US623348A

US623348A - Fan-blower heating apparatus

Info

Publication number: US623348A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1899-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 1916-04-18

Description

No. 623,348. Patented Apr. 18, I899.

W. E. ALLINGTON.

FAN BLOWER HEATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Feb. 6, 1899.)

(No Mudel.) 7 Sfieets-Sheat No. 2 ,34 Patented Apr. 18, I899, W. E. ALLINGTDN.

FAN BLOWER HEATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Feb. 6, 1899.

(No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 2.

I I W 95) f I AZ r\ MO69MWQ yw m (a Patented Apr. l8, I899. W. E. ALLINGTUN.

FAN BLOWER HEATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Feb. 6, 1899.) (No Model.)

7 SheefsSheet 3,

No. 623,348. Patented Apr. l8, I899.

W. E. ALLINGTON. FAN BLOWER HEATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Feb. 6. 1599.

(No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Wfiaserz M 6 m: "cams arrives on. PHOTO LIYHO., wAsmum'on. n, c.

Patented Apr. l8, I899. W. E. ALLINGTUN.

FAN BLOWER HEATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Feb. 6, 1899.)

7 SheetsSheet 5.

No Model.)

No. 623,348. Patented Apr. l8, I899. W. E. ALLINGTON.

FAN BLOWER HEATlNG APPARATUS.

(Application filed Feb. 6, 1899.)

7 Sheets$heet 6.

(No Model.)

No. 623,348. Patented Apr. l8, I899. W. E. ALLINGTON.

FAN BLOWER HEATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Feb. 6. 1899.;

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WILLIAM E. ALLINGTON, OF SAGINAIV, MICHIGAN.

FAN-BLOWER HEATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,348, dated April 18, 1899.

Application filed February 6. 1899. Serial No. L701. (N0 model.)

To all whom, it nuty concern.-

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM E. ALLING- TON, of Saginaw, East Side, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigamhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fan- Blower Heating Apparatus, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to fan-blower heating apparatus, or, in other words, to that class of heating and ventilating apparatus in which rotary fans are employed for the purpose of inducing and delivering the air-currents to be heated. Heretofore in practice it has been customary to construct a separate heater of steam-pipes and to inclose said steam-pipes in a suitable casing, with which casing a rotary fan-blower is connected for the purpose of either drawing or blowing the air-currents over the pipes in the heater-case in one direction with relation to said pipes-that is to say, either transversely or longitudinally thereof. lVith this construction only about one-half of the entire heating-surface of the pipes is effective in heating the air-currents to wit, that portion of the heating-surface which is presented toward the incoming aircurrents. It is therefore with this construction necessary to furnish a heater with nearly double the actual heating-surface which would be required to do the work in the case of a heater so constructed as to cause the aircurrents to come into contact with the entire surface of the pipes. Moreover, the space occupied by an apparatus constructed on this plan with the fan and heater separated, but joined by a suitable duct or conduit through which the air is delivered from the fan to the heater, often makes it difficult to find sufficient room for installation. Moreover, in heaters of this type the circulation ofthe steam is imperfect, and theyare also subject to air binding within the pipes, these causes producing further loss of eiiiciency, while in some of the formsiucommon use theleast efficient parts of the heater are the most expensive to manufacture. It has also been proposed to inclose the fan in a casing having a single tangential outlet in its peripheral portion, the casing being of greater diameter than the fan and the heating-pipes occupying the space thus formed between the fan and the periphery of the casing. This construction is also open to the objection that only a portion of the heating-surface of the pipes is exposed to the air-currents except at the point of discharge, so that full efficiency of the heatingsurface provided by said pipes is not elfec tively utilized.

It is the object of my invention to overcome the objections just pointed out and to provide an apparatus compact and self-contained occupying little or no more space than has been occupied heretofore by either the fan alone or the heater alone and comprising a complete device including fan, heater, coils, and manifolds, the parts of which are so arranged and'dispose'd with reference to each other as to give full effect to all of the heating-surface employed, certain and positive circulation of the steam through the pipes constituting the heating-surface, high efficiency in delivering the air-currents from the fan through the air-spaces between the heating-pipes, economy in space occupied, as well as in the material and labor which go to make up the cost of construction, and in which provision is made whereby regulation of the heater may be readily effected.

To these ends my invention consists, primarily, in. a fan-blower heating apparatus comprising a rotary fan-wheel, a plurality of heating-pipes surrounding said fan-wheel, feeding and drip manifolds, to the ends of which said pipes are respectively connected, and a casing for said wheel and pipes having a substantially continuous lateral outlet at the margin of one of its sides, whereby the air is forced from all points on the periphery of the fan to travel in a continuous current radially outward between the heater-pipes and also lengthwise of these pipes, and also and at the same time laterally outward between the pipes in a direction parallel with the axis of the fan, being discharged from the heater through an opening or openings eX- tending over a large area.

The invention also consists in certain other novel features, whichwill be hereinafter more particularly described, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus embodying my invention in its preferred or most highly-developed form. Fig.

2 is a vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is aview, similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a modified form of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which the heater is composed of straight pieces. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 5 is a plan View of amodilication of the apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and 4, adapted for use in spaces of contracted height and withthe fan and heating-pipes arranged in an approximately horizontal position. Fig. 6 is asectional View of thesame/taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. '7 is an enlarged detail plan View of one of the corners of the apparatus shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the same, taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7 and lookingin the direction of the arrow. Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9 J of Fig. 7 and looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 10 is a view of a further modification of the apparatus, embodying the employment of a plurality of fans, the heater being constructed in the manner shown in Figs. 4and 5. Fig. 11 is a view illustrating a further modification of the apparatus analogous to that form shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and illustrating the adaptation of my invention to a type of heater now in common use. Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 11. tail View of that portion of the upper manifold and its associated parts shown in section in Fig-1, and Fig. 14 is a similar view of the lower manifold shown in section in said figure.

Referring first to the preferred form of my apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, 15 indicatesa supporting-frame on which the apparatus is mounted and which is provided with annular portions 16 on each side of theapparatus, having bearings 17, in which is mounted the shaft 18 of the fan 19. The fan may be driven in any suitable manner, and in Fig. 2 of the drawings I have shown the fan-shaft as coupled directly to the main shaft of an engine 20, which is mounted on a pedestal or bracket 21 at one side ofthe apparatus. The fan is surrounded by a plurality of pipes 22, which form the heater and which in the preferred form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are circular in their general arrangement, being substantially concentric with the axis of the fan and forming an annular body, surrounding the same with the innermost pipes in immediate proximity to the outer edges of the fan-blades. In the construction shown these pipes 22, which constitute the units of the heater, are each approximately semicircular in form and have their upper ends connected to a supply or feeding manifold 23 and their lower ends to a drip-manifold 24. I prefer todiv-ide themanifolds into sections, as shown, and in the particular construction shown the upper or feeding manifold comprises three sections, each adapted to receivethe ends of two transverse rows of pipes on each side, while the lower or drip manifold comprises six sections, each adapted Fig. 13 is-an enlarged de- 7 to receive the ends of a single transverse row of pipes on each side. The particular subdivision of the manifolds hereinbefore described is that which I prefer for the reasons hereinafter given; but I do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention thereto. The sections of the manifolds are separated by air-spaces 25 to prevent the interruptionof the passage of air-currents longitudinally of the pipes, and to facilitate the proper spacin g of the sections they are provided with projections or lugs 26 on their under side which tions are each provided with a pipe 30, hav' ing a controlling-valve 31, said pipes being connected with a source of supply of live steam, so that the live-steam supply may be drawn upon for heating purposes. Vith this construction it is desirable to employ a reducing-Valve between the heater and the livesteam supply in order to permit the conjoint use of the live steam and exhaust-steam. The sections of the drip-manifold are each provided with a discharge-pipe 32, having a controlling-valve 33, and also at the other end each of said sections is provided with an airvalve 34.

The arrangement of the pipes which I prefer is that known as a staggered arrangement, in which the pipes of one transverse series lie radially opposite the spaces between the pipes of the adjacent series, as shown in the drawings.

The fan and heater are inclosed in a suitable casing, and in its preferred form this casing consists of side pieces and a pcripheral portion 36. The side pieces are annular in form, having a central opening 37, through which air is admitted to the interior of the casing, and said side pieces are of less diameter than the heater proper and the inclosing peripheral portion 36 of the casing, whereby there is formed on each side of the apparatus a space or opening 38 between the outer margin of the side piece and the edge of the peripheral portion of the casing, which spaces or openings are preferably substantially continuous, as shown, and which are located at the outer margins of the sides of the casing. These openings form the outlets through which the heated air is discharged from the apparatus, and in the particular form shown there are two of these outlets, one at each side of the apparatus; but it is obvious that if the requirements of the case IIO provided a plurality of right and left threaded I coupling-sections 39, havinga central wrenchgrasp If), by means of which theycan be rotated and screwed into correspondinglythreaded apertures in the ends of the pipes 22 and in the manifolds, respectively. By these means each semicircular pipe 22 may be readily connected at its ends to the two manifolds, and by reason of this construction, the coupling-sections being of less internal diameter than the pipes, the steam passage or conduit is reduced at the point where steam is admitted to the pipesections, and by reason of the reduction at this point I have found that in practice a more efficient and even distribution of the heating effect of the steam may be obtained.

The apparatus thus constructed is particularly adapted for the heating of large spaces which are not subdivided-as, for example, large rooms unobstructed by partitions. In

the operation of the apparatus the airis blown by the fan radially across the pipes in a direction outward from the axis of the wheel by reason of the centrifugal force developed by the rotation of the fan-wheel. The air is also caused to move lengthwise of the pipes by reason of the angular velocity imparted to it by the fan-wheel. Finally, the air, being unable to escape in either of the directions-indicated by reason of the presence of the peripheral portion 36 of the casing, is caused to move laterally in a direction parallel with the axis of the fan-wheel shaf tin order thatit may escape through the lateral opening or open ings provided for that purpose. It will of course be understood that during this movement of the air in these several directions it is brought thoroughly into contact with all sides of the heating-pipes and with all portions thereof, so that the heating-surface of the heater is thoroughly utilized. It therefore follows that by the use of this apparatus I am enabled to dispense with a considerable amount of pipe, as compared with such heaters as ordinarily constructed, without any diminution in the heating effect, or, in other words, a smaller total amount of piping will produce the same heating effect or the same amount a greater effect. The ad vantages due to the reduction in the amount of space occupied, superior compactness, and the se1f-con tained nature of the structure will also be at once apparent. The subdivision of the inanifolds into sections having air spaces or pas sages between them prevents any interruption in the continuity of .the travel of the aircurrents.longitudinally of the heater-pipes and at the same time presents a large increased heating-surface.

The heating effect may be controlled in various waysas, for example, by regulating the-admission of steam by means of the

valves

29 or 31, or both of them, and these valves may also be so manipulated as to admit steam to some of the groups or sections of pipes, while excluding it from others. I prefer, however, to regulate the heating effect by manipulating the valves of the sections of the drip-manifold, and this maybe done either by closing one or more of the drip-valves 33, according to the number of pipes which it is de sired to cut off or render non-effective, whereupon the drip-manifold section or sections and the pipes connected therewith, of which the drip valve or valves have been closed,will become filled with water, and thereby rendered non-effective as heating devices. If desired, however, the same end may be obtained by opening one or more of the airvalves 3% while the proper steam-valves are turned off, and thus permitting any desired portion of the heater to fill with air and become dead. I prefer the subdivision of the drip-manifold into alarge number of sections, for the reason that a finer regulation of the heating effect may thus be obtained, and in the construction shown any one or more of the rows of pipes may be cut out, if desired. I have found, however, that it is not desirable to so minutely subdivide the feeding.

manifold, as the proper supply of steam to the pipes would be thereby interfered with.

It is obvious, of course, that the heating effect may also be regulated by controlling the velocity of the fan.

The construction just describedis, as already stated, that which I deem the most highly-developed form of my invention and whichI prefer under ordinary circumstances. The circular form of the heating-pipes enables me to bring them into close proximity to the line of travel of the edges of the fanblades, and thereby renders the contact between the air and said pipes, due to the angular velocity imparted to the air by the fan, more complete and effective. I do not, however, wish to be understood as limiting my invention to an apparatus in which the heating-pipes are circular in form, and in Figs. 3

right pipes being similarly inclined to preserve the rectangular form of the heater and this inclination serving to effectively drain the heating-pipes and prevent the accumulation of watertherein and at the same time assist the circulation of the steam. With this construction the pipes 41 maybe screwed directly into the manifolds without the intervention of intermediate coupling-sections.

In the forms of apparatus hereinbefore described the arrangement thereof is one which might be termed vertical, the fan rotating in a vertical plane around a horizontal axis and the heater and its case standing at a considerable height. My invention is not, however, limited to a construction wherein this vertical arrangement of the apparatus is followed, and in Figs. 5 to 9 of the drawings, inclusive, I have shown a form of apparatus which may be termed a horizontal apparatus, in which the fan revolves around an axis which more nearly approaches the Vertical than the horizontal, so that the plane of revolution of the fan is approximately horizontal and the pipes are arranged in corresponding planes. This form of apparatus is particularly adapted for use in localities where the vertical height available is restricted and where an upright apparatus of sufficient size to provide proper heating capacity could not be used. I have also in this connection shown the heater as so constructed as to be divided in a vertical plane into two parts or groups, each composed of a plurality of separable sections, so that this particular style of apparatus is particularly adapted for large installations where the parts are necessarily too heavy to be shipped or handled after the apparatus is assembled. Referring more particularly to the construction under consideration, the feeding-manifold 23 is composed of a plurality of sections superposed upon each other in two separate vertical series, with intervening air-spaces 25 between the sections and each section being provided with a separate steam-supply pipe 28 in the- 24, which is constructed of sections divided horizontally and vertically in the same manner as the feeding-manifold. The result of this construction is that the heater as a Whole is composed of separate sections, each comprising one or more rows of pipes, two being shown in the present instance, one-half of a horizontal section of the feedingmanifold and one-half of a horizontal section of the drip-manifold. These units of construction may be readily transported and handled, and the heater may be constructed or built up of them by simply superposing them one upon the other in two series properly arranged relatively to each other, so as to inclose the fan.

The detailed construction of the manifoldsections which I prefer to employ in this structure is shown more particularlyin Figs. 7, 8, and 9, the sections being each provided with a plurality of shoulders or oifsets 43 to receive the ends of the pipes 41, said shoulders or offsets being stepped,-as shown, and in the case where each section receives two rows of pipes the stepped offsets are also staggered or alternately arranged, as shown more particularly in Fig. 8.

In Fig. 10 of the drawings I have shown another modified form of my invention, which is also adapted for use where the available space is so contracted vertically that a rectangular or circular heater, such as those hereinbefore described, will not provide sufficient heating capacity to meet the requirements of the case when vertically arranged, and it is not desired to use the horizontal form just described. In this construction the upper and lower rows of pipes of the heater are made longer than those at the ends, so that the entire heater is given an elongated shape, and a plurality of fans are placed in the elongated space thus provided within the heater. In the present instance Ihave shown two of these fans, located, respectively, at each end of the elongated space thus formed, there being provided between the fans, if desired, an air-space 44, which is partially cut 0E from the fan-spaces by partitions 45, so arranged as to leave communicating openings 46. This air-chamber may be provided with a damper 47 in one or both sides of the casing, and, if desired, a delivery of cold air may be made through these dampers for the purpose of efiectually increasing the volume of air delivered from the apparatus and at the same time reducing its temperature.

In Figs. 11 and 12 Ihave shown a very simple form of my apparatus which is adapted for application to a type of heater already in general use and which is characterized by the employment of manifolds at the bottom of the heater, with a plurality of pipes rising vertically thereof and connected in pairs by a corresponding plurality ofhorizontal pipes at their tops. In this construction, the pipes being nested within theother, the innermost pipes being shorter,and consequently smaller,

are least efficient in proportion to their cost, since the expense of threading and joining them is as great as that of threadingand joining the outer and longer pipes, which present more heating-surface, while owing to their short length it is much more difficult to assemble them. In the construction which I have devised these central or innermost. heatingpipes are dispensed with and the fan is placed in the opening or space thus formed in the interior of the heater and inclosed by side plates 35 of a proper shape to close the said opening at the sides thereof. In this construction I arrange a feeding-manifold 23 and a drip-manifold 24 on each side of the apparatus, so as to equalize the heating on both .on one side receive the hottest steam and all sides of the heater and obviate the objection I heretofore existing in such heaters as usually constructed, wherein all the ascending pipes the descending pipes on the other side receive only the water of condensation and that part of the steam not already condensed, but already low in temperature, so that the heatingsurface is effectual on one side of the apparatus only. In this construction the space below the fan-wheel is not occupied by pipes or heating-surfaces of any kind, and a damper 48 is provided in one or both sides of the apparatus, which. may be utilized in the manner already indicated in referring to the construction shown in Fig. 10.

It is obvious that modifications of the structures hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the principle of my invention. It will be observed that in each of the severalstructureshereinbefore described and shown in the drawings there is present a rotary fan-wheel, a plurality of heating-pipes surrounding said fan-wheel, feeding and drip manifolds to which theends of said pipes are respectively connected, and a casing for said wheel, and pipes which inclose them peripherally and laterally except for the inlet-openings at the centers of the lateral portions of the casing and for the outlet-openings, which are substantially continuous and which are located at the margins of the sides of the easing, so that in each instance the currents of air produced by the fan have the several motions hereinbefore described and impinge upon all portions of the heating-surfaces presented by the pipes of the heater. I regard any structure which comprises these features, either in the form just stated or in the modified form wherein one of the discharge-outlets is closed, as being within the scope of my invention, and I therefore do not wish to be understood-as limiting myself to the precise details hereinbefore described and shown in the drawings.

I claim 1. In a fan-blower heating apparatus, a rotary fan-wheel, a plurality of heating'pipes surrounding said fan-wheel, feeding and drip manifolds to which the ends of said pipes are respectively connected, and a casing for said wheel and pipes having a substantially continuous lateral outlet at the margin of one of its sides, substantiallyas described. 7

2. In a fan-blower heating apparatus, a rotary fan-wheel, a plurality of heating-pipes surrounding said fan-wheel, feeding and drip manifolds to which the ends of said pipes are respectively connected, and a casing for said wheel and pipes having substantially continuous lateral outlets at the margins of its sides, substantially as described.

In a fan-blower heating apparatus, a rotary fan-wheel, a plurality of heating-pipes arranged in close proximity to the periphery of the said fan-wheel and substantially concentric with the shaft thereof, feeding and drip manifolds to which the ends of said pipes are respectively connected, and a casing for said wheel and pipes having a substantially continuous lateral outlet at the margin of one of its sides, substantially as described.

4. In a fan-blowerheating apparatus, a rotary fan-wheel, a plurality of heating'pipes surrounding said fan-wheel, feeding and drip manifolds to which the ends of said pipes are respectively connected, said manifolds being each divided into sections having air-passages between them, and a casing for said wheel, pipes and manifolds having a substantially continuous lateral outlet at the margin of one of its sides, substantially as described.

5. In a fan-blower heatingapparatus, a rotary fan-wheel, a plurality of heating-pipes surrounding said fan-wheel, feeding and drip manifolds to which the ends of said pipes are respectively connected, the manifolds being divided into sections and the pipes connected thereto in groups or series, means for independently controlling the passage of the heating fluid through said groups or sections, and a casing surrounding said wheel and pipes and having a substantially continuous lateral outlet at the margin of one of its sides, substantially as described.

6. In a fan-blower heating apparatus, a rotary fan-wheel, a plurality of heating-pipes surrounding said fan-wheel, feeding and drip manifolds to which the ends of said pipes are respectively connected, said pipes being of reduced internal diameterat their point of connection with the feeding-manifold, and a casing for said wheel and pipes having a substantially continuous lateral outlet at the margin of one of its sides, substantially as described.

7. In a fan-blower heating apparatus, a rotary fan-wheel, a plurality of semicircular pipes surrounding said fan-wheel and arranged in two groups on opposite sides thereof, feeding and drip manifolds located between the ends of the groups, right and left threaded coupling-sections connecting each end of each semicircular pipe with the adjacent manifold, said pipes and manifolds being provided with reversely-threaded apertures to receive the ends of said coupling-sections, I

VILLIAM E. ALLING'I ON;

Witnesses:

FREDERICK O. GooDwIN, JEROME W. MILLINGTON.