US2113440A - Damper control - Google Patents

Description

April 5, 193s. A. D. QLE 2,113,440

DAMPER CONTROL Filed March 28, 1954 5 Sheets-SheetI 1' i I f y 55 Pf@ 52 26 8o 8217/ i; $4/ H H`- 55 l "55 '51 i4 /O z2 `L- 42 Y V f 5o Z1 f Y 2K?? H 1 w ,4.7

Arthur D. Cole @Hoc/MAW A. D. COLE DAMPER CONTROL Api-il 5, 1938.

Filgd Marchas, 1954 5 sheets-sheet 2 A. D. COLE DAMPER CONTROL April 5, 1938.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 28, 1934 April-5, 193s.

K A. D. coLE DAMPER CONTROL Filed Mami 28, 1934 5 sheet-sheet 4 April5,193s. A COLE f 2,113,440

DAMPER CONTROL Filed March 28, 1934 I 5 sheets-sheet 5 Fig 9 Arthur D. Cole 'A Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES DAMPER CONTROL Arthur D. Cole, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application March 28,

9 Claims.

My invention relates to damper controls and particularly to a control which may be utilized as a draft regulator.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a damper control operated through a separate pressure responsive device connected with the smoke pipe in which the damper is installed.

A still further Object of the. invention resides in providing a draft regulator by means of which the draft in the smoke pipe of a heating plant may be regulated Without admission of air from the exterior and into the smoke pipe.

An object of the invention resides in providing a draft regulator in which the regulation of the draft is procured by throttling the flow of flue gases passing through the smoke pipe.

Another object of the invention resides in providing -a `damper control utilizing a vane operable in a manner similar to a piston and cylinder and controlling the operation of the A damper.

An object of the invention resides in providing a case disposed adjacent the pipe in which the damper is situated. said case having a chamber therein communicating at one locality with the pipe andv at another locality with the exterior and in which the vane is movable.

Another object of the invention resides in constructing said case with a circular vvall and with segmental walls and in pivoting said van'e to saidcase at the axis of said circular wall, said vane extending across the space between said Walls and substantially closing communication between the exterior and the passageway in said D1De An object of the invention Iresides in providing a shaft extending into the chamber in said case and in supporting both said damper and said' vane from said shaft.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing a frame extending about said pipe and case for supporting said case relative to said pipe.

A feature of the invention resides in providing said frame with bearings in which said shaft is journaled.

An object of the invention resides in constructing the damper control as a single unit capable of being applied to' a s'moke pipe after erection of the smoke pipe and Without the necessty of substituting a new length of pipe for any of the existing lengths of pipe.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and 1934.,Y serial No. 717,733 (ol. 236-45) in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/or described.

In the drawings:-

Fig. 1 is an elevational vievir of a boiler and smoke pipe therefor illustrating anembodiment of my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a part of the smoke pipe shown in Fig. 1 with the damper control applied thereto. y

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the structure shownv in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an elevational sectional view similar to Fig. 3 and taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a plan sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

' Fig. '7 is a'fragmentary elevational sectional view taken on line 1--1 of Fig. 3 and drawn to a Ilarger scale.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modification of the invention. y I

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view taken on line 9 9 of Fig. 8 and showing the parts in altered position.

Where heating plants are heated by oil or gas varying draft conditions cause improper combustion with the result of marked inefliciency. Regulation of draft has been attempted through pressure responsive devices admitting air into the smoke pipe, but such devices have certain undesirable characteristics. In the first place heated air from the building in which the heating plant lis installed is utilized which causes loss of heat from the building as well as the cooling of the stack. Secondly, such devices do not function the same under all draftconditions and accurate control hence cannot be had. The present invention `provides a device by means of which the draft may be regulated through the control of a damper Without admission of air to the smoke pipe from the room in which'the heating plant is installed and in which accurate regulation may bew procured regardless `of draft conditions.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in Fig. 1 a hot Water boiler I0 of ordinary construction. This boiler is installed in a building having a basement l, and a room 8 4to be heated, said boiler being situated in the basement. The first floor of'the building is designated by the reference numeral 9 and in cludes the usual joists 32. 'IheY boiler I0 comprises the usual fire pot section Il, an ash pit section I2 and a dome I3.

The fire pot section II is constructed with a fire door I4, a slice door I5 and the ash pit I2 is constructed with an ash door I1. The dome I3 is provided with a smoke outlet |8 to which the usual smoke pipe I9 is attached, which smoke pipe leads to the chimney of the building in which the heating plant is installed. Inasmuch as the construction of the boiler and the method of connecting the same to the radiators'of the building forms no particular feature of the invention, the same have not been disclosed in this application. However, it can readily be comprehended that any suitable method may be used for installing the boiler and the same may be employed in any of the various heating-systems such as are now in common use.

For further illustrating the application of my invention, I have .shown the boiler as fired through a gas burner 20 which is provided with a gas pipe 2| for feeding fuel to the same and with a fuel pipe 22 delivering the fuel mixture into the re pot of the boiler. The gas pipe 2| is provided with a valve 23 by means of 4which the ow of gas to the burner can be controlled for the purpose of maintaining the temperature of the room 8 constant.

For controlling the operation of the boiler I0 a thermostat 24 is employed which is installed in room 8 and which is connected by three wires 25 with a suitable heat regulator 26. Heat regulator 26 is merely illustrated diagrammatically though it can readily be comprehended that any suitable type of regulator may be employed. 'I'he form of heat regulator illustrated includes two cranks 21 and 28 which are adapted to be rotated through degrees during each operation of the thermostat 24. Said regulator is provided with a base 3| and is supported through said base in the following manner: Attached to one of the joists 32 of the floor 9 of the building in which the heating plant is installed is a board 33 which projects downwardly past the smoke pipe I9. This board is provided near its lower end with a shelf 34 which is supported on said board through brackets 35. The base 3| of heat regulator 26 rests upon the shelf 34 and is secured thereto in any suitable manner.

The crank 28 of heat regulator 26 is connected through a chain or cord 29 with a lever 30 on the valve 23 by means of which said valve may beloperated when the crank 28 rotates. When the crank 28 is in the position shown in Fig. 1', valve 23 is open and gas is being supplied to the burner 20. When the crank 28 is rotated to its opposite position, valve 23 is closed and the burner is shut off.

'I'he form of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 7 includes a length of pipe 36 which is installed in the smoke pipe I9 and which takes the place of one of the usual lengths of pipe ordinarily employed in said smoke pipe. The passageway through this pipe is designated by the numeral 40. The length of pipe is provided near its cen-` 2 and 3 andthe upper portion thereof, designated at 46, is left open. 'Ihe lower part of the case is constructed with a conduit 41 which is connected tothe pipe 36 and which brings the chamber 39 into communication with passageway 40 through the opening 31. 'I'his conduit consists of upper and lower walls 48 and. and an end wall 56. These various walls extend up to the circular portion 4| of the case and also up to the pipe proper and are attached thereto through screws 85.

For-the purpose of holding the case 38 securely attached to the pipe section 36, a frame 5| is employed. This frame is constructed of a bar of iron bent in the form of a rectangle to provide upper and lower reaches 52 and 53 and end reaches 54 and 55 connected thereto. The ends of the frame 5| may be spliced along either of the reaches 52 or 53 and may be welded or otherwise secured together. 'I'he reach 52 extends across the upper portion of the pipe 36 and the case 38. This reach of the frame is attached to the upper edge of the circular wall 42 of portion 4| of case 38 through screws 56. Said reach is similarly attached to the pipe section 36 through a screw 51. The reach 53 of frame 5| is likewise attached to the lowermost portion of the circular wall 42 of case 38 through screws 58 and to the lowermost part of the pipe section 36 through a screw 59. By means of these screws the frame 5| is rigidly secured to the structure forming the case 38 and the pipe section 36 and the said parts are securely held together.

It will be noted that the reach 55 of frame 5| is spaced from the end wall 43 of portion 4| of case 38. This is for a purpose toA be presently described in detail. The two reaches 54 and 55 of frame 5| have secured to them bearings 60 and 6| which are provided with threads 62 threaded into the said reaches. Bearing 6| is shownin detail in Fig. '1 and is provided at its inner end with a conical socket 63. A shaft 64 extends through the passageway 48 in pipe section 36 and chamber 39 in case 38, the said shaft being provided at its ends with conical trunnions 65 journaled in the sockets 63 of bearings 60 and 6|. By means of this construction the shaft 64 is supported for swinging movement and in a manner to involve a minimum amount of friction.

Within the passageway 40 of pipe section 36 is disposed a damper 66 which consists of two semicircular sheets of metal 61 and 68 arranged in overlying position at the diametral edges thereof. 'Ihe marginal portions of said sheets of metal at the diagonal edges are provided with grooves 69 which receive the shaft 64 and are bolted together through bolts 10 to hold the two parts of the damper in proper position and to securely attach the same to the shaft 64. By rotating the shaft 64 the damper 66 may be brought to a position such, as shown in Fig. 6 in which the passageway 40 through the smoke pipe 36 is open or the same may be turned through angular positions as shown in Fig. 3 until the said damper completely obstructs the flow of gas through said smoke pipe.

The shaft 64 extends along the inner edge of `the wall 48 of conduit 41 of case 36 and lies parallel with the reach 52 of frame 5| and is also disposed along the axis of the circular wall 42 of the portion 4I of said case. 'I'he shaft has attached to it a vane 1| constructed of sheet ,metal, which vane is best shown in Fig. 4. Vane 1I: is provided at its inner end with a part 12 bent around the shaft 64 and clamped to said of case 38 is arranged vertically as shown in Figs. shaft through bolts 13 which pass through the 75 adjacent parts of said vane. 'Ihe vane 1| ts snugly between the end walls 43 and 44 of the portion 4| of case 38 and also follows along the -all positions clear the various walls of the case in which the same is situated and so that a minimum amount of space exists between the edges of said vane and said walls. It :can readily be comprehended from Fig. 4 that one surface of the vane 1| is exposed to the exterior through the opening 46 in the portion 4| of case 38 and that the other surface of said vane is exposed to the passageway 40 through the passageway in the-conduit 41 and the chamber 39 in the portion 4| of case 38. .Vane 1| operates in the manner of a piston, the portion 4| of case 38 serving as a cylinder and mayl travel from one position to the other within said cylinder as illustrated in the various views of the drawings. By properly counterbalancing the Vane and damper thesaid vane can be caused to move within the portion 4| of case 38 through variations in pressure occasioned by variations in the draft in the passageway 40 of the smoke pipe I9.

On the end of the shaft 64 and between the end wall 43 ofthe case and the reach 55 of frame 5| is provided a sheave 14. which is constructed with a boss 15. A set screw 85 is screwed into this boss and serves tc hold the sheave 14 attached to the said shaft. The boss 15 is further threaded to receive a rod 16' which extends outwardly .therefrom. This rod is also threaded at the outer end thereof and has screwed upon it a counter-weight 11 by means of which the weight of the vane 1| maybe counterbalanced. Attached to the sheave 14 is a cord or chain 18 which is provided at its lower end with a hook 19. A weight 80 may be secured to the end of the cord 18 through the hook 19. By the selection of the proper weight, any desired draft can be procured.

'I'he operation of the invention is as follows:

When a certain draft is desired, a weight ofA suitable dimensions is placed on the hook 19.-

If the suction within the portion of the passageway 40 in advance of damper 66 increases beyond the degree for which the weight 80 is selected, then the said suction causes the vane 1| to move from its position shown in Fig. 4 to 4an intermediate position, such as shown in Fig. 3. This causes the rotation of the damper 66. The damper 66 on being moved toward` closing position, throttles the flow of flue gases through the smoke pipe I9 andthereby reduces the suction in th'e said pipe, in advance of the damper. As

' soon as the desired draft has been procured suction on the inner surface of the vane 1| is equalized through the weight 80. If the draft decreases, then the weight pulls the vane 1I back to such a position that the throttlng effect of the damperV 86 is suiciently reduced to allow sufficient flue gas to pass through the smoke pipe. When this occurs the `desired degree of draft is reestablished. In this manner, the draft in the smoke pipe is maintained constant and isi. automatically adjusted regardless of the draft in the chimney to which the smoke pipe is connected.

In the type of gas burner illustrated, the valve 23 is used to control the fuel supply to theburner in accordance with the temperature of the room in Awhich the thermostat 24 is situated. When the burner is shutdown it becomes desirable to completely close the damper 66 to prevent the ow of cold air through the boiler and the resultant loss of heat. For this purpose the crank 21 of the heat regulator is utilized which is set at the same position as the crank 28. This crank has attached to it a cord or lchain 8| whichis attached to the sheave 14 and -which passes over said sheave on the opposite side thereof to the cord 18. When the heat regulator 26 operates in a manner to close the valve 23, theY damper 66 is also closed and the flow of air'through the smoke pipe prevented. y

y In Figs; 8 and 9 I have shown the damper and the damper control as a single unit which may be applied to a smoke pipe after the same has been erected and without removing or replacing any of the lengths of pipe thereof.. This device will now be described in detail.

The construction shown in Figs. 8 and 9 includes a case which is formed upon the interior thereof with a chamber 86. Case 85 is constructwhich passageway communicateswith the chamber 86` in said case. Duct 9| is'constructed with a front wall 93, a rear wall 94 and with a top and a bottom 96 connected thereto. Oneend of the duct 9| is left' open as indicated at 98 and is connected to the smoke pipe 9 of the boiler communicating therewith through an opening'fl in said smoke pipe. The oth'errend of said duct is closed through an end wall 91 which in the form of the invention shown lies in continuation of the'end wall 88 of said case 85.

The front wall 93 and the rear wall 94 of duct 9| are cut curved as designated at |00 to t about the exterior of the smoke pipe |9. To provide suitable bearing surfaces at such localities, anges |0| are provided which extend outwardly from said walls at the outer ends thereof. A strap |02 is used for attaching the case 85 to7 the smoke pipe- I9. This strap extends about the pipe |9 and is attached atits ends to the ends of the top 95 and bottom 96. For this purpose the lower end of strap |02v is provided withan` eye |03. A tongue |04 formed' on the end of the bottom 96 is hooked into this eye and `bent back as shown in Fig. 9 to hold the strap sccurely attached to case 85/"at the lower end of the strap. The upper'endy of the strap is bent to form a flange |05 extending outwardly therefrom. An angle |06 constructed with an outwardly extending ange |01l is attached to the end of the top 95 of duct. 9| through rivets |08 which pass through the other flange |09 of saidangle. The anges |05 and |01 lie in spaced re,

lation when the device is 4assembled upon the smoke pipe. By means of a bolt I0 which extends through both of said flanges the two flanges are brought together and the band |02 drawn taut about the pipe I9 to securely attach the L entire device to the smoke pipe.

. follows:

Upon the exterior of case 85 and attached to .the end wall 88 thereof is a U-shaped frame member ||3, one leg 4 of which is attached to the said wall 88 of the case. This is accomplished through rivets H5. The other leg H6 of said frame is spaced from the wall 88. Upon the interior of the end wall 81 of case 85 is attached a bearing bar In which is formed with4 a conical socket H8 situated at a locality coincident with the center of curvature of the curved wall 89 of said case. ,A shaft H8 isformed with conical ends H9 and |20, the end H9 being pivoted in the socket H8. The conical end |20 of this shaft is journaled in a socketed bear- 'ing |2| screwed into the leg H6 of frame H3.

The shaft H8 extends through the other leg H4 of said frame andthrough the end wall 88 of the case 85. The vane H2 previously referred to is attached to this shaft which is accomplished in the same manner as the attachment of the vane 1| to shaft 64. The said vane is provided with a portion 'l2 which is bent around the shaft and which is clamped to the `vane proper through bolts |22.

The damper |H is constructed from a single piece of sheet metal cut to the desired form. This damper is attached to the vane I2 through a U-shaped attaching member |23 which is constructed with two arms |24 and |25 and a connecting portion |26. Both the arms |24 and |25 are offset as indicated at |21, the arm |24 being attached to the damper H by rivets |28 and the arm |25 being attached to the vane H2 through bolts |29. The connecting part |26 of the member |23 is so disposed as to lie in close proximity to the axis of the shaft H8 whereby the same when the vane H2 is oscillated may travel in the passageway 96 of duct 9| and may extend through the opening 99 of smoke pipe |9 and into the passageway therein. It will thus be `seen that the damper |H is supported through follows: 'I'he opening 99 is first cut in the smoke pipe, which opening extends circumferentially v,about the pipe for a distance somewhat less than one-half the circumferential extent thereof. This opening is of a width substantially equal to the distance betweenthe front and rear walls 93 and 94 of the duct 9|. has been cut the device is arranged with the damper extending vertically which can be accomplished by exerting pressure upon the' vane H2. The said damper is then inserted into the smoke pipe through the opening 99. After the damper is in position within the smoke pipe strap |02 is applied and the bolt H0 placed through the two flanges |05 and |06 and the nut thereof tightened to draw the parts together and to hold the entire control device securely attached to the smoke pipe. The connection of the cords or chains associated with sheave 14 is thereafter made and the device will function in identically the same manner as the device previously de scribed.

My invention'is highly advantageous in that an extremely simple and practical device is prol vided whereby a damper may be operated through pressure responsive means in an extremely simple and positive manner. When the device is used as a draft regulator, no air flows from the exterior into the smoke pipe thereby After the hole economizing on the amount of fuel-used for heating purposes. The device when once set operates automatically and requires no further attention.

there being no delicate or complicated parts to get out of adjustment. Differentdegrees of draft may be' procured by simply exchanging the' weight on the damper shaft. The same damper that is used for controlling the draft may also be used for completely shutting off the draft when the gas or oil burner is shut off.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as` herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having describedmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. In combination with a smoke pipe having a slot therein formed with parallel circumferential edges, a case having twospaced parallel walls formed with circular edges of the same diameter as the pipe and adapted to engage the pipe upon the exterior thereof and outwardly of the circumferential edges of the slot, mea'ns extending about said pipe and engaging said case for holding the case attached to the pipe, a damper within the pipe, a movable vane within the case, and means connecting said damper with said vane so that said damper is operated by said vane.

2. In combination with a smoke pipe having a slot therein formed with parallel circumferential edges, a case having two spaced parallel walls formed with circular edges of the same diameter as the pipe and adapted to engage the pipe upon the exterior thereof and outwardly of the circumferential edges of the slot, said case further having walls disposed between said last named walls and at right angles thereto, means extending about the pipe and issuing from said last named walls for holding the case attached to the pipe,

a damper within the pipe, a movable vane within the case, and means connecting said damper with said vane so that said damper is operated by the vane.

3. In combination with a smoke pipe having a narrow circumferential slot therein, a case, a neck connected to the case and provided with closely spaced parallel walls adapted to lie in close proximity to the edges of said slot, a movable vane mounted in said case and a pivoted damper disposed within the smoke pipe and partly within the limits of said neck and means connecting said damper and said vane so that said damper is operated by said vane, said damper being movable in one position parallel with the parallel walls of the neck to facilitate insertion Yof the damper into the smoke pipe through said slot.

4. In combination with a smoke pipe having an opening therein, a unitary draft regulator for' application tothe smoke pipe, said regulator comprising a case, a movable vane Within said case, a neck connected to said case, said neck having two walls formed with arcuate edges adapted to fit against the smoke pipe, said neck covering the opening in the smoke pipe,^and a circular damper disposed within said smoke pipe in proximity to said neck and supported for movement relative thereto, the circular edge of said damper being substantially concentric with the arcuate edge of one of said walls when the damper is in one position, and means connecting said damper with said vane so lthat said damper is operated by said vane.

5. In combination with a smoke pipe having an 75 l -the smoke pipe and cover the opening in the smoke pipe, and a circular damper disposed Within said smoke pipe in proximity to said part of the case and supported for movement relative thereto, the circular edge of said damper being substantially concentric with the circular edge of one of said walls when the damper4 is in one position, and means connecting said damper with said vane so that said damper is operated by said vane.

6. In combination with a cylindrical pipe having a semi-circular opening therein and formed with parallel circumferential edges bounding said opening and with edges extending along substantially diametrally opposed elements of said pipe and also bounding said opening, a draft regulator including a case having a part adapted to t about the pipe and covering said opening, a damper disposed within said smoke pipe in proxlmity to said part and projecting outwardly therefrom, said damper being supported for movement relative to the case, and in one position being parallel with the planes of the circumferential edges of 'the opening in the pipe and disposed between the same for facilitating insertion of the damper into the pipe, and means for holding the caseattached to the pipe.

7. In combination with a cylindrical pipe having a semi-circular opening therein and formed with parallel circumferential edges bounding said opening and with edges extending along substantially diametrally opposed elements of said pipe and also bounding said opening, a draft regulator including a case having a part adapted to fit about the pipe and covering said opening, a shaft pivoted in said case and extending diametrally of the pipe, a damper disposed in proximity to said part of the case and extending outwardly therefrom, said damper being supported by said shaft, a vane in said case subject to the pressure in said pipe, and means for connecting said vane to said shaft so that said damper is operated by said'vane.

8. In combination with a cylindrical pipe having a semi-circular opening therein and formed with parallel circumferential edges bounding said opening and with edges extending along substantially diametrally opposed elements of said pipe and also bounding said opening, said last named edges being shorter than the diameter of the pipe, a case, a neck issuing from the case and attachable to the pipe in a manner to coverl said opening, said neck issuing from one side of the case, said case overlying the neck and being spaced therefrom, a damper extending outwardly from said neck and into the pipe, said damper beinginsertable into the pipe through said opening, and a vane in said case, and means connecting said damper with said vane so that said damper is operated by said vane.

9. In combination with a cylindrical pipe having a semi-circular opening therein Land formed with parallel circumferential edges bounding said opening and with edges extending along subystantlally diametrally opposed elements of `said pipe and also bounding said opening, said last named edges being shorter than the diameter of the pipe, a draft regulator including a case having a part adapted to iit about the pipe and covering said opening, a damper disposed within said smoke pipe in proximity to said part and projecting outwardly therefrom, said damper being supported for movement relative to the case and in one position being parallel with the planes of the circumferential edges of the opening in the pipe and disposed between the same, said second named edges of the opening being spaced apart a distance not less than the diameter of the damper, whereby the damper may be inserted into said opening while the pipe is in position,

and means disposed exteriorly of the pipe for holding the case attached to the pipe.

ARTHUR D. COLE.

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