US3243575A - Apparatus for the electric heating and vaporization of a liquid - Google Patents

Description

March 29, 1966 vlcaNl-:REe SR APPARATUS FOR THE ELECTRIC HEATING AND VAPORIZATION OF A LIQUID 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 14, 1985 ::21-11 :12 i". u r

/NVENTOR Leon ard V/'grergSn a* @j M l AHdrhel1 I March 29, 1966 L.. VIGNERE, sR

APPARATUS FOR `THE ELECTRIC HEATING AND VAPORIZATIONDF A LIQUID Filed Aug. 14, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.6.

FIG.5.

IN VE N TO R Leonard Vignever.

BY W,

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United States Patent O 3,243,575 'APPARATUS FOR THE ELECTRIC HEATING AND VAPORIZATION 0F A LIQUID Leonard Vignere, Sr., 119 W. Sheridan Ave., New Castle, Pa. Filed Aug. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 302,042 Claims. (Cl. 219-273) This invention relates to the electric heating of a volume of liquid in order to convert it to hot vapor for circulating it through a building radiator or like heating system.

An important object of the invention is to provide apparatus for the vaporization of a liquid by electric means, wherein the electric means includes a plurality of electric resistance elements, each encased in relatively small heat insulated housings, which housings are partly immersed in the relatively large volume of liquid within a vessel and have relatively small passageways from the liquid within the vessel to the interiors of the housings, for the heating of the relatively small volumes of liquid within the housings, the impingement upon the electric resistance elements of sprayed liquid, in a line mist, and the conversion of the sprayed liquid into hot vapor which is conducted through a building heating system to form a part of a closed system, whereby it is not necessary to |bring a large volume of liquid to a temperature where hot vapor will be given off and maintained at such temperature to continue to heat the entire volume of the liquid.

` Another important object of the invention is to provide apparatus including a plurality of relatively small vaporizer units for the vaporization of a liquid by electric means wherein apparatus of a given liquid capacity is flexible as to B.t.u. capacity since it is simply necessary to decrease or increase the watt output of the resistance elements Without increasing the liquify capacity of the vaporizing units thereof.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide apparatus as described above which permits the ready removal, repair or replacement of a vaporizer unit without disturbing the others of the vaporizer units.

A further important object of the invention is to provide apparatus as referred to above which is so constructed and arranged that there is substantially no heat loss ofthe liquid within the vaporizer units.

An additional important object of the invention is to provide a novel form of electric resistance element which is new and useful for use with the apparatus herein disclosed, since it is particularly sturdy, not apt to deform in shape, and will receive the fine mist of the spray, which is illustrated and will be described herein, in an especially eflicient manner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will `be apparent during the course of the following detailed de* scription of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming portions of this specification, and in which drawings:

FIG. lis a view mostly in elevation but partly in vertical section of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the upper portion of a vaporizer unit forming a portion of the apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a view partly in horizontal section of the apparatus, on a scale enlarged somewhat over that of the apparatus of FIG. l, and thus permitting the showing of the insulated wall of the apparatus in more detail.

FIG. 4 is a wiring diagram of the electrical system of the apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view, greatly enlarged,

3,243,575 Patented Mar. 29, 1966 ice of a resistance element forming a part of the apparatus and shown in FIG. l.

FIG. 6 is a conventionalized liquid spray pattern provided by the spray nozzle of FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a spray nozzle forming a part of a vaporizer unit of the apparatus with a conventionalized pattern of liquid spray projected therefrom.

In the drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A generally designates one of a plurality of like vaporizer units and the letter B, a liquid storage vessel for liquid, and housing the vaporizer units.

The liquid storage Vessel B is best shown in FIGS. l and 3 and includes a tubular housing Z2 which may be two concentric upwardly-extending cylindrical shells `of steel with any suitable conventional heat insulation material 23 between them, best shown in FIG.l 1. A horizontally disposed ring-shaped flange 23 is secured to the upper end portions of the shells and extends outwardly from the outermost shell and secured at its outer edge to an upwardly-extending wall of a cabinet structure 68 which encloses the shells. To the upper end portion of the inner shell is secured a drum with side wall 24', upper wall 24, and lower wall 25. The side wall is secured to the inner face of the inner'shell. The walls of the drum define a vacuum space 35. Means to secure the elements, referred to above, together may be conventional welds.

Also forming a portion of the housing 22 is a bottom structure 25 which preferably comprises two horizontal discs, with heat insulation material between them, such as the heat insulation 23 referred to above. The discs are secured to the bottom end portion of the inner shell of the housing, and a horizontal ilange 23 which may be like the ange 23 and covers the lower ends of the shells and extends to the wall of the cabinet structure 68 to which it is secured. Means to vsecure the discs to the inner shell and the flange 23 to the wall of the cabinet structure are preferably conventional welds.

The shells of the housing 22 are preferablyprovided with a series of spaced apart openings to receive the inner end portions of valve stems of valve structures 34 carrying valve elements for seating on valve seats 33 of tubular walls 3 and 5 to be later described. The housings of the valve structures are preferably secured to the outer shell of the housing 22, as byconventional welds.

It will be seen in FIG. l that there is an overflow opening or passageway 45 in the walls 3 and 5 and portions 4 in order to maintain the liquid level 44 the same within and Without the shells.

v Supporting the housing 22 may be suitable support means as the L-shaped legs-and-feet structures 27 provided with levelling screws 28.

Both the walls 24 and 25 of the drum, and the wall structure 25' are provided with a plurality of spaced apart openings,vwith the openings in the Walls 24 and 25 axially aligning with the openings in the wall structure 25'. These openings are constructed and arranged'to receive the innermost tubular walls 3 `of vaporizer units A, to be next detailed.

The number of vaporizer units A may vary, but I have shown, by way of example, as in FIG. 3, six of such units which would require six openings in each of the walls 24 and 25 and wall structure 25.

Referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the upper ends of the tubular walls 3 of the elongated vaporizer housings 4 are closed by closure discs 14, of which the outermost portions thereof are disposed upon the adjacent portions of the wall 24, with suitable gaskets 17 between the lower faces of the discs 14 and wall 24.

out plug 7.

The discs 14 are removably secured to the wall 24 as by conventional screws 16 (FIG. 1).

Concentric Vwith the walls 3 of the housings 4 of the vaporizer units A, but spaced therefrom, are outermost tubular walls with suitable conventional heat insulation material 6, such as Fiberglas, in the upper parts of the spaces between the tubular walls. The lower parts of these spaces may be occupied by metallic tubular portions 4. It will be noted, as in FIGS. 1 and 2, that there is a collar 24" which is carried by the disc 14, and this collar encircles the upper portion of the innermost tubular wall 3. It will also be noted, as in FIG. 1, that the upper end ot the outermost tubular wall 5 ends short of the upper end of the innermost tubular wall, i.e., at the bottom face of the lower wall 25. Surrounding a portion of the innermost tubular wall where it emerges upwardly from the wall 2S is a flat metal ring packing gland 46 for holding a conventional O-ring 47 (which also surrounds a portion of the innermost tubular wall) in intimate engagement with theV latter in order to form an expansion means for the latter. Of course, the structure heretofore described and shown in'FIGS. 1 or 2 is characteristic of all of the vaporizing units A.

While the lower ends of the outermost tubular walls 5 rest upon the bottom wall structure 25', the lower end portions of the innermost tubular walls 3 extend through the openings in the wall structure 25 as may be seen in FIG. 1, and the lower ends of these walls 3 are bridged by a closure 7 having a central screw-threaded opening to receive the inner screw-threaded end portion of a clean- The closure 7 may be conventionally welded to the wall 3.

Each vaporizer unit A is provided with a valve seat 33 for a valve 34 with the seats and passageways therefrom preferably quite close to the lower ends of the walls 3 and 5, with the passageways extending through the tubular portion 4. Thus the liquid flowing `past the seats and through the passageways does not irnpregnate the insulation material. At their upper end portions, the inner most tubular walls 3 are provided with at least one vapor exit opening 26, opening to the vacuum space 35.

Referringnow to the electric heating elements (there being one element for each unit A), the same have been developed and perfected by me for the efiicient use ofmy vaporizer units. Each element 1 comprises a single length of electricity-conducting metallic resistance material 65 (FIG. 5), such as wire surrounded by suitable ceramic or like material 64 with the latter surrounded by conventional electric coil sheeting 63', with one intermediate portion -of the length of material suitably fashioned into a substantially straight length with its longitudinal axis substantially paralleling the longitudinal axis of the portion containing the convolutions, whereby the bared terminals of the electric wire core 65 are disposed at the same end of the element, substantially as shown in FIG. 1. For the conservation of space, the substantially straight length is disposed within vthe vertical planes of convolutions, also as may be seen in FIG. 1. That view also shows the associated spray jet discharge nozzle 9 4for each vaporizer unit A. The nozzles 9 are preferably of the type shown in FIG. 7 having screw-threaded necks for screw-threaded connection with vertically adjustable exteriorly screwthreaded couplings 9 carried by the screw-threaded walls of openings through'the axial center of the discs 14. 'Coupled at the upper end portions of the couplings 9 are the return means for conducting the condensed liquid from the radiators or the like to the vaporizer units. This means includes the coupling nut 8 and T-'coupling 18 to which is secured the pressure lines oriconduits which 4open into a preferably circularmanifold 21 and radiate therefrom, such las 'shown in FIG. 3.

Opening into the manifold 21 is a pressure pump discharge line or conduit 52 which, through appropriate union 51 and elbow 50, opens into the'discharge side of a conventional rotary high-pressure pump 60 which pref- 4 erably is constructed to reach and maintain a pressure of about 120 p.s.i.

The intake side of the pump 60 receives the end portion of a suction line or conduit 53 which opens into the outlet 67 from the vacuum space 35.

The pump 60 may be rotated by an electric motor 59, for example, with the end of the element 1 just above the horizontal plane of the valve seat 33, which has been found to be required for efficient operation. Since there should be provision for the unimpeded spread of a conical spray jet 54 in the upper portion of the innermost tubular wall 3, the uppermost convolution is directly below the general spread of the jet.

Referring mainly to FIG. 2, the upper ends of the length of resistance material provide terminals 10 which may be screw threaded to receive electrical conductor connection means, such as the nuts 11 adapted to bear against the end (eyelet) of a conductor 12, with an electric insulation washer 15 between the lower nut 11 and thev disc 14 and suitable electric insulation material, as col-V lars 13 about the terminals 10 below the washers, substantially as shown in FIG. 2.

The disc closures 14 also support portions of the vapor-i izing means, including a housing of the pump and motor interconnected by a conventional connecting memben The motor may be supported from the wall of the cabinet structure 68 as by brackets 59' and 59".

The nozzles 9 discharge spray in a fine mist pattern somewhat diagrammatically shown in elevation in FIG. 7 at 54 and, compared therewith, in a transverse ringshaped pattern, as shown at 55 in FIG. 6 so that the spray impinges on only the coils of the heating elements 1 to be immediately vaporized.

Below the lower wall 25 of the drum which encloses the vacuum space 35, is a pneumatic space 63 which is dened by the Wall 25, the upper portions of the walls 5 and the surface level 44 of the body of liquid within the vessel B. This level 44 is also the level of the liquid within the vaporizer units A, when the valve 34 is un' seated and this level may be regarded as a maximum operating level for the liquid. The liquid intake means is shown at the lower right hand portion of FIG. 1 and preferably comprises a conduit 31 extending from the main (not shown) to open into a conventional T-{coupling 30 with a conventional removable clean-out plug 32 therein and a preferably manually-operated valve 43 interposed in the conduit 31. From the T-coupling a conduit section 29 opens into the interior of the vessel B being coupled to the vessel by the screw-threaded coupling 66.

A main line vapor outlet 36 opens into the upper end of the vacuum space 35 and, of course, leads to the heat radiating means` (not shown, but which may be conventional radiators).

FIGS. l and 3 include showings of a portion of a conventional vacuum pump suction line or conduit 38 from a source of air to the intake side of a vacuum pump 39 which may be operated by a conventional electric motor 58. The exhaust side of the pump opens into a coupling 40 which, in turn, opens into the space 63.

The motor 58 and vacuum pump 39 may be supported by a suitable bracket structure 41 carried by the walls of the vessel B. The pump 39 may be bolted to the bracket as by bolts 42. Interposed in the suction line 53 by way of connection 67 is a conventional vacuumstat assembly 37. Other conventional regulatory ymeans may be a thermostat 57 and the electric switches 61 and 62 interposed in the lines L1 and L2 shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4.

The cabinet structure 68 may be of yany conventional` From FIG. 3 it is believed obvious that, considering the dotted line showing the outermost tubul-ar walls 5 of the housing 4, the liquid content of the vessel B, outwardly of these walls 5, is very considerably greater than the liquid content within any of the walls 5 or, in fact, all of them. By way of example, the volume of liquid within the vessel B, exclusive of the volumes within the six housings 4, as compared with the volume of liquid within any one of the housings 4, may be substantially 12:1, indicating a great difference between the volume of liquid being vaporized in the vaporizer units and the volume of liquid otherwise in the vessel. Employing six housings 4, the volume of liquid being confined for vaporization at the same time may be substantially 3 gallons, as compared with 36 gallons otherwise within the vessel B.

With the above example in mind, it will be noted, such as in FIG. l, that substantially one-half of the electric heating coils 1 are submerged in two quarts of liquid maintained in each of the tubular members 3. As ya result, the coils of the electric heating element bring and maintain this liquid to the boiling point (212 F.) and generate vapor at that temperature. The spray nozzles 9, spraying a ne liquid mist on the upper half of the coils 1, loses some of its heat and this causes a change of this liquid mist to a large volume of Vapor, having a temperature of about 160 F. and the mixture of vapor at 212 F. and vapor at 160 F. results in a composite vapor with a temperature of substantially 186 F.

In the operation of the apparatus for the electric vaporization of liquid, with liquid, as water, introduced by way of the liquid intake means 29-32 and 43, into the vessel B until a preferred level as the level 44 is reached within and without the housings 4, and the valve 34 closed, the electric switches 61 and 62 are closed and the vacuumstat 37 is manually setto establish a preferred vacuum (22) in the Vacuum space 35 and throughout the vapor line 36 to the radiators and radiators-return line to the vacuum pump 39 which discharges vapor, air and condensate through discharge conduit 40 into the pneumatic space 63, the thermostat 57 reacts for a heat to a preset temperature, the units vaporizer heating elements 1 are energized, and Within a short interval (substantially a minute) hot vapor builds up a slight pressure in the housings 4, and ows, at a temperature of substantially 186 F., through the radiators at a high velocity induced by vacuum pump 39, and is discharged into the pneumatic space 63, and preheats, to a certain extent, the liquid contained in the storage vessel B, thereby increasing the efficiency of the vaporizers A, as the pressure pump 60 recirculates the discharge from the spray nozzles therewith. As is apparent, the apparatus and heating system operates on a closed-loop vapor system.

It is now believed obvious that any apparatus of a given liquid capacity is flexible, as to B.t.u. capacity, by simply decreasing or increasing the watt output of the resistance elements 1 and it is unnecessary to increase the liquid capacity of the vaporizing units A.

Various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for the electric heating and vaporization of a liquid for space-heating purposes, said apparatus including a vessel containing said liquid and having a vacuum space, a pneumatic space, a liquid-containing space therein and a partition separating said vacuum space from said pneumatic space, said pneumatic space and liquidcontaining space being open to one another; means carried by said vessel -to conduct liquid from exteriorly of said vessel to said liquid-containing space; a plurality of spaced apart slender vaporizer units carried by and within said vessel, each vaporizer unit having a housing dening an additional liquid-containing space open to the rstnamed liquid-containing space and in communication with each other, an electric heating element-containing space and a sprayed liquid discharge space, with an opening in said housing from said sprayed liquid-discharge space to said Vacuum space, an electric heating element immersed in the liquid within each of said electric heating elementcontaining space and within the additional liquid containing spaces and below said sprayed liquid discharge space, and carried by said Vessel; means for creating a vacuum in said vacuum space, carried by said vessel; means for spraying liquid upon each of said electric heating elements, carried by said vessel and opening to the electric elements-containing spaces; means carried by said vessel for pressurizing the first-named liquid and opening to said pneumatic space; and means carried by said vessel for the dicharge of hot vapor from said vacuum space, the liquidcontaining space in each of said housings having a liquid capacity considerably smaller than the liquid capacity of said liquid-containing space in said vessel, whereby only the liquid within each of said slender housings will be heated and vaporized.

2. Apparatus for the electric heating and vaporization of a liquid for space-heating purposes, said apparatus including a vessel containing said liquid; a drum within and carried by said vessel and dening a Vacuum space therein and, with portions of the wall of said vessel and the surface of said liquid defining a pneumatic space below said vacuum space; manually-operable liquid intake means to introduced said liquid into said vessel; a plurality of spaced-apart upwardly extending vaporizer units within said vessel and carried thereby and extending downwardly through the vacuum and pneumatic spaces and into said liquid, each unit having a housing including walls with a liquid passageway opening from the interior of the housing to said liquid, and a vapor exist opening from said interior to said vacuum space, electric means to convert said liquid within each of said housings into hot vapor to exit through said vapor exit opening into said vacuum space, said electric means being carried by said housings -conduit; means to conduct said hot vapor out of said Vessel for heating purposes until said hot vapor is condensed; condensed liquid spray means for spraying a portion of the condensate upon said electric means, including spray nozzles extending into said housings; and means carried by said vessel to create pneumatic pressure in said pneumatic space to bear upon said surface.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 characterized in that said vaporizer units include disc portions supported upon said drum, whereby said vaporizer units may be removed and replaced in said vessel.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 characterized in that said drum supports portions of said liquid spray means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 characterized in that said drum support portions of said liquid spray means and said liquid spray means includes a manifold and a plurality of conduits radiating from said manifold and opening to the interiors of said vaporizer units.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 944,050 12/1909 Rains 219-319 2,490,547 12/ 1949 Schraner et al. 122-40 RICHARD M. wooD, Primary Examiner.

C. L. ALBRITION, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. APPARATUS FOR THE ELECTRIC HEATING AND VAPORIZATION OF A LIQUID FOR SPACE-HEATING PURPOSES, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING A VESSEL CONTAINING SAID LIQUID AND HAVING A VACUUM SPACE, A PNEUMATIC SPACE, A LIQUID-CONTAINING SPACE THEREIN AND A PARTITION SEPARATING SAID VACUUM SPACE FROM SAID PNEUMATIC SPACE, SAID PNEUMATIC SPACE AND LIQUIDCONTAINING SPACE BEING OPEN TO ONE ANOTHER; MEANS CARRIED BY SAID VESSEL TO CONDUCT LIQUID FROM EXTERIORLY OF SAID VESSEL TO SAID LIQUID-CONTAINING SPACE; A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART SLENDER VAPORIZER UNITS CARRIED BY AND WITHIN SAID VESSEL, EACH VAPORIZER UNIT HAVING A HOUSING DEFINING AN ADDITIONAL LIQUID-CONTAINING SPACE OPEN TO THE FIRSTNAMED LIQUID-CONTAINING SPACE AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER, AN ELECTRIC HEATING ELEMENT-CONTAINING SPACE AND A SPRAYED LIQUID DISCHARGE SPACE, WITH AN OPENING IN SAID HOUSING FROM SAID SPRAYED LIQUID-DISCHARGE SPACE TO SAID VACUUM SPACE, AN ELECTRIC HEATING ELEMENT IMMERSED IN THE LIQUID WITHIN EACH OF SAID ELECTRIC HEATING ELEMENTCONTAINING SPACE AND WITHIN THE ADDITIONAL LIQUID CONTAINING SPACES AND BELOW SAID SPRAYED LIQUID DISCHARGE SPACE, AND CARRIED BY SAID VESSEL; MEANS FOR CREATING A VACUUM IN SAID VACUUM SPACE, CARRIED BY SAID VESSEL; MEANS FOR SPRAYING LIQUID UPON EACH OF SAID ELECTRIC HEATING ELEMENTS, CARRIED BY SAID VESSEL AND OPENING TO THE ELECTRIC ELEMENTS-CONTAINING SPACES; MEANS CARRIED BY SAID VESSEL FOR PRESSURIZING THE FIRST-NAMED LIQUID AND OPENING TO SAID PNEUMATIC SPACE; AND MEANS CARRIED BY SAID VESSEL FOR THE DISCHARGE OF HOT VAPOR FROM SAID VACUUM SPACE, THE LIQUIDCONTAINING SPACE IN EACH OF SAID HOUSING HAVING A LIQUID CAPACITY CONSIDERABLY SMALLER THAN THE LIQUID CAPACITY OF SAID LIQUID-CONTAINING SPACE IN SAID VESSEL, WHEREBY ONLY THE LIQUID WITHIN EACH OF SAID SLENDER HOUSING WILL BE HEATED AND VAPORIZED.

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