US1927259A - Automatically operative valve - Google Patents

Description

Sepia 19, i933, R, J. DOUGHERTY 1,927,259

AUTOMATICALLY OPERATIVE VALVE Filed June 18, 1928 FI J I JZ 9 `I VSN V rJ0 Patented Sept. 19, 1933 PATENT OFFICE.

1.927.259 'AUTOMATIGALLY orEnATlvn VALVE Robert J. Dougherty, Ambler, Pa., signor to John Wood Manufacturing Company, Conshohocken, Pa., a corporation Pennsylvania Application June 18,1928. sei-m1 N6. 236,087

1 claim. (ci. la7-'153)' i The improvement in flow-controlled gas water heaters disclosed in this case is claimed in my copending application Serial No. 364,600 llled May 20, 1929.

5 My invention is particularly applicable to gasfred water heaters such as described in application Serial No. 171,237 filed February 26, 1927 by Victor Mauck for Letters Patent of the United States, and particularly a house heating system including such a heater with thermostatically controlled valves such as described in Victor Maucks application Serial No. 187,590 led April 29, 1927 for Letters Patent of the United States.

Such heaters include cellular units comprising congeries of primarily cylindrical thin copper tubes, the ends of which are expanded and soldered together, so that the tubes alford passageways for products of combustion to heat water contained in the space around said tubes. In such heating systems, it is necessary to forcibly circulate the water to prevent accidental overheating of the soldered portions of such units and consequent disintegration thereof, and it is preferable to eect such circulation by an electrically operated pump. However, such pumps are of course, liable to be rendered temporarily inoperative by abnormal condition of their supply circuit, ror instance, by the blowing of a fuse. Unless means are provided to practically instantaneously shut oi the supply of gas to the burner of such a water heater upon cessation of operation of the means for circulating the Water, serious I damage to the heater may result, for, at its maximum consumption of gas, such a burner is capable of melting the solder :from the joints in the portiono'f such a heater unit adjacent the burner in approximately ten seconds after cessation of operation of the pump.

l have not been able to nd upon the market any thermostatically controlled means for shutting off the gas supply to such a burner Within the time thus limited. Therefore, the general purpose and eiect of this invention is to provide means which are practically instantaneously operative to shut oi or shut down to a minimum, the supply of gas to a burner as the consequence of cessation of operation of a pump embodied in such a heating system as above contemplated. However, it is obvious that my invention is of more general application and, therefore, I do not desire to limit myself to the specic embodiment thereof herein described.

As hereinafter. described, lmy improved valve includes a disk in cooperative relation with an annular seat and held between two metallic bellows which are subjected to internal pressure from respectively opposite sides of the pump; said valve being held off its seat to permit the flow of gas thru the latter when the pump is not operating but being closed upon its seat to 00 shut off the supply of gas, when the pump is operating.

My invention includes the various novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter'more denitely specified. 05

In said drawing; Fig. I is a longitudinal sectional view' of an automatically operative valve embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a diagram showing the essential elements of a gas-fired water heating system embodying elements with which said valve is adapted to cooperate to control the supply of gas to the heater burner.

Referring to Fig. I; the cylindrical-tubular casing 1 has gas ports 2 and 3 extending thru its side 75 wall at respectively opposite ends thereof, and the annular valve seat 5 intermediate of said ports, in cooperative relation with the valve disk 6 which is normally held oi its seat by the corrugated cylindrical tubular bellows 7 and 8, which extend 80 upon respectively opposite sides thereof in coaxial relation therewith. Consequently, said casing 1 normally establishes communication between said gas ports 2 and 3 thru said seat 5. The outer ends 85 of said bellows 7 and 8 are respectively rigidly connected with plugs 9 and l0 which have screw threads 1l and l2 respectively engaging the opposite ends of said casing 1. The inner ends of said bellows 7 and 8 are respectively rigidly con- 90 nected with disk heads 14 and l5. Said head 15 has the screw threaded socket 17 for axially adjustable and detachable engagement with the stem 18 of said valve disk 6 so that the latter is rigidly connected with said bellows head 15. Said valve 6 has the axially opposite stem 19 tted in the seat 20 in the bellows head 14; so that said valve disk 6 is resiliently supported in coaxial relation with its annular seat 5 but is axially adjusted so that it is normally held off said seat, as shown.

As hereinafter described, said bellows 7 is subjected to internal pressure by water from the intake conduit 22 of the pump 23, shown in Fig. II, whereas, said bellows 8 is subjected to internal 705 pressure by water from the discharge conduit 24 of said pump; so that when said pump is operating, the internal pressure in the b ellows 8 exceeds that in the bellows 7 and the valve disk 6 is closed upon its seat to thus shut off communication besaid casing.

Referring to Fig. H; 26 indicates the main gas burner of the heater above contemplated, which is supplied with gas thru the conduit 27, and the function of said valve 6 in the embodiment shown in Fig. II is to stop the supply of gas thru said conduit 27 when said pump 23 is for any reason stopped.

The conduit 28 leads from a municipal gas main or other source of fuel gas under pressure and is connected with the casing 29 below the seat 30 for the main diaphragm valve 3l, which is carried by the flexible diaphragm 32 so that it normally gravitates to closed position, to prevent the flow of gas thru said conduit 27 to said burner 26.

However, said gas conduit 28 is continually in communication with the gas conduits 33 and 34:, which are connected with said diaphragm valve casing 29 merely for convenience of assembly. Said conduit 33 leads directly to the pilot burner 35 which is normally lit. Said conduit 34'. leads directly to the port 2 in the automatic valve casing l aforesaid; so that the space at the right hand side of the valve disk 6 in Fig. I is continually directly connected with the gas supply conduit 28. llihe port 3 of said valve casing l is connected with said main diaphragm valve casing 29, above the diaphragm 3l in the latter, by the conduits 36 and 37; so that, when said valve 6 is open, which is its normal, idle, condition; said diaphragm valve 3l is subjected, upon both sides, to the normal pressure of the gas supplied thru the conduit 28, and is then held closed not only by gravity, but by reason oi the greater area ci said diaphragm 32 exposed to said gas pressure above thanbelow said seat 30.

Said gas conduit 37 is in. communication with the switch diaphragm casing 39 below the erdble diaphragm do therein, so as to normally uplift said diaphragm when the valve 6 is open. Said diaphragm 40 is operatively connected with the 'electric switch lever di which is in cooperative relation with the switch terminals d2 and 43 so that, when said diaphragm l0 lowers, said terminals d2 and t3 are permitted to come in contact and close the circuit between the conductors d5 and 46 to then energize the electric motor t7 which operates the pump 23.

lin order to automatically initiate the operation oi said main burner 26 and water pump 23; li provide the gas bleed pipe dit thru which the gas from the conduit 37 may escape into the conduit 34 leading to the pilot burner 35, under control oi' three thermostatically operative valves, to wit, nrst, the valve which has the thermostatic tube 5l. extending in the hot water hitting 52 oi the heater system; which valve is set to close at, say, 266 F. Second, the valve 5d having the thermostatic element 55, is adapted to close at some room temperature, say 76 F., and, third, the safety valve 57 having the thermostatic element 56 and adapted to close when the temperature local to the burner 26 falls below a predetermined degree. However, said thermostatic element 58 is adapted to maintain said valve 57 open whenever the pilot burner 35 is lighted so as to maintain the name 59.

in order to insure suiiicient gas pressure in said conduit 37 to uplift the switch diaphragm lo when the valve 6 is closed; i provide said main diaphragm valve 3i with a bleed port 69 thru which sucient gas is supplied to the conduit 37 to uphold said switch diaphragm i0 under normal idle conditions. i also prefer to include in said Y neonato tween the gas ports 2 and 3 at opposite ends of conduit 3'! a ntting 6l constrict the edective area o said conduit to such a degree to permit the now therethru oi the vole of gas admitted thru the bleed port 89, but oering sumclent resistance to the large volume of gasirom the conduit 36 to insure instantaneous closure of the diaphragm valvel A3l whenever said dierential valve 6 is opened.` Y'

The normal cycle of operation is as follows: If the temperature of the room in which said valve 5d is mounted falls below the temperature for which that valve is set; said valve 54 opens and, providing that the pilot burner 35 is lighted so that the valve 5'1 is held open, and that the temperature of the water in the system and in the container 452 is not above the critical temperature so that said valve 56 is open; the gas pressure below the switch diaphragm 4&0 is relieved by the escape of gas thru the bleed pipe 48 and' said diaphragm falls and edects the closure of the circuit 45, d6 of the electric motor 47 and thus starts operation oi the pump 23 to begin the circulation of water in the system. As

soon as such circulation is established, the dier ence in pressure of the water in the bellows 'i and a closes said valve 6, and gas now through said valve to the space in the casing 29 above the diaphragm valve 3l being thus stopped; said valve 3i is lifted by the normal gas pressure below it and gas is thus admitted to the main burner 26 thru the valve seat 30 in the main diaphragm valve casing 29. The gas thus supplied to the burner 26 is, oi' course, ignited by the flame 59 of the pilot burner 35, and the heater 63 continues to operate until either of the automatic control valves 50 or 5i is closed, respectively by rise of temperature of the water in the container 52 above the critical temperature, or rise of teinperature of the atmosphere in the room local to the valve 54.*-, Closure of either of said valves 5o or 5d stops the escape of gas from the bleed pipe et, and the gas admitted thru the bleed port 60 uplifts said switch diaphragm d6, breaking the circuit oi the motor d?- and stopping the operation of the pump. The instant the pump stops, said valve 6 (which has been held closed by the pressure of water incident to the operation of the punipJ ope full gas pressure above the main diaphragm valve 31 closing the latter and thus instantaneously stopping the supply of gas to the main burner 26 and thus preventing any danger of overheat ing and disintegrating the water containers 63 above the same.

However, although my improved automatically operative dierential valve was designed for inclusion in the complex system indicated in Fig. H; it is susceptible or use in other embodiments. Moreover, it may be so adjusted that it is normally shut and may be opened by difference oi pressure in the bellows and 8 instead oi being closed by difference in pressure in said bellows.

"therefore, i do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of construction, arrangement, or method of operation herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential fea tures of my invention, as deiined in the appended claim.

i claim:

in an automatically operating valve structure; the combination with a tubular casing having ports extending thru the circerence thereof thus admitting the transversely to the axis of the casing and in spaced relation; an annular valve seat rigidly connected with said casing, between said ports; screw plug closures respectively tted to the opposite ends of said casing; corrugated metallic bellows respectively rigidly connected at their outer ends to said screw plugs and having closure heads at their inner ends, and adapted to exclude the fluid in said casing from said bellows; a valve carried by and between said bellows heads and continually in contact therewith and tted to close on said seat and prevent communication between said ports; said bellows adapted to continually press said valve in respectively opposite directions; said plugs having fluid ports opening thru them into the respective bellows; whereby said valve is held stationary when the uid pressure in said bellows is substantially equal, and said Valve is shifted with respect to its seat when the uid pressure in one of said bellows exceeds that in the other; including an axial pivotal connection between said valve and one of said bellows heads; and a screw thread on said valve; whereby said valve may be freely rotated in continual contact with said head and is adapted for axial adjustment, independently of any fluid pressure.

ROBERT J. DOUGHERTY.

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