US1745093A

US1745093A - Fluid heater

Info

Publication number: US1745093A
Application number: US222277A
Authority: US
Inventors: George J Heimberger
Original assignee: Babcock and Wilcox Co
Current assignee: Babcock and Wilcox Co
Priority date: 1927-09-27
Filing date: 1927-09-27
Publication date: 1930-01-28
Anticipated expiration: 1947-01-28

Description

4 Jan. 28, 1930. G. J. HEIMBERGER FLUID HEATER 4 Filed sept. '27, 1927 4 3 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR /f' ATTORNEYS Jan. 28, 1930.

G. J. HEIMBERGER FLUID HEATER Filed Sept. 27, 1927 v3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR @MQ f vv? ATTORNEYS l Jan. 28, 17930. G. J. HEIMBERGER 1,745,093

FLUID HEATER Filed sept. 2v, 1927 s sheetssneet 3 C f/ATTORNEYS www Q 2 CIL Patented Jan. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE J. HEIMBERGER, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BA'BCOCK &

WILCOX COMPANY, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY FLUID HEATER Application filed September 27, 1927.

heater in reversed position; that is to say, the

air heater has been rotated about a horizontal axis, and the upper end of the air heater in Fig. 1 is the lower end of Fig. 4 and vice versa 5 Fig. 5 is partially a plan View and partially a section taken on the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 6 is a sectional View,

the left-hand portion of which is taken alongv the plane of the line 6-6 of Fig. 1, and the right-hand portion of which is taken on a vertical section through the air heater of Fig. 1.

Like reference characters indicate like parts in the various views.

In the drawings, 10 indicates a flue in which the fluid heater, here illustrated as an air heater, is located, the side walls of the Hue being indicated at11 and 12, (the end walls not being illustrated in the drawings). The heater illustrated comprises tubes 13 which are straight throughout the major portion of their length and extend parallel to the flue, as :indicated in Fig. 1. The upper and lower ends of the tubes are received in openings in lower and upper parallel plates or

tube sheets

14 and 15, respectively, which extend at an angle to the straight portion of the tube and preferably at substantially o thereto and to the Hue. It will, of course, be understood that the tube sheets may be formed of a single piece or of a plurality of pieces which are suitably secured together as by rivets or welding.

Preferably, the tubes are bent at their upper and lower ends, as at 16 and 17, so that they enter the tube sheets at substantially right angles thereto. Preferably, the tubes of one row are staggered with respect to the Serial No. 222,277.

tubes of an adjacent row, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the tubes preferably being stagu gered throughout both their straight and bent portions. The tubes are secured to one of the tube sheets and here illustrated as the upper tube sheet in Fig. 1 which illustrates the position of the air heater as originally installed. The tubes may be secured at their upper ends by expanding them into the openings of the upper tube sheet, the lower ends of the tubes being unexpanded or at least only lightly expanded so that they are slidable in the lower tube sheet 14.

The inlet for the hot gases is indicated at 18, from which they flow upwardly through the tubes of the air heater and leave the air heater through the outlet flue 19. The air, in the embodiment illustrated, enters the heater through the inlet ue 2O and flows across and downwardly along the tubes of the air heater and leaves the heater at the outlet flue 21.

The air heater is supported by suitable members, here illustrated as I-beams 22, spac-y ing and

tension members

23 and 24 being provided for the tube sheets at the sides of the air heater, the ends of which engage the upper tube sheet and the lower tube sheet. respectively. Preferablv, one of the walls .191 of the outlet flu'e (see Fig. 2) is disposed between the upper tube sheet 15 and the flange of the associated I-bea1n 22, while a portion 181 of the walls of the inlet iue 18 is located below the lower tube sheet 14 and the spacing members or

bars

23 and 24. Preferably, the upper end of the spacing bar 23 is cut away at one corner, as at 2 5, (see Fig. 2) to engage a horizontal portion of the tube sheet 15 and the end of the wall 191 of the Hue, while the lower end thereof is formed with an angle, as at 26, to engage not only the hori zontal portion of the tube sheet 14, but to engage also an inclined portion thereof.

The

spacing bars

23 and 24 are clamped both to the upper tube sheet 15 and the lower tube sheet 14 by U-bolts 29 which are preferably arranged at an angle tothe vertical, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and so arranged as to retain the member 23 and the tube sheets in fixed relation. The upper U-bolts 29 preferably pass through openings in the spacing bars 23 and through the tube sheet 15, the Wall 191 of the outlet fiue and a flange of the I-beam 22, while the lower U-bolt passes through the lower wall 181 of the inlet flue and the lower tube sheet 14. By inclining the U-bolts 29, in the manner best illustrated in Fig. 2, the spacing member 23 is held in fixed relation to the

tube sheets

14 and 15. By inclining the upper bolt 29 in the manner illustrated. there is not only a vertical component but a horizontal component which tends to force the spacing plate vertically against the tube sheet 15, and to torce it horizontally to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, against the end of the tube sheet. Similarly, by inclining the lower U-bolt 29, the inclined lower end ot' the plate 23 is forced against an inclined portion of the tube sheet 14, thereby maintaining the tube sheets and the spacingplates in fixed relation. Similarly, the U-bolts at the right of the air heater maintain a fixed relation between the plate 24 and the tube sheets.

Preferably, panel plates 28 are placed in front of the insulatin layers or panels 27.

In operation, the tu es of an air heater are subjected to expansion and contraction, particularly when they are washed as by steam or water, and the lower ends of the tubes in an air heater as originally installed and as illustrated in Fig. 1 are free to slide through the openings in thelower tube sheet 14. AIn asmuch as the

spacing members

23 and 24 are not subjected to the conditions which bring about a variation of temperature in the tubes,-

the

tube sheets

14 and 15 are, in practice, maintained in substantially fixed spaced relation.

Preferably, the upper and

lower tube sheets

14 and 15 are of the same form and sizeand are arranged in parallel relation. In operation, the outlet ends or the cold ends of the tubes of an air heater are generally more quickly corroded than the entering end or the hot end of the tubes. This condition is brou fht about by the fact that products carried y the gases, such as acid fumes, are condensed in the cold end, whereas the tempera-- ture at the hot end of the tube is sufficiently hi h to prevent such condensation.

ow,.when the upper ends of the tubes of the air heater become corroded, it may be reversed by turning it about the horizontal transverse axis. This is preferably accomplished by removing the nuts from the U- )olts at the lower end of the air heater, removing the forward and rear casing, and then removing the nuts of the U-bolts at the upper end of theair hea-ter. The air heater may then be reversed by turning it about thehorizontal transverse axis and replacing the U- bolts and their nuts together with the sides ont' the casing. Whatwas originally the upper tube sheet 15 is now the lower, and the lower ends of the tubes are secured in this tube sheet, as illustrated in Fig. 4, while the upper iff-lanas ends thereof are free to slide in the openings in the upper tube sheet 14.

By the provision of the spacing bars between the tube sheets and the means 'for securing them thereto, the air heater may be reversed as a unit without interfering with the permanent structure surrounding the air heater. IVhen the parts are in the position illustrated in Figjl, the spacing bars 23 serve merely as spacing members, and support the lower tube sheet only. Then, when the air heater is reversed, and occupies the position illustrated in Fig. 4, the spacing bars 23 serve as tension members to support not only the lower tube sheet in which the tubes are expanded hard, but also support the tube heating surface ot the air heater. At the same time, by expanding the tubes hard in one of the tube sheets, and giving them a sliding lit in the other tube sheet, the tubes are individually iree to expand and contract, as they are called upon to do under washing operations, and without distortion or injury to the air heater itself.

Vhile I have illustrated one embodiment ot my invention, it will be understood that various modifications could be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention or exceeding the scope of the claims. For example, while I have illustrated the ends of the spacing members as being secured to the tube sheets by U-bolts, it will be understood that the ends of these spacing members could be welded or otherwise secured to the tube sheets in order to maintain them in fixed spaced relation.

It will be apparent that the life of an air heater may, in accordance with my invention be greatly increased as compared with the ordinary air heater which cannot be reversed in position.

I claim 1. In a fluid heater, fixed members, tube sheets each provided with a plurality of tube openings, tubes secured at one end in the openings in one of said tube sheets and at their other ends slidably received in the openings of the other tube sheet, spacing bars extending between the tube sheets and arranged longitudinally of the air heater, one end of one of said spacing bars being cut away to receive the end of a tube sheet andthe other en d thereof being inclined to engage an inclined portion of the opposite tube sheet, and U-bolts passin through said bars and said tubesheets and--arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis oi said bars, and so arranged as to clamp the ends of the spacing bars into engagement both vertically and horizontally with the associated tube sheets.

2. In an air heater, similar parallel tube sheets of substantially the same shape and size each provided with openings, tubes secured at one end in the openings of one tube sheet and slidably received in the openings of the other tube sheet, spacing bars extending between and attached to said tube sheets, a fixed member independent of said spacing bars, and means for supporting said bars from said fixed member.

3. In an air heater, similar parallel tube sheets of substantially the same shape and size each provided with openings, tubes secured at their upper ends in the openings of the upper tube sheet and slidably received in the openings of the lower tube sheet, spacing barsextending between and attached to said tube sheets, a fixed member independent of said spacing bars, and means for supporting said bars from said fixed member.

4f. In an air heater, similar parallel tube sheets of substantially the same shape and size each provided with openings and inclined to the horizontal, tubes substantially vertical throughout the maj or portion of their lengths and bent at their ends to enter the openings of said tube sheets at substantially right angles thereto, the tubes being secured in the openings of one tube sheet and slidable in the openings of the other tube sheet, spacing bars extending between and attached to said tube sheets, a fixed member independent of said spacingbars, and means for supporting said bars from said fixed member.

5. In an air heater, similar parallel tube sheets of substantially the same shape and size each provided with openings, tubes secured at one end in the openings of one tube sheet and slidably received in the openings of the other tube sheet, spacing bars extending between and attached to said tube sheets, a fixed member independent of said spacing bars, and means for supporting;` said bars from said fixed member, the tubes being subjected to greater corrosive action at one end than at the other.

6. In combination, an air heater, a casing forming a flue in which said air heater is located, similar parallel tube sheets of substantially the same shape and size each provided with openings, tubes secured at one end in the openings of one tube sheet and loosely received in the openings of the other tube sheet, spacing bars extending between and attached to said tube sheets, a fixed member independent of said spacing bars, and means for supporting said bars `from said lixed member.

GEORGE J. HEIMBERGER.