US2045507A

US2045507A - Instrument panel for closed liquid heaters

Info

Publication number: US2045507A
Application number: US698121A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry S Woodruff
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1933-11-15
Filing date: 1933-11-15
Publication date: 1936-06-23
Anticipated expiration: 1953-06-23

Description

June 23, 1936.

H. s. WOODRUFF INSTRUMENT PANEL FOR CLOSED LIQUID HEATERS Filed Nov. 15', 1933 M &

Page.

v Inventor:

Henna S.Wooi1-u1f,

His A ttor'neg.

Patented June 23, I936 UNlTED STATES INSTRUMENT PANEL FOR CLOSED LIQUID HEATERS Henry S. Woctlrufl', Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application November 15, 1933, SerlalNo. 698,121

4 Claims.

My invention relates to boiler indicators and particularly to an improved instrument panel for a boiler which is adapted for either the generatlon of, steam or the production of hot water.

For a steam boiler it is ordinarily necessary to provide for indication of the water level and the steam pressure in order that the boiler may be maintained in a safe operating condition. Otherwise the water level may become so dangerously low as to uncover the crown sheet or the steam pressure may become so dangerously high as to rupture the boiler shell. n the other.

ing system it is ordinarily necessary to provide for indication of the water temperature and of the hydrostatic pressure within the boiler in order to maintain the boiler in a safe operating condition. Otherwise the water temperature may reach such a dangerously high value as to create steam or the hydrostatic pressure may becoe either so extremely high as to rupture the boiler or so extremely low as to interfere with the proper operation thereof. Consequently, when the same boiler may be used at one time in a steam heating system and at another time in a hot water heating system, considerable dlfilculty arises in providing in any simple manner for the proper indication of the necessary boiler characteristics in each service.

It is the principal object of my present invention to provide an improved form of boiler indicating instrument arrangement which is readily convertible for indicating either the water level and steam pressure for steam heating service or water temperature and hydrostatic pressure for hot water heating service. My present invention is particularly advantageous in that only one set of instrument connecting openings are required in the boiler shell and the different indicating instruments connected thereto as required for both steam and hot water service are enabled to appear in proper registering relationship with the same openings in the enclosing cover. This is of special advantage where the boiler is enclosed within a heat insulating casing.

My invention is described and illustrated herein in its preferred embodiment and as applied to a boiler furnace of the type described in my copending application, Serial No. 676,651, filed June 20, 1933, but it is contemplated that the es sential characteristics of my invention may be applied with equal facility andadvantages in other embodiments and to other types of liquid heaters.

A Clear understanding of the .Z'il an J in which I carry out my invention and the advantageous results derived therefrom may be secured from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which: Fig. 1 is a front view of my improved boiler inis being used for the generation of steam,

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the instrument panel of Fig. 1 in its preferred embodiment showing the manner of mounting the elements thereof upon the wall of a boiler, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view along the line 33 of Fig. 2,v looking in the direction of the arrows as shown. I

Fig. a is a front view of the instrument panel as it appears when the boiler is being used for the production of hot water,

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation showing the manner of mounting the various elements of the instrument panel as it is shown in Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a. sectional plan view along the line @5 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows there shown.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2 of the drawing, it represents'a portion of the side wall of a steam and hot water boiler which is provided with an external layer it of heat insulating material and an overall sheet metal enclosing casing it.

An opening 82 is formed in the insulating material and the sheet metal casing i2 opposite an. instrument mounting plate It which is joined to the wall of the liquid heater by welding or other means as shown at M. A recess or depression i5, which in my preferred embodiment is in the form of a circular walled groove, is formed in the outer face of the mounting plate is. This recess is in communication with the interior of the liquid heater by means of threaded passages it and il in the mounting plate, which passages are in registry respectively with openings to and it in the wall of the liquid heater. The openings iii and 2t are so placed that they will be positioned.

in difierent horizontal planes respectively above and below the normal level of the water in the liquid heater when it is used for the production of steam. A transparent liquid level gage glass of well known design is placed over the recess ill strument panel as it appears when the boiler and is removably held in place bymeans of clampthe mounting plate to form a fluid-tight chamber within the recess iii.

A threaded passage 27 is provided through the upper portion of the instrument mounting panel l3 and in registering alinement with an opening 28 in the wall of the liquid heater. Mounted in the passage 21 is the connection bushing 25 of a vapor pressure and vacuum gage having a dial face 3! calibrated to indicate vacuum in inches of mercury and vapor pressure in pounds per square inch.

A separate sheet metal cover or panel 33, provided with a circular opening through which may protrude the pressure gage 3d and having a vertical slot provided therein in registering relation with the liquid level gage glass and groove is removably mounted on the plate it. This cover is removably held in place at the top by means ot the bezel ring 32 of the pressure gage and at the bottom by meansof a single screw 3% which ongages the instrument mounting plate so as to mount the panel 33 in predetermlned'alignment with the plate l3 with the edges of the panel 33 overlapping the edges oi the opening 62' formed in the casing i2, thereby substantially closing said opening as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6,

When the liquid heater is used for the generation of steam it will he filled with water to a proper height as indicated by the marker ill on the cover 33. A small portion of the water in the boiler will flow through the opening and pad-- sage ll into the chamber formed by the recess l5 and the liquid level gage glass 22 and the height of the water in this chamber may be observed on the gage glass as seen through the opening 3-35 in the cover. Vapor pressure in the chamher 35 will be equalized by means of the passage it and opening 20 the mounting plate and liquid heater wall. respective'iy.

When the boiler is to be used a hot water heating system, the boiler is completely filled with water and hence'the water level gage can serve no useful purpose. Therefore, in accordance with my present invention the water level gage glass 22 may be entirely removed from the boiler and a special form of L-shaped thermometer lid is provided to take the place of the water level gage glass. This thermometer to has the bulb leg thereof formed to fit inside of a special well ll which in turn is arranged to form a fluid-tight Junction with the openings ill and 25 formed in the boiler at the bottom end of the water level I groove l5. The indicating leg of the thermometer do is arranged so that the temperature calibrations thereon register within the slotted opening 35 formed in the cover plate 33.

A description will now be given of the manner in which my improved instrumentpanel may be converted to give. indication of hydrostatic pressure and of water temperature when the boiler is used for the production of hot water. Cover 3%. pressure gage 30, and gage glass 22 with its fastening means are removed from the instrument mounting plate. The bulb leg of a special L- shaped thermometer is then inserted into the thermometer well M which protrudes into the interior of the liquid heater through passage It in the mounting plate and opening 2| in the wall of the liquid heater and which is fastened in place by means of the threaded packing bushing 42 which is screwed into the passage H. The other end of the thermometer upon which isthe temperature indicating scale is held vertically in place by means of spring clips 43 which are secured to the instrument mounting panel by means of screws 44. A screw threaded plug 45 is then screwed into the passage IS in the instrument mounting panel to prevent escape of water from the interior 0! the liquid heater through the opening 20 in the liquid heater wall. An altitude or hydrostatic pressure gage 46 is mounted in the passage 21 in the instrument mounting plate by means of the screw threaded bushing 41, and is provided with a dial face 48 which is calibrated to read in feet pressure head. The instrument panel cover 33 is then mounted as previously described in connection with the use of the liquid heater as a steam generator.

The liquid heater will be completely filled with water and the thermometer kit which has its bulb submerged therein will be responsive to the temperature of the water which will be indicated on the thermometer scale as observed through the opening 325 in the cover The hydrostatic pressure gage t6 will be responsive to the pressure head within the boiler which will be indicated on the dial race do.

What I claim as new and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In combination a convertible steam and hot water boiler having a pair of aligned openings in a side wall thereof, one above and one below the boiler water line, and provided with a water level groove Joining said openings, a removable water level gage glass provided with removable fastening meansfor sealing the glass over said openings and groove, a heat insulating casing for the boiler provided with a removable panel in spaced apart relation with the boiler and having an open slot therein in registering relation with said water gage glass and groove,

2. A convertible steam and hot water boiler having an instrument mounting plate. on the exterior of a side wall thereof and provided with a plurality or interchangeable steam and hot water instrument mounting connections communicating with the interior of the boiler, one or more instruments mounted on said plate for indicating boiler conditions, a heat insulating enclosing casing for the boiler having a separately removable panel provided with separate openings for registering with said instruments and provided with means for mounting the panel in a predetermined spaced relation with said instrument mounting plate.

3. A convertible steam and hot water boiler having an instrument mounting plate on the exterior of a side wall thereof and provided with one or more interchangeable steam and hot water instrument mounting connections communieating with the interior of the boiler, a heat insulatlng enclosing casing for the boiler having an opening therein opposite said mounting plate, one or more instruments for indicating boiler conditions mounted on said plate and extending through said opening, a separately removable recessed instrument panel overlapping the edges of said opening and having separate instrument openings formed therein for registering with said instruments, and means for mounting said panel in a predetermined alignment with said instrument mounting plate to substantially'close the opening in said casing.

4. In combination, a convertible steam and hot water boiler having an instrument connection plate joined to the side wall thereof and provided with an opening communicating with the interior of the boiler, a heat insulating enclosing casing for the boiler provided with an openin: opposite said plate, a. separately removable panel overlapping the edges of said opening and provided with a vertical slot with the bottom thereof in registering relation with said opening in said plate, and an L-shaped thermometer having means for removably mounting the bulb leg thereof within the boiler through said opening plate and panel in registering relation with said slot in said panel.

HENRY S. WOODRUFF.