US2376873A

US2376873A - Tobacco curing system

Info

Publication number: US2376873A
Application number: US398154A
Authority: US
Inventors: James R Henderson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1941-06-14
Filing date: 1941-06-14
Publication date: 1945-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 1962-05-29

Description

May 2.9, 1945 J. R. HENDERSON 2,376,873

TOBACCO CURING' SYSTEM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 19.41

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TOBACCO CURING SYSTEM Filed June 14, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ma /oe JRHenLZeron @MMM www

Patented May 29, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'roaaoco cUamG sYs'rEM James R. Henderson, Miami, Fla.

Application June 14, 1941, Serial No. 398,154

(Cl. S-3.6)

3 Claims.

This invention relates to tobacco curing apparatus and is an improvement over the structure disclosed in my prior Patent Number 2,216,075 which issued September 24, 1940.

In the structure disclosed in my prior patent, the outlet of the heat from the hot air duct is adapted to be cut off when a fusible element melts at a predetermined temperature and at the same time, the fuel to the heater or burner is automatically cut 01T, but in this apparatus the volume of heat entering a duct and discharging into the barn cannot be finely regulated. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a more simple apparatus than is disclosedA in my prior patent which can be regulated from the exterior of the barn.

An object of this invention is to provide a curing. apparatus of this kind wherein the iiow of fuel to the burner is automatically cut offwhen the burner koes out so as to thereby prevent flooding of the burner.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved means for maintaining the fuel supply under a predetermined pressure in order to insure the proper iiow of fuel from the supply tank.

To the foregoing objects and to others which may hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more specically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein are shown embodiments of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a tobacco curing barn having a tobacco curing apparatus constructed according to an embodiment of this invention mounted' therein.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2'2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line wenn 1- a fragmentary longitudinal section throughth `burner used with this invention.

Figure 'l is a fragmentary sectional view taken onthe line 8-8 of Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary front elevation of the fuel supply tank.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of the fuel supply line and the connection with thisline of the temperature controlled operator.

Referring to the drawings, numeral I5 designates generally a tobacco curing barn which is formed with vertical side walls I6 and I1 and end walls I8 and I9. The configuration of the barn I5 herein disclosed, is conventional and it will be understood that this barn may be of any desired size including length, width and height and will be provided on the interior thereof with the conventional means for suspending the tobacco above the floor.

In order to provide a means whereby the tobacco disposed in the barn I5 may be cured through the application of heat, I have provided a heating member or oven generally designated as 20 which is adapted to be positioned exteriorly of the barn I5. The heating member 28 comprises a bottom wall 2I, side Walls 22, a forward wall 23 and a rear wall 24. A top wall 25 is disposed on top of the side walls 22 and the

end walls

23 and 24. An inner wall 26 is disposed between the

end walls

23 and 24 thereby dividing the burner housing or heating member 20 into a burner chamber 21 and a heating chamber 28. A burner, generally designated as 29, is disposed in the lower portion of the burner chamber 21 and confronts an opening 30 which is formed in the lower portion of the inner wall 26 so that the heat from the burner 28 will be ejected into the heating chamber 28. The top wall 25 of the heating member 20 is provided with an air intake opening 3I which is open to atmosphere so that cool air will be drawn into the burner chamber 21 and will mix with the heat from the burner 29 and pass into the heating chamber 28. The top wall 25 of the housing 2u is provided with an outlet nipple 32 with which a pipe or stack 33 is engaged. A damper 34 is mounted in the pipe or stack 33 and is provided with a manually operable handle 35 so that the damper 34 may be disposed in the desired open or closed position.

The housing 20 also has connected therewith an outlet pipe or nipple 36 having a damper 31 mounted therein which is provided with a handle 3l n order that the damper 31 may be disposed in the desired open or closed position. A pair of forwardly divergent branches 39 and 40 are connected at their convergent ends with the forward end of the nipple 36 and the branch 33 has a duct or pipe 4I connected therewith. A branch 4l has a pipe 42 connected therewith and the two

openings

45 and 44 provided in the rearend wall I5 and are disposed in a horizontal position withf in the interior of the barn I5. A pair of ducts or

pipes

45 and 45 are connected at their rear ends Q with the

branches

35 and 45 respectively and are extended into the barn I5 through

openings

41 and 48 respectively which are formed in the rear wall I9. The pipe or duct 4| is provided with a manually operable damper 45 and the pipe or duct 42 is provided with a manually operable damper 55. These two

dampers

45 and 55, positioned ex- 52 which are disposed exteriorly from the barn I5 to permit adjustment of these dampers without entering the barn I5. The pipes or ducts 4l. 42, 45 and 48 are disposed in parallel and horizontal relation within the barn I5, being disposed closely adjacent the door of the bam so that the heat discharged from these ducts will rise upwardly in the interior of the barn.

l Each heat conducting pipe or duct has secured l thereto a plurality of heat directing and regulat- 1 ing members shown in greater detail in Figures 3 and 4 and generally designated as 53. As shown 1 in Figures 3 and 4 the heat outlet members are i g vertically adjustable in upstanding nipples or 3 sleeves 54 which are secured to the hot air ducts in spaced apart relation. A cylindrical and vertically adjustable sleeve 55 telescopes into the` 1 nipple 54-and has its lower end extended partly into the interior of a hot air duct. The sleeve 55 1 i is adapted to frictionally engage the interior of i a nipple 54 so that it may be firmly held in its vertically adjusted position. The lower end of 1 the sleeve 55 is provided with a baille or by-pass Q member 55 by means of which a portion of the v heat moving 1engthwise of the hot air duct is 1 adapted to be by-passed upwardly through the sleeve 55. A damper 51 is mounted in the sleeve i 55 at a point above they upper end of the nipple 54, being mounted on a damper shaft 58 which is l joumalled in

bearings

58 and 55 carried by the 1 sleeve 55, and a handle 5I is fixed to one end of the shaft 58 exteriorly of the sleeve 55.

There may be as many of these hot air ducts Thel g A conical hood 52 is disposed above the upper :50 1 end of the s1eeve'55, being supported in upwardly 1 3 spaced relation to the upper end of the sleeve l i by means of a pair of vertically disposed hood 1 g supporting arms 53 which are fixed at their upper g ends to the inner surface of the hood 52. lower ends of the hood supporting arm 53. are l inwardly bent, as at 54, and removably engage in l outwardly offset socket members 55 which are carried by the upper end of the sleeve 55.

l Through the use of the vertically adjustable air j discharge members 53 the sleeves 55 may be vertically adjusted relative to its associated hot air l duct so that an even amount of hot air will be 1 discharged into the interior of the barn I5 throughout the lengths of the hot air ducts. i will, of course, be understood that the damper members 51 in each'discharge sleeve 55 may be g regulated to the desired position so as to regu- 1 late the quantity of air which is discharged into the interior of the barn I5 at a particular local 1 tion.

connected with the

branches

35 and 45 as may 1 l be desired and if desired one or more of the hot pipes or ducts-4I and 42 are extended through air ducts may be cut oil! by means of its associated exterior damper.

The burner. 25 includes a cylindrical burner housing 55 which is mounted on a pair of stand- .ards or supporting members 51 engaging the bottom wall 2l of the housing 25.V The cylindrical wall 55 is formed with a tapered forward end porvtion 58 confronting the tapering opening 85 in the inner wall 25 and the rear end of the housing 55 has mounted therein a rear wall 58 formed with an opening 15. An intermediate or inner wall1l is mounted within the cylindrical housing 55 and is provided with an opening 12 which is adapted to aline with a burner nozzle 13. The burner nozzle 13 is mounted rearwardly of the inner wall 1 I and is formed as part of a U-shaped fuel pipe 14 which extends through an opening 15 formed in the inner wall 1I below the opening 12. A helical coil 15 is disposed in the forward chamber 11 which is positioned forwardly of the intermediate wall 1I and the particles of combustion emanating from the nozzle 13 are adapted to pass through the interior of the coil 15 so that the fuel in the coil 15 will be preheated to a substantially vaporization point before the fuel is discharged from the nozzle 13. The forward end of the coil 15 is extended through an opening 18 formed in the cylindrical wall 55 and is connected to a fuel supply pipe 15. The fuel supply pipe 15 is connectedy to a fuel supply tank which is positioned forwardly of the heating member 25 and closely adjacent the outer side of the rear wall I9 of the barn I5. A regulating valve 8l is interposed in the pipe 15 and is positioned in the present instance closely adjacent the heating member 25. The fuel in the supply tank 85 is adapted to be initially placed under pressure by discharging air through an air valve 52 which is connected to a pipe 83. A pressure gauge 84 is interposed Vin the pipe 83 between the valve 82 and the adjacent wall of the tank 85. A conventional safety valve 85 is connected by means of a pipe 55 to the tank 85 in order that any excess pressure generated in the tank 85 may be automatically released.

In order to provide a means wherebya predetermined pressure may be constantly maintained in the fuel supply tank 55 I have provided a hot air duct or pipe 81 which, at its rear end, is connected to the forward wall 23 of the heating member 25, at a point below the connection of the nlpple or duct 35 with the wall 23. A damper 88'is mounted in the duct 81 and is adapted to automatically regulate, as will hereinafter be described, the amount of hot air passing through the duct 81. The forward end of the duct 81 may be provided with a pair of oppositely extending

branches

85 and 95 which are connected with the

hot air ducts

45 and 45 respectively. The duct 81, as will be noted from Figure 2, passes partly around the tank 85 so that the heat from this duct will heat the tank 85 and the fuel contained therein.

In order to provide a means whereby the damper 88 may be automatically operated I have provided, as shown in Figure 7, a pressure operated damper operator which includes a diaphragm housing 9| which is connected with a pipe or nipple 52 communicating with the tank 85. A diaphragm 53 is mounted within -the diaphragm housing 5I and a vertically extending rod 54 is fixed at its lower end to the diaphragm 53 as at 55. The rod 94 extends throughv an opening' 55 formed in the upper half 91 of the housing 5|. and is slidably connected with a vertically'rockable lever 60. The lever is formed with all elongated slot 99 in which the pivot |00 carried by the rod 94 slidably engages. One end of the lever 98 is rockably mounted on a pivot |0| carried by an upwardly extending lever supporting arm |02 which is fixed to the diaphragm housing 9|. The other end of the lever 00 is connected with the operating arm |03 of the damper 06 by means of a link |04. The upper end of the link |04 engages an eye or ring |06 which is carried by the adjacent end of the lever 00. In this manner when the pressure within the fuel tank 60 exceeds a predetermined degree the diaphragm 93 will be exed upwardly and the lever 96 raised so as to thereby move the damper 80 to a duct closing position.

In order to provide a means whereby the operation of the burner 29 may be automatically controlled so as to automatically cut oil the supply of fuel from the tank 80 when the burner 29 is out I have provided a temperature operating valve structure generally designated as |06 which is interposed in the pipe 19 between the manually operable valve 6| and the burner 29. 'I'he cut-off valve structure |06 includes a housing |01 having a valve seat |09 with which a poppet valve member |09 is adapted to be associated. The poppet valve member |09 has secured thereto a valve stem I0 which is disposed on opposite sides of the valve member |09 and is slidable at its upper side through a partition wall dividing the upper portion of the housing |01y into a fuel chamber ||2 and a diaphragm chamber ||3. A

lower guiding wall |4 is disposed in upwardly offset relation to the bottom wall ||5 of the housg ing 01 and a reduced cylindrical housing I6 extends downwardly from the bottom wall ||5. A spring ||1 may be disposed about the lower portion of the valve stem ||0 and engage at its upper end against the under side of the guiding wall ||4 and at its lower end against a nut or abutment ||8v fixed to the stem ||0. A valve compressing spring I9 is disposed in the housing ||6 and bears against the abutment ||8 and is tensioned by means of a spring tension rod having a head |2| at its upper or inner end. A threaded bolt or shaft |22 is fixed to the lower end of the rod or stem |20 and is threaded through a gland 123 engaging the lower end of the housing IIB. The valve structure |06 includes a cap |24 formed with a flange |25 which is secured by fastening devices |26 to a flange |21 carried by the upper end portion of the housing |01 above the wall A diaphragm |28 is fixed by fastening devices |29 to the upper end of the stem |I0 and is interposed between the two flanges and |21. A liquid conducting pipe |30 is connected at one end to the cap |24 and is then extended downwardly and passed through an opening |3| formed in a boss |32 carried by a bend or branch |33 forming a part of the fuel line 19. The pipe |30 is then extended axially as at |34 into the interior of the branch |33 and terminates in the forward convolution |35 of the preheating coil 16. 'I'he terminal end of the pipe branch |34 within the convolution |35 is permanently closed and preferably a liquid, in the form of alcohol or the like, is adapted to be positioned in the pipe |30 and the branch |34 and this liquid is also positioned in the liquid chamber |36 formed between the cap |24 and the upper side 0f the diaphragm |28. AS the liquid in the pipe |30 becomes heated and expands the diaphragm |20 will be flexed downwardly so as to hold the valve member |09 in an open position,

In order to start the operation of the burner 0I the spring ||0 is relieved Aof tension by unthreading the spring tensioning member |22 so that the spring ||1 will move the valve member |00 downwardly to the desired open position. After the burner is in operation for a short time the liquid in the pipe |30 and in the chamber |36 will become heated so that the diaphragm |28 will thereby be flexed downwardly through expansion of the liquid and at this time the spring tensioning member |22 may be returned to the spring tensioning position so that if the burner 29 should go out and the liquid in the pipe |30 the spring I0 will then automatically return the valve member |09 to a cut-olf position on the seat |06.

In the use and operation of this device, the fuel in the tank 60 initially is placed under the desired pressure by discharging air under pressure through the air valve 62. The cut-oi! valve 6| may be opened and the spring tensioning member |22 may be moved to a position to relieve the tension on the spring ||9 and permit the spring ||1 to move the valve member |06 to an open position. The fuel, at the end of the burner nozzle 13, may then be ignited and the heat from the nozzle 13 will pass through the convolutions of the coil 16 thereby heating the fuel in the coil 16 to a substantially vaporization point. yThe burner 29 will draw into the heating chamber 28 air from the burner chamber 21 which enters the burner chamber 21 through the intake opening 3|. At the start of the operation of this heating apparatus the initial pressure in the tank will flexl the damper regulating diaphragm 93 upwardly so as to hold the damper 88 in the duct 81 in a closed position. The heat from the heating chamber 26 will thus be cut off from the duct 61. The heat, however, in the chamber 28 will pass outwardly through the outlet duct or nipple 36 and then enter the branches 39 and 40 and the several heat conducting ducts 4|, 42, 45 and 46. The vertical adjustment of the discharge sleeves 55 carried by the heat conducting ducts will determine the amount of heat which is by-passed from the ducts into the interior of the barn. In addition to the adjustment of the discharge sleeves 55 to determine the amount of heat which is by-passed into the different portions of the barn, each sleeve` 55 may have its associated damper 51 adjusted to the desired position in order to further regulate the amount of hot air discharged therefrom.

With a tobacco curing apparatus as hereinbefore described, it is possible to operate the burner structure without undue attention thereto as, if the burner should accidentally go out, the fuel line to the burner will be automatically cut-off by means of the temperature operated cut-off valve structure |06.

- What I claim is:

l. In a tobacco curing apparatus, an air heating member, a. burner in said heating member, a fuel pressure tank connected with said burner, a hot air duct connected with said heating member and engaging partly about said tank for heat.. ing the fuel in said tank and increasing the pressure therein, a damper in said latter duct, and pressure operated means connected with said tank and said damper for operating said damper in accordance with the pressure formed in said tank resulting from expansion of fuel in the latter.

2. In a tobacco curing apparatus, an air heata hot air duct connected with said heating mem'- ber and engaging partly about said tank for heating the fuel in said tank and placing the fuel under a predetermined pressure. a damper in said latter duct. a diaphragm structure connected with said tank, and means connecting said diaphragm structure with said damper for adjustment of said damper in accordance with the pressure within said tank.

3. In a tobacco curing apparatus, an air heating member. a burner in said heating member.

a fuel tank connected with said burner, means for placing the fuel in said tank under pressure, said means including means whereby air under pressure may be discharged into said tank, a hot air duct communicating with said heating member, a tank heating duct communicating with said heating member and said first duct and at least partly encompassing said tank whereby to increase the pressure in said tank. a damper in said tank heating duct, and a pressure operated member connected to said tank and to said damper whereby to regulate the opening and closing of the damper in accordance with the pressure in said tank.

JAMES R. HENDERSON.