Improvements in Apparatus for Humidifying, Cooling, Heating, and Distributing Air.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 21st Feb., 1891
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Humidifying, Cooling, Heating, and
Distributing Air.
We, JAMES BENTLEY HOWORTH and FREDERICK CHARLES HOWORTH, both
of Bentley House, Great Lever, near Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Venti-
lating Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
-
Our invention relates to apparatus for humidifying, cooling, and heating air
admitted into rooms and distributing the same in said rooms and consists in improved
arrangements of apparatus for this purpose.
Figure 6 shows a section of our improved distributor for the humidified air.
The humidifying apparatus is composed of a cylindrical chamber or cylinder a in
which a drum b covered with pins, spikes, bristles or wire brushes and dipping into
water supplied from a cistern fitted with pipes for circulating steam, hot water or
refrigerating liquids is rotated so as to produce a fine spray while air is forced or
drawn through the said cylindrical vessel by natural draught or by means of a
fan c and becomes humidified by the spray and at the same time cooled or heated
according to the temperature of the sprayed water.
At
The drum b and fan c are preferably mounted upon one shaft d supported in
bearings d' dd, d² being formed with three radiating arms for fixing the same in
the cylinder a, and d¹ and d being fixed to the ends of the cylinder a. A band
pulley e or its equivalent is fixed upon the shaft d for driving the same.
the side of the cylinder a a cistern f is arranged extending underneath the
cylinder and communicating through an opening a with the part of the cylinder a
in which the drum 6 revolves, a partition plate a dividing the lower portion of the
cylinder into two parts. The cistern fis filled with water through a pipe fland
ball tap which regulates the height of the water in the cistern and cylinder a
so that the points of the spikes or their equivalents on the drum 6 dip into the
water to the required depth for producing the desired degree of moisture, the
quantity of spray thrown off by the spikes increasing with the depth of their
immersion. The cistern fis fitted with solid or perforated pipes 9 with inlet and
outlet taps 91, through which steam or hot water can be circulated and the water in
the cistern and cylinder heated or boiled so as to obtain a warm or hot moist
atmosphere and by means of which the degree of humidity can also be regulated.
A heater fitted with steam pipes may be combined with the apparatus through
which the air is drawn by the fan and becomes heated and is then blown by the fan
through the cylinder with revolving drum, for the purpose of further increasing the
temperature of the air and enabling it to absorb more moisture. By using cold
water in the cistern or circulating refrigerating liquids through the pipes cooled air
can be obtained.
The fan or propeller c may be any known kind of ventilating fan suitable for
propelling air. The cylinder a is provided with inlet and outlet openings, which
may be arranged as shewn, an inlet pipe or conduit h being placed on the top in
front of the fan c and an outlet and diffusing pipe ' above the drum b. As the

page_text: shaft d is rotated, the fan draws, air through hand propels it through the part of
the cylinder a surrounding the drum b, where it encounters the spray produced by
the drum and becomes humidified and heated or cooled in the manner herein before
described, and issues through into the room, or is conducted to the place where
it is to be discharged through pipes or flues. Instead of the air being drawn into
and discharged from the cylinder at its upper side, it may be drawn in or discharged
at the ends of the same through continuations of the cylinder as indicated by dotted
lines on the drawing. The fan or propeller may also be reversed and the air drawn
through the space round the revolving drum and discharged at the other end of the
apparatus.
The apparatus may also be made without the fan being combined with it and
consist of a cylinder with revolving drum and inlet and outlet openings combined
with a cistern fitted with coils or their equivalents for heating or cooling the water,
and the air drawn through the same by natural draught or by ventilating fans
exhausting air from the room the apparatus is intended to supply with
moistened air.
The drum b may be made of sheet metal to which pins or spikes have been fixed
or which is covered with wood or metal lugs into which pins or spikes, bristles or
wires have been inserted.
Below the fan c a pocket is arranged in the casing or cylinder for collecting any
water that may collect in this part of the cylinder, a drain pipe being arranged to
discharge the water into the drains.
In connection with the humidifying apparatus we employ in some cases an
improved distributor or regulator for distributing the air into the room from the
main distributing pipe, so arranged that the amount of air admitted into the room
can be conveniently regulated as required. The distributor shown in section by
Figure 6 consists of a short cylinder or pipe m mounted upon the main pipe and
having a conical mouth piece m' at its top, the outer edge of which is raised to
prevent water deposited on the mouth piece being blown out. A boss n is fixed by
the arms to the pipe m and tapped for a screw spindle o to which an inverted
cone p having the same angle as the mouth piece is fixed. By screwing the cone p
up or down the amount of air discharged from the distributor can be regulated or
the outlet entirely closed, while the air is sent out in a radiating flow all round the
distributor. This distributor has the advantage of dispensing with revolving hoods
or equivalent diffusers requiring a separate valve for regulating the amount of air
discharged or for stopping the discharge.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :
Firstly. An apparatus consisting of a cylinder or chamber provided with inlet
and outlet openings and containing a drum covered with pins, spikes, bristles or
wires dipping into cold or hot water supplied to the lower part of said cylinder or
chamber from a cistern provided with apparatus for heating or cooling the water,
for the purpose of producing a fine hot or cold spray when rotated and thereby
humidifying heating or cooling air blown or drawn through said cylinder or
chamber, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Secondly. The combination with apparatus for humidifying heating or cooling air
constructed as specified in the preceding claim of a fan mounted upon the shaft of
the revolving drum in another compartment of the same cylinder or chamber, sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
Thirdly. The construction or arrangement of air distributor substantially as
herein before described with reference to Figure 6 of the drawings.
Dated this 10th d... f T. LOẠI
W. T. EMMOTT,
Agent for the Applicants.