Apparatus for creating uniform streams in flow passages

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CREATING IN A FLOW PASSAGE SEVERAL FEET IN WIDTH HAVING A FLOW AXIS PARALLEL TO THE DESIRED FLOW DIRECTION A UNIFORM FLOW OF LIQUID IN WHICH ALL SEGMENTS OF SUCH FLOW MOVE IN SAID FLOW DIRECTION WITH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL FORWARD VELOCITY MEASURED IN EACH OF A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSE UNIFORM-FLOW PLANES DISPOSED PROGRESSIVELY ALONG SAID FLOW AXIS, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING: A LARGE NUMBER OF NOZZLES ARRANGED IN A UNIFORM PATTERN IN A DISCHARGE PLANE TRANSVERSE TO SAID AXIS AND UPSTREAM FROM THE FIRST OF SAID UNIFORM-FLOW PLANES, SAID NOZZLES BEING EQUALLY SPACED APART IN SAID DISCHARGE PLANE A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 10 TO 20 INCHES, SAID NOZZLES HAVING CYLINDRICAL NOZZLE PASSAGES WITH THEIR AXES PARALLEL TO SAID FLOW AXIS, EACH CYLINDRICAL NOZZLE PASSAGE BEING OF A DIAMETER OF ABOUT 1 TO 3 INCHES AND OF AN AXIAL LENGTH AT LEAST TWICE SUCH DIAMETER, EACH CYLINDRICAL NOZZLE PASSAGE TERMINATING IN A DISCHARGE ORIFICE IN SAID DISCHARGE PLANE; MEANS FOR DIVIDING A PRESSURED FAST-MOVING STREAM OF THE LIQUID AMONG SAID NOZZLES TO FORM A PATTERN OF SMALLER STREAMS ISSUING IN SAID FLOW DIRECTION FROM SAID NOZZLES INTO SAID FLOW PASSAGE IN SAID DISCHARGE PLANE; A FLAT CIRCULAR PLATE FOR EACH ORIFICE AND OF A DIAMETER ABOUT 1.2 TO 2 TIMES THE DIAMETER OF EACH DISCHARGE ORIFICE; AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE FLAT CIRCULAR PLATES IN AN OBSTRUCTION PLANE TRANSVERSE TO SAID AXIS RESPECTIVELY CONCENTRIC WITH THE AXIS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL PASSAGES AND CENTERED IN THE PATHS OF FLOW OF SAID SMALL STREAMS TO SPREAD THE LATTER, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN EACH CIRCULAR PLATE AND ITS DISCHARGE ORIFICE BEING ABOUT 1 TO 3 TIMES THE DIAMETER OF SUCH CIRCULAR PLATE, THE RATIO OF ORIFICE DIAMETER TO PLACE DIAMETER TO PLATE-ORIFICE-DISTANCE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY 1:5:2.5:3.5, THE SPREADING STREAMS COMING TOGETHER ADJACENT THE FIRST OF SAID UNIFORM-FLOW PLANES TO PRODUCE SAID UNIFORM FLOW AT AND BEYOND SUCH PLANE.