US2319698A - Heating device - Google Patents

Description

May 18, 1943.

w. L MAYNE HEATING DEVICE lFiled oct. s. 195s 2 Sheets-Shget 2 l INV ENT OR. l WaLZ'erA/Iayn e.

r w .filiali ATTORNEYJ.

Patented May 18, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HEATING DEVICE Walter L. Mayne, Cincinnati, Ohio 8 Claims.

The present invention relates to heating devices and has for an object the provision of a Yoom heater which is constructed of sheet metal and in which all heating surfaces are prime heat- 'ng surfaces. Another object of the invention is to provide g heater in the nature of radiator for warm wa- -ten vapor, or steam heating systems, wherein the front of the room heater provides a source of radiant heat at all times While the remaining heating sections of the device are operative as convector heaters and only at such intervals as are necessary to supply a demand for heat.

A further object of the invention is to provide heaters of the type referred to and wherein the pressure of thermal circulation is effective at all times through the front po-rtion of the heater and wherein a pump or forced circulator operated by means under the control of a room thermostat serves to supply forced circulation through the convector portion of the heaters without the necessity for mechanical operation of valves or other mechanism.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a heater of the class described wherein a hollow front panel serves, at the same time, as a source of predominately radiant heat and a cover and closure for the heater element.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a heater of the class described which is adapted for partial or complete recessed wall mounting as well as a free-standing heating unit.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a heating unit employing media such as warm water, vapor or steam with a hollow front panel for constant radiant heat and a series of convector units concealed thereby and an orificed header tube in constant communication with said panel and convector units and so designed that thermal circulation occurs in the hollow panel and not in the convector and when forced circulation is rendered operative in the supply line, the convector units are automatically supplied with circulating heat medium in order that the room air may be heated by convection.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an encased heater embodying the invention, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a View taken on line 2--2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Application October 3, 1938, Serial No. 232,951

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an oriced tube forming a detail of theinvention.

Fig. 6 is a View taken on line 6-.6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a view taken on line 'I-'I of Fig. 5.

The present day trend in the direction of the disposition of heaters, and particularly radiators in wall recesses has become firmly established. The disposition of radiators of the old known type behind a grille or closing panel results in nearly a complete loss of the predominately radiant heat from such devices and the tendency to offset the loss in efficiency by increased area is in itself an extravagance and it furthermore contributes to the inconvenience and discomfort experienced by the lWell-known heat over-run alternated with a sense of excessive cooling which is experienced with the present day completely automatic heating systems. The present invention seeks to obviate the disadvantages just enumerated and to provide practically perfect operation under all conditions during the heating season, utilizing, for the accomplishment of this, relatively inexpensive sheetA metal Y roomheating devices and an appreciably simplified automatic heating plant. The heating devices are so constructed with a self contained supply column and adjustable supply header that they function at increased eiciency as ordinary radiators in a system which is not automatic.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly Figs. 1 and 2, the heating unit of the invention comprises a suitably constructed sheet metal casing including a top wall I5, end walls I6, rear wall I'I, and a hollow panel indicated generally as I8 and which partially closes the front of the casing. .The hollow front wall I8 is formed by a front sheet I9 and a rear sheet 2li each having, in its upper part; arectangular opening. The edges of said openings are `connected, to the edges of a1 bounding wall 2I,': thevertical `portions of which are provided withA apertures receiving the opposite ends of a plurality of spaced apart tubes 22 which form a grille for the air outlet aperture 23 which is bounded by said wall ZI. The front sheet I9 of hollow panel I8 is extended downwardly to the floor .level as Lat 24 and connects with the opposite sidewalls I6 Yof the casing. The bottom wall 25, of hollow panel I8 closes the space between sheets I9 and 20 which are otherwise closed by top wall I5 and end walls I6. From the foregoing, and as shown in Fig. l3, it will be seen that walls I9 and 2U forma top horizontal ow channel 26 above .aperture 23 and another flow channel 2'I below said aperture; The material of sheets I9 and 20 is corrugated or formed by bringing together the sheets at suitable intervals and welding them or otherwise securing them as at 28 thus forming between them a series or vertical flow tubes 29 which communicate at their tops with channel 21 and at their bottoms with still another horizontal flow channel 30.

As shown in dotted lines in l a supply column is formed integrally within the hollow panel I3 by providing an interior wall 3| which forms substantially a continuation of the lefthand vertical portion of wall 2I, this wall 3I being continued below the level of bottom wall 25 of panel I8. The back sheet 2l) of the panel is likewise continued for a distance below the bottom wall 25 and which, together with end wall I6, front wall portion 24 and the inserted wall 3l, form a closed bottom for the supply column. This projecting portion of the supply coulmn has a suitable elbow welded thereto to which a shutoff valve 32 communicating with supply pipe 10 is connected. The top of the supply column is closed by a small inserted piece 33 having a small oriiice 34 which establishes communication between the vertical supply column and the top horizontal flow channel 26. Pipes 22 provide communication between the supply column and the vertical right hand flow channel of the front hollow panel I3. A baille plate 35 extends diagonally across the said vertical flow channel and its purpose is to direct descending `fluids horizontally across ilow channel 21 so that the fluids may descend through the vertical tubes or ways 29 formed by the corrugations in the hollow panel. A return header 36 communieating with discharge pipe 12 has a piped connection 31 in the bottom wall 25 of the hollow panel. Parallel to and disposed behind the front bottom thereof surrounding which orifices the several convector units have a welded connection. Rotatably adjustable within the outer tube 4I is an inner tube 44 which has an annular series of orices 45, 45, 41 and 48 each of a different diameter and any one of which in a given series may be brought into registry with a corresponding oriiice 43 in the outer header tube 42 by rotatable adjustment of the inner tube (see Fig. 7).

.. The portions of the tubes 42 and 44 which traverse the vertical supply column have enlarged slots 43 and 59 which are so proportioned that the free ow of fluid from the supply column into l the supply header and also into the top of said panel I8 are convectcr units 38 which are welded or otherwise secured to the return header 36 and which have outlets 360 communicating with said return header. The convectcr units may be of any suitable number depending upon the size and capacity 'desired in the particular heating unit. In the present illustration the convectcr units are three in number. As can be readily seen at the right hand side of Fig. 1, the convectcr units are of .a height substantially equaling the lower continuous panel portion of the front closing panel .portion I8, i. e., they are generally similar save for the upper aperture and its 'framing 'in Vthe front panel I8. These convector units 38 each have an upper-now channel 39 corresponding 'to 'the How channel 21 of the iront panel, and a lower horizontal ow channel 40, correspondirlg to the bottom flow channel 3U of said front panel. At the left hand side of the heating unit is a horizontal supply header indicated generally at 4l andwhich is shown in enlarged detail in Fig. 5. This supply header provides constant communication between the interior of the supply column and the inside o'f said supply header and the convectcr units 33 have constant 'communication therewith. The horizontal supply header is so designed as to provide unrestricted communication between it and the supply column and to enable the selective adjustment of the header from the exterior of the heating device in order to provide selected sizes of restricted communicating orices between the respective convectcr units and said supply header. This is accomplished in the following manner. The supply header '4I is made up of an outer tube 42 which has a relatively large orifice `43 'at points along Athe supply column can never be materially restricted. TheV inner .tube 44 has an angular protruding head 5I with slots 52 and 53 crossing each other and forming indicators for the location of the lines f perforations on the inner tube. By adjusting head I angularly to dispose a selected slot, indexed as A, B, C or D to a downward vertical direction, the installer will know that he has disposed the selected row of perforations 45, 46, 41 or 48 in registry with the orices 43. The tubes comprising the horizontal supply header are Xed in the heater and held in adjusted position bymeans of lock nuts 54 and 55 together with suitable packing. Preferably the outer tube of the supply header has a washer 56 welded thereon in order to simplify the welding thereof to the hollow panel.

In the operation of the heating unit of the -invention as an ordinary radiator, i. e., when the heaters are connected in an ordinary warm water, steam, or vapor system, the adjustable supply header would be adjusted to bring the largest orifices 48 into registry with the orifices 43 so that a full flow of the heating medium would take place through 'both the hollow front panel I8 and through each of the convectcr units 3B. The thermal flow of the heating medium is as follows: The heating medium flows upward through the supply column and into the top cross now channel by way of orifice 34 of the hollow panel 'and across tc the right-hand side thereof. At the same time the heating medium flows through the several pipes or tubes 22 which span the opening 23 in the panel and this heatingV medium also empties into the right hand side 'of the hollow panel. The heating medium then descends tothe level of cross now channel 21 and it is directed in a substantially horizontal flow by the baffle 35. The heat medium then descends through the vertical tubes 29 and into the `bottom horizontal channel from which it ows in the opposite direction through the outlet pipe 31 into the return header 36. At Vthe same time the supply header 4I delivers heating medium into the top left hand end of each of the convectcr .units 38 and the heating medium ilows across andA down through the vertical tubes of the convectcr units to the bottom horizontal channels thereof Vfrom whence it flows out through return header 36. It should be here noted that the 'convectcr units 33 function essentially to heat the air vof the room by convection, and that the air to be 'heated enters through the bottom opening or aperture of the fro-nt panel Vand wipes or scrubs 'over the prime heating surfaces presented vby the rear face of the 'closurep'anel I8 and the front and rear faces `of each of the convectcr units 38 and is discharged through the spaces between the tubes 22 in the upper aperture '243 of the front panel. vThe tubes, forming the grille Vin aperture 23, are Aof themselves also kprime heating surfaces and are particularly effective in quickly inducing the air ow throughthe device. The term. prime heating surfaces is herein used vto denote surfaces of metal which are directly contacted on one face by the heating medium. The devices of the invention comprise substantially all prime `heating surfaces and substantially no .extended surfaces, such as ns or AStoker, gas burners or oil burners, etc., governed by automatic devices such as aquastats or pressurestats iin such fashion as to maintain an ade- Tquate supply of the heating'medium at all times. Such systems also include means under the control of a room thermostat to provide increased rate of circulation `of the heating medium Lloy vforced circulation with a pump, in the case of a warm water heating system or by the automatic adjustment of pressure control valves in the case of steam or vapor heating systems.

The heating devices of the invention, when utilized in automatic systems, as hereinbefore referred to, Will be initially adjusted by turning the angular head of the horizontal supply header 4I to effect registry of one of the series of smaller orifices 4l, 45, or 45 in inner tube M with the series of orices 43 in the outer tube 4.2.` The series of orifices selected would .be such that the pressure due to the operation of the water pump or the higher pressure supplied by automatic control valves of the system will drive the heating `medium through the restricted orifices, while the vlesser pressure in the system, viz., when the pump is at rest or the high pressure controls are shut o, is insufficient to pass the heating medium through the restricted orifices. At all times, however, any gravity ow or thermal circulation of the heating medium will readily flow through the channels and tubes of the panel I8 by way of the supply column because the enlarged slots 49 and 50 of the outer and inner tubes of the supply header oifer no resistanceto thermal circulation at the intersection of the. supply column and the supply header in front panel I8. The enclosing panel I8 and its concealing grille tubes 22 will therefore at all times constitute prime heating surfaces sending out essentially radiant heat into the room, and afford the occupants of the room a sense of comfortable warmth. This supplies sufcient heat to the room in milder seasons to maintain the temperature for which the room thermostat is set.

The arrangement and functioning' hereinbefore described affords an opportunity to provide adequate heat and comfort in a most efcient and economical fashion and particularly does it avoid the objectionable occurrence of alternate heat over-runs and periods of perceptible chilling in the room.

The electrical circuit in Fig. 9 consists of a hot side supply line 88 which -connects to one terminal of low pressurestat 18 and to conductor 89 which connects to one side of room thermostat 1-9 which is of line voltage type. Firing deits vice 16 is connected to the remaining terminal of pressurestat 'I8 by conductor l9i). rlhe remaining terminal of the firing device 'I6-is connected to return supply line 19|. High pressurestat l1 has one terminal connected to room thermostat 19 by conductor 92, and the other terminal is connected to the firing device by conductors 93-90. The operation of the high and low pressurestats will :beunderstood readily. The thermostat closes on heat demand in the room, and the firing device operates under the control of high pressurestat TI. When the room ternperature demand is satisfied the thermostat breaks the circuit and the firing device operates to maintain a suitable low pressure under the control of pressurestat 18.

It will be understood that the adjustment of the supply header tube orifices is provided in order to enable the installing contractor to initially adapt each heating device to the particular system and duty imposed upon it so that identical structures may be utilized to serve a variety of requirements in a number of different systems employin-g fluid heating media. After `bein-g once properly adjusted in the system there is no further need for changing the orice setting in the supply header.

At the top of th-e front face of the hollow closure panel a tapped hole T is provided into which la suitable venting valve (not shown) is inserted. This arrangement permits the convector units as Well as the hollow radiator panel to be relieved of any entrapped air because the air can pass through the top of the `convector units-through the supply header and upwardly through the supply column into the top of the panel:

While the devices of the invention are of exceptionally high eiciency because of the automatic self-accommodation to heat demands in a particular system, it willkbe understood that the selective modification of the output of predominately radiant heat or combined radiant and convected heat may be attained through the manual control of the boiler output pressures in the system.

While the heating units of the invention are, by preference, formed of sheet metal in order to reduce the ratio of heat output to metal poundage, the devices are no t limited to the particular construction herein described. lThe devices may loe otherwise constructed, for example, they may embody predominately cast metal construction lparticularly if space andl design are of no` vital consequence.

What is claimed is:

1. A heating unit comprising a front hollow closed panel including means to space the base thereof from a flow surface and having a warm air outlet aperture adjacent the top, the body of the panel intermediate said aperture and said base being corrugated to form vertical passages and communicating horizontal top and bottom transverse flow channels, a wall disposed interiorly of said hollow panel at one side of said corrugations and forming a supply column, tubular members spanning the aperture in the panel and providing communication between said column and the opposite side of said panel, and a baille in the panel on the side opposite said supply column and below the aperture.

2. A heating unit comprising a hollow panel adapted to serve as a closure for a wall recess, a plurality of convector units disposed in spaced parallel relation behind said hollow panel, a supply header having open and free communication -with the upper part of said hollow panel and further having restricted communication with each of said convector units, said supply header connectible to a source of fluid-heating medium, the hollow panel receiving a circulating supply of iluid heating medium under substantially all conditions of its connected source, said convector units being inoperative when the pressure of the source is insufficient to pass the fluid heating medium through the restricted communication from the supply header.

3. A room heater for mounting in a wall recess comprising a metallic casing, a hollow closure panel forming the front of said casing and having an upper aperture, a vertical supply column formed at one side of said panel the bottom of said panel being spaced from the bottom of said casing, a tubular supply header projecting through said panel in communicating relation :e

with the supply column and having restricted orifices in spaced-apart relation within the casing, and convector units disposed in the `casing behind said panel and communicating at one end thereof with said restricted orices, and a return header in open communication with the opposite ends of said convector units and said panel.

4. The combination with a radiator and convector heater of a supply distributor therefor comprising a tubular member closed at one end and having a series of aligned perforations in the wall thereof, a second tubular member rotatable within the nist-mentioned member and having annular series of lspaced orices of graduated size registerable with the perforations in said tubular casing upon rotation of the inner tubular member relative to said casing, said tubular linembers provided adjacent one end with a plurality of enlarged openings in constant and uncontrolled registiy and aiording unimpeded fluid ilow diametrically across the interior of said Yend of the distributor in all positions of said second tubular member said enlarged openings ao'rding communication with the radiator, said orifices of graduated size controlling communication with the respective portions of the convector.

5. .A space heating device comprising a hollow panel having a self-contained vertical supply column at one side thereof, a horizontal supply` header traversing said column near the top and communicating therewith, hollow convector units arranged behind the panel in spaced relation and having communicating connection at their tops with the said supply header, and a return header connecting with said panel and said convector units at the bottom thereof.

6. A space heating device comprising a hollow panel having a self-contained vertical supply column at one side thereof, and a vent tap opening at the other side at the top thereof, a horizontal supply header traversing said column near the top `and communicating therewith, hollow 'convector units arranged behind the panel in' spaced relation and having communicating connection at their tops with the said supply header, and a return header connecting with said panel and said convector units at the bottom thereof, the vent tap opening in the panel adapted for the reception of a Venting valve whereby the con- Vectors and panel may be vented` 7. A heating unit comprising a uid tight hollow panel having an opening therethrough adjacent the top, an interior wall defining within one hollcw end of the panel a supply column exterflng from the base of the panel to the top le' ci :.aid opening, said structure affording a to 1r :ss-flow channel in the panel communicat- Yith the top of the supply column, said panel having a verticalflow channel communicating with the opposite end of said cross-flow channel and disposed at the side of said panel opposite said supply column, a baille in the hollow panel beneath said vertical ow channel for directing f a now of fluid transversely across the panel beneath the said opening, said panel formed with a cross-flow channel beneath the opening for receiving the said cross-flow from the baffle and being further provided at the base thereof with still another cross-owchannel, said panel intermediate the last mentioned two cross-flow channels being formed into a series of Vertical passages connecting the said two cross-ow channels, and hollow horizontal grill-forming members traversing the said opening and communieating at opposite ends with the supply column and said vertical ow channel.

8. A space heating device comprising a hollow panel having a self-contained vertical supply column, a horizontal supply header traversing the column and in uncontrolled communication therewith, hollow convector units arranged be'- hind the panel in spaced relation and communicating at their tops with said supply header, an adjustable oricing tube rotatable in the header controlling supply to the convector units independently of the radiator, and a return header connecting with the bottom of said panel and said convector units.

WALTER L. MAYNE.

CERTIFICATE, CE CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,519,698. may 18, I9LI5.

WALTER I.. MAINE.

It is hereby certified that error appears Ain the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, second column, line 58,A claim l, for "flow" read floor; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.'

signed and sealed this 29 th day of June, A. D. 19M.

. Henry` Van-V Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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