Improvements in or connected with Ventilating and Air Moistening Apparatus.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th June, 1894--Accepted, 28th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Ventilating and Air Moistening
Apparatus.
We, JOHN ALSTON HART, of Higher Bank, Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, and DOCTOR CHARLES BAYNES, of 135 Revedge Road,
Blackburn, aforesaid Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to provide means whereby air supplied by
ventilating apparatus can be humidified. In an apparatus arranged or constructed
according to our invention a fan of any suitable construction may be used.
In providing for the humidifying of the air we have in view the desirability of
properly carrying along with the air the proper amount of moisture but so that
there is no danger of water depositing to an objectionable extent in the neigh-
bourhood of the fan. With this object we arrange the apparatus so that the parts
through which the steam or watery vapour passes out to be carried forward by
the air currents are heated preparatory to the steam or watery vapour issuing
therefrom and so also that the steam expands on entering. This heating we
prefer to effect by means of the steam itself first traversing in contact with the
said parts before it enters thereinto and issues therefrom. A convenient and
efficient arrangement consists of two annular passages or tubes the steam entering
and passing around or partly around the first tube or passage and then entering
the lower tube or passage and therefrom issuing from pipes or, nozzles which open
at one end to the exterior of the annulus and pass through the upper tube or
When the
passage and open at their other ends into the lower tube or passage."
steam therefore enters the first tube or passage it passes around the exteriors of
the nozzles which traverse it and imparts heat thereto, it then enters the lower
tube or passage and depositing any water of condensation passes through the
nozzles which have been heated as described and thence to the exterior where
the steam or watery vapour is taken up and carried forward with the air
currents projected by the fan the arrangement preventing large globules of water
emerging from the apparatus, the water or watery vapour being only in such
small globules as can be carried along with the said air currents. We prefer to
leave such a space between the annulus and the ring from which the steam issues
that a current of dry or comparatively dry air will pass in a direction away from
the fan even should the fan be stationary and so protect the fan from excessive
moisture.
The apparatus may be provided with means for tempering the incoming air for
instance with a heating coil for warming the said air in cold weather to prevent
premature condensation of the steam used for humidifying.
It is desirable to combine with the apparatus means for ensuring that the supply
of humidifying steam is cut off when the fan is stopped and supplied again when
the fan is started.
In the case of steam motors for the fan this may be effected by making the
pipes which supply the fan motor and the humidifier both as branches from one
main supply pipe so that one cock controls both. Where this is not possible or
convenient the means by which the fan is started and stopped may be so coupled
to or connected with the means by which the steam is supplied to the humidifier
that they are both simultaneously operated and one cannot be started or stopped

page_text: employed.
or other equivalent means for effecting the same
Dated this 4th day of August 1893.
object may be
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Ventilating and Air Moistenin
Apparatus.
We, JOHN ALSTON HART of Higher Bank Blackburn in the County of
Lancaster Engineer and DOCTOR CHARLES BAYNES of 135 Revedge Road
Blackburn aforesaid Engineer 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. :—
The object of our invention is to provide apparatus whereby air supplied by
ventilating apparatus can be humidified by steam or watery vapour so that
the proper amount of water or watery vapour is taken up by or carried along
with the air and distributed thereby without danger of an objectionable amount
of water being emitted by the apparatus so that there is no danger of water
depositing to an objectionable extent in the neighbourhood of the fan or air
distributing apparatus, or otherwise improperly depositing.
arranged or constructed according to our invention a fan or air distributing
In an apparatus
apparatus of any suitable construction may be used. We arrange the apparatus
so that the tubes or parts through which the steam or watery vapour passes
out to be carried forward by the air currents are heated preparatory to the
steam or watery vapour issuing therefrom and so also that the steam expands on
entering, and water is deposited therefrom before the steam or watery vapour issues
from the apparatus. The expansion of the steam ensures that the tubes or parts
at the outlet will not become too highly heated. This heating we prefer to effect
by means of the steam itself first traversing in contact with the said parts or tubes
before it enters thereinto and issues therefrom.
arrangement is illustrated in plan in Figure 1 and cross section in Figure 2 of
A convenient and efficient
the accompanying drawings as applied for use with a rotating fan and circular
steam tubes to correspond but we do not confine ourselves to the circular form of
the apparatus. It consists of two annular passages or tubes A and B the steam
entering and expanding in and passing around, or partly around, the first tube or 3
passage A and then entering the lower tube or passage B and therefrom issuing
from a number of pipes C which open at one end to the exterior of the upper tube
or passage A and pass therethrough and open at their other ends into the lower
tube or passage B. When the steam therefore enters the first tube or passage A
by the inlet a it passes therealong and around the exteriors of the tubes C (as +
shewn by the arrows). It is prevented by the abutment a² from passing in the
other direction. The steam expands in the tube or passage A and imparts the
requisite amount of heat to the said tubes C and then enters the lower tube or
passage B by the pipe b which descends into the water draining well D and
depositing any water of condensation in the said well passes up into the tube or 45
passage B and therefrom through the tubes C, which have been heated as
described and thence to the exterior where the steam or watery vapour meets the
air currents projected by the fan or air distributing apparatus and is carried along
therewith the arrangement preventing large globules of water emerging from the
apparatus the water globules being so small that they can be carried along with 5
the said air currents. We prefer to leave a space (as at e) so that a current of dry
or comparatively dry air will pass between the humidifier and the fan and so

page_text: protect the fan from excessive moisture. It is desirable not only that the tube A.
be of considerably larger cross sectional area than the steam inlet tube but that the
tube B be larger in cross sectional area than the tube A and that the aggregate
cross sectional area of the tubes C be greater than that of the tube B. For
example supposing the entering steam to be at a pressure below 100 lbs. to the
square inch the inlet steam pipe may be an inch internal diameter and the
tube A 2 inches internal diameter the cross sectional area of the succeeding
passages being somewhat greater.
The apparatus may be provided with means for tempering the air entering the
fan or air distributor for instance with a heating coil for warming the said air in
cold weather to prevent premature condensation of the steam or watery vapour
used for humidifying.
Although we have shewn the apparatus as consisting of an annulus it may be
arranged in other suitable form for example it may be arranged in a straight line
to lie alongside a Tobin air inlet tube or the like as shewn by Figures 4 and 5 in
plan and in transverse section. The parts which correspond with those shewn in
the preceding figures are marked with the same letters of reference and the
arrangement will thereby be readily understood without further description.
It is desirable to combine with the apparatus means for ensuring that the supply
of humidifying steam or watery vapour is cut off when the fan is stopped and
supplied again when the fan is started. In the case of steam motors for the fan
this may be effected by making the pipes which supply the fan motor and the
humidifier both as branches from one main supply pipe, so that one cock controls
both. Where this is not possible or convenient the means by which the fan is
started and stopped may be so coupled to, or connected with, the means by which
the steam is supplied to the humidifier that they are both simultaneously operated
and one cannot be started or stopped without the other, or other equivalent means
for effecting the same object may be employed.
We do not limit ourselves to the precise construction shewn in the drawings.
For example the apparatus may be made as shewn in cross section in Figure 3 the
chambers for the expansion of the steam and deposit of water being divided by the
division. The lower chamber being provided with or constituting the water well
and the steam or watery vapour passing in the direction of the arrows. In each
case the passage for steam from the tube A to the tube B is preferably made of a
number of openings presenting a total passage equal or about equal to the cross
sectional area of the tube A.
In the drawings x shews a water sealed overflow for the water from the drainage
well.
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,
1. In combination with apparatus for creating currents of air for ventilating
purposes a device for supplying steam or watery vapour to the air the said device
being such that the steam or vapour expands and also heats the passages through
which the steam or vapour passes out to be taken up by the air currents, the steam
or watery vapour after heating the said passages and before it issues therethrough
to leave the said device being deprived of objectionable watery particles sub-
stantially in the manner herein before described.
2. For use in combination with ventilating apparatus a humidifying apparatus
consisting of an inlet for steam or watery vapour to a tube or annulus of enlarged
area through which outlet tubes or passages pass, the said tube or annulus being in
communication with another tube or annulus provided with a water depositing well
from which last named tube or annulus the said outlet tubes or passages open the
arrangement being such that the steam or watery vapour enters the first tube or
annulus and expands therein and heats the said outlet tubes or passages and then
passes into the second tube or annulus and therein deposits watery particles and

page_text: then issues from the said outlet tubes or passages in proper condition to pass with
the ventilating air into the apartment or place being ventilated substantially as
hereinbefore described.
3. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the humidifying
apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 4th day of June 1894
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.