Patent US3984504A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
← Back to Patent Explorer
US3984504A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method and apparatus for preventing water hammer in high pressure steam injection water heaters

Assignee: Pick Heater Inc
•
Filing: 1975-02-24
•
Granted: 1976-10-05
•
Expires: 1995-02-24
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A foraminous steam injection tube is mounted within a heating chamber to inject steam into water flowing through the heating chamber to heat the water. A foraminous diffusion screen is mounted around the steam injection tube and in spaced tandem relation, to diffuse the steam jets issuing therefrom, suppress the formation of large bubbles and to eliminate water hammer in the system.

Inventors

  • 👤 Alan E. Pick

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-08 20:04
CPC Classifications
F; F28; F28D; F28D21/00; F28D21/0001; F28D21/0003; F28D21/0005; F28D21/0007; F16; F16L; F16L55/00; F16L55/04; F16L55/045; F22; F22B; F22B1/00; F22B1/02; F22B1/08; F22B1/14; F28C; F28C3/00; F28C3/06; F28C3/08; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S261/00; Y10S261/10

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim 96 words
In a steam injection liquid heater having a heating chamber, inlet means to supply liquid to said heating chamber and a foraminous steam injection tube comprising a steam chamber within said heating chamber for injecting steam jets from the steam chamber into liquid in said heating chamber to heat the same, the improvement for reducing water hammer noise as the steam mixes with the liquid and comprising means to intercept said steam jets and disposed about said steam injection tube for intercepting jets of steam issuing therefrom and diffusing said jets as they enter the liquid.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 96 words
In a steam injection liquid heater having a heating chamber, inlet means to supply liquid to said heating chamber and a foraminous steam injection tube comprising a steam chamber within said heating chamber for injecting steam jets from the steam chamber into liquid in said heating chamber to heat the same, the improvement for reducing water hammer noise as the steam mixes with the liquid and comprising means to intercept said steam jets and disposed about said steam injection tube for intercepting jets of steam issuing therefrom and diffusing said jets as they enter the liquid.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 30 words
The heater of claim 1 wherein said means to intercept said steam jets comprises a foraminous screen and means mounting said screen in spaced relation to said steam injection tube.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 25 words
The heater of claim 2 wherein said steam injection tube and said foraminous screen are both cylindrical in shape and are mounted in coaxial relationship.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 41 words
The heater of claim 3 wherein said foraminous screen comprises a helical coil, adjacent turns of said helical coil being spaced relatively close together to form a slot orifice therebetween for diffusing the steam jets issuing from said steam injection tube.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 14 words
The heater of claim 4 wherein said helical coil is rectangular in cross-sectional shape.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 26 words
The heater of claim 4 in which the means for mounting said screen comprises a series of axially extending ribs between the tube and the screen.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 25 words
The heater of claim 6 in which said ribs intersect said slot orifice to subdivide the slot into a series of helically related slot orifices.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 23 words
The heater of claim 3 wherein said steam injection element and said diffusion screen both have circular openings therein which form steam orifices.
Claim 10
Independent Claim 91 words
A method of preventing water hammer in a steam injection water heater having an orificed steam injection tube surrounded by a body of water which injects jets of steam into said body of water about the tube to form steam bubbles in the body of water, said method comprising intercepting said jets of steam after they have issued from the orifices in the tube and before the bubbles have formed, thus to diffuse said intercepted jets and reduce the size of bubbles formed by said jets in said body of water.
Claim 11
Independent Claim 91 words
A method of preventing water hammer in a steam injection water heater having an orificed steam injection tube surrounded by a body of water which injects jets of steam into said body of water about the tube to form steam bubbles in the body of water, said method comprising intercepting said jets of steam after they have issued from the orifices in the tube and before the bubbles have formed, thus to diffuse said intercepted jets and reduce the size of bubbles formed by said jets in said body of water.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 28 words
The method of claim 9 in which the steam jets are intercepted by interposing a foraminous screen between said orificed steam injection tube and said body of water.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 20 words
The method of claim 10 in which the foraminous screen has orifices smaller than the orifices of the injection tube.
Claim 14
Independent Claim 76 words
A method of preventing water hammer in a steam injection water heater having a heating chamber containing water and means for jetting steam into the water to form steam bubbles in the water, said method comprising reducing the size of bubble growth in said body of water by jetting the steam into the water through first and second tandem related foraminous screens, said second screen intercepting steam jets injected into the water through the first screen.
Claim 15
Independent Claim 76 words
A method of preventing water hammer in a steam injection water heater having a heating chamber containing water and means for jetting steam into the water to form steam bubbles in the water, said method comprising reducing the size of bubble growth in said body of water by jetting the steam into the water through first and second tandem related foraminous screens, said second screen intercepting steam jets injected into the water through the first screen.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 18 words
The method of claim 12 in which the second foraminous screen has smaller orifices than the first screen.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US532374A Cited
US1144719A Cited
US1140548A Cited
US2455498A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1979-10-05 1980-04-05 1980-10-05 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1983-10-05 1984-04-05 1984-10-05 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1987-10-05 1988-04-05 1988-10-05 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag