US811990A - Vacuum-breaker for condensers. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED FEB. 6, 1906.

B. 0. WOODFORD.

VACUUM BREAKER FOR CONDENSERS.

APPLICATION FILED PERS, 1905.

, from the condenser slackens or stops.

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BRONSON U. WGODFORD, OF NEW- YORK, N. Y., .ASSIGNUR TO lN'lERNA- TlDNAL @Thrill/I PUMP COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK., N. Y., 'A CRPORA- 'HUN OF NEW JERSEY.

no. si 1,990.

speeiaeanon teneri/em raient.

Patented net. e, ieee.

Application led February 8, 1905. Serial llo. 244,571.24.'

useful Improvements in Vacuum-Breakers for Condensers, fully described and repre sented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to that class of con- Ystructions 'known as vacuum breakers,

which are used in injection and other condensers to prevent flooding of the condenser by the inj eetionwater when the withdrawal of watpr n constructions ot' this class it is veryi'm portant that the vacuum should be broken quickly when the waterdevel in' the condenser rises too high; and the object of the present invention is to provide a construction by which the vacuum `dall be broken by thev o ening of a valve oflarge ellective area, so t at a lar e volume of air shall be admitted immediate v on opening the valve, and which valve shall be opera ted by pressure controlled by a small control-valve operated' by the usual loat, so that a light float ressure shall be suliicient to shift the contro -valve while a much larger opening pressure on the vacuum breaklng valve is secured, thus avoiding any danger of the vacuurn-breaker failing to work through sticking of the valves or otherwise.

A detailed description oi a construction embodying the invention as applied in itis preferred `forni to a condenser of a common type `will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and the features forming the invention will then be specifically pointed out in the claims.

ln the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram matic elevation el" a combined condenser and vacuumqmnp of a common type provided with my vacuum-breaker and showing the position oli the parts with. the vacuurnfbrmthing valve closed, as in the normal operation of the condenser. Fig. 2 is an enlarged dctail ol the valve portion olIv Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of the vacuLim-breaker similar' to Fig. l, but showing the position of the parts with the vaeurun-breaking valve near the bottom by the vend oi the 1opened to, break the vacuum. Fig. L1 is a detail cross; `ctien on the line 4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawings, A is the condensing-chamber, B the exhaust-steam ipe, C is the injection-water pipe, and l the pump, of which only the plunger end is shown, all of' which parte may be oi any suitable construction and are shown as of a comnien form.

Referrin 'r now to the vacuu1n-breaker, on one-side o` the condensing-cha1nber A and connected thereto by pipes 10 11, as shown, or it may be by a sing e` continuous opening, is a suitable casing or float-tank E, entered ipe 10 and having an opening at the 'to willich is closed by a plate or cao 12, whic' cap carries the valve devices. ithin the tank E is a loat F, carried by .lever 14, shown as pivoted on a bracket and connected by link 15 to the ccntrol-valve e, so as to move this valve up and down as the float rises and falls. This control-valve a has the vusual guiding-ribs 7 on its stem and moves in a assage 16, formed in an upward extension o the cap 12 and controls this passage 16, which communicates with the space inside the tank E, passage 17, communicating with the atmosplhere, and passage 18, connnunicating with e amber 19, which is the pressure-chamber for the piston on the main valve, as described hereinafter. Extending below the passage 18 the up )er assage' 16 is enlarged somewhat to receive t 1e piston a, as shown at l, and at the bot-toni of this enlargement `is formed a seat 2 for the valve a.

The main or vacuum-breaking valve b seats u ion a valve-seat 3, formed on the to i of the plate or cap 12, and is shown as provi ed with the usual guiding-ribs 4, by which the valve is guided in the plate 12. rThis valve i; is connected by ribs 5to a piston c moving in prem sure-chamber 1), formed in the upward exe tension ol' theI plate or cap 12, this pressure.- chamber being preferably closed as shown., by a removable cap 20, so that the valve and piston c may readily be removed. The space between the Valve and piston c is open to the atmosphere, so that the lower sido of the piston c is exposed to atmospheric )ressure. This atmospheric pressure acts, therel'ore, on the top ol the valve l) and the-under TC O side of the piston c; but the area of the under surface of the piston c is larger than that of the top of the valve b, so that this excess of pressure on the-under side ofthe piston c will raise the pistone and valve b, When the chamber 19 above the piston is opened to the -tank E and condensing chamber. The area of the upper surface of the piston c is larger thanthat of the under surface, so that when the valve b is open and exposed to atmospheric pressure on. opposite-sides admission of atmospher'w. pressure to the chamber 19 will overcome the upward pressure on the under side of the piston c and close the valve.

In the normal position of the parts the valve e is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in

which theiassage 16 from the float-tank E is" closed an the chamber 19 connected with the atmosphere through openings 17 18 abovev the piston a. When the valve a is raised into the position shown in Fig. 3 by the rising of the lioat F, the passage 17 from the atmosphere is closed and the chamber 19 connected with the tank E through passages 16 18.

The operation of the construction will be understood from a brief description. The steam entering the chamber A through the exhaust steam pipe B is condensed by the cold injectionwater entering through the pipe C and preferably sprayed into the steam,

as usual in suoli condensers, and the discharge- Water is withdrawn from the condensingchamber A and delivered by the pump D, so as to preserve the vacuum. The level of the water in the lower part ol" the condensingchamber and the pipe connecting it with the pump is constantly iiuctuating, and if the pump slows down or stops the water may rise high enough in the condensing-chamber to submerge pipe C and even overliow the elbow of the pipe B. at the top of the condenser. This llooding of the condenser is prevented by breaking the vacuum by opening valve b,

- and thus admitting air under atmospheric pressure to the condenser through tank E and pipe 11, thus stopping the inflow of injection- Water through the pi e C, which opening of the valve b is secure( as follows: Before the water reaches the lower edge of the injectionpipe Cit reaches the pipe 10 and lower portion of the tank E and with the ample connection of pipe 1() the water-levels in the tank and condensing-chamber will rise nearly together, thus raising the float F and through lever 14 and link 15 raising the control-valve a from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to that shown in Fig. 3, thus closing chamber 19 to the atnlos here and opening it to the tank E. This resu ts in reducing the pressure above the piston c to condenser vacuum-pressure, and the excess of atmospheric pressure on the under side or' the piston c then raises the piston quickly and opens the valve for the admission of air to the comlenser-chamber tin-ough pipe 11, thus breaking the vacuum and stopping the inflow of injection -water through the pipe C. When the level of. the water in the condenser falls again, the water falls in the tank E and the lowering of float F moves -the control-valve a downward to the normal 'valve b, and the vacuum is again formed in 7the condensing-chamber for the normal operation of the condenser.

, 'It will be seen that in the construction shown the valve b may be quite large, so as to secure the admission of a large volume of air with a small opening of the valve, and l thus assure a quick breaking of the vacuum. This use of alarge eifectivelvalve area is made possible by the use of the control-valve, as the large valve b is not lifted against atmospheric pressure by the loat, but actuated by the pressure on the piston c. The valve operated by the iloat, therefore, may be quite small, so that light pressure and a small float will raise it, and all danger ofthe iloat failing to open the valve on account of sticking, which has existed in previous vacuum-breakers, is avoided.

The invention has been illustrated as applied to a common type of condenser and vacuum-pump; but it will be understood that it is applicable also to other forms'of condensers and in other condensing systems than those in which the vacuum is main-v tained by direct connection of the condensing-chamber to a vacuum-pump, as shown, and the invention obviously may be used in all classes of condensers in which it is desirable to break the vacuum in case the water rises too high in the condenser.

Wvhet I claim is- 1` The combination with a condenser, of a vacuum-breaker having an air-inlet valveex- I posed to atmospheric pressure on its outer side, a valve-actuating piston, a controlvalve and passages for varying the pressure on said piston to open and close the air-inlet valve, and a lloat and connections for actuating said control-valve to secure the opening of the air-inlet valve when-the liquid in the condenser reaches a certain level..

lIO

The combination with a condenser, of a vacuum-breaker having the inlet-valve eX-v posed to atmospheric pressure on its outer side, a piston connected to said valve and exposed to atmospheric )ressure tending to open the valve, a control-wilve and passages for (.:onnecting the opposite side of the piston with the atmosphere or ciunlensing-chaniber,

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