US2059255A - Multiple manifolding apparatus - Google Patents

Description

R. c. LAssuAT MULTIPLE MANIFOLDING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MULTIPLE MANIFOLDING APPARATUS Raymond C. Lassiat, Paris, France, assignor to Houdry Process Corporation, Dover, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application December 9, 1932, Serial No. 646,514 20 Claims- (01. 137-18) -This invention relates to apparatus for conducting fluids and more specifically to multiple manifold connections for directing the movement of fiuids toward or from a casing or other apparatus unit having a plurality of pipes issuing therefrom. While the invention'is capable, in whole or in part,.of general application wherever manifolding is subjected to wide temperature variations with consequent irregular and unequal stresses and strains, a particular use is in connection with apparatus for the treatment of fluids by the use of a catalytic or other contact mass within which the fluids are distributed by a multiplicity of conducting units embedded in the mass. 1

One object of the invention is to provide manifolding apparatus capable of adapting itself to wide temperature variations and to permit a limited amount of yielding movement of the individual connections in any direction thereby to avoid leaks from strained or disrupted Joints. Another object is to reduce the number of joints.

Another object is to effect uniform distribution or fluid. Still another object is to drain out of the manifold all liquid. Still other objects will be apparent from the detailed description which follows.

qiAijtreating case or a catalytic converter having airlarge number of fluid conducting units or conduits extending therewithin will require a rather massive inlet or outlet assemby if uniform and substantially equal movement of fluid through'the individual units or conduits is to be effected. The assembly must make provision for expansion and contraction of the units or conduits individually and in relation to the large main and branch pipes of the assembly which will be mounted, as a matter of practical expediency, in a substantially rigid and fixed spaced relationship to the rigid and fixed treating case. In use, fluids of different temperatures, especially at periods of transition from one temperature to another, cause localized stresses and strains of sufficient magnitude to disrupt the connections between the conduits and the rigid manifold assembly. The present invention provides means for absorbing therelative and localized movement of-the connections. To this end, each connection has a bent or curved portion equal to or exceeding a half circle. In a preferred form, the

connection for several conduits is a manifold, ,bent in the form of a circle or loop with its free endslocated in the same horizontal plane. The conduits are rigidly connected to the free ends of the manifold, not more than two conduits to each free end, and the assembly connection is at the top or opposite portion of the circle or loop formed by the intermediate bentpart of the manifold. Metering orifices are provided when necessary or desirable to insure even distribution, and 5 all parts of the assembly make provision for the complete draining away of liquid.

In order to'illustrate the invention, one concrete embodiment thereof is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a case with a manifold assembly operatively connected thereto;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail side elevational view 15 of one of the yielding manifolds for connecting three conduits to the manifold assembly;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a yielding manifold for four conduits; and

Fig. 5 is a detail of one of the connections on a still larger scale showing a metering device.

As indicated, a manifold assembly A is mounted in rigid fixed position above the top of a case B from which projects a multiplicity of conduits b. The case and the conduits extending therewithin may be for the purpose of heat exchange only, or they may comprise apparatus adapted to eflect chemical changes of any desired kind on any starting material through the use of a suitable catalytic or other contact mass capable of effecting the desired change or conversion and disposed within case B, in which instance portions of conduits b within caseB would be embedded in the contact mass. In order to prevent leakage of fluids which enter or leave case B through the 35 manifold assembly A, conduits b will be welded or otherwise fixedly atached in a fluid-tight manner to case B.

The manifold assembly comprises a main 5 extending across case B, but in spaced relation 40 thereto, and subsidiary branches 6, 'l, 8 and 9 beneath main 5 in parallelism with one another and at an angle as a right angle, to main 5. The manifold assembly so far described conforms substantially to the outline of the top of case B, as 45 is apparent from Fig. 1. From each of the subsidiary branches 6, l, 8 and 9 extend a series of connections Ill leading to yielding manifolds connected directly to conduits b. The yielding mani-. folds are arranged to connect with one, two, 50 three or four of the conduits in any preferred or convenient grouping, those connecting with l3, and with four conduits by ll. The yielding manifolds are disposed at an angle to subsidiary branches 6, 1, 8 and 9, which may be an acute angle as clearly indicated in Fig. 1, when conduits b are in hexagonal formation. If conduits b were in a square formation, the yielding manifolds could be more advantageously arranged at right angles to subsidiary branches 8, I, 8 and 0.

Each yielding conduit has a bent portion of an extent equal at least to a half circle, and, in the case of manifold connections l3 and I l, the bent portion comprises two half circles, or one full loop with the free ends l3a, i8b or Ila, Hb in the same horizontal plane in parallelism or, if desired, in substantial alignment as indicated. Connections It) Join the bent portion of each of the yielding manifolds at the top of the bent portion which, in the instance of manifolds i3 and M, will be at the top of the loop, as clearly indicated in the enlarged detail Figs. 3 and 4, respectively. From the ends of the bent portions, which, in the instance of yielding manifolds l3 and M, will be the free ends l3a and lib and Ma and Nb of the respective loop portions, extend suitable connections IE to be joined in a fluidtight manner, by couplings or by welding, to

conduits b. The flexible half-circle bend of yielding manifolds H and I2, and the full circle loop of yielding manifolds l3 and i4 absorb any relative variations due to expansion and contraction of the portions of manifold assembly A and the associated parts of conduits b, which may result from irregular heating or cooling, especially when a transition is made from one fluid to another or from one temperature operating condition to another. Connections l5 form extensions of the conduit ends b and by reason of the bends or loops in manifolds II, l2, l3 and I4 none of the connections l0 thereof to manifold assembly A will normally be in line with any of the conduits b.

The parts of the manifold are so proportioned that the drop of pressure of moving fluids is substantially the same between main 5 and all of the yielding manifold portions, thereby to pass the fluid to conduits b at substantially the same rate and in the same volume. In order to insure such even distribution to all of the conduits, a metering or calibrating orifice can be provided at the inlet to or at any convenient place in yielding manifolds ii to H inclusive. Such throttling or metering means may take the form of plugs l6 (Fig. 5) having orifices of predetermined size inserted in the lines leading to conduits b as in advance of the loop or half -circle portions of the yielding manifolds. The metering means may be utilized in some or all of the connections as may be deemed most suitable or desirable.

It is apparent that a large reaction case with many conduits issuing therefrom will require a large manifold assembly and that during temperature transitions localized temperature diiferences will set up stresses and strains of varying intensities acting in all directions between the case and rigid main portions of the manifold assembly. All such movements are absorbed without damage by the half-circle bent portions of the yielding manifolds even when there is relative movement in opposite directions between two conduits Joined to the same end of the yielding manifold. Proportioning of parts including metering portions or orifices provide for equal distribution of fluid to the conduits connected to the manifold. By preference and as indicated, the entire manifold assembly drains into the conduits of the case.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a case having a plurality of conduits issuing therefrom, of a manifold assembly in spaced relation to said case and disposed transversely to the axes of said conduits, and manifold connections from said assembly having bent portions for taking up relative movement in any direction, each of said connections being joined to from one to four of said conduits.

2. The combination with a case having a plurality of conduits issuing therefrom, of a manifold assembly in spaced relation to said case, and a plurality of bent manifolds forming connections between said assembly and said conduits, certain of said manifolds being formed in a'loop with free ends, said assembly connecting with said loop portion and said conduits with said free ends.

3. The combination with a case having a plurality of conduits issuing therefrom, of a manifold assembly in spaced relation to said case, and a plurality of bent manifolds forming connections between said assembly and said conduits, each of said manifolds comprising a loop with free ends, said assembly being connected to the loop portion of each manifold and not more than two of said conduits to each of said free ends.

4. In combination, a case having a multiplicity of conduits extending therefrom, a manifold assembly mounted in spaced relation to said case and comprising a main extending over said case in one direction and branches extending in another direction, and fluid conducting means connecting said conduits individually and in groups to said branches and taking up any relative movement due to uneven temperature variations.

5. In combination, a case having a multiplicity of conduits extending therefrom, a manifold assembly mounted in spaced relation to said case and comprising a main extending over said case in one direction and branches extending in a transverse direction, and fluid connections joining groups of said conduits to said branches, said connections having bent portions to the extent of substantially a half-circle for taking up all relative movement of the parts joined thereby due to temperature changes.

6. In combination, a case having a multiplicity of conduits extending therefrom, a manifold assembly mounted in spaced relation to said case and comprising a main extending over said case in one direction and branches extending in a transverse direction, and looped connections between said branches and said conduits, each connection being joined at each end to one or two of said conduits and at an intermediate point to one of said branches.

7. In combination, a case having a multiplicity of conduits extending therefrom, a manifold assembly mounted in spaced relation to said case and comprising a main extending over said case in one direction and branches extending in a transverse direction, and yielding manifolds connecting said conduits in pairs to said branches.

8. In combination, a case having a multiplicity of conduits extending therefrom, a manifold assembly mounted in spaced relation to said case and comprising a main extending over said case in one direction and branches extending in a transverse direction, and looped manifolds connecting said branches to said conduits, said manifolds having connections from their lo'oped pottions to said branches and being connected at their free ends to pairs only of said conduits.

9. In combination, a case having a multiplicity sidiary parts and connections being arranged to drain into said conduits.

10. In combination, a case having a multiplicity of conduits extending therefrom, a manifold mounted in spacedfrelation to said case, looped connections between said manifold and said con- ,duits. said connections being joined by their looped portions to said manifold and by each of their free ends .to one or two of said conduits, and means for metering the fluid passing from said manifold into said looped portions of said connections.

11. The combination with a container for a contact mass having a plurality of conduits issuing therefrom, of a manifold assembly in spaced relation to said container and disposed transversely to the axes of said conduits, and means connecting said conduits to portions of said assembly out of line with said conduits and absorbing any relative movement due to irregular cooling or heating of said means and/or the adjacent portions of said conduits and of said assembly.

12. The combination with a container for a contact mass having a plurality of conduits issuing therefrom, of a manifold assembly in spaced relation to said container, and yielding connections between said assembly and said conduits, each connection being joined at its ends to said conduits and at a central point to said assembly and having bent portions intermediate said joints for absorbing relative movement in any direction. 1

l3. A manifold assembly for a case having a multiplicity of conduits issuing therefrom comprising a main, subsidiaryv branches disposed transversely to said main, and a plurality of manifold connections extending from said branches for attachment to from one to four of the conduits, each of said connections having a bent portion to absorb any relative movement between the conduits joined thereto and the manifold.

assembly due to temperature variations.

14. A manifold assembly for a case having a r 3 multiplicity of conduits issuing therefrom comprising a main, subsidiary branches disposed transversely to said main, and a plurality of manifold connections depending from each of said branches, said connections being in the form of loops with free ends, the loops being joined to said branches at their central portions, and each free end being arranged for attachment to one or two of the conduits.

15. A manifold in the form of a conduit having an intermediate bent portion forming a loop, and

means for making fluid connections to said loop portion and to the end portions of said conduit.

, 16. A yielding manifold comprising a conduit .having an intermediate portion forming a loop and free ends in juxtaposition, the center portion of said loop and said free ends having means for attachment to fluid conduits.

17. A manifold comprising a conduit having an intermediate bent portion in the general form of a loop with substantially straight ends disposed in juxtaposition in a plane at an angle to the plane of said loop, a connection to the central portion of said loop, and means for making at least one and not more than two connections to each of said straight ends.

18. A manifold comprising a conduit having an intermediate bent portion in the general form of a loop with free ends disposed insubstantial alignment in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of said loop, a connection for fluid to the central portion of said loop,.and means for making not more than two-fluid connections to each of said free ends.

19. A manifold comprising a conduit having an intermediate bent portion forming a loop, the center portion of said loop having a connection for fluid, one free end of said connection having means for attachment to one conduit and the other free end having means for attachment to two conduits. A 1 a 20. A manifold connection for joining conduits projecting from a case to a manifold assembly comprising a conduit having a bent portion forming a half-circle and a free end at an angle to said bent portion having means for connecting two conduits to said free end, and a plug providing a calibratingor metering orifice for regulating the quantity of fluid entering said connection.

RAYMOND C. LASSIAT.

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