US1292731A - Compressed-air power plant. - Google Patents

Description

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5- l9l6.

H. P. J. E ARNSHAW. COMPRESSED AIR POWER PLANT.

2SHEETS-SHEET s.

Patented Jail. 28,1919. I

I H. P. 1. T IARNSHAW. COMPRESSED AIR POWER PLANT.

- APPLICATION FILED JUN E 5, 1916- r Patented Ja11.28,1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

river/fur I A f farms 1m: mum's "mu m. mmbuma. vllu'mhmiwl, II- c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY P. J. EARNSHAW, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T EARNSHAW MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INCORPORATED, 015 HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A

CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

COMPRESSED-AIR POWER PLANT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

Application filed June 5, 1916. Serial No. 101,708.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY P. J. EARN- SHAW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Compressed-Air Power Plants, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to what I shall for convenience term a compressed air power plant the compressed air from the storage tank constituting a part of the apparatus, being usable for any desired purpose, but generally for effecting the action of a suitable tool. In machines of this nature, the air under compression is conducted from a compressor to a storage tank. When the compressed air enters the tank its temperature is quite high. From causes familiar to those skilled in the art, the air as it passes along the tank is reduced in temperature, the reduction continuing as the air travels through the discharge duct or pipe'of the storage tank and being so low that at certain seasons it freezes the oil of an implement which the compressed air from the discharge duct operates. Various clumsy expedients have been adopted to overcome this difficulty, the one generally in vogue being the building of a fire to heat the air in the discharge duct or pipe. Besides the natural'disadvantages following this procedure there is the added danger of conflagrations. To prevent the compressed air at or in adj acence to the tool being operated "from freezing the oil or the water, I provide means preferably in constant relation with the said discharge *duct by which the air canbe heated before it reaches the tool to such an extent to prevent this-freezing. Thisparticular result can-be obtained in any desirable manner, for exam- Qpleby a heatergove'rned by the motor for ing part of thepresentspecification I have the air compressor. When said air'compressoris operated by asteam engine as is the case inthe present instance, the exhaust steam; can be utilized for heating-the air in said discharge duct or .pipeto the requisite extent, or high pressure or boiler steam can be thus utilized.

In the drawings accompanying and formshown two of the several convenient forms of embodiment of the invention which I will setforth fully in the following description.

I donot limit myself to this particular disclosure; I may depart therefrom in several particulars within the scope of the invention defined by the claim following said description.

Referring to said drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus involving my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the reheater showing a different arrangement-of piping, the pipes being sectioned on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 4. is a vertical sectional view on the line 4.4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the reheater as seen from the left in Figs. 3 and 4, the pipe connections being omitted.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow, the pipe connections being omitted.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the several views which are on different scales.

I have alluded to the fact that I show two forms of the invention. The reheater in both forms is the same, and in describing this it follows that similar characters will be used to denote corresponding parts. The principal difference between the showing of Figs. 1 and 2 and that madeby the remaining figures is in regard to the pipe connections as will hereinafter appear. and 2 illustrate a reheater which is shown in detail in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive.

Preferably, although not necessarily, the various parts of the apparatus are supported by a wheeled vehicle such as that denoted in a general way by 2. The platform or deck of the vehicle sustains a storage tank as 3 which can be supplied with compressed air by a compressor as'l, the pipe 5 presenting a convenientmeans for conducting the compressed airf'rom the compressor to the tank. The compressor may be operated by any suitable motor, for instance the compound steam engine 6 adapted to be supplied with the necessary steam in any desirable manner, for instance by the pipe 7 leading from the steam space or dome of the boiler 8 represented as carried by the rear of the ve hicl'e. It should be noted that while a steam Figs. 1

engine as shown is the motor for effecting the action of a compressor as 4, this may not in all cases be necessary. When, however,

a steam engine is utilized for this purpose,

the exhaust steam therefrom can be used to heat the air, or steam from the boiler can be utilized for this purpose. Boiler steam is, of course under high pressure while the exhaust steam is at a lower pressure, and it follows that when a boiler and steam engine are part of the equipment, either high or low pressure steam may be provided for heating the air.

Between the boiler 8 and the storage tank 3 there is disposed a water tank 9 connected in some suitable way with the water space of the boiler and which constitutes a convenient support for a reheater such as that denoted in a general way by 10 and shown 1n both Figs. 1 and 2. This reheater is the same as that illustrated in detail in Figs. 3 to 6, as I have already observed, so that it is obvious that if the reheater shown. in

the lastmentioned views be set forth in detail, this applies to the reheater 10 shown n Figs. 1 and 2. The reheater 10comprises in its construction a casing as 11, having between its ends flanges or feet as 12 adapted to be connected in some convenient rigid manner with the water tank 9. One end of the elongated casing or housing 11 is permanently closed, the other end being provided with a removable cap 13 adapted to be held in place normally by suitable means as the bolts 14. As illustrated the casing 11 receives a plpe 15 of return bend or U-form, the branches of the pipe extending through and closely fittingholes or perforations in the cap or plate 13, the bent portion of the plpe or heating member 15 being in prox-. mlty to the closed end of the housing or casmg 11. As represented there is a pipe connectlon (Figs. 1 and 2) 16 leading from the air storage tank 3, this being connected to what 18 shown as the upper branch of the heater 15, the air leaving the lower branch of said heater. In Fig. 4 the arrows 17 and 18 show the direction of flow of the air, the air after leaving the heater 15 being conductedby suitable meansto a pneumatic tool and being heated while in the heater to such an extent that the air cannot freeze any liquid that may be in the tool.

Referring now to Figs. 1* and 2, the numeral 19 denotes a pipe or duc constituting sultable exhaust carrying 1116951. 1 for the gine 6. From the pipe b tween the ends thereof, the branch pipe 20 exten there mg a valve, 21. at the junction inf the mainand branch pipes. in a steam-tight manner with thfi Casmg 11 of the reheater. There is connecte with sald casing 11 also in a steam-tight mn the branch pipe 22 which has a conneetion with the main pipe 19 back of the point of connection therewith of the branch pipe a b Thi i 20 i connected there being a valve 23 where the pipe 22 is united with the pipe 19. It will be noticed that the pipes 20 and 22 are connected with the casing 11 at longitudinally spaced points, the pipe 20 being nearer the capped end of the casing than the pipe 22. The pipe 19 at its rear is provided with upwardly and downwardly extending branches 24 and 25, the branch 24 opening into the stack 26 of the boiler, while the branch 25 opens to at m'osphere. At its rear end the pipe 19 is provided with a valve 27 through which the exhaust can be directed at will into either the branches 24 and 25. It will be clear that if the engine 6 be in operation and that if both valves 21 and 23 be open, exhaust steam from the engine will pass from the pipe 19 into the branch 20 and from the latter into the casing 11 circulating along the latter and leaving the same by the branch 22. From this the exhaust passes again into the pipe 19 and leaving the latter follows one of the branches 24 and 25, depending upon the position of the valve 27. If the exhaust steam enters the branch 24, it is afterward exhausted into the stack 26 and then to the atmosphere, whereas if it enters the branch 25, it goes directly to atmosphere. The exhaust steam entering the casing 11 effectually heats the air in the pipe 15 under ordi- 95 nary conditions. There may be cases, however, such as in extremely cold weather where high pressure steam is necessary for efiecting the desired heating of the air in the heater. For this purpose I have shown the pipe 28 extending from the water columnv connection 29 of the boiler to the permanently closed end of the casing 11, this pipe being furnished with a valve 30 to admit boiler pressure steam as desired Leading from the casing to the water space of the boiler is the pipe 31 equipped with a valve 32 which can be opened to conduct the condensates into said casing to the water space of the boiler. I i I 110 Referring now to Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive,"

it will be understood that the pipes 28 and 31 and their adjuncts are shown in Fig. 3. Rising from the casing 11 near opposite ends thereof are the pipes 33 and 34 connected by the pipe 35, the pipe 36 connected with the pipe 33 between the casing 11 and the pipe 35 being provided to conduct exhaust steam from the engine 6. At the junction of the pipe 36 with the pipe 33 is a valve 37 while in the pipe 34 is a valve 38. When it is desired to utilize the exhaust steam to heat the compressed air in the pipe 15, the valves 37 and 38 are positioned as shown in Fig. 4, the course of the exhaust steam being indicated by the arrows. With the parts in this relation the steam passing from the pipe 36 enters the pipe 33 below the valve 37 then enters and travels along the'casing 11, passing therefrom into the 130 pipe 3 1, pipe 35 and then into the upper part of the pipe 33 from which the said steam may be discharged into the atmosphere or otherwise disposed of. In said Fig. 3 arrows also show the course of the air into, from and then along the pipe or heater 15. The valve 37 can be moved to the dotted line position in Fig. 4 to divert the exhaust away from the casing 11 and into the upper part of the pipe 33. In this latter case the valve 38 will be closed as also shown by dotted lines in said Fig. 4. In the pipe 35 is a check valve 39 which opens toward the left in Fig. &. In this view it is shown as Occupying its open position by full lines and its closed position by dotted lines, being opened by the power of the exhause steam after the latter has served its function of heating the air in the pipe 15. If the valve 37 be moved to the dotted line position in said Fig. 4 and the valve 38 also closed, the steam will move the check valve 39 to closed position and thus prevent the steam from entering the casing 11. It may be in the latter case that the valve 30 will be opened so as to supply boiler pressure steam into the casing 11, and in this particular condition exhaust steam may not be utilized. As a matter of fact there may be cases such as in excessively warm weather or even moderately warm or in indoor work that it may not be necessary to have recourse to the steam.

When the engine 6 is in operation, it will be clear that it operates the compressor 4, and the latter in turn supplies compressed air to the tank 3 which passing therefrom by way of the pipe 16 enters the upper branch of the return bend pipe 15 and leaves the lower branch thereof as already noted,

being conducted by suitable piping or other wise to a proper tool or conveniently utilized for the intended purpose. If necessary the air in the pipe 15 can be heated by steam in either of the ways already set forth. 'As will be obvious I do not restrict myself to the heating of the air in this particular manner, for the purpose can be accomplished with equal advantage in other fashions.

It will be apparent that the return bend pipe 15 which I have described as a heater is actually such, or at least a part of a reheater. In the present case it constitutes also a part of the discharge piping for the compressed air of the storage tank.

What I claim is:

In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a compressed air storage tank and a discharge pipe therefor, said discharge pipe having a return bend, a casing receiving said return bend, a steam boiler, an engine operated by the steam. from the boiler, an air compressor for supplying compressed air to said tank and operated by said steam engine, a pipe extending from said casing at one end thereof and having a valve, a second pipe extending from the easing near the opposite end thereof and also having a valve, a connecting pipe uniting the other pipes at a point outward beyond the valves therein and having a check valve, and a pipe for conducting exhaust steam from the engine to the first mentioned pipe at the point where the valve is located there- 1n.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY P. J. EARNSI-IAW.

l/Vitnesses L. L. MARKEL, HEATH SUTI-IERLAND.

Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Baton, Washington, I). 0.

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