924 2 SheetsSheet 2 Patented May 21, 1929.

UNITE. s'rarss arses FREDERIC SHIELDS KOCHENDGRFER, OF RIVER XLLIHOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF H'EW YURK, N. Y., A CORPO- RATION OF NEW YORK.

INDICATING AND REGULATING APPARATUS.

Application filed December 29, 1924. Seria'I No. 758,746.

This invention relates to indicating and regulating apparatus, and particularly to apparatus for regulating the amount of air supplied to a cupola or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide improved indicating and regulating apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to regulatethe quantity of air supplied to the tuyeres of a cupola so that uniform operating conditions and a uniform product will be obtained.

In one embodiment of the invention air is supplied to the tuyeres of a cupola by a centrifugal fan through a conduit in which are positioned two P-itot nozzles connected to a. U-shaped tube containing mercury, the Pitot nozzles being adapted to create differential pressures which bring the mercury into electrical contact with one or the other of two adjustable electrodes to close a cir-' cuit including a motor adapted to operate a valve controlling the flow ofair through the conduit. If the air is supplied to the cupola from a pump, the valve is located in a by-pass associated with the conduit.

Other objects and features of the inven tion will become apparent as the following detailed description progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View of another form of the invention;

Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section of 1 part of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1

and 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing the construction of cooperating electrodes which form part of the apparatus shown in'Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a similar section illustrating another form of the cooperating electrodes.

Referring to Fig. 1, 10 is a cupola of any suitable type having tuyeres 11 opening into the cupola and into an annular chamber 12 which is connected by a conduit 15 to a centrii'ugal fan 17 driven by any suitable means (not shown), the flow of air through the conduit 15' being controlled by a valve 19. Projecting into the conduit 15 are Pitot nozzles or tubes 20and 21 which are connected to

legs

24 and 25, respectively, of a U-shaped glass tube 26 mounted in brackets 28 upon a panel 29 (Fig. 3), the legs 24and being provided With lateral tubular extensions 30 and 31 which are connected to the

Pitot tubes

20 and 21 by means comprising brackets 33 adapted to receive the ends of the Pitot tubes 20 andQl and the extensions 30 and 31 and to h old them in alignn'ient,

with each other. Disposed in each bracket 33 is a resilient gasket 35 which is-compressed by means of plugs-'37 threaded into the bracket. -Projecting intoa tubul-arrex-v tension 38 formed upon the lower portion of the U-shaped tube 26 is an electrode 4O which'is sealed in the. extension b'y-a resilient stepper 41 and contacts with mercury 43 disposed in the tube-2 6. Projecting: into the legs '24 and 25am electrodes 44'and 45, respectively, which are sealed in the legs by resilientstoppers 46,"and by a heavy oil such as castor oil disposed in the upper ends of the legs. as at 48. Eachof the

electrodes

44 and 45 is secured in a threaded sleeve slidably mounted in brackets-52'and :53 carried by the panel 29, the sleeve beingsplined to the bracket 53 by a key 54. Mounted upon each sleeve 50 and interposed between the associjated brackets 52 and 53 is a knurled nut 55 Whichmaybe revolved adjust the associated electrode with respect to the mercury 43.

Secured to the lower ends of the

electrodes

44 and 45 are spiral springs 57 and 58, respectively, which have-their other ends secured to

floats

59 and 60, respectively, carrying metallic pins 62 and 63, respectively, adapt-ed to contact with the mercury 43. The springs 57 and 58 insure that the pins 62 and 63 will not freeze to the

electrodes

44 and 45, respectively. The pins 62 and 63 project'through the

floats

59 and 60, respectively, and may be brought into contact with the

electrodes

44 and 45, respectively, the floats being formed of any suitable material having a specific gravity less than that of the mercury. Adjustably mounted upon the panel 29 by screws is a scale 67 which is of assistance when the

electrodes

44 and 45 are adjust-ed relative to each other and to the mercury 43.

The

electrodes

44 and 45 are connected to terminals of the windings of

relays

68 and 69, respectively, the other terminals of the windings being connected to one terminal of a battery 70 which has its other terminal connected to the electrode 40. The

relays

68 and 69 comprise

armatures

72 and 73, respectively, and contacts 74 and 75, respectively, the

armatures

72 and 73 being connected to terminals of

batteries

78 and 79,

respectively, which have their other terminals connected to a common terminal 80 of a motor82. The contacts 74 and are connected to

terminals

84 and 85, respectively, of the motor 82. A pinion 87 secured to the shaft of the motor 82 meshes with a rack 89 adapted to operate the valve 19.

Referring to Fig. 2, 110 is a cupola having tuyeres 111 opening into the cupola and into an annular chamber 112 which is connected by a conduit 115 to a rotary pump 117 driven by any suitable means (not shown). The rotary pump 117 comprises two oppositely revolving cycloidal impellers 101 working in a case 102 and adapted to force a substantially uniform volume of air per unit of time into the conduit 115 for any given number of revolutions per minute of the impellers 101. The conduit 115 is provided with a lateral by-pass 104 which is controlled by a valve 119.

Projecting into the conduit 115 are Pitotnozzles or

tubes

120 and 121 which communicate with a U-shaped tube 126. The

Pitot tubes

120 and 121 and the U-shaped tube 126 are substantially identical with the

Pitot tubes

20 and 21 and the U-shaped tube 26, respectively. Associated with the U-shaped tube 126 and the valve 119 is ap paratus substantially identical with the above described apparatus associated with the tube 26 and the valve 19, the apparatus associated with the tube 126 and the valve 119 being identified by reference characters rang- 'suffic'i'ent height in this log of the tube 226. the float 259 will be brought into a position wherein the pin 262 will contact with both the electrode 244 and the mercury 243.

In the operation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 the cupola 10 is first charged in the usual manner and the fan 17 is operated to supply air to the tuyeres 11, the

electrodes

44 and 45 having been previously adjusted in such manner that when a predetermined quantity of air per unit of time is delivered to the tuyeres 11, the mercury 43 will be at such levels in the

legs

24 and 25 that neither of the pins 62 and 63 will engage the

electrodes

44 and 45. The differential pressures produced in the tube 26 by thePitot

tubes

20 and 21 will hold the mercury at these levels until the fan 17 either fails to supply a sufficient quantity of: air or $11 plies an excessive quantity oi air. In the event that the fan 17 fails to supply a sutli-' cient quantity of air, the differential. pressures in the tube 26 will cause the mercury 43 to rise in the leg 25 to bring the pin 63 into engagement with the electrode 45. Electrical current will then flow in a circuit which may be traced as follows: from one terminal of the battery 70, through the electrode. 40, the mercury 43, the pin 63,.the elect-rode 45 and through the winding of the relay 69 .to the battery 70. The relay 69 then operates and attracts its armature 73, which engages the contact 75, causing current to flow through.

a. circuit which may be tracedashfollows:

from the battery 79, through the; armature 7 3, the contact 75, and through the motor 82 to the battery 79. The motor'82 operates in one direction in response to this current to open the valve 19 so that the fan 17 will deliver a greater quantity of air to the tuyeres 11. When the valve 19 has been opened a sufiicient distance to permit the fan 17 to deliver the predetermined quantity of air per unit of time to the tuyeres 11, the mer cury 43 will fall in the leg 25 so that the pin 63 will be disengaged from the electrode 45. The winding of the relay 69 then becomes deenergized and permits the armature 73 to leave the contact 75, thus opening the circuit connecting the motor 82 with the battery 79. ,The valve 19 then remains in itsadjusted position until the fan 17 again fails to deliver the required amount of air per unit time to the tuyeres 11 or delivers an excess amount of air to them. If the fan delivers an excessive amount of air, the mercury 43 rises in: the leg 24 and causes the pin 62 to engage the electrode 44 whereupon current flows through a circuit which may be traced as follows: from the battery 70,.

through the electrode 40, the mercury 43, the pin 62, the electrode 44, and through the winding of the relay 68 to'the battery 70.

The relay 68 then operates and attracts its armature 72 which engages the contact 74 and causes a current flow which may be traced as follows: from the battery 78, through the armature 72, the contact 74, and through the motor 82 in a reverse direction to the battery 78. The motor 82 then operates in a reverse direction to close the valve 19 and continues to close the valve un i amount of air delivered by the tan ii is decreased suflieiently to cause the mercury E3 to fall in the leg 2 t. The motor 82 then comes to a full stop and the valve 19 remains in its adjusted position until the motor 82 is again operated to regulate the amount of air being delivered to the tuyeres 11.

The operation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 is similar to the operation of the ap paratus shown in Fig. 1, but as positive means are provided for forcing air into the conduit 115 the amount of air delivered to the tuyeres 111 is regulated by opening or closing the valve 119 in the by-pass 104. It is obvious that the differential pressures introduced in the tube 126 will operate the above described electrical apparatus associated with the tube to drive the motor 82 in a proper direction to open or close the valve when the amount of air delivered to the tuyeres 11.1 rises above or falls below the predetermined amount, respectively.

The apparatus described above is particularly advantageous in that air supplied to the tuyeres at a substantially uniform rate throughout each entire heat. When the air is supplied to the tuyercs at a substantially uniform rate, a uniform amount of tempera ture maintains in the cupola through the entire heat and the temperture of the iron withdrawn therefrom will not vary an undesirable amount.

The construction of the means eing'iloyed to change the electrical contact between the mercury 43 and the

electrodes

44 and 45 particularly advantageous as the pins 62 and (33 will be disen tron: trodes -11 and respectiv ly. while the pins remain in contact with the mercury. This prevents arcs from forming between the pins and the mercury and therefore prevents oxidation of the mercury.

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for controlling the amount of air passing through a conduit. an electrode, a body of mercury, a second electrode submerged in the mercury, a float carried by the mercury, a conductor embedded in the float and arranged to have its lower end in contact with the mercury and the other end positioned to contact with the first-mentioned electrode when the mercury rises to a predetermined level, and a circuit established by the completion of the circuit between the electrodes and including means responsive to the establishment of the the c ue--- circuit for controlling the amount of air passing through the conduit.

2. In an apparatus for controlling the amount of air passing through a conduit, an electrode, an electrical conductor, yielding means for holding the conductor spaced from the electrode. a liquid medium in contact with the conductor and with a second electrode and adapted to bring the conductor into contact with the first electrode, and a circuit established by the completion of the circuit between the electrodes and including means responsive to the establishment of the circuit to control the amount of air passing through the conduit.

3. In an apparatus for controlling the amount of air passing through a conduit, a valve for regulating the amount of air delivered by the conduit, an electrode, a column of mercury in contact with a second electrode, a conductor, yielding means for holding the conductor spaced from the first electrode, means for varying the height of the column of mercury to bring the conductor into contact with said first electrode, and a circuit closed thereby and including means for controlling the valve.

4. The combination with a conduit for conveying a fluid, of tubes projecting into the conduit, one directed upstream and one downstream, means for exerting a pressure on a liquid responsive to diflerential pressures on the tubes, floating means cooperating with the liquid, a plurality of control circuits associated with the liquid and floating means and selectively controlled thereby, means operatively associated with the conduit for regulating the amount of fluid delivered by the conduit, operating means therefor, and a plurality of electrical operating circuits for the operating means connected with and selectively controlled by the first mentioned circuits.

5. The combination with a conduit for conveying a fluid, of tubes projecting into the conduit, one directed upstream and one downstream, a valve associated with the conduit for regulating the amount of fluid delivered by the conduit, motive means operable in a plurality of directions for opening and closing the valve, a plurality of electrical circuits for causing the operation of the motive means in the plurality of directions, liquid means responsive to the dift'erential pressure on the tubes, and floating means actuated by the liquid means to sole"- tively render the electrical circuits effective.

6. The combination with a conduit for conveying a fluid, ot tubes connected with the conduit, a *alve associated with the con duit for regulating the amount of fluid dclivered by the conduit. motive means operable in a plurality of directions for opening and closing the valve, a plurality of electricall circuits for causing the operation of the motive means, a U-shaped tube containing liquid responsive to the difference of pressure on the above mentioned tubes, an electrode in the bottom of the U-shaped tube a float in each side of the U-shaped tube, a conductor in each float, and electrodes projecting down into each side of the U-shaped tube for contacting with the conductors to complete the aforementioned electrical cir- 10 cuits.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this, 17th day of December, A. D. 1924.

FREDERIC SHIELDS KOCHENDORFER.