US1339055A - Controlling combustion in a plurality of generators - Google Patents

Description

F. H. BROWN.

CONTROLLING COMBUSTION IN A PLURALITY 0F GENERATORS.

APPLICATION FILED 0019. Ian.

1,33 9,055. Patenteyl May 4, 1920.

WITNESSES INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT orrrcn FRANCIS H. BROWN, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR '10 JOHN M, HO PWOOD, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTROLLING GOMBUS-TION'IN A PLUBALITY 0F GENERATORS.

Application filed October 9, 1917.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. BROWN, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Im-. provements in Controlling Combustion in a Plurality of Generators, of which improve ments the following is a specification.

In application Serial Number 184,261 filed August 3rd 1917, I have described and claimed. certain improvements in the regulation of the operations involved 'in' the generation of steam or other fluids such as the feed of. fuel, the supply of air for combustion, the feed of water or other liquid for the boiler or generator, and the regulation of the discharge of gases from the fire box in connection with single units or boilers.

The invention described herein relates to the regulation of the feed of fuel, supplying air for combustion to and the discharge of gases from single units of a battery of two or more boilers, such operations being controlled by and in accordance with the flow of steam along the main outlet conduit or header to which the outlet pipes of the several units are connected. The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

1n the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, is shown two units of boilers each connected to a common conduit or header in combination with appliances for regulating the operations involved in the generation of steam in said units.

In the practice of the invention, the boilers 1 of the several units which may be of any desired construction or type, are connected by pipes 2 to a common conduit or header 3, extending to an engine or other point of use. In order to control the Opera tions involved in generation of steam or other product by and in accordance with the rate of flow of such product along the conduit 3, suitable means are employed whereby the diflerence between the static pressure of the product in the pipe 3 and the static pressure as affected, positively or negatively, by the flow of the product along the pipe are utilized. A convenient construction to that end consists in contracting to a certain extent, a portion of the pipe 3, as for example, by inserting a disk, having an opening less in diameter than the inter,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May a, 1920.

Serial No. 195,624.

nal diameter of the pipe and connecting to the pipe 3 on opposite sides of the dia phragm or contracted portion a, pipes 4 and 5, connected respectively to the shell of the diaphragm motor 6 at points on opposite sides of the diaphragm therein. Suitable means are employed, such for example as that diagrammatically shown in the drawings and also described in an application filed by me August 3rd 1917, Serial Number 184,260 for transmitting the movement of a diaphragm due to differences in the rate of flow of steam along the pipe 3, to suitable regulating devices controlling directly the feed of air through the conduit 7 to the fire box and the escape of products of combustion from the fire box through the conduit 9; Generally stated, such transmitting means consists of a lever 11 operatively connected to the diaphragm of the motor and having its end connected by a turn buckle 12 to one end of a pivotally mounted frame 13 on which is pivotally mounted a bell crank lever 14. One arm of the lever 14 is connected to the rod 15 of a valve mechanism 16, connected by a pipe 17 to a source of fluid under pressure and adapted to regulate the flow of such liquid through pipes 18 and 19 to opposite ends of the cylinder 20. The other arm of the bell crank lever 14 is connected by a rod 21 to the pivotally mounted standard 22 to which is secured a shoe slidably engaging an adjustable angularly arranged rod 23. This rod is adjustably secured to a frame 24 carried by the bar 25 which is so connected by an arm 27 to the piston rod 26 of the eylinder 20 as to move up or down with the piston. When the frame 13 is shifted by the diaphragm, the valve of the mechanism 16 will be correspondingly shifted, admitting fluid pressure'to one end of the cylinder 20 and permitting the escape of fluid from the opposite end thereof; the movement of the piston in cylinder 20 will raise or lower the angularly arranged rod 18 and the movement of this rod through the shoe will rock the standard 22 and thereby so shift the bell crank lever 14 as to move the valve mechanism in a direction opposite that imparted by the frame 13 and prevents further flow of fluid under pressure to cylinder 20. Suitable means are employed for transmitting motion of the piston of the nvlirder 20 to lllitable means for controlling the flow of air under pressure to, and the discharge of gases from the fire boxes 8, such as dampers 28 in the air conduits 7 and dampers 29 in the gas conduits 9 of each of the units of the battery. In the construction shown, a cord 30 extends from one end of the piston rod 26 around suitable guide pulleys 31'and back to the opposite end of the piston rod. This cord is passed two or more times around, or otherwise operatively connected to drums 32 on the shafts of the dampers 29. By means of the described mechanism, any change of the rate of flow of steam along the main conduit will effect a change in position of the dampers 29 of all the units, thereby increasing or diminishing the rate of flow of products of combustion from the fire box 8 and also the pressure of gases in said fire box. Any variations in the flow of products of combustion from the fire box of a unit will be accompanied by a corresponding variation in the flow of air under pressure through the conduit 7 to the fire box of such unit. In the resent construction, the re lation of the ow of air is efi'ected by an in accordance with a change of pressure in the fire boxes due to the shifting of the dampers 29. While any suitable means adapted to be actuated by the pressure in the fire box, may be emploped, the mechanism shown and described in ig. 4 of Letters Patent No. 1,150,097, dated August 7th, 1915 and in application Serial Number 184,260 above referred to is preferably used. As shown in said patent and application, the fire box is connected with the interior of a tank inverted in a body of water b a conduit 34 and will be raised or lowere by variations of pressure in the fire box. Through the means of suitably interposed mechanism, the tank in its movement will shift a valve mechanism to admit pressure to one or to the other end of a fluid pressure cylinder 35 and thereby shift the piston of said cylinder which has its rod 37 connected by a cord 38 to suitable means for controlling the delivery of air under pressure to the fire boxes. While not limited to such means, the control of air under pressure through the conduits may be effected by means of dampers 28 arranged therein and having the cord 38 suitably attached to the drums on the shafts of said dampers. For regulating the feed of fuel, the lower end of the piston rod 37 is connected by a lever 40 to the valve rod 41 of a valve mechanism 42 which is adapted to control the flow of fluid under pressure from the boiler or other source of supply through pipes 43 and 4-4 to the motor of a stoking mechanism 45, which may be of any suitable type or construction.

In order to regulate the feed of water to lithe boilers, it is preferred to employ means substantially similar to that hereinbefore described for regulating the position of the dampers 29 in the gas conduits 9. Pipes 46 and 47 have one end connected to the steam outlet pipe 2 from each of the boilers and their opposite ends connected to the shell of the diaphra m motors 48 at points on opposite sides 0% the diaphragm. The movements of these diaphragms due to changes of rate of flow through pipes 2, will, through the mechanisms described and shown, cause a movement of the pistons in the cylinders 49 and through suitable interposed means properly shift the valve mechanisms 50 controlling the flow of water to the boilers. In the construction shown, the cords 51 have one end connected to the upper end of the piston rods 52 of the cylinders 29 and their opposite ends to the rods 53, employed for shifting the movable elements of the valve mechanisms 50. The other ends of these rods 53 are connected by cords 54 to the lower ends of the piston rods 52 of the cylinders 49.

It is characteristic of the improvement described herein that the operations of controlling the escape of gas from the fire box and the feed of fuel and air for combustion are controlled primarily by the rate of flow of steam along the conduit connected to all the units of the battery, but that the supply of fuel and the flow of air for combustion to the fire box is further de ndent upon changes of pressure in the re box as effected by changes of position of the dampers in the flues 9. The feed of water to each boiler is controlled by the flow of steam from said boiler.

I claim herein as my invention:

1. The method herein described which consists in regulating the flow of products of combustion from the fire boxes of a plurality of boilers by and in accordance with the rate of flow of steam along the pipe connected to said boilers and regulating the flow of air under pressure to each of said fire boxes by and in accordance with the variations in the pressure of gases in the respective fire boxes, due to changes in the rate of discharge of gases therefrom.

2. The method herein described which consists in regulating the flow of products of combustion from the fire boxes of a plurality of boilers by and in accordance with the rate of flow of steam along the pipe connected to said boilers and regulating the feed of fuel to each of said fire boxes by and in accordance with variations in the pressure of gases in the respective fire boxes due to changes in the rate of discharge of gases therefrom.

3. The method herein described which consists in regulating the flow of products of combustion from the fire boxes of a plurality of boilers by and in accordance with the rate of flow of steam along the pipe connected to said boilers and regulating the operations involved in the generation of steam, the feed of fuel, air, and of water to each of said boilers by and in accordance with conditions present in each individual boiler.

4. The method herein described which consists in regulating the flow of products of combustion from the fire boxes of a plu rality oi. boilers by and in accordance with, the rate of flow of steam along the pipe connected to the said boiler, and the feed of fuel and air to said fire boxes by and in accordance with variations in the pressure of gases in each of said fire boxes due to changes in the rate of flow of gases from said fire boxes and regulating the flow of feed of water to each of said boilers by and in accordance with the rate of flow of steam from the respective boilers.

5. The method herein described which consists in regulating the operations as the discharge of gases from the fire boxes, the feed of fuel and air under pressure to the fireboxes of a plurality of boilers by and in accordance with the rate of flow of steam through a pipe connected to all of the said boilers and regulating the feed of water to each of said boilers by and in accordance with the discharge of steam from each of said boilers.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANCIS H. BROWN.

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