US644668A - Means for attemperating and purifying air. - Google Patents

Description

No. 644,668. Patented Mar. 6, I900. J. F. DORNFELD.

MEANS FOR ATTEMPERATING AND PURIFYING AIR.

(Application filed Jan. 6, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

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Patented Mar. 6, :900. .1. F. DORNFELD.

MEANS FOR ATTEMPERATING AND PURIFYING AIR.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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No. 644,668. Patented Mar. 6, I900 J. F. DOBNFELD.

MEANS FOR ATTEMPERATING AND PURIFYING AIR.

' (Application filed Jan. 6, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

NITED STATES PATENT Fries.

JOHN F. DORNFELD, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,668, dated March 6, 1900.

Application filed January 6, 1899. fierial No. 701,307. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. DORNFELD, of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means for Attemperating and Purifying Air for Ventilation, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide improved means for attemperating air and freeing it from dust and foreign substances.

Attemperated and purified air is desirable in many of the arts and in all buildings in which people live or are employed but as my improved devices are arranged and designed. with special reference to their use in purifying air for maltingI have shown them in connection with a building in sectional outline, in which malting can be carried on to illustrate one purpose and method of use of the invention.

The invention consists of the apparatuses and their parts and combinations, as herein described and claimed, or the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a building in which my improved devices are located and are shown in section. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line 7 7 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4is an elevation of one of the attempera tors. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the attemperator shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of a fragmant of the attemperator shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a section of an enlarged fragment of the attemperator. Fig. 8 is afragment of the attemperator enlarged, showing features of the construction of the attemperator.

In the drawings, A is a building adapted for the use ,of my improved apparatus, and my invention is shown in connection therewith. The building shown in the drawings has two stories, one above the other; but this is not essential to the invention, as it could as well be employed in a building having only one story or in a building having more than two stories. The devices shown at B O D are merely incidental to a desirable employment orpurpose of myimproved devices and are not necessarily involved therewith.

For providing suitable passages for supplying the properly-treated air to the building a flue 14, preferably opening at the top of the building to the outer air, leads into a laterally-extending distributing-chamber 15, and a passage 16 leads thereform neer the floor through a partition into an adjoining chamber 17, and from the chamber 17 the air passes through the passage 18 in the floor into the chamber 19, thence through a passage 20 in the wall near the floor into a chamber 21, and thence into a channel 22, from which it is led by pipes 23. From thence it may pass to the drums O and through the exhaust-pipes into the exhaust-channels, thence through the exhaust-flues,and thence to the outer air through the discharge-fines 27. In these fines may be located exhaust-fans 28, that can be driven conveniently by being belted to shafts 29.

As an initial means of heating or cooling the air that is thereafter to be used for ventilat'ing I provide a pipe-coil 31, located in the chamber 17, which coil receives its supply of exhaust-steam or of cold air from arefrigcrating-machine through a pipe 32, leading thereto from the source of exhaust steam supply or from a source of cold-air supply, with either of which it can be supplied by proper stop-cock connections. WVhen, as in cool weather, exhaust-steam is employed for warming the air, the steam after passing through the coil 31 is discharged through the pipe 33, while the water of condensation is led away from the coil through the pipe 34 to the primary division 35' of the water-tank 35, located in the basement of the building. To compel the air passing from the chamber 15 into the chamber 17 to come in close contact with the coils 31, these coils are located near to the wall of the chamber 17 opposite to and above the passage 16, and a wall 36, extending from the floor of the chamber 17 up wardly near the coils 31 on the inside of the room, extends nearly to the top of the room throughout the length of it, thus compelling the air that comes through the passage 16 to come in contact with or close to the coils 31 in its passage into the main portion of the chamber 17 over the top of the wall 36. As

it sometimes occurs in exceedingly cold weather that it is necessary to still further heat the air in the chamber 17, I provide another set of pipe-coils 37 in the chamber 17, which are adapted to be supplied with live steam by a pipe leading to the upper portion thereof from any suitable source of supply. A discharge-pipe 38, leading from this coil 37 to the primary division 35 of the tank, is adapted to discharge steam or the water of condensation into that tank. It is only in excessively-cold weather or in cases of emergency that the coils 37, supplied with live steam, will be needed.

For the purpose of removing all dust and foreign matter from the air and for saturating it with water and also for further changing or regulating the temperature of the air I employ two sets of devices, one set being located in the chamber 19 and the other set in the adjoining chamber 21. When more than one story is to be supplied with purified air, the rooms and attemperating devices are substantially duplicated, as in the chambers 19 and 21. In the chamber 19 a box-like structure or tunnel 39 is constructed, extending nearly from one end to the other of the room at and near its floor in front of and inclosing the passage 20 through the wall of the room into the chamber 21. The top of this box or tunnel 39 is provided with a number of apertures in its top wall, over which are placed a corresponding number of attemperating devices t0. These attemperating devices are conveniently and preferably constructed of a fabric-like material 4E1, formed of transverse metal rods 42, heldin place by being woven in the manner of a weft into a warp formed of metal strips 43 in sufiicient numbers to hold the rods or weft in place. This fabric is set on edge in circular form above and about the aperture 45 through the top of the box 39 and is secured in place by flanged bands 416 at the top and bottom, to which bands the fabric is held on the outside by encircling adjustable hoops -17 t7. I preferably employ a plurality of walls of this metal-like fabric, as shown in Fig. 10, the rods of'each wall of the fabric being arranged to alternate with the spaces of the adjoining wall or sheet of fabric. A removable cover 18 closes the top of the attemperating device. A pipe -l=9, leading from the primary tank 35 through a pump 50, Figs. 5 and G, into the chamber 19, alongside of the box 39, is provided with a terminal nozzle or nozzles 50, adapted to spray water into the attemperators 10 and upon the rods or walls thereof. The air in its passage from the chamber 19 into the chamber 21 is compelled to pass through these cage-like attemperators 40, and the dust and foreign matter in the air by the movement of the air through the walls of the attemperators will be brought in contact therewith, and most or all of the dust and foreign matter therein will be caught by and will adhere to the walls of the attemperators, which are kept constantly wet with the water sprayed thereon from the nozzles 50' 50. These devices 40 are the initial and preominently filtering devices through which the air passes, and the air in passing through these devices is largely or wholly deprived of foreign matter therein. The circular cagelike construction of the attemperator is desirable for that with one or two atomizers or nozzles'a large surface of metal can be covered with water and any one of the hoods or cages can be removed without interfering with the operation of the others and can be rolled about on the floor while being cleaned; but for further filtering the air, and especially for more thoroughly and completely saturating it with moisture and unifying the temperature, another device, which it is convenient to call a secondary attemperator, consists of a boxlike structure having an open top constructed in the chamber 21, extending nearly from one end thereof to the other along, opposite to, and at the rear of the passage 20, there being a raised or second bottom 52 in the box just above the top of the passage 20,which bottomis perforated or preferably made of aseries of slats with alternate spaces, through which (located in the basement of the building) through a pump 55 into the chamber 21 above the attemperating device 51 and is there provided with a series of orifices, from which water is discharged in spray that falls on the coke or similar material in the attemperatingbox below. This device being thus provided with an abundance of water percolating through it is adapted to quite completely saturate the air with moisture as it passes through this attemperating device, and. this device is therefore essentially an air-saturating apparatus. It, however, as well as the apparatus 40, has its function as-a filter and also as a regulator or adjuster of the temperature of the air. The capability of these devices to change the temperature of the air depends on and is accomplished by the temperature of the Water supplied from the tanks, which can be changed or regulated by means hereindescribed. Drip-pipes 56 lead from the floor of the chamber 19 to the tank 35, and drip-pipes 57 lead from the floor of the attemperator 51 to the tank 54. Corresponding drip-pipes lead from the chambers 19' and 21, where such chambers are employed, the apparatuses in these chambers being substantially the duplicates of those in chambers 19 and 21. A coke filtering and attemperating apparatus substantially like the one shown and described-as being located in chamber 21 is a very inexpensive and satisfactory apparatus for saturating the air with moisture; but as it is very difficult or laborious to clean it it is not welladapted for a filter for removing dust and foreign matter from the air where the air, as in the vicinity of large cities, is heavily loaded with soot, dust, and other foreign matter, and for this purpose the initial apparatuses 40 are much more desirable in that they are adapted very satisfactorily to remove foreign matter from the air, while they can be taken apart and cleaned with much less labor and trouble than the less expensive and more bulky coke devices of the chamber 21.

The tank 54 is supplied directly with the comparatively-fresh Water that is discharged from the attemperators 51 in the chamber 21, and is also supplied with fresh water through the pipe 58 from any suitable source of supply, as from city waterworks or a well. The comparatively-fresh water in the tank 54 overflows at 59 into the primary division 35' of the tank 35. The tank 35 is provided with a surface dam 60 across the tank, extending from above the water-line down nearly to the bottom of the tank, whereby any foreign matter in the principal part of the tank 35 that floats on the water is prevented from entering the primary division 35' of the tank. The excess water in the tank 35 is discharged by overflow, carrying foreign floating matter with it through the pipe 61 into a sewer or other relieving locality. The Water in the tank 35, and especially in the primary division 35 thereof, is heated by the discharge of the water from the coils 31 into it and may be heated to a considerable extent, if desired, by discharging live steam into it through the pipe 38 from the coils 37. In northern latitudes, where cool weather prevails during a larger portion of the year, exhaust-steam is employed a large portion of the time in the coils 81 for warming the air and incidentally the water in tank 35 that is to be supplied to the germinating grain in the drum 0; but during the summer, in which warm weather prevails, it is necessary to cool the outside air that is to be supplied to the drums C, and for this purpose cold Water, either naturally cold or excessively cold by running it through a refrigerator, may be supplied to the coils 31 by merely connecting the supply pipe through suitable cooks therefor to the coldwater supply. The method of connecting these coils up to the steam-supply or to the cold-water source is not shown, because this is a matter of simple mechanical construction and forms no part of my invention.

It is obvious that two distinct operations are performed-one for heating and one for cooling the air to a desired normal temperatureand that the otherwise Wasted heat or energy is utilized to its entire capacity. While in the winter the cold air is first warmed by exhaust-steam and the condensation of such steam is used for heating the water in the water-tank 35, which water is pumped up into the metal attemperator hoods or cages, where the superheated incoming air comes in thorough contact with the remaining heat transmitted to the metal bars or held in suspense by sprayed water in the air, thus utilizing every unit of heat by the employment of such steam and water system with metal attemperators, which, if done in coils only, would have to be massive, becoming bulky and impractical. The slightly-warmed air passing through hood-attemperators coming in contact with the hot water will cause a mist or fog, which is undesirable; but the foggy air leaving the hoods passes through the coke attemperator, which is supplied with and saturated by water of normal temperature from the water-tank 54, and the air is purifled of such fog by its condensation in passing through the cooler atmosphere, thereby unifying the temperature.

The water-tank 54 is always supplied with fresh and almost temperate water, and an equivalent overflows into the tank 35, which is the only supply for the tank 35, and an equal amount overflows into the sewer 61, save the portion which evaporates and is taken up by the air. Therefore and as in warm or hot weather the water of the hoodattemperator system in tank 35 is warmed by the immediate contact of the warm or hot incoming air and its supply from the tank 54 is of water somewhat heated in the coke-attemperator system it is too warm to cool the air in the passage through the hood-attemperator to the required temperature, but is sufficient to lower the temperature of the warm air to a considerable extent. The thus partly-cooled air passes through the coke-attemperator, which is supplied and saturated with fresh water from the tank 54, where it is lowered to the normal and required temperature of the water in said tank.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In air attemperating and ventilating devices, the combination with a chamber 17 through which air is introduced to a room of a building, of two sets of heat-radiating devices located at a distance apart, and an interposed and separating partial wall so disposed as to compel air passing through the chamber to pass first overone set of the heat: radiating devices and then over the other set of heat-radiating devices, and air-filterin g devices 40 located in the passage for the air in its course after passing the heat-radiating devices in the chamber 17.

2. In aventilating system, the combination with a building having air-induction chambers, of an air-attemperating apparatus or filter consisting of an open or screen-like cage and means for spraying water on the cage through which the incoming air must pass in one chamber, and a filter-like water-saturating apparatus through which incoming air must pass in an adjoining chamber.

3. An air-filtering apparatus comprising an upright cage-like structure having Walls formed of metal rods at little distances apart held in place by metal strips woven as a warp about the rods, a cover for the cage-like structure, and means for spraying water on the walls of the cage.

4. Ina ventilating system, the combination with a building having a chamber for the passage of incoming air, of steam heating-pipes located in said chamber, a water-supply tank located below the chamber and a pipe leading from the heating-pipes to the tank adapted to discharge the water of condensation into the tank, and air-filtering devices as 40 located in the passage for the air in its course after passing the heat-radiating devices in the chamber having the heating devices therein.

5. In a ventilating system, the combination with a building having a chamber for the passage of incoming air, of aplurality of sets of heating-pipes located in said chamber one set for exhaust-steam and one set for live steam, a water-supply tank below said chamber and pipes leading from said sets of heating-pipes to and discharging it into said tank, and airfiltering devices as 40 and 51 located in the passage for the air in its course after passing the heat-radiating devices in the chamber having the heat-radiating devices therein.

6. In a building, the combination with airfiltering apparatuses and air-saturating devices supplied with water, of a plurality of water-tanks below the filtering and saturating apparatuses,a pipe leading from said saturating apparatuses to one of said tanks, an overflow from said tank to another tank, a surface dam in said last-mentioned tank and a pipe leading from the filtering apparatus to said last-mentioned tank.

7. In a ventilating system, the combination in a building having attemperating-chambers and attemperating apparatuses therein adapted for the use of Water therewith, of a waterholding tank below said chambers, pipes for conveying water from the tank to said attemperating apparatuses, and other pipes adapted to conduct the water after it has been used in said attemperating apparatuses to and discharging it into said tank.

8. An air-filtering apparatus comprising a cage-like structure having walls composed of a plurality of series of metal rods in j uxtaposition but with spaces for the passage of air and water between them, a closed top and an open bottom, and a water-pipe leading to the cage-like structure terminating in a nozzle adapted to spray water into and upon the cagelike structure.

9. In a ventilating system, the combination with a building, of means for transmitting attem perated air through the building, an airsupply channel leading to said air-transmitting means from attemperating devices, a plurality of air-attemperating devices one at least of which devices includes coke or si1nilarfiltering material, and one at least of which said attemperating devices includes metallic screens or perforated plates, the attemperating devices being located near each other in an air-passage chamber provided with an air-' supply inlet.

10. In aventilating system, the combination in a building, of pure-air-usin g compartments communicating with a channel or flue of an air-outlet and a channel or flue of an airsupply connected to and leading from an air-attemperating room or rooms communicating by a passage or passages to an inlet, the passage or passages provided or obstructed by wire screen or perforated sheet metal and coke or similar material, and means for spraying water on the attemperating materials as the air passes through the perforations and crevices.

11. In aventilatingsystem, the combination ina building, of pure-air-employing compartments communicating with an air-exhaust channel or fine and an air-supply channel or flue connected to and leading from an attem-' perator room or rooms, air-passages obstructed in one or more departments with coke or similar material and in one or more other com municating departments with wire screen or perforated sheet-metal plates, and an airinlet, and means for spraying water on the perforated metal and coke as the air passes through the openings and crevices.

12. In a ventilatingsystem, the combination in a building, of pure-air-employing compartments communicating with a channel or flue of an air-outlet and a channel or flue of an air-supply connected to and leading from an air-attemperating room or rooms, air-passages leading from an air-inlet said passage or passages provided or obstructed with Wire screen or perforated sheet metal and coke or similar material, and means for spraying water of diiferent temperatures on the metal and coke attemperators.

13. In a ventilating system, the combination in a building, of pure-air-employing compartments communicating with a channel or flue of an air-outlet and a channel or flue of an air-supply connected to and leading from an air-attemperating room or rooms communicating by a passage or passages to an inlet, the passage of the attemperating-rooms being respectively provided and obstructed by wire screen or perforated sheet metal in one department and by coke or similar material in another communicating department, and means for spraying water on the attemperating materials in the several departments at difierent temperatures.

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

JOHN F. DORNFELD.

Witnesses O. T. BENEDICT, ANNA V. FAUST.

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