US2294183A

US2294183A - Air treating and circulating apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2294183A
Application number: US391503A
Authority: US
Inventors: Holm-Hansen Osmund
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1941-05-02
Filing date: 1941-05-02
Publication date: 1942-08-25
Anticipated expiration: 1959-08-25

Description

Aug. 25, 1942. o. HoLM-HANsEN AIR TREATING AND CIRCULATING APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1941 Inventor:

Osm Holm-Hansen bg `J His Attorneg.

Patented Aug. 25, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR TREATING AND CIRCULATING APPARATUS Osmund Holm-Hansen, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a. corporation of New York Application May 2, 1941, Serial No. 391,503 8 Claims. (Cl. 183-35) l forcibly circulating the air so that substantially the same temperature prevails throughout the room. The comfort of persons occupying the room may further be increased by removing odors, smoke and other objectionable matter from the circulated air. For purposes of circulating the air, it is desirable to employ fairly high velocities of air in the circulating device: however, if air treating material such as activated charcoal is placed in the path of the air in the device, the velocity of the stream is necessarily reduced and the effectiveness f the air circulator may be hampered.

It is an object of my invention to provide a'n improved apparatus :for circulating and otherwise treating the air within a room.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved air circulating and treating apparatus wherein suiiicient velocities for proper circulation of the air in the room are attained while a portion of the air is continuously treated to remove objectionable odors or foreign material.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to I and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, the single iig-ure of which is a section-al elevation view of an air circulating device embodying my invention.

VThe device as shown in the drawing comprises a cylindrical casing within which is arranged a duct constituting a Venturi tube, a motor driven fan circulates air from the bottom of the casing through the vtube to the venturi `and openings are provided at the throat and near the discharge end of the venturi so that there is a recirculation of a portion of the air from the discharge end through the space between the tube and the casing and back to the main air stream through the opening at the throat of the tube. The recirculated air is subjected to the desired treatment by providing a container within the space between the tube and the casing and placing a suitable air treating substance in the container.

A portionof the circulated air is thus recirculated in the casing and treated to remove odors, smoke, etc., and the main air stream is maintained at suiiicient .velocity to provide adequate circulation of the air in the room.

Referring now to the drawing, I have shown an upright cylindrical casing I0 spaced from the floor and supported on a plurality of legs Il. Within the lower end of the casing is mounted a motor I2 for driving a propeller type fan I3. The motor is secured'in the lower portion of the casing in any suitable manner and preferably by employing a resilient mounting including supports I4 of rubber or other similar material. 'I'he top and bottom of the casing are provided with suitable collars and I6, respectively, to provide a finished appearance. Within the casing is provided a;coneshaped duct or reducing orice I'l through which the air is forced immediately after leaving the fan I3. Above the orifice I1 and resting on a suitable support Il on the walls of the casing is an expansion duct or nozzle I9 extending upwardly from the outlet of the orifice Il toward the top of the casing. The support I8 is located so that the inlet end of the discharge nozzle I9 is spaced from the discharge end of the orifice I1 to provide an annular opening between the orifice and the nozzle. The orifice and the nozzle constitute a Venturi tube, the annular opening between the orifice and the nozzle being located at the throat of the venturi intermediate the ends of the casing. Between the casing I0 and the duct structure` comprising the orifice I'I and the nozzle I9, there is formed a space Xor chamber 20. In a Venturi tube the velocity of the air is highest at the throat and decreases in the expanding nozzle. The pressure at the throat is the lowest pressure; and hence is lower than the pressure at the discharge end of the nozzle. I utilize this difference in pressure to circulate a portion of the air through the chamber thereby providing recirculation of a portion of the air circulated by 4 the fan I3.' This recirculated portion of the air l odors, smoke or other lobjectionable matter.

2 into the -main stream in theduct from ,thechamber 20 through the annular opening vbetween the orifice and the nozzle, and that air will -be supsure region intermediate the' ends of said duct,

I means providing a chamber externally of said plied to the chamber 20 from the main stream through the openings 24 in the discharge end of the nozzle. The air ilowing from the openings 24 to the annular opening at the throat of the venturi must-pass through the mass of air treating material 2i and the perforations 23. This portion of the air is, therefore, treated by the substance 2l which, for example, may be activated carbon provided to remove objectionable odors from the air. y

' culated by the fan I3 will-pass upwardly through Themain body of air cirthe casing at a substantial velocity and a portion of the treated air'will be added to the main' stream so that there is a continual treatment cfa fraction of the air circulated bythe fan and the air in the room may be maintained free from objectionable odors or foreign matter such as smoke. f

The nozzle i9 together with the container 22 may be removed from the casing I9 by lifting the nozzle directly through the top of the casing and a suitable hook may be inserted in one of the openings 24 in order to grip the duct I9 I have provided an air circulator including a simple and effective arrangement for maintaining a stream of air at a relatively high velocity while treating a portion of the 'stream to remove -While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention in connection with a portable air circulating unit, other applicationswill readily be apparent to those skilled in the art. I do not, therefore, desire my invention to be limited i to the particular construction. shown and described and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modiiications within the spirit and scope l of my invention.

. What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theunited states is:

l. An air circulator including a casing having an air inlet and an air discharge outlet, means for circulating air throughsaid casing 'from said inlet t'o said outlet, lmeans dependent upon the flow of air throughsaid casing for producing a pressure of the air at an intermediate portion of the casing lower than the pressure at the dis- 1 charge end thereof, lmeans providing a chamber for containing an air treating substance, and

means arranged to utilize the difference in pressure between the discharge end of said casing and` said intermediate portion thereof to produce a circulation through said chamber of a l portion of the air iiowing. through said casing whereby said portion of the air is removed from tlie main stream of air iiowing through said lcasing and circulated through said chamber and treated by the substance therein and then reduct and aording communication between said l low pressure region and a higher pressure region adjacent the discharge end of said duct whereby a portion of the air passing through said duct is removed from the main stream of air and circulatedlthroughy said chamber and then returned to the main stream, said chamber being arranged to contain a substance-for treating the air circulating therethrough.

3. An air circulating apparatus comprising a duct structure formed to provide a Venturi tube.

' means for circulating air through said tube,

means providing a chamber adapted to contain an air treating substance, means arranged to connect said chamber in an air path between the discharge side of said tube and the throat of said tube for affording a circulation of air through said chamber whereby a portion` of the air passing through said tube is recirculated and subjected to the treatment of the substance in said chamber.

4. An air circulating apparatus comprising a duct structure formed to provide a Venturi tube, means for circulating air through saidtube, a

perforated container adapted to contain an air treating substance and arranged in= communication with said duct adjacent the throat of the venturi, means providing communication between said container and the discharge end of said duct for providing an air circulating path from the discharge end of said duct through the container to `the throat of the venturi whereby..`

a portion'of the air passing through said duct is recirculated and subjected to the treatment .of

the substance in said container.

5. An air circulating apparatus comprising a casing, a duct structure constituting a Venturi tube arranged within said casing, means for cirl culating air through said duct, means providing culating air through said duct, said duct beingair circulated therethrough to provide a low prescommunication between the interior of said duct and the space between said duct and said casing adjacent the throat of the venturi and also adjacent the discharge end of the duct, means arrangedbetween said casing and'said duct for retaining a quantity of air treating substance therein whereby the circulation of air through said duct produces a recirculation of a portion of the air through the space between said duct and said casing to be subjected to treatment by the air treating substance therein. p

6. An air circulating apparatus comprising la casing, a duct structure constituting a Venturi tube arranged within said casing, said ductA structure having a plurality of perforations therein near the discharge end of the tube and having an opening therein adjacent the throat of the tube, means for circulating air through said duct, said casing and said duct defining a space therebetween in communication with the interior of said duct-[through said perforations and said opening whereby a. portion of the air circulated through said tduct is recirculated through the space between said duct and said casing, and means for retaining a quantity of air treating substance in the path of the air circulated through the space between said casing and said duct. f

'7. An air circulating apparatus comprising a casing, a duct structure constituting a Venturi tube arranged within said casing, said structure comprising a pressurereducing orifice and an expanding nozzle spaced from saidoriiice at the throat of the venturi,` a container for an air treating substance secured to said nozzle and arranged within the space between said nozzle and said casing and having perforations to afford passage of air therethrough, said nozzle having perforations adjacent the discharge end thereof, means for circulating air through said duct and for causing a recirculation of a portion of the air from the perforations in said nozzle through said container and back to the duct through the space between said nozzle and said orifice whereby the recirculated air is subjected to treatment by the substance within said container.

8. An air circulating apparatus comprising an upright cylindrical casing, a cone-shaped reducing orifice in the lower portion of said casing, a removable expansion nozzle arranged in the upper portion of said casing and constituting with said orifice a Venturi tube and forming a chambei` between the casing and the tube, said nozzle and said orifice being spaced apart longitudinally to provide communication between the Venturi tube and the chamber between the tube and saidcasing adjacent the throat of the tube, said expanding nozzle having perforations near the discharge end thereof opening into said cham-ber, a motor driven blower in said casing below said nozzle for circulating air from the lower end of said casing through said nozzle and said discharge orice and thence out of said casing at the top thereof whereby a portion of the air passes through the perforations in said .nozzle and is returned to the throat of the Venturi tube through the space between said orifice and said nozzle, and a container for holding a quantity of air treating substance in the path of air circulated through said chamber between said dis- OSMUND HOLM-HANSEN.