US2665073A - Heating system - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 5, 1954 J, A. DONDERO 2,665,073

HEATING SYSTEM Filed Feb. 17, 1949 ZZZ INVENTOR.

6 HTTUR/VE? Patented Jan. 5, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATING SYSTEM John A. Dondero, New York, N. .Y'. Application February 17, 1949, Serial No. 77,020

3-Glaims. l

Thepresent invention relates to heating systems generally and more particularly to steam heating systems for buildings which utilize risers and heating means through which: steam may flow continuously anduninterruptedly.

In such systems steam is generally supplied under relatively low pressures to a supply pipe and flows from the latter through the. various rp-feed or down-feed conduits or risers spaced along its length. The down-feedconduits or risers may have heat exchangers in theform of lateral onsets in the various rooms provided withheat. radiating fins. Condensate, air, gases and uncondensed steam pass downwardly through the risers toward a return pipe. Previously it has been necessary to provide each down-feed conduit or. riser, or each heating means, with a trap which permits the passage of condensate or relatively cool gases but which closes when. contacted by steam. A vacuum pump or hot well is generally used'to withdraw the condensate or gases from the return line. An example of a heating system along the lines of the above is disclosed in Patent No. 2,174,333 dated September 26, 1939.

The drip traps. which must be used in each down flow riser of previous systemssuch' asthat shown in the above mentioned patent require an objectionable amount of inspection and maintenance, as well as being objectionable by reason of the initial expense, of the numerous traps and their cost of installation. Another disadvantage isthat the traps must: be located at the lower end of each. down fiow. riser and=in numerous instances the down How risers may terminate in almost inaccessible. spaces, thus making inspection and maintenance very difficult.

The present invention aims to overcomethe above and other diiliculties or disadvantages by providing a new and-improved:simplified heating system and method which doesinot require separate traps for each down-feed conduit or riser. The invention further contemplates the provision of a new and improved heating system and method which requires a: minimum number of traps or fluid controlling means: ancltyet which insures adequate supply of steam to all risers and lateral offsets or heating means of the system.

An object of the'present inventionisto provide a new and improved heatingsystem:

Another object of the-inventionds to provide a new and improved. heating method:

Another object is to provide. a. heating. system having a minimunr number of fluid controlling means or traps.

Another object of the invention is'to provide a heating system having aminimum number of traps orfiuid controlilng means which may be located at a readily accessible central location.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new andimproved heating system and method which-gives optimum-flow of steam through-the system.

Other and further objects of theinvention will be obvious uponan understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described;.or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to. herein will occur toone skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosenior purposes of illustration and de scription and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Fig. 1' is a diagrammaticview showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig; 2 is a diagrammatic View generally similar to Fig. 1. but showing a. different arrangement thereof;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a modified form of gas-separating or cooling chamber; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing a-modifled" form-of a portion of the present invention.

Referring more particularlytoFig. 1 thereare shown a plurality'of conduits or up-feed risers land a plurality of conduits or down-feed risers 2; the latter, being provided with heating means orexchangers shown as lateral oiisets t provided with heat radiating fins. The heat-exchangers may beenclosed within a suitable b0X-like casing (not shown) and. passage of air through the casing may be controlledby a manually operable damper or gate. Any suitable number of up-feed and downx-feed risers, together with the heat exchangersmay be provided; only three. sets of these are shown in Fig. 1 merely. by way of illustration. Steam is normally supplied to the risers or conduits by a-supplypipe Band flows through the risers and the heat exchangers-in continuous and uninterrupted manner. Steam supply to the supply pipe 5 may be controlled by a main-valve l, which may be either manually or motor operated.

Condensate, air, gas and-steam maypass out of the..downfeedirisers 2 and'into a return pipe 8.. It. will be noted that there are notraps or fluid controlling means whatever shown in the various down-feed risers 2.

Fluid controlling trap means I is shown intermediate the ends of the supply and return pipes and 8 and additional trap means II is shown at or adjacent an outlet end of the return pipe 8. Each of these trap means may be similar and each is preferably of the generally known and commercially available combination float and thermostatic type, which allow passage or drainage of water and release of air from a conduit connected therewith but which close to prevent passage of steam. Thus steam is retained against leakage out of the system.

As thus far described the system suffers from the difficulty of completely purging the conduits and heat exchangers of the system or air or gases in order that steam may enter the conduits and heat exchangers to supply heat to the rooms. Steam admitted into the supply line 5 may pass through the various risers nearest the main control valve I, thence into the return pipe 8 and along the latter to the trap means II. Steam coming into contact with the mechanism of the trap Ii will cause that trap to close off in such manner as to objectionably interrupt the escape of air and other gases from the remainder of the system. In order to operate correctly and efficiently these other gases should be removed from the system.

As shown in Fig. 1 the above-mentioned difficulty or disadvantage is overcome or minimized by providing a chamber I4 which connects with the return pipe 8 by a conduit I5 and which also connects by a conduit I6 with a trap means II. An outlet pipe I9 from the trap means II merges with an outlet 23 from the trap I I and the common outlet from each of these trap means II and I1 connects with a vacuum pump or hot Well 22.

Gases moving along through the return line 3 are removed or separated or vented therefrom into the chamber I i, which seems to cool these gases somewhat. This cooling of the gases in the chamber I4 permits their passage through the trap I! and thence outwardly toward the hot well or vacuum pump 22. Thus steam, air or other gases in the system may be separated from the return main 8 at a point in advance of the trap I I.

As previously mentioned, the fluid controlling means or traps I9 and II are preferably of the combination float and thermostatic type which permit passage of liquids and gases but which close when being contacted by steam. When traps of this type are closed due to the temperature of the steam which strikes them, liquid condensate may continue to pass through the trap but gases are cut off until such time as .the steam condenses or cools sufficiently for the trap to automatically open and permit subsequent discharge of the gases and cooled or condensed steam. The trap Il may be purely of the thermostatic type which cuts oil when being contacted by steam. More than one trap may be used at each location shown.

These traps are generally constructed to operate over a range of pressures and temperatures, the thermostatic element automatically closing in response to the steam temperatures which correspond with various pressures. For example, when the pressure is in the neighborhood of 2.2 pounds per square inch, absolute, the thermostatic element of the .trap may close when contacted by steam at a temperature of about 130 F.; when the pressure in the system is in the neighborhood of 17.2 pounds per square inch, absolute, the thermostatic element of the valve may close at a steam temperature of about 220 F. The trap means may of course also close at various intermediate steam temperatures which correspond with various intermediate pressures.

It may be desired, particularly during initial heating up of the system, to provide means for more rapidly venting the system than is done by the trap means II and I! alone. In Fig. 1 this may be achieved through the conduit 23 and valve 24. The valve 24, which is preferably a needle valve, may be opened during the initial heating up so that gases from the chamber I4 may readily by-pass the fluid controlling means or trap II. It may, of course, be left permanently open a desired amount to provide extra venting.

In operation steam enters the supply pipe 5 through the main control valve 1 and passes through the various risers and the heaters which are shown connected in series with the risers. Condensate and gases leave the risers and pass into the return pipe 8. When fluids in the return pipe 8 reach the connection with the chamber I4 gases may pass upwardly into the chamber and the condensate may pass into and through the trap I I, being discharged into the outlet conduit 23 and thence delivered to the hot well or pump 22. Air, gases or steam may pass from the chamber I4 through the conduit I6 and thence through the trap II, emerging from the trap I1 and passing to the hot well or pump 22. Steam which enters the chamber I4 from return line 8 is cooled sufficiently so that it does not generally effect closing of the trap means !'I. Steam thus does not normally contact the trap II but vents upwardly into the chamber I4, where its temperature seems to be lowered sufiiciently so that it may pass through the trap I1. Initial warming up of the system is facilitated by the provision of the by-pass line 23 and control valve 24 which extends around the trap II. The valve 24 may, if desired, be left slightly open at all times to provide an additional vent from the system.

It is believed that the chamber I4 serves to condense steam or to lower the temperature of gases and steam which enter it so that they may pass through the trap I1, and also serves to vent gases from the return line 8 since they seek the higher location of the chamber I4. The chamber may be made from an ordinary piece of pipe as illustrated in Fig. l or may be provided with suitable fins 25 as shown in Fig. 3, to thereby provide an enhanced cooling eifect.

In Fig. 2 there is shown a slightly different arrangement of the system illustrated in Fig. 1. As illustrated in this latter figure fluids may pass through the supply line So and the return line 8a in the same general direction, gases being vented or separated from the return line 8a into the chamber I la. Condensate and cool gases may pass through the trap Ila to the hot Well or pump 22a. Gases or steam which enter the chamber I4a. pass therefrom toward and through the additional trap means Ila. As described in connection with Fig. 1, a valve 24a and suitable conduits may be provided for by-passing the trap I111. The various traps and the chamber I ia may be similar to those already described in connec tion with Fig. 1. Lines 5a, 8a are shown pitched in the same direction.

In Fig. 4 there is shown a slightly modified form of the present invention. A return line 8b connects with the upper part of a chamber Mb accaovs so that all liquids and gases or steam pass through the chamber and may be cooled in passage therethrough. A combination float and thermostatic trap lib may be connected by conduits with the lower part of the chamber Mb and also with the pump or hot well 22?). This slightly modified form may, of course, be used together with an additional trap and a control valve similar to that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The modified form of Fig. 4 may be desired in some instances.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a new and improved heating system and method which eliminates the necessity of providing the numerous traps or fluid controlling means required in previous systems of this sort. Gases or air are efficiently purged from the system during initial heating up operations. Steam or other gases may be separated from the system or removed from the location of a controlling trap so that the trap may efliciently function to pass condensate, or cool gases. The present system and method does not require the employment of any special traps or complicated equipment; generally known and commercially available traps may be used and existing systems may be readily modified to incorporate the steam or gas separating or venting chamber of the present invention. The system and method of the present invention may be readily used with apartments of the garden type, which do not usually include basements but have only limited space between the ground and the underneath of the flooring, in which the traps of the usual systems may be incorporated; with the present system and method the few traps required may be grouped in a single readily accessible location instead of being located in such small spaces.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a steam heating system having a plurality of heating means each comprising a continuous conduit connected across a supply line and a return line and each being devoid of flow impeding means and forming substantially unrestricted passages for steam flow from the supply line to the return line, a thermostatic trap connected with a discharge end of said return line at a location below the connections of said conduits with said return line for passing condensate to a discharge conduit but barring passage of steam, a chamber at a higher elevation than said thermostatic trap connected with said return line at a location between said thermostatic trap and the connections of said conduits with the return line for removing steam from the return line and cooling it, an outlet conduit from said means, a second thermostatic trap connected with said latter outlet conduit adapted to pass steam cooled by said means to a discharge conduit, and discharge conduits for connecting each of said thermostatic traps with means such as a vacuum pump.

2. In a steam heating system having a plurality of heating means each comprising a continuous conduit connected across a supply line and a return line and being devoid of flow-impeding means and forming substantially unrestricted passages for steam flow from the supply line to the return line, a thermostatic trap connected with a discharge end of said return line for passing condensate to a discharge conduit but barring passage of steam, a cooling chamber above adjacent portions of said return line and above said thermostatic trap and in permanently open communication with said return line at a location spaced from and in advance of said thermostatic trap for removing steam from the return line at a location spaced from and in advance of said thermostatic trap and cooling said steam, and a second thermostatic trap in communication with said cooling chamber adapted to pass steam cooled in said cooling chamber to a discharge conduit, and discharge conduits for connecting each of said thermostatic traps with means such as a vacuum pump.

3. A steam heating system as claimed in claim 1 in which a by-pass conduit is connected around said second thermostatic trap and the by-pass conduit is provided with a manually settable control valve for varying the opening therethrough.

JOHN A. DONDERO.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,408,478 Simpson Mar. 7, 1922 2,131,901 Parkton Oct. 4, 1938 2,341,738 Olin Feb. 15, 1944 2,344,874 Ingram Mar. 21, 1944 2,366,332 Harrison et a1 Jan. 2, 1945 2,532,951 Schaub Dec. 5, 1950

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