Device for venting and aerating closed circulatory water flow systems

Claim 2

In combination with a horizontally extending conduit of a closed flow system, wherein water of fluctuating temperature is pumped and circulated through conduit means and the system is operatively connected to a pressurized water source, a venting and aerating tap comprising: a. a vent casing extending upwardly from said horizontally extending conduit and defining a collecting chamber; b. means connecting said chamber and the flow passage of said conduit to form a junction between said conduit flow passage and said casing chamber; c. a vent valve arranged on said casing and being capable of establishing communication between said chamber and the outside; d. a float member operatively connected to said valve and located within said chamber and opening and closing the valve in response to the water level in said chamber; and e. a grid positioned in said junction and extending over at least a portion of the cross-sectional area of said flow passage, said grid being formed from rod or wire means which, as distinguished from fine-mesh sieves, define comparatively large size gaps.

Claim 3

A tap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said casing is substantially cylindrical.

Claim 4

A tap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connecting means is a threaded nipple connected to said conduit and said casing to form said junction, the cross-sectional flow area of said nipple being sufficiently wide so as not to impede the flow of water from the casing chamber when said valve is closed and when said water is in pressure contact with air of atmospheric pressure.

Claim 5

A tap as claimed in claim 3, wherein said grid is tube shaped and extends from said nipple into said flow passage.

Claim 6

A tap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of said casing is larger than that of said flow passage of the conduit, said conduit being connected to said casing at opposite areas of its confining wall.

Claim 7

A tap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said grid extends to a level above said junction, said grid also extending across the cross-sectional area of said casing and projecting at least partially into the water circulating through said flow passage.

Claim 8

A tap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said grid is formed from a plurality of spaced parallel rods with the rods forming a tube shaped body.

Claim 9

A tap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said grid is formed from wire rings or wire half-rings which extend parallel to each other and in the flow direction of the water.

Claim 10

A tap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said grid extends within and across the flow passage of said conduit so as to separate said casing from that portion of the conduit flow passage which, seen in the flow direction of the water, starts downstream of the casing, said grid being composed of a plurality of spaced rods and being obliquely positioned across said flow passage with the upper surface of said grid opposing the water flow through said conduit.

Claim 11

A tap as claimed in claim 9, wherein the thickness of the rods and the spaces between the rods are dimensioned in such a manner that the lower apex of each rod is situated in a horizontal plane with the upper apex of the adjacent lower rod.

Claim 12

A tap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said grid is composed of a wire helix having a plurality of turns, said wire helix being wound in screw-like manner on a hollow, open-ended mandril extending axially within said casing chamber, said wire helix extending between the confining wall of the casing chamber and said mandril, at least one complete turn of said helix being positioned in the flow passage of said conduit and at least one complete turn being located within said chamber.

Claim 13

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said float is made of a solid body and of a material having a specific weight smaller than 1.

Claim 14

In combination with a horizontally extending conduit of a closed flow system, wherein water of fluctuating temperature is pumped and circulated through conduit means and the system is operatively connected to a pressurized water source, a venting and aerating tap comprising: a. a vent casing extending upwardly from said horizontally extending conduit and defining a collecting chamber; b. means connecting said chamber and the flow passage of said conduit to form a junction between said conduit flow passage and said casing chamber; c. a vent valve arranged on said casing and being capable of establishing communication between said chamber and the outside; d. a float member operatively connected to said valve and located within said chamber and opening and closing the valve in response to the water level in said chamber; and e. a grid positioned in said junction and extending over at least a portion of the cross-sectional area of said flow passage, said grid being formed by a wire helix having a plurality of turns, said wire helix being wound in screw-like manner on a hollow, open-ended mandril extending axially within said casing chamber, said wire helix extending between the confining wall of the casing chamber and said mandril, at least one complete turn of said helix being positioned in the flow passage of said conduit and at least one complete turn being located within said chamber, the upper end of said mandril extending up to the water level of said casing, while its lower end extends downwardly beyond said wire helix and has an inclined surface portion, a portion of said surface portion opposing the flow of water through the flow passage of said conduit.

Claim 15

In combination with a horizontally extending conduit of a closed flow system, wherein water of fluctuating temperature is pumped and circulated through conduit means and the system is operatively connected to a pressurized water source, a venting and aerating tap comprising: a. a vent casing extending upwardly from said horizontally extending conduit and defining a collecting chamber; b. means connecting said chamber and the flow passage of said conduit to form a junction between said conduit flow passage and said casing chamber; c. a vent valve arranged on said casing and being capable of establishing communication between said chamber and the outside; d. a float member operatively connected to said valve and located within said chamber and opening and closing the valve in response to the water level in said chamber; and e. a grid positioned in said junction and extending over at least a portion of the cross-sectional area of said flow passage, said grid being formed by a wire helix having a plurality of turns, said wire helix being wound in screw-like manner on a hollow, open-ended mandril extending axially within said casing chamber, said wire helix extending between the confining wall of the casing chamber and said mandril, at least one complete turn of said helix being positioned in the flow passage of said conduit and at least one complete turn being located within said chamber, the upper end of said mandril extending up to the water level of said casing, while its lower end extends downwardly beyond said wire helix and has an inclined surface portion, a portion of said surface portion opposing the flow of water through the flow passage of said conduit.

Claim 16

In combination with a horizontally extending conduit of a closed flow system, wherein water of fluctuating temperature is pumped and circulated through conduit means and the system is operatively connected to a pressurized water source, a venting and aerating tap comprising: a. a vent casing extending upwardly from said horizontally extending conduit and defining a collecting chamber; b. means connecting said chamber and the flow passage of said conduit to form a junction between said conduit flow passage and said casing chamber; c. a vent valve arranged on said casing and being capable of establishing communication between said chamber and the outside; d. a float member operatively connected to said valve and located within said chamber and opening and closing the valve in response to the water level in said chamber; and e. a grid positioned in said junction and extending over at least a portion of the cross-sectional area of said flow passage, said grid being formed by a wire helix having a plurality of turns, said wire helix being wound in screw-like manner on a hollow, open-ended mandril extending axially within said casing chamber, said wire helix exTending between the confining wall of the casing chamber and said mandril, at least one complete turn of said helix being positioned in the flow passage of said conduit and at least one complete turn being located within said chamber, said mandril having a hollow upper portion which embraces in spaced manner a portion of said float member, whereby said mandril acts as guide for said float member.

Claim 17

In combination with a horizontally extending conduit of a closed flow system, wherein water of fluctuating temperature is pumped and circulated through conduit means and the system is operatively connected to a pressurized water source, a venting and aerating tap comprising: a. a vent casing extending upwardly from said horizontally extending conduit and defining a collecting chamber; b. means connecting said chamber and the flow passage of said conduit to form a junction between said conduit flow passage and said casing chamber; c. a vent valve arranged on said casing and being capable of establishing communication between said chamber and the outside; d. a float member operatively connected to said valve and located within said chamber and opening and closing the valve in response to the water level in said chamber; and e. a grid positioned in said junction and extending over at least a portion of the cross-sectional area of said flow passage, said grid being formed by a wire helix having a plurality of turns, said wire helix being wound in screw-like manner on a hollow, open-ended mandril extending axially within said casing chamber, said wire helix exTending between the confining wall of the casing chamber and said mandril, at least one complete turn of said helix being positioned in the flow passage of said conduit and at least one complete turn being located within said chamber, said mandril having a hollow upper portion which embraces in spaced manner a portion of said float member, whereby said mandril acts as guide for said float member.

Claim 18

In combination with a horizontally extending conduit of a closed flow system, wherein water of fluctuating temperature is pumped and circulated through conduit means and the system is operatively connected to a pressurized water source, a venting and aerating tap comprising: a. a vent casing extending upwardly from said horizontally extending conduit and defining a collecting chamber; b. means connecting said chamber and the flow passage of said conduit to form a junction between said conduit flow passage and said casing chamber; c. a vent valve arranged on said casing and being capable of establishing communication between said chamber and the outside; d. a float member operatively connected to said valve and located within said chamber and opening and closing the valve in response to the water level in said chamber; and e. a grid positioned in said junction and extending over at least a portion of the cross-sectional area of said flow passage, said grid being formed from gap-defining rod or wire means, said vent valve comprising a cylindrical valve body inserted into an opening of said casing and having an axial flow channel and a valve seat surrounding the inner outlet end of said flow channel, said valve further comprising a closure body and a spring urging said closure body against the valve seat, said valve being further characterized in that the valve body (21) forms the valve seat with the plane end face of an inwardly directed axial extension (21a) of smaller diameter than the valve body proper, that the closure body (22) is a cylindrical body having an extension (22a) of smaller diameter which faces the extension (21a) and whose plane end face is urged against the valve seat under the force of said spring (23), said spring being engaged in the threads of the threaded exterior surfaces of said valve body (21) and the closure body (22), the turns of the spring being tensioned in the region of said extensions, and that the float member (6) engages the closure body (22) directly at its end that faces away from the valve seat.

Claim 19

In combination with a horizontally extending conduit of a closed flow system, wherein water of fluctuating temperature is pumped and circulated through conduit means and the system is operatively connected to a pressurized water source, a venting and aerating tap comprising: a. a vent casing extending upwardly from said horizontally extending conduit and defining a collecting chamber; b. means connecting said chamber and the flow passage of said conduit to form a junction between said conduit flow passage and said casing chamber; c. a vent valve arranged on said casing and being capable of establishing communication between said chamber and the outside; d. a float member operatively connected to said valve and located within said chamber and opening and closing the valve in response to the water level in said chamber; and e. a grid positioned in said junction and extending over at least a portion of the cross-sectional area of said flow passage, said grid being formed from gap-defining rod or wire means, said vent valve comprising a cylindrical valve body inserted into an opening of said casing and having an axial flow channel and a valve seat surrounding the inner outlet end of said flow channel, said valve further comprising a closure body and a spring urging said closure body against the valve seat, said valve being further characterized in that the valve body (21) forms the valve seat with the plane end face of an inwardly directed axial extension (21a) of smaller diameter than the valve body proper, that the closure body (22) is a cylindrical body having an extension (22a) of smaller diameter which faces the extension (21a) and whose plane end face is urged against the valve seat under the force of said spring (23), said spring being engaged in the threads of the threaded exterior surfaces of said valve body (21) and the closure body (22), the turns of the spring being tensioned in the region of said extensions, and that the float member (6) engages the closure body (22) directly at its end that faces away from the valve seat.

Claim 20

A device as claimed in claim 15, wherein one of said end faces is provided with a sealing member (24) of yieldable material.

Claim 21

A device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the closure body is provided with means (25) for suspending the float member, said means being arranged on the end facing away from the valve seat.