Apparatus for cleaning the discharge of a smokestack or the like

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS TO BE USED WITH A SMOKESTACK HAVING A DISCHARGE END REGION FROM WHICH A DISCHARGE FLOWS OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE SMOKESTACK, MIXING CHAMBER MEANS FLUID-TIGHTLY COMMUNICATING WITH THE DISCHARGE END REGION OF THE SMOKESTACK FOR RECEIVING THE DISCHARGE THEREFROM, STEAM-SUPPLY MEANS COMMUNICATING WITN SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS FOR SUPPLYING THERETO STEAM TO BE MIXED WITH THE DISCHARGE FROM THE SMOKESTACK, CONDUIT MEANS HAVING AN INLET END COMMUNICATING WITH SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS TO RECEIVE THE MIXTURE OF STEAM AND SMOKESTACK DISCHARGE THEREFROM AND AN OUTLET END DISTANT FROM SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS, SAID CONDUIT MEANS DIRECTING THE MIXTURE FROM SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS TO SAID OUTLET END OF SAID CONDUIT MEANS, LIQUEFYING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID CONDUIT MEANS BETWEEN SAID ENDS THEREOF FOR COOLING THE MIXTURE FLOWING THROUGH SAID CONDUIT MEANS AND FOR LIQUEFYING AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE MIXTURE BEFORE THE MIXTURE REACHES SAID OUTLET END OF SAID CONDUIT MEANS, AND TREATING MEANS COMMUNICATING FLUIDTIGHTLY WITH THE OUTLET END OF SAID CONDUIT MEANS FOR TREATING THE PRODUCTS RECEIVED FROM SAID OUTLET END OF SAID CONDUIT MEANS IN A MANNER PROVIDING FOR RELEASE OF ONLY NON-NOXIOUS COMPONENTS FROM SAID TREATING MEANS, SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS BEING OF A TUBULAR CONFIGURATION AND FORMING AN EXTENSION OF SAID INLET END OF SAID CONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE LATTER TOWARD SAID DISCHARGE END REGION OF SAID SMOKESTACK, SAID STEAM-SUPPLY MEANS INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL ENCLOSURE FLUID- TIGHTLY SURROUNDING AND SPACED IN PART FROM SAID DISCHARGE END REGION OF SAID SMOKESTACK FOR DEFINING WITH THE EXTERIOR OF THE SMOKESTACK AT SAID DISCHARGE END REGION THEREOF A STEAM CHAMBER FROM WHICH STEAM FLOWS WITH THE DISCARGE OF THE SMOKESTACK INTO SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS, A VENTURI MEANS BEING SITUATED BETWEEN SAID STEAM CHAMBER AND MIXING CHAMBER MEANS AND HAVING A THROAT REGION SITUATED ADJACENT BUT BEYOND SAID SMOKESTACK FOR RECEIVING AT ITS THROAT REGION BOTH THE DISCHARGE FROM THE SMOKESTACK AND THE STEAM FROM THE STEAM CHAMBER AND FOR DIRECTING THE STEAM FROM THE STEAM CHAMBER AND THE DISCHARGE FROM THE SMOKESTACK AT LESS THAN ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE INTO THE MIXING CHAMBER MEANS, SAID DISCHARGE END REGION OF SAID SMOKESTACK, SAID STEAM CHAMBER, VENTURI MEANS, AND MIXING CHAMBER MEANS ALL HAVING A COMMON UPRIGHT AXIS WITH SAID STEAM CHAMBER AND DISCHARGE END REGION OF SAID SMOKESTACK BEING SITUATED AT THE SAME ELEVATION WHILE SAID VENTURI MEANS IS SITUATED AT A HIGHER ELEVATION THAN SAID STEAM CHAMBER AND SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS IS SITUATED AT A HIGHER ELEVATION THAN SAID VENTURI MEANS, SAID CONDUIT MEANS BEING OF A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED CONFIGURATION AT THE REGION OF ITS INLET AND CURVING FROM SAID INLET FIRST UPWARDLY AND THEN DOWNWARDLY AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID U-SHAPED REGION IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID COMMON AXIS, SAID LIQUEFYING MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID CONDUIT MEANS AT A PART THEREOF WHICH IS SITUATED BEYOND BUT ADJACENT SAID U-SHAPED REGION.