US2514823A - Flame arrester - Google Patents

Description

July 11, 1950 v s, s 2,514,823

FLAME ARRESTER Filed April 25, 1948 v l/v vE/vToe l 4 SAMUEL H. Yos-r,

HTT'Y,

Patented July 11, 1950 EFF- ri wm ss' i s SarhueI-"H.-f$0513}Worthington;i-()hio,assignoi -td i I The .leifreyzManufacturing Company, acorporation of Ohio {application Amines, ierajsensino.22.932

This-invention relates to a flame arrester, and an object of the invention. is to provide a very simple improved device of the above mentioned typeiii T, i I

Other objects of the invention:willrappear4hereinafter, the novelrfeatures and combinations being set forth in theappended claim.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. I is; an elevational rviewlof a controller to which a pair of my improved flame arresters have been attached} and Fig .2;is a detailed view,-,part in section. and part in: plan, showing the constructionof said am a r ste i i Flame arresters are required in permissible equipment to prevent explosions when said equipment is used in gaseous coal mines. In connection with controllers or other spark producing equipment used with coal mining machines it is desirable to maintain a flow of air through the enclosed casing at all times so that the ionized air produced whenever a contact is open will not form sufficient nitrous acid which is allowed to form will seriously attack the copper, insulation and, in fact, many operating parts of the controller.

As illustrated in Fig. -1 of the drawings, the controller I is provided with a pair of flame arresters ll of similar construction, one of which is connected to a flexible conduit l2 which derives a flow of air from a fan or blower, the air flowing through the flame arrester II and into the totally enclosed housing of the controller I'll, thence out of said housing through the other flame arrester I l at the left-hand side of said controller, as viewed in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

The flame arrester of my invention is very simple,,yet it has been found entirely satisfactory and has been approved by the Bureau of Mines. It comprises essentially two main parts. Said two main parts are a cup l3 which has a nipple [4' thereon adjacent the center and bottom of the cup, which nippleis' bored to provide a conduit l5 leading to the center and bottom of said cup. The cup has a generally cylindrical shape and of particular significance is the inner cylindrical surface I6 which extends for at least an inch and preferably slightly in excess of one inch; for example, it may extend 1% inches.

Adjacent the right-hand edge of the cylindrical surface I6, as viewed in Fig. 2, the cup I3 is provided with a peripheral internal groove l'1, adjacent and to the right of which it is threaded, as clearly illustrated in the drawing. The cup is'aone-piecesolid member and which-has a corrtinuous cylindrical external surface I 9 generally coextensive with, the cylindrical surface l 6 and which is, coextensivegtherewithifor at 1(- ast 1 inch and preferablyffslightlyfin"excess thereof,

s c as i n s1- Th l g! ii f ls e eram p ovi with a circurnferential 'groove 20which at least in part is iq p sit t $111 25 the; t grooves d 2I!cooperating-toformywhat is in effect *a single circum'ferentialfgroove o "passageway*aroundfthe external peripliery ofithe "plug l 8 '-andfthe 'irie ternal periphery of ihecup l3. ,The bottom or left-hand end of the-plug l 8 a's-viewed' in "Fig. 2 of the drawing, is spaced slightly from the bot tom of the cup 13, this spacing not being particularly critical, though preferably slightly in excess of the spacing between the surfaces [6 and IS. The spacing between the surfaces It and i9 is somewhat critical. It is preferably of the order of .020 inch.

Adjacent its right-hand end, as viewed in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and at its center the plug l8 is provided with a conduit-forming opening H which is preferably screw-threaded at 22 to receive a screw-threaded fitting whereby it may be attached to the housing ID or the like. Opening 2! extends into a central axial conduit leading to the interior of the plug 18, from which there is a plurality of radial conduits 23 extending to the groove 20, thus providing branch passageways from the opening 2| to the peripheral groove l'l20.

The plug I8 is also provided with a peripheral ledge 24 and with threads to receive the threaded top of the cup I3. The ledge 24, of course determines the final position of the plug l8 with respect to the cup l3, thus positioning the bottom of the plug l8 from the bottom of the cup l'3. If desired, a sealing wire 25 may lock the two principal parts of the arrester ll together, and a similar sealing wire 26 may look the arrester II to the housing I0.

As illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings, the two arresters H are connected to the housing II) by virtue of fittings between said housing and the threaded openings 22. Air is fed to the nipple M of the right-hand flame arrester H, the left-hand flame arrester having its conduit [5 in direct communication with the atmosphere. Air from a fan or blower is delivered by conduit l2 to the conduit or passageway l5 of the nipple M where it spreads through the area between the end of the plug l8 and the 13 receives a generally cylindrical plug 18 which bottom of the cup [3, flowing radially outward since they will take a reverse path from that just described for the incoming air, the flame arresting taking place principally as the hot gases pass between the surfaces [6 and I9. Some arresting may take place between the end of the plug l8 and the bottom of the cup l3, but this path is not particularly relied upon for the flame arresting to function. Obviously; either" flame or air can travel in either of the reverse directions through the flame arrester, and the function and operation will be the same in either case. As a matter of fact thenormal air flow will travel through the right-handflarne ar-' rester II in one direction jleading to the controller l0, and it will flow through the left-hand arrester II in a relatively reverse direction.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the detailsv and arrangement of parts without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as defined by the claim hereto appended, and I thereforewish not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed. U

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A flame arrester for an electrical controller or the like comprising a two piece device including a cup having a cylindrical inner surface and a, central conduit leading to the interior of said cup, a one-piece plug threaded into said cup having a continuous outer cylindrical wall near to but spaced slightly from said cylindrical inner surface and having opposite closely adjacent surfaces about .020 inch apart and ex- I tending for at least 1 inch along the axis of said cylindrical surfaces, and conduit means extending first into the center of said plug then radially thereof, said plug and cup cooperating to provide a circumferential groove adjacent the .ends of said radial conduit portions and at the periphery of said plug, the end of said plug adjacent said first mentioned conduit being spaced from the bottom of said cup.

- SAMUEL H. YOST.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,499,461 Kruppa July 1, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 132,793 Austria Apr. 10, 1933 527,687 Germany June 20, 1931

Images