USRE5549E - Improvement in steam-traps - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheet.s--Sheet1.

JAMES H. BLESSING.

Improvement in SteamTraps.

No.123,670 Paten ted Feb. 13, 1872.

NO. 5,549. ReissuedAugust26,l8

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JAMES H. BLESSlNG.

Improvement in Steam Traps.

Patented Feb'.13,1872. Reissued Augus't26 wwwrcu- @f y (Mu 3 She ets--Sh eet 3.

n I JAMES H. BLESSING.

lm'provemerit in Steam Traps. 711

I N0, 123,670 Patented Feb.13,1872.

, No, 5.549 Reissu.edAugust26,1873..

a 0 0 $0, ;i14i

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JAMES H. BLESSING, oE ALBANY,-NEW XORK, ASSIGNOR To HIMSELF AND FREDERICK TOWNSEND, or SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT-IN STEAM-TRAPS- Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 123,670, dated February 13,1872 reissue No. 5,5 19, dated August 26, 1873; application filed April 30, 1873.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, James H. BLESSING, of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Steam-Traps; and I,do hereby d'eclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, Plate 1, is an elevation of the improved trap and its connectionswith a steamboiler. Fig. 2, Plate 2, is a verticalsection taken centrally through the trap and its valvebox attachment. Fig. 3, Plate 3, is a vertical section through the trap taken in a plane at right angles to the'sectional plane of Fig. 2.

- Similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to prevent an undue accumulation of water of condensation in the pipes or steam-ways which are used for heating buildings and other purposes by causing the water which results from condensation of the steam in the heaters to be forced back into the boiler, as will be hereinafter explained.

The following description of my invention will enable others skilled in the art to understand it. v

In the accompanying drawings, Figs. 1 and 2, I have represented a steam-boiler, N, in connection with my improved trap, for the purpose of showing the tubular connections between the trap and boiler without regard to the relative proportions of said parts or the arrangement thereof. 0 represents a vesselof any suitablecapacity, which is adapted for receiving the water of condensation from the heating-pipes and retaining the water until it is discharged into the boiler. This vessel 0. is arranged above the highest water-level of the steam-boiler N, and it communicates with this boiler by means of pipes G and J. The pipe G leads out-of the steam-space of the boiler and enters the upper part of the vessel 0 by means of a valve box, F, in which is a valve, 0:,- opening upward. In Fig. 3 the valve-box F is represented as communicating with the interior of the vessel 0 through a passage, 41:. The pipe J-communicatcs with the lower portion of thevessel O by means of a valve-box, E, inwhich is avalve, 2, opening upward. The lower end of the pipe J commu-' nicates with the boiler N below the lowest water-line. e is an air blow-01f cock commu- ,nicating with the interior of vessel 0. V is a perforated distributing plate or diaphragm suspended within the vessel 0 by rods pendent from its top. This plate facilitates condensation of the steam, which is introduced into the vessel for the purpose of equalizing the pressure by causing a diffusion 'of the water of condensation', which flows into the vessel 0. This plate also serves to prevent the steam which is introduced for equalizing the ressureslpassq ing in a direct line down into he waterfit'in suring a diffusion over the-whole snrfacewof the water in the vessel 0, and thereby 'estab. lishing the desired pressure instantly. T e vessel 6 is mounted on knife-edge bearings a a, which rise from the yoked portion. of a v lever, B, that has its fulcrum at c on one upright arin of a frame, A. The longestarm of lever B is provided with an adjustable counterbalancing-weight, W, which keeps the vessel O in the elevated'position shown in Fig. 1, except when a sufficient quantity of the-water of condensation accumulates in it to overcome said weight. Then this vessel will assume the position indicated in Fig. 2 until the water es capes from it into the boiler. An extension, I), of the lever B works in a vertical slot iirnhe' frame A and limits the extent of vibration of this lever; and a rod, '1, which is pivoted to the'frame A at one end and to a lug, b, in the center of the bottom of the vessel 0 at the other end, serves to steady this vessel in its up-and-down movements. Through the head of the vessel 0 is a passage, p, which communicates with the interiorof a valve-box, D, which is secured rigidly to this head. The valve-box D is quadrangular in form, and is provided interiorly with a valve, 9, which has its seat at the upper terminus of the passage p, and which is formed on the lower end of a vertical stem that plays in and is guided by a screw-cap, f. The valve-stem is notched,

and at this notched point it is embraced by the bifurcated end of a trip, 9 which is formed on a horizontal oscillating shaft, 9. This shaftadjusted with relationto the length of strokes J of the vessel 0, and this vessel is caused to descend by ap accumulation of water in it suffito the left-hand side of a vertical plane inten secting the axis of the shaft g, and will,by

blowing off throu ter 'willf begin to accumulate in the lowest sel O to a temperature and pressure nearly 9 extends through one side or" the valve-box D, and receives upon it, outside of the box 'D, an angular lever, h, and a forked segment, i. The angular lever h is connected, by its lower arm, to a fixed arm, (1, by means of a rod, M, the lower end of which is slotted. The upper arm of the lever h is provided'with a tumbler, W, on the concave surface of which a loaded rod, n is supported by means of an anti-frict on roller, n. The rod n is guided in its vertical movements by means of the tubular portion of a bracket, Q, which is fixed to the valvebox D, and the weight a on the upper end of this rod a is adjustable, and can be fixed at the desired point by means of theshouldered nut m, shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In front of the angular lever h is the forked segment 'i, between the ends of which plays a lug, j, on the upper arm of this lever h.

When the parts just described are properly cient to overcome the weight of the ball W,

the upper arm of the lever h will be forced over means of the lug j and segment i, lift the valve 9 When the weight W again preponderates by the escape of water from the vessel 0, the latter will rise, and, by the mechanism above described the valve 9 will be shut. V The strokes of the vessel 0 willonly move the upper arm of lever hpast the center of shaft g slowly; but, by having a slot in rod h and using the loaded rod n ,,.lugj, and segment i, the weight n is caused to act quickly upon the valve g at the termini of the strokes of the vessel 0. By means of a pipe, G, which leads from the steam-space of the steam-boiler -into the valve-box at r, steam is supplied to the valve-box D.

I will now describe the operation of the trap: Steam being let into coils or heaters, represented by pipe G, and all the air driven out of the vessel O through the cock 6 or by gh the usual blow-oft valve at the boiler of steam-heating apparatus, wa-

parts of'the pipe G, the cflect of which will be to allow the steam between and in the vessel (J and that portion of the pipe-G containin g said accumulated water to condense more or less. This will produce a partial vacuum'in vessel G, and cause the pressure of steam from the boiler and in the heaters to force'the said accumulated Water through the check-valve w and passage as into the receiver, the highlyheated steam following behind it into the vcs? sel O, and thus heating the pipe G and vesequal to that in thepipe J and boiler N. This condition of things taking place, the boilerpressure is counterbalanced, and the water, by, its gravity, descends through valve-box E and will continue as long as an equilibrium of pressure can be maintained between the vessel O and the boiler through the drip-pipe J, and should it cease at any time it can-be started again by-blowing off. The trap operates in the manner described so long as there is. an equilibrium of pres ure; but at times the ves ure not being maintained throughout the heat ers, becomes so surcharged with water that it, by the weight of the water therein, descends, as indicated in' Fig. 2, and opens the valve 9 in valve-box D, thus establishing a communication between the steamspace in the boiler N and the interior of the vessel 0 through the pipe G and passage 1). This allows the water which had accumulated in the vessel 0 to descend into the boiler through drip-pipe J and its discharge-valve 2. The vessel 0 is pressure with that in the boiler, and as this pelled from the vessel the weightW instantly causes the vessel to rise and shut the valve 9 thereby cutting off the poiler-pressure in the-vessel G through the pipe G. In a few seconds condensation reduces the steam in the trap to water, and thus a partial vacuum is formed, and the water of condensation in the heating-coils again flows or is forced into the vessel 0 through valveebox F, and from thence is forced directly into the boiler, if an equilibrium is established, or perodically, as the circumstances of the case may be.

It should be understood that in fir'ststarting the heating-coils the water from condensation in them is cold as it enters the vessel 0, and therefore it quickly condenses the steam left in the vessel 0 from a previous movement thereof, and produces instantaneously so much ofa vacuum that it causes the waterof condensation to flow into the vessel 0 with great rapidity, and the vessel itself to move with greater speed than is subsequently the case. After the trap has worked for a time the coil becomes highly heated, and, the water of condensation being of much higher temperature it flows through the valve-box F, the vessel 0 does not move so rapidly as condensation is retarded. After working a still longer time, the water being entirely drawn from the heatin g-coils, steam alone enters the vessel 0, and an equilibrium of pressure is produced, and the trap ceases to move until, through con= densation in the vessel 0 and heating-coils, this equilibrium is destroyed, when the water of condensation again flows into the vessel (J, and the vessel 0 continues to repeat its movements; automatically, in. accordance with the rapidity of condensation.

ieal, or of any other suitable form. Whenit is of .a spherical form it may be applied without any material change 'in the construction of lifts the 'valve 2 and passes through pipe J into the boiler. This operation or circulation,

the supports, and the pivoted rod T may be dispensed with.

sel G, on account f the equilibrium of pressnow only filled with steam corresponding in,

5 steam is lighter than the water which was exthan at first, and steam being mixed with it as The vessel 0 may be either cylindrical, spher- From the foregoing description itis evident that, when the trap has worked 01f the vcondensed water, (which it does in a very short time,) a perfect circulation will commence and be kept up without any ascending or descending movement of thevessel occurring, thecheckvalves only working. This is due, I think, to

the following: The water of condensation be-- nied by the high steam behind it, which is,

s y, Very nearly the boiler-pressure, or so near thesame that the addition of the weight of the water to it 'countcr'balances the boilerpressure, andallows the water to descend into the boiler. I have observed that this circulation in the manner stated continues, where the pressure in the boiler, coils, and vessel is maintained about the same, for two or three hours together, the'drip-pipe and dischargepipe continuing very hot,and about the same temperature. It follows, therefore, that my trap is not dependent in the main for its utility upon the automatic tripping, device, but'performs the operation of passing the water of condensation back intothe boiler independently of the same after the first quantity of such water is disposed of.

The automaticvalve'opening and closing device'is a very important auxiliary to my trap; but I regard it as only a second feature of invention, whereby the circulationd'rom and to the boiler, if under any circumstances it is stopped by an undue quantity of water of condensation passing into the vessel 0, may be automatically and .quickly restored by the bringing into action of the gravitating principle of the vessel 0, and employing the direct pressure of the steam from the boiler for expelling the water from said vessel, and then restoring the circulation by suddenly condensingthe expelling steam and creating apartial vacuum in the vessel.

Havin g described my-invention, what I claim as new, and .desire to secure by Letters Pat- 611b, is

1. A receiving and discharging vessel, 0, communicatingwith a steam-boiler by means of a steam-pipe, G, and inlet check-valve w, and with the same boiler by means of an outlet-pipe, J, and a valve, 2, and so arranged between or in respect to the two valves that the water is received and allowed to fall to the bottom of the vessel, and the steam following is not compelled to pass through the water, all for the purpose of automatically returning water of condensation to the said boiler from steam-heaters, substantially as described.

2. A vessel, 0, of a steam-trap, which is sustained upon one arm' of a lever, B, and counterbalanced by a weight, W, on the opposite arm of such lever, in combination with pipes G, G, and J, and an automatic tripping device for the valve g substantially as described. I

3. A vessel, G, valve-box D, and a valvetripping device, which is connected by a rod h to a fixed arm, 01, whereby the rising and descending movements of the trap will actuate the valve 9, substantially as described.

4. The perforated distribliting plate -V, placed inside of the vessel 0, and combined with the inlet-steam passage p and waterpassage w of the trap, substantially as described.

5. A receiving-vessel, G, for the purpose of insuring the return of the water of condensation to the boiler, which rises and falls on do casions, combined with a steam-heater and a steam-boiler, substantially as set forth.

JAMES HENRY BLESSING.

Witnesses:

A. P. S'rnvENs, M. J. Pownns.

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