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CA1168120A - Steam generator - Google Patents

Steam generator

Info

Publication number
CA1168120A
CA1168120A CA000375720A CA375720A CA1168120A CA 1168120 A CA1168120 A CA 1168120A CA 000375720 A CA000375720 A CA 000375720A CA 375720 A CA375720 A CA 375720A CA 1168120 A CA1168120 A CA 1168120A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
pipe
steam
steam generator
generator according
riser pipe
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000375720A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Michael A. Coulter
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
TRI-CANADA Inc
Original Assignee
TRI-CANADA Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by TRI-CANADA Inc filed Critical TRI-CANADA Inc
Priority to CA000375720A priority Critical patent/CA1168120A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1168120A publication Critical patent/CA1168120A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F22STEAM GENERATION
    • F22BMETHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; STEAM BOILERS
    • F22B5/00Steam boilers of drum type, i.e. without internal furnace or fire tubes, the boiler body being contacted externally by flue gas
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F22STEAM GENERATION
    • F22BMETHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; STEAM BOILERS
    • F22B11/00Steam boilers of combined fire-tube type and water-tube type, i.e. steam boilers of fire-tube type having auxiliary water tubes
    • F22B11/02Steam boilers of combined fire-tube type and water-tube type, i.e. steam boilers of fire-tube type having auxiliary water tubes the fire tubes being in upright arrangement

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Control Of Steam Boilers And Waste-Gas Boilers (AREA)

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure A steam generator for steam operated cooking equipment has a tubular circulating system of small depth constructed in a vertical plane, the system comprising one or two riser pipes heated by gas, electricity or steam, a cyclone separator and down pipe, an upper pipe extending from the top of each riser pipe to a tangential inlet of the separator, and a lower pipe extending from the down pipe to the bottom end of each riser pipe. Water is supplied to the lower part of the circulating system and steam is taken off from the vortex of the cyclone separator. The system does not require any large diameter pressure vessel.

Description

1~8~20 Field of the Invention This invention relates to steam generators, particularly but not exclusively steam generators-for steam operated catering equipment such as kettles, cookers and steamers~

Background of the Invention A wide range of catering equipment is available in which the heat used for cooking is provided by low pressure steam, typically at pressures of 15 p.s.i.g. or less. Such equip-ment either incorporates its own steam generator or is ~ 10 supplied by steam from a separate generator. High pressure '~ steam from steam mains generally cannot be used directly be-cause of possible toxic contaminants. In any case, the generator is a bulky piece of equipment occupying much valu-a~le space. Such generators may utilize electricity, gas or other sombustible fuels, o~ high pressure steam as a source of heat energy, and normally operate at a working pr~ssure of no more than 15 p.s~i.g. because of the much more strin-gent construction and certification procedures applicable to most pressure vessels designed to operate above that pressure.
This is a serious limitation, particularly in separate gene--~ rators, because of the pressure losses inherent in distribu-tion of the steam. The equipment to ~e supplied is on the other hand often rated for operation at pressures higher than, 15 p.s.i.g. Moreover since the steam is saturated, the maxi-mum cooking temperature which can be obtained is limited by the steam pressure. Typical examples of separate steam generators are those produced by Gaunt Steel Products of
-2- 1168~20 Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. Typical examples of cooking equipment which may lncorporate steam generators are the convection steamers series D, and steam cookers series J and K of Cleveland Range Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A., steam cookers models MF2A, JF3A, 3100 and 3500 of Market Forge of Everett/ Massachus~tts, U.S.~., the MK VI steam cooker and ZIPCOOK (Trade Mark) steamer of Ga~nt Steel Products. The steam generators o all the above cookers, whether the source of heat be gas, electricity or high-pressure steam, require housing in a substantial metal cab:inet typically 33 or 36 inches deep, with additional space required for the flue in gas fired models, the cabinet being at least 24 inches wide.
In no case is steam produced at a pressure greater than 15 p.s.i.g.
~, In relation to my invention as described below, I am aware that cyclone separators have been used for separating steam and water, for example within the drums of large drum type boilers used to generate high pressure steam for generating stations and the like. Reference may be made to Marks Stan-dard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, Eighth Edition, pages9 - 29, Fig. 41. I am not however aware that it has ever previously been proposed to use such separators as an integral part of a small steam generator in the manner which is set out below.

Sum_ar ~of the Invention The object of the present invention is to provide a steam `
generator which occupies little or no ot~erwise u~able kit-chen space, which can be constructed to operate at pressures greater than 15 p.s.i.g. without special problems, and which delivers clean steam with a high degree of efficiency.

According to the invention a steam generator comprises a vertical riser pipe, a source of thermal energy concentric with and in thermally conducting relationship with the riser pipe, a tubular cyclone separator with an upper broad end and a lower narrow end, an upper pipe extending from the top 8~2~

of the riser pipe to a tangential inlet at the broad end of the cyclone separator, and a lower pipe extending from the narrow end of the cyclone separator to the bottom of the vertical ri-ser pipe, the pipe6 and the separator completing a recircula-tion path through the generator, an inlet into the lower por-tion of the recirculation path for introducing water, and an outlet formed by a vortex finding tube extending into and co-axial with the separator at its broad end for extracting steam therefrom~ The generator will in use be associated with con-ventional means for controlling the 5upply of water to theinlet to maintain a predetermined level of water therein, ty-pically approximately at the mid height of the recirculation path, and means for controlling the supply of thermal energy to the generator to maintain a desired cooking pressure in the generator. The source of thermal energy may be a gas bur-ner with a water jacketed flue surrounding the riser pipe, or a steam coil or electrical immersion heater extending verti-; cally within the riser pipe, or any other means of transmitting energy thereto at a desired rate.

The arrangement set forth above has a number of potential ad-vantages. All the pressurized components of the generator may be tubular in construction, and a generator of capacity suffi-cient for supplying cooking equipment need use no tube of more than about 6 inches in diameter. Thi5 means that not only can the generator be accommodated within a space having a maximum depth of little more than 6 inches, but also that compliance with the stringent specifications enforced in respect of pressure vessels having a larger diameter and operating at pressures greater than one atmosphere are not applicable. The small depth of the generator means that it may be accommodated either behind cooking apparatus in the space previously allo-wed for a steam generator flue, or in a narrow space alongside the apparatus. The cyclone separator efficiently separates the steam generated from the water and sludge circulating in the apparatus, and allows heat to be supplied at a very high rate to the riser pipe since the foaming that occurs there due to very rapid boiling of the water is not only admissable but desirable. Increased steam raising capacity can readily be -4~ g~2~

obtained wi~hout increasing the depth of the apparatus by pro-viding a second set of riser, upper and lower tubes on the opposite side of the separator to the first set and coplanar therewith.

Further features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention.

Short Description of the Drawings In the drawings:
.:;
~ 10 Figure 1 is an elevational view of a steam generator in accor .`- dance with the invention, partially cut away and with the ~ associated control and external pipework omitted for the sake ; of clarity;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the generator of Figure l; and Figure 3 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of generator.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a steam generator has a tubular vertical riser pipe 2. In the embodiment shown, which is a gas fired steam generator, the riser pipe has external fins 4 and is housed in a stack pipe 6 above a gas burner unit comprising i a burner 8, an igniter 10, and a fan 12. The stack pipe 6 is cooled by a water jacket 16 which acts as a feed water heater as described further below. A flue (not shown) i5 connected to the top of the stack pipe, and since the burner unit is constructed and controlled in a conventional manner further description of its construction and control system is not thought necessary. In an electrically or steam energized generatorV the burner, stack pipe and fins are eliminated in favour of a steam coil or electrically heated immersion ele-ment within a riser pipe of somewhat enlarged diameter.

At its upper end, the riser pipe discharges through an elbow 18into a horizontal uppex pipe 20 coaxial with the outlet of el-bow 18, but not connected to it. Instead the pipe 20 is con-nected to the water jacket 16 al~d the elbow 18 to the stack pipe 6. The upper pipe 20 is shaped at its distal end to form a tangential entry 22 into a vertical tubular cylindrical housing 24 of a ~yclone separator 26 having a broad upper end 28 and a tapered section 30 providing a narrow lower end con-nected to a down pipe 32 forming part of a lower tube 34 which discharges into an elbow 40 through an elbow 38 and a horizon-tal lower pipe 36. The elbow 40 is coaxial with the outlet of the horizontal lower pipe 36, but is not connected to it. In-stead it is connected to the stack 6j whilst the lower pipe 36 is connected to the jacket 16. ~ water inlet connection 42 is made to the water jacket 16, and a steam outlet connection 46 is made to a vortex finding tube 48 which enters the broad end 28 of the cyclone separator on its axis.

A level sensor unit 50 has connections 52, in communication with steam outlet connection 46, and 54 in connection with the water inlet connection 42, and includes level sensors 56, positioned to sense water levels above and below a datum approximately mid height in the circulation path, and a sender unit 58.

In use, water is supplied to the generakor from a source at a pressure greater than the operating pressure of the gene-rator. Water initially entexsthe water jacket 16 via connec-tion 42, fills the jacket, and because of the space between elbow 40 and horizontal lower pipe 36, fills the lower portions of the riser tube 2 and the cyclone housing 24, until it reaches a working level sensed by one of the sensors 56 which causes the sender unit 58 to provide a signal permitting start up of the burner unit. As the hot gases from the burner unit pass up the stack pipe 6 they transfer their ther-mal energy to the water within the riser pipe 2 via the fins 4 and the pipe walls. The water within the pipe is thus caused to boil, and because of the narrowness of the pipe, a mixture of steam and water is forced up the pipe 2, and into the upper horizontal pipe 20. Incidental steam generated in the waker jacket 16 passes to the upper horizontal pipe 20 Yia the space between it and the upper eIbow 18. The steam and water pass from the pipe 20 into the separator 26 in which the water and any sludge or solid impurities are thrown against the wall of the housing 24 by centrifugal force and flow vertically towards the lower end of the separator, whence they recirculate through ,the horizontal lower pipe 36 to the riser pipe 2. Steam (and initially any aix trapped in the system) collects in the vor-tex and is withdrawn through a pipe connected to the outlet connection 46, also being applied to the sensor unit 50. This unit allows the water level in the circulating system formed by the various pipes to be sensed without interference from the circulation. The steam pressure at the outlet connection 46 is monitored and utilized in conventional manner to control the gas burner so that the desired working pressure is main-tained, whilst the water level is monitored by the sensor unit 50, the output of whose sender unit is utilized to maintain the water level so as to permit efficient operation of both the riser pipe 2 and the separator 26. It will of course be `-understood that p~essure safety valves and other conventional safety devices (not shown) are provided.
;
; In a typical unit, the housing 24 has a diarneter of about 5 inches, and the water jacket 16 has a diameter of about 6 in-- 25 ches. Since all of the components can be assembled in a single vertical plane, the unit can readily be accommodated in a ~space of about 8 inches depth such as is commonly necessary - ~behind gas fired steam operating cooking appliances to pro-vide room for a flue. Alternatively, it may be accommodated in an 8 inch wide space to either side of a cooking unit which it supplie~. The relatively small diameter of the tubular pressure-bearing components enables operation, if desired, at gauge pressures higher than one atmosphere in a much more cheaply constructed and certified unit than would be the case with conventional steam generators. The action of the sepa-rator removes excess moisture and solid impurities from the steam, and the rapid circulation within the unit help prevent build up of scale. Acc~nulated sludye is readily expelled 6812~

through the water inlet 42 by conventional blowdown techniques.
The unit can respond rapidly to changes in steam demand and thus efficiency is high.

A further increase in steam raising capacity without any in-crease in the depth of the unit can be achieved as shown in Figure 3, by providing risex t~es 2, with their associated stack pipes 6 and burners (not shown) on either side of the cyclone separator 26. The upper tubes 20 have individual connections to the separator, whilst the lower tubes share a common tee whi~h replaces the elbow 38.

' - ~

, :

Claims (11)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A steam generator comprising a vertical riser pipe, a source of thermal energy concentric with and in thermally conducting relationship with the riser pipe, a tubular cyclone separator with an upper broad end and lower narrow end, an upper pipe extending from the top of the riser pipe to a tan-gential inlet at the broad end of the cyclone separator, and a lower pipe extending from the narrow end of the cyclone separator to the bottom of the vertical riser pipe, the pipes and the separator completing a recirculation path through the generator, an inlet into the lower portion of the recircula-tion path for introducing water, and an outlet formed by a vortex finding tube extending into and coaxial with the sepa-rator at its broad end for extracting steam therefrom.
2. A steam generator according to Claim 1, wherein the source of energy comprises a burner, and a stack pipe extending from the burner concentrically with the riser pipe.
3. A steam generator according to Claim 2, wherein a water jacket surrounds the stack pipe, the jacket having a water inlet and a water outlet which forms the inlet to the recircu-lation path.
4. A steam generator according to Claim 3, wherein the inlet to the recirculation path is a gap between the lower pipe and the riser pipe at a point where the recirculation path passes through the water jacket.
5. A steam generator according to Claim 4, wherein a steam outlet from the water jacket is formed by a gap between the top of the riser pipe and the entrance of the upper pipe.
6. A steam generator according to Claim 1, wherein the source of energy is a heating element in the riser pipe, operable by the passage of a medium selected from high pressure steam and electricity.
7. A steam generator according to Claim 1, 2 or 6, comprising level control means in communication with the water inlet and the steam outlet and operative to maintain water within the system at approximately the mid height of the recirculation path.
8. A steam generator according to Claim 1, 2 or 6, wherein none of the tubular components has a diameter greater than about 6 inches.
9. A steam generator according to Claim 1, 2 or 6, wherein the components are arranged in a common vertical plane.
10. A steam generator according to Claim 1, comprising a second riser pipe and source of thermal energy disposed paral-lel to and in the same plane as the cyclone separator and the first riser pipe and source of thermal energy, second upper and lower pipes, and a down pipe from the separator common to the lower pipes.
11. A steam operated cooking appliance having side and rear surfaces in combination with a steam generator according to Claim 1 or 10, mounted in a vertical plane adjacent one of said side and rear surfaces.
CA000375720A 1981-04-16 1981-04-16 Steam generator Expired CA1168120A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000375720A CA1168120A (en) 1981-04-16 1981-04-16 Steam generator

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000375720A CA1168120A (en) 1981-04-16 1981-04-16 Steam generator

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1168120A true CA1168120A (en) 1984-05-29

Family

ID=4119762

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000375720A Expired CA1168120A (en) 1981-04-16 1981-04-16 Steam generator

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1168120A (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN118652701A (en) * 2024-08-21 2024-09-17 山东优肯诺节能科技有限公司 Method and system for preventing graphite from forming on the top of coke oven carbonization chamber and the outlet of furnace top riser

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN118652701A (en) * 2024-08-21 2024-09-17 山东优肯诺节能科技有限公司 Method and system for preventing graphite from forming on the top of coke oven carbonization chamber and the outlet of furnace top riser
CN118652701B (en) * 2024-08-21 2025-04-22 山东优肯诺节能科技有限公司 Method and system for preventing ink from being broken at top of coke oven carbonization chamber and at outlet of furnace top rising pipe

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