US2329711A - Apparatus for spraying fluids - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 21, 1943. J. GILSENAN APPARATUS FOR smwme FLUIDS FiledJune 14. ,1939] Patented Sept. 21, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR SPRAYING FLUIDS John Gilsenan, NewarlnN. i I Application 11111614, 1939, Shria1N0. 279,303

(Cl. 29911Z) 5 Claims.

' This invention relates to apparatus for spraying fluids, and more particularly to the extinguishing andlocalizing of confiagrations and to heavy'duty high pressure nozzles for such purposes.

The need for highly eificient means for extinguishing fires has'long been apparent and many types of equipment have been developed for this purpose. While it has long been known that advantages can be had in firefighting operations as a result of using streams varying in different degrees between a solid stream and an atomized stream, extreme difliculty has been'experienced in producing efi'icient equipment in relatively simple form and of a character not excessively expensive for this purpose. Then too, the equipment used for creating high pressure streams has produced powerful reactions and it has therefore been necessary to employ several men to maintain a single nozzle in desired position, or as an alternative, heavy fasteningsand supports have been required. x

This invention is intended to overcome dificulties encountered in firefighting such as referred to and it contemplates the provision of a nozzle adaptable to many applications and subject to ready adjustment to produce a wide variety of fluid streams for use in extinguishing conflagra-' tions. By the employment of the'apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to produce from one nozzle a stream of widely dispersed water particles in the form of a mist or fog which may be directed as accurately as heavy high pressure streams now in use as the vaporized stream produced is of small diameter and generally uniform cross section throughout its length. It is further contemplated .to produce such a stream through the entire range of pressures from ordinary hydrant pressures to the high pressures obtained with the usual pumping equipment, the character of the stream being reasonably uniform while the carrying qualities thereof vary in pro-,

portion to the pressure used. By an adjustment of the same nozzle from which the aforementioned fog is produced, it is possible to produce a flared heavy spray of fluid in the form of drops, the amount of water used being greater than that contemplated where the fogging effect is desired. Byfurther manipulation, a solid stream of large diameter or a solid stream of small diameter may be produced.

In recent years it has been recognized that water losses incident to the use ofheavy streams in fire fighting frequently exceeded the actual damage caused by the fire. One of the earlier practices adapted to prevent such water damage involved the use of chemical extinguishers. However, it has nowbeen found that use can be made of nozzles which break the stream into droplets of widely separated waterparticles in the form of a conical spray or fog for extinguish ing a fire and that the water damage will be greatly reduced. 811011 a spray, when directed against a confi'agration, will be instantaneously transformed into steam and the vapor thus formed will efiectively blanket and extinguish the fire. Because of the fact that the spray produced is conical, as distinguished from along stream of constantdiameter, much water is wasted by being directed at localities adjacent the burning area. This, of course, results in the lessor water and ineificient extinguishing action. It is an object of the present invention to produce a vaporized stream'of substantially uniform diameter in cross section over a relatively longpath whereby the'extinguishing advantages of the fog may be attained without the necessity for spraying water beyond the burningareas, thus reducing water loss and rendering more efficient the extinguishing action. With an ordinary'fire nozzle, seventyfive to eighty gallons of water are discharged each minute, whereas by the use'of the present invention nozzle in its atomizing adjustment,only three or fourgallons of water are discharged in a minute, all of such water being efficiently em-' ployed in extinguishing the fire.

, The present invention additionally contemplates the production of a light-weight nozzle which may operate at high pressure when placed on a surface without being secured thereto and. which may be'handled during operation by one man with comparative ease. l

In order that the advantages of the nozzles of the present invention may be available to the fullest extent during emergency, novel means are employed for altering the direction of the stream substantially instantaneously and without the interruption of the fiuid flow therethrough s The adjustment contemplated maybe effected in two ways, one involving. a major alteration of the direction and the other a minoralteration. One

or the locking means is retained in position through the back pressures incident to use, while the other locking mechanism is independent thereof and readily operable during operations.

Otherobje'cts and advantages of the invention will appear upon detailed consideration of the "following description whenv taken in conjunction with the annexed drawing wherein:

' Figure l is a view in side elevation of one form of a nozzle constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the nozzle shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the nozzle shown in Figure l, the position of the handles being altered for better illustration;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3.; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

In referring specifically to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive of the drawing, it will be seen that the nozzle illustrated has an inlet portion H), a curved reaction chamber II and a round straight discharge portion extending from the reaction chamber II to removable tip I12 jHandleunit "i3 is rotatably mounted about the inlet portion to render the nozzle and the handles relatively movable.

I The nozzle has been-found to be particularly suitable for long and hard usage when it is fabricated of stainless St el as-it then resists the corrosive action of fluids passed;.therethrough. A- bent tubular member M forms the curved reaction oham-ber and its respective extensions constitute a part of the inlet portionand a part of the straight tubular discharge portion. This member ;I 4 has sweated thereon adjacent -.one end a sleeve i5 which has "an outwardly extending flange 16 at'its forward end and a threaded sec tion :H at its rearward end which terminates flush :with :the end of member: Ill. Within the in. tahe end of the body portion I4 there is a sleeve [8 provided at its iorward-end with anou twardly tapered inner wall and extending at its opposite end beyond the member- M where it is joined with a radially extending flange l9 and an interiorly threaded portion .20 of enlarged diameter for connection to a source of fluid supply. On the rear portion of the flange I9, two axially projecting lugs' 2| are provided and the flange hasLon its forward. face a plurality of hemispherical recesses'22 arranged in a row adjacent its perimeter. 'Threadedly attached to the sweated sleeve is an outer sleeve ,23 having a protruding drilled, portion .24 formed thereon.

Apin having a rounded end .26 is housed within the drill hole of portion 24 together with an encircling coil spring 2], which spring engages against a shoulder in the drill hole and a flange formed .on the .pin and urges the rounded portionthereof into a selected one ofthe hemispherical recesses 12. Intermediate the sleeve I5 and sleeve 23, suitable packing material 28 is interposed to insure a fluid-tight joint. Two annular members are disposed rearwardly of the packing 28" in cooperative relation with the rearward flange on sleeve 23. Their function is to prevent the separation of tube M-irom sleeve I8. An annular threaded look nut cooperates with the thread 4-! on the sleeve 15 to retain the sleeve'23 fixed against stresses incident to op.er-

ation. A strainer 3| or a construction to e hereinafter more fully discussed is received within the enlarg'edxthreaded portion ZB and is retained inposition by the shoulder formed at the based the enlargement and a packing ring 3!).

Handle unit 13 referred to above is formed as a casting with handles and a hook and two rings 32 and 3.3, one of which surrounds sleeve liand the other of which encircles portion 20 and is adapted to contact the rear face of the flange I9. Radiallyextending from and bridgingrings 32 and '33 are handles 34. A hook pears from Figures 1 and 3.

extends radially from ring 32 and depends in a position generally parallel to the axis of the intake portion of the nozzle. Ring 33 is provided with four recesses 35 in which are selectively received the lugs 2! depending from the flange Hi. It will be noted that the handles through the rings on which they are mounted are subject to limited axial movement which axial movement is sufficient to disengage the lugs from the recesses.- When the lugs are disengaged the handle unit may be turned with respect to the remainder of the assembly. It should be noted that the relative positions of the handles and hook are such that one of the handles and the hook may cooperate to form a ground support for the nozzle as ap- It will be seen that asid from the adjustment of the handle unit ith'respect to the assembly as a whole that the key-effected through thepin 2:5 in cooperation with recesses 22 may be manually-broken so that the nozzle may be given a swivel action while the handles and theinteriorsleeve t8 remain locked in fixed position. While this key may be disengaged from its recess by manually rotating the nozzle,-the latch resists such movement sufficiently so that the nozzle will remain in a selected-position when subjected to the vibrations and stresses incident to normal use,

At the forward part of the nozzle beyond the curved reaction chamber H an axiallyextended diametrical baiile ,3]: is provided and a doubleflight spiral 38 formed with abifurcated end which'fits over bafiie 31 'forrende-ring theswirler readily removable when desired. An additional sleeve 39 is'sweated :over the end of :the tubular member "I 4 remote from :sleeve I'5', and this sleeve is threaded to receiyea large conical portion!!! whichis in turn interiorly'rthreaded :to receive theiaforesaid tip portion .12. "It will be noted that the diameter of the conical portion i iil adjacent the threaded connection with the tubular'mem'ber M issufficien'tly reduced so that the spiral 38 when moved for Wardlyby fluid passing through the nozzle will engage the wall thereof and be retained in operative position, although loosely held, so that it may be readily removed by 'unscrewing the conical member 40 from the tubular member l4.

In the operation of the nozzle shownin Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the attendant will first connect the threaded portion 29 of the sleeve 1'8 to econ-- with the selected recesses 36, the supplyior the water or other fiuid may be turned on. will cause the nozzle as a whole to move somewhat in the direction of the source of fluidsupply, thus locking the handle unit in position. In the event adjustments of the direction of discharge are desired, the large conical portion 4;] maybe grasped and the nozzle rotated thereby tothe desired position, This action will-cause the hemi-spherical spring thrust memberifisto be retracted from one of the recesses. ZZ'andjtQ engage and "disengage the other recesses until the desired adjustment has been made, whereupon it will be received in and held in position by the'spring. While the disengagement of member 26 from recess 22 may be manually eifected through the nozzle, the lock is of sufficient strength to withstand the vibrations incident to ordinary high pressures used..

In the event the operator is desirous of supporting the nozzle upon a solid surface such as the ground, the handles 34 may be adjusted as shown in Figure 2, one of such handles cooperating with the hook 35 and the hose connection to form a support. As in the case where the nozzle is manually supported, minor directing adjustments may be effected through the rotation of the nozzle body l4 and sleeves I5 and 23 secured thereto to selectively place the h'emi-spherical member 26 in the desired recess 22. The independent removability of members 38 and I2 renders it possible to produce by the nozzles formed in accordance with this invention a variety of types of streams with any one nozzle. When the spiral 38 and the small tip i2 are both in position the swirling broken stream after leaving the spiral 38 will be atomized as it is passed to and through tip I 2 thereby producing a stream of widely separated fluid particles, the stream being characterized by a uniform cross section throughout its length, as distinguished from a 45 to 160 cone stream such as produced by conventional vaporizing nozzles.

The advantages of a stream of this type will be apparent when it is realized that it will carry forty or more feet during which time it will throughout its length present a substantially constant cross sectional diameter. This is advantageous in that the water may be more accurately directed to the conflagration and used thereon instead of being broadcast throughout a wide area with resultant waste of water and injury to property.

Because of the structure of the nozzle of the present invention, when members !2 and 38 are both in position a fog may be produced at ordinary hydrant pressures as well as at pumping pressures used, producible by ordinary fire extinguishing equipment. As the pressure is increased, the quality of the fog will remain relatively constant while the carrying quality of the stream Will be increased. In the event a stream of the foregoing character is not desired, a dispersion in the form of drops having a fairly wide spread may be obtained. This is accomplished by removing the atomizing tip l2 from the conical portion 40 while making use of the spiral 38. The stream thus produced will have a greater spread and will be heavier. Such a stream is ad vantageous in cooling tanks and other surfaces where it is desired to cover a large surface with a fairly great amount of water.

A solid thin stream will be produced by the use of the tip l2 without the spiral 38. Such a stream has excellent carrying qualities and may be of advantage in extinguishing fires remote from the fire fighting equipment and of small size. A conventional type fire extinguishing stream may be had by removing spiral 38 and tip l2.

The four widely separate effects discussed above may all be produced with a single nozzle due to the provision for detaching member l2 from member 48, and member 40 from sleeve 39 for the removal of spiral 38 from baffle 31. It should be noted that even in the event a conventional fire stream'is produced, undesirable swirling with incident air pockets will be substantially eliminated because of baille 31 and the elimination of eddy-causing surfaces Within the nozzle.

During operation, the curved reaction chamber indicated generally at H in Figure 1 is of considerable advantage since a nozzle formed as i1- lustrated may be utilized even with high pressure operations and yet be held by one man without great exertion. It has been found that the pressure may be changed or the supply may be cut on or oiT entirely without material kick-back and in fact it has been found that the nozzle may be left unattended upon the ground without Whipping or swerving. While the reasons for this remarkable and unexpected result are not entirely understood, it is believed that the normal back pressure is balanced by the forward pressure created by the fluid as it contacts the curved surface within the nozzle. It seems to be the result of the different pressures cancelling each other. Whatever may be the exact reason for this phenomenon, the fact is that the desired result is produced, thus obviating the necessity of securely fastening the nozzle to a support or manually maintaining the same by the employment of several attendants. This advantage of course will be obtainable irrespective of the type of stream produced.

Although the discussion of the various forms of structures made in accordance with this invention has been directed substantially to the extinguishing and localization of confiagrations, it is to be understood that this invention contemplates the use of the nozzles for a wide variety of purposes including hydraulic mining, phases of the chemical industries, and in the cleaning arts generally.

I claim:

1. In a fluid discharge nozzle having a bend therein intermediate portions defining its intake and discharge ends, a sleeve releasably keyed to the intake portion, said sleeve having axially extending lugs thereon to cooperate with slots in an annular rotatable member surrounding said portion and having handles and hook thereon, said rotatable member being subject to limited axial movement to disengage said lugs from said slots, said releasable key being operable independently of the lock effected by said lugs.

2. In a fluid discharge nozzle having a bend therein intermediate portions defining its intake and discharge ends, a sleeve keyed to the nozzle adjacent its intake end, said sleeve having axially extending lugs thereon cooperating with slots in an annular rotatable member, surrounding said intake portion and having handles and a hook thereon, said rotatable member being subject to limited axial movement to permit disengagement of said lugs from said slots, whereby handles and hook may be selectively secured in various radial positions with respect to the axis of the intake portion of the nozzle.

3. A spray nozzle comprising a substantially cylindrical chamber portion to which fiuid is supplied, means defining a discharge orifice co-axial with and communicating with said chamber portion, and a dome shaped portion connecting said orifice with said chamber, said orifice having a a depth at least equal to its diameter.

4. A spray nozzle comprising in combination a substantially cylindrical chamber portion having a bend of from 25 to 35 degrees to which fluid is supplied, means defining a discharge orifice coaxial with and communicating with said chamber portion; and a dome shaped portion connecting said orifice with said chamber, said orifice having a depth at least equal to its diameter. a

5. A spray nozzle comprising in combination, a cylindrical chamber, means at one end of said chamber for connecting it to a single source of fluid, means at the other end of said chamber defining a fluid discharge orifice, means defining JOHN GILSENAN.

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