US2046569A - Submerged water heater - Google Patents

Description

July 7, 1936. H. L. MADORIN SUBMERGED WATER HEATER Filed June 25, 1954 Patented July 7, 1936 barren STA-"rss PATENT QFFICE 11 Claims.

This invention relates'to a cleaning mecha` nism and tube arrangement for submerged'water heaters and the like.

submerged hot water heaters and like devices v for treating or conveying liquids are frequently arranged with a bank vof parallel conduit tubes. Such tubes generally communicate at their adjacent ends by means of headers or like chambers into whichthe tubes project and to which they areV secured. The header or chamber at one end of the bank of tubes is generally relatively accessible, but that 'at the other end is frequently in a treating chamber or otherwise inaccessible. Iff the treatedor conveyed liquid 1 5 such as water contains impurities, sludge, dirt, suspended matten'scale-forrnng material and the like, the impurities or scale formed settle not only in the tubes but also in the header chambers. My invention vcontemplates a ready and easily operable means for cleaning the tubes and acces-Y sible header or chamber, and also' the inaccessible header. It also contemplates an improved tube supporting arrangement.

It is an object of the invention to provide a cleaning device for lcleaning the, tubes'and' headers of a liquid conveying brtreatingunit such as a submerged hot water heater( It is a further object toprovide forV cleaning an inaccessible header inxsuch a unit by a mechanism having its controlling parts exposed and accessible for ready operation.` It is a further object to provide an improved tube support for the tubesv of a submerged hot Water heater or the like, to increase the rigidity of the structure. y y

.It is a further object lof `the invention to pro-4 vide a new and improved cleaning device for liquid conveying or treating units which may be readily and cheaply constructedwhich.may be easily and readily operated, but which is wholly durable and eicient in operation.

It is a further objectof the. invention to provide a cleaning devicewhich may bereadily 4 applied to the various existing types of sub- In the drawing wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout,

Fig. 1 is a section through one type of submerged water heater to which the invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a section through the accessible header along the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a section through the inaccessible header along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through a different type of submerged water heater to which the invention has been applied, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the accessible chamber of such modified form of heater, taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The invention has been shown applied to a water heater of the submerged type wherein one end of the tube bank and one header are within a boiler or the like and are submerged Within the water therein, as the cleaning problem with such devices has been particularly acute, due to the precipitation of the impurities in the Water being heated and because of the inaccessibility of the submerged header. The invention, however, has general applicability to all equivalent devices through which iiuids containing impurities are to be passed.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, plates IU and I2 represent the front and rear plates, respectively, of a boiler or the like adapted to contain hot water, as indicated at I4. The submerged water heater for heating water for washing, laundering, and similar purposes extends through the front plate of the boiler into the hot Water therein, as shown. The submerged heater comprises an inlet conduit I6 by which it communicates with the lower portion of a suitable hot water storage tank, not shown, a front exposed or accessible header casting I8, in-flow tubes'20 and 22, a rear inaccessible header 24, upper out-flow tubes 26, and an outlet conduit 28 by which the heater communicates with the upper portion of the hot water storage tank.

Suitably secured to the front plate I0 of the boiler, asby means of welding or the like, as in' dicated at 3B, is a circular ring member 32, internally tapered and threaded to receive the front header casting I8. The header casting is divided internally by a transverse wall 34, the shape of Which is best shown in Fig. 2. The transverse wall divides the header casting into independent lower and upper header chambers. 'I'he inlet conduit pipe I6 is threaded into the lower portion of the header casting I8 and communicates with the lower header chamber. In- flow pipes 20 and 22 also communicate with the lower header chamber extending therein through the rear side wall of the casting to which they are suitably secured .in fluid-tight manner, as by welding or the like. The out-flow tubes 26 extend through the rear side wall of the casting i8 into the upper header chamber, likewise being secured to the casting wall in a fluid-tight manner. The outlet conduit pipe 28 'is threaded into the top of the .header casting I8 and communicates with the upper header chamber.

The in-fiow andr out-flow tubes are in communication at their rear ends through the rear inaccessible header 24. The several tubes pass through the forward wall of the header to which they are secured in fluid-tight manner. .The header casting-24 is of circular cup shape; and threaded within its tapered rear portion is a plug member 3S.

'Formed in casting' I8 are two lugs 3l which contactV and thus support lower iii-flow tubes 2U throughout an appreciable portion of their lengths.

' Thev arrangement of the tubes with respect to one another is best shownin'Figs. 2 and As indicated, there are three'in-'flow and three outow tubes. The two lower iii-'flow tubes 28' below the transverse wall L34' infront header casting I8, and the three out-flow tubesZE above the wall are circumferentially arranged within the headers and with respect to the central iii-flow tube 22. The transverse wall 34 has an upward extension ad` jacent the in-ow tube 22, so that the tube is'in communication with the chamber below the wall; The several circumferentially arranged-tubes conyer'ge as they pass from the front to the rear header, as best indicated in Fig. l.

Threadedinto the forward wall of the front header casting yIt are plugs 33 and"38, there being six plugsin all, one for Veachtubaand each plugbeing in line vwith lthe vaxis of the tube with which it is associated. The central Vplug 38 vin linel with center in-ilow tube 2 2has a. central aperture. in which is journalled a rod 48, which passes through tube 22 and is journalled'at its rear end in a .centralbearng formed within the plug 36 .forthe rear header. VFluid is prevented from esacrank member 46 adapted to be hand operated,`

and'secured ,to the rod as by welding or the like at its rearfportion and Within thelrear inaccessible header 24 is a scraper blade 48. Asbest shown inFigs. 1 and 3, the scraper member 48 is notched Vat 56 longitudinally on both sidesvnear itsouterend, thereby forming three edges on the scraper end.y These edges are preferably serrated,l as indicated, vto facilitate their operating action. The operation of the device is asfollows:

Normally, Vwater to be heated isbrought fromY thegbpttom of the hot water storage tank into the submerged water heater through inlet conduit'l, from which itpasses 'intothelower'header chamber in the front'header', through .in-now pipes 24, through "outflow pipes' V26, through the upper headerV chamber in front header I8,

and to the top f the water storage tank tube 22 ldo`es= not `impair-.the heating kcapacity of this tube as the heat transfer takesplace alongV the tube surface with which the rod does not in/ terfere. Dirt, sludge and scale are precipitated out of the water during useinto the ,chambers vof the front header I8, the several tubes, andalso the rear inaccessible header 24. Y

By removing plugs 38 access may be had to the two chambers of the front header for cleaning and, these plugs being aligned with their respectivetubes, tube cleaners-maybe inserted inthe tubes for cleaning them. `Rotation of hand Acrank 46 rotates scraper blade 48 withinthe rearrinaccessible header "24. Thescraperblade during Arotationsweeps alongjthe `circumferentialwall of theinaccessible header land-along the ifaces of thev tubes,y thus efficiently loosening and cleaning dirt,l scale and the like from'the'rear header chamber. Dirt Whichaccumulates'within plug member 36 does no harm as longas sucient opening is kept' Within kthe rear header casting, kand such opening'will beinsured bythe `scraping action of the'scraper 48. The formation ofthe scraper e1rdfacilitates' the 4cleaning action, Vefficiently removing-.all'foreign'mattergregardless of its character. The'crank can"berotated either direction, so that if `the scraper shouldbecome jammed impurities do'not'tend to accumulate inquantities within the ifront header chambers or lthe tubes. Most `ofthe;precipitation and Yaccumulation occurs within the rear inaccessible header 24. This header may'becleanedf'by vmeans fmy invention, merely byrotating handcrank 46 without removal of plugs 38. By opening'asuitable drain valve inthe-pipes -I6, hot-waterfromrthe water storage tank may be flushed Areversely through the heater while the crank is being rotated l-to .facilitate vremoval 1 of the sediment dislodged by scraper148. 'lThe rotation of hander-ank 46 Without removaliof .plugs38 is van exceedingly simple operation, Nand .yet/.bylthis operation the most Y.inaccessible portion -ofV thedevice land the 60' portion thereofin .which dirt fand the like tend to accumulate vmost rapidly .may be Yefficiently cleaned.V Cleaning-'by :rotation of-crank 46 may befeiected often asdesirable and necessary.V

It is apparent Ythat the ,invention may bereadway of illustration toa .submerged :hot water 70 heater ofa-differentfform. `-In this Yembodiment walls lllr and I2 are v.the front and yrear walls ofthe boiler; asin the ncase ofthe embodiment shown'inFi'gs. 1,.2, and 3, andi numeral 'I4' indicates the not water within 'the'iboilen "The 75 submerged heater device for heating laundry water and the like is secured to front plate l0' and extends into and is submerged in part within the hot water I4 of the boiler. The submerged water heater comprises inlet conduit I6 and outlet conduit 28 as in the first described embodiment, and a front tube connecting casting 52 and a rear inaccessible header 54.v In this instance, however, but one in-flow tube 56 and one out-ow tube 58 are provided, and both the casting and the header are accordingly generally oval in shape, asbest indicated in Fig.- 5. The front casting 52 is bolted to the front boiler plate I0 by means of suitable bolts 60, which pass through a flange formed on the casting and are threaded into the boiler plate I0'. A suitable gasket 62 makes the connection Huid-tight. A transverse wall 64 is formed hori- Zontally within the casting, dividing it linto independent'lower and upper inlet and outlet chambers- In-ow tube 56 and out-flow tube 58 communicate with the lower and upper chambers respectively, through the rear side wall of the casting to which they are secured in a fluid-tight manner.' The tubes pass through the forward wall of inaccessible header 54, communicating with the interior thereof, and this header is closed at itsY rear portion by oval plate 66 secured to the open rear end of the header by means of bolts 68, a suitable gasket 'HJ being interposed between the parts to insure a iiuid-tight connection.

'I'wo plugs 12, similar to central plug 38 Vof the device shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, are threaded into the front wall of casting 52 in line with the axes of the tubes, and are apertured to receive operating rods 'HLV The'rods pass through the tubes and are journalled in the plugs and the plate 6B; and the bearing connection in the plugs is rendered iiuid-tight by means of packings 16 and supplemental pressure plugs 18, as in the device previously described. Secured to the rear of each rod 14, is a scraper blade having a cutting edge similar in formation to that of the Scraper blade hereinbefore described. A crank member 82 serves as the operating means for rotating the rods 14 and the Scrapers 80. In this instance the forward'ends of the rods are of square cross-section, the crank having a similarly Squared socket and being removably associated with the rods for individual operation of either.

In operation, the crank handle 82 is applied rst to one and then to the other of the rods 14, eachrod being in turn operated to rotate its associated scraper blade 48 to clean out the rear inacccesible header, as in the previously described embodiment of the invention. 'Ihis operation may be accompaniedby Vreverse ushing of hot waterl through the device to remove the sediment dislodged, or by the use of acid suitably ,injected through conduit 28', as may be desired. When it becomes necessary to scrape tubes 58 and 56, and clean the chambers in casting 52, access thereto may be had by removing plugs 12. However, it is necessary to clean in this manner only very infrequently as most of the sediment tends to lodge in the rear inaccessible header which may be cleaned by simple manipulation of the hand crank.

It will thus be seen that by the invention there is provided a ready and ecient means for cleaning devices through which liquids containing impurities which are precipitated are passed. The means for cleaning that portion of the device in which the impurities most readily accumulate may be easily operated without the removal or adjustment of any of the parts. The cleaning device may be cheaply and readily constructed, and is formed of a minimum of parts. It is durable and readily operable and yet wholly eicient in operation. When the cleaning arrangement is applied to a heater, the heating eiciency is in no way impaired. By keeping the heater clean of dirt and scale and the like, its heat transfer capacity is kept at a maximum at all times.

In conjunction with the cleaning arrangement in the embodiment of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, a supplemental support for the tubes has been provided which aids in supporting and strengthening the entire device. 'Ihis is of particular importance in connection with the cleaning mechanism which adds weight to the device and which in operation produces strains requiring a strong and rmassembly.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the specific embodiments of my invention which I have used for illustrative purposes and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise construction shown, but only as indicated in the following claims.

I claim:

l. In a water heating arrangement of the submerged type, a plurality of water conveying tubes, a boiler into which the tubes extend, a header within the boiler connecting the tubes at one end,- a casting into which the tubes are tted at their other end, a rotatable rod extending through said casting into the header, a scraper blade mounted on said rod within said header, said blade being formed and mounted for movement within the header through a path to conform to the header interior, and a crank for operating said scraper.

2. In a water heating arrangement of the submerged type, a boiler, a plurality of tubes extending into said boiler, a circular header connecting said tubes Within said boiler at a point remote therein from the boiler exterior, a rod journalled in said header and passing through the central portion thereof, a scraper member secured to said rod, said scraper member being arranged to move through a path closely adjacent to the circular interior of the header, and means for operating said rod.

3. In a device for treating fluids, a bank of tubes, a treating chamber into which said tubes extend, a front casting to which said tubes are secured exteriorly of said chamber, supporting lugs extending longitudinally of the tubes from the face of said casting having supporting contact with at least some of said tubes at the bottom thereof, means for securing said casting to said chamber, a relatively inaccessible header connecting said tubes within said chamber, and movable cleaning means within said header operable from the exterior thereof.

4. In combination with a boiler, a submerged water heater comprising a bank of substantially parallel tubes extending into said boiler, a casting to which said tubes are connected exteriorly of said boiler, means connecting said tubes within said boiler, lugs extending longitudinally of the tubes from the face of said casting for directly supporting at least some of said tubes at the bottom thereof, and means for securing the casting to the boiler.

5. In combination with an enclosed heating boiler; a water heater of the submerged type comprising a bank of heater tubes extending into the boiler; a header connecting said tubes within the boiler at a point therein remotely displaced from the boiler exterior; said header having a 75 tubesupporting-Wall, a plate" Wall displacexl there# from, and a connecting cylindrical wall; fa caste ing Vinto which said tubessprojectexternally of` the, boiler, removable plugs zin the casting in' alignment with theaxes'o'f the tubes; an elonv gated rotatable rodpassingthrough one of the tubes through the central portion off the header;v said rod beingjournalled near one end inone of said plugs-and having 'operating .means on said end and being J'ournal'ledat theother end in the header plate wall; and-aiscraper member mounted on therod within the'headerf'or sci-apf-y ing movement acrcssthe faces of the tubes andi along the cylindrical wallof the headers.

6. In combination with an enclosed heating boiler; a ,'water' heater; of the submerged type comprising a bank of heater tubes extending into the boiler; a headerconnecting said tubes within the boiler at a point therein-remotely displaced :from the Vboilerexterior: said header having a tube supporting wall,V a plate wall displaced there-v from, and a connecting cylindrical wall; a casting into which said tubes project externally of the* boiler, an elongated rotatable rod passing through the central portion of the header; said rod being journalled near one ,end in said casting and hav- Y ing operating means on said end and being jourf nalledat theY other end in the header plate wall;

` water heater ofthe submerged type comprising and a scraper member mounted on the'rodwithin the header for scraping movement across the facesof the tubes and along rthe cylindrical Wall of' the header.

'7. In combination with a heating boiler, .a

member mounted on the'rodV Within the headerV for scraping movement across the4 faces of the tubes and along the header walls. Y

8'. In a water heating construction, la heating' boiler, a'plurality of elongated, tubes extending into the interiorof' the boiler toa pointV inaccessible to and remote from the exterior thereof, a header connecting the tubes at such inaccessible point within the boiler, the Walls of said header defining a connecting passageway between the ends of the tubes of greater size than the cross section of the individual tubes, a cleaner member mounted Within the header for opera-- tive cleaning rrioiiem'ent within f said lpass'e'igewayl through a space'greater than the tube cross sec'- tion, and means for operatihgfthe:cleanerfromj Y outsidefthe boiler. Y Y,

Y 9, Ina Water' heating constructiom a heating boiler, a plurality o'faelongated tubes 'extending into the interior-of the boiler to aV point imac--` cessible to and remotev from the exterior thereof, ay header connecting the tubes at such inacces,v sible fpoint Within the boiler, 4the wallsof said 1 header dening a connecting passagejivay between the ends of the tubes ofA greater size; than the cross` section of the individual: tubes,- acleaner member mounted Within the header for operative cleaningv movement with-in. said; passageway@ through-a space greater ,thanfthe tube' cross section, andmeans for operatingethe cleaner fromA outside the boiler, said operating means includ ing a rod connected to the cleaner member-and extending through one of the tubes tothe-outsideg ottheboiler.v Y j y ,Y lill Inga water heating construction; a heat-v ing. boiler, la, plurality of elongatedtubes/exf tending into the interior of thelooiler to a pointl inaccessible to and remote from-'the exteriorg thereof,` a header connecting thev tubes at such inaccessible point within the boiler, the walls of said header dening a connecting passageway between the ends of 'thetubeal a, portion lor whichr is disposed at a lower-level than-any of Athe 3 adjacent tube portiona-a cleaner member mounted- `vs/'ithinJthe header for voperative cleaning#V Y movement within`r said passageway,l said cleaner member being mounted-,for-sweeping movement throughsaid lower ydisposed'portongof said pas- 3f" sageway, and means for `operati-ng the cleanerV fromou-tside the boiler.V y j Y 'Y lL'In. a water heating construction,v a heating boiler,-v a. plurality (1f-elongated tubesl extend-- ing into the interior of theboiler'toA a point-4i) inaccessible to and remote iromfthe'ex-terior. thereof, Va headerrconnecting the-gtubesat such inaccessiblepointH the boiler, `the walls of. said header .definingl Va,- connecti-ng.passageway between the ends of the tubes, a portion of which 4 5 is disposed` at a lower level than an-y ot-the ad-jacenttube portionaa cleaner-membermount-f Y ed within the header 4 rfor A.operati-ve cleaning movement Within passageway,said cleaner member being mounted for sweeping movement throughV said 4lowerclisposed portion oixsaid pas-VV sageway, and means for operatingffthe cleaner from outside the boiler., said' operating'means' including Aatar-od` connected to cleaner` and' extending through oneof the tubes to the out- V55 side ofthe boiler.

Y .HARRYV L# MADORIN.

Images