Electrically heated steam boiler for generating superheated steam

Claim 1

Means for producing superheated steam, said means comprising a steam boiler having a bottom wall and a steam outlet, means for maintaining a controlled depth and volume of water in said boiler, electrically energized means for heating the said boiler water to produce saturated steam in said boiler at any desired temperature and pressure, said boiler water heating means being in the form of at least one sealed high pressure tube, each tube having therein an electrically energized heating element and a limited quantity of water whereby high pressure high temperature saturated steam will be produced in the tube upon energization of said heating element, each of said at least one sealed high pressure tube residing in a boiler wate filled well extending through and below the bottom wall of said boiler, the vertical dimension of the heat transferring surface of each of said at least one tube being substantially greater than the said controlled depth of the boiler water, electrically operated superheating means fixed within said boiler for raising the temperature of said saturated steam to a superheated temperature, said superheating means comprising a sealed high pressure vessel in the form of a vertical tube having therein a limited quantity of water and an electrically energized heating element disposed in said water for generating saturated steam in said vessel at a temperature well above the temperature of the saturated steam in said boiler, said vessel mounted on the bottom wall of said boiler and extending upward in the boiler space above said boiler water and said boiler water heating means.