US1783030A

US1783030A - Kiln

Info

Publication number: US1783030A
Application number: US373398A
Authority: US
Inventors: Worden James Allen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1929-06-24
Filing date: 1929-06-24
Publication date: 1930-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 1947-11-25

Description

Ngv. 25, '1930. J. A. WORDEN 1,783,030

KILN

Filed June 24, 1929 2 Shoots-Sheet l 1N ENToR. /ma @a 01604:-, BY

Nov. 25', 193.0v

KILN

J. A. WORDEN `1,783,030

Filed June 24, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 24 Vl @UNI [NF4 n 'A INVENTOR.

)Ww *me A TTORNEYJ Patented Nov. 25, 1930 'PATENT OFFICE JAMES ALLEN WORDEN, 4OIE' ANTIGO, WISCONSIN KILN Application led June 24,

' 10 tions, and perfect drying and seasoning of the lumber does not result, and` checking is apt to occur.

In the present invention va closed circuit of air is utilized, and said air is heated'prior to its introduction into the kiln proper, and the hot air carying conduits are .gradually diminished in cross-sectional area away from the heating unit, and the flue vents into theV kiln proper are increased in. size as their distances from the heating unit increases, With the result that throughout the entire length of the kiln the heating medium is discharged into the kiln proper with as little pressure and temperature variance as is possible. Also, the cold air or return conduits increase in cross-sectional area toward the heating unit to'accommodate'the incoming cooled air and to maintain a constant pressure. Hence, through this arrangement, the present invention aims at the elimination of the abovementioned objection by maintaining a drying medium of a constant temperature and pressure in any portion of the kiln, whereby satisfactorily dried and seasoned lumber Will result. l

A further object of the invention is to rovide a lumber kiln which Will receive lum erloaded flat cars and which may be readily divided into individual compartments, if desired.` .i

A further object of the invention is to provide a lumber kiln which is of very simple construction, is relatively inexpensive to build 'and operate, is eflicient, is strong and durable, and is Well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view,

the invention consists of the improved kiln,-

and its parts and combinations asset forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

1929. Serial No. 373,338.

In the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters indicateV the same parts in all of the views: Y

Fig. l is a horizontal sectional view of the improved kiln;

Fig. 2 is a Cross-sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; i

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

, Fig. 4: is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 1 -4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring noW `more particularly to the drawings,it will appear that the numeral 8 indicates an enclosure mounted on foundation or supporting members 9 and forming the main kiln structure, said structure being" elongated and of a height sufficient to accommodate therewithin piles of lumber or lumber-piled flat cars. Vithin said kiln structure are one or more longitudinally extending platforms 10 carrying spaced car rails or tracks 11 on which fiat cars 12 are adapted to travel.

An enclosure 13 adjoins the main kiln structure and extends lengthwise of one side thereof. Vithin said enclosure 13 is a heating chamber 14 containing heating coils 15 through which a heating medium is circulated. One end Wall of the heating chamber is provided with a circular opening 16 in which is mounted a fan 17 enclosed bythe end portion of a hot air flue 18 which ter minutes at the heating chamber and sur'- rounds the fan opening 16.

As shown clearly in Fig. 1, the hot air flue 18 is formed with a 'right angular bend and the major portion of said flue extends transversely to the kiln structure at the in- 90 ner end thereof and below the platforms 10. Below each platform 10 is a longitudinally extending hot air conduit 19 and -said conduits open at their inner ends into the transverse portion of the flue 18. Said con- 95 duits 1,9, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, are relatively deep at their inner end ortions and the bottom members of said con( nits are inclined upwardly toward the rear or outer end of the kiln structure, whereby the conduits are of rearwardly decreasing depth, and the cross-sectional area of the same, of course, rearwardly decreases.

Each platform 1() is provided with spaced apart hot air outlet openings 20, and as shown in Fig. 1, the size of said outlet openings of each line is rearwardly increased.

rIhe result of the arrangement thus far described is that air is heated within the heating chamber 14 by the coils and the heated air is drawn out of the heating chamber by the fan 17 and is forced through the hot air flue 18, from whence it passes into the hot air conduits 19. At the front or ina ner ends of the conduits the pressure is the greatest, and therefore, smaller outlet openings 20 are required to discharge an adequate amount of hot air into the kiln proper. Also, within the forward end portions of said conduits enough heating medium must be retained to supply the remaining portions of the conduits, and hence said conduits are enlarged at their forward ends and gradually are reduced toward their rear ends. As the hot air passes through the gradually reduced portions of said conduits the pressure thereon decreases and the outlet openings 20 are progressively larger to discharge heated air into portions of the kiln proper. Also the supply of hot air within said conduits is gradually reduced and therefore the size of the conduits therefor may be reduced and the reduction in the size of the conduits will increase the pressure on the air therein. This arrangement, therefore, tends to equalize. as much as is possible, the amount, temperature and pressure of air admitted into the kiln throughout various portions of its length, whereby lumber within the kiln will be effectively dried and seasoned and will not check.

Between the platforms 10 and along the outer sides thereof are cooled air return conduits 21. which conduits are open at their tops, and their bottom walls are rearwardly or outwardly.l downwardly inclined, whereby the cross sectional area of each conduit 21 is gradually increased toward the rear end of the kiln. As shown in Figs. 3 and ai., the inclination or taper of the conduits 21 is exactly opposite to that of the conduits 19. As the air cools within the kiln it sinks and will enter adjacent portions of the conduits 21 as the circulation therein establishes a suction. Obviously, toward the rear of the kiln there is a greater amount of air to be accommodated by the conduits 21 for re'- turn, and hence the increase in their size. The conduits 21 open at their rear end portions into a transverse cooled air Aiiue 22 which underlies the rear end portions of the platforms 10, and said flue Q2 extends into the enclosure 13 with a right angularly bent i 1 f rein, and a Hue portion 22 enters a side of the heating chamber 14 opposite to the outlet side.

In the improved kiln, the principle of a closed circuit of a fluid is utilized and the circulation is kept active by the fan 17 which forces the heating medium from the chamber 14 into the flue 18 and conduits 19` and causes cooled air to be drawn into the conduits 21, and through the same and the fines 22 and 21 back to the heating chamber for reheating.

It will be noted that the front of the kiln structure` coincident with the platforms 10, is provided with hinged doors 23 to allow the passage of the flat cars 12 therethrough on the tracks 11. A plurality of flat cars having green lumber piled thereon may be received within the kiln, and each flat car is preferably stationed over an opening 20.

If desired, the interior of the kiln may be divided into separate compartments by means of canvas curtains 24, slidably depended at spaced intervals froml rods Q5. When not in use, said curtains may be pushed aside so as not to restrict longitudinal travel with- `in the kiln structure.

It is to be understood that the improved kiln is not to be limited only to the conditioning of lumber and forest products, but it may also be used for the drying of celutex and other organic and inorganic materials, as well as for the hydration and dehydration or conditioning of chemicals, minerals and other products and materials.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the improved lumber kiln is of simple and novel construction, and is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. In a kiln, an enclosure, a heating unit thereadjacent, an outlet flue, a return flue, said fines extending between opposite ends of said enclosure and the heating unit, and a pair of conduits extended between said lines and communicating with the same and with the interior of the enclosure, said conduits being oppositely tapered.

2. In a kiln, an enclosure, a heating unit thereadjacent, a warm air flue, a cooled air return flue, said flues extending between opposite ends of the enclosure and the heating unit and in communication with the latter', a warm air conduit extending lengthwise of the enclosure between said flues and communicating with the warm air flue, the crosssectional area of said warm air conduit being gradually decreased from the warm air flue to the return flue, said conduit also be.-

ing formed with spaced apart discharge openings increasing in size from the warm air flue to the return Hue, and a cooled air return conduit paralleling the first-mentioned conduit and connected with the return flue and being gradually increased in crosssectional area from the Warm air flue to the return flue, saidA cooledairconduit havin van the enclosure at 'any` o int; along elongated opening .to admit cooled air. rom rits length.

3. 'In' afkiln', enc osl'lre having an elongated platform therein, azheatin' -unit vadjacent said enclosure, Yafwa'rm air' ue, a cooled e' air return flue, said iiues extending"betweenv opposite ends 'of the' enclosureandutheheatl ing unit and in communication with; the lat`` ter, a warm air conduit underl ing said'platform ando ening at one end-,portion intov said warm a1r ue,'there being'spaced-apart discharge openings in said platform and conin size toward duit progressively'ncreasm thereturn Hue, said conduit vei'ng gradually decreased in cross-,sectional area toward said return'ue, and a cooledair flue on each side of said platform and havin' openings. therein for the admissi on- -0fj` coo edyairvfrom said enclosure, sald cooled an condults .extending between bothlues` and opening at their rear ends into said returnue at the opposite .end of the kiln from the'connections between the warm air ue'andwarmairconduit, and 25 said cooled. air conduits being gradually increased in cross-sectional area toward the return flue. Y l Y f 4. A lumber kiln, comprising an ,enclosure having an elongated, tracked platform therein, removable transverse partitions within said enclosure to divide the interior ofthe Y same into compartments, a heating unit adjacent saidfenclosure; awarm air flue, a cooled air return flue,saiduesextending between opposite ends offtheenclosure andthe heat- Y ing unit and yin communication with" thelat- D yform and opening lat; onej'en 'decreasedl in cross-sectional areatoward said returnflue, anda cooled air -flue'on each-side of'said platform and-having in zfor the admission :of cooled Aair from said"l enclosure, ysaidV cooled air conduits extending between both luesand opening at'thei'r rear ends into said return Hue and said oled air conduits being gradually increased in crosssectional area toward thereturn flue. In testimonyl whereof, I laiix my signature. JAMES ALLENl WORDEN.

openings there-