US2061415A - Water jacket for electric discharge devices - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 17, 1936. M. A. ACHESON WATER JACKET FOR ELECTRIC DISCHARGE DEVICES Filed May 18 Patented Nov. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES WATER JACKET FOR ELECTRIC DISCHARGE DEVICES Marcus A. Acheson, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application May 18, 1927, Serial No. 192,429

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to cooling devices and more particularly to a cooling arrange- .ment for high power electric discharge devices.

In the use of discharge devices employing water cooled anodes, it frequently happens, when the water jacket is spaced any considerable distance from the anode,that bubbles form on the exterior of the anode and prevent proper contact of the cooling fluid with the anode at that point. To overcome this difficulty, it has been customary to provide a very narrow space between the water jacket and anode and to supply water under pressure to this space. As thus arranged the film of cooling fluid is so thin and the velocity of the water so high that bubbles will not form. An arrangement of this character works very well when the anode is relatively short, as for example, about twelve inches long. If longer anodes are employed, however, there is a tendency, when the water jacket is clamped to the discharge device, to press the jacket against portions of the anode and thereby provide surfaces which are not in contact with the cooling fluid. As a result the tube is not properly cooled at the point of contact with the jacket and may be very quickly burned up or may gas due to insufflcient cooling. This difliculty is likely to be particularly pronounced with high power tubes having elongated anodes such for example as kw. tubes which employ anodes approximately 40 inches in length.

To prevent burning out or gassing of such tubes on account of improper cooling, I have provided an arrangement whereby the discharge device may be mounted in a strong metal casing or water jacket of relatively large diameter. A thin, hollow casing or sleeve of metal or other suitable material is flexibly mounted in the jacket and is arranged to enclose the anode and to provide a very narrow space between its walls and the walls of the anode. The flexible joint or connection between the sleeve and water jacket allows the sleeve to take up a correct position about the anode even though the anode is tightly clamped in the jacket and may be somewhat out of line with the jacket. Such an arrangement provides a uniform and very thin wall of cooling fluid which may be circulated at high velocity about the anode.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, will best be understood from reference to the following specification when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing in which the single figure shows partly in section and partly in elevation an electric discharge device or tube partly broken away and having a Water jacket embodying the features of my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 5 there is indicated an electric discharge device of about 100 kw. capacity having the usual upper glass sleeve portion I and a lower copper anode 2 provided with a flange 3.- Anode 2 is surrounded by a relatively heavy metal casing or water jacket 4 which has an inner flange 5 at its upper end on which the flange 3 of the discharge device may be clamped in any suitable manner. The lower end of jacket 4 is provided with a downwardly extending flange 6 to which a cup-shaped member 1 provided with an opening 8 is flexibly attached by means of a rubber or other suitable connector 9 permitting movement in all direc tions. A thin metallic sleeve or casing l0 extends through the opening 8, the upper end of 20 the sleeve being enlarged and having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the anode 2.

At a plurality of points on the sleeve, the metal thereof is indented, as indicated at H, to space the sleeve from the anode and to provide a plu- 25 rality of point contacts therewith. A flexible hose l2 may be attached to the lower end of sleeve to, while a second hose, not shown, may be attached to an outlet pipe l3 mounted in the lower end of the casing or water jacket 4. 0

When water or other cooling fluid is supplied through hose IE it flows at relatively high velocity upwardly through the narrow space between the sleeve ill and anode 2 and downwardly to the outlet pipe l3 providing a thin film of 35 cooling fluid substantially free from stationary bubbles. The space between sleeve l0 and. anode 2 may be approximately 3% of an inch wide. I have found that such a space gives very satisfactory results when employed with elongated anode structures. The flexible connection 9 between the inner sleeve or casing Ill and the anode 2 allows relative lateral movement between the casing and the discharge device permitting the sleeve to closely surround the anode without contacting with it over any extensive surface area even though the anode and jacket may be somewhat out of alignment. At the same time the flexible connection permits the rapid assembly of the jacket and tube since accurate spacing of the 50 anode and jacket are unnecessary.

Although I have shown the sleeve H] as having a smooth wall, obviously the wall may be corrugated if desired. Various other changes will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

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

1. A cooling container for an electron discharge device comprising a cylindrical outer member having an enlarged opening adapted to receive the anode of an external anode device, an inner partition adapted to be interposed between said anode and said outer member and means on said partition adapted to contact said anode for centering said anode in the container.

2. A cooling container for an electron discharge device comprising a cylindrical outer member having an enlarged opening adapted to receive the anode of an external anode device, an inner partition adapted to be interposed between said anode and said outer member, and indentations in said partition adapted to contact said anode for centering said anode in the container.

3. In combination, an electric discharge device provided with an external electrode which requires cooling during operation, a casing surrounding said electrode, a sleeve mounted in said casing and spaced from said electrode, said sleeve being spaced substantially throughout its entire length from said casing, the space between said sleeve and casing being in communication with the space between the sleeve and the electrode whereby fluid may be caused to pass throughboth of said spaces for cooling said electrode.

4. A cooling jacket for an external anode discharge device, said jacket comprising the combination of a chamber adapted to be placed around said'anode, said chamber having an inlet port for a cooling medium-at one end and a peripheral opening at the other end, a second chamber enclosing said first chamber and being spaced therefrom over substantially its entire length, said second chamber having an outlet port at its end'remote from said peripheral opening whereby the inlet and outlet ports are brought out from the sameend of the jacket.

5. In combination, an electric discharge device provided with an electrode which requires cooling during operation, a casing surrounding said electrode, a sleeve in said casing and spaced from said electrode, and means for supplying cooling fluid throughout the entire space between the sleeve and the electrode, and between the sleeve and the casing.

6. In combination, an electric discharge device provided with an external electrode which requires cooling during operation, a sleeve surrounding said electrode, a casing surrounding said sleeve, said sleeve being spaced a relatively small distance from said electrode, and means including a flexible connection between said sleeve and casing for maintaining the spacing between opposed faces of the electrode and sleeve substantially uniform.

'7. In combination, an electron discharge device having a cup-shaped anode, and a cooling container surrounding said anode, said container having inlet and outlet ports at one end and comprising coaxial inner and outer coextensive tubular members forming channels around said anode, said inner member being supported by said outer member adjacent to said outlet port, said channels having a continuous circular communicating passageway at one end of said container.

8. In combination, an electron discharge device having a cup-shaped external anode, and a cooling container surrounding said anode, said container comprising coaxial inner and outer tubular members forming channels around said anode, said channels having individual apertured openings at one end of said container and a common peripheral passageway at the other end thereof, said inner member having a portion extending outwardly from said outer member through one of said openings.

9. A mounting for an external anode discharge device comprising'a chamber adapted to be placed around the anode of said device, said chamber having an inlet port for a cooling medium at one end and a peripheral opening at the other end, and a second chamber enclosing said first chamber having an outlet port therein adjacent to said inlet port, said second chamber being adapted to support said anode and communicating with said peripheral opening.

MARCUS A. ACHESON.

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