US2599098A

US2599098A - Snow melter and vaporizer

Info

Publication number: US2599098A
Application number: US107503A
Authority: US
Inventors: Leonard J Flynn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-07-29
Filing date: 1949-07-29
Publication date: 1952-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 1969-06-03

Description

June 3, 1952 1 J, FLYNN 2,599,098

SNOW MELTEB. AND VAPORIZER was: t'I Il Il n' Il TNI C) JNVENTOR.

fa/map d Fl rfv/v June 3, 1952 1 FLYNN 2,599,098

SNOW MELTER AND VAPORIZER 1N VEN T 0R.

'Il fon/Afm J f2 y/v/v BY Patented June 3, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SNOW MELTER AND VAPORIZER Leonard J. Flynn, Salina, Kans.

Application July 29, 1949, Serial No. 107,503

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improved power-operated snow-removal apparatus, and more particularly to novel combined snow-plowing and vaporizing apparatus adapted to clear paths along snow and/or ice-covered highways, railway tracks and the like, and through snowdrifts, by taking up the snow and ice and turning the same into vapor and discharging the vapor into the air.

The primary object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above-indicated character which eliminates some of the more serious drawbacks of present snow-removal apparatus, such as depositing the plowed snow in banks along one or both sides of the path cleared, and in the case of apparatus involving melting of the snow, discharging the melted snow onto the ground. resulting in the formation of ice upon the ground.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a snow-removal vehicle of improved and simplified construction and greater ease and economy of operation, which can be made in a rugged and serviceable form at relatively low cost.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein, for present purposes of illustration only, a specic embodiment of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view, with portions thereof broken away to show internal structure;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1, showing the scoop in depressed operating position;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a further enlarged fragmentary vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the illustrated apparatus comprises a longitudinallyelongated motor vehicle chassis including a rear part |5 and a forepart I6. The rear part I5 includes drive wheels Il supporting the same upon the ground I 8, a relatively large, rectangular burner fuel tank I9, at the rear, a drivers cab 20 in front of the tank I9, and a motor and pump compartment 2| in front of the cab 20, depressed below the window level of the cab.

The compartment 2| encloses a conventional engine 22 connected in a suitable manner (not shown) to the drive wheels with a compressed (Cl. 12S-343.5)

air tank 23 at one side of the engine, and an air compressor 24 at the other side of the engine, including an electric driving motor 25 or other suitable driving connection with the engine 22. The cooling fan 26 of the engine 22 operates behind a screened radiator 21 in the front of the compartment 2 I.

A burner fuel supply pipe 2B leads forwardly along the right-hand side of the chassis from the tank I9 to the right-hand end of a header 29 extending horizontally across the lower part of the compartment 2 I, and has a plurality of burners consisting of jet nozzles 30 projecting forwardly therefrom at regularly-spaced intervals, the left-hand end of the header being closed.

Another header 3| having closed ends and positioned behind and below the header 29 has projecting forwardly therefrom compressed air ducts 32 connected as shown in Figure 5 with the lower parts of related ones of the burner jet nozzles 30. The forward ends of the nozzles 30 beyond the point of connection of the ducts 32 are tapered to relatively small orices 33. The output line 34 of the pump or compressor 24 is connected to the compressed air tank 23 and the tank 23 is connected to the header 3| at a point intermediate its ends. Suitable means (not shown) may be provided for controlling the pressure and flow of compressed air to header 3| and hence to the burners 30, and the supply of liquid fuel, such as gasoline from the tank I9 to the burners. With fuel supplied to the burners 30 along with air under pressure and the resulting mixture of air and fuel ignited, flaming jets are projected forwardly from the burners.

The forepart I6 of the vehicle chassis comprises a rectangular, longitudinally-elongated snow and ice-melting hopper 35 having

parallellyspaced side walls

36, 36 extending forwardly from the front wall 31 of the compartment 2|, the hopper being open at its forward end. An abbreviated horizontal fire wall 38 extends across the lower part of the hopper 35 from the front wa1l3'| of the compartment 2 I, this fire wall being spaced upwardly from the generally horizontal bottom 39 of the hopper and extending between the side walls 36, 3B. A rearwardly-declining bottom portion 40 reaches rearwardly from the open forward end of the hopper to the forward end of the bottom 39.

The hopper bottom 39 forms the top wall of the hot box 4| extending along and beneath the bottom 39 from end to end and side to side and having transverse channel braces or reinforcements 42 on its bottom 43, the braces acting as spacers and supports for a liqueed snow and icevaporizing coil 44. The vaporizing coil 44 comprises a continuous pipe comprising longitudinally-arranged convolutions 45 uniformly laterally spaced between the sides of the hot box 4I below the level of the burner jet nozzles 3U and in line therewith, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The burners 30 project forwardly through the back wall 46 of the hot box and forwardly through a transverse partition 41 into the interior of the hot box to the rear ends of the convolutions 45.

A screened water intake 48 is positioned through the hopper bottom 39, as in the left rear corner, as shown in Figure 1, and. connects with the adjacent end of the vaporizing coil 44, the other end thereof being directed forwardly through the front wall 49, as shown in Figure 2. A horizontal exhaust header 58 extends transversely beneath the declining hopper bottom portion 4l] and has one end thereof opening through the hot box front wall 49 intermediate its ends at U. An extension 5I on the said other end of the vaporizing coil 44 connects with the header 50 intermediate its ends, and the laterally-outwardly-projecting other end of the header 50 is supportedly connected to the lower end of a vertical exhaust pipe 52.

Hinged at 54 on a chassis cross-member 55 located at the elevated forward end of the declining hopper bottom portion 4i) is the rear end 55 of the bottom 51 of the snow and ice scoop 58. The scoop bottom 51 has a substantially plane rearward portion 59 merging into a forwardly and upwardly-curved forward portion 6i).

The under side of the scoop bottom 51 has depending, laterally-spaced runners El which have angulated straight forward portions 62 arranged to run on the ground i8, as shown in Figure 2, in the depressed operating position of the scoop.

As shown in Figure l, the scoop bottom has parallel side edge portions S3, 63 positioned between the parallel

hopper side walls

36, 35 at the forward end of the hopper 33; and forwardlyflaring side edge portions 54, 64 whereby the straight forward edge 65 of the scoop is substantially wider than the hopper 35. The Iorward portions of the runners 6l are flared with respect to each other like the forward part of the scoop, as indicated at. B6 in Figure 1. The scoop 58 has side walls 61, 61 on the side edges which have vertically-curved rear ends 68 merging into straight upper edge portions Si) which align with the upper edges of the

hopper side walls

36, 35 in the depressed position of the scoop. Forward edge portions on the scoop side walls curve downwardly at 1i and then forwardly at 12 to the forward edge B5 of the scoop bottom.

Means for elevating and depressing the scoop 53 comprises one or more hydraulic jacks 13 pivoted at one end at 14 on a chassis element 15 beneath the cross-member 55 and connected at its opposite end at 16 to a runner 5I on the hopper bottom. A hydraulic conduit 11 leads rearwardly from the jack 13 to suitable means (not shown) for operating the jack from the cab 25. The chassis forepart l5 is supported on an axle structure 1B including steerable wheels 19.

It will appear from the foregoing that with the scoop 58 depressed, with the vehicle in forward motion, and with the burners in operation, snow and ice will be elevated from. the ground I8 along the scoop and subside intothe hopper along the declining bottom portion onto the hot box top 3S constituting the hopper bottom. The hot box being sumciently hot, the snow and/or ice will be quickly melted and the resulting water will flow through the drain or intake 48 into the vaporizing coil 44 and be immediately vaporized. The expansion of the vapor causes the same to move upwardly in the exhaust pipe 52 and discharge into the outside air through its upper open end. The expansion of the hot mixture of air and products of combustion and the forward movement thereof in the hot box by the jetting of the burner nozzles causes this hot mixture to pass out of the not box into the exhaust header and into the exhaust pipe 52, thereby increasing and accelerating the drawing off of water vapor from the vaporizing coil 44 and the discharge from the upper end of the exhaust pipe 52. of both the vapor and the products of combustion.

Screened cooi air intakes having forwardlyfacingV bells 8| located at opposite sides of the hot box 4l have conduits B2 opening through the side walls of the hot box at the rear end thereof to supply outside air to aid combustion within thev hot box and to aid in the discharge of products ofcombustion from the hot box through the exhaust pipe 52'.

A fire wall 53 covers the lower face of the bottomV portion 40- and extends across the outer faces of the' ends, sides and bottom of the hot box 4|.

I claim:

1. A snow melter and vaporizer comprising an upstanding hopper for receiving snow to be melted, a closed hot bex underlying and dependingly'supportedfrom the lower end of said hopper, a plurality of burners extending through and supported in an end wall of said box and each having one end in communication with the interior of said box, a separate source of liquid fuel and ofair under pressure connected to the other ends of saidY burners, a horizontally disposed vaporizing coil positioned within said box and exposed to the flames from said burners, means on one end of said coil and in communication with the bottom of said hopper for receiving the water as the snow is melted, an opstanding exhaust pipe exteriorly of said hopper and having one end connected to the other end of said vaporizing coil for conveying and discharging water vapor from said coil, the upper end of said exhaust pipe being in communication with the atmosphere, and conduit means leading from the interior of said iireboxV and to said exhaust pipe for conveying the products of combustion emitted from` said burners into said exhaust pipe.

2. A snow melter and vaporizer comprising an upstanding hopper for receiving snow to be melted, a closed hot box underlying and dependingly supported from the lower end of said hopper, a plurality of jet burners extending through and supported in an end wall of said box and each .having the jet end in communication with the interior of said box, a separate source of liquid fuel and of. air under pressure connected to the other ends of said burners, a horizontally disposed vaporizing coilY positioned within said box and exposed to the flames emitted from said jet ends of said burners, a screened intake supported and in communication with the bottom of said hopper and connected to one end of said coil for receiving the water as the snow is melted, an upstanding exhaust pipe exteriorly of said hopper, conduit means connecting the other end of said coil to said exhaust pipe, the upper end of said exhaust, pipe being in communication with the atmosphere, and further conduit means LEONARD J. FLYNN.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Cruise Sept. 4, 1906 Strauss Nov. 1, 1910 Mann Nov. 8, 1910 Dzamba. Oct. 28, 1930 Chase Sept. 1, 1931 Powell Dec. 5, 1944