US1602232A - Water circulator for boilers - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 5 1926.

S. J. LUPTON El AL WATER CIRCULATOR FOR BOILERS Filed Feb. 16, 1926.

INVENTORS 5AMu/ .J LuPraM QMM 1 A TTORNE Y.

' dinal section of the forward portion of a SAMUEL J. L'UP'ION AND FRANCIS E. COLLINSON, OF WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA.

WATER "ornonnaron ron BOILERS.

Application filed Feb uar is, 192 Serial No. 88,694.

Our invention relates to locomotive boilers and has particular reference to apparatus for IIItIOClHOIIID feed water thereto whlch will improve the circulation within the boiler.

In boilers of the locomotive type in which the portion of the boiler outside the fire box comprises a cylindrical shell substantially filled below the water line witha plurality of horizontal fire tubes, the water circulation in the lower portion of the boiler and at the forward end is notoriously sluggish. This condition is due to the fact that the lowermost rowsof tubes transmit a relatively small amount of heat to the water in the boiler, and also to the presence of a considerable layer of water below the level of the lowermost tubes, to which insufficient heat is transmitted to cause it to rise and mingle with the rest of the water in the boiler. r

The existence of this comparatively stagnant body of Water in the bottom of the boiler materially'reduces the steaming capacity of the boiler below that which can be secured with an efficient circulation of water throughout the boiler, and the principal object of the present invention is toimprove the boiler circulation and thereby increase the evaporating capacity and efficiency of the boiler. Further andmore detailed objects of, the invention and the manner of their accomplishment will appear more fully in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fr agmentary longitulocomotive boiler to which our invention has been applied, certain parts being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 1s a transversesection of the boiler taken on the line 22 of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a fragmentary section on an enlarged scale, taken along the line 33 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the main. boiler shell is indicated at 1, with the for ward end of the boiler being formed by the usual flue sheet 2, to which are suitably secured the fire tubes 3 and the large fines 4, the latter being adapted to receive superheater units (not shown). A cylindrical sheet 5, attached to the forward end of the main boiler shell, forms the usual boiler smoke box.

In boilers of this description, the feed water, which may or may not be-preheated, is delivered either by means ofa feed pump or an unectorthrough afeed pipe 6, usually entering the boiler at substantially its horizontal mid-section. As may readily be .seen from an inspection of Figure 2, feed water fetl to the boiler in this manner, whether it be cold or preheated, hassubstantially no effect upon the water circulation (or lack of 1t) in the bottom of theboiler, and by our present invention we propose to utilize the feed water, which, in locomotive service is being substantially continuously supplied to the boiler, to promote a better circulation therein.

In order to accomplish thisobject the usual boiler feed pipe 6 is brought forward of the flue sheet of the, boiler, through the smolrebor: sheet 5, and is extended by means of a p pe 7 to connect with .a fitting 8 which provldes a passage'for the feed water to the boiler. The fitting 8 'is centrally of the boiler an opening 9 at the lowest point of line t ara preferably located to extend through sheet 2, the pipe? being curved to substantially conform to the periphery of the sheet 5 in order to leave the locomotive smoke box unobstructed for access to the flue sheet. A second curved pipe 10, substantially conforming to the periphery of the smoke box wall, connects an opening 11 in the flue sheet 2 immediately below the normal water level of the boiler, with the fitting 8.. i

The fitting 8, as illustrated in Fig. 3,, comprises a T shaped member, preferably an integral casting, forming an outer nozzle 12, and. aninner nozzle 13, located concentrically within the outer nozzle 12, ancllter minating ata point within the latter. The flanged end '14:, of the fitting forms apas sage at right angles to the nozzle 12 and con T nected therewith, while the oppositely disposed end15 of the'ifitting forms an inlet passage for the n'oz'zle113 and the nozzle end of the fitting 8 is provided with an external flange 16, by which the fitting is suitably t m d-t e flue shee yfls by- Studs 17. A tight joint is secured between the flue sheet and the fitting by means of a suitable paclc ing ring 18. The end 15 of fitting 8 is suitably connected to the pipe 7 and the pipe 10 is connected to the end 14 of the fitting.

The operation and advantages of the device will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and may be briefly summarized as follows: Feed water entering the boiler through the nozzle 13 produces an ejecting action within the nozzle 12 which results in drawing hot water from the upper portion of the boiler downwardly through the pipe 10 to be mingled with the incoming teed water and forced into the boiler rearwardly along the bottom of the boiler shell. This action obviously results in an improved circulation. by replacing comparatively cool water in the boiler with heated water taken Tom the upper portion of the boiler. The comparatively hot water, centrally introduced into the front end of the bottom of the boiler, tends to rise, thereby setting up a circulation, as this risingcolumn ofwater is replaced not only by the incoming feed water mingled with'more hot water from pipe 10 but also by water which tends to flow downwardly from the lower side portions of the boiler.

Furthermore, scaling conditions within the boiler are. improved by the application of this apparatus. Feed water, even when preheatechis not brought to a temperature which will precipitate most of the solids therein, such precipitation usually occurring at. or near the point of entry of the feed water into the boiler. With the usual location of feed water inlet-that is, near the upper part of the tube bank at the forward end of the boiler-the incoming feed water has precipitated from it quantities 0tv scaleforming matterjwhich adheres, and forms a hard scale deposit on the upper rows of fire tubes near their forward end. This scale formsan obstruction to the forward circulation of water along the top of theboiler and materially reduces the effective eVapo: rating capacity of the, forward portion of the tubes. With the arrangement presented by our invention, this undesirable condition is eliminated and the. feed Water is injected into the boiler at a point where the. deposit of scale-forming matter will least ailect the steaming properties of the boiler. Furthermore, impurities deposited on the bottom sheet of the boiler, which is comparatively cool, remain in the form of a soft sludge, instead of baking into a hard scale, and may be readily removed by proper blowoii' apparatus.

In addition, the mixing of the. feed water with water at boiler temperature materially raises the temperature of the water en tering the boiler and this, together with the circulation which is set up by the incoming stream, assists in equalizing the water temperature throughout the boiler and thereby materially reduces the strains in the latter set up by the existence of unequal temperatures.

What we claim is:

1. In a locomotive, the combination with a firetube boiler; of a conduit leading from a point belowv and adjacent the normal boiler water level and terminating in a rearwardly directed opening adjacent the bottom of the forward end of the boiler, and, a feed water supply pipe terminating within said conduit in a discharge end directed toward the lower end of said conduit.

In a locomotive, the combination with a horizontal firetube boiler having a i orward tube sheet; of a conduit connecting an opening in said sheet below and adjacent the normal boiler water level with an-opening adjacent thebottom of said sheet, and a feed water supply pipe terminating within said conduit in a discharge end directed toward thelower end of said conduit.

3. In a locomotive, the combination with boiler having a plurality ,of horizontal firetubes connectedto a forward tube sheet, and a SIHOkQbOX extending forwardly of said sheet; of a conduit connecting an opening in said sheet below and adjacent the normal boiler water level with an opening in said sheet below the lowermost of said tubes, said conduit lying adjacent the periphery of said smokebox, and a feed water supply pipe passing through said smokebox wall and terminating within said conduit in a discharge end directed toward the lower end of said conduit.

l." Ina locomotive, the combination with a boiler comprising a forwardtube sheet, a plurality of horizontal fire tubes connected thereto, said sheet having an opening located adjacent the periphery thereof above said tubes and below the normal boiler water level, and a second opening located centrally below said tubes, of a fitting attached to said flue sheet and comprising an outer noz-- zle extending rearwardly through said sec- 0nd opening, and a rearwardly directed inner nozzle terminating within the outer nozzle and spaced therefrom;a pipe connecting said first named'opening with the outer nozzle, said pipe lying substantially at the cir-= curnlf'erence of said sheet, and a feed water supply pipe connected to the inner nozzle.

SAMUEL J. LUPTQN. FRANCIS n. G'OLLINSON.

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