Heating element

Aug. 8, 1933.

1,921,988

F. X. GOVERS

HEATING ELEMENT

Filed April 20, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US1921988A_D0001.tif" />

Aug. 8, 1933.

1,921,988

F. X. GOVERS

HEATING ELEMENT

Sheets-Sheet 2

Filed April 20, 1931

<img file="US1921988A_D0002.tif" />

<img file="US1921988A_D0003.tif" />

Patented Aug. 8, 1933

1,921,988

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

1,921,988

HEATING ELEMENT

Francis X. Govers, Vincennes, Ind., assignor to Indian Refining Company, Lawrenceville, Ill., a Corporation of Maine

Application April 20, 1931. Serial No. 531,600

Claims. (CI. 257—224) has a depending flange 20 to which the device 16 is welded. The baffle device 16 consists of a vertical transverse partition 17 on to the opposite sides of which are secured the two curved plates 18 and 19. The partition 17 and plates 18 and 60 19 may be cast as a unit or provided in a unitary structure as by welding. As will be seen, the partition 17 divides the chamber formed by the shell 12 and cover 13 into two equal parts, each communicating with a half of the tubes 6 C5 and with one of the outlets 15. The curved plates 18 and 19 serve to guide the flow of the fluid being heated on its way from the tubes 6 to the outlets 15 and thereby to avoid the high resistance to such flow which occurs when an 70 abrupt change in the direction of flow of a fluid is involved. This is an important factor in the conveyance of any fluid, and of particular importance in conveying gases and vapors in a highly attenuated condition as in the distilla- 75 tion of liquids under high vacuum.

The baffle device 16 may fit rather loosely within the shell 12, as a fluid tight separation of the gases and vapors and/or liquid passing from the tubes 6 to outlets 15 is not required and 80 freedom of the device 16 to expand and contract and to be readily inserted into and withdrawn from the shell 12 is important. It may be explained that it is not the primary purpose of the device 16 to divide the flow of fluid from 85 the tubes 6 to the outlets 15. It does incidentally accomplish a substantially equal division of ther fluih passing through the heating element between the two outlets 15 but its primary purpose is to facilitate the flow of the fluid from 90 the tubes 6 to the outlets, while at the same time permitting easy access to the tubes 6 for cleaning and inspection.

In operation a fluid to be heated such as a liquid to be .vaporized enters through the pipe 95 11, flows upwardly through the distributing chamber 10 and the tubes 6 into the chamber formed by the shell 12 and cover 13, being guided to the outlets 15 by the curved plates 18 and 19 through which it is delivered to any 100 suitable device for further treatment, such as a vapoi’ and liquid separating chamber (not shown). At the same time heating fluid such as the vapors of a high boiling liquid, for example diphenyl, enter by way of inlets 8 and pass downwardly over the tubes 6 and the resulting cooled vapors and/or condensate leave the apparatus by way of outlets 9. The expansion joint 2—3 takes care of any inequality in the expansion or contraction of the tubes 6 with

This invention relates to a heating element for use in heating liquids under forced circulation and more particularly to such a heating element designed and adapted to employ as the 5 heating medium the vapors of a material having a boiling point above 210° F. at 760 mm. pressure.

The heating element of my invention provides not only a large heating or heat transfer 10 surface, but in addition thereto for easy and quick access to the tube sheets and tubes and for taking undue strains from the tubes and tube sheets due to expansion and contraction. It also allows for and provides means for good 15 distribution of the heating vapors and for the withdrawal of the condensate of such vapors.

A heating element embodying my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the heating element;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2—2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3—3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section of the top portion of the device on the line 4—4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the fluid guiding vanes.

The device comprises an outer cylindrical wall or shell 1 provided with an expansion joint. As 30 will be seen, on Fig. 2 the expansion joint comprises the telescoped ends of the upper and lower portions of the wall, the open joint of which is enclosed by the housing 2 comprising the bellows-like members 3. The upper and lower ends 35 of the shell 1 carry the tube sheets 4 and 5 between which are mounted tubes 6. Flange 7 serves to support the device in a structure not shown. 8, 8 are heating vapor inlets and 9, 9 are outlets for the heating vapor and the con40 densate thereof. Secured to the lower end of the shell 1 is the frusto conical inlet and distributing chamber 10 for the liquid to be heated, to which is connected the supply pipe 11. Mounted on the upper end of the shell 1 is the dis45 tributing head comprising the outer cylindrical shell 12, cover 13 provided with ring 14 to facilitate easy removal, outlet openings 15, 15 and the fluid distributing baffle device 16 carried by the cover 13. The cover 13 and baffle device 16 ⁵⁰ may be unitary or securely jointed as by welding so that both may be lifted together by means of the ring 14 from the chamber formed by the shell 12 thereby to afford free access to the tube sheet 4 and the tubes 6 for inspection and ⁵⁵ cleaning. In the form illustrated, the cover 13

1,921,988 respect to the shell 1. Access to the tubes 6 for the purpose of inspection or cleaning may be quickly obtained by removal of the cover 13 and distributing device 16, as described above.

Apparatus of preferred form and construction has been illustrated and described for the purpose of showing a way in which this invention may be used, but the inventive thought upon which the application is based, is broader than 10 this illustrative embodiment thereof, and I therefore intend no limitations other than those imposed by the appended claims.