US2200620A

US2200620A - Heat exchanger

Info

Publication number: US2200620A
Application number: US207478A
Authority: US
Inventors: Howard J Findley
Original assignee: Eaton Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Eaton Corp
Priority date: 1938-05-12
Filing date: 1938-05-12
Publication date: 1940-05-14
Anticipated expiration: 1957-05-14

Description

May 14, 1940.

H. J. FINDLEY HEAT EXCHANGER Filed May 12, 1958 IN VE'N TOR fi rv eo .J'. FINLLEX BY W I ATTORNEY heater core.

Patented May'14, 1940 UNITED "STATES PATENT oFFic-e Eaton Manufacturing Company,

Cleveland,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 12, 1938, Serial No. 207,478

Claims.

This invention relates to vehicle heating systems and particularly concerns means for use in conjunction with hot water heaters for prevent ing undesirable noises resulting from gurgling oi the water in said heaters.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of means in conjunction with hot water heaters for eliminating. thegurgling noise which usually results due to circulation of water with aerated fluid through the radiator of the heating system.

Investigation as to the cause of this sound has established it to be made by air bubbles locked in the heating fluid that is circulated under pressure to the inlet tank of the heater radiator, and as the fluid emerges from the core passages into the outlet tank there is a rapid expansion in the reduced pressure area as the air separates from the water producing a gurgling sound as each air bubble is freed to the top of the outlet tank. Research directed toward the solution of this problem has established that the most practical way to cure this annoyance is to prevent any aerated fluid from being circulated through the a A further object of this invention is the provision of an air separating means for use in conjunction with a conventional hot water heater radiator of an automotive vehicle that substantially prevents any core resonance resulting from gurgling of the water during the operation of said heater.

A further object of this invention is the provision of means adaptable to conventional hot water heaters as used on ordinary motor vehicles that substantially prevents circulation of air through said heaters. v

A still further object of this invention is to provide in combination with an automotive vehicle having aninternal combustion engine, a water circulating system therefor, and a heating device deriving heat from said system for warming the passenger compartment of said vehicle,

an air separating means adapted to be serially connected in the supply side of said heater and' conjunction with a hot water heater for the passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle, adapted to be serially connected to the inlet side of said heater, and having an air escape con duit in communication with the discharge side of said heater.

Other, objects and advantageous features will become apparent when considered in conjunction with the-following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein like numerals designate like parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is an elevational view partly in section illustrating a heater core with supply and discharge pipes leading'therefrom and incorporating the subject matter of this invention, and

Fig. 2 is a partly cut-away elevational view of the device of this invention removed from the' heater circuit of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the cylindrical tank of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal view through an engine compartment and a section of the passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle and heating device depicting one form of this invention joined in the heater circuit. v

In Fig. 1 a conventional hot-water heater core III has tanks ll and 12 at the ends thereof with which supply and discharge pipes l3 and M are connected, respectively. Adjacent the inlet tank II and in the supply pipe [3 a cylindrical tank I5 is serially connected. That is to say, inlet pipe I6 of cylindrical tank I 5 is connected to supply pipe l3, and outlet pipe I! of tank I5 is joined to supply pipe I 3 ahead of the heater core. A centrally located conduit on the upper axis of tank l5 preferably has its free end joined as at 2| to discharge pipe 14 and extends a short distance on the axis thereof to create an aspirator eflect by the reduced flow area past its mouth. The operation of tank I5 is as follows:

Inlet pipe I6 is tangentially joined to tank l5 near the top portion of the cylindrical section and similarly outlet pipe IT is tangentially joined to the tank adjacent the lower portion thereof, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. A cover member IQ of hemi-spherical shape is sealingly secured to the cylindrical portion of the tank, and axially located at the upper extremity of the cover memher a pipe 20 of small bore relative to the inlet pipe 16, leads from the tank. Water enters the tank through inlet pipe l6, which is fed by the heater. supply pipe l3, and being tangentially joined to the outer periphery of the tank a rotary motion isimparted to the fluid. The water having a greater specific gravity than the entrapped air will flow by centrifugal force to the outer regions of the tank and descend spirally toward the bottom of the tank, while the air being lighter than the "water will tend to separate from the water and remain near the axis of the tank, and in the reduced pressure area existing in the tank will rise to the top portion of the tank-where it will be vented through the by-pass tube 20. As shown in Fig. 1, this by-pass' tube isshunted to the heater core discharge pipe l4 by'means of a suitable fitting 2|. It will be 'evident now that substantially air-free water will flow from the tank outlet pipe I! to the supply pipe l3 and into the heater tank H and core 10. Further,

the fluid flow in discharge pipe ll being restricted in area by the insertion of by-pass tube shunted into the axial bore thereof will create an aspirator effect at the mouth of the tube and produce a suction in the tube tending to draw the free air from the air separating tank IS. The relative sizes of inlet pipe 16 and by-pass tube 20 and their respective locations effectively prevents any short-circuiting of the heating fluid around the core, by providing a low pressure exit for the air, for example, one embodiment of the invention uses a 95 inlet and outlet tank tub s and air by-pass tube. Obviously the inlet tube 16 may enter the tank l5 parallel to the major axis thereof and tangential to the outer periphery of the tank so as to slow up the. water flow as it enters the tank and increase the tendency of the air and water to separate before the water begins its centrifugal spirally downward path. This construction would only necessitate a right angle rotation downwardly of inlet pipe l6 as viewed in Fig. 2. In the previously described construction the air by-pass tube has been described as being joined to the discharge pipe of the heater merely because it provided a source of lower pressure or suction to effect the withdrawal of air from the air separating tank 15. Obviously the air by-pass tube may be joined with any other convenient source of suction existing in the engine circulating system. an example of which is shown in the following clescription.

In Fig. 4 a hot-water heating device 23 is shown connected to the engine circulating system of an automotive vehicle embodying the subject matter of this invention. The heater 23 is mounted on the passenger side of the dash 24 in a conventional manner, and the air separating tank l5 for convenience and conservation of room under the cowl is mounted on the engine side of the dash. The inlet pipe l6 of the tank I5 is shown connected to the cylinder head 25 on the pressure side of the engine water pump 26. As previously mentioned water then enters the separating tank l5 at a tangential opening and centrifugally separates itself from any entrapped air through the spirally downwardly path assumed by the fluid flow. From the tangential outlet pipe l1. air-free water flows through the heating device 133 and out the discharge pipe 14 back to the suction side of the water pump. In this Showing air by-pass tube 20 extends from the top of the tank i5 and is connected to the inlet or suction side of the pump 26, whereby an aspiraior effect is created at the outlet of tube 20 so as to remove air separated from the water in tank i5 and accumulated in the dome-like top thereof. Alternatively. as shown by dotted lines 20', the air by-pass tube 20 may be joined at the outlet end with the upper tank of the car radiator if desired. In this hook-up the tube 20 would be above the water level in the top tank and in a region of atmospheric pressure due to the venting afforded by the conventional overflow tube incorporated therein. The requisite amount of suction would be available at this point because of the relatively lower value of the atmospheric pressure in relation to the pressure existing in the fluid circuit through the heater.

Since many changes can be made in the formal arrangement and combinations of parts without departing from the spirit and broad scope of this invention, it is not the intention to be limited to the specific construction and modification shown, but to include all possible modifications fairly within the scope of this invention and limited only by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a hot water heater core having header tanks at the ends thereof with which supply and discharge pipes are connected. respectively, of a tank for separating air from water for the supply pipe of said heater core. comprising inlet and outlet pipes extending from adjacent the upper and lower portions of said air separating tank, respectively, and an air venting tube extending from the upper portion of said tank to the interior of said heater discharge pipe substantially on the axis thereof and facing in the direction of fluid flow.

2. The combination with a hot water heat exchange core having a header tank at either end thereof with which a supply and discharge pipe are connected, respectively, of an air separating means comprising a tank having a tangentially arranged inlet and outlet in communication with the upper and lower portions thereof. respectively. said air separating tank member adapted to be connected in series with said heat-exchange core supply pipe, and a relatively small air bypass tube extending from the upper portion of said air separating tank and in communication with the said heat exchange core discharge pipe substantially on the axis thereof and facing in the direction of fluid flow.

3. The combination with a hot water heatexchange core having top and bottom header tanks and discharge and supply pipes leading therefrom, respectively, of a cylindrical tank having inlet and outlet pipes in fluid communication with the tank adjacent the top and bottom portions thereof and serially connected to said heat exchanger supply pipe, and a by-pass pipe shunted between the uppermost portion oi said cylindrical tank and the discharge ozpe of said heat exchanger substantially on the axis thereof and in the direction of fluid flow. when-by air is delivered through said by-pass pipe and airfree fluid delivered to said heat exchange core supply pipe.

4. A water gurgle eliminator for a hot water heater core for the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, comprising in combination a heatexchange core having supply and discharge pipes connected therewith, an air-separating tank ineluding inlet and outlet pipes tangentially joined to said tank adjacent the upper and lower portions thereof, respectively, said tank inlet and outlet pipes connected in series in said heater core supply pipe. and an air vent conduit shunted between the uppermost portion of said tank and said heater core discharge pipe substantially on the axis thereof and disposed in the direction of fluid flow.

5. In a heat exchange core of the hot water type with which are connected supply and "l charge pipes, means to remove air from said w ply pipe and by-pass the same to said tliwm-wpipe. comprising a tank member havine mint d i lglf HOWARD J. FINDLEY.

lll