US2540097A

US2540097A - Vapor separator

Info

Publication number: US2540097A
Application number: US652749A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clifford C Carson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-03-07
Filing date: 1946-03-07
Publication date: 1951-02-06
Anticipated expiration: 1968-02-06

Description

Feb. 6, 1951 I c, c, CARSON 2,540,097

VAPOR SEPARATOR Filed March 7, 1946 INVENTOR.

0L, IFFORD C. CARSON ATTORNEY small vent 45 to insure that any condensate entrapped in the lower part of the device will be drained to the exhaust, thus eliminating the danger of damage due to freezing when the apparatus is not in use.

In order that the heat may be extracted from any flash steam which may form in the lower portion of the steam trap, a'tubular conductor 41, threadably engaged in threaded opening 46 of the lower portion of the cylindrical shell l2, communicates with and conducts the flash steam to condenser 48. This condenser 48, having fins 49 spaced along its length, is positioned within a rectangular hollow chamber 5| through which air to be heated is passed and brought into contact with the fins 49 of the condenser 48. Conductor 41 is of such a size that the condensate forming within the condenser as a result of extraction of heat from the flash steam received therein, may be returned to the lower portion of the cylindrical member I2 and drained down into base ll so that eventually it escapes into the exhaust H9. The volume of the space on the side of the baflie 42 adjacent to the exhaust opening I9 is substantially equal to the volume which is occupied by the amount of condensate discharged each time the trap opens to force condensate into the low pressure chamber.

When the steam power system, with which the .apparatus is associated, is operated for heating purposes or the like, air as well as a slight amount of water is first expelled from the steam power line and into the radiator from which it escapes to the trap through inlet opening [8. The air andlow temperature water pass from the inletopening [8 down through the space around the thermostatic valve 35, over the baffles 39, 4| and entering the trap is caused to pass into the upper portion thereof through opening 38 and into the bucket l1. Any small amount of steam which passes through vent 21 is condensed before it reaches the-opening 31, the loss of heat from the body of the apparatus being sufflcient to .offset the latent heat of the small amount of f steam which escapes through said opening. As the steam condenses, the level of the condensate in shell [2 will rise to such a point as to cause I 'the bucket H, by reason of steam contained therein, to become buoyant and rise to such a level as to force the ball valve member 29 into engagement with the seat 3| thus closing the passage between the high pressure and low pressure chambers. As soon as condensation of the steam thus entrapped is effected, the bucket llv drops, opening the valve between the high and low pressure chambers to perg mit a quantity of the condensate to be forced, by reason of the difference in pressure,

through the L-shaped tubular member 24 to the low pressure chamber H. Upon reaching this low pressure area, however, the condensate or a portion thereof immediately flashes into steam.

.The steam thus created canbe utilized for fur- ,nishing considerable heat for an air heating system by permitting it to pass into the condenser 48 through the tubular conductor 41 where it condenses, losing its latent heat of vaporization to the condenser and air passing over fins 49. The condensate thus formed will drain back into the bottom portion of cylindrical shell I 2 and into the lower portion of the low pressure chamber II. The condensate entrapped at the bottom of the chamber II is caused to be expelled to the exhaust at each instance that the trap opens by reason of the fact that the high pressure on the high pressure side will momentarily be in communication with the low pressure chamber so that the water is forced out as a result of the pulsating action.

Since the thermostatic valve I6 is located in a position lower than the inlet opening i8, complete drainage of the power system is insured at all times for as the condensate, which is normally present when the device is not in operation, is of a low temperature, the thermostatic valve l6 remains open insuring complete drainage of condensate by gravity to the exhaust [9. Thus, no condensate can be retained in the high pressure chamber of the trap to freeze and cause damage to the apparatus when the device is not in use.

As an aid to rapid flashing when the condensate reaches the low pressure chamber, the baffles 39, 4! and 42 are so arranged to cause the flow of condensate to be restricted and to bring about agitation thereof to insure that a portionof the heat contained therein will be utilized in the formation of flash steam.

It will be understood that the above description and accompanying drawings comprehend only the general and preferred embodiment of the invention and that various changes in construction, proportion and arrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims without sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

The invention herein described and claimed may be manufactured and used by or forv the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for extracting heat from a heat transmitting medium issuing from a power system comprising a high pressure chamber into which air, condensate and vapor may be introduced from said power system, a low pressure chamber beneath and communicating with said high pressure chamber by means of two independent passages, a thermostatic valve beneath said high pressure chamber adapted to close one of said passages and a mechanically operable valve adapted to close the other of said passages, buoyant means for actuating said last-mentioned valve, a plurality of bailles arranged within said low pressure chamber to break up said condensate and for reversing the flow of condensate received therein from said high pressure chamber, a heat exchanger associated with said low pressure chamber, and an exhaust so located with respect to said pressure chambers as to automatically insure complete drainage of all condensate from said apparatus when the apparatus is out of operation.

2. Apparatus for extracting heat from a heat transmitting medium issuing from a steam power system comprisin an inlet, a high pressure chamber into which air, condensate and vapor may be introduced from said power system, a low pressure chamber beneath and communicating with said high pressure chamber, a passage adjacent to said inlet and between said chambers, a thermostatic valve within said passage and beneath said high pressure chamber adapted to permit air and a-relatively 10w temperature condensate to pass directly into said low pressure chamber, a second passage between said high and low pressure chambers, a mechanically operable valve within said sec- 0nd passage, buoyant means for actuating said last-mentioned valve, a plurality of bafiles arranged within said low pressure chamber to break up said condensate and for reversing the flow of condensate received therein from said high pressure chamber, a heat exchanger associated with said low pressure chamber, and an exhaust so located with respect to said pressure chambers as to automatically insure complete drainageof all condensate from said apparatus when the apparatus is out of operation.

3. Apparatus for extracting heat from a heat transmitting medium issuing from a steam power system comprising an inlet, a. high pressure chamber into which air, condensate and vapor may be introduced from said power system, a low pressure chamber beneath and communicating with said high pressure chamber, a passage adjacent said inlet and between said chambers, a thermostatic valve within said passage and beneath said high pressure chamber adapted to permit air and a relatively low temperature condensate to pass directly into said low pressure chamber, a second passage between said high 'sure complete drainage of all condensate from said apparatus when the apparatus is out of operation.

CLIFFORD C. CARSON.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,571,921 I-Iutchison Feb. 2, 1926 1,583,136 Srulowitz et a1 May 4, 1926 2,097,401 Dunn Oct. 26, 1937 2,163,667 Crowther et a1. June 27, 1939 2,174,485 Zies Sept. 26, 1939 2,249,055 Carson Sept. 14, 1948