US2062565A - Heating system - Google Patents

Description

1, 1936- w. T. FERGUSON in AL ,5

HEATING SYSTEM Filed July 30, 1935 60 1 INVENTORS llmn TIE/yu and fie/1h A, Bar/qI:

. ORNEY sometimes proceeding to certain radiators, somefore to bring the pressure in the system back to Patented Dec. 1, 1936 HEATING SYSTEM Warren T.'Ferguson, Waban, and Joseph A.

Parks, Jr., Milton, Mass, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Anderson Products, Incorporated, a corporation of Massachusetts A plication July 30, 1935, Serial No. 33,838

. Claims. (01. 237-9) 1 I This invention relates to one-pipe steam heatto the radiators, and secondly, we provide other ing systems, particularly those one-pipe systems means forinsuring the operation of the first I which operate in cycles under the control of a means on each cycle of operation of the system. thermostat. One of the objects of this invention isf to provide means for controlling the distribu- *trlbution of steam to the radiators is a venting tion of steam to the radiators on each cycle of valve as shown in Fig. 3, although it is llbintefil operation and to provide additional means for out that any other type of adjustable venting insuring-the. operation'of 'the steam distribution valve capable of maintaining a closed positioncontrolling mechanism. under negative pressures in the system could be One of the faults present in the so-called vacused equally well. uumheating system is the refusal of the steam to distribute itself properly under certain conditions and during certain heating cycles. If, for e I example, by condensation of the steam, the negaing valve that will be more fully described heretive pressurein the system has reached a point inafter. where the water will boil at a lowternperatur say 190degrees, the inauguration of the next cycle bythe operation of the thermostat under the influence of falling room or outside temperature will promptly cause the generation of correspondingly low temperature steam. The advent of this steam however will not dissipate the negative pressure until a substantial amount of steamhas beien created. As .a result the system remains sealed, the vacuum valves continuing closed, and steam drifts about aimlessly,

of a one pipe steam heatingsystem employing .our invention, There is a "boiler 2 havinga source of heat 4, as for example, an oil burner or a gas burner capable 'of remote control by a thermostat 6. Leading from the boiler 2 is a steam main 8 from which the pipes, or risers ID, I! .and I4, extend upwardly tothe radiators Bl, R2, and R3 positioned in various parts oi' the structure to be heated. On each radiator is an adjustable air venting times to Others. d p nd t some x nt on xva1veas'VLV2, and. v3, shown in detail in Fig. 3, ternal weather conditions. In other words, when steam is formed while a negative pressure exists, control of distriliition is impossible. I, a One of the objects of our invention is therevalves, capable of adjustment to vary their ventthe radiators.

Positioned on steam main 8, usually at a point remote from the boiler 2, is the negative pressure or vacuum relief valve l 6 shown in detail in Fig. 2. Thermostat 6, of usual construction, is positioned in some part.of the building to be heated, usually in a location where it may be influenced by the radiatorsRl, R2, and R3. The wires and. 22 lead to the relay, 24, which, when actuated by other bj and accomplishments of this the closing of thermostat 6, closes the circuit 26, vention Wm more clearly appear hereinafter as 28, which starts he fire in boiler 2 and also'closes thedetails of our invention are moreparticularly the parallel t 32, leading to the relief set forth valve l6. v

In the drawing Fig. 2 shows the essential features of our vacu- .25 ga gfi g fxgf g i gg z sgz g um relief valve I6. 34 is a threaded nipple which breaking relief valve for'use in our system is screwed into a tapped hole. in the steam main 8. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of an adjustable air- Casing mount-ed on 9 5 has positioned venting vacuum maintaining valve suitable for tnereabove asolenoid 38 f Y the means use in our system. to operate valve 40. It W111 be noted that the Our system is distinguished by two features. casing 35 i vided nto tWO P0 0 right- First, we provide means on the radiators themh nd portion through which air and steam can selves for controlling the distribution of steam pass, and aleft-hand portion separated therefrom atmospheric at the start of each cycle, so that the steam distribution can be definitely controlled by our adjustable venting valves following their resetting to venting position upon the dissipation of the negative pressure in the system.

I A further object of our invention is to provide an improved method of distributing .steam in a one-pipe steam heating system.

and to be more fully described hereinafter. Thesef ing capacity, are for the purpose of permitting the air to escape at pre-determined rates from The. means that we use for controlling the dis- 51o, The means that we use to-insure the radiatorventing valves performingtheir function on each cycleof operation.is,a relief' .or vacuum-breaka e is- Referring now more particularly to'the draWJ- j ing; in Fig 1. is shown a'schematic arrangement" by a partition 42, and containing'a switch 44, and bellowscontrolled operating means therefor.

Within the right-hand portion is a float 46 which prevents the escape of water-from the valve 5 I8 should the system inadvertently become fllled,

the float 46 rising and closing passageway 48.

Lead wire 30 is connected with one terminal of the solenoid 38. Lead wire 32 is connected with one terminal of switch 44. From the other ter- 10 minal of switch 44 to the other terminal of solenoid 38 is the conductor 54. Switch 44 is normally closed so that the circuit through conductors 30, 54, and 32 is continuous. I

Partof the, partition 42, dividing casing 38,- 15 consists of a thermostatic unit 58 having a casing 58 which houses bellows 60. The bellows is sealed to the casing at 62 so that the space therebetween is air-tight. Within this sealed portion is preferably a small amount of a volatile liquid such as 20 alcohol. Extending axially from the head of the bellows is a compression member 84, engaging 'ly, permitting the passage of air through port I8,

passage I4, chamber 18, passage 48, and into the steam main 8 through the nipple 34.

Fig. 3 shows a radiator air venting valve suitable for use on the radiators in our system. The

35 valves, VI, V2, and V3, shown in Fig. 1 may be of this construction. The valve shown in Fig. 3 4

comprises a base 80, to which is secured a casing 82 by means of the lock nut 84. A nipple 88, Whichlmay be threaded into a tapped hole in the .40 radiator, extends from tl'ie base, and loosely positioned therein is a siphon tube 88 which assists in returning the condensate to the radiator. Posiioned in the top of the shell 82 is a venting member 90, having a passageway 92 therethrough,

45 and a valve seat 94. Mounted within the sealed base and shell is a bellows 98 and a thermostatic float 98; the float having a valve pin I mounted adjacent the vent.- Both the bellows and float areadjustably mounted on the base by means of 50 the stem I02, which by virtue of threaded engage- ,ment with the base 80 may be rotated to move both the bellows 98 and float 98 vertically.

The supporting means for stem I02 comprises a sleeve I04 threaded internally and externally 55 as shown. This sleeve is screwed into a suitably threaded hole in the base, as at I06, and threaded within the sleeve is the stem I02. Positioned on the upper end of sleeve I 04 isa stop I 08 in the form of a split washer secured'in place by a cap 60 0. A groove H2 is formed in the stem I02, the

stop I08 being positioned therein. It is clear from this construction that the upward and downward movement of the stem I02 withrelation to sleeve I04 is definitely limited by the width of groove I I2 85 and the thickness of stop I 08. Suitable packing means I I4 and I I6 is provided at the lower part of stem I02 to prevent the escape of,steam or water.

The. bellows 96, closed at its. upper end, is

70 mounted on a base H8 which in turn is mounted on the stem I02, the upper end of thestem being of such length that it just grazes the end of the bellows at I20 when the latter is in normal position. The purpose of this stem extension 75 is to prevent collapse of the bellows beyond its normal length, which if permitted would change the venting rate of the valve. An air passage I22 extends through the stem I02 allowing the atmosphere to reach the interior of the bellows 96.

Supported by the stem and bellows is the float 98 which is sealed, and usually has a small quantity of a volatile liquid contained therein. The bottom I24 of the float is normally concave as shown, but when the temperature of the float is raised by the presented steam, the bottom I24 is caused to snap downwardly to a convex position due to the expansion of the fluids within the float. This elongation of float 98 causes valve pin I00 to engage the valve seat 94, thereby closing the valve.

The purpose and method of adjustment of stop I08 is as follows. With the stem I02 screwed upwardly as far as possible with relation to sleeve I04, that is, until the lower edge of groove 2 engages the under side of stop I08, and with the float 98 in contracted position, sleeve I04 is rotated with relation to base 80 until the valve pin I00 seats on the valve seat 94. Sleeve I04 isthen anchored so that no further rotation between it and base 80 is possible. Stem I02 is then screwed downwardly within sleeve I04 until the upper edge of groove II2 encounters the upper side of stop I08. In this position the valve is wide open and at full venting capacity. However, the travel of stem I02 with relation to sleeve I 04 is made less than the downward travel of the bottom I24 of the float 98, as the bottom moves from concave to convex position; Thus it is assured that when the float 98 operates under the influence of heat the orifice 92 will always be closed by the positioning of valve stem I00 against the valve seat. Limiting the upward movement of stem I02 so that valve pin I00 can move no farther than is necessary to close the valve by contact with seat 94, eliminates the pos- 4o sibility of damage to the various parts by careless adjustment. By adjusting the position of stem I02, which in turn varies the area of the opening between the end of valve pin I00 and the seat 94, the rate of escape of air from the radiator through the valve may be controlled. The valve will close however under any setting when the steam reaches the float 98.

The operation of our system is as follows. When the temperature at the thermostat 8 has fallen to a pre-determined point, the cycle starts as the thermostat operates-to close the circuit 20, 22, actuating the relay 24, thereby closing the circuit 26, 28 to the boiler 2, and the circuit 30, 32 to valve I8. Closing the circuit to the boiler starts a flre therein, this being accomventing valves VI, V2 and V3 attached thereto.

Under these conditions, and in the absence of heat, the venting valves will be in normal open position.

Thereafter, steam is generated in the boiler 2 and advances along the steam main 8 to the risers I0, I2, and I4, and the relief valve I8, which is usually positioned on the steam main at a. point remote from the boiler. Under the influence of the advancing steam, the air in the system will the venting valves VI, V2, and V3.

,aoeasee be driven out through the relief valve I6 and Since the venting capacity of relief valve I6 is very much greater than that of the venting valves on the radiators, steam will fill the main'8 relatively quickly. When steam reaches valve I6 it comes, in contact with the thermostatic unit 56. As

the steam engages the casing 58, the fluid within the thermostatic unit 56 expands, compressing the bellows 60 and driving the compression mem- 'ber 64, which is mounted on the movable head in separate circuits, if desired. Thus the boiler continues to generate steam to be supplied to the radiators in accordance with the venting rates of the valves VI, V2, and V3 which have been adjusted to give the desired distribution. That is to say, by varying the setting of valve pin I with relation 'to valve seat 94, by rotation of .the stem I02, the rate of escape of air from the radiators can be controlled. In this way the time of arrival of steam'to the several radiators can be adjusted as desired. Thus, the amount of heat distributed to the various parts of the space to be'heated, prior to cutting off the steam supply at the end of the cycle, is under full control.

Whenthe steam reaches the valves VI, V2, and V3, the fluid within the thermostatic float 98 exp'a'nds to drive:the bottom I24 downwardly to a convex-position, thereby forcing valve pin I00 against valve seat'94to close the vent 92, preventing 'further escape of the steam. When the under the boiler.

temperature of the building has been raised to a predetermined point, thermostat 6 operates to break the circuit 26, 22, thereby breaking the circuit 26, 28 to the boiler 2 to shut oil the fire With the elimination of the supply of steam, the radiatorsbegin to cool, resulting in condensation of-the steam in the system, whereby a negative pressure is developed. When the falling temperature reaches a certain point, the

'pressurewithin the thermostatic float 98 will be sumcientlyreduced to permit bottom I24 to 'resume itsoriginal concave position. Ordinarily,

this would result in the re-opening of the vent 92. However, by means of our bellows 96. which at once expands, due to the fact that the atmospheri'c pressurewithin the bellows exceeds the negative pressure within the' valve casing, developed by the collapse of the steam, valve pin IIIII continues to be held against valve seat 94, thereby maintaining vent 92 in a closed position.

From the construction of venting valves VI, V2, and V3 it is clear that they will remain closed as long as a negative pressure exists in the system, and the only way they may be re-opened to the opening of valve 40 through the operation of solenoid 38. It should be pointed out here that switch 44, which had previously been opened through the operation of thermostatic unit 56, closes when the thermostatic unit 56 responds to a decrease in temperature resulting from the dissipation of heat. l The opening of valve 46 of relief valve I6, permits the pressure within the system to return to atmospheric, causing the collapse of bellows 96 in the venting valves VI, V2 and V3, and the re-opening of vents 92. In this way, all of the venting valves VI, V2 and V3 are reset to normal venting position, whereby the correct distribution of steam maybe had on the coming cycle, which is thereafter repeated.

In the event that the thermostat 6 is actuated to shut off the supply of steam by only partially filling the radiators RI, R2, and R3 with steam before the thermostatic floats 98 have operated to close the venting valve VI, V2 and V3 it will make no difierence in'the effectiveness of our system for the following reason. As has been ,previously pointed out, the bellows 96 expands to close passage 92 if the pressure within the valve casing is less than-atmospheric. Even though the radiators may be only partially filled with steam, whenthe steam generation stops, the resulting condensation takes place so rapidiy that a negative pressure develops within the system even though some air is going back into the radiators through the open ports 92. The pressure differential that is created issufllcient to cause bellows96 to elongate to close ports 92 to thereby completely seal the system and to put the system in the same condition it would have been in had steam reached the thermostatic floats 9.8 to close the ports 92 prior to actuation of thermostat 6. Y

It should be pointed out that the mode of operation may be modifiedsomewhat by varying the strength of the spring III in the relief valve I6 to permit valve 40' to open automatically when the negative pressure in the system exceeds any predetermined point, In this way the negative pressure-can be definitely limited if it is so desired. -By controlling the maximum negative pressure, the time between heating cycles can be controlled to a certain extent.

As previously indicated, we believe we 'are the first to incorporate, in a one-pipe steam heating system, air vents on radiators which can be set to vent at difierent rates in order to provide controlled distribution of steam to the radiators and at the same time to provide in the system a vacuum or negative pressure relief valve so arranged and constructed as to operate at the beginning of each cycle to recharge the system with air at atmospheric pressure so that the adjustable vents on the radiators may be brought into play to deliver their full efllciency on every cycle of operation. We have set forth in detail a preferred means of carrying out our invention, but we wish it distinctly understood that other means capable of the same functions could be used.

' a plurality of radiators, pipes for conducting the steam to said radiators, vents on the radiators permitting the steam to reach said radiators at pro-determined times, and means for opening said system to the atmosphere, said means comprising a valve opened by actuation of a thermosat under the influence of falling temperature in the space to be heated and closed by the actuation of a second thermostat within said system under the influence of steam generated after said valve is opened. r

2. In a steam heating system for heating enclosed spaces, operating in cycles, in combination, a source of steam, radiators having air vents thereon, pipes connecting said source of steam. and radiators, and a valve associated therewith, means for setting said source of steam in operation, means to simultaneously open said valve, thereby admitting atmospheric pressure to said system, pressure operated means for opening said air vents when the pressure 'in the system is substantially atmospheric, thermostatically controlled means for closing said valve and other thermostatic means to close said air vents to seal said system after the generation of steam, means for stopping the generation of steam at a predetermined rising space temperature, and means for thereafter maintaining said valve means and said air vents in closed position when the pressure within the system is less than atmospheric and the space temperature is above a pre-deter:

mined point.

3. A heating system for enclosed spaces, comprising radiators with vents thereon, said vents normally open under atmospheric pressure in the system, means for closing said vents when the pressure within said radiators is less than atmospheric, and a valve operable at a predetermined falling space temperature to open said system to the atmosphere. thereby reopening said vents.

4. In a steam heating system for heating enclosed spaces and operating in cycles, in combination, means for supplying steam inigarmittently, a plurality of radiators, means for conducting said steam from said supply means to said radiators, means for maintaining a negative pres- 1 sure in said system when said-steam is not being supplied, valve means operative thereafter at a predetermined falling space temperature for restoring the pressure in said system to atmospheric pressure prior to supplying steam to the radiators on the next cycle, and means for thereafter closing said valve before said steam supply is discontinued. 5. In a steam heating system for heating enclosed spaces, a vacuum relief valve connecting said system with the atmosphere, a thermostat in one of said spaces actuated by a falling space temperature to actuate means to open said valve and a second thermostat within said system actuated by steam generated thereafter to close said valve.

6. In a steam heating system for heating enclosed spaces and operating in cycles, in comblnation, a steam source, radiators with air vents,

pipes therebetween, and a valve mountedthereon, means controlled by the falling temperature of one of said spaces to actuate said steam source to start a cycle and to positively open said valve thereby admitting atmospheric pressure to said system prior to delivery of steam to said radiators, means operative thereafter to close said valve, and thermostatic means to close said air vents, means controlled by the rising temperature of one of said spaces to discontinue said steam supply, and means for maintaining said system sealed against a negative pressure of anydegree created in said system by condensation of said steam as long assaid space temperature remains above a predetermined point.

7. A method of heating by steam in which each cycle comprises the following steps, setting a source of steam in operation, transmitting steam to radiators and at the same time driving airv from said radiators to the atmosphere, then sealing the entire system, said sealing to be com-, pletedbefore or about the time the supply of steam is discontinued, discontinuing the supply of steam, then allowing the steam to condense to fcreate a negative pressure in the system, then opening the system to the atmosphere while,

simultaneously setting the source of steam in,

operation to commence the next cycle.

8. In a steam heating system for heating enclosed spaces, in combination, automatic means for supplying steam intermittently, a? plurality of radiators,pipes for conducting the steam to said radiators, vents on the radiators permitting the steam to reachsaid radiators at predeterthe .atmosphere, means for opening said valve at .the same time said source of steam is set in operation, and means for closing said valve before the steam is discontinued. 10. A;method of heating by steamin which each cycle comprises the following steps, setting a source of steam in operation, filling radiators with steam, sealing the system, discontinuing the supply of steam, then allowing the steam to condense to create a negative pressure, then restoring the pressure in said system to atmospheric immediately after setting said source of steam in operation.

WARREN 'r. FERGUSON.

JOSEPH A. PARKS, JR.

vacuum relief valve connecting said system with 'inined'times, and means for opening said sys- 3

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