A Duplex Automatic Air Valve for Radiators.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 22nd May, 1891-Accepted, 27th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Duplex Automatic Air Valve for Radiators.
I HERBERT JOHN HADDAN of the firm of Herbert & Co. Patent Agents of
18 Buckingham Street, Strand W.C. London, Civil Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention a communication to me from abroad by Clarence
E. Van Auken, of Chicago in the United States of America to be as follows:-
This invention relates to radiators and consists in a duplex automatic air valve
therefor.
The
The valve permits air to escape through an outlet in the top of the case.
said outlet is controlled by a bell shaped float which is placed mouth downward and
when raised by water, or expanded by steam closes said outlet. Two inlets are
provided one below the mouth of the float the other above the float near the outlet
aforesaid.
Dated this 9th day of December 1890.
HERBERT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Duplex Automatic Air Valve for Radiators.
I HERBERT JOHN HADDAN of the firm of Herbert & Co., Patent Agents of
18 Buckingham Street Strand W.C. London Civil Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention a communication to me from abroad by Clarence E.
Van Auken of Chicago, United States of America, and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to an improved duplex automatic air valve for use
in connection with the radiators or steam-heating systems; and the object of
the invention is to provide a valve which will allow the air to escape. from the
radiator to which the device embodying the invention is attached, and which after
allowing the air to escape will automatically close and retain within the radiator
the water of condensation and the steam.
In steam-heating systems wherein radiators are connected by steam tight joints
to pipes extending throughout a building and extending from a steam generating
boiler, it is usual to attach to each radiator a drip pipe having a valve therein,
which can be opened to allow the air to escape from the radiator, and when desired,
can be opened to allow the water of condensation in the radiator to escape; but
the escape of such water of condensation is not required in the present ordinary
construction of steam-heating systems; and the invention herein described obviates
the use of such drip pipes.
The invention is illustrated by the drawings forming a part of this Specification,
in which-
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the device, as the same appears when ready for use:
Fig. 2 a longitudinal vertical section, on line 2-2 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 3 a cross
section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the device, having a perpendicular neck on the base
thereof.
In the drawings, a given letter of reference refers to the same part throughout
the several views thereof.
Dost

page_text: :
A is a shell forming the case of the valve, and is constructed of any suitable
material, as brass. The case of the valve has at the upper end thereof the head. A¹.
This head A' may be an integral part of the shell A, or may be secured rigidly
thereto, as preferred. B is the base of the valve case, having the neck with the
screw-thread b¹ thereon. In the base B there is cut the thread a corresponding
with the threads on the lower part of the shell A, and it is preferred to attach the
shell A to the base B by screwing the threads a together. C is a pipe or tube
inserted in the hole D of the neck b. This pipe or tube C has a right angle bend
therein at the point where it leaves the stem 6 and enters the shell A, and the
vertical part of the pipe C extends in the shell A to above the inverted cup part of
the float E. E is a float consisting of the inverted cup e and the stem e¹. e² is a
groove in the inverted cup e in which groove the vertical part of the pipe or tube C
extends. The float E is made of material more expansible than is the material of
which the shell A is constructed, when exposed to a like degree of heat. e³ is a
needle point valve, preferably of metal, and brass has heretofore been used, secured
in the upper end of the stem e' of the float E. F is a threaded screw fitted into the
head A of the shell A. The lower end of the screw F is raised or lowered by
turning the screw in the head A'. is a vertical hole in screw F, and f¹ is a valve
seat at the bottom thereof into which valve seat the needle point valve e³ is adapted
to fit, thereby closing the vertical hole f. G is a cap fitting over the head A¹ and
adapted to protect the screw F from being accidentally got out of adjustment. g is
a slot or hole in cap G.
In use, the screw F is turned until the valve seat flat the bottom thereof is in
such position, being so near to the needle valve e, that when steam obtains entrance
into the shell or case A through either or both of the openings C and D, and the
float E is expanded by the heat of such steam, the expansion of such float in excess
of the expansion of the shell or case A is sufficient to close the needle valve e³ into
or against the valve seat f¹. The needle es is of sufficient length to remain within
the guide formed by the screw F extending beyond or below the valve seat f¹.
When water obtains entrance into the shell A through pipes C and D or either
of them, the air contained in cup is compressed until the water rises sufficiently
high in the shell or case to raise the float E together with the air contained therein,
so that the valve e³ will close against the seat f¹.
H, H are lugs in base B, upon which lugs the inverted cup e of the float E rests.
These lugs raise the bottom edge of the float E so that water of condensation
contained within the case A and outside of the inverted cup e may flow underneath
such lower edge thereof. The device is attached to a steam radiator by tapping
the walls of the radiator at or near the top thereof with a vertical or horizontal
hole having a screw thread cut therein, in the ordinary manner, into which hole the
neck b is screwed tightly and so that the shell or case A is held firmly in the
upright position illustrated by the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2.
With the several parts of the valve in the position illustrated in Fig. 2 the valve
is cold, and air is contained within the radiator, float E not being expanded and the
needle valve e not being in contact with the seat f¹ thereof, and the outlet f being
open. If steam be admitted to the radiator the air contained therein is forced
therefrom through outlet by the entering steam, and if water of condensation is
contained within the radiator there will pass along with the current of escaping air
going from the radiator through the device some of such water of condensation. If
any water of condensation passes through the pipe C into the shell or case A, it
will immediately fall around the base of the inverted cup e and together with the
water of condensation entering said shell or case A through the pipe D will close
the mouth of the inverted cup e and such water rising in the shell or case will
quickly raise the float E thereby closing the valve e against its valve-seat f¹ while
yet air is contained in the shell or case A above the inverted cup e.
The water flowing into the device through either or both of the pipes C D, and
closing the valve e as described before the air has been expelled from the case A,
there will be contained compressed air in such shell or case and particularly in the

page_text: inverted cup .
The pipe C extending above the level of the water contained in the
shell or case A and the inflowing current of water being stopped by the device
being filled with water and air, the air being somewhat compressed, a slight reaction
is caused by the expansion of the compressed air within the device. If all the air
at first contained within the radiator does not escape therefrom prior to the inflowing
of water to the device, as described, such air can and will pass from the radiator
through pipe C into the device and above the float E, after the inflowing current
has stopped, so much of the water of condensation contained within the device as is
displaced by such entering air flowing by gravity back into the radiator. A
sufficient amount of air may and frequently does enter through pipe C, (after the
water has flowed into the device, as described, and closed the valve thereof), and
enough of the water of condensation which has so flowed into the device flows out
therefrom back into the radiator, through hole D in neck b, to again permit the
float E to drop down and rest upon the lugs H, H, and thereby re-open the outlet f
and again establish an outward current of air from the radiator through the outlet f.
Along with the established current of air water of condensation may again enter
the device and the closing of the outlet by the raising of the float E may be
repeated several times before steam will enter the device from the radiator and
close the outlet by expanding the float E, as hereinbefore described, and thereby
closing the needle valve e against the seat f¹ thereof.
So long as steam is contained within the radiator and the device, of sufficient
heat to expand the float E and close the outlet f, such outlet will be permanently
closed. In practice it is found that sufficiently close adjustment of the valve-seat f
can be made (by turning the screw F) to allow the escape of all the air contained
within the radiator, in the manner described, while steam entering the device will
expand the float E so quickly as to effectually close the valve e against its seat f¹
before any appreciative amount of such steam can escape through outlet f.
More than one pipe C and more than one opening D may be used if desired, but
more than one of either accomplishes no further or different purpose than one of
each thereof, as described.
The purpose of leaving the bottom or mouth of the inverted cup e open is to
obviate the possibility of crushing the cup by the pressure of steam contained within
the case A, and hence if the walls of the float E be made of sufficient strength to
withstand the pressure of such steam a hollow float may be used closed at the
bottom; and if the material of which the float is composed is light enough to float
with the required buoyancy the float may be made solid; but the form of float
herein described has been found practicable and is believed to be best adapted to
the purpose sought.
If the inverted cup e be made of non-expansible machine and the stem e¹ is
sufficiently long the required expansibility can be obtained in such stem; and if
the inverted cup be made of expansible material, and sufficiently large, the stem
may be made of non-expansible material; and when an air chamber provided
above the inverted cup e the stem may be entirely dispensed with, if desired.
It will be seen that by this device, after adjusting the valve seat fi thereof in
reference to the float E and the needle valve e thereon, a valve is obtained which
will permit air to pass through it and automatically close against the passage of
water or steam; and because the device forms a check for both water and steam
while permitting air to pass through it, it is termed a duplex automatic air valve.
The pipe C could extend horizontally from about the upper end thereof through
the case A into the radiator; but in practice, if the device were so constructed,
great difficulty would be experienced in attaching it to a radiator, and hence, the
device is constructed as herein before described with the pipe C extending through
the neck and upward in the case A to above the float E. The neck and screw-
thread thereon are of the same size as on the drip pipes hereinbefore referred to
and hence such drip pipe can be readily removed and this device substituted
therefor in radiators already in use.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination of a case having an outlet in the top thereof, such case
adapted to be secured to a radiator with more than one inlet extending therefrom
into such radiator, a float contained within the case more expansible at a given heat
than such case, and a valve secured to the float and adapted to close the outlet
in the case when the float is raised by water or expanded by steam contained within
the case, one of the inlets extending underneath the float and one extending above
the float; substantially as described.
2. The combination of a case having an outlet in the top thereof with an adjustable
valve seat at the lower end of such outlet, such case adapted to be secured to a
radiator with more than one inlet extending therefrom into such radiator, one of
such inlets extending underneath the open mouth of an inverted cup forming a float
which is contained within the case, and the other of such inlets extending above
such float, a valve actuated by the float and adapted to close the outlet in the case
when the float is raised by water contained within the case, or when the float or the
stem thereof is expanded by steam contained within such case; substantially as
described.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1891
HERBERT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.