Improvements in Apparatus for Moistening Air.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Jan., 1891-Accepted, 28th Feb., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Moistening Air.
I, EMILE MERTZ, of Basle, in the Republic of Switzerland, 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:
My invention relates especially to means for cleansing the water-atomizing roses
of apparatus for moistening air.
According to my invention I connect the atomizing surfaces against which the
streams of water impinge as they issue from the roses to a movable rod, so that by
a change in the position of this rod the atomizing surfaces are made to press upon
the projecting points of the pins of the roses (which pins are provided with
capillary channels) and press the pins back in their cases, and the channels of the
pins are in consequence automatically cleansed by the water which issues from the
rose under pressure.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how
it can be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which :-
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a vertical and a horizontal section of an
apparatus for moistening air provided with my improvements.
Figures 3 and 4 are vertical and horizontal sections of an apparatus, provided
with my arrangement for the cleansing of the roses which is adapted to the purpose
of moistening a mixture of fresh air drawn from the outer atmosphere, and of air
drawn from the locality in which the apparatus is set up.
Figures 5 to 8 shew various methods of arranging the atomizing surfaces; and,
Figures 9 to 12 illustrate a special construction of the rose.
In the apparatus shewn in Figures 1 and 2, the water, purified by the filter A, is
driven under pressure out of the rose B, from below upwards, against the discs C
which have their surface arranged in steps, and in this way the water is converted
into a condition of extremely fine division.
The water under pressure, purified by the filter A, also drives a turbine D, which
is arranged under the rose B, and upon the shaft of which a fan E and a cross-
piece Fare fixed.
The fan E, as well as the cross-piece F, and the atomizing discs C, are placed
within a casing G, open above and below, so that by the rotation of the fan E,
which revolves with the turbine D, a current of air is made to pass through the
apparatus from below upwards, and as the result of the contact of this current of
air with the finely divided water, the air takes up moisture, and passes through the
annular opening, a of the casing G of the cylinder, into the apartment which is to
be moistened or cooled as the case may be. The cross-piece F which rotates with
the ventilator serves to drive off laterally onto the casing G the drops of water
which find their way onto the upper surface of the disc C, and thus prevent their
passage through the fan E.,
The number of the atomizing discs Ċ is equal to that of the roses B, and these
graduated discs C are.attached to a common carrier H, which corresponds in form
with the annular arrangement of the roses.
The carrier H is secured by means of screws c to two lateral projections of a
nut K which is supported by the vertical screw I. To the said projections of the
nut K are also attached the ends of a nearly circular plate L and the. latter is, in
addition, connected with an arm d of the disc-carrier H, so that the position of
the plate. L and that of the disc-carrier H may be changed with that of the
nut K:

page_text: The spindle of the screw I is led at one end through one of the arms M, M', M"
(which are cast in one piece with the casing of the turbine and which connect the
latter with the cylindrical casing G) and at the other end through the arm N of the
exit for the waste water of the turbine.
At the end of the spindle of the screw I is attached a handle or a ring P; and
a spring Q, which rests below upon the arm N, and is in contact above with a
socket R fixed to the spindle I, presses the spindle I constantly upward.
It is advantageous to give the rose the construction shewn in Figures 9 to 12.
By this construction of the rose the pin f contained in the cylindro-conical casing e
(Figures 9 and 10) of the rose ends above in a point which projects above the
surface of the rose, so that the pin can be pressed down for about 5 to 10 m/m
(" to ") without the atomizing surface C, Figures 1 and 2, which presses upon
the pin, coming into contact with the casing e. Moreover, between the capillary
outlets and the conical grooves of the conical pin an annular groove i is
turned out, and a broader annular recess j is provided below the grooves ; the
impurities of the water supply which have been held back, can collect in the
groove and the recess when the water escapes from the rose under pressure.
When the roses B are to be cleansed it is only necessary to draw down the
screw-spindle I by means of the ring P, so that the spindle, with the nut K
and the atomizing dises C, move downward together until the discs C press
upon the points of the pins of the rose, and drive the latter back into their
casings so that then the water which streams out of the roses under pressure
can carry off with it the impurities which adhere to the pins of the roses.
soon as the pull upon the spindle I ceases, the latter with the discs C, are
brought back into their normal position by means of the spring Q which has been
previously compressed by the drawing down of the spindle I.
As
The ring L has two recesses so that when the spindle I is drawn down the
arms M, M, may not interfere with the movement of the ring L. The ring Lis
further provided with a slot m so that when the spindle I is drawn down, the ring L
may not strike against the inlet S of the water supply. By means of this ring L
which slides upon the inner surface of the cylindrical casing G the movement of
the atomizing discs C in any direction but a vertical one, when traction is made
upon the spindle 1, is prevented. In addition to this the ring L also serves to
prevent the water from being thrown into the room when the roses are being
cleansed, that is to say, when traction is made upon the ring P of the spindle I.
A revolving disc k is further attached to the spindle I, so that the screw I can
be turned by hand, and by. this rotation the nut K which is united with the
atomizing discs C, can together with the latter have it's position altered more or
less, so that the atomizing discs C are made to approach or recede from the roses,
by which means the air as it streams through the apparatus is moistened in a
correspondingly greater or less degree.
In the apparatus shewn in Figures 3 and 4 the casing G is secured to a hollow
bracket P screwed to a wall which, by means of openings capable of regulation, is
in connection with the outer air as well as with the air of the apartment, so that
a mixture of the outer fresh air and of the unpurified air of the apartment can be
moistened in the apparatus. The fan E then takes up the air which is to be
moistened from the hollow bracket P1 and forces it after it has been moistened
through the round opening a into the atmosphere of the apartment. The opening n,
by means of which the hollow bracket P communicates with the outer air, is
provided with a movable slide o whilst the lateral openings p, by means of which
the hollow bracket P¹ communicates with the air of the apartment, can be regulated
by the slide q. The slides are provided with buttons for the purpose of altering
their position, and when the position of the slides is changed the slides 9. are guided
by pins which slide in slots t arranged between the openings p of the side walls of
the bracket P¹.
As in the apparatus shewn in Figures 1 and 2 the water under pressure.flows
first through the filter A, before it reaches the turbine D and the roses B. The

page_text: axis of the turbine D also carries a cross-piece F and a fan E and between the
cross-piece F and the roses B are atomizing discs C with graduated surfaces,
attached to a common carrier H. The latter is also connected with a nut K
supported by a screw I, and a ring L is attached to the nut K and also to the arm d
of the disc carrier H.
The screw spindle I is guided by a lateral projection M° of the casing of the
turbine and by the arm N connected with the outflow pipe of the waste water, and
a spring Q, kept in position at one end by the arm N, and at the other by a ring R¹
on the spindle I presses the said spindle constantly upward.
By pulling the ring P of the chain which is connected to the spindle I the discs C
are, as in the apparatus shewn in Figures 1 and 2, made to approach the roses,
until they rest upon the points of the pins of the roses, and press the latter
back into their sockets so that the pins of the roses are automatically cleansed
by the water which streams out under pressure. By turning the spindle I the
atomizing discs C can also be shifted nearer to or farther from the roses, in order
to more or less moisten the air which flows through the apparatus. The guiding-
ring L of the discs C is also provided with slots u so that the lugs of the hollow
bracket P, by means of which the casing G is secured by screws to the bearer P¹,
do not interfere with the change of position of the ring L. The ring L has also a
slot in to avoid any thrust upon the inlet pipe S of the water supply by the ring L.
A cap y is fitted to the spindle I for the purpose of diverting the drops of water
which fall upon it, so that no water may run along the spindle and escape from the
apparatus.
In both these apparatuses for the moistening of air the befouled lubricating
oil in a reservoir U (which surrounds the pivots of the common spindle or axis of
the turbine D, the cross-piece F and the fan E) can be drawn off through a tube z
attached to it and provided with cocks, and new oil poured into the reservoir U by
means of a tube V.
Instead of several atomizing discs C, as shewn in Figures 1 to 4, a single
atomizing ring C, with graduated surface, and attached to the carrier H, as shewn
in Figures 5 and 6 might be employed for several roses. The atomizing surfaces
might also consist of obliquely placed vanes C" attached to a common carrier H,
as shewn in Figures 7 and 8. Instead of the screw-spindle I and spring, various
other arrangements for changing the position of the atomizing surfaces might be
made use of. For instance, the common carrier of the atomizing surfaces might be
united, by means of two jointed rods, to a lever which could be moved by a chain.
Also, the arrangement described for the automatic cleansing of the roses might
be employed for apparatus for the moistening of air with roses in which the
capillary exit grooves are situated on the casing of the roses instead of on the pins
of the latter.
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. In apparatus for moistening air, means for cleansing the roses for atomiz-
ing the water, chiefly distinguished by the arrangement of the atomizing
surfaces, (against which the streams of water issuing from the roses are driven)
on a carrier, the position of which in relation to the roses can be so changed
that the atomizing surfaces are made to press upon the terminal points of the pins
of the roses, in order to press the latter back into their sockets and so effect a
cleansing of the channels in the pins of the roses or in the casing of the roses
by the water streaming through under pressure substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2. In apparatus for moistening air as described in Claim 1, the connection of
the carrier H, of the atomizing surfaces with a nut K supported by a screw I,
the latter being kept in its normal position by a spring Q, so that by pulling the
Screw-spindle the position of the latter, together with that of the atomizing

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It
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surfaces, can be changed, and thereby, by means of the said atomizing surfaces,
pressure may be made upon the terminal points,d of the pins of the roses for the
purpose of pressing the latter back in their sockets, substantially as set forth.
3: In the apparatus for moistening air described in Claims 1 and 2 the connection
of the screw-nut K with a guiding-ring L which slides upon the inner surface of
the casing of the apparatus and is provided with the required slots, or recesses l, m,
or m, u respectively, in order to be able to carry out its movements without
hindrance, by which means the ring L whilst the roses are being cleansed,
prevents the ejection of the water, which streams out of the latter, into the
apartment, substantially as set forth.
4. In the said apparatus for moistening air, the use of conical pins in the
roses, with annular recesses or grooves and i, the latter of which are placed
between the conical grooves, and the capillary exit, the said pins being also
furnished with terminal points d¹ projecting considerably beyond the casing e" of
the roses, substantially as set forth.
Dated the 23rd day of January 1891.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.