US2421939A - Leak reducer for joints between relatively rotatable conduits - Google Patents

Description

June 10, 1947. DE Los E. HIBNER ET AL 2,421,939 LEAK REDUCER FOR JOINTS BETWEEN RELATIVELY ROTA TABLE CONDU ITS Filed May 2, 1944 Patented June 10, 1947 LEAK REDUCER F RELATIYELY'RQ De LosE. Hibner an Fred en's-e m Bois 1 assignors to Vulcan Soot Blower .Cdrporationilit on JoiN'rs BETWEEN TATABn r-ooNnmTs corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 2, 1944, Serial No. 533,746

1 Claim. 1

In a common form of soot blower there is a tubular blowing or jetting element rotatably mounted at one end inv a head containing a steam chamber between which and the blowing element is a valve to control admission of steam to the latter. The tubular element is surrounded by a stuffing box on the head to make the joint steam tight. Because of the considerable pressure at which the steam is delivered, the packing must be proportionately long to insure against leakage past the same to the exterior. The longer the packing, the greater is the dimension of the head unit measured in the direction of the length of the tubular element and this dimension may, therefore, at times be greater than is desirable or permissible.

The object of the present invention is to make it possible to shorten the packing and the stufling box in situations such as that just described without impairing the effectiveness of the seal.

Other conditions remaining the same, less packing is needed when the pressure of the fluid seeking to escape past the same is reduced and, viewed in one of its aspects, the present invention may be said to have for its object to produce simple and novel means to prevent the steam or other fluid. from exerting its full pressure on the packing.

The various features of novelty whereby our invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claim; but, for a full understanding of our invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view showing a fragment of a soot blower head and a fragment of the tubular blowing element connected therewith, together with the steam valve and a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a modification and showing the steam valve open instead of closed as in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, I represents a soot blower head containing a steam chamber 2 and a tubular, hub-like extension 3, the bore in which communicates with the steam chamber. The open end of a tubular blowing element 4 extends into and is rotatable in the member 3. The bore in the outer end of the member 3 is enlarged in diameter to form a Stllfiing box 6 which contains a packing 5, held in by a gland T. In the steam chamber is a valve 8 which, when closed, shuts off communication between the-steam chamber and the tubular blowing element.

Allof the parts, numbered I to 8, are old and well known and are illustrated and described simply to explain the new feature constituting the present invention.

In accordance with our invention the steam, when the valve is opened, is delivered into the blowing element through a nozzle 9 coaxial therewith; and, acting on the old ejector principle, creates a partial vacuum in the space H] behind the inner end of the blowing element and surrounding the nozzle. Therefore, the steam going to the blowing element, instead of trying to force its way outwardly through the packed joint, tends to draw outside air inwardly through this joint. It accordingly follows that the stuffing box may be made substantially shorter than in old style construction without impairment of the seal around the [blowing element.

In the arrangement shown, the external diameter of the nozzle is only a little smaller than the internal diameter of the blowing element. Also, the internal diameter of the nozzle is shown as increasing very gradually from the inlet end to the outlet end to provide a flaring bore II that directs the steam against the inner surface of the blowing element a short distance beyond the outlet end of the nozzle. However nozzles of other sizes and shapes, giving the true venturi and slow characteristic stopper efiect, may he used.

It will be seen that the nozzle may extend back clear to the steam chamber. In that case the seat l2 for the valve may be formed in the inner or receiving end of the nozzle. Furthermore, the nozzle may have a thickened or headlike part l3 at its inner end for reception in a short counterbore l4 open to the steam chamber. With that construction the nozzle may be inserted, in making an assembly, through the steam chamber and be secured in place by welding, as indicated at l5.

In Fig. 2 the construction differs from that in Fig. 1 only in that the valve cooperates with a seat l6, separate from the nozzle, while the nozzle I! is screwed into the hub member 3 after being inserted through the outer end of the latter.

While we have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of our invention, with a slight modification, We do not desire to be limited to the exact structural de-' tails so illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come 3 within the definitions of our invention constituting the appended claim.

We claim: In combination, a soot blower head containing a chamber for cleaning fluid under pressure and a tubular hub-like part the bore in which communicates with said chamber and terminates in a stuffing box, a tubular blowing element extending from the outside through and freely rotatable in the stuffing box, and a nozzle fixed at its inner end in and filling the inner end of said hub-like part and extending a substantial distance into the inner end of the blowing element.

DE LOS E. HIBNERQ FRED C. AREY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,720,543 Darby July 9, 1929 612,414 Hall Oct. 18, 1898 2,260,500 Wylie Oct. 28, 1941 1,785,501 Secor Dec. 16, 1930 1,802,766 Kerr Apr. 28, 1931 1,948,909 Evans Feb. 27, 1934

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