US1657319A - Water-tube boiler - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 24, 1928. 1,657,319 J. H. ROHRER WATER TUBE BOILER Filed April 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet? Z0 3 1 m f J9- Patented 24, 192.8.

JOSIAH HQ RQHBER, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

XVATER-IUBE BOILER.

Application filed April 2, 1923.

My invention relates to boilers of the water-tube typeand particularly to the providing of such boilers with a teed-water heater so constructed and arranged that the deleterious or corrosive gases, contained in the teed-water and liberated therefrom by the heating thereof, are not trapped, re tained or confined for any substantial length of time in any one part of the entire boiler structure, nor in the feedwvater heater, but are discharged thereiroinsubstantially as test as they are liberated from the feedwater, with the result that the life of all the sections of the boiler is greatly prolonged.

in watentubc boilers it is common prac tire to introduce the Steed-water for the boiler directly into the economizer section, and unless the feed-water has been treated prior to its admission into the economizer section to expel the gases therefrom, those gases accun'iulate at the top of the economizer-secl'ion and reu'iain there so long that they corrode the interior of the economizer.

' ihe gases are usually trapped in the upper drum of the (BCOHOHllZQI. One of the objects of this invention is to transfer heat from the econominor-section or": a boiler to the feedwater pipe and to discharge the teed-water so heated directly into the steam-generatingsection as distinguished from discharging it directly into the economizer-section so that the deleterious gases, dissolved in or carried by the teed-water immediately rise with the s am being generated in the steam-generati ection. to the top of the steam-generat ing-section of the boiler. whence they are dicharged troni the boiler with the steam substantially as fast as they and the steam are generator. with the. result that the deleterious gases have no time or opportunity to remain long enough in contact with an particularpart of the interior of the boiler to injuriously affect the boiler structure. y Y

A iturtl'icrobjcct of my invention is to maintain the water in the economizer-section at a corn-iderahly lower temperature the economizensec Serial No. 629,332.

'ater, freed from the deleterious gases, from the steaingenerating-section of the boiler.

Other objects of my invention will appear in the specification and claims below.-*

In the drawings forming a part of this specification and in which the same reference characters are employed throughout the various views to designate the sameparts, 1 is a vertical longitudinal secw tional view of a water-tubeboiler provided with my invention, the boiler structure being to a great extent diagrammatic and only such parts being indicated as directly cooperate with my invention;

Fig. 2 is another diagrammatic view of. the automatic means for maintaining constaut the height of level of water in the economizer-section of the boiler, for the purpose of illustrating how aboiler cquipped with my invention operates;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. Qbut showing the connections for manual, as distinguished from automatic,regulation of the supply of water to the economizer-section. 7

Referring first to the invention as illus trated in Fig. l, the boiler-housing or casing .i encloses the steamgenerating-section B an l the econoniizer-section C. The steamgeneratingscction B v n'eterably comprises a triangular arrangement of drums,the top drum 1 being the steam-and-water drum,

the next lower drum 2 being a water-drum,

and the lowest drum 3 being the mud drumn A. bank of water tubes l extends in an 1H:

and the water drum 2. a second bank of tubeso extends upwardly from the water drum 2 to the steam-ai'id-water drum 1, and a third bank of'tubes 6 extends between the steam drum 1 and the mud drum 3. Over the water drum 2 and at the top of the casing A. is a header or steam'drum 7 connected to the steam-and-water drum 1 by a bank of. tubes 8 by means of which the steam in its passage from the steam-andwater drum 1 to the steam drum 7 may be superheated. The tubes 8 are in fact superheater tubes. Over the lower half of the bank of tubes 4i is an inclined bathe 9 and a vertical battle 10 and the latter, entering the bank of tubes extends forwardly toward the water drum 2. Over the forward end of the bank of tubes 5 is baffle 11. Midway of the bank of tubes 6 and extending down: wardly from the stean1-andwater drum 1 clined direction between the mud drum 3 is a bathe 12. Disposed between the bank of tubes 6 and the 6601101111201 C is a vertical bafiie 18.

The hot gasesoi combustion 11550110111 the fire-box 1 1 and travel longitudinally oil' the bank of tubes l, directed by the iutlined bailie 9, and then pass substantially vertical- 1y through said bank of tubes el and through the bank 01. tubes 5. They are then deflected bythe battle 11 'longitiulinally oi the bank 5 and into the space between the drums 1. and

a 7, and over and around the auperheater tubes 8. Thence the gases pass downwardly through the bank of tubes Sbetween the bailles 10 and 12, heating substantially onehalf ofthe bankot tubes 6 in their downward passage. Passing; around the lower end of the baffle 12 and through said bank of tubes, the ases thenrise vertically between the baffle 12 and the bathe 13 where they enter the econoininor-section C of the boiler. So far as has beenabove described,

the boiler may bound is of usual construc the boilerhousing A and then outthrough the stack 5. i

To supply feed water to the boiler I provide a pipe 19 which may be provided with any suitable valve 20 to control, admit and ch eel: the water allowed to flow therethrough.

This tube or pipe 19 passes through the wall of the upper'econoinizer drum 1.5 and iscon nectedto a coil or radiator 21 within the upper druin 15. The other end of the radiator 21 is connected to a pipe 22 which,

nassin downwardly from the 11 men econol a e .i l i niizer drum 15 is preferably connected to and discharges into the lower drum 3. Conmeeting thestea n and-water drum 1 with the upper druin 15of the econoniizer-section C is a pipe 23-23 in which is an automatic valve D which may be ofany wellknown automatic iteed-water-regulating type. Its operation will he described more particus I larly below. The pipe 23 should enter the steam-andwater drum 1 below the waterlevelythereof, so tht'lt when the valve D is open water from the steam-and-water drurn lflwillflow intothe upper drum 15 of: the econonii zer-section G. Outside of the boiler structure A and adjacent and in front of the upperdrum 15 of the econoinizeu is a gageeock E, when maybe oi usual construction Attached to the gage-cook is a regulator or controllef F, the upper end of whichis connected by a pipe 27 with the upper part oi. the gage-cock E (and thus to the steam space in the drain 15)., the lower end of which is similarly connected by a pipe 28 with the lower end of the gage-coclrl l (and thus with the water in the drum 15).

Referring now to Fig. 2 for a n'iore detailed but somewhat diagrammatic view of the controller or regulator F and the valve D, the regulator F consists oi. the shell 29; preferably substantially cylindrical 111 shape,

having its upper end connectedby the pipe 27 in any suitable way with the space above the water level in the drum 15 and its lower end connected by the pipe 28 with the water in the drum 15. Extending longitudinally of the casing 29 is atube 230 closed at its upper end and extending out through an end or side thereof where it is connected by a piping 31 to a closed casing 32 one side oi? which is covered by a diaphragm 323.

It will be seen from the above that as the level of the water in the drain 15 rises or lowers, it correspondingly respectively b merges oruncovers a greater or less length of thepipe 30 within the casing: 29. This pipe 30 is illedwith a liquid which will volatilize-and create pressure under the heat oi? the steam but which will become relatively cooler when covered with the water fronithe drum 15. It is to be reinen'ibered that the water in the econoinizcr, and eonse f uently that in the casing! 29, is kept relatively cool by the teed-water flowing there through as will the referred to again below, hen therefore the water in the drum 15 falls belo a predetermined point more of the contents of the tube 30 subjected to the heat of the steam, and pressure is created in the pipe 30. Thisprcssure is communicated through the pipe 531. to the chamber 32 above the diaphragm 35-3 to depress the diaphragm and the parts (liicl'lltcll thereby.

The valve 1') is preteraliily a nearly balanced valve The construction is only diagranin'iatieally illustrated in Fina 2, because no claim in this case is made to the particular construction of this regulating: valieQ it may be of any well know" stain'lard type and therefore a brietdescription will be all that is necessary for a lull understanding ofthe This common connection lLliJ operation thereof in connection with applicants invention. The diaphragm 33 which is carried by and securely attached to the ca p or chamber 32, is also preferably secured to any suitable struts or frames 84, the lower end of which rests on and are secured to and are supported by thecasing 35 of the autoniatic valve D. To the center of the diapln-agni 33 is attached a stem 36 which, passing downward into and through the casing 35, carries with it a valve 37 and a valve 38 adapted to cooperate with the valve seats 39 and 40 respectively.

T he stem 36 preferably extends below the valve 38 and out through the casing 85. Outside of the casing 35 it is provided with a disk or shoulder 4-1 against which bears the upper end of a coil spring 42, the lower end of which presses against a suitable rigid bracket or support 13 secured to the under side of the casing 35. From the aboveit is believed that it will be plain that when by reason of an increase of the pressure in the pipe 31, the diaphragm 33 is depressed, that movement of the diaphragm will force the valv s 37 and 38 031i their respective seats39 and at) and water from the drum 1 will pass through the valve, into the pipe 23 and into the upper drum 15 of the economizersection. lVhen the water has attained a predetermined height in the drum 15, and the tube SOis covered with water, the pressurein the pipe 31 will fall, and the spring 42 will return the valves 37 and 38 to their respective seats to prevent any iurther passage otwater from the drum 1 to the drum The abovethen provides an automatic means for maintaining at substantially a i'lXQCl level the water in the upper drum of the economizer, the water being supplied thereto :irom time to time coming directly from the generator section of the boiler.

lily invention is, however, not limited solel to the automatic replenishing of the economizer with water from the boiler. This may be accomplished manually because the evaporation oi? the water in the economizer is very slow under ordinary circumstances. Therefore it is only necessaryforthe engincer or boiler man to look from time to time at the sight-glass 241- and i f he finds the water therein at low level and he observes that the level of the water in the drum 15 has :tallen, he may manually open a hand valve and admit watertrom the steam-gei'ieratorsection to the eeonoinizer. Such a modified construction is illustrated in Fig; 3 wherein the automatic *alve D is replaced by a manually operable valve DC The above description has hadreterence v to the conveying of feed water through a coil or radiator in the upper economiZer-drum to the mud drum and the transfer at hot purified water from the steamgenerating-section B. to the economizer-section C through the pipes 23, 28. Of course, the water will not. fall in the economizer-section unless there has been an evaporation of it. lVhen for any reason the heat of the water in the eeonomizensection is suificient to generate steam (and generally speaking there are many installations in which the economizer will merely provide a means for heating the incoming teed-water without generating steam) and the pressure above the water level in the drum 15 is a little greater than it is in the boiler, such steam will pass from the drum 15 to the steanrand-water drum 1 through a check valve G and thence through the pipe a l to the drum 1. This check valve may be of any ordinary and usual construction permitting of the flow of steam fromthe drum 15 to the drum 1 but preventing the backward flow of water from the drum 1 to the drum 15. a

This feature of construction is important. The substantially continuous flow of cold feed-water through the coil 21 keeps the tem perature of the water in the economiZer-seotion C subs antlally lower than that of the water 1n the steam-generating-section B.

But if, for any reason, the flow of teed-water should cease, then the temperature of the water in the economizcr-section will rise and the said section C may become a steam-generating-section. The check valve G and pipe 14 permit the steam so generated in the economizensection to be transferred to the main generatingsection B whenever the pressure in the section C is substantially equal to that in section B. It'will be apparent that, under these conditions, the valve 1) will be open for the tree passage of water from section B to section C. When, how ever, the. saline conditions arise in the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, the fireman or boiler man will manually open the valve D to keepthe section C supplied with water a from the section B.

Under some circumstances I may so de-r sign and proportion the parts of the boiler that the section B will be operative to gerr erate steam at a relatively high temperature and pressure, and the section C will operate to generate steam at lower ten'iperatures in which case the section 0 will be both an economizer-section and a steam-generating section. In such an arrangement the steam, accumulating in the drum 15, will flow into the section B when the pressure in thesecins tion Chas built up to the pressure in the sectionB. In this arrangement the regulator F will be so arranged, constructed and operated as to maintain the level of the water in the section C substantially constant by admitting thereto from time to time, through the valve D, water from the section B, as before described. a

,VVhen the section G is arranged and is type of saf y 111g temperatures,

operative to act merely an economizer and not as a steanrgeneratoig undernormal conditions, that is to say so long as cool feedwater is passing through the coil 21, the water in the economizer remains substan tially constant. As it circulates through the bank of tubes l7 between the drums 15 and 16 it heated by the hot gases of combustion. In the drum 15 it is cooled by the feed-water in the coil 21. The heat absorbed from the hot gases by be water in the section C is transferred to the feed-water passing; therethrough. Under these conditions only a very small amount of Water is required to be transferred thereto from section B to maintain constant the level otthe water in the drum 1.5.

The ch ch "alve G- lilie a safety valve in that by it the economizensection is relieved oi any accumulation of steam above a predetermined point of pressure. The accumulated steam, thus allowed to escape from the economimar-section, is not lUSiI lLJUiJ-lS discharged into the steamgeneratingsection of the boiler. If, however, for any reason it is not deemed neces sary or advisable to save or utilize the steam "which may be so generated in the economizer-section, such steam may be allowed to escape to the atmosphere throughany other pop valve construction.

lVhen the ope 'ation of the boiler is such that the temperature of the Water in the econoi'nizer-section is normally below steamas the result of the flow of cold :Eeedavater through thepipe 19 and coil 520, the volume oi the Water in the econoinizer-section will remain substantially constant. T he Water therein will merely circulate Without substantial evaporation and there will be no occasion to replenish the \vaterin the economizer-seetion except at long intervals. In such boilers only a little Water is added at one ltimeto that in the economizer-section and that is preferably drawn from the steam-generating-section or from any time of such added Water will be so small that the volume ol the deleteriousor corro sive gases containcdtherein is substantially negligible. i l-laving thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of theUnitcd States:

l. The combination with a boiler comprising a stinni-generating-section and an economizer-section having an upperdrum, of i means tor freeing Water ot deleterious gases and for discharging said gases from the boiler substantially as rapidly as said gases are liberated from the feed-Water, comprising a feed-waster conduit passing through said drum of said economizer-section and discharging directly into said steam-generating-section, and means operatlve when the operates substantially other convenient source. The volsupply of feed-Water is substantially reduced and the steam pressure in said economical:-

section is substantially that of the stea1n boiler to transfer generating-section of said steam from said economizer section to said steam generating section and to deliver feed water to said economizer section from said steam generating section. i i

2. The combination With a boiler eon'iprising a steam-generating-secthin and an econ- ()llllZQE-SEClilOll having a drum o'i' means for freeing feed-water of deleterious gases and for discharging said gases from the boiler suliistantially as rapidly as said games are liberated from the teed-water, comprising a feed-Water conduit passing through aid eeonomizer-section and discharging directly into said steanrgenerating-section, means to maintain substantially constant the level of the Water in said economizer-section with Water from said stcam-generating-section, and means to transfer steam at and above boiler pressure from said economizer-section to said steam-generating-section, whereby any substantial reduction oil the supply of teed water converts said econoi'nizcr-eection into a it steam-generating-section and said economizensection is not emptied of Water.

3. In a boiler comprising a steam-generating-section and an cconomizer-section having an upper drum, the combination therewith of means to prevent the accumulation within the boiler of deleterious gases con tained in the feed-water,comprising a feed Waterconduit passing through said drum of said economizer-section and discharging into said steam-generatin -section, means to supply said economizer-section with water from said stea111-generating-section of said boiler and a connection between said eeonomizer section and said stcam-gener-ating-section, whereby steam at and above boiler pressure in said economizer-seetion is automatically carried over into said steam-generating-see tion whenever the supply oi feed water is insufficient to maintain the temperature of the water in said economizer-section below boiling temperatures.

hln a boiler comprising a steanugenei ating-section and an economizer-section the combination of means to deliver teeduvater directly to said steam-goaerating-section,

means to pass said leeduvater through the economizer-section to tanster heat from said econo1nizer-section to said teed-water on its passage to said steaiii-generating-sectionot' said boiler and to normally keep the temperature of the water in said economizer-section below steam-generating temperatures, means to keep said eeoiiiomizersection supplied with purified water from said steam-generating'section of said boiler andmeans to transfer steam at boilerpressure from said economizer-section to said steam-generating-section when the flow of teed-water through said feedwaterpipe is retarded and the temperature of the water in said economiZer-section rises to steamgenerating temperatures. I

5. in a steam boiler comprising a steamgenerating-section and an economizer-section having upper and lower drums, the combinationot a teed-water supply pipe, a coil in the upper drum of said. economizersection to one end of which said supply pipe is connected, a pipe connected to the 0pposite end of said coil and extending to and discharging into said steam-generating-section of said boiler means to admit water from said generator-section to said econo mizer-sectiou, a a conduit connecting the space above the water in the steam-generating-section with the space above the water in the said economizer-section, and a check valve in said conduit operative to permit the How of steam from said economizer-section to said steam-generating-section, and to prevent the flow of steam from said steam-generating-section to said economizen section.

In a boiler comprising a steam-generating-section and an economizer-section, the combination therewith of means to deliver teed-water directly to said steam-generating-section means to pass said feed-water throu h said economizer-section to transfer heat rrom said economizer-section to said feed-water on its passage to said steam-generatingsection of said boiler and to normally keep the temperature of the water in said economizer-section below steam-generating temperatures, means to introduce water from the steamgenerating-section of said boiler into said economizer-section to compensate for any loss of water contained in said economizer-section and automatic means to permit the escape of steam generated in the economizer-section of said boiler when the flow of feed-water is insuflicient to keep the temperature of the water in said econoinizer-section below boiling temperatures and the pressure of the steam in said economizer-section is substantially at boiler pressure.

7. In a boiler comprising a steam-generating-section and an economizer-section, the combination therewith of a teedavater pipe connected directly to said steam-generatingsection said pipe passing through said economizensection to transfer heat from said economizer-section to said feed-water on its passage to said generating-section and to normally keep the temperature of the water in said economizer-section below boiling temperatures, means to introduce water from said steam-generating-section into said economizer section to compensate for any loss 01" water in said economizer-section, a pipe connecting the upper partof said economizensection with the upper part of said steam-generating section, and a check-valve in said pipe to automatically permit transfer of steam generated in said economizer-s-ection to said steam-generating-section through said pipe when the flow oi feed-water through said feed pipe is in suflicient to maintain the temperature of the water in said economizer-section below steam-generating temperatures and the pressure of steam in said economizer-section is substantially the same as that in said steamgenerating-section.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of March, 1923.

i JOSIAH H. ROHRER.

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