US1125758A - Water-heater. - Google Patents

Description

E. S. STACK.

WATER HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29,1912.

E ,Zf/. Patented Jan. 19, 1,915.

" 1l'I ST EINER S. STACK, OF SOMEEVIIJ'IJE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIG'NOR, BY MESE ASSGN- MEN'IS, TG STACK HEATER 'TION 0F ,MASSACHUSETTS COMPANY, OF IBOSTGN, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORA- WATERiI-IETER.

Speei-cation of Letters Patent.

Application led May 2'9, 1912. Serial No. 700,441.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELMER S. STACK., a citizen of the United States, and. resident of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a water heater for domestic use. i

My purpose is to provide an improved heater of this general description by which heat may be more rapidly imparted to water than by other heaters for like purposes, and in which the heating of water to relatively high temperature may be accomplished either continuously or intermittently with a high degree of fuel economy.

have accomplished these objects in a heater having the essential parts and constructed substantially as hereinafter described and as shown in the drawings accompanyin this application.

In the rawings, Figure 1 represents a. side elevation of an improved heater embodying my invention with the inclosing case and burner shown in section. Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig.- 3 is a longitudinal section of the heater with parts thereof broken away.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

e heater consists essentially of a collection of tubes of which the ends are connected in headers 1 and 2, the former of which is preferably vertically above the latter. The cold water to be heated enters the lower. header through a pipe 3, and is distributed to the tubes, through which 1t Hows to the upper header and in which it is heated, and the hot water passes through the u per header and out through the outlet tu e 4. Each header is constructed pref erably as shown in Fig. 3 and consists of a conical body having a nipple 5 at its apex and an opening in its base. rIhe boundarles of such opening are threaded and a cap 6 is adjustably screwed into engagement with these threads. The caps are centrally apertured and threaded to connect with the 1ntake and outlet pipes respectively. The nipples 5 ofthe headers are threaded to connect with a central pipe 7 which leads Qm the lower to 'the upper header.

En the conical sides of both headers are numerous openings arranged preferably in parallel circular series, the urpose of which is to receive the ends. ci) tubes, of which there are two or more sets or series. lIn the embodiment of the invention here represented there are three such sets of tubes, those of the inner set being designated 8, of the intermediate set 9, and of the outer set 10. Their opposite ends are secured in' their upper and lower headers respectively in a manner which I will presently describe. The arrangement is such that each set forms in effect an envelop surrounding the central tube approximately coaxiall but having relatively wide openings, namely the spaces between adjacent tubes of the series, through which the heated products of combustion may pass freely. l

As will be seen best from Fig. 1, the tubes of the enveloping series are not parallel with the axis of the header, or in other words, they do not pass straight from one header to the other. Instead, their ends are approximately normal to the surface of the header in which they are secured, and at a short distance from their ends the tubes are bent toward the axis and at the same time inclined in such a way that each tube makes an acute and veryv small angle with the plane passing through the axis of the header and the point at which said tube is joined to such header. Thus the ends of each tube are somewhat off-set from one another angularly about the axis of the heater,

Y as appears from Fig. l, but the angle of olfset is relatively small and is much less than one complete turn. The tubes are in edect sections of helices of steep pitch.

In the embodiment shown, the tubes of the outer series or` envelop are inclined downwardly to the right, that is, the tubes nearest to the observer are so inclined; the tubes of Athe intermediate series are inclined from right to left, that is, oppositely to the outer tubes, and the tubes of the innermost series are inclined from left to right, that is, in the same sense as the outer but oppositely to the intermediate tubes. Thereby the tubes of successive circular series cross each other, all the tubes of each series are separated from each other by longitudinal spaces, and the different series are sepa'- rated by annular spaces, so that the heatingagent may pass freely around and between them.

The heater thus described is placed in an upright position in a case 12, into the bottom of which the tube 3 enters and out of ythe top of which the tube 4 passes. This case has a base 13 adapted t0 rest on a table, shelf, etc., and in one side it has a door 14: adapted to bey opened to give access to the heater. `Heat is generated within the casing below the heater by combustion of gas which is supplied by a burner 15, the latter being of any suitable character. The heated products of combustion rise and flow around and among the tubes. Such of the hot gases as pass within the inner series of tubes strike a bailie plate 16 which surrounds the central tube 7 and crosses the innermost annular space. These gases are checked and caused to pass outwardly across the tubes again. The gases passing between vthe heater and the case engage an' external annular battle 17 which crosses the space between the walls of the case and the tubes at the upper end of the heater, and are thereby deflected inwardly into Contact with the tubes before they can escape through the annular space between the inner edge of this baille and the upper header.

It will be seen that owing to the arrangement of the tubes and to the baffle plates or deflectors 16 and 17, there are no straight uninterrupted passages through which the hot gases may pass, but that instead the gases are caused by the baffles to follow paths which are crossed by the tubes. The tendency of the hot gas is to rise, but before rising far from the burner it comes into contact with the outwardly bulged lower ends of the tubes. Rising farther it is deflected by the inclined portions of the outer tubes into contact with the oppositely inclined inner tubes. In this way the hot gas is continually obstructed and caused to circulate into contact with all of the tubes, heating them all uniformly and equally. Practically all the available heat is thereby given 'to the water in the heater. At the same time, however, the tubes are so nearly straight that the path of the water is almost the shortest possible and therefore a rapid flow of water through the heater is permitted. I have found that this arrangement of tubes, in which the path of the water '1s short and the water is brought constantly into Arenewed thermal contact with the hot gas, gives exceedingly satisfactory results as to efficiency and economy of fuel consumption and the rapidity with which a given quantity of water may be brought to a given temperature.

Another feature of importance in a heater ofthis particular construction is the wa in which the tubes are secured in the hea ers. This is shown in Fig. 3, from which it will be seen that the holes inthe headers through which the ends of the tubes pass are smaller than the greatest diameter of the tubes, and that the ends are reduced so as to pass through the holes. This reduction of the end provides a shoulder 18 near the end of the tube which shoulder bears on the rim of the hole outside of the header. The extreme end of the tube within the header is flanged over at 19. The shoulder and flange grip the wall of the header between them and secure the end of the tube against any movement relatively to the header. Each end of every tube is thus secured, and is firm and immovable regardless of any distortion which may take place in any other partof the tube. As all the tubes are curved between their ends, free play is afforded for expansion and contraction due to heating and cooling.

I claim:

1. A heater comprising essentially, separated headers and tubes in communication with said headers, the tubes being bent outward between their ends and inclined with respect to an axial plane of the heater, making less than a complete turn about such ax1s.

2. A heater comprising a plurality of series of tubes for conducting the 'fluid to be heated, and a source of heat below said tubes, the tubes of one series being inclined with respect to the path in which the hot gases issuing from the heater tend to travel, and at an opposite inclination to the tubes of another series.

3. A heater comprising two headers arranged practically one above another, and tubes connected at opposite ends with said headers and so inclined that the lower end of each is off-set to one side of a line extending vertically from the point at which its upper end is connected to the upper header, the tube making a very small acute angle with the vertical.

4. A heater comprising headers arranged in line, and a plurality of concentric series of tubes connected at their opposite ends to the respective headers, the tubes of one series being off-set oppositely to the tubesI of another series from one end to the other.

5. A heater comprising a pair of conical headers in axial alinement with their apexes toward each other, and tubes extending from one header to the other, such tubes being bent near their ends, and arranged so that such ends extend perpendicularly toward conical faces of the respectively adjacent headers.

6. A heater comprising headers of conical form arranged in alinement with their apexes turned toward each other, a substantially straight tube connected to the apexes of the headers in communication with the interior thereof, and tubes arranged in a Y plurality of concentric series around the central tube, connected at their ends to the respective headers, and inclined with respect to lines parallel to the axis.

7 The combination of a case, a burner in the lower part of said case, a heater above said burner consisting of a central tube, upper and lower headers connected to said central tube, inner and outer tubes arranged in a plurality of concentric series around said central tube, a baille crossing the inner space between the central tube and inner series of concentric tubes, and a baiile between the case and outer series of concentric tubes.

8. A heater comprising headers of conical form arranged in alinement with their apexes turned toward each other, a substantially straight central heat-conducting member connected to the apexes of the headers, and tubes arranged in a plurality of concentric series around said central member, connected at their ends to the respective head#- ers, and inclined oppositely to tubes of other series with respect to lines parallel to the axis. v

9. The combination of a case, a burner in the lower part of said case, a heater above said burner consisting of a central tube, upper and lower headers connected to said ceny tral tube, inner and outer tubes arranged in a plurality of concentric series around said header to the other, said tubes being arranged in respectively inner and outer series about a common axls, and the tubes of the outer series being 1ncl1ned 1n one sense,

while those of the inner are inclined in anv other sense, and cross the spaces between the tubes of the outer series.

11. A heater comprising headers and tubes extending betweensaid headers and connected thereto,l the ends of said tubes passing through holes in the walls of the headers and being flanged over inside said walls, said tubes having external shoulders engaging the outer sides of the walls.l

In testimony whereof I have axed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ELMER S. STACK.

Witnesses:

Ur. L. JOHNSON, 1P. W. Pazzrm.

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