US2302553A - Liquid feeding system - Google Patents

Description

Nov. l?, 1942. L, D, JONES 2,302,553

LIQUID FEEDING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 31, 1940 Morale Leo D Jcmes BYML A TTORNE Y I I N VEN TOR Patented Nov. 17, 1942 LIQUID FEEDING SYSTEM Leo D. Jones, Philadelphia, Pa., assigner to The Sharples Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation oiLDelaware Application December 31, 1940, serial No. 372,458

e 5 Claims.

The present invention pertains to a liquid feeding system. It was developed as a solution of certain problems encountered in the use of proportioning apparatus of the type illustrated in the applicants prior Patents 2,009,890 and 2,058,889, and it will accordingly be described with reference to those patents and those problems.

One of the-principal uses of the apparatus of Patents 2,009,890 and' 2,058,889 has been that of effecting proportionate feed between an oil and a reagent. In this and analogous uses, the liquid to be treated is fed in a steady stream through a reciprocated fluid actuated meter, and the treating liquid is fed in intermittent impulses controlled by flow of the liquid to be treated through the meter. While such a system is satisfactory in cases in which both liquids are fed to a. relatively large mixing chamber, it results in irregular treatment in cases in which attempts are made to effect such treatment in mixing apparatus of relatively small cross section. A feature of the present invention consists in the'fact that it provides an arrangement by which a liquid, fed in` intermittent impulses as in the systems of the above-mentioned patents, may have these intermittent impulses smoothed out and converted into continuous flow. While the present invention is useful, regardless of whether the use occurs in a proportioning apparatus or some other connection in which it is desirable to convert intermittent flow to continuous flow, the above explanation is made for the purpose of indicating one important fleld of use in which it may be applied.

Figure 1 is a partly diagrammatic side elevation illustrating the preferred arrangement of the present invention, and

Figure 2 is a detailed cross sectional view of parts of the apparatus.

For the sake of convenience of description, it will be assumed that the invention is applied to the proportionate feed of oil and liquid reagent. The oil is fed continuously through conduit I0 by a pump or other suitable source of energy, and passesv through a metering device I I, which controls the intermittent feed of reagent through conduit I2. The intermittent feed of reagent may be controlled by a valve, which is in turn controlled by theA meter I I, as taught in my prior Patent 2,058,889, but this control is preferably effected by a reciprocating fluid pressure motor I3 which drives a reciprocating pump I4, which in turn impels reagent intermittently through the conduit I2, as taught in my prior Patent 2,009,890. In any case, the reagent in the conduit I2 is fed in a series of intermittent impulses, and the frequency of su-ch impulses is determined by the rate o'f reciprocation of the pistons in the meter I I, as

taught in my two prior patents discussed above.

The effect. of the features of the present invention described above is to cause continuous feed of oil through the conduit I0 toward the mixing zone I5 and intermittent feed of alkali through the conduit I2 toward this same mixing zone. If the intermittent feed of the reagent were allowed to proceedthrough the conduit I2 to the zone I5, the effect would be to cause over-dosage of oil during intervals atewhich the pump I4 is acting to impel reagent through the conduit I2 and under-dosage at other times in the cycle of operation of the pump I4. The present invention provides apparatus for smoothing out the intermittent impulses of the pump I4 and thereby causing smooth flow of reagent through the conduit I2 to the mixing zone I5, and this smooth flow is accurately proportioned to the quantity of oil passing through the conduit I0.

The desired result of smoothing out the flow of reagent is accomplished by interposing in the line of ow of liquid through the conduit I2 a closed reservoir I6 o-f fairly large capacity as compared to the size cf the conduit I2, and this reservoir is many times the volume of liquid discharged by a single impulse of the pump I4. Thus. the body of liquid maintained between the control point of the pump I4 and valve I'I is many times l the volume fed in a single impulse of said pump.

Liquid flowing through the conduit I2 passes into the reservoir I6 and tends to fill this reservoir gradually. This tendency to fill the reservoir is the result of provision of a normally closed valve Il between the reservoir I6 and the mixing zone I5. The valve Il may comprise a pair of valve plugs I8 which coact with valve seats 2l in the conduit I2, forming a valve assembly of the balanced type. The valve assembly includes a housing I9 connected to the conduit I2, and the valve stem 20, which is connected to the plugs I8 and reciprocates within the housing. The upper end of the valve stem 20 is secured to the moving member of a uid pressure motor 2 I, which may comprise a housing 22 having a flexible diaphragm 23 secured at its outer edges to the housing. A conduit 24 is secured to the upper end of the housing 2I, and this conduit is secured at its opposite end to the upper end of the reservoir I6. A spring 25 is interposed between a part of the housing I9 and a collar 26 on the valve stern 20, and this spring normally urges the valve plugs I8 into seating engagement with the valve seats In the operation of the apparatus. oil is passed through conduit Il, including the metering device II. 'Ihe flow of oil through this meter automatically causes reagent to be passed through conduit I2 in successive impulses proportioned to the now of oil. After the reagent has filled the portion of the conduit I2 between the pump I4 and the valve I'I, this reagent will rise in the reservoir I6, since the valve I1 prevents passage o! reagent into the section I2' of the conduit I2 at this stage of the operation. As the level of the reagent in the reservoir I6 rises, the air in the upper part of this reservoir and in the conduit 24 will be compressed, thereby imposing substantial pressure upon the top of the disc or membrane 23. When the liquid rises in the reservoir to a sufiicient extent to overcome the pressure of the spring 25 tending to hold the valve plugs I 8 in closed position, the membrane 23 and valve stem 26 will descend under the influence of the pressure from conduit 24 and cause the valve plugs I8 to move to open position, thereby permitting the liquid to flow from reservoir I6 into the section I2' of the conduit I2 and into the mixing zone I5, After this stage of the operation isreached, there will be a tendency of the valve I'I to close as the liquid descends in reservoir I6 and to open asthis liquid ascends in the reservoir I6. Sinc'e a substantial pressure is attained in the reservoir I6 before the valve II is operated to open position, however, the uctuation in the position of the valve plugs I8 due to introduction of successive increments of liquid into the pipe I2 from the pump I4 will be relatively slight, and the intermittent ow of,liquid from pump I4 into conduit I2 will be converted into a steady stream leaving the reservoir I6.

After equilibrium has been fairly established as discussed above, any substantial decrease in the rate of flow of liquid from the pump I4 will be compensated by a corresponding' diminution in the degree of opening of the valve II, and any substantial increase in such rate of flow will be compensated by a corresponding increase in the opening of said valve. Thus, after equilibrium is established, if the rate of flow from the pump I4 to the reservoir I6 is decreased, the first tendency will be for liquid in the reservoir I6 to pass through the valve I1 at a greater rate than the rate of passage from the pump I4 to the reservoir I6. This results in a lowering of the level of liquid in the reservoir I6, with corresponding decrease lof pressure in the top of that reservoir. and in the rconduit 24. This decrease in pressure permits the spring 25 to actuate the valve plug Il toward closed position, the extent of such actuation depending upon the level to which the liquid in reservoir I6 has fallen. If the diminished rate of ow is maintained substantially constant, the valve plug I8 will ultimately reach an adjusted position adapted to maintain a fairly steady flow of liquid into the mixing zone I6 at this diminished rate. Conversely, if the rate of ow of liquid from the pump I4 is increased, the valve plug I8 will be moved away from its seat, due to increase of pressure in the top of the reservoir I6 and in the conduit 24, as will be readily understandable from the above discussion.

While the invention has been described speciilcally in its relationship to proportioning apparatus of the type illustrated in my prior Patents 2,009,890 and 2,058,889, it will be understood that the invention is applicable in the solution of various proportioning problems involving conversion of intermittent feed into continuous feed, and even of problems other than proportioning problems involving the necessity for a similar operation.

Various modiiications will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and I do not therefore wish to be limited except by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

l. In a liquid feeding system, the combination comprising, a conduit, means for feeding a liquid in intermittent impulses through said conduit, a reservoir interconnected with said conduit and adapted to receive liquid fed intermittently therethrough, a valve in said conduit on the downstream side of said reservoir, means for holding said valve normally in closed position to prevent flow of liquid through said conduit past said valve, and means associated with said valve and said reservoir for actuating said valve to open position to a degree depending upon the quantity of liquid in said reservoir upon accumulation of a predetermined quantity of liquid in said reservoir.

2. In a liquid feeding system, the combination comprising, a conduit, means for feeding a liquid in intermittent impulses through said conduit, a reservoir interconnected with said conduit and adapted to receive liquid fed intermittently through said conduit, a valve on the downstream side of said reservoir, means for holding said valve normally in closed position to prevent flow of liquid through said conduit past said valve, a fluid pressure motor associated with said valve for actuating said valve to open position to a degree depending upon the quantity of liquid in said reservoir, and means for operating said fluid pressure motor to actuate said valve to open position upon accumulation of a predetermined quantity of liquid in said reservoir.

3. In a liquid feeding system, the combinationY comprising, a conduit, means for feeding a liquid in intermittent impulses through said conduit, a reservoir interconnected with said conduit and having a substantially closed upper end extending upwardly from said conduit, said reservoir being adapted to receive liquid fed intermittently through said conduit, a valve in said conduit on the downstream side of said reservoir, means for holding said valve normally in closed position to prevent ilow of liquid through said conduit past said valve and means responsive to development of a predetermined pressure by compression of the gas in the upper end of said reservoir for actuating said valve to open position to a degree depending upon said pressure.

4. In a liquid feeding system, the combination comprising, a conduit, means for feeding a liquid in intermittent impulses through said conduit, a reservoir interconnected with said conduit and adapted to receive liquid fed intermittently through said conduit, said reservoir having a substantially closed ,upper end adapted to constitute i an air space at the upper end of said reservoir, a valve in said conduit on the downstream side of said reservoir, means for holding said valve normally in closed position to prevent flow of liquid through sa-id conduit past said valve, a fluid pressure motor operative to.oppose said lastmentioned means and actuate said valve to open position, and a conduit interconnecting the upper end of said reservoir and said iluid pressure moasoasss 3 tor for actuating said iiuid pressure motor to valve opening position to a degree depending upon the pressure upon development oi' prede? termined pressure in the upper end of said reservoir.

5. In a liquid feeding system, the combination comprising, a conduit. means forfeeding a liquid in intermittent impulses through said conduit, a reservoir interconnected with said conduit and -adapted to receive liquid fed intermittently there- 10 through, a. valve in said conduit on the downstream side of said reservoir, means for controlling the degree of opening of said valve to control the ow of liquid throughA said conduit past said valve, and means responsive to accumulation of liquid beyond a predetermined amount in said reservoir for actuating said 'last-mentioned means.

LEO D. JONES.

. z CERTIFICATE oF coRREcTIoN. y Pa'tent No. 2,502,555. November 17, 19m.A

LEO D. JoNEs.

It ishe'reby certified that 'error eppears in the Printed specification ofthe above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, secondl column, lineos 58 to MO, claim' 2, strike cnt the words "to a degree depending upon the quantity of liquid in said reservoir" and insert the same after "position" in line 142; and that -the seid Letters Patent shouldv be of the case in the Patent Office.

signed and sealed this 16th da? of March, A. D. 19kg.

(Seg-1) Henry Van Arsdale,

Acting Commissioner .of Patents.

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