US1197148A - Condensing apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

C. A: PARSONS, S. S. COOK & R HOWE.

CONDENSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, .1915.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

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CHARLES ALGERNON PARSONS, STANLEY SIVIITH COOK, AND ROBERT HOWE, OF WALLSEND, ENGLAND; SAID COOK AND HOWE ASSIGNORS T0 SAID PARSONS.

CONDENSING- APPARATUS.

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Specification oeters Patent. Patentgd sg pt. 5, 19146;.

Application filed May a, 1915. Serial No. 25,653.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES ALGERNON PABsoNs, STANLEY SMITH Coon, and Ron- ERT Hown,'subjeots of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residents of Turbinia "Works, Wallsend-on-Tyne, in the county of Northumberland, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Condensing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to condensing apparatus of the type described in United States Patent No. 741,270 filed 5th August 1902, in which the condenser is connected to ordinary exhausting means, such as a wet air pump, and in which augmenter means, such as a steam jet, for increasing the degree of vacuum are provided, delivering from the condenser to the air pump. In such apparatus, owing to the fact that the condenser pressure is lower than the pressure at the air pump inlet, it is usual to provide a water seal between an augmenter inlet and the air pump suction, to prevent the return of non-condensed vapors or air to the inlet of the augmenter. The use of this water seal requires that the condenser be placed at a certain minimum height above the air pump inlet, a condition which often presents difficulties, especially on board steamships, where the available depth below the condenser is limited. To overcome this difficulty, and enable a condenser to be placed more nearly on the same level as the inlet of its air pump, it has been proposed to employ an artificially produced head of water. By using such means, for example, as a raised receiver, to which the condensate and air and vapor are delivered before discharge by the wet air pump, a vacuum equal to or in excess of thatin the condenser being main tained within the receiver. Certain disadvantages attach to this arrangement, one of these disadvantages being that when. the pump producing the artificial head has to deliver into a receiver at a considerable height, its speed when of the centrifugal type is great, and unless it be placed at a much lower level than the sump of the condenser, it will not draw the hot condensed steam water satisfactorily.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome such disadvantages.

The present invention consists in con- (lensing apparatus of the type indicated, in

which the condensate outlet from the con denser sump and the inlet to the wet air pump are substantially at the same level, the usual water seal being replaced by a pump delivering condensate direct to the air pump inlet, and situated substantially at the level of the condenser outlet.

The invention further consists in the use in such a condensing apparatus of a low speed rotary pump, having sufiicient lift to overcome the small difference in pressure between the condenser and the air pump suction, and in addition, such small difference in head as may result from the condenser being at a slightly lower level than the air pump.

'The present invention also consists in the improved condensing apparatus hereinafter described.

he accompanying drawing illustrates one method of carrying out the present invention.

In carrying the invention into efi'ect according to the form illustrated, a sump a is provided on the lower part of the main condenser b. At the lower part of this sump an outlet 0 of large size is provided, connected to a pump d, which may be either a slow speed rotary or slow speed reciprocating pump with extrav large suction valves, a non-return valve (not shown) being provided in some cases, and pr'eferablyfitted on the delivery side of the pump. The delivery from this pump is taken to the inlet 6 of the ordinary exhausting means, which may consist in a wet air pump m of the bucket type, as shown in the drawing. The upper part of the sump a is connected to the coned inlet f of an augmenter, which may be of the type disclosed in Patent No. 741,270. At about the base of the coned portion of this conduit the usual diverging steam jet 9 is provided, the discharge from which, together with the entrained vapor and air, is led to the usual vapor condenser h, from which a passage j leads to the inlet e of the ordinary exhausting means m. It will be understood that the conduit, f, is, j, containing the augmenting device lies preferably at a higher level than the conduit 6, Z, containing the Water pumping device. By employing a slow speed water pump to deliver condensate from the main condenser to the wet air pump in this manner, the necessity for a wate; seal to prevent return of uncondensed vapors to the augmenter inlet is avoided. It is therefore possible to place the main condenser at a much lower level with respect to the air pump inlet than is possible when employing a water seal, which is a feature of considerable value in connection with condensing plants for use on board ship, and also in some cases on land where depth of foundation is limited.

It will be seen that the water pump as shown, which is of the centrifugal type, only delivers against a very small hydraulic head, and for this reason its speed of revolution is necessarily slow. Also it is seen that the passage ways are large. Under these conditions the pump will work entirely satisfactorily with water at a temperature whose vapor density coincides with that in the condenser, the head on the pump suction being only a few inches. Further, if the pump had to deliver against a head of many feet, it would not work satisfactorily unless placed at a much lower level than the sump, which would be in many cases impossible on board ship. A further advantage resulting from this arrangement is that where the low pressure turbine is required to be placed at a low level, on board a ship, for instance, satisfactory draining of the low pressure turbine can be arranged for by leading the drains to a sump a.

When using a water seal, it has in such cases been necessary to lead the drainage from the low pressure turbine to the augmenter suction box, and place the latter below the turbine drain, which has a detrixrfental effect upon the efliciency of the augmenter. The necessity for this connection to the augmenter box is avoided by the present inventio 7 It will be understood that any form of water pumping device suitable for Working satisfactorily with a minimum, head on its suction may be employed in the conduit between the condenser and air pump. It will be understood further that although a wet air pump of the bucket type has been described as the main exhausting device, any suitableexhausting device, either of the jet, rotary or reciprocating type may be employed. In certain cases, it may be desirable to provide vapor condensers, air coolers or other auxiliaries, disposed as may be necessary between the main condenser and the main air pumps, in addition to or in place of the condenser h.

We claim Condensing apparatus of the type indi-- cated, in which the condensate outlet from the condenser sump and the inlet to the Wet air pump are substantially at the same level, the usual water seal being replaced by a pump deliverin condensate against a small head direct to t e air pump inlet, and situated substantially at the level of the condenser outlet.

In testimony whereof, we ailix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES ALGERNON PARSONS. STANLEY SMITH COOK. ROBERT HOWE. Witnesses:

FREDERICK GORDON HAY AIDFORD.

ALBERT WVILLIAM PARR.

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