Improvements in Steam Traps.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 15th Apr., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam Traps.
I, EGBERT HABBERTON GOLD, of 652, Rookery, Chicago, in the County of
Cook, and State of Illinois, United States of America, Steam Heating Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My invention is intended to provide a steam trap which shall be certain and
quick in action and which will not be liable to be clogged, by freezing or other-
wise, and which can be easily thawed if there should ever be occasion for it.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 shows a trap as applied to the heating apparatus of a car ;
Fig. 2 is a central section through the trap;
Figs. 3 and 4 are cross sections on lines 3--3 and 4-4 respectively of Fig. 2.
Referring to Fig. 2, A designates a valve body provided with an opening a by
which it may be connected to the pipes of the heating apparatus. It contains
two valve orifices or seats B C to which are adapted valves D E. The valve E is
operated by the hand-wheel F. The valve D is automatically operated by an
expansion device G which so far as the present invention is concerned, may be of
any suitable kind. As shown, it consists, however, of a hollow receptacle y filled
with a volatile liquid such as alcohol. The top and bottom walls of the receptacle
are expansible under the influence of pressure and the movement of said walls
is utilized to move the valve D, the connection between the expansion device and
the valve D being through a spindle H. The receptacle g is supported upon a
screw I, by means of which its position may be varied in order to secure proper
closure of the valve D. The expansion device is contained within the chamber
formed by the casing J which is connected to the valve body A. by means of a
discharge tube K. Through the tube K both valve openings B and C commu-
nicate with the chamber in which the expansion device G is situated. This is the
most convenient arrangement but the purposes of the invention would be served if
the communication of the respective valve-openings, with the chamber in which
the expansion device is situated, were through separate tubes. The valve D
operated by the expansion device G is so far separated from the latter that it may
be located within the space to be heated (in the case shown, inside of the car)
while the expansion device is situated outside where it is exposed to the cooler air.
This arrangement serves several purposes. In the first place the device is made
quick acting as the expansion device is cooled as soon as the flow of hot water and
steam from the trap is checked and the accumulation of any material quantity of
water above the valve D of the trap is prevented. Such water as may accumulate
cannot be exposed to the freezing temperature as long as the apparatus is in use
for the accumulation is all inside the space to be heated. The expansion device
being the first thing to be cooled will upon the discontinuance of the use of the
heating apparatus open the valve so as to drain all water in the heating apparatus
away before any of it can be frozen. Even if clogging of the outer part of the
trap should take place, it could be remedied in a few moments when the apparatus
was again put in use by the opening of the hand-valve E which would permit the
steam to be blown into the chamber containing the expansion device and would
thus thaw out and clear from the trap all obstructions.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination in a steam trap for heating apparatus of an automatically
operated valve located within the space to be heated; an expansion device situated
outside the space to be heated and a rod connecting said expansion device with
the valve, substantially as described.
2. The combination in a steam trap for heating apparatus, of an automatically
operated valve, located within the space to be heated; an expansion_device
situated wholly outside the space to be heated; and connection between said valve
and expansion device, substantially as described.
3. The combination in a steam trap, of a valve body containing two valve-seats;
a hand-operated valve fitted to one seat; an automatically operated valve fitted
to the other seat; and an expansion device contained in a chamber communicating
with both valve orifices, substantially as described.
4. The combination in a steam trap for heating apparatus, of a valve body
adapted to be attached with the heating pipes and containing a valve opening, to
which is fitted a valve; a discharge tube connected to said valve body and adapted
to extend from within the space to be heated to the outside air; a casing attached
to the outer end of said tube; an expansion device contained in the chamber
within said casing, but wholly without the space to be heated; and connections
between said expansion device and said valve, substantially as described.
5. The combination in a steam trap for heating apparatus, of a valve body
adapted to be attached to the heating pipes and containing a pair of valve openings
to which respectively are fitted an automatic and a hand-operated valve; a
discharge tube connected to said valve body and adapted to extend from within
the space to be heated to the outside air; a casing attached to the outer end of
said tube; an expansion device contained in the said casing but wholly without the
space to be heated, and a rod connecting said expansion device with the automatic
valve, substantially as described.
Dated the 6th day of March 1893.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.