US3177919A

US3177919A - Method of and apparatus for removing nonliquid constituents from fuel oil

Info

Publication number: US3177919A
Application number: US59725A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arant Perry
Original assignee: Clayton Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Clayton Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1960-09-30
Filing date: 1960-09-30
Publication date: 1965-04-13
Anticipated expiration: 1982-04-13
Also published as: CH391939A; BE608641A; ES270725A1; GB932329A; NL269672A

Description

Aprxl 13, 1965 P. ARANT 3,1

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING NONLIQUID CONSTITUENTS FROM FUEL QIL Filed Sept. 30, 1960 BURNER lA/l/EA/ 702 R522 Y A RA 1v 7' 5y #4? A rrozmsrs HARP/3- K/Ecw, R0555 d: KER/V United States Patent 3,177,919 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING NONLIQUID CONSTITUENTS FROM FUEL OIL Perry Arant, San Gabriel, Ca1if., assignor to Clayton Manufacturing Company, El Monte, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Sept. 30, 1960, Ser. No. 59,725 7 Claims. (Cl. 15836.3)

The present invention relates in general to a method of and apparatus for removing from liquids any non-liquid constituents, such as vapors, entrained gases, foam, and the like, which may be present therein. More specifically, the invention is particularly applicable to removing from heavy fuel oils such nonliquid constituents as entrained air, or other gases, vapors which flash out at elevated temperatures, foam produced by vaporization of moisture at elevated temperatures and variable pressures, and the like.

In general, the invention contemplates an oil burning installation, which may be a steam generator, for example, wherein fuel oil drawn from a storage reservoir is heated prior to delivery to the burner to obtain proper combustion. It is also essential to proper combustion that the fuel oil consumed by the burner be relatively free from entrained air, or other gases, vapors, foam, and the like, and a primary object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus which will achieve this condition.

An important object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for separating nonliquid constituents from the fuel oil which incorporates separate storage and burner circuits so that the oil delivered to the burner nozzle may be heated accurately to the temperature necessary to obtain the desired viscosity.

A more specific object of the invention isto provide a separating apparatus which is interposed between the storage reservoir and the heater and burner system and which returns separated air, or other gases, vapors and foam to the reservoir. A related object is to compress any foam to liquid before returning it to the reservoir, and to cool all gases, vapors and liquid returned to the reservoir to a temperature below the flash temperature of the liquid, but without cooling them excessively so as to avoid unnecessary heat loss.

An important object is to provide an installationwherein a surplus of fuel oil is delivered to the separating apparatus by a transfer means and wherein an excess of fuel oil is delivered to the heater and burner system by a fuel supply means, the excess liquid delivered to the heater and burner system by the fuel supplymeans being returned to the separating apparatus and surplus liquid being returned to the reservoir from the separating apparatus along with any liberated air, or other gases, vapors, foam and the like.

Another object is to provide a separating apparatus which includes gas separating means for removing entrained air, or other gases, from the fuel oil delivered to the separating apparatus by the transfer means.

A further object is to provide means for removing vapors and foam from the excess liquid returned to the separating apparatus by the heater and burner system.

An important object of the invention is to return to the heater and burner system the excess fuel oil discharged thereby, after removal of vapors and foam therefrom, in admixture with a fresh supply of fuel oil from the gas separating means. As the result of this recycling of the excess liquid from the heater and burner system, the fuel oil actually consumed by the burner is relatively free from entrained gases, vapors, foam and thelike, which isan important feature.

Another object of the invention is to provide a separat ing apparatus having means for compressing the foam 3,177,919 Patented Apr. 13, 1965 "ice removed by the vapor separating means prior to returning same to the reservoir.

Still another object is to provide a separating apparatus having a section which cools separated vapors sufficiently to reduce the temperature of any gases, vapors, compressed foam and surplus liquid to a temperature below the flash temperature of the fuel oil before return to the reservoir, but Without excessively cooling same so as to minimize any heat loss from the over-all installation.

The foregoing objects, advantages, features and results of the present invention, together with various other objects, advantages, features and results thereof which will be evident to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates 'in the light of this disclosure, may be achieved with the exemplary embodiment of the invention described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying installation which incorporates the separating apparatus of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a detail view duplicating a portion of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale.

In the drawing, the numeral lfi designates generally a separating apparatus of the invention interposed between a storage reservoir 12 and a heater and burnerjsystem 14 comprising a heater 16 and a burner'18. The reservoir 12 may be of any desired nature and may, for example, be an underground storage tank. The heater and

burner

16 and 18 may also be of any suitable types and are therefore shown only diagrammatically. The burner 18, of course, includes a suitable burner nozzle, control means for regulating the delivery of fuel oil to the burner nozzle, a fuel pressure regulator, and the like, such components being conventional so that a showing thereof is not necessary. For example, the control means may comprise a low fire valve and a high fire valve, as is conventional.

More particularly, the separating apparatus 10 includes: a separating assembly 20; transfer means 22, including a transfer pump 24, for transferring fuel oil, including a surplus of 'fuel oil, to the separating assembly 20;.fuel supply means 26, including a fuel pump 28, for delivering an excess of fuel oil to the heater 16 and thence to the burner 18; first return means 30 for returning the excess fuel oil from the heater and burner system 14 to the separating assembly'20;'and second return means 32 for returning "constituents separated out by the separating assembly 20 and surplus fuel oil to the reservoir 12. The separating assembly 20 itselfincludes: gas separating means 34 for removing entrained gases from the fuel oil delivered to the separating assembly by the transfer means 22; vapor separating means 36 for removing vapors and foam from the excess liquid returned to the separating assembly. from the. heater and burner system 14 by the first return means .30; recycling means 38 for returning to theheater and burner system 14 the excess liquid emanating therefrom, after removal of vapors and foam, in admixture with fresh fuel oil from which entrained gases have been removed; cooling means 40 for sufficiently cooling vapors separated out by the vapor separating means 36 that the mixture returned to thereservoir 12 by the second return means 32 will be at a tem- 3' right gas separator chamber 50, which may have .the form of a slender cylindrical tank as shown. The chamber 50 is provided at its lower end with a drain plug 52. The separating assembly 20 also includes an upright vapor separator chamber 54 alongside the gasseparator chamber 50, the vapor separator chamber being shown as of smaller diameter than the gas separator chamber. The upper and lower ends of the vapor separator chamber 54 communicate with the gas separator chamber 50, adjacent the upper and lower ends of the latter, at vertically spaced, upper and

lower zones

56 and 58.

The transfer means 22 includes a transfer line 60 in which the transfer pump 24 is connected and the inlet end of which is connected to a submerged bell-shaped heater62within the reservoir 12. The heater 62 maintains the fuel oil in the vicinity of the inlet end of the transfer line 60 at a temperature of, for example, the order of magnitude of 100 F. Thus, the heater 62 preheats the fuel oil drawn into the transfer line 60 by the transfer pump 24. The outlet end of the transfer line 60 communicates with the gas separator chamber 50 at a zone 64 intermediate the upper and

lower zones

56 and 58 of interconnection between the gas and vapor separator-

chambers

50 and 54. V

The capacity of the transfer pump 24 is of the order of one and one-half to two times the capacity of the fuel pump 28 so that the transfer pump introduces a surplus of fuel oil into the gas'separator chamber 50, such surplus ultimately being returned to the reservoir 12 by way of the return means 32. The remainder of the fuel oil introduced by the transfer pump 24flows downwardly in the gas separator chamber 50 to the fuel supply means 26 leading to the heater and burner system 14. The cross sectional area of the gas separator chamber 50 is several times that of the transfer line 60 so that the downflow of fuel oil from the zone 64 to the zone 58 takes place at relatively low velocity. Consequently, the downflowing fuel oil liberates any air, or other gases, entrained therein, such entrained air or gases rising in the gas separator chamber 50 and ultimately being returned vto the reservoir 12 by way of the return means 32, along with the aforementioned surplus fuel oil. The relatively air and gas free oil in the gas-separator-chamber zone 58 enters the fuel supplymeans 26, comprising a fuel line 66in which the fuel pump 28 is connected and which leadsto the heater 16. The heater, of course, is connected to the burner 18, as by a fuel risers; 1 L

The capacity of the fuel pump 28 exceeds the maximum rate of fuel consumption of the burner 18. For example, the capacity of the fuel pump. 28 may be of the order of twice the maximum fuel consumption rate of the' burner 18. .Consequently, the fuel pump 28 delivers an excess of fuel oil to the burner 18. v f

This excess of fuel oil delivered to the burner 18 flows from the fuel pressure regulator of the burner to the vapor separator chamber. 54.by way of the return means 30, which is shown as comprising simply a return line 70 extending from'the fuel pressure regulator of the burner to the vapor separator chamber 54 at a zone 72 intermediate the upper and lower zones 56. and 58 of connection between the gas and

vapor separator chambers

50 and 54.

Since the excess oil returned to the vapor, separator chamber 54 through the return line 70 is at an elevated temperature because of its passage through the heater 16, and since the excess oilis reduced in pressure as it is returned to the vapor separator chamber, vapors, residual air and other gases, and foam are liberated within the vapor:separator chamber, the foam resulting from vaporization of moisture which may be present in the fuel oil. Such vapors, air and other gases, and foam pass upwardly through the vapor separator chamber 54 into the upper end of the gas separator chamber 50 for ultimate return to the reservoir 12 by way of the return means 32. The hot excess oil itself flows downwardly through the vapor separator chamber 54 back into the fuel line 66, such downflow assisting in the separation of vapors, air and other gases, and foam. As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel line 66 communicates with the chamber 54 above the lower zone 58 of interconnection between the

chambers

50 and 54 to prevent flow of the hot excess oil from the burner 18 into the gas separator chamber.

Thus, the hot excess oil, now relatively free of vapors, air and other gases, and foam, is returned to the burner 18 by the fuel pump 28, along with make-up fuel oil, which is relatively free of entrained air and other gases, from the gas separator chamber 50.

This recycling of the excess fuel oil emanating from the burner 18, supplemented by make-up fuel oil from the gas separator chamber 50, results in a flow of fuel oil to the burner which is relatively free from entrained air, or other gases, vapors, foam and the like. Consequently, there is minimum interference with proper burner operation by the presence of nonliquid constituents in the fuel oil actually delivered to the burner nozzle. Also, since the heater circuit is separated from the storage transfer circuit, accurate control of the temperature, and;

I therefore the viscosity, of the oil actually delivered to the burner nozzle is possibleto insure optimum operating conditions at the burner 18.

The vapor separator chamber 54 communicates with the gas separator chamber 50 in the upper zone 56 through an orifice 74 constituting the foam compressing means 42. The orifice 74, by serving to restrict the flow of foam into the gas separator chamber 50, reduces a major portion, e.g., approximately 80%, 0f the foam to liquid form prior to entry thereof into the gas separator chamber, which is an important feature. The gas separator chamber 50 is provided therein with a cleanout plug 76 for the orifice 74 located opposite this orifice.

The upper portions of the gas and

vapor separator chambers

50 and 54 serveto cool the vapors separated out in the vapor separator chamber sufliciently that the fluid mixture returning to the reservoir 12 is at a temperature below the flash temperature of the fuel oil in the reservoir. Thus, the upper portions of the gas and

vapor separator chambers

50 and 54 constitute the cooling means 40 hereinbefore mentioned. 7

The surplus fuel oil introduced into the gas separator chamber 50 by the transfer pump 24, entrained air and other gases liberated in the gas separator chamber 50, and air and other gases, vapors, and reduced foam from the vapor separator chamber 54, are all returned to the reservoir 12 by way of the return means 32.: This return means includes a return line 78 in which the pressure relief valvemeans 44 is located and the inlet end of which communicates with the gas separator chamber 50 below the upper zone 56 of interconnection between the gas and

vapor separator chambers

50 and 54, but above the zone 64 of interconnection between the gas separator chamber 50 and the transfer means 22.

The pressuer relief valve means 44, which may be of any suitable construction, maintains a small back pressure, e.g., 5 p.s.i., on the separating assembly 20, such back pressure performing two functions First, the back pressure applied by the relief valve means 44 completes the reduction to liquid of any foam separated out in the by the transfer pump 24.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention 113 e n isclosed herein for purposes of illustration, 1t

ears s19 will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims which follow:

1.A method of separating gases from fresh fuel oil obtained from a reservoir and delivered to a heater and burner system which heats fuel oil delivered thereto, which burns only part of the fuel oil delivered thereto, and which discharges the remainder of the fuel oil delivered thereto as heated exces fuel oil, and of separating vapors from said heated excess fuel oil, including the steps of:

(a) removing gases from said fresh fuel oil being delivered to the heater and burner system from the reservoir;

(b) removing vapors from said heated excess fuel oil;

(0) then mixing said heated excess fuel oil from which vapors have ben removed with said fresh fuel oil from which gases have been removed; and

(at) then returning said heated excess fuel oil from which vapors have been removed to said heater and burner system admixed with said fresh fuel oil from which gases have been removed.

2. A method of separating gases from fresh fuel oil obtained from a reservoir and delivered to a heater and burner system which heats fuel oil delivered thereto, which burns only part of the fuel oil delivered thereto, and which discharges the remainder of the fuel oil delivered thereto as heated excess fuel oil, and of separating vapors from said heated excess fuel oil, including the steps of:

(a) removing gases from said fresh fuel oil being delivered to the heater and burner system from the eservoir;

(b) removing vapors from said heated excess fuel oil;

(c) then mixing said heated excess fuel oil from which vapors have been removed with said fresh fuel oil from which gases have been removed;

(d) then returning said heated excess fuel oil from which vapors have been removed to said heater and burner system admixed with said fresh fuel oil from which gases have been removed;

(e) cooling the vapors removed from said heated excess fuel oil; and

(f) returning to the reservoir the cooled vapors removed from said heated excess fuel oil and the gases removed from said fresh fuel oil.

3. A method of separating gases from fresh fuel oil obtained from a reservoir and delivered to a heater and burner system which heats fuel oil delivered thereto, which burns only part of the fuel oil delivered thereto, and

which discharges the remainder of the fuel oil delivered thereto as heated excess fuel oil, and of separating vapors and foam from said heated excess fuel oil, including the steps of:

(12) removing vapors and foam from said heated excess fuel oil;

(0) then mixing said heated excess fuel oil from which vapors and foam have been removed with said fresh fuel oil from which gases have been removed;

(d) then returning said heated excess fuel oil from which vapors and foam have been removed to said heater and burner system admixed with said fresh fuel oil from which gases have been removed;

(e) cooling the vapors and foam removed from said heated excess fuel oil;

(f) compressing the foam removed from said heated excess fuel oil; and

(g) returning to the reservoir the cooled vapors and the cooled and compressed foam removed from said 5 heated excess fuel oil, and the gases removed from said fresh fuel oil.

4. An apparatus for separating nonliquid constituents from f tel oil delivered to a heater and burner system which heats fuel oil delivered thereto, which burns only part of the fuel oil delivered thereto, and which discharges the remainder of the fuel oil delivered thereto as heated excess fuel oil, said apparatus being positionable between and connectible to the heater and burner system and a reservoir containing fresh fuel oil, and including:

(a) a closed, upright gas separator chamber;

(b) a closed, upright vapor separator chamber communicating with said gas separator chamber in vertically spaced, upper and lower zones of said gas separator chamber;

(0) transfer means, connectible to the reservoir and including a transfer pump, for delivering fresh fuel oil from the reservoir to said gas separator chamber intermediate said upper and lower zones thereof;

(d) means, including a second pump communicating with said gas and vapor separator chambers adjacent said lower zone of said gas separator chamber and connectible to the heater and burner system, for delivering fuel oil to the heater and burner system;

(e) first return means connectible to said heater and burner system and communicating with said vapor separator chamber intermediate said upper and lower zones of said gas separator chamber for returning said heated excess fuel oil discharged by the heater and burner system to said vapor separator chamber; and

( second return means connectible to the reservoir and communicating with said gas separator chamber below said upper zone thereof, and above the zone at which said transfer means communicates with said gas separator chamber, for returning to the reservoir nonliquid constituents removed from the fresh fuel oil in said gas separator chamber and from said heated excess fuel oil in said vapor separator chamber.

5. A. separating apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said second return means includes pressure relief valve means for maintaining a predetermined back pressure on said gas separator and vapor separator chambers.

6. A separating apparatus as set forth in claim 5 including means providing a restriction to flow from said vapor separator chamber into said gas separator chamber in said upper zone of said gas separator chamber.

7. A separating apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said transfer pump has a pumping capacity greater than the pumping capacity of said second pump, and wherein said second pump has a pumping capacity greater than the maximum fuel-oil combustion rate of the heater and burner system. 7

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,252,687 8/41- Bassett 137--202 2,277,100 3/42 Hartmann 55-201 2,290,350 7/42 Olches 158-36.3 X 2,482,806 9/49 Stahn 55-417 2,510,190 6/50 Nicolette 55199 X 2,721,621 10/55 Hall 55-186 2,878,889 3/59 Gilbert 55-204 2,901,031 8/59 Powell et al. 55199 3,073,376 1/63 Hobson 15836.3

FOREIGN PATENTS 478,449 1/38 Great Britain.

NORMAN YUDKOFF, Primary Examiner.

REUBEN FRIEDMAN, FREDERICK MATTESON,

WALTER BERLOWITZ, Examiners.

Claims

4. AN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING NONLIQUID CONSTITUENTS FROM FUEL OIL DELIVERED TO A HEATER AND BURNER SYSTEM WHICH HEATS FUEL OIL DELIVERED THERETO, WHICH BURNS ONLY PART OF THE FUEL OIL DELIVERED THERETO, AND WHICH DISCHARGES THE REMAINDER OF THE FUEL OIL DELIVERED THERETO AS HEATED EXCESS FUEL OIL, SAID APPARATUS BEING POSITIONABLE BETWEEN AND CONNECTIBLE TO THE HEATER AND BURNER SYSTEM AND A RESERVOIR CONTAINING FRESH FUEL OIL, AND INCLUDING: (A) A CLOSED, UPRIGHT GAS SEPARATOR CHAMBER; (B) A CLOSED, UPRIGHT VAPOR SEPARATOR CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH SAID GAS SEPARATOR CHAMBER IN VERTICALLY SPACED, UPPER AND LOWER ZONES OF SAID GAS SEPARATOR CHAMBER; (C) TRANSFER MEANS, CONNECTIBLE TO THE RESERVOIR AND INCLUDING A TRANSFER PUMP, FOR DELIVERING FRESH FUEL OIL FROM THE RESERVOIR TO SAID GAS SEPARATOR CHAMBER INTERMEDIATE SAID UPPER AND LOWER ZONES THEREOF; (D) MEANS, INCLUDING A SECOND PUMP COMMUNICATING WITH SAID GAS AND VAPOR SEPARATOR CHAMBER AND SAID LOWER ZONE OF SAID GAS SEPARATOR CHAMBER AND CONNECTIBLE TO THE HEATER AND BURNER SYSTEM, FOR DELIVERING FUEL OIL TO THE HEATER AND BURNER SYSTEM; (E) FIRST RETURN MEANS CONNECTIBLE TO SAID HEATER AND BURNER SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID VAPOR SEPARATOR CHAMBER INTERMEDIATE SAID UPPER AND LOWER ZONES OF SAID GAS SEPARATOR CHAMBER FOR RETURNING SAID HEATED EXCESS FUEL OIL DISCHARGE BY THE HEATER AND BURNER SYSTEM TO SAID VAPOR SEPARATOR CHAMBER; AND (F) SECOND RETURN MEANS CONNECTIBLE TO THE RESERVOIR AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID GAS SEPARATOR CHAMBER BELOW SAID UPPER ZONE THEREOF, AND ABOVE THE ZONE AT WHICH SAID TRANSFER MEANS COMMUNICATES WITH SAID GAS SEPARATOR CHAMBER, FOR RETURNING TO THE RESERVOIR NONLIQUID CONSTITUENTS REMOVED FROM THE FRESH FUEL OIL IN SAID GAS SEPARATOR CHAMBER AND FROM SAID HEATED EXCESS FUEL OIL IN SAID VAPOR SEPARATOR CHAMBER.