US715638A - Method of burning liquid fuel. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Dec. 9, I902.

- No.-7l5,638..-

. H. B. CARY.

METHOD UF'BURNING uuulo FUEL. (Application filed May 29, 1902.:

(No Model.)

Witmzooeo NITE TATES HENRY BOUNDS CARY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD OF BURNING LIQUID FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,638, dated December 9, 1902.

Original application filed April 11 l 1901, Serial No. 55,404. Divided and this application filed May 29, 1902. $erial ITO-109,535. (No model) To all whom it znay concern;

Be it known that I, HENRY BOUNDS CARY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Burning Liquid Fuel; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. My invention relates to a certain new and useful method of burning liquid fuel, and my present application is a division of an application for Letters Patent filed by me on the 11th day of April, 1901, Serial No. 55,404, for improvement in liquid-fuel burners.

My present invention is based upon the common knowledge that carbon and oxygen are the natural enemies of one another and that they will not combine and burn unless mixed in suitable proportions and subjected to a temperature of the proper degree. With this knowledge of the properties and characteristics of carbon and oxygen and according to the present state of the art in burning liquid fuel it has been customary to project the hydrocarbon under pressure through a constricted nozzle or jet, which is designed to pulverize or atomize the liquid, and to then deliver it directly and still under pressure into the fire zone orfurnace through a passage into which atmospheric air is entrained and caused to travel with the pulverized or atomized liquid hydrocarbon.

The disadvantages of the method referred to is, first, that a large percentage of the hydroearbon is not effectually pulverized to such a degree as to be supported or to mix with the surrounding entrained air, and consequently and owing to its gravity it falls to the floor of the fire-box and fouls the fire by producing monoxid and smoke; second, the air entering the fire coincidently with the pulverized hydrocarbon and accelerated by the impinging jet of hydrocarbon, supplemented by the draft produced by the fire, rushes toward the fines with the hydrocarbon in columnated form, which is broken only by the explosions of those atoms of hydrocarbon and oxygen which come in contact in the zone which is at a proper temperature to cause chemical reaction or ignition, and consequently much of the hydrocarbon and oxygen escapes to the flues unconsumed, while a certain other quantity of the hydrocarbon and oxygen constituents meet in improper proportions of their chemical equivalents, and hence a fire of a diiferent character to that desired is produced.

My present invention is designed to overcome the hereinbefore-enumerated disadvantages and defects in burning liquid fuel, and consists, broadly, in pulverizing or atomizing the liquid hydrocarbon by forcing it under pressure through a constricted orifice in conjunction With air or steam, both under the same relative pressure, the air or'steam so.

used being for the purpose of giving to the liquid hydrocarbon greater initial velocity to assimilate and entrain outer atmospheric air on which it impinges and to act as an element of displacement in the orifice of the jet used, so that a larger or smaller quantity of light hydrocarbon may be used without varying the size of the jet used, then delivering the pulverized liquid hydrocarbon and air to a mixing-chamber intermediate of the delivery devices or jet and the fire zone or firebox and permitting said constituents to expand to reduce the pressure or projectile force of the same, and thoroughly intermingling and associating said constituents and finally delivering the same, thoroughly comminuted and intermingled and in predetermined and suitable proportions, to the fire zone or fire-box at reduced pressure, and igniting and burning the same.

In carrying out myinvention an apparatus of some kind is necessarily needed, and I have found that such an apparatus as is shown and described in my application for Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to is well adapted for the purpose, and the drawings accompanying my present application are substantially the same as those of said application.

Figure 1 is a side elevation partially in section. Fig. 2 is across-section on enlarged scale and taken on the line II III of Fig. 1 and looking toward the right. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but looking toward the left. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail, partly in section and on enlarged scale, of the exit end of the mixing-chamber and burner-nozzle and also showing a drip-shield, hereinafter referred to. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the jet-piece through which the liquid bydrocarbon and air under pressure and in regulated proportions are ejected to primarily comminute and mix the same, and Fig. 6 is a central horizontal section of the jet-piece shown at Fig. 5.

In the application hereinbefore referred to I have minutely described the construction and operation of the apparatus shown, and reference is made to said application for a full understanding of the same; but in my present application I shall refer generally to the several parts of the apparatus and for convenience shall employ the same reference letters and numerals as are employed in my other said application.

A is an ordinary oil reservoir or tank supplied with oil under pressure by any suitable device, such as a pump b, and with air under pressure from a reservoir or tank 0.

(Z is a jet-piece formed with a central chamber 1 and with two valve-controlled inlets 2 3, opening into the chamber 1. A needlevalve is shown at 5, which extends between the inlets 2 and 3, and said needle-valve controls the escape of the oil and compressed air through the jet-outlet 4.

e is a pipe through which the oil is supplied to one of the inlets of the jet-piece, and fis another pipe, through which the compressed air from the tank 0 is supplied to the other inlet.

9 is a connecting-pipe between the air-tank and the pipe f, leading to the jet-inlet.

h is a mixing tube or chamber closed to the external atmosphere and in which the jetpiece at is properly secured, and 2' is a tapering conduit through which the oil and air delivered from the jet-piece are conducted into the mixing tube or chamber h. The end of the tube or chamber h is tapered, as shown at 70, and terminates in a discharge-nozzle j. WVithin the tapered and reduced end of the chamber is formed a drain m, which is protected by a shield 92, bent down at 0. The mixing-chamber is provided with a drippipe 29.

q is a screw-threaded jet-nipple provided with the jet-outlet 4:.

'2" represents a bolt or rivet employed to secure the shield o in place, and s .9 represent the front corners of the shield bent downwardly to support the shield.

In carrying out my present invention with the use of an apparatus such as shown the supply of oil orliquid hydrocarbon maybe reduced by partly closing the oil-valve and the air under pressure will then fill the orifice in proportion to the reduction made in the supply of oil, and consequentlya greater amount of atmospheric air will be entrained or a greater quantity of oil and a less quantity of air under pressure may be passed through the jet, and consequently the air under pressure and the entrained atmospheric air will be in less proportion to the liquid hydrocarbon, and accordingly as the proportions of the constituents are thus predeterminedly controlled and delivered to the mixing-chamber absolute control as to the character of the fire is also controlled. This will be best understood by the following reference to the drawings. The oil is conducted under pressure through one of the converging inlets of the jet-piece and the quantity so conducted is regulated by a suitable valve, such as shown at 7. Air under pressure is likewise conducted through the other outlet of the jetpiece and is regulated in quantity by a valve, such as shown at 8. The oil and compressed air thus delivered to the central chamber 1 are controlled in their contact with each other at their convergence by a central needlevalve 5 and the oil and air are primarily comminuted and mixed by passing u'nder pressure to the constricted passage 4 of a nipple (1, all as fully explained in my pending application hereinbefore referred to. The comminuted and mixed oil and air is then delivered through an open-ended and graduallycontracted or cone-shaped tube 2', located in the end of a mixing-chamber h, causing entrained atmospheric air to be conducted with the oil and compressed air into the said mixing-chamber, as clearly indicated by the arrows, the quantity of entrained air being regulated by the force exerted through the jet-piece. After the oil, compressed air and entrained air pass beyond the contracted end of the tube 2', in partially-mixed condition, and substantially such as at present is the case when these constituents are delivered to the fire zone,they escape to the increased area within the mixing-chamber h, which for the purpose of carrying out my improved method is contracted at and terminates in a delivery-nozzlej. During the passage of the constituents through the chamber h and by reason of its increased area over the cone-shaped tube 2' and its reduced area at the terminal end said constituents are thoroughly tumbled, rolled, and reverberated, as clearly indicated by the confused directions of the arrows, thus thoroughly breaking up the ordinarily columnated form of the oil and the air, reducing the initial pressure under which the constituents are delivered to the mixing-chamberand delivering them to the fire zone in such substantially thoroughly comminuted and mixed or associated condition and with the hydrocarbon constituents sufficiently fine to be fully saturated with air and also in such condition as to insure comparatively thorough combustion and a soft steady flame, entirely free from the usual roaring sound. It will also be understood that all of the entrained air which is brought into contact and mixed with the hydrocarbon enters the mixing-chamber and that air from no other source is permitted to contact with the hydrocarbon and that the hydrocarbon and air so mixed are in such proportions and conditions that a flame of any predetermined character may be made.

5 Realizing the difficulty of so atomizing the oil and mixing it with oxygen as to secure the absolute combustion of every particle of the oil, suitable meanssuch asthedrain m, shield 11, and drip-pipe p, as fully described in my pending applicationmay be provided for the recovery of such particles of oil as would otherwise be Wasted.

In the employment of my improved method of burning liquid fuel and by the use of such an apparatus as is herein shown and in the manner described in the application heretofore referred to I am enabled to successfully burn liquid fuel in either open-air or closed furnaces. The gist or broad idea of my presout invention resides in thoroughly mixing the liquid hydrocarbon and air in regulated quantities in a chamber interposed between the delivery jet-piece and the fire zone and delivering the thoroughly-mixed constituents under a pressure far less than that existing at the locality of the jet-piece and which is necessary to secure the pulverization of the liquid hydrocarbon, whereby the objectionable roaring sound is avoided, as well as the 0 effect of a blast upon the firebox or crownlongitudinally a predetermined distance, then deflecting the-longitudinal movement thereof toward the center to produce a reverberative and mixing action, and finally delivering the finely comminuted hydrocarbon saturated with sufficient air to secure perfect combus- 5o tion, and at a pressure considerably lower than the initial pressure exerted at the inlet end of the burner, through an axial outlet of mixing-chamber, and igniting the same.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY BOUNDS GARY. Witnesses:

ERNEST REDFIELD, ROBERT C. SPARKS.

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