US2740491A - Fumes-purifying apparatus - Google Patents

Description

April 3, 1956 l.. vEccHlo FuMEs-PURIFYING AFPA RATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 24, 1952 Gttorneg Pq @wu WAN April 3, 1956 l.. VECCHIO 2,740,491

FUMEs-PURIFYING APPARATUS Filed May 24, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZSnventor l JMW Gttorneg 2,740,491 FUMES-PURIFYlNG APPARATUS Luigi Vecchio, North Hollywood, Calif. Application May 24, 1952, Serial No. 289,709 6 Claims. (Cl. 183-2) This invention relates to apparatus for purifying the fumes of stacks and similar discharging conduits to remove from said fumes, before the same are releasedinto the atmosphere, extraneous matter, particles, gases, etc., that may be injurious to plant and animal life.

An object of the present invention is to provide apparatus of the character indicated which successively washes, dries, and purites the fumes in the process of providing a non-toxic exhaust to atmosphere.

Another object of the invention is to provide such apparatus in which the fumes pass through an expansion or breathing stage following washing and drying so that the same is attenuated to more readily release its extraneous matter, particles and gases.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in apparatus as indicated, self-driven means for whipping or foaming the washing solution employed, to thereby create agitation in said solution and improved particle-removing washing of the fumes passing through the solution.

The invention also has for its objects to` provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easiiy installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes one embodiment ofthe present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a side elevational view of fumes-purifying apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fumeswashing section of said apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the fumes-drying and fumespurifying sections.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detail view of fumes-passing walls typically used in the present apparatus.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a vane of agitator means used in the washing section of the apparatus.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the vane shown in Fig. 5.

The apparatus that is illustrated comprises, generally, a fumes inlet 10, a fumes-washing 'section 11 in which the fumes from inlet 10 are subjected to agitation washing, a fumes-expanding section 12 on the outlet side of section 11 for attenuating the fumes, a fumes-drying section 13 receptive of the fumes from section 12, a second fumes-expanding section 14 on the outlet side of section 13, a fumes-purifying section 15 receptive of the fumes from section 14, and a fumes outlet or exhaust 16 from section 15.

The fumes inlet 10 comprises a conduit 17 that is preferably horizontally disposed and, while not shown, the same extends from a stack or like fumes-discharging conduit. A draft to move the fumes in conduit 17 in a direction toward the washing section 11 is preferably created by forced air introduced in said conduit through passages 18. In practice, passages 18 may be arranged in encir-l nited States Pater O 2,740,491 Patented Apr. 3, 1956 cling relation toconduit 17 so that the air therefrom is discharged in a direction to accelerate the movement of the fumes. in conduit 17 in a conduit 19 that is an extension of conduit 17. Said conduit 19 extends across the top of the forward portion of washing section 11 and terminates at a wall 20. It will be realized that the disposition of air passages 1S may be varied, the intent being to create a draft to move the fumes in conduits 17 and 19 toward'washing section 11.

The fumes-washing section 11 comprises a tank 21 disposed beneath conduit'19 and receptive of water, shown by the level 22, from a tube or pipe 23 connected to the top of said tank. A check valve 24 closes to pressure within tank 21 and opens to-inlet flow of water upon reduction of such pressure. In any case, va1ve24 acts to prevent flow of any fumes in tank 21 into water line 23. Since any pressure that develops in tank 21 is afrected` by the level of water 22, a suitable gauge may be provided to read said level and advise as to the control of the rate of water flow in line 23. Therefore, a suitable valve in line 23 may be set to maintain the water level 22 as desired. A valved drain 21a is provided for tank 21.

One or more tubes 25 are provided to communicate conduit 19 and the interior of tank 21, the same extending preferably vertically into said tank and to a distance whereby the lower ends are immersed in the water 22. A multiplicity of orifices 26 in the immersed lower yend of the tube disperse the fumes entering said tubes into the water. .inasmuch as said fumes are borne by the pressure air supplied by passages 18,l the same is forced through orificesy 26 with considerable force and, when said borne fumes enter the water, considerable agitation of the latter ensues. To increase this agitation, an independent supply of air under pressure is introduced into the water 22 by a tube 27 supplied from a conduit 28 generally coextensive with conduits 17 and 18. The lower end of tube 27 is provided with orifices 29 similar to oriiices 26. It will be clean, therefore,. that the airborne fumes admitted through tubes 25- and the pressure air supplied by tube 27 laterally discharge through orifices 26 and 29.

The force of such discharge is utilized to rotate al plurality of agitator-s 30 which are provided with pitched vanes 3l and, those vanes immersed in the water 22, with tooth-like projections 32. Upper and lower bearings 33 rotationally support shafts or stems 34 of said agitators so the same spin freely by the force of the air-borne fumes and pressure air mentioned. The vanes 31 set up additional agitationl in water 22 and projections 32 increase the agitation to the point that frothing of the surface of the water results. By introducing a detergent or soap into the water throughan inlet 35, a substantial layer of foam is built' up on the surface of the water.

It will be evident that much of the solid matter in the fumes will settle to the bottom of tank 21 from which the sediment may periodically be removed. Such lighter pan ticles that remain in flotation will, in part, eventually also settle and,.in part, will percolate upward through the foam layer on the saponaceous solution into the atmosphere 36 thereabove.

This atmosphere is under agitation by the upper vanes 37 of agitators 3i) so that the washed fumes enter a turbulent atmosphere before discharge through a top opening 3'7`in tank 21. Because of the mentioned turbulence in atmosphere 36, vanes 37 have many opportunities to encounter and collect on their surfaces particles of matter in the'now moistened fumes.

The pressure from beneath forces the moist fumesy outwardly through opening 37 from which point they can only pass downwardly' through a plurality of oriced walls 38, of which a detail is shown in Fig. 4. In the process of passing through orifices 39 and around louvres or battle flanges 40 of said Walls, much of the moisture of the fumes is intercepted in the passage 41 across which walls 38 are disposed to drain downward and be removed as desired from an outlet 42a. The residual fumes then exit through an opening 42 at the bottom of said passage 41 and escape upwardly through a second passage 43 which is provided with transverse oriced walls 44 similar to walls 38. These latter walls intercept additional moisture and, together with walls 38 create a retarding or slowing-up of the tlow of fumes. It will be noted that walls 38 and 44 are arranged on a slope so that intercepted moisture drains to the side and out of the path of movement of the fumes.

The expansion section or chamber 12 is formed as a dome 45, above the passage 43 and is of such larger proportional area than said passage that the flow-restricted fumes attenuate or expand therein and thereby release residual moisture which drops into a trough or chute 46. Since this moisture is reasonably free of particles, the same may be returned to tank 21. For this purpose, the return passage 47 is provided. The fumes that leave the expansion chamber 12 at 48 still contain some moisture.

The dryer section 13 is provided to extract such residual moisture and, in the main, comprises a chamber 49 having a concavely curved bottom wall 50 and a set of oriliced walls 51 similar to the Wall shown in Fig. 4. Bottom wall 50 is provided with draining perforations 52. This chamber 49 constitutes a condenser in which walls S1 condense and collect moisture and pass fumes. Said walls also retard the flow of the fumes which are given impetus by pressure air supplied through a tube 53 discharging into a chamber 54 interposed on the inlet side of chamber 49. in addition to the above condenser, the dryer section includes a trough 55 for collecting condensate and an aspirator valve 56 controlling the discharge from said trough.

The expansion section 14 serves the same purpose as expansion section 12. The same comprises a large area dome 57 above and receiving fumes from dryer section 13. Said fumes now being substantially completely dry, comprise a gas or combination of gases that expand or attenuate readily in the chamber of dome 57.

The purifier section 15 comprises a tank 58 having a filler opening 59 for the introduction of a solution, indicated by level 60, designed to neutralize the toxicity of the fumes. Said tank is provided with a plurality of horizontal and vertical walls or partitions 61 that divide the same into a plurality of communicating chambers 62 which, thereby, constitute a labyrinth through which the fumes pass after entry through passage 63 from expansion section 12. Said solution enters passages 67 and 7) and, because of suitable perforations and openings 64, 71 and 71a in the partitions 61, can be lled to the level shown. Only the lower chambers 62 contain the neutralizing solution, the openings 64 that communicate said chambers being so arranged that the fumes pass in and out of the solution several times until they exit through orifices 65 in sloping upper wall 66 of the last chamber 62 through which the fumes pass.

The solution 60 may vary for diierent fumes, the intent being to provide a neutralizing agent that nulliiies toxicity to such degree that the fumes discharging from Y outlet 16 are harmless.

Two returns of solution that may be carried by the fumes toward outlet stack 16 are provided. One comprises an upper passage 67 of which sloping wall 66 forms part of the base, and the other comprises first a vertical passage 68 and then a horizontal passage 69 along the bottom of tank 58. Both returns communicate with outlet stack 16 and serve to return the neutralizing solution to the tank through a common passage 70.

Y While openings 6d may be quite large, it is preferred that the last upward movement of the fumes be through smaller but numerous orifices 71 so that intimate commingling of the fumes and solution is assured when the former pass through said orifices.

A level-indicating gauge may also be provided for tank 58 as well as an outlet line 58a.

While the invention that has been illustrated and described is now regarded as the preferred embodiment, the construction is, of course, subject to modiiication without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a tank for washing solution, conduit means to conduct air-borne fumes into the solution, agitating means in said tank and driven by the air-borne fumes to agitate the solution while the fumes are immersed therein, there being a space above the solution in the tank and the same being receptive of fumes percolating upward through said solution, and an expanding outlet for the fumes from said space to attenuate said fumes and cause the same to gravitationally release moisture picked up from said solution.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1: a conduit to conduct pressure air to the solution independently of the airborne fumes to increase the agitation thereof.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2: said conduit means for the air-borne fumes and said conduit for the pressure air each terminating in at least one perforated tube having its end immersed in the solution and said perforation being disposed to laterally direct the fumes and air into operative contact with the agitating means.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1: downwardly and upwardly directed communicating passages to pass the fumes from the mentioned space into the expanding outlet, and a plurality of oriced transverse and sloping walls in each said passage to intercept moisture in said fumes.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1: downwardly and upwardly directed communicating passages to pass the fumes from the mentioned space into the expanding outlet, a plurality of oriliced transverse and sloping walls in each said passage to intercept moisture in said fumes, and a return passage to the tank for moisture released by the fumes expanded in said expanding outlet.

6. In apparatus of the character described, a fumespurifying unit comprising a tank having a quantity of toxicity-removing solution and provided with vertical and horizontal walls dividing said tank into a plurality of chambers, there being staggered openings in the horizontal walls to communicate the chambers in labyrinthine arrangement, an inlet for fumes to one end of said tank, an outlet from the opposite upper end of the tank, and a return to the tank for solution released by fumes passing into the outlet, said return comprising a conduit extending downwardly from the outlet and then horizontally along the bottom of the tank to the inlet.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,214,372 Romberger Ian. 30,'1917 1,775,876 Vecchio Sept. 16, 1930V 1,780,833 McGurty Nov. 4, 1930 1,876,465 Misner Sept. 6, 1932 2,203,835 Minor June 1l, 1940 2,212,752 Schmieg Aug. 27, 1940 2,310,265 Sweeny Feb. 9, 1943 2,471,274 Christensen May 3l, 1949 i 2,528,028 Barry Oct. 31, 1950 2,612,745 Vecchio Oct. 7, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 428,354 France Aug. 29, 1911

Claims (1)

1. APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, COMPRISING A TANK FOR WASHING SOLUTION, CONDUIT MEANS TO CONDUCT AIR-BORNE FUMES INTO THE SOLUTION, AGITATING MEANS IN SAID TANK AND DRIVEN BY THE AIR-BORNE FUMES TO AGITATE THE SOLUTION WHILE THE FUMES ARE IMMERSED THEREIN, THERE BEING A SPACE ABOVE THE SOLUTION IN THE TANK AND THE SAME BEING RECEPTIVE OF FUMES PERCOLATING UPWARD THROUGH SAID SOLUTION, AND AN EXPANDING OUTLET FOR THE FUMES FROM SAID SPACE TO ATTENUATE SAID FUMES AND CAUSE THE SAME TO GRAVITATIONALLY RELEASE MOISTURE PICKED UP FROM SAID SOLUTION.

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