US1948278A

US1948278A - Spray forming and air conditioning device

Info

Publication number: US1948278A
Application number: US657500A
Authority: US
Inventors: Raymond L Payne; Glen E Marica
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1933-02-20
Filing date: 1933-02-20
Publication date: 1934-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 1951-02-20

Description

Feb. 20,1934. R. PAYNE ET AL I 1,943,278

SPRAY FORMING AND AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE Filed Feb. 20, 1933 amen W Raymond L .pay/ye. 6/622 5. Mar/ta.

Patented Feb. 20, 1934 PATENT: orrlcr.

SPRAY FORMING AND AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE Raymond L. Payne and Glen E. Marie Denver, Colo.

Application February 20, 1933. Serial No. 657,506

10 Claims. (Cl, 261-432) This invention relates to improvements in air conditioners and humidifiers of the type employed in connection with heating and ventilating systems.

In our copending application, Serial No. 604,714, filed April 12, 1932, for which this application is a continuation in part, we have shown and described a device of a similar nature and this invention shows, in addition to the invention illustrated and described in the application above identified, a modified form.

In the heating and ventilating of buildings it is customary to condition the air by increasing its humidity to a certain desired point, and this is accomplished by means which provides a spray through which the air is passed.

It is also customary to condition the air in summer for the purpose of reducing its temperature and the device which forms the subject 01. this invention can also be used for this purpose.

In bakeries and other places where a high degree of humidity is desirable, it is necessary to employ an air conditioning device which may be placed in the room and disassociated from the heating and ventilating system or associated with the latter as may be desired.

It is the object of this invention to produce a simple and substantial device of the class described, which shall be so constructed that it will form a very fine spray or mist through which the air may pass so as to increase its humidity to any desired point.

Another object of this invention is to produce a device that shall operate with a minimum amount of energy and therefore at a minimum cost.

A further object of this invention is to produce a device which shall dispense with the use of pumps for producing the spray and which will also dispense with the use of spray devices having small openings that are liable to stop up due to accumulation of dirt and chemicals.

Another object of this invention is to produce a device of the class described which shall be provided with means for reducing the noise of operation to a minimum.

A still further object of this invention is to produce a device of such construction that a spray of sufiicient magnitude and fineness can be produced for completely saturating the air or gases.

Although this invention is intended primarily for the purpose of conditioning air for ventilating and heating purposes, it can also be employed for wash'ng gases, for removing solubles therefrom, and for any similar purpose.

The above and other objects which may appear as this description proceeds are attained by a construction which, brieflydescribed, consists of a trough or narrow tank which is adapted to receive a supply of water or other liquid and in which a disk or wheel extends. This disk or wheel is rotated at such a speed that any liquid adhering to its surface will be thrown oil by centrifugal force so as to produce a spray, means is provided for admitting water into the trough at such a rate that when the disk is turning, the level of the water in the trough will be reduced to such an extent that it will extend only a slight distance upwardly on the periphery of the disk and the friction between the sides of the disk and the water will thereby be decreased to a mini- Having thus briefly described the invention and its objects, the same will now be described in detail, and for this purpose reference will be had to the accompanying drawing in which the preferred embodiment thereof has been illustrated, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the improved mechanism that forms the subject of this invention;

Fig; 2 is a section taken on line 2--2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4, Fig. 2, and shows the relationship of the trough, the wheel and the tube through which the water is introduced and discharged against the surface of the wheel; and

Fig. 5 is a view showing a slightly modified form of wheel from that illustrated in Fig. 4.

In the drawing reference numeral 1 indicates the floor or other surface on which the apparatus is supported and 2 represents the jacket of a furnace to which the device is connected. The humidifying and conditioning device consists of a. tank or pan having a bottom 3 and walls 4 and sides 5. The tank is preferably provided with a supply pipe having a control valve 7 through which the water is admitted and the level of the water is maintained at the height desired by means of an overflow pipe 6. the top of which determines the normal water levelin the tank. Resting on suitable supports 8 are one or more troughs 9 which are of the general shape shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Mounted for ro-= tation above the troughs is a shaft 1Q. This shaft is preferably directly connected with a motor l1 and has secured to it wheels or disks 12, there being one wheel or disk for each trough. In the form illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the wheel secured to shaft 10 is provided with a V-shaped rim 13 which is perforated as indicated by reference numerals 14. The wheel itself is preferably made from sheet metal and secured to the hub 15 as shown inFig. 4. EX- tending through an opening in the wall of the trough is a tube 16 which terminates close to the surface of the wheel and since this tube is located below the normal water level in the tank, water will flow through this tube and be discharged against the surface of the wheel from which it will flow into the concave inner surface of the rim whereit will be thrown outwardly by centrifugal force and will pass through the openings 14 and be transformed into a spray. The tube 16 is provided with a valve member 17 that can be adjusted so as to regulate the amount of water flowing through the tube and for the most economical operation this is adjusted so that the rate at which the water is admitted is slightly less than the rate at which it is removed from the trough by the action of the wheel, andin this manner the water level in the trough will be maintained, just slightly above the apex of the rim and the friction that would result from the contact of the rotating wheel' with the Water, will be reduced to a minimum. By removing the water almost completely from the trough during operation, the amount of energy necessary for operating the device is reduced to a minimum, as the only friction to be overcome is that of the bearings and the very small friction between the water and the edge of the rim.

' In some cases it is desirable to cover the upper surface of the wheel with a wire screen 18 whose function is to' breakup the water particles and to increase the fineness of the mist or spray produced.

When the device is employed for conditioning air for a hot air heating system, as shown in Fig. 1, the upper surface of the tank is enclosed by a housing 19, through which the air may pass. Interposed between the sprays and the jacket of the furnace is a moisture eliminating device which'has been indicated in its entirety in Fig. 1 by reference numeral 20. The moisture eliminator is shown in horizontal section in Fig. 3, from which it will be seen that it consists of a plurality of zig zag plates 21 arranged in parallel relation. At the discharge ends each plate is provided with. a hook 22 whose function is to catch the moisture particles and perrnit them to return to the tank. I

The other end of the housing is connected by means of a flexible connector 23, which may be made of canvas or similar material, with the discharge port 24 of a rotary fan whose housing has been indicated by reference numeral 25.

A motor 26 is connected. to the fan by means of a belt 27 or may be directly coupled thereto. Numeral 28 designates a return flue through which the cool air returns from the rooms and is recirculated for the purpose of reheating. When the device is used in bakeries or other places where humidity is to be maintained-in the absence of the heating system, the housing may be dispensed with and the finemist thrown directly into the air of the room and the mist air will be distributed by the natural currents present.

In Fig. 5 a slightly modified form of wheel has been shown in which a center disk 34 is provided on opposite sides with frusto-oonical surfaces 35 which are perforated as indicated by 7,, reference numeral 36. Water is introduced into attained and where a large volume of air is to the interior of this rotating wheel by means of tubes 16 in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 4. The form of device shown in Fig. 5 is desirable where complete saturation is to be be'treated.

Attention is called to the fact that the edge of the disk 34 projects outwardly beyond the surfaces of the frusto-conical rims and the edge of the-disk serves to remove the water from the trough so as to reduce the friction.

We are aware that troughs have been shown in combination with rotating disks, but in some instances these troughs are made of wire screen and are located underneath the liquid level and their function is merely to limit the disturbance of the water and'they do not serve to reduce the friction in the same'manner as in this device. In other cases where, troughs are employed, the wheel associated with the trough either rotates so slowly that the liquid level is not decreased, or else the water is introduced into the trough at such a rate that the level remains substantially constant and the decrease in the frictional resistance which is attained by means of the construction and the relationship of the parts shown in the drawing and description herein is not attained.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is? 1. A humidifier and air conditioner comprising, in combination, a pan "adapted to contain water, a housing for the top of the pan, a trough extending transversely of the pan, a shaft extending across the trough and mounted for rotation, a water distributing wheel secured to the shaft to rotate therewith and extending into the trough,

said wheel having a hollow rim provided with openings, "and means for delivering water from the pan to the inside of the rim whereby when the wheel is rotated, the water will be moved against the inside of the rim and forced through the openings therein by the action of the centrifugal force.

2. A humidifier and air conditioner comprlsing, in combination, a pan adapted to contain water, means for maintaining the water ata predetermined level, a housing enclosing the top of the pan, means for producing a flow of air through the housing, a trough located in the pan, a shaft located above the trough, said shaft being mounted for rotation, a water distributing wheel secured to the shaft and projecting into the trough, the wheel having a hollow rim provided with openings, and a tube extending through the wall of the trough and terminating within the hollow rim at a pointbetween the shaft and the .means for maintaining the water at a predetermined level, a housing enclosing the top ofthe pan; means for producing a flow of air through the housing, a trough located in the pan, a shaft located above the trough and extending across the same, said shaft being mounted for rotation,

a water distributing wheel secured to the shaft and projecting into the trough, the wheel having 5 end of the housing for separating the water particles from the air.

4. A humidifier and air conditioner comprising, in combination, a pan adapted to contain water, means for maintaining the water at a predetermined level, a. housing enclosing the top of the pan, means for producing a flow of air through the housing,.a trough located in the pan, a shaft located above the trough and extending across the same, said shaft'being mounted for rotation,.a

, water distributing wheel secured to the shaft and projecting into the trough, thewheel having a hollow rim provided with openings, a tube extending through the wall of the trough and terminating within the hollow rim at a point between the shaft and the inside of the rim for transferring water from the pan to the inside of the rim, whereby when the wheel rotates the water will be moved against the inside of the rim and forced outwardly therethrough by the action of the centrifugal force, thereby producing a spray that extends transversely of the housing, a water separating device at the discharge end of the housing for separating the water particles from the air, and a screen surrounding the wheel for breaking up the large particles of water that are thrown off by the wheel.

5. A device for producing a water spray-comprising, a tank adapted to contain water, a housing enclosing the top of the tank, means for producing a flow of air through the housing, a trough located in the tank, a shaft located above the trough and mounted for rotation, a wheel secured to the shaft and projecting into the trough, the wheel having a hollow rim provided with openings, means for rotating the shaft and wheel, and

means for delivering water to the inside of the rim whereby it will be forced against the inside of the rim and out through the openings therein when the wheel turns.

' 6. A device for producing a water spray comprising, a tank adapted .to contain water, a housing enclosing the top of the tank, means for producing a flow of air through the housing, a trough located in the tank, a shaft located above the trough and mounted for rotation, a wheel secured to the shaft and projecting into the trough, the wheel having a hollow rim provided with open ings, means for rotating the shaft and wheel, means for delivering water to the inside surface of the rim whereby it willbe forced against the inside of the rim and out through the openings therein when the wheel turns, and means at the delivery end of the housing for separating water particles from the air stream andreturning them to the tank.

7. A device for producing a water spray comprising, a tank adapted to contain water, a housing enclosing the top of the tank, means for producing a flow of air through the housing, a trough located in the tank, a shaft located above the trough and mounted for rotation, a wheel secured to the shaft and projecing into the trough, the wheel having a hollow rim provided with openings, means for rotating the shaftand wheel, means for delivering water to the inside of the rim whereby it will be forced against the inside of the rim and out throughthe opening therein when the wheel turns, and means at the delivery end of the housing for separating water particles from the air stream and returning them to the tank, said water separating means comprising a plurality of vertical,-spaced plates of zig zag cross section and held in spaced parallel position by means of a frame.

8. A humidifier and air conditioner, comprising, in combination, a pan adapted to contain water, a trough located in the pan-with its bottom below the normal liquid level in the pan, a shaft located above the trough and mounted for rotation, a water distributing wheel secured to the shaft to rotate therewith, the lower edge of the wheel extending into the trough, the wheel having a hollow rfmprovided with openings, and means for delivering water from the pan to the inside of the rim whereby when the wheel is rotated, the water will move against the inside of the rim and be forced through the openings therein by the action of centrifugal force.

9. A humidifier and air conditioner comprising, in combination, a pan adapted to contain water, means for maintaining the water at a predetermined level, a trough located in the pan, a shaft located above the trough, said shaft being mounted for rotation, a water distributing wheel secured to the shaft and projecting into the trough, the wheel having a hollow rim provided with openings, andv a tube extending through the wall of the trough and terminating within the hollow rim for transferring water from the pan to the inside of the rim whereby when the wheel rotates, the water will be moved against the inside vof the rim and forced outwardly through the openings therein by the action of centrifugal force.

10. A device for producing a water spray com- RAYMOND Li PAYNE. GLEN E. MARICA.-

.prising, a-tank adapted .to'contain; water, a

CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION.

February 20, 1954.

.Patent No. 1,348,278

It is hereby certified that error appears in-the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows 11g; Figure 4 should appear as 'showh below instead of Figure 6 as shown in the present drawing of the patent.

In the drawi and that the said. Letters Patent should be read mnthis common, therein that the same may conform to the record 'ofthe case in the Patent Office.

sm ae d sealed this 3rd dayof A ril; 1934.

EM. Hooking Acting Qommi-s eioner of fatente.

Q (Seal) I