US1349571A - Water-heater - Google Patents

Description

N. HUBBARD.

WATER HEATER.

APPLlcAloN FILEDJUNE30.1917.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

MMMNMMM N. HUBBHD. WATERVHEATER. APPLICATION FILED IUNE 30. |917.

I,349,571`. Patented Augn 17, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

:mum/bici MMM La lt/ l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NORMAN HUBBARD, 0F ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIi'-NOR 0F ONE-HALF TO PEREZ M. STEWART, OF NEW YCRK, N. Y.

WATER-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN HUBBARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, county of Union, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVater-Heaters, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates 'in general to water heaters, that is to say, apparatus for raising-the temperature of water, whether for the purpose of simple heating or for the generation of steam. More specifically, the invention concerns water heaters of the type in which a gas flame is employed as the heating medium.

Apparatus of this class may be employed for example to produce hot water for ordinary household purposes, or for producinlg hot Water for use in heating systems. t will, however, be understood that the apparatus itself which forms the subject matter of the present invention, might, if desired,

be employed for heating other liquids. Among the objects of the lnvention, I may mention the pur ose to provide a water heater of high e ciency and of simple design or construction. ther objects are for rexample to produce a water heater of convenient size and form forhousehold u se and one which can be readily connected with the gas and water supply systems already present. The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure `1 is a central vertical section throu h a water heating unit, constructed accor ing to my invention,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof taken on the line II--II of Fig. 1, and

Fi 3 isda similar section taken on 'the line III-III of Fig. 1.

The embodiment herein shown is designed so as to be readily connected with the gas and water pipes, involving but one gas 1nlet and single water inlet and outlet connections. As clearly shown inF ig. 1,--the apparatus is grouped within a cylindrical housing -10 of, for example, metal tubing or sheet metal, lined with Suitable heat insulating material 11, as for example asbestos packing. The housing cylinder is mounted between heads 12 and 13, 'thewater inlet pipe 14 extending axially through the head 12 while the water outlet pipe 15 extends axially out through the head'13. It will be understood that the unit comprises a water system and a gas system so associated that during passage oi the water through the un1t, it is exposed to the high temperature of burning gas, the low temperature water entering through pipe 14 and the heated water passing out through the pipe 1 5. The water system comprises, in addition to the inlet and outlet pipes 14 and 15, lower and upper headers 16 and 17 with which the pipes 14 and 15 are suitably connected and between which are disposed in the present instance, three Water tubes 18 of for example, drawn sheet metal. Concentrically disposed within each of the tubes 18 is a fire tube 19, which extends across the water space in each header for the purpose of maintaining the water within each of the tubes 18 in the form of an annular body. Tube 19 in each instance is threaded at either end, one end being screwed into tapped hole in bottom of lower header 16; uponthe free end of tube 19 is screwed a bushing 20 having a conical outer surface fitting within a similarly formed orifice in the .top of upper headerl. The ends of tubes 18 are in each instance fitted into conical orifices in the top and bottom of lower and upper headers respectively.

The headers 16 and 17, together with the tubes 18 and 19, are firmly secured in their assembled position by turning the conical bushin s 20 in the proper direction, both ends 0I fire tubes 19 being threaded in the same direction, (see Fig. 1), so that the two headers are given a tendency to move in opposite directions on the fire tubes, against the resistance offered bythe engagement of the conical ends of the water tubes yin their respective seats. In this way a iirm water tight engagement of the various joints is secured.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be clearly seen that the three tubes 18 are distributed .uniformly around the main axis of the unit and that the header 16 which receives the incoming water from the single axial inlet pipe, distributes the Water to the three rising tubes from which the three bodiesl of heated water are again united in the header 17 prior to discharge through the The gas system of the unit is somewhat.

similarly subdivided from the common source so as to provide a plurality of individual gas flames or burners for the introduction of heat into the water sub-divisions. The single gas inlet is represented at the pipe 21 as connecting with an air-mixing element 22 of well known construction, from which the combustible mixture of the air and gas passes through pipe 23 into two sets of burners, each of which is sub-divided into individual burners for the respective water sub-divisions. burners receives its mixture of gas and air through the rising pipe 24 from which it is distributed through the annular burners 25 disposed above the header 16 surrounding respectively the three water tubes 18 so as to apply heat'to the outer surface of the annular column in each of said tubes. The

\ lower set'of burners likewise receive their mixture of gas and air from pipe 23 and are distributed uniformly around the main axis of the unit, one burner or outlet 26 being provided in axial position immediately beneath each of the inner tubes 19. The flames from burners 26 are directed upwardly into the inner tubes 19 where they encounter in each case a helical deflector 27 which throws the flame outwardly against the inner wall oftube 19. These helical deflectors 27 are constructed for example in the form of castings or twisted sheet metal strips which fit snugly within the tubes 19 and are provided at the top with lateral ears 28 whichjrest upon the top of the bushings 20 to maintain them in proper position with their lower ends a short distance above the bottom of the fire tubes. The deflectors not only spread the vame centrifugally outward against the inner wall of tubes 19, but they likewise prolong the travel of the fiame through the tubes and form heat conductors which transfer heat into the tubes 19 so that a highly efficient delivery of the heat units contained in the fuel is made possible.

The products of combustion from the inner and outer burners are discharged through the common outlet 29. In order to retard the exit of heated gases from the outside burners 25, a metal baffle plate or diaphragm 30 is disposed in the upper portion of the unit and extends to within a short distance of the inner wall of the cylindrical The upper set ofv housing, so that an eflicient heating chamber is maintained within the space inclosed by the housing.

With the construction above described, it will be clear that not only is the water sub-divided into a plurality of individual bodies for the reception of heat, but these individual bodies are in the form of annular columns to which the heat is applied at both the interior and exterior surfaces. The proportionate surface area to the total volume may in this way be made very great and suitable proportioning of diameters of the tubes 18 and 19, together with the proper selection of the number and length of subdivisions employed, will adapt the device to meet a wide range of requirements as to rapidity and capacity of heating.

The provision of conical seats for the connection of the tubes with the headers, while being shown in the preferred form, is to be understood as merely illustrative of a construction in which the orifices and the ends of the tubes are tapered or flared in one direction or the other, so that relative movement of the two headers toward or away from each other, as the case may be, will have the effect of bringing the adjacent surfaces of the tubes and headers into firm water-tight contact.

I claim l. A water heater comprising in com bination, a water inlet below and a water outlet above, means for sub-dividing the water on its way from inlet to outlet into a plurality of upright annular columns, means for locally producing a heating iiame within the lower portion of the space inclosed by each of said annular columns, and an annular burner surrounding the lower portion of each annular column foi` locally producing a ring of heating fiame in proximity to the outer surface thereof.

2. A water heater comprising in combination a water inlet below and a water outlet above, means for sub-dividing the water on its way from inlet to outlet into a plurality of upright annular columns, an axially disposed burner below each of said annular columns for delivering a local flame into the lower portion of the interior space inclosed by each of said annular columns of water and a circumferentially disposed annular burner at a somewhat higher elevation surrounding the lower portion of each of said annular columns of water for delivering a local ring of flame in proximity to the outer surface of each of said annular columns of water.

3. A water heater comprising in combination, horizontally disposed upper and lower t headers, upright water tubes operatively connecting the same, fire tubes passing through said water tubes and headers, an axially disposed burner below each of said re tubes for delivering a local llame into the lower portion thereof, and a circumferentially disposed annular burner above the lower header and surrounding each water tube for delivering a local upwardly directed ring of flame in proximity thereto.

4. A water heater comprising in combination an upright fire tube, means for maintaining a supply of water around said lire tube, an axially disposed burner for delivering a local upwardly directed flame into the lower portion of said fire tube, and a helical deflector disposed within said fire tube and terminating at a short distance above the lower end of the re tube.

NORMAN HUBBARD.

Images