US1353641A - Surface condenser - Google Patents

Description

H. N. EHRHABT. SURFACE CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I, 1918.

, Patented Sept. 21,

Y O (D O ""ooooooooo O O O O G O OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO v om v JNVENTOR.

TTORNEY-T n RAYMOND N. EHRHART, or EDGEWOOD, PEN'INSYLVANIA.

SURFACE CONDENSER.

Application filed August 21, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it-known that I, RAYMOND N. Erinnan'r, a citizen of the United 'States, and a resident of Edgewood, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Surface Condensers, of which V the following is a specification. i I

This invention relates to surface condensers and has for anobject to produce a condenser which is well adapted to be constructed in relatively large sizes and one which isas effective and efiicient and proportionally as cheap to manufacture as small size surface condensers,

The pressure variation, or as it is termed, the loss in vacuum within the shell of a small size surface condenser, for example, a condenser'havingadiameter of not more than 30 inches, is so small that it is negligible. This, however, is not the case with large condensers having shell diameters of ten or twelve feet. In such condensers the pat means, such as adequate steam lanes or rela tively-Wide tube spacing, are employed to facilitate a quick dissemination of the large volume of steam throughout the nest of tubes there will be an appreciable lcss in the vacuum in the vicinity of the steam inlet of the condenser, or in other words, there will be an appreciable difference in pressure between the point of complete condensation Within the nest of tubes and the pointof admission of steam to the nest of tubes. In

' my Patent No. 1,142,784 of June 8, 1915, I

have illustrated a condenser which overcomes the above noted difiiculties. This condenser may be termed a radial flow con-. denser, since the steam to be condensed is delivered to asubstantially cylindrical nest of tubes approximately around the entire perimeter of the nest and flows inwardly along paths which converge toward an air ofitake port located within the nest of tubes. In some condenser installations the available space for the condenser is limited, conse-' quently it is necessary to provide as much condensing surface within the limited space as can efi'ectively be employed. Power house conditions are ordinarily such that where the available space for a condenser is of steam flow are long and unless- Specification of Letters Patent. Patent d S t 21"1920 Serial No. 250,906.

limited, a rectangular rather than a cylindrical condenser more completely fills the available space and consequently provides more space in which condensing surface may be located.

An object of this invention is to produce a rectangular condenser well adapted to be constructed in relatively large sizes and which is more efiicient and cheaper to build, per unit of condensing capacity, than other large size rectangular condensers known to A further object is to produce a con- .denser having a relatively deep nest of tubes in which the condensing surface is so disposed, with relation to the paths of steam flow through the nest of tubes, that the vacuum existing at the steam inlet to the condenser is substantially the same as the vacuum at the point of complete condensation within the nest of tubes.

A further object is to produce such a con denser in which the cooling tubes are so disposed with relation to the paths of steam flow that the area of the condensing surface is reduced substantially in direct proportion to the condensation taking place along the paths of steam flow.

A further object is to produce such a condenser in which means are employed for insuring the delivery of relatively hot condensate.

These and other objects are attained by means of a condenser embodying the features herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the single figure is a diagrammatic transverse sectional view of a condenser embodying my invention. 1

In a cc-pending application, filed August 21, 1918, and serially numbered 250,901, I have illustrated a substantially rectangular condenser in which the steam to be condensed is admitted to substantially two sides of a nest of tubes andin which the paths of steam .flow through the nest converge toward an air ofi'take with which the condenser is provided. The present invention to some extent embodies the features and principle set forth in said application and the condenser illustrated is provided with a plulahty of nests of tubes,- each nest shell 1, which is provided with a steam inlet port 2, a condensate discharge port 3, and two air ornoncondensable fluid otftake ports 4 and 4'. The cooling tubes extend.

longitudinally of the condenser as is usual ately adjacent to the inle]? tom of the condenser. T

and are mounted in the usual tube plates. Cooling water may be circulated through the tubes in any desired manner. As shown,

.the tubes are divided into two nests or groups A and B, which are separated by a vertically disposed steam laneor passage 6 extending from one end of the condenser to the other. As shown, the passage 6 extends down from the steam space immedi- -'port to the bot- .e passage 6 is in open and free communication with thesteam space above the tubes and consequently delivers steam to the o positely disposed groups of tubes A and. As shown, this passage gradually decreases in area from the steam space above the tubes toward the bottom of the condenser. This is accomplished in the apparatus illustrated by so arranging each group or nest of tubes that it gradually increases in width from the top to the bottom of the condenser. With the arrangement of tubes illustrated each nest receives steam at two faces'and the admission area is therefore greatly increased and the length of the paths of steam flow are greatly decreased, relatively to the admission space, over what would be encountered in a rectangular condenser having the usual arrangement of tubes.

rectly with that portion of the nest located farthest from the steam admission faces of the nest and, in the present embodiment, the port 4 is shown formed in the lower left hand corner of the condenser shell and serves the nest A, whereas the port 4 is formed in the lower right hand corner of the shell and serves the nest B. It .will, of course, be understood that the location or the ports 4 andfl are not essential-so long as an air offtake is provided for each nest of tubes at or near the point of convergence s shown, the air ofi'take port of each nest communicates didensate discharging intothe well and the condensate within the well is exposed to uncondensed steam delivered from the passage 6 and consequently is heated by the steam to a temperature equal to or possibly above that corresponding to the vacuum maintained within the condenser. I

Under some conditions, itmay be desirable to employ a baflie in'each nest of tubes which. extends longitudinally of the condenser between the tube plates and is so arranged as to divide the nest into two banks, in each of which the paths of steam flow converge from the steam admission space of the bank to the 'airoii'take of the nest. In the drawings I have shown each nest provided with a baflie 8 which extends longitudinally of the condenser, forms a reinforcing strut between the end or tube plates and divides the nest into two substantially triangular banks of tubes, both of which are served by the same air ofi'take. It will be noted that each baffle in effect forms a rain plate for the bank of tubes located below it and that it delivers the condensate dropping from the tubes of the upper bank directly to the bottom of the condenser but in a path across the air ofi'take passage of the lower bank. It will be apparent that with the arrangement of tubes illustrated the admission area to the cooling surface of the condenser is materially increased, the paths of steam flow converge toward the air otltake ports and are relatively short as compared to the area of the admission space. As a result the condensing surface is reduced in substantially direct proportion to the rate of condensation taking place along the paths of steam flow and the velocity of steam flow is maintained substantially constant throughout the condenser.

While I have described and illustrated but one embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications. changes, additions and omissions may be made in the apparatus described and illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth by the appended claims.

that I claim is:

1. In comaination in a condenser. a shell having an inlet port, a condensate dhcharge port and two non-condensable fluid ofi'take ports, two nests of tubes located on opposite sides of the shell and each served by one of aeaacet densate discharge port formed in the bottom thereof, twoseparate nests of cooling tubes so located within the shell as to provide a wedge shaped central passage which is located between the nests and communi' eating Withthe inlet and discharge ports of the condenser, and a separate batlie extend ing longitudinally of each nest and dividing the nest into two substantially triangular banks of tubes both a single noncondensable fluid oiitalre which the condenser is provided.

3. In combination in a condenser, a substantially rectangular shell provided with a fluid inlet port, two nests of tubes so located within the shell as to provide a longitudiof which are served by with nally extending steam space which commu- .nicates with the inlet port and with a condensate discharge port .with which the condenser is provided, a separate longitudinally extending reinforcing battle dividing each nest into two substantially triangular groups of tubes, both groups of each nest being served by a noncondensable fluid oi? take with which the condenser is provided.

4. In a. condenser, a substantially rectangular condenser shell, open at'its top to re ceive condensable fluid, a condensate outlet adjacent the bottom of the shell, a polyg onal group of cooling tubes arranged on each side of the shell, so as to expose the a top and a side of each group to condensable fluid'entering the top of the condenser shell through which entrance faces of each group fluid may pass into the group, outlets for noncondensable fluid adjacent the lower corners of the shell and a separate baflie for each groupextending downwardly from the steam admission corner of the group diagonally through the group and terminating near the outlet adjacent the lower corner of the shell. I a

5. In combination in a'condense'r, a shell provided with a steaminlet, a condensate discharge. and two air oiitake ports, two nests of tubes so located within theshell as to provide a steam space between the nests extending from the steam inlet port toward the opposite side of the shell and battles dividing each angular groups, said air oiitake ports being so located that each serves the tubes located on one side of saidsteam space.

6. In combination in a condenser, a shell provided with a steam inlet located in one side thereof, a condensate discharge located opposite the inlet, and two oppositely located air oiitake ports, two nests of tubes so located within the shell as to, provide a steam space between the nests extending from the steam inlet toward the condensate discharge, and bafllcs dividing each nest into two substantially triangular groups, said air oli'take ports being so located as to serve tubes on opposite sides of said space.

' In a condenser, an open-top condenser shellhaving a condensate opening at the bottom thereof, two .nests of tubes in the shell having faces converging from the top to the bottom and other faces disposed transversely of the shell, and noncondensable fluid ofi-take openings for tubes.

8. In a condenser, a substantially rectangust, 1918. I RAYMON D N. EI-IRHART;

nest into two substantially tri-- each nest of faces converging

Images