US2586165A - Valve mechanism for soot blowers - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 19, 1952 DE LOS E. HIBNER 8 VALVE MECHANISM FOR SOOT BLOWERS Filed Aug. 31, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet I 1 112L115 E.HIE1NER BY flaw ATTORNEY.

INVENTOR.

Feb. 19, 1952 DE LOS E. HIBNER VALVE MECHANISM FOR SOOT BLOWERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 51, 1948 ATTORN EY- Feb. 19, 1952 DE LOS E. HIBNER VALVE MECHANISM FOR SOOT BLOWERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 31. 1948 INVENTOR. DELELE HIBNER ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 19, 1952 1 VALVE MECHANISM FOR soo'r BLOWEKS De Los E. Hibner, Du Bois, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Continental Foundry & Machine Company, East Chicago, Ind., a corporation of Delaware 1 Apparel; August 31, 1948, Serial No. 46,990

1 Claim. (o1. +31s) The present invention relates to valve mechanism for soot blowers, especially soot blowers of the type wherein steam is admitted through a valve to an elongated tubular blowing element having radial or otherwise suitably arranged noz zles, the blowing element being rotated during the operation of the blower, so that the jets of steam-ejected through the nozzles sweep the tube bank of the boiler to which the blower is attached. In the sootblower in which the present valve mechanism is incorporated the tubular blowing element is rotated through gearing from a manually operable shaft, and it is proposed, according to the invention, to provide automatic means actuated through the rotation of the shaft to open and close the steam supply valve in timed relation to the rotation of the tubular blower element. Y

It is an object of the invention to provide a soot blower in which all of the valve mechanism is on the side of the valve opposite to the boiler gases, thus, when the valve is closed, the packing, sliding joints and all of the important parts of themechanism are sealedofi from the boiler gases. In other designs heretofore known the arrangement of the valve mechanism is such that the boiler gases, as well as the condensate from the steam can collect around the valve mechanism, tending to deterioration of such mechanism as well as interference with its normal operation.

Another object is to provide a valve mechanism in which the working parts are efiectively protected against the entrance of dirt, soot, or the like, particularly during the off periods when the blower is not in operation.

A further object is to provide a valve mechanism consisting in part of a screw operated traveling nut carrying cam means for effecting opening and closing of the valve and further to provide such cam means having a positive action to both open and close the valve, thus eliminating the spring usually provided for closing the valve and making for easier operation, because only the steam load need be overcome in opening the valve instead of the combined steam load and spring load as is the case when a spring is employed. The positive double-action cam "also makes it possible to apply a cam-imposed closing force to the valve which may be controlled to any degree desired.

A further object is' to provide a valve mechanism having adjustment means between the valve and the cam to enable the travel of the valve to be'controlled, as desired, without requiring any change in the operating cam. Another object is to provide a cam assembly which enables the placing of the outlet nozzles of the tubular blower element at a desired starting position, while maintaining a given operative relation between the cam and the valve.

A further object is to provide a valve mechanism in which the traveling nut and its operating screw may be readily disassembled for the purpose of repairing or replacement. It is' further proposed to provide readily interchangeable cam elements having various desired characteristics. Another object is to provide an improved packing gland for the valve stem which enables convenient removal of the valve stem by removal of the gland. It is further proposed to provide such packing gland having communication with the downstream pressure in the valve, whereby the'pressure on the packing between it and the outside is limited to the pressure on the downstream side of the valve seat, this downstream pressure being'substantially less than the upstream pressure on the valve seat.

[With the above and other objects in view, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a soot blower valve head provided with valve mechanism, accordingv to the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the invention, the dot-and-dash lines showing" one operative position of the traveling nut with they sponding parts throughout the several figures of in which the steam supply line is adaptedtov be welded or otherwise suitably secured in place, the steam chamber being connected at its upper end to a head portion 13 having a horizontal passage in communication with the chamber II. This passage includes a valve chamber [4, a valve seatv l5, a Venturi nozzle portion l6, and a bearing portion l! in which the end of themtatable tubular blower element is engaged, as will presently more fully appear. The bearing portion is provided internally with a shouldered recess I8 for receiving a packing gland.

Upon the forward end of the head portion l3 there is provided a flange [9 upon which there is supported, by means of bolts and sleeves 2| a bearing plate 22, provided with a circular socket 23 in which is engaged the outer element of an anti-friction bearing unit 24, its-inner element being mounted upon the tubular extension member 25 of the blower element. The tubular extension member 25 has one end portion rotatably engaged-with the bearing portion I! of the head portion 13 where it is surrounded b suitable packing 26 retained'and compressed in the recess [8 by a flanged gland collar 27, adjustably connected to the flange [9 by bolts 28.

p A large gear 29 is secured by welding, as at 30, to the tubular extension member 25, this gear having secured to it by means of bolts 3! a flanged hub 32 mounted upon the end of the tubular member 25 and having screwed in it the end of the elongated tubular blower member 33, the latter extending into the boiler and being provided with nozzle outlets (not shown) for directing steam to the tube bank and other structure of the boiler to be cleaned of soot or the like. In a bearing sleeve 34 in the upper part of the bearing plate 22 there is journaled the forwardend of the operating shaft 35, its rearward end being rotatably supported in an antifriction radial and thrust bearing unit 36, having its inner ring portion engaged upon a reduced end portion 31'of the shaft againsta shoulder 38, and retained by means of a removable lock ring 39 set in an annular groove 48 in the shaft. The other ring member of the bearing is supported in a circularring portion 4! of a bracket 42 secured upon a flat platform portion 43 of the valve body II] by means of bolts 44. The bearing 36 is'removable from the ring portion 4l fitting against a shoulder 45 at one end and being retained by a removablejlock ring 46 engaged in an annular recess of the'ring portion 4|. I

A pinion gear48 is removably secured upon the forward end of the shaft 35 by means of removable pins 49, and meshes with the large gear 29,

the shaft being provided upon its rearward end with a sheave wheel 50 over which an operating chain 5| is engaged. Manual rotation of the sheave wheel through pulling the chain 5| in one or the other directions is adapted through the pinion gear 48 to rotate the gear 29 and the tubular blowing element connected thereto.v A guard 52 secured upon the bearing plate 22 encloses and protects the gears.

Within the valve chamber I4 there are engaged a series of packing rings 53, the innermost ring engaging against 'a stop ring 54 abutting an annular shoulder 55 at the inner end of the valve chamber. The packing rings are retained and compressed by a gland collar 56 slideably engaged in the outer end of the chamberv I4 and held-in place by a cross-head 51 engaged upon bolts 58 secured to the end of the body member ID, and adapted to be tightened to compress the packing rings by means of nuts 59 engaged upon the bolts.

The packing rings provided a circular passage 60 in which the valve stem 6| is slidably engaged, the valve stem being provided at its inner end with a flanged valve closure head 62 which seats upon the valve seat 50 in the closed position of the valve, the rearward flanged surface of the valve head being normally acted upon by the steam in the steam valve I l to assist in maintain- 7 ing the closed position of the valve.

One of the packing rings at a point intermediate theseries of rings is of so-called lantern type, that is, it is provided with an internal annular groove 63 and an external annular groove 64 connected to the internal groove by a series of radial ports 65. A duct 66 is provided in the head portion l3 of the valve body In and extends from the external groove 64 to a point in the steam passage approximately at the inner end of the Venturi'riozzle l6.

The gland 56 loosely engages the head 51 so that it is completely floating, thus eliminating any danger of binding should the nuts 59 be tightened ununiforml'y. As the packing bland itself forms an enclosure and a packing for the valve stem, the valve stem may be readily disassembled'by simply removing the packing gland.

The lantern gland has the advantageous feature of limiting the pressure on the packing between it and the outside to that on the downstream side of the valve seat. This downstream pressure usually does not exceed 350 .P. S. I. G. (lbs. per square inch gauge) whereas the upstream'pressure may be as high as 2500 P. S. I. G. Furthermore, since the discharge from the lantern gland is at the venturiat the outlet from the valve the pressure at this point, in many cases, is considerably less than the actual pressure on the downstream side of the valve taken at a point farther along the steam travel. It is also pointed out that the venturi IS on the downstream side of the valve not only' assists in cutting down the pressure on the packing gland surrounding the valve stem, but also it materially reduces the pressure'on the packing 26 around the extension member 25 on the downstream side of the valve.

The valve stem '61 projects rearwardly from the gland collar 56 where it is provided upon its screw' threaded outer end with an adjustable nut 61, of rectangular cross s'e'ction, having trunnion bearing-studs 68 at each side engaged by the forked end 69 of the downwardly extending arms 10 of 'a pair of control levers, each indicated as 1 I The valve stem 6! is provided at its outer end with a squared wrench engaging portion 88' for turning it relatively to the nut 61 to adjust the valve, a lock-nut 89 engaging against the nut 61 tofix the stem against turning. These levers are respectively pivotally mounted by'means of studs 12 upon bracket portions 13 integrally formed upon the bracket 42, the levers extendingforwardly at the respective sides'of the shaft 35, and being provided at the inner sides of their forward ends with rollers 14 mountedupon studs l5, these rollers adapted to engage thetraveling cam members, as will presently more fully appear. 7

Upon the shaft 35 at a point substantially midway between the'bearing 34 and the bearing 36 there is provided a helical screw thread 16 engaged by the threaded bore 1'! of a traveling nut 18. This nut is in the form of a block having flat parallel sides to which a pair of'cam plates 19 19 are secured by means of bolts engaged through shouldered passages 81 in one of the cam plates, passages 82 through the nut, and a threaded pocket 83 in the other cam plate. Each of the cam plates is provided with a cam groove 84 engaged by one of the roliers M of the control levers H, these cam grooves being designed to swing the lever in clockwise direction to open the valve at an intermediate point in the travel of the nut, as shown by the dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2. In either of the extreme positions of the nut, as shown respectively by the full lines and dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 1, the valve is closed through the positive action of the inclined surfaces of the cam. The upper ends of the cam grooves are closed by cover plates 85-85 secured to the nut by screws 86, and which protect the cam slots from the entrance of dirt and soot. Limit stops may if desired be provided upon the shaft 35 in the form of removable collars or the like, if desired. An oil fitting 81 is provided on the nut for lubrication of the interengaging threads.

The end or starting position of the nozzles carried upon the blower member 33 is obtained by removing the two control levers H and allowing the nut to rotate freely with the screw shaft while the nozzles are rotated through the pinion 93 and gear 29 to the proper starting position. The nut then can be screwed into either one of the end positions desired to synchronize with the starting position of the nozzles, the control levers then being reinstalled with their rollers in engagement with the cam grooves at each side of the nut. The length of the sweep of the nozzles is determined by the cam shape, and this sweep can be readily changed by merely replacing the cam plates with cam plates of different shape, so as to give the proper valve opening in relation to the nut travel and the desired sweep of the nozzles. An alternative form of the cam plate is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, this being the cam plate for engagement with the right-hand side of the nut. As the cam plates are separately formed from the nut, they can be constructed of any suitable hard material, while the nut itself can be of bronze or other suitable material to give running properties with the screw thread.

The bearing ring 4! is of such size as to permit passage therethrough of the screw thread 16 of the shaft upon removal therefrom of the bearing unit 36, the bearing unit being readily disengageable from the bearing ring upon removal of the lock ring 46. Thus, in order to remove the shaft it is only necessary to first remove the pinion 48 by removal of the pins 49, and thereupon turn the shaft to disengage the screw threads from the nut, thereupon drawing the shaft through the bearing ring 4|.

The screw thread 16 of the shaft is so positioned that it at no time comes outside of the traveling nut, and thus it is never exposed to dirt. It will be understood, however, that the screw thread can, if desired, be made the entire length of the shaft between its bearings 34 and 36.

I have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactory embodiment of the invention, but it will be understood that changes may be made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a soot blower, a valve body including a valve opening for admitting cleaning fluid to a movable blowing element, a movable valve for opening and closing said Valve opening, a movable blowing element in communication with said valve opening, a rotatable shaft, drive means between said shaft and said movable blowing element for moving the latter, lever means connected to said valve for imparting opening and closing movement thereto, a screw carried by said shaft, a traveling nut engaged with said screw adapted to have rectilinear movement through rotation of said shaft, and cam means carried by said nut having a cam groove engaged by said lever means for imparting valve opening and closing movement thereto, said groove including end portions for closing said valve in the respective end positions of movement of said nut and an intermediate portion for opening said valve.

DE LOS E. HIBNER.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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