Warming, or Cooling Air.
Year: 1889

page_text: Warming, or Cooling Air.
We, JAMES BENTLEY HOWORTH, and FREDERICK CHARLES HOWORTH, both of Bentley
House, Great Lever, Bolton in the County of Lancaster, Ventilating 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 that kind of apparatus for humidifying, warming or cooling
air in which air is drawn or blown through the apparatus by a fan attached to the
same and consists in improved arrangement or construction of the apparatus and the
parts composing the same.
On the sheets of drawings appended hereunto
Fig. 1 shows the combined apparatus, with the heater and humidifyer in section.
Fig. 2 a plan of the humidifyer.
Fig. 3 a plan of the heater.
Fig. 4 a side view of the fan with one side cover removed and
Fig. 5 a cross section of the fan.
Fig. 6 a cross section and
Fig. 7a longitudinal section and
Fig. 8 a plan of a modification of the humidifyer.
Fig. 9 a cross section of another modification of the latter, figs. 10 and 11 a third
modification in section and plan.
In apparatus of this kind hitherto made the heating and moistening of the air has
been effected within the same chamber or box. One of our improvements consists in
heating the air in a separate chamber or heater A fig. 1 through which it is drawn by an
exhaust fan B, and passing it from the fan through a separate moistening chamber or
humidifyer C made without air heating steam pipes and without warming the air
further except by such heat as may be contained in the vapor of the water, and in so
combining these parts that the humidifyer is above or at a higher level than the.

page_text: heater A. By this arrangement the apparatus continues to work slowly when the fan
is stopped, as the air heated in the heater A naturally has a tendency to rise and will
pass through the fan into the humidifyer C and thence into the room to be supplied
with warm & moist air, thus keeping, for instance, mills warm and moist during the
night time.
By preference we arrange the heater A in the manner shewn by figs. 1 and 3 with
several vertical coils of piping a a separated by partition plates & leaving alternately a
space at the bottom and the top of the box c. The latter has an inlet opening d at one end
near the bottom, and at the two other end two outlet openings d¹ di connected to the
suction pipes of the fan B, and the air passes in the direction of the arrows alternately
over and under the partition plates and through the coils and becomes heated thereby
if steam or hot water is made to flow through the coils. The coils are jointed together
by unions a¹ a at their upper ends, steam or hot water entering each coil at the top
and flowing through it to the bottom, whence it flows through the rising pipes a² a²
to the next coil and is finally discharged through a tap a³ or a steam trap.
with
In combination with apparatus for warming and humidifying air we use an improved
fan, figs. 4 and 5. One of the improvements in the fan consists in surrounding the
shell or casing of the same with a jacket e as shewn on the drawings, through which
we circulate steain or hot water by means of an inlet pipe e¹ and outlet pipe e fitted
with cocks or valves. By this means the air is kept warin during its passage through
the fan and reaches the humidifyer C at a higher temperature than it would do with
an ordinary fan. The casing may also be jacketed at the sides as well as the
circumference. Our further improvement in the fan consists in the novel or improved
construction of the propeller of the same. We fix upon the shaft fa boss
disc g. The disc may be flat but is by preference made conical on both sides as
shewn, and has attached to it blades of the form shewn on the drawings .Some of
these blades are principal blades and nearly the same width as the
case i of the fan, leaving only a clearance between the blades and the case. They are
cut taper at the outer ends as shewn, the casing being formed with corner pieces 2¹
to follow the shape of the blades. The latter extend along the boss g so as to enter the
suction pipes 2 of the fan as shewn at h h and are bent at the ends as shewn so as
to assist in drawing in the air from the heater A. The blades themselves are bent
backwards and stepped as shewn in the drawing. Between the principal blades h h h
we place intermediate blades 12 12 that do not extend to the boss, and are narrower
than to the principal blades, but otherwise similar to them. The blades are fastened
to the disc g by means of flanges * turned on them, or of angle brackets h³, screwed
or rivetted to the blades and disc as shewn by fig. in the case of one blade
respectively. The case i is concentric with the fan and has a tangential discharge
pipe as usual. This form or arrangement of propeller and fan may also be used
without a jacket to the casing.
Our further improvements in warming and humidifying apparatus relate to the con-
struction or arrangement of the humidifyer. We arrange the latter as hereinbefore stated
without any coils or pipes for heating the air delivered by the fan. Instead of allowing the
water to flow over a perforated plate, the holes of which frequently become stopped,
and which is liable to become warped or twisted by the hot air, we use grids composed
of tubes or bars of round, oval, square, diamond, triangular, or polygonal section with
spaces between them. These spaces do not become stopped and the bars present a
larger surface from which the moisture can be absorbed by the air than the perforated plate
hitherto used. We make the bars separate with thickened ends or distance pieces
between them, so that the distance between them can be regulated to vary the resistance
to the flow of air and the surface from which moisture is absorbed.
In some
cases we make the bars in one length extending from one side of the humidifyer to the
other, with an overflow water trough at one end and a collecting trough at the other,
but by preference we arrange the humidifyer as shewn by figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.
At each end we place a water trough m m supplied with water from the mains or a
cistern through a regulating valve or cock. The water is heated in the troughs by

page_text: means of coils of pipes m² m³ through which steam or hot water is passed. We arrange
two grids n n slightly sloping towards the middle, down which the water overflowing
from the troughs m m¹ passes. In the ordinary arrangement of a single perforated
sheet or grid for this purpose its lower end is frequently inefficient, all the water having
passed through the holes into the plate or grid or being evaporated before it can
reach the end. By using two grids each of half the length of the apparatus this
drawback is avoided. In the centre we place a trough n² into which the water
flowing over the bars collects and is discharged through a pipe n³ into the bottom
of the humidifyer, where it accumulates and is kept at a certain level by means
of an overflow pipe n'. We arrange the inlet for the air from the fan just above
the level of the water collected at the bottom of the humidifyer, so that in passing
over this surface it absorbs moisture. The air then ascends through the grids and
absorbs further moisture from the water dropping from the grids and flowing along
their surface, and finally passes out through the outlet pipes n.
Instead of arranging two water troughs at the ends of the humidifyer, we in some
cases use one water trough in the centre heated by steam pipes and slope the grids
downwards from this trough towards the ends of the humidifyer and place a collecting
trough with outlet pipe at each end.
Instead of using the humidifyer with grids as herein last described in combination
with a heater A and fan B, we in some cases use humidifyers constructed as shewn
by figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. We place in the outer box or shell o, figs. 6, 7, and 8, a
trough p divided by partition plates p¹ extending from one end to near the other end and
place in them serpentine heating pipes p² as shewn on the drawings. The trough is
kept supplied with water through a tap or by preference by means of a cistern o¹
fitted with ball tap and communicating with the trough p, so as to keep the water at
the same level. The plates p¹ stand up above the top of the trough p or the water
level and above them we place corrugated deflecting sheets g dipping into the spaces
between each two partition plates pl. The trough p may be placed close to one side
of the casing o as shewn on figs. 6, 7, and 8 so that the air passes from underneath the
trough up on one side and then up and down over the partition plates p¹ and under
the deflecting plates g to the other side, absorbing moisture from the heated water,
after which it passes into the upper part of the casing s. The trough may also be
placed in the middle leaving a space at each side, up which the air passes and thence
flows over the partition plates and under the deflecting plates and escapes in the
middle through an opening left between the deflecting plates, as shewn by fig. 9.
Two troughs, one above the other, with guide plates 9', as shewn by fig. 9, may be
used with this as well as with the arrangement of trough shewn by figs. 6 7 and 8.
Under the outlet pipes r, through which the air escapes from the humidifyer, we place
a baffle plate s to prevent the air being drawn chiefly to these outlets and to cause its
being distributed evenly throughout the apparatus.
In some cases we arrange the humidifyer so that the bottom of the casing itself forms
the water trough, as shown by figs. 10 and 11, taking the hot air propelled by the fan
through a pipe t in the centre of the bottom extending above the water level and place
over it corrugated sheets u of a similar kind as those described with reference to
figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9. The air impinges on the water, which is heated by means of a
coil v and escapes at the sides of the sheets u. A second trough above the first may be
used with this arrangement, the upper trough being arranged in the same way as the
lower one.
The air escapes into the room through the outlet pipe w, under which we
place a baffle plate s. The trough may also be arranged with partition plates and
surmounted by deflecting plates similarly to those shewn by figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9.
Deflecting plates may be used to mix the air thoroughly.
The heater A may be dispensed with when no very hot air is required, and the steam
jacketed fan only used in combination with the humidifyer, as shewn by fig. 10.
The appartus hereinbefore described can also be used for cooling and moistening
air by causing cold water or a refrigerating liquid to flow through the pipes instead of
steam or hot water.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is,
Firstly, in apparatus for heating and humidifying air the arrangement of a separate
heater and humidifyer connected by a fan and so placed, that the humidifyer is above
the heater and a natural draught produced when the fan is not working, substantially
as herein described.
Secondly, in combination with a humidifyer and fan, the arrangement of a heater,
with vertical partition plates and coils, substantially as herein described and illustrated
by figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings.
Thirdly, in apparatus for heating and humidifying air connected to a fan, the
jacketing of the casing of the fan, substantially as herein described and illustrated
by figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings and for the purpose set forth.
Fourthly, in combination with apparatus for heating and humidifying air, worked
by a fan, the construction of air propeller or fan herein described and illustrated by
figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.
Fifthly, in humidifying apparatus the use of a grid or grids composed of separate
bars, substantially as herein described and for the purpose set forth.
Sixthly, the arrangement of humidifyers with two grids and without air heating
pipes, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by figs. 1 and 2 of the
drawings.
Seventhly, the arrangement of humidifyer with one or more troughs divided by
partition plates and surmounted by corrugated deflecting plates, substantially as
herein described and illustrated by figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the drawings.
Eighthly, in air humidifyers worked by a fan the arrangement of passing the air
inlet through the centre of the bottom of a water trough surmounted by corrugated
deflecting plates, substantially as herein described and illustrated by figs. 10 and 11.
Dated this 18th day of April 1889.