US1773401A - Fusible-plug water release - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 1&9, 1930. L. D. LOvEKlN EUsIBLE PLUG WATER RELEASE Filed Oct. 20. 1927 lzo hause', and may the prior art.

35 shoulder in the hot water inlet of a Patented Aug. 19, 1930 VUm'rlazn STATES PATENT OFFICE LurHEB) D. LovExIN, or WYNNEWooD, PENNSYLVANIA A EUsIBLE-PLUG wA'rEn RELEASE Application led October 20, 1927. Serial No'. 227,391.

the dangerously high fluid pressure incident to abnormally high temperature and with normal s stems' to permit replacement of .some of the very hot water in the heater by water from the cold water supply line.

I close the inlet to a waste pipe connection .with my heat element, usually making the oonnectlon from vthe top of a boiler, desirably with .a-T yfitting that provides outlet from the 'boiler into the hot water supply pipe of the desirably mount the heatweakened element between ad'oining members of a union at the inlet end of the waste P1Pe- A further purpose is to cut-heat-weakened element discs from a bar of fusible metal and bq accommodate the thickness ofthe discs to.

thearea of outlet and the pressure to which the discs may be subjected, and am thu'senabled to obtain discs inexpensively that have ,Superior and definite characteristics as compared to those of4 the molded elements of A further purpose is to clamp a heatweakened element disc to place a ainst' a dlscharge `1 e by means of a sleeve threaded into the 1n et and preferably provided with slots on opposite sides for screwing in or lunscrewing the sleeve.

Further purposes will appear in the specificationand in the claims.

I have referred to illustrate my invention 1 in a few orms only selecting forms that are practicaland convenientin operation and which well illustrate the principles involved.

l Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing one form of m invention ap plied to a domestic boiler or t e like using an' individual connection into the boiler for the relief pipe. g

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional'eleva-l tion showing the form in which the inlet to my relief pipeis supportedfrom a T fitting providing hot water outlet from the boiler.

Figures 3 and 4 are fragmentary sectional elevations correspondingy generally to Figure 2 but showing modified forms.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary partly sectioned detail showin a different mountin for the heat-weakene element-from that of gure 2. 6o

Like numerals refer to like parts in all figures.

Describin in illustration and not in limita tion, and re erringto the drawings My invention is intended particularly' to 65 protect hot water b0ilers,tanks and other containersa ainst excessive pressures incident to overheating from any cause 'and accompanied by. abnormally high temperature within the boller.

In the `Yillustration a heater l0 may com l prise an fluid heater, usually the water heater o a domestic heating system.v 7, .In many systems any overheatingfin the boiler ma result- .in excessive 4and dangerous .75 pressure'ln the boiler.' Normally overheating is intended to b e prevented by suitably regulating th'e fuel supply, .but sometimes regulation fails and in this eventpressures inside the boiler may become dangerously high, the dangerously hi h"pre'ssure being caused by the abnormallyigh temperature. To .prevent this danger I- make a`safety` waste pipe connection from a hot part of the n boiler, and close the inlet from the boiler to the waste pipe with a fusible element adapted to fail at al1-abnormally hi h temperature corresponding to an undesira ley high pressure. J'

I preferably use a disc form of fuse element 9U each disc being a section cnt from a bar, and am thus enabled to attain a uniformity and definiteness in the properties of the element and al cheapness and ease of manufacture that L union but which may obviously be straight or Without union if desired.

In Figure l the L threads directly into the boiler while in Figure 2 it is threaded into a union at one of the outlets of a T 13 connectin the boiler to a hotWater supply pipe 14 of t e house.

If desired the L may be threaded directly into the top of the T in the same way that it threads into the boiler at Figure 1.

In Figure 1 the inlet end of the L is counterbored and internally threaded and my heat-Weakenedelement disc 15 is held against the should-er 16 at the end of the counterbore, by a sleeve 17 threaded into the open end of the fitting.

, Desirably the sleeve 17 projects beyond the end of the L and is suitably slotted at 18 upon opposite sides to provide a grip for a screwdriver blade for screwing the sleeve in or out.

In Figure 5 the heat-weakenedelement disc 15 is held to place against the end of thenipple 19 by means of acap member 20 having aIcentral bore 21 of an desired size.

The size of the bore through the cap determines the rate of discharge if the heat-weakened element should fail and it should be sufficiently large but preferably no larger than that to insure adequate relief in the event of heat-weakened element failure.

The outletV end of thedischarge pipe 11 is desirabl located where any discharge may be visib e so that a glance at the end of the pipe may determine whether or not the heatweakened element is properly sealing the pipe from disch rge. Y

In Figure 2 t e L threads into the upper end of a union member 22 connecting to one of theoutlets 23 of the T feeding the hotJ water supply line of the house and anoutlet nipple 24 adapted to pass longitudinally throughthe T is threaded at its upperl end into the lower end of the union member 22.

The mounting for the heat-weakened element in Figure 2 comprises asleeve 25 threadedupon the inlet end of thenipple 24 and havy ing an intermediate interior iiange 26. The

heat-weakened element is seated upon the ange 26 and held to place by a sleeve 17 similar to thesleeve 17 of Figure 1.

In Figure 4 the union end of the `L makes union connection with the top of the T and theheat element 15 is clamped between the opposing members of th'e union, asuitablecompressible gasket 27 beingk provided to rial.

-Obviousl however, other forms of heatweakened e ements may be used trate this in Figure 3 where the heat element comprises a plug 30 threaded 'into the end of t e L.

Usually material adapted to fail at the temperature which corresponds to a pressure beginnin to become dangerously hi h is not adapte to machine into a threade plug so that the plug form of Figure 3 will usually be melted and moulded to place in the taper of the service fitting and then be screwed tight.

In operation the discharge pipe does not function' unless some abnormal condition arises permitting excessive heating within.

the heater. Such a condition might be due to failureof a thermostatic control to correctly operate or to any cause whatever.

In the event of such excessive heating the temperature and the pressurev inside the boiler both become abnormally high until finally the heat-weakened element disc fails, with or without fusion, permitting a discharge of Water from inside the heater through thepipe 11 which I have called a waste pipe in that it will in practice nearly always be adapted to discharge to waste and which in any event is a discharge pipe so far as the boiler is concerned.

This discharge relieves the ressure and also normally brings cold water rom the cold water supply line to replace that running away to waste through thepipe 11.

The abnormal condition for example at a thermostatic regulator, must be corrected and a new fusible element inserted before again operating the boiler.'

In view of my invention and disclosure variati'ons and modications to meet individual whim or particularneed will doubtless beand I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention. l

Having thus described my invention what IV claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A iuid heater adapted to supply hot water, a branching outlet fitting therefrom, a hot water supplyy pipe from one of the branches a waste pipe from another-of the branches anda heat-weakened element in the inlet of the waste pipe adapted to fail if subjected to an abnormally high temperature.

2. water heater a T outlet fitting open to the boller at one en a hot Water supply pipe and I illusv weeen from one branch of the T, e, removable olischarge pipe mounted.' in the other enel of the' 'T having en inlet inside the boiler enel e heetweekened. element normally closing the et end/"and adapted to eil if subjected to ebnormall high tempersuture.v v

3. A uid heater, a branching outlet fitting therefrom, a. hot water supply pi e from one of the branches, a union at emot er branch, a waste pipe having inlet from the branch et the union and a heat-weakened element snpported inthe inlet adapted? to fail if subjected to abnormally high temperature.'

LEUTE D.. LVEKN,

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