US1868870A - Apparatus for charging fuel - Google Patents

Description

July 26, 1932. w. A. BARR APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FUEL Filed Feb. 5, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wo/ferig g gir A RN July 26, 1932. w. A. BARR APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FUEL Filed Feb. 5, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 26, 1932 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER A. BARR, F FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTERN GAS GON- STRUCTION' COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FUEL Application filed February 5, 1930. Serial No. 426,071.

This invention relates to automatic fuel charging machines for the generators of water-gas sets. In particular it relates to that type of machine that spreads the fuel as it is charged into the generator.

With certain fuels, as coke for example, it is highly desirable. to. prevent fuel from piling up in the center of the generator. If this occurs, all of the gas making tends to take place near the periphery of the generator and the center of the fuel bed remains inactive.

Machines have been constructed in which fuel is admitted to the generator by means of a cone shaped door lowered into the generator from the bottom of the charging machine. As the fuel gently slides off the sloping surface of the cone it is prevented from failing in the center of the fuel bed.

An object of the present invention is to retain the fuel in the charging machine until a cone-shaped member has descended into the generator from the bottom of the charging machine. Then after the cone-shaped member has been lowered, to release the fuel and g5 allow it to fall against the sloping surface of the cone-shaped member thereby projecting ighe fuel to the extreme periphery of the fuel In the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of a fuel charging machine;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of part of the machine shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a machine that is a. modification of the one shown in Fig. 1.

The charging machine shown in Fig. 1'

comprises a gas-tight body 1 which also serves as the main frame. The body 1 and .the 0 weight of the remainder of the machine rests on a generator 2 of a gas-making machine, ordinarily a water gas or carburetted gas machine.

A gasket 3 makes a gas-tight fit between the body 1 and the generator 2. A passageway a for admitting fuel to the body 1 is normally closed by a gas-tight door, not shown, located inside inlet door frame 5.

When it is necessary to open the inlet door, the bell 7 is pressed firmly upward against bevelled valve seat 8 to keep gas in generator 2 from passing out through passageway 4. The weight of a charge of coal in the body 1 of the charging machine is partly supported by the periphery of the bell 7 but is largely supported by an auxiliary bell 9.

In order to discharge fuel into the generator 2, the auxiliary bell is left in the position shown in Fig. 1 while bell 7 is lowered by means of a rod 11 actuated by a hydraulic cylinder 12. The body 1 is provided with a stufiing gland 13 where the rod 11 passes through the same. The rod 11 is connected to the piston rod 14 of the cylinder 12 by means of a compression spring 15 and a crosshead 17.

The upper end of rod 11 can rotate freely in the crosshead 17. It is rotated while it is being lowered by means of a motor 18 that drives a worm gear 19, bevel bears 20, a splined shaft 21 and spur gears 22, 23 and 24. The gear 24 is keyed to the upper end of the rod 11.

Downward movement of the crosshead 17 starts the motor 18 by lowering stop 26 mounted on a rod 27. The starting switch for the motor at the lower end of rod 27 does not appear in Fig. 1 as it is hidden by bevel gears 20.

By the time that the bell 7 is lowered the length of cylinder 12, it is a considerable distance within the generator 2 and is rotating rapidly. The charge of coal which has been supported on auxiliary bell 9 is now allowed to fall on the rotating bell 7 by an upward movement of auxiliary bell 9. Bell 9 is lifted by a hydraulic cylinder 30, link 31 and lever 32 and it slides verticallyon guide 33.

The cylinders 12 and 30 are controlled by means of a hydraulic control device (not.

shown) to which they are connected by means of pipes 35 and 36. When pressure is applied to the top of cylinder 12 by the automatic control device through pipe 85, pressure is simultaneously applied to the bottom of cylinder 30 by an interconnected branch pipe 37.

Since the bell 7 travels downward more easily than the bell 9 travels upward, the piston in cylinder 30 does not move until the piston in cylinder 12 has descended all the way. Pressure then builds up and auxiliary bell 9 is lifted against the weight of the charge of coal. Auxiliary bell 9 and bell 7 are returned to their usual positions by the application of pressure through pipe 36 and the branch pipe 38 interconnected therewith.

The charging machine shown in Fig. 8 comprises a gastight body 41 adapted for mounting on a generator 42 of a gas-making machine. The weight of the charging machine can be supported by wheels 43 on rails 44. By means of eccentrics 45 and suitable gearing (not shown), the wheels 43 can be retracted thereby allowing the weight of the machine to rest on gasket 46 and make a gastight connection with the top of the gas generator 42.

A gas-tight door 48 operated by a hydraulic cylinder 49 allows fuel to be deposited in the body 41 of the machine through the top thereof.

A bell 50 fits against a bevel gas-tight seat 51 at the bottom of the hopper-shaped body 41. To discharge fuel into the generator 42, the bell 50 is lowered by means of a piston rod 53, a' piston 54 and a cylinder 55. A gland 56 is provided for the piston rod 58 where it passes through the body 41.

During the downward travel of the valve 50 the charge of fuel is supported by an auxiliary bell 57. The auxiliary bell 57 is provided with a hook-shaped flange 58 that rests on hooks 59. The hooks 59 are an integral part of spring arms 60 which are fastened to tube 61 which in turn is suspended from the top of the casing 41.

A collar 62 is fixed on the rod 53 and slides freely within the tube 63. It engages the inner lower end of the tube 63 when the bell 50 is lowered and causes wedges 64 mounted on the tube 63 to spread shoulders 65 that are mounted on, and are also an integral part of, the spring arms 60. The pressing of the shoulders 65 outward by the wedges 64 forces hooks 59 out from under the hook-shaped flange 58.

The disengagement of hooks 59 with the hooked flange 58 allows the auxiliary bell 57 to descend precipitately with the entire charge of fuel.

When the auxiliary bell 57 collides with the main bel 50, the charge of fuel is thrown outward quite vigorously, due to the inclination of the cone-shaped surface of the bell 5'7. The bell 50 has been lowered to a position well within the body of the generator 42 at the time of the descent of the fuel and the fuel is scattered quite uniformly and well to the periphery of the surface of the fuel bed in the generator. 7

WVhen the piston. 54 ascends in the cylinder 55, bells 50 and 57 and hooks 58 and 59 are restored to the positions shown in Fig. 3. The ports 67 and 68 of the cylinder 55 are connected to an automatic-control device (not shown) which charges fuel at appropriate intervals by supplying fluid under ressure to the ports.

A hand lever 70 adjacent the cylinder 55 operates a plunger 71 that passes through a stuffing gland 72 into the upper end of the cylinder 55. The inner end of the plunger 71 engages a Washer or flange 73 at the upper end of piston rod 53. The hand lever 70 is used for locking the piston rod 53 and bell 50 in their uppermost positions at times when fluid pressure from the automatic control device is cut off from pipes 67 and 68.

. Should there be no pressure through pipe 67, a manually operable latch such as plunger 71 is necessary either to prevent bell 50 from being subjected to prolonged heating within the body of the generator 42 or else to hold it up out of the way so that the charging machine can be moved along the tracks or rails 44.

Although the hand latch 71 is only shown as applied to the modification illustrated in Fig. 3 it is equally applicable to the embodiment of Fig. 1.

Some of the advantages of my invention are that after the main bell is lowered and when the auxiliary bell releases the fuel, the converging lower part of the body of the charging machine insures that all the fuel impinges on the lowered main bell. This se-- cures a maximum projection of the fuel to the extreme periphery of the upper surface of the fuel bed in the generator.

The periphery of the upper surface of the fuel bed is therefore kept higher than the central portion. The coarse fuel rolls to the center of the fuel bed and the line fuel remains adjacent the outer wall.

The effect of the fine fuel along the wall is to retard the blast and reduce the extremely high temperatures along the wall which form wall clinker due to the slagging of the ash in the fuel.

I claim as my invention:

1. A charging device for a gas generator comprising a hopper adapted to be positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, a charging valve disposed in said hopper and adapted to serve as a closure for said opening, means for lowering said charging valve into said generator, an inlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when said charging valve is in other than a closed position in said charging opening, and a fuelretaining valve located above said charging valve in said hopper and adapted to open when said inlet door is closed and said charging valve has been lowered into said generator.

2. A charging device for a gas generator opening, means for lowering said charging valve into said generator, an inlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when said charging valve is in other than a closed position in said charging opening, a fuel-retaining valve located above said charging valve in said hopper, hydraulic means for opening said fuel-retaining valve, and means adapted to actuate said hydraulic means to open said fuel-retaining valve when said charging valve has been lowered into said generator.

8. A charging device for a gas generator comprising a hopper adapted to be positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, a charging valve disposed in said hopper and adapted to serve as a closure for said opening, means for lowering said charging valve into said generator, an inlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when said charging valve is in other than a closed position in said charging opening, a fuel-retaining sleeve located in said hopper above said charging valve and adapted to be raised to erinit fuel to discharge into said generator when said inlet valve is closed and said charging valve has been lowered into said generator.

4;. A charging device for a gas generator comprising a hopper adapted to be positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, a charging valve disposed in said hop per and adapted to serve as a closure for said opening, means for lowering said charging valve into said generator, an inlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when said charging valve is in other than a closed position in said charging opening, a fuel-retaining valve located in said hopper above said charging valve, a latch supporting the same, said charging valve being adapted to release said latch and permit said fuel-remaining valve to open when said charging valve has been lowered a considerable distance into said generator.

5. A charging device for a gas generator comprising a hopper adapted to be positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, a substantially conical charging valve disposed in said hopper and adapted to serve as a closure for said opening, means for lowering said charging valve into said gen erator, an inlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when said charging valve is in other than a closed position in said charging opening, a substantially conical fuel-retaining valve located in said hopper and i1nmediately above said charging valve when the latter is in its closed position in said charging opening, and adapted to be opened to permit fuel to discharge into said generator when said charging valve has been lowered into said generator.

6. A charging device for a gas generator comprising a hopper adapted to be positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, a charging valve disposed in said hopper and adapted to serve as a closure for said opening, means for lowering said charging valve into said generator, an inlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when said charging valve is in other than a closed position in said charging opening, a fuel retaining valve located in said hopper above said charging valve, and means for opening said fuel-retaining valve that is actuated by downward movement of said charging valve.

7. A charging device for a gas generator comprisinga hopper adapted to be positioned over the charging opening of the gas generator, a charging valve disposed in said hopper and adapted to serve as a closure for said opening, means for lowering said charging valve into said generator, an inlet door in said hopper adapted to be closed when said charging valve is in other than a closed position in said charging opening, a fuel-retaining valve located above said charging valve in said hopper, hydraulic cylinders adapted to lower and raise said charging valve and said fuel-retaining valve, respectively, and provided with fluid pressure and relief conduits connected thereto in parallel, whereby said charging valve is caused to be lowered into said generator before said fuel-retaining valve is lifted to permit fuel to discharge from said hopper into said generator.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 15th day of January,

WALTER A. BARR.

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