US459498A - Henry e - Google Patents

Description

11,. E; L'ONGWBLL.

STEAM SEPARATOR.

Patented sept. 15,1891.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F.. LONGVELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO VESTINGHOUSE, CHURCH, KERR (i: COMPANY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

STEAM-SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,498, dated September 15,1891.

Application met July 7, 1890. sain No. 357,949. (No model.)

T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. LONGWELL, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful `Improvements in Steam-Separators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description'thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has for its primary object to provide automatic means for preventing the passage of water from steam-separators into or through the pipeto which it is desired to furnish dry steam in case the separator becomes flooded from any cause.

The invention has for another object to provide the separator with an alarm device denoting the presence of an excessive accumulation of Water' therein or that the cessation of steam iiow to the engine or other apparatus becomes stopped or otherwise fails to carry off the water accumulated in the separatorchamber, and such accumulated water is sometimes thrown forward through the steam-pipe to the engine or other apparatus supplied by such steam-pipe with more or less disastrous results.

By the first feature of the present invention it is proposed to obviate this difficulty automatically through the agency of a valve in the steam pipe or passage leading to or from the separator and closed by the action of the water accumulated thereby.

By the second feature of the invention it is proposed to sound an alarm denoting that the cessation of steam-flow to the engine or other apparatus, resulting from lthe closure of the valve referred to, is due to an excess of Water in the separator, in order that the attention of the engineer may be at once directed to the place of the difficulty.

This invention is adapted to be applied to any form of separator and may be made a part of the `separator itself or applied as an attachment thereto.

In the accompanying drawings,il1ustrating certain forms of my invention, Figure l is a central vertical section of a steam-separator of familiar construction, having all features of my improvement, applied thereto, the valve and its closing mechanism being shown as a part of the separator apparatus. In this figure the inlet and outlet steam passages of the separator are arranged on opposite sides of the separator-chamber at its top. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the upper portion of the separator as constructed in Fig. l, looking from right to left of the latter figure,

a part of the fiange being broken away.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a separator having inlet and outlet at the top and bottom, respectively. In this figure the float belonging to the valve mechanism is arranged within the separator-chamber; but the valve itself is arranged in a detachable section of the outlet-pipe. Fig. L represents the same kind of a separator as that shown in Fig. 8, but illustrates the float-chamber as distinct from the separator-chamber and the valve in a detachable portion of the outlet-pipe. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a separator having lateral inlet and outlet steam passages at the upper end ofthe separator-chamber and having a separate float-chamber and a detachable pipe-section containing the valve.

Describing the figures of the drawings in their order, A, Fig. l,represents a steam-separator, of which a and a are respectively the inlet and outlet steam pipes, arranged oppoY ysite each other at the top of the separatorchamber. A is the pipe leading from the bottom of the separatorchamber, through which the water taken from the steam by the latter should be normally withdrawn either to a trap or some other device for its proper disposition.

In one of the passages ce or a', and preferably in the outlet-pipe o', is arranged a butterIiy-valve B, working on a shaft b, which passes through a stuffing-box b', Fig. 2, in the side of the pipe a. Exterior to the pipe a the shaft b is provided with on arm b2, carrying a weight b2, by which weight, when unopposed, the valve B will be turned into its position to close the passage 0,. As a suitable means for locking the valve B in its open position, so long as the separator shall contain no undue accumulation of Water, the valve B is provided with a quadrant-shaped web b4 on its under side, presenting a shoulder at b5. With this shoulder engages a vertically-movable rod C, which at its lower end is attached to oneextremity of a eentrally-pivoted lever C', that carries at its opposite end a float O2. The rise ofA the iioat C2 by an undue accumulation of Water in the lower part ofthe separator-chamber will vibrate the lever C upon its pivot c, depress the rod C out of engagement with the shoulder b5, and release the valve B, so that it will automatically rotate into a position to close the pipe a by action of the weight h2.

In Fig. 3 a butterfly-valve corresponding with that shown in Fig. lis secured to the shaft b, which is pivoted in a detachable portion a2 of the outlet-steam pipe of the separator A, and the external weight-arm b2 is provided with a latch b, the upper end of which projects laterally to form a shoulder at 197. tached to an arm C', that is rigidly secured to a shaft c, which in this instance projects through the side of the separator and is eX- ternally provided with the weight-arm c', carrying a weight C3. Said shaft c is also provided with an arm c2, having its lower end bent laterally to catch beneath the shoulder 197 of the latch h6 on the Weight-arm b2 of the valve. The rise of the float C2 from an undue accumulation of water in the separator-chamber will swing the arm e2 laterally from beneath the shoulder 57 and release the weightarm of the valve, so that the weight may fall and turn the valve into -its closed position Within the pipe a2. The application of a weight-arm c and weight C3 to the shaft c is not essential, but enables a solid float C2 to be employed instead of a hollow one. Such external weight-arm may obviously be appli ed to the shaft e in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 4, A2 is a water-chamber in communication with the separator-chamber through the pipes A and a2 at its lower end vand through the pipe a4 at its upper end. The float is arranged Within this auxiliary chamber A2, instead of in the separator-chamber A, and, as illustrated, the shaft c of the iioat device has its rigid arm e2 bent at its lower end to engage with the straight weight-arm b2 of the valve, said valve being in this instance arranged Within a detachable extension a2 of the outlet-pipe.

In Fig. 5 the separate oatchamber A2 opens at its upper end directly into the detachable valve-chamber d2 and communicates at its lower end through a pipe d2 with the water-delivery pipe A of the main separatorchamber. As shown in this figure, the float C2 The float seen at dotted lines at C2 is atconnects with a pivoted float-arm C by means of a vertical rod e2, and the rotatable shaft e has its rigid locking-arm e2 arranged vertically to stand beneath the end of the weightlever h2 of the valve. The valve is in this instance located in a detachable section a2 of the outlet-pipe, as in the preceding Figs. 3 and 4.

Recurring to Fig. l, D represents a high- Water alarm of familiar construction containing a float which is connected with a valve at theupper end of the steam and Water chamber D', through which valve steam on the elevation of the float is admitted to a whistle or other alarm device. The steam which sounds the alarm is admitted to the chamber D through the pipe d', communicating with the steam-space of the separator-chamber at a point above that to Which water may accumulate in the separator before the valve-actuating oat C2 shall release the valve B. This alarm device will be likely to act in ease of failure on the part of the valve-closing mechanism and signal to the engineer the presence of an excessive quantity'of Water in the separator-chamber. junction with the valve-controlling mechanism to signal the engineer that the stoppage of the engine or other apparatus worked through the separator is due to flooding of the separator, and he may therefore proceed at once to the source of the difliculty.

The variety of iigures here illustrated is intended to indicate that the invention may be applied to various forms of separators and in numerous Ways while preserving its characteristic mode of operation, and I do not wish `to be limited to either or all of the particular constructions shown, inasmuch as various other modifications may be employed without departure from said invention.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, with a steam-separator having inlet and outlet steam passages, of a valve applied to one of said passages, a float subject to the action of water accumulated by the separator, and intermediate mechanism engaged with said valve and operated by the float to effect the closure of the valve.

2.- The combination, with a steam-separa` tor having inlet and outlet steam passages, of an automatically-closing valve applied to one of said passages, and a iioat mechanism subject to the action of water accumulated by the separator and having a catch connection with the valve which is released by the rise of the float.

3. The combination, with a steam-separator, of a separate float-chamber located outside of and communicating with the separating-chamber, a separate valve-chamber connected in a steam-passage of the separator, a valve in said valve-chamber, and a float in the Heat-chamber arranged to effect the closure of the valve upon the rise of the float.

It will also act in con- .e

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4. The combination, with a steam-separa In testimony that I claim the foregoing as tor provided with a valve in one of its steammy invention I affix my signature in presence passages, and a oat mechanism for closing of two witnesses.

said valve by the Water accumulated by the Y HENRY E. LON GWELL. 5 separator, of a high-Water alarm arranged to Vitnesses:

signal an undue accumulation of Water in the a M. E. DAYTON,

separatenl C. CLARENCE POOLE.

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