US2178039A - Flash boiler - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 31, 1939. HENARD 2,178,039

FLASH BOILER Filed April 27, 1938 ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 31, 1939 V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to flash boilers or steam generators and more particularly to such of the tubular type.

The invention has for its principal object to improve generally upon the hash type of steam generator so as to simplify the construction and secure economy in the manufacture and at the same time attain higher efiiciency with a maximum degree of safety.

A particular specific object is to provide a practical construction and arrangement for carrying out a progressive multiple stage generation and superheating of the steam whereby to secure a substantial economy in fuel consumption with an appreciable hastening of the steam generation.

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages to be attained, as will hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists in the novel general structure and in the particular parts and combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinafter described and set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing illustrating a practical adaptation of the invention, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through the assembled apparatus;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral ll! designates an upright cylindrical casing which, in practice, may be suitably insulated to retain heat therein, said casing being provided with an upper end closure ii having a vent opening I2 therein with a pipe l3 leading from said opening. As shown, the lower end of the casing is open, as at M, and located within said open end portion is a fuel burner conventionally shown, as at it, and provided with a bafile or flame spreader it.

Supported in the upper portion of the casing lfl, as by bolts l'l depending from the end closure H is a steam dome or storage chamber l8 which is in the general form of a cylindrical drum and of a diameter approximating that of the interior of the casing H3, said drum having a multiplicity of flue tubes 58 extending therethrough for thepassage of the products of combustion from the burner IE to the vent opening [2 in the upper end closure ll of the casing.

Depending from the bottom of said drum l8,

near the periphery thereof, is an annular series of tubes 28 which extend to near the bottom of the casing l8 and have their lower end portions turned inwardly, as at El, and attached communicably to a cylindrical drum 22 through the peripheral wall of the latter, said drum 22 constituting a superheating steam chamber as will be later more fully described.

The lower drum 22 is located in close proximity to the fuel burner l5, and while the burner is provided with the bafiie or flame deflector as above noted, said drum 22 is provided with a series of vertical flue tubes 23 similar to the tubes IQ of the upper drum l8 for the passage of highly heated air therethrough in order to attain a more effective heating of said lower drum 22.

Supportingly connecting said upper and lower drums l8 and 22, but without communication with the interior of either of said drums, is a tubular water column 25. As shown, the tube 25 has its opposite end portions respectively extended through said drums l8 and 22 and provided with thrust collars 25 abutting the opposed inner end wall portions of said drums and being further attached to said drums by collars 26 provided on the adjacent inner faces of the outer end walls of said drums, the attachment between said tube 24 and drums l8 and 22, at each place, being obviously made with leak-tight effect.

The lower end of the tubular column M is normally closed by a removable plug 21, while the upper end of the tube is provided with a plug 28 having an axial opening therethrough and a pipe connection 29 between the opening in said plug and a valve casing till located on the outside of the casing it] near the upper end thereof.

Valve casing 38 is provided with a restricted outlet opening 3! which is controlled by a needle valve 32, and leading from said restricted opening 3| of the casing 30 is a pipe 33 which is coiled, as at 34, around the portion of the tubular column 24 adjacent the under side of said upper drum is, the lower end of said pipe coil 3 on tering a manifold drum, 35 which is supported on the tube 24 between opposed collars 36 with an obvious leak-tight effect.

The drum 35, hereinafter referred to as the first stage steam generating manifold, has a plurality of pipe coils 37 depending therefrom and attached communicably at their lower ends to a second stage drum or manifold 38 similar to but relatively larger than said drum 3-5 and secured in the same manner on a lower portion of said tubular column 34. Said second stage drum or manifold 38 is in turn connected communicably with the lower superheating drum 22 by a plurality of pipe coils 39 of relatively larger area and capacity than said pipe coils 31.

Water is supplied to the boiler under pressure from any suitable source through a pipe 40 which is tapped into the lower portion of the tubular column 24 just above the lower drum 22, said pipe 40 preferably having a coil 4| at some point within its length and in correlation to a heating device 42 whereby the water is preheated before entering said column 24. After the tubular column 24 becomes filled with water from the supply pipe 40 the water over-flows from the column 24 through the pipe 29 and restricted pipe and coil 34 into the first stage manifold drum 35 and in a definite quantity which is regulated by the needle valve 32, and inasmuch as the water is maintained in greater volume in the column 24 than in the restricted conducting pipes 29 and 33 leading to said drum 35 the water is obviously heated to a considerable degree within said column 24 before entering said drum 35, and the water entering said drum 35 becomes more highly heated and expands in the coils 3? connecting said first stage drum 35 with the second stage drum or manifold 38 therebelow, whereupon the steam which has thus been generated becomes heated to a still higher degree and further expands in the larger coils 39 connecting said drum 38 with the lower drum 22 in which the steam is superheated and conducted in its superheated condition upwardly through the tubes 20 into the dome or storage drum [8 at the top of the casing 10, from. which latter the steam is conducted by a pipe 43 for any utilitarian purpose.

From the foregoing it is readily seen that not only is the relative arrangement of the several drums and the correlated pipe and coil connections therebetween such that there is no serious interference with the application of the heat thereto from the operation of the fuel burner, but said parts are so arranged and connected that considerable relative expansion and contraction is permitted therein without breakage and thereby making for safety as well as efiiciency in the assembly. In this connection, it is noted that a suitable pressure gauge 44 and relief valve 45 may be provided as conventionally shown in Figure 1. So, too, it is obvious that the manifold drums and corresponding stage coils may be increased or diminished in number, depending upon the size and capacity of the generator, and that considerable other modification may be made in the general structure within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is not limtied to the specific construction and arrangements shown in the accompanying drawing.

What is claimed is:

l. A flash steam generator comprising an outer casing having a fuel burner in the lower portion thereof, and a generating unit in said casing, said unit including an upper steam storage drum, a lower superheating steam generating drum in direct correlation next above the fuel burner, a vertical tubular connection between said lower superheating drum and said upper storage drum, a tubular water column extending vertically between said upper and lower drums without direct communication therewith, means for supplying water under pressure to said column, an upper first stage steam generating element next below said upper storage drum, a restricted pipe connection between the upper portion of said water column and said upper steam generating element, an intermediate second stage steam generating element of larger capacity located between said first stage generating element and said lower superheating drum, a coiled pipe connection between said first and second stage steam generating elements, and a coiled pipe connection of larger capacity between said second stage steam generating element and said lower superheating drum.

2. A flash steam generator comprising an outer casing having a fuel burner in the lower portion thereof, a generating unit in said casing, said unit including a steam accumulating drum in the upper portion of the casing, a steam superheating drum in the lower portion of said casing in direct cooperative relation above the fuel burner, an annular series of tubes communicably connecting said upper and lower drums, an axial tubular water column extending between said upper and lower drums, means for supplying water under pressure to said column, cooperative steam generating elements including an upper manifold drum supported on said column, a lower manifold drum likewise supported, but of relatively larger capacity than said first mentioned drum, pipe coils of a given capacity connecting said upper and lower manifold drums, pipe coils of greater capacity connecting the lower manifold drum with said steam superheating drum, and a restricted valve controlled pipe connection between the upper portion. of said axial water column and said upper manifold drum.

3. A flash steam generator comprising an outer casing having a fuel burner in the lower portion thereof, a steam accumulating drum located in the upper portion of said casing, said drum being of substantially the same diameter as the casing and having a plurality of flue tubes extending vertically therethrough, a steam superheating drum located in the lower portion of said casing in direct cooperative relation above the fuel burner,

said lower drum being of lesser diameter than the L casing and having a plurality of flue tubes extending vertically therethrough, an annular series of tubes depending communicably from the bottom of said upper drum near the periphery thereof, said tubes being communicably attached at 3 their lower ends to said lower drum through the peripheral wall of the latter, an axial tubular water column extending between said upper and lower drums in supporting relation thereto but without communication therebetween, means for supplying water under pressure to the lower portion of said tubular column, sequentially increasing stage steam generating manifold drums supported concentrically on said water column but without direct communication with the column, pipe coils of correspondingly increasing capacity respectively connecting said manifold drums sequentially with said lower steam superheating drum, and a restricted pipe connection between the upper end of said tubular water column and the upper steam generating manifold drum, said restricted pipe connection having a controlling valve therein and the end portion of said pipe connection between said manifold drum and the controlling valve being coiled about said tubular Water column.

MARION E. HENARD.

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