US2319819A - Liquefied gas vaporizer - Google Patents

Description

May25,1943. ummm '2,319,819

v LIQUEFIED GAS VAPORIZER Fiied oct. 4, 1941 2 sheets-sheet 1 May 25, 1943 .1. w. MARTIN 2,319,919

LIQUEFIED @As vAPoRIzER Filed on. '4. 1941 2 sheets-sheet 2 i! VUuirish "STATE a control valve 6 is interposed,

r H-shaped preheater` 9.

Patented May 25, 1943 s PATENT OFFICE `Lrousrmn GAS varoluzsa James Woodward Martin, Dallas, Tex., assigner to Lone AStar Gas Company, Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application october 4, 1941, serial No. 413,679

' s claims. (ci. ca -1) This invention relates to vaporizing apparatus. and especially to a vaporizer adapted to vaporize liquefied hydrocarbon gases such as propane. butane, propylene, butylene, etc. or mixtures thereof.

In my Patent No. 2,084,297, and my application Serial No. v410,766, filed Sept'. 13,` l9 i=1, I disclosed embodiments of a vaporizing apparatus, and set forth certain objectsrelating to the treatment of liquellable hydrocarbon gases. The main object of the present invention is to improve such apparatus.

Another object is to provide vanV apparatus particularly adapted for use in connection with liquefied gases, and including means whereby the gas, before reaching a regulator (controlling the service line), receives heat and is thus maintained above the temperature at which any moisture content would freeze,` thereby preventing the regulator from becoming inoperative due to freezing. i

A further object is to provide a preheater of novel construction adapted tobe heated by the saine heater employed in heating the contents of a tank in which the liquefied gas is stored.

A further object is to produce a simple and inexpensive device -and'yet one which will be exceedingly eiIective-forthe purposes for which Y j trate the invention, and the scope of such invention will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

. Fig. l isa vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of an embodiment of the invention shown in connection with a liquefied gas storage tank. and meansfor heatingthe latter, such tank and means being only partially shown.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fie. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. l

Referring to the drawings, l designates the bott-om portion of a tank or receptacle for the storage of liquefied hydrocarbon gases.` Vapors from such gases are discharged from the upper portion of tl'leiank through a pipe 5 in which In my previous aonaratuswthe pipel 5 led directly to the regulafnr 1, but in .accordance with the present invent-ion. the pipe leads. asbest shown in Fig. 3.

fo the intakeinner tub',` Bof a substantially The inner tube terminates near the closed end il! of an outer tube Il. the'onposite end of which is closed. as indicated atl2. A cross pipe I3 connects the medial portion of the outer tube il to a similar portion vfor use in heating the latter.

of an outer tube Il ofthe discharge leg of the preheater. This outer tube also has closed ends, as indicated at I5 and I6, and gases are discharged from the tube Il by means of an inner discharge tube'll having one of its ends located near the closed end I5 of the tube Il. Tube Il leads to the regulator fl and mayV have a branch pipe IB .provided with a pressure gauge n formk a flue 28 through which air maybe introduced into a burner compartment 29 and be preheated on its way by hot gases of combustion travelling through the chamber 26'.

In accordance with the present invention, gas, after travelling through the regulator, can ow to the heat supplying burner 30 arranged in the-compartment 29. This is accomplished by a valved branch 3| leading from the service pipe to a T 32 that has an upwardly extending f branch connected to one end of a conduit I3.

sof

The other end of the conduit is connected to a pressurestat 34 through which the gas passes on its wayto the burner line 35. At this point -it will be noted that the pressurestat is con nected by a branch 36 to the gas conducting pipe 5 so that the pressure of the vapor leaving the storage tank may be used to control the pressurestat. Obviously, a thermostat could be substituted for. the pressurestat so that the heat of the liquid or vapor in the storage tank could be employed to control the flow of the gas to the main burner 30. A pilot burner 31 is connected by a tube 38 to one end of'the T 32,

andan electric ignition device 3S may be employed to ignite the pilot burner. ,Hot gases of combustion from both burners 'Varedischarged through an elbow-shaped stack 40 into the heat chamber 26, and such stack may be welded directlv to the bottom of the tank, as indicated at 4|. It will be noted that its upper portion extends between the legs ofthe preheater 9. and it is'manifest that the preheater can be directly secured to the stack, if desired, so that heat from the stack will be directly transmitted to the metal forming the preheater. An insulation jacket 42 surrounds the stack between the that the main portion of the preheater is within the heat chamber.

From the above it is believed that the operation of the vaporizer will be obvious, but I'may point out that the heat from the burners, ir accordance with my prior apparatus, as disclosed in my above mentioned application, is not only employed to heat the contents ofthe storage tank and the air used for combustion, but in addition, heat up the preheater 9V so that the vapors or gases supplied to the regulator, pressurestat and burners, will be kept in such condition as to prevent the freezing of moisture therein.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the details oi' the illustrated construction. These may be variously modified within the scope of the appended c1aims.` Moreovenit is not indispensable that all features of the vinvention be used conjointly, since various elements may be employed Vto advantage in different combinations and sub-combinations.

What I claim and desire vto secure Patent is: u

-l. In vaporizing means of the type having a by Letters `storage receptacle for liquefied gas, a heat chamber for use in heating the receptacle from the exterior thereof, burner means forbelow said heat chamber for supplying heat directlyV to the heat chamber, fuel supply means for leading fuel from the storage receptacle to the burner means,

Vand a regulator interposed in said fuel supply means, Vthe improvement which comprises a preheater for the fuel interposed in the fuel suply means anterior to said regulator and arranged to be heated by heat supplied from the burner means.

2. In vaporizing means of the type having a storage receptacle for liquefied gas, a heat chamber for use in heating the receptacle from the exterior thereof, burner means for supplying heat to the heat chambenfuel supply means for leadstorage receptacle to the burner' tially parallel outer tubes having closedends, a l

cross tube connecting the outer tubes, an inner intake tubeextendinginto one of the outer tubes and terminating near one of the closed ends of the latter, and an inner discharge tube extending into the other outer tube and .terminating near one oi the closed ends of the latter.

3. In a vaporizing means'of the type having a storage receptacle for liquefied gas, a heat chamber extending along the bottom portion of the exterior of said receptacle, a stack communicatingwith and depending from vsaid heat chamber, burner means below said receptacle for supplying hot gases of combustion' to the stack, fuel supply means for Vleading fuel from the storage A receptacle to the burner means, and a regulator interposed in said fuel supplyv means, theV improvement which comprises a preheater for the fuel extending into the heat chamber adjacent to the stack and vinterposed in the fuel supply means anterior to said regulator.

4. In a vaporizing means of the type having a storage receptacle for liquefied gas, a heat chamber extending along the bottom portion of the exterior of said receptacle, a stack depending from said heat chamber. burner means for supplying hot gases of combustion tothe stack, fuel supply means for leading fuel from the storage receptacle to the burner means, and a regulator interposed in said fuel supply means, the improvement which comprises a preheater for the storage receptacle for liqueed gas, a heat cham- 'ber for use in heating the receptacle, burner means below the heat chamber for supplying heat directly to the heat chamber, means for conducting gasfrom the receptacle to the burner means,

and a'regulator interposed in the gas conduct-A ing means, the improvement which comprises a preheater for .the gas extending into the heat chamber and interposed in said gas conducting means anterior to said regulator.

6. In vaporizing means of the type having a storage receptacle forliquefied gas, a heat chamber for use in heating the receptacle from the exterior thereof, burner means for supplying heat to the heat chamber, fuel supply means for leading fuel from the storage receptacle to the burner means, and a regulator interposed in said fuel supply means, the improvement which comprises a preheater for the fuel interposed in the fuel supply means anteriorto said regulator and arranged to be heated by heatsupplied from the burner means, and a pressurestat controlling said burner means and operatively connected to the fuel conducting means anterior to said preheater.

` '1.In vaporizing means of the type having a storage receptacle for liquefied gas, a heat chamber for use in heating the receptacle, burner means for supplying heat to the heat chamber,

means for conducting gas from the receptacle to the burner means, and a regulatorinterposed in the gas conducting means, the improvement which comprises a preheater for the gas extending'into the heat chamber and interposed in said gas conducting means anterior to said regulator, said preheater including substantially parallel outer tubes having closed ends, a cross tube connecting the outer tubes, an inner intake tube extending into one of the outer tubes and terminating near one of the closed ends of the latter, and an inner discharge tube extending into the other outer tube and terminating near one of the closed ends of the latter.

8. In vaporizing means of the type having a storage receptacle for liquefied gas, a heat chamber extending along the exterior of the bottomof the receptacle, burner means below said chamber for supplying heat directly to the heat chamber, means for conducting gas from the receptacle t0 the burner means, and a regulator interposed in said gas supply means, the improvement which comprisesa preheater for said gas arranged substantially horizontally below the receptacle, in-

terposed in the gasconducting meansv anterior to said regulator, and arranged to be heated by heat supplied by said burner means.

JAMES WOODWARD MARTIN.

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