US1875711A - Centrifugal humidifier - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 6, 1932. w. L. DUDLEY CENTRIFUGAL HUMIDIFIER Filed Sept. 22, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l P 6, 1932- w. L.- DUDLEY 1,875,711

CENTRIFUGAL HUMIDIFIER Filed Sept. 22, 1926 2 Shee ts-Sheet 2 INVENTOR M/Mm 2131/0415) 0/ ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 6, 1932 UNITED' STATES PATENT, OFFICE" 3 WILLIAM LYLE DUDLEY, or SEATTLE, wasnmeron cnnrarruen. nunmrrmu' Application flled' September 22, 1928. Serial No. 187,025.

ventilation to properly humidify air, that. is,

add to the air sufiicient moisture to raise its relative humidity, or its absolute humidity to a degree where it is pleasant and healthful to the occupants of the building ventilated.

15 Dry air, or air lacking in proper moisture content, is deleterious to body tissues, as it extracts moisture from these tissues, giving rise to irritation of the membranes and a. feeling of bodily discomfort.

Recent investigations have shown that there is a range of relative humidities for given temperatures that tend to body'comfort.- Mechanical means are and have been ventilation have usually consisted of separate units of humidifier and an air distributing means, or fan. These separate units of air humidifier and fan are expensive. Each is designed separately for the purpose intended, are often fabricated by different manufacturers and occupy with their connections and auxiliaries considerable valuable space in the building. It is the object of my invention to combine the humidifier and fan into one unit to efi'ect extreme compactness, lower cost of manufacture by allowing the fabrication of the combined humidifier and fan unit by one manfacturer, decreasethe weight by the avoidance of duplicate parts, as for instance, the fan casing acts as a casing for both the fan wheel and humidifier, and

centralize the responsibility for satisfactory and properly distribute the water necessary employed to add moisture to the air to improve ventilating conditions. Such means as have heretofore been employed in mechanical for humidification that it may come into intimate and complete contact with the air passing through the fan. .Within the volute casing and exterior to the outer periphery I of the wheel in the path of the outflowing humidified air are placed zigzag plates, or eliminators, whose purpose is to remove the free moisture or minute drops of water from v the air before it is distributed for ventilating purposes. This free moisture, if not removed, is destructive to interior decorations,

and deposits on room furniture and fittings which is undesirable. These eliminator plates, as herein shown, are preferably laced vertically, although they may be place horizontally or at an angle and within the easing or an extension thereof. Water, ref erably in the form of a mist, is intro uced at the eye, or inlet, of the fan, or within the casing orboth, depending on the degree of saturation desired, and is carried by the air entering the wheel through the 'wheel and into the casing in the form of mist or finely divided water particles.

The air, being in intimate contact with the water mist in the interior of the casing, has its absolute humidity increased providing it is not saturated at the dry bulb temperature at which it asses through the fan.

There is aheat ,exc ange between the air and the water due to the change of state fromwater to water vapor as the air tendsto become saturated, and heat is extracted from-the air and the dr bulb temperature of the air is lowered. ere two purposes are realized, the absolute humidity of the air is increased and atthe same time its dry bulb temperature is lowered. The lowerin of the dry bulb temperature is very desira Is for cooling in the-summer and for various in{ dustrial purposes- The increase in humidity is desirable for comfort and for certain industrial purposes.

A still further object is to provide means for washing the air in such manner as to remove a large percentage of dust and dirt.

In accomplishing the various objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms :00

of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein-- Fi ure 1 is a perspective view of a humidi er unit embodied by the present invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the same.

Figure 3 is a side elevation and partial sectional view of the device.

Referring more in detail to the drawings 1 designates the fan casing, of volute form, having acircular air inlet 2 at one side, which is located concentrically with respect to the axis of a fan 3 contained within the casing and operatively supported on one end of a driving shaft 4 which extends through the wall of the casing opposite the opening 2 and is revolubly supported in bearings 5 and 6 on a supporting base 7 that may be secured to the casing. A pulley 8 is fixed on the shaft between the bearings over which a belt may operate to drive the fan.

The fan used is of the multiple blade, turbine type which, in operation, draws in air through opening 2 and then forcibly discharges it through the outlet portion 9 of the volute casing. The blades 10 of the fan are fixed to a hub plate 11 that is keyed on the driving shaft 4. They are set at the proper angle to create suction through the opening 2 and to propel air from the casing through the outlet. The inner edges of the several blades lieon the surface of a cone which converges inwardly from the opening 2 and overlying these edges and secured to the blades is a screen 12 through which all air entering v the casing through the fan must pass.

' a pipe 24.

Located centrally of the opening 2 is a spraying device, or nozzle, 15, by means of which a spray of water may be discharged in all directions against the screen. This spray device is connected by means of a pipe 16 with a centrifugal pump 17 which is driven by an electric motor 18 to forcibly deliver water to the spray. A supply of water for this purpose is maintained in a sump or basin 19 that is provided as a part of the casing and which is connected by means of a pipe 20 with the pump. An outwardlydirected, conical flange 21 is provided about the opening 2 and this has an inwardly directed conical flange 22 fixed thereto and extending within the outer periphery of the screen, as shown in Figure 2, to catch or collect water that is cast outwardly from the fan, and water so collected is delivered to the lower part of the casing and flows back to the sump through Located within the outlet 9 of the casing is .a plurality of vertically fixed, and spaced apart eliminator plates 25 against which the air impinges as it is driven from the fan.

and these prevent direct passage of air and function as baflies to collect and remove free moisture or drops of water from the air.

about its outer side.

The water that is thus collected flows into a transverse trough 30 across the base of the outlet and is delivered by a pipe 31 into the sump 19.

The fan casing in its volute form provides an airway, or passage of increasing proportions from the inlet to the outlet of the easing and the intaken air passing through the water distributing means in the inlet is thereby caused to expand during its travel to the outlet and while in intimate contact with the water particles carried from the distributing means. This increase in proportions, or dimensions, of the airway incidentally slows up the speed of the air current thereby increasing the time of contact of air and atom ized water to thus give added efficiency to the system.

In use, the pump operates to deliver water, in the form of a fine spray, onto the screen mesh 12 supported by the revolving fan; This water spreads out in a thin film allowing intimate contact with the air in passing through the mesh and fan wheel blades, increasing the ability of the air to absorb moisture in its passage through the wheel.

In this arrangement the air also absorbs moisture by passing through the spray or cated. in dotted lines in Figure 2,and which connects with the water pipe 16.

It is readily apparent that changes in de- I tails of construction, such as position of the sump, the pump and motor and water connections, could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and also that the means of operating the fan could be altered to meet special conditions, and for this reason, I do not wish to be limited only to the device as herein illustrated.

It is further to be understood that the fan need not be confined to the exact form shown. It may be conical, cylindrical or fiat and the screen may be located within it, as shown, or Also; the eliminator 25 may also be located in the fan housing or at some distance from the fan.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination, a volute fan casing having an air inlet at one side and an outlet at the end, a fan wheel, having blades in circular arrangement, mounted within the casing and alined with said air inlet and revoluble to draw air into the casing through the inlet and to forcibly discharge it through said outlet, a screen fitted to the inner edges of said fan blades and through which all air must pass in entering the casing, a spray device mounted adjacent the air inlet to deliver water in a fine spray or film against the fan and through which all air entering the casing must pass, and eliminator plates mounted in "the. outlet for collecting free moisture from the air in passing.

2. In combination, a volute fan casing having an air inlet opening at one side and'a discharge opening at the end, a fan driving shaft extended int-o the casing concentric of the air inlet, a fan Wheel fixed on the shaft having its blades arranged circularly with their inner edges lying in the surface of a cone, a screen fixed to the inner edges of the blades and through Which the air must pass in entering the casing, a spray device mounted adjacent the air inlet for delivering water in a fine spray against the screen, eliminator plates mounted in the outlet for collecting free moisture from the air in passing, a sump for containing a Water supply, means for conducting Water, discharged from the fan and collected by said eliminators, into the sump, and a pump operable to supply the spray device with Water from the sump.

Signed at Seattle, Washington this 16th day of July, 1926.

WILLIAM LYLE DUDLEY.

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