in Buildings and other Confined Spaces:
Year: 1888

page_text: in Buildings and other Confined Spaces:
I, JOHN BLANCH WITT, of No. 120 Flinders Lane West, Melbourne, in the Colony
of Victoria, Commercial Traveller, 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 :-
This invention has been designed for the purpose of raising or lowering the tem-
perature in buildings and other confined spaces and is intended to be used principally
for ventilating and for refrigerating purposes, the air being supplied to the apartinent
or building by a rotary distributer of peculiar construction after passing through
either a cooling chamber to reduce its temperature or through a heated chamber to
increase its temperature. When the apparatus is used for either purpose, the air
supply to it may be caused to pass through a disinfectant so as to purify the air led. to
the distributer which in all cases is fitted up in the apartment or room in which it is
to distribute the air and which it does during its rotation and without causing
draughts.
The rotary distributer consists of a hollow cylinder supported and rotated upon a
central axis, such cylinder having two or more rows of curved or angular spouts
leading from its cylindrical surface, so that when it is rotated in one direction it will
distribute the air while if it be rotated in a reverse direction it will act as an
exhauster. When the distributer is arranged on a vertical axis, its lower end is
closed, while its top end is open to lead the air supply to or from the building, and
such upper end is sealed to its connecting pipe or tube by a water joint, but when
arranged on a horizontal axis other well-known mechanical means would be used for
sealing the joints. The distributer may be driven in any desired manner although I
prefer to do so by a turbine or.water motor.
The invention will be better understood by describing it with reference to the
accompanying drawings which shew at,
.
Figure 1 a longitudinal section of one form of the apparatus having a chamber
CD077

page_text: which may be used either for cooling or for heating the air and also furnished with a
receptacle in which to place a disinfectant.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the rotary distributer shewn in Figure 1, and
Figure 3 is a plan of it with one of the spouts in section.
Figure 4 is a vertical section of the water joint for the vertical spindle with the
blades of a water motor formed on the part attached to the spindle.
Figure 5 is a vertical section on the line a, a, Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a side elevation partly in section of a second form of rotary distributer
which is designed for delivering the air downwards.
Figure 7 is a plan looking down on top of Figure 6, and,
Figure 8 is a horizontal-section and a transverse section of one of the spouts.
Figure 9 is a longitudinal section of an apparatus furnished with a second form of
cooling chamber and a third form of rotary distributer, and,
Figure 10 is a plan of such rotary distributer with one of the spouts shewn in
section, while,
Figure 11 is a transverse section on line 6, b, Figure 9.
Figure 12 is a longitudinal section of a third form of cooling chamber, and,
Figure 13 a transverse section on line c, c, Figure 12.
In Figures 1 to 5, is the cylindric body of the rotary distributer having the
several rows of curved spouts A projecting from it, such spouts being bevelled at
their end openings A³ as shewn and with the hole A formed in their back wall. A is
a vertical spindle on which the rotary distributer is mounted and which latter has a
closed lower end and an open top surrounded by a conical cistern A in which water
is kept to form a water joint between the top. end of the cylinder A and the pipe
leading from the chamber. B. The cylinder A is secured at its upper end to the
'spindle A by the bolts A7. The chamber B may be used either for cooling or heating
and has the inlet pipe B1 leading to its one end and the outlet pipe B2 leading from
its other end to the distributer. B³ is a passage forming a connection between the
room or apartment and the inlet end of the chamber B. B is a baffle-plate arranged
over the mouth of the tubes in the chamber B to distribute the air. B is the inlet
opening to chamber surrounding the tubes B, such inlet being furnished with a
cover B sealed with a water joint. B8 is the water-joint seal for the spindle A³
passing through the chamber B. B is a cock or plug to close either of the
openings B or B3. B10 is a draw-off cock from the chamber around the tubes.
B is a pipe for admitting air to the chamber B without its having to pass through
tubes B6, and the air led to this pipe may be caused to pass through the receptacle B12
in which is placed some disinfecting material; this pipe B being furnished with a
suitable stop-valve. C is a casing at the bottom of the rotary distributer in which is
placed the footstep C¹ to support lower end of the spindle A' and the turbine (2
which is driven by the pressure of water from pipe C³. C is an oil-pipe leading to
the footstep. C a trapped drain pipe to allow the waste water to flow away. Dis a
wind-mill arranged at the top end of the spindle and by means of which motion can be
imparted to the distributer instead of by the water motor, which if desired may be
arranged on the periphery of the water seal B8 as shown in Figure 4, and when the
spindle A is driven by a wind-wheel it is in two parts connected together by a short
india-rubber tube D¹ to act as a non-conductor of sound.
In Figures 6, 7 and 8 is shewn the second form of distributer which is designed
specially for being placed overhead in a recess in the ceiling, the spouts being so
arranged as that.the current of air delivered by them is distributed downwards instead
of outwards as in the first form of the rotary distributer. A is again the cylindric
body. A the spindle and A° the upper water joint or seal between it and the pipe
leading from the heating or cooling chamber. E are the spouts which incline down-
wards towards their points and lie at an angle to the cylindric body A, and the top
plate of the spouts project forward at the one side E¹ to form a channel which is led
across the end opening of the spout by means of the small baffle-plate E2. E³ is
the end opening and E the side opening from the spouts. By this construction of
spouts a suction is produced which assists the rotary distributer to deliver the air and

page_text: especially when it has to be delivered downwards from a confined space above the
ceiling.
In Figures 9, 10, and 11, the second form of cooling chamber is shewn and also a
third form of rotary distributer, the only difference between the latter and that shewn
in Figures 1, 2 and 3, being that the spouts A¹ are perfectly flat and have a mouth-
piece A³ formed at their ends having an opening at A³ in the front edge of the
spout to create a suction and an opening A10 at their ends for the discharge. This
construction also induces a suction to assist in the distribution of the air. The cooling
chamber B in these figures is also similar as far as regards the parts marked B¹, B²,
B3 and B, the pipe B₁ being shewn furnished with a throttle valve B13 and the
tubes B formed of an elongated tapering section and stretching between the two end
plates d, d, of the chamber B, which is furnished with a lid or cover B14. The
chamber B in this form of apparatus consists simply of an ice-chest formed around
the tubes B. B is a drip pipe from chamber B, and B16 is a sweating jacket formed
around the curved bottom of the latter. B are holes communicating from jacket B
to the air passage.
B18 is a drip pipe from jacket to the pipe B. The spindle A³
of the distributer passes through a stuffing box A" and has the turbine C² secured on
its top end within the casing C. C³ being the water-supply pipe and C³ the discharge
pipe.
In Figures 12 and 13 is shewn the third form of cooling chamber, which is an
alternative construction of the form just described and is similar to it inasmuch as
it is furnished with the inlet pipe B¹, outlet pipe B2, tubes B6, sweating jacket B16,
holes B and drip pipes B1 and B. The inlet pipe B' in this form of apparatus
leads to the chamber F, which has in it the valve F1 which may be placed as shewn to
close the direct passage F leading to the tubes B and so leave the passage F³ open
which leads to the chamber F4 having the solid bottom F5, between which and the
plate over the crown of the tubes is another passage Fe which stretches across the
full width of the chamber and has a passage F7 at its back communicating with
chamber F and a passage F8 at its front end forming a connection between the
chamber F and the front of the tubes B. F are drip pipes leading from chamber F*
to chamber B. F10 is an ice-box in chamber F4, the casing of which is connected to
the chamber B by a water-joint F" or it can be removed if an ice box is not required.
F2 is the lid or cover of such chamber F, also furnished with a water joint F¹³ as
shewn.
The mode of operation is as follows:-Supposing it is desired to supply a room
with cooled air, then if the first form of apparatus is used, the cooling agents are placed
in the chamber B around the tubes B6, the plug B being set to allow a free passage
from supply-pipe B¹, the rotary distributer now having motion imparted to it draws
the air through the tubes where it is reduced in temperature and from thence into its
cylindric body and from which it is evenly distributed into the room or apartment by
the series of spouts. If the room is to be heated the chamber B around its tubes is
converted into a heating chamber so as to thus distribute air in a heated condition to
the room. If it is desired to disinfect the air leading to the room, the air drawn in is
caused to pass through any disinfecting material.
In the second form of apparatus the operation is precisely the same as that just
described, the only difference being that the chamber B is made in the form of an ice-box
with a sweating jacket at its bottom and the air tubes or conduits leading to the distributer
pass through such ice-box, while in the third form of apparatus the cooling surface for
the air may be increased or decreased at will as by closing the top passage by the
valve F the air passes direct through the tubes as in the second form of apparatus
but by closing the passage F2 and opening the passage F3 by said valve F¹ the air
traverses first through the upper chamber F, thence through the central chamber F
and thence through tubes B to the distributer. By reversing the motion of the
rotary distributer the air is exhausted from the apartment as it is led through its arms
or spouts to within its cylindric body and finds exit through its end opening B², or if
desired when the apparatus is being used for a refrigerating chamber, the air after
being distributed in the room is again drawn therefrom through the opening B³ and

page_text: so caused to be continuously circulated through the room, cooling chamber and
distributing apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The rotary device for distributing or exhausting air, consisting of a cylindrical
chamber having a row or rows of curved spouts extending from its body and either
with or without the mouth-pieces at their ends; substantially as herein described
and explained and as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and also in Figures 9 and 10
of the drawings.
2. The alternative construction of rotary device for distributing air consisting of a
cylindrical chamber having a row or rows of straight spouts which incline downwards
towards their points and lie at angle to the cylindrical body, these spouts being also
furnished with end mouth-pieces; substantially as herein described and explained
and as illustrated in Figures 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings.
3. The combination of either of these rotary devices with the chamber which may
be used either for heating or cooling; substantially as herein described and explained
and as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings.
4. The combination of the parts forming the cooling chamber shewn respectively
in Figures 9 and 11 and in Figures 12 and 13, each being furnished with a sweating
jacket and with tubes of tapering section; substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and explained.
Dated this Twenty-fifth day of May One thousand eight hundred and eighty-
eight