US2046643A - Thermostatically controlled oil valve - Google Patents

Description

July 7, 1936. w. B. MACKINTOSH THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED OIL VALVE Filed Aug. 17, 1 934 Patented July 7, 1936 ATENT OFFICE OS'I'ATICALLY CONTROLLED 'OIL VALVE William B. Mackintosh, Wabash, Ind., assignor to The Fulton Sylphon Company,

Knoxville,

' v 20 Claims.

This invention relates to a thermostatically controlled valve mechanism, and more particularly to a. thermostatically controlled valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil to a burner.

An object of this invention is toxprovide a device of the type characterized which is simple and compact in construction and which embodies within its organization separate readily adjustable means for accurately predetermining the minimum flame and the temperature to be maintained.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the type characterized wherein the adjustable means for predetermining the minimum flame and the temperature to be maintained are independent in operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the type characterized wherein the temperature-responsive means are so constructed that upon failure thereof the valve mech-- anism moves automatically to its position of minimum flame.

. to show interior construction Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the type characterized which is so constructed as to facilitate escape of entrained air and'gas from the oil flowing to the valve to the end that the oil may be subjected to nice control by the valvemechanism without the disturbance in the rate of flow which 'mayarise where the oil flowing through the valve has air or gas entrained therein. a

Another object of this inventionjs to provide a device of the type characterized which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easily standardized and highly eflicient in operation. Other objects will appear as the description of the invention proceeds.

The invention is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, one of which is illustra'ted on the accompanying drawing, but it is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for purposes of illustration only, and is not to be construed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being bad to the appended claims for that p pose.

Referring in detail to the same reference characters respective figures to indicate Fig. 1 is an axial section the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view,

drawing wherein the are employed in the corresponding parts, of an embodiment of partly broken away, and with the parts separated to more easily illustrate the construction and relationship thereof.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide thermostatically controlled valve mechanism for' regulating the flow of fuel oil to a burner wherein provision has been made for predetermining the'temperature at which the thermostat starts to diminish the flow of fuel, and means for there- 5 after predetermining the minimum flame to be maintained when the thermostat has reduced the source of heat to a minimum but without interrupting the flame. Devices of this character, so far as I am aware, have heretofore involved relal0 tively complicated structures which have employed a relatively large number of parts that not only increase the bulk, and cost of fabrication and assembly, but also afford opportunity for the parts to get out of order and cease to func- 15 tion with precision in the designed manner. The present invention provides a. relatively simple and compact, and readily adjusted, valve operating unit which is composed of a relatively few, easily manufactured and .assembled elements which are so constructed and arranged as to minimize the likelihood of the device ceasing to operate as intended. I

As shown on the drawing, the thermostatically controlled valve structure comprises a two-part housing, one part of which is in the form of a valve casing III which may be of any suitable size, construction and material and which is provided interiorly with a partition II in which is formed a valve port l2 of any suitable size and character. Communicating with the interior of the casing l0 through aperture I3 is a conduit l4 connected to the casing ID in any suitable way, and communicating with the chamber l5 at the opposite side of the port I 2 is a. conduit I 6 also connected to the casing III in any suitable way. One of said conduits leads from a suitable source of oil supply while the other leads to a suitable burner or other fuel consuming device. The casing it! is elongated in the direction at right angles to the axes of conduits l4 and I6 to provide a chamber I! which has suitably formed or mounted therein a vent conduit I 8 communicating at one end with the chamber I l and at its other end with the chamber l5. As shown, said vent conduit I 8 is formed by means of a partition l9 formed integrally with the casing wall and also integral with the partition I I which separates the inlet and outlet conduits and contains the valve port H. The casing l0 may be made relatively flat or elliptical in cross section, with its long axis in the plane of the paper as viewed in Fig. 1, the total thickness of the housing in the direction at right angles to the plane of the paper being substantially equal to the diameter of the bosses 65 providingfor the coupling thereto of the conduits l4 and I6. Where said housing is made flat or elliptical as just described, it may be provided with a circular flange at its end for attachment thereto of the other attached at is'opposite end, as by soldering or valve mechanism to be I, said chamber 25 may communicate with arigid or i0 brazing, to an end wall in the form of a disk 24 which may be formed as a stamping, or if preferred the end wall 24 may be formed integrally with the bellows 22. Said end wall has a central depression so that it will not close on the passage/to the bulb to be described when in its extreme position. Said bellows 22 with its end wall 24 is secured in any suitable way within the closed end of the casing 26 so as to provide an intermediate chamber 25. ,In the form shown, said bellows 22 is secured in position by means of the tubular flange 23 which is soldered or brazed to the casing wall 28, said flange being shown as suitably positioned-within said casing wall 2|! by a. bead 26 formed in the. cylindrical wall of said casingk y The chamber 25'between the bellows 22 and easing wall 20 may be charged with a suitable thermostatic medium, as a volatile liquid, and thereby form the thermostat for operating the described, or as shown flexible pipe or conduit 21 of any suitable length having one end suitably attached to the casing wall by means of the coupling 28 and having its opposite end connected to a bulb 29 of any suitable size and construction and provided with any suitable means 30 whereby it may be mounted in heat interchanging relation with the medium Whose temperature is to determine the operation of the valve mechanism. In the latter event the system composed of the motor chamber 25, conduit 21 and bulb 29 is charged with a suitable thermostatic medium, as a volatile fluid. In either event, whether the thermostat is formed only by the bellows 22 and easing wall 20, with its interposed chamber 25, or composed of said chamber in combination with the conduit 21 and bulb 29, said thermostat is preferably charged with the volatile liquid and its vapor under a pressure which is normally less than atmospheric, so that the preponderance of exterior or atmospheric pressure acting on the end wall 24 tends to move .said end wall toward the end wall 3| of the casing 20. Equalization of the internal and external pressures, on'the other hand, as on the occurrence of a leak in the thermostat, will prothe end wall 24 away from said wall 3| for the purpose hereinafter described.

Suitably connected to the end wall 24 is a valve stem 32 which extends axially through the housing parts 20 and I6 and is suitably provided with or connected to a valve member 33 at its opposite end. As here shown, the valve stem 32 has a cone-shaped portion 33 adapted to engage the seat provided by the valve port l2 and constitute the valve member. As illustrated, the end of the valve stem 32 is threaded assho wn at 34, and

forms a guide for mountedon said threaded end is a nut 35 which engages a collar 36 constituting a seat for a coil spring 31 which surrounds the valve stem and, at its opposite end, engages a sleeve 38 which is slidable on said valve stem and adjustable, as hereinafter described, to predetermine the tension of spring 31. The tension of said spring 31 may be preliminarily adjusted by the rotation of the nut 35, on the valve stem so as to vary the location of the spring seat 36. The opposite end of the valve stem 32 is provided with an enlargement 39, here shown as asleeve cut away at one side and unitarily attached to the end of the valve stem, as by a threaded connection 40, said sleeve also affording a means of attachment of the end wall 24 to said valve stem, the latter being soldered or otherwise suitably attached to said end wall.

Suitably mounted in the casing 20, as by screws 4|, isa bracket 42 having flanges 43 by which said bracket may be attached to the casing wall.

- aligned and disposed generally at right angles to the location of the flanges 43. Said bracket also has a centrally arranged tubular portion 46 which the tubular sleeve 38 heretofore referred to. Said bracket may be conveniently formed by stamping and bending the four flanges from sheet metal and the tubular member 46 may be secured thereto as by heading over a reduced tubular extension thereof as clearly shown in Fig. l. Mounted on or in the flanges 44 and 45 are adjustable means for predetermining the minimum flame and the temperature at which the thermostat starts to close the valve. As shown, flange 44 is provided with an aperture 41, and rotatably mounted in said aperture is a cam member 48 having its inner end 49 formed eccentrically with respect to its axis of rotation and having its outer end provided with a kerf 50 for engagement by a screw driver or similar implement. Said member 48 may be formed in any suitable way; as shown said member has a flange 5| for engagement with the flange 44 and a stem 52 over which the eccentric element 49 is telescoped and attached inany suitable way as by a pin. Thereby the member 48 is suitably retained in position by the engagement of cam element 49 and flange 5| with opposite faces of the flange 44. The casing 20 has an aperture 53 of suitable size to'receive the end of said member 48 for ready access to the kerf 58. The eccentric or cam portion 49 is in axial alignment with the inner end of the enlargement or sleeve 39, and

j the extremity 54 of said enlargement or sleeve is valve member 33 with respect to its seat may be nicely adjusted to precisely determine the minimum flow of oil through the valve port for maintaininga minimum flame.

Rotatably mounted in an aperture 55 in the element, here shown as having a cam or eccentric shaped flange 56. Said element 56 is provided with a tubular extension 51 which is passed through the aperture 55 and then flanged over so as to retain said element in the aperture 55 but without preventing rotation thereof. Said cam or eccentric element bracket flange 45 is'a second cam or eccentric 56 has a serrated bore end 61 oft-the tubular element 38.

68 for engagement with the serrated periphery 59 of the stem 60 of a hand wheel 6|. Thereby said stem may be engaged non-rotatably with said cam or eccentricelement 56 in a variety of relative positions. The wall of the casing 20 is provided with an aperture 62 adapted to receive the stem '60, and the hand wheel is suitably attached to said stem 60 after the latter has been inserted through said aperture 62 to engage its inner serrated end 59 with the serrated bore 58 of said element 56. To prevent disengagement of the stem 60 from the element 56 said stem may also be provided with a groove 63 in which is engaged the bifurcated end of a wire clip 64 suitably mounted, as by the screw 65, on the flange 45. In order to limit the rotation of the cam or eccentric element 56 said element may be provided with one or a pair of radially projecting pins 66 adapted to engage a suitably provided stop or stops in the path thereof. As shown the inner end of the screw 65 projects into the path of said pins 66 and limits the rotation thereof to approximately 180. The cam or eccentric element 56 is in axial alignment with the inner end 61 of the tubular element38 and coil spring 31 normally holds said end 61 in engagement with said cam or eccentric portion, with a tension determined by the adjustment of the nut on the valve stem 32 as heretofore explained. By rotation of the hand wheel 6| the cam or eccentric element 56 may be rotated to advance or permit the recession of said sleeve 38 with respect to the stem 32, thereby increasing or decreasing the tension of said spring 31 and correspondingly increasing ordecreasing the tendency of the valve stem to move toward closed position as the difierential between the exterior and interior pressures acting on the movable end wall 24 is sufficiently decreased by an increase of pressure within the motor chamber 25. It will be observed that the cam or eccentric element 56 therefore constitutes an adjustable abutment which predetermines the tension with which the spring 31 acts on the collar move the valve stem toward indicated in Fig. 2 for cooperation with a suitable pointer or indicating mark,. as a white spot 69 on the hand wheel 6|.

With the parts assembled as shown in Fig. l the valve 33 is shown open, with the cam or eccentric element 56 in position to maintain a minimum temperature, i. e., with the maximum tension imposed on the spring 37 by reason of the fact .that the maximum radius of said cam or eccentric element 56 is in engagement with the c The valve will remain in this position until the increase in pressure in the chamberx25, acting on the end wall 24, imposes such a pressure on the valve stem 32 as, added to the tension of spring 31, will effect the'movement of the end wall 24 against external or atmospheric pressure.

sure occurs within the chamber 25 the valve stem is-moved toward closed position until the inner end 56 of the enlargement or sleeve 39 engages the cam or eccentric 49, here shown as in an intermediate position, whereupon the further movement of the valve member toward its seat is positively prevented by said cam or eccentric member 49, and a predetermined minimum flow of fuel oil through the port I 2 is maintained for the maintenance of'a minimum flame. This position of the valve member will be retained until a decrease in temperature causes a decrease of pressure within the chamber 25, whereupon the preponderance of external pressure acting on the end wall 24 will move said wall toward the end wall 3| and against the tension of the spring 31 to open the valve member 33.

By rotating the element 48 until the maximum radius of the cam or eccentric 49 is in alignment with the end 54, the minimum flame may be increased or by rotating said element until the minimum radius of element 49 is in alignment with the end 54, the minimum flame may be decreased, the varying radii between said minimum and maximum the hand wheel 6| radius of the cam or eccentric element 56 may be opposed to the end 61 of the tubular member 38, whereby some of the tension will be taken off of the spring 3'! and a greater pressure within the chamber 25 will be required in order to overcome external pressure and move the valve member toward its seat. Here again the varying radii between the maximum and minimum of said element permit a fine adjustment to be made as respects the temperature which must exist in order to produce the requisite pressure to start the valve member toward its closed position.

If the thermostat should leak so that the interior and exterior pressure becomes equalized, the spring 31 exerts an unbalanced force on the valve stem 32 and holds the valve in position for maintaining a minimum flame. Hence fluctuation of temperature will not permit the valve to open automatically and establish a source of heat that is without automatic control. Inasmuch as the vent conduit I8 is in open communication with chamber I? on the other side of the valve seat, any air or gas entrained in the oil may escape from the free surface of the oil in said conduit H3 or in said chamber depending upon which of conduits 6 and I4, respectively, is the inlet conduit, and thus pass out through casing 20 which is not air-tight. Thereby variations in the flow of the fuel oil past the valve member due ,to the presence of bubbles of air and gas therein is avoided by reason of the venting thus provided. The wall I 9 must of course be of sufiicient height so that under no radii permitting a fine ad- L circumstances will the head on the oil flowing into the chamber H or conduit l8 cause the oil to rise over the top of the wall l9.

It will therefore be perceived that by the present invention a simple, compact and easily adjusted thermostatically controlled valve for fuel oil has been provided wherein the parts are relatively few, easy to manufacture and assemble, and readily adjustable. The tension of the'spring 37 can be readily predetermined prior to assembly by properly adjusting the nut 35, and thereafter the minimumflame and the temperature to be maintained can be readily adjusted by a mtatio-n ofthecani or eccentric elements 48 and 56. Said adjustments are independent and yet easily eifected when adjustment is desired, the hand wheel 6| providing for ready adjustment of the temperature as desired while the kerfed head 50 provides easy adjustment of the element 48 but only by deliberate action through use of a suitable implement inserted in the kerf of said head. Owing to the manner of attachment of the stem 60 with the cam or eccentric element 56 said stem may be engaged with said element in any one of a variety of positions so that the suitable position for proper cooperation of the indicating element 69 with the indicia on the dial 68 can be initially determined. All of the parts are of relatively simple construction and easy to manufacture, said parts being for the most part composed of readily formed stampings, castings and elements formed by simple machine operations, and therefore the device is relatively ,in--

expensive to manufacture, easy to standardize, and requires no highly skilled labor in the production and assembly of the parts thereof. Owing to the simplicity of the construction as well as the relatively few number of parts employed the device is not likelytoget out of order, while it is possessed of simplicity. compactness and ruggedness as well as relatively high efliciency.

.While the embodiment of the invention illustrated on the drawing has been described with considerable particularity, it is to be expressly understood that the'invention is not restricted thereto, as the same is capable of receivinga variety of mechanical expressions, some of which will now readily suggest themselves tothose skilled in the art, while changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement, proportion, material, etc., of the parts, and certain features used without other features without departing from the spirit of this invention. Reference is therefore to be had to the appended claims for a definition of said invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil, the combination of a valve housing having a valve seat therein, a valve member for coop-l eration with said seat, guide means for said valve means, a. cam or eccentric element rotatably mounted in said guide means in the path of a projection on the stem of said valve member for predetermining a minimum valve opening to maintain a minimum flame, a thermostat including a motor vessel the stem of said valve member and adapted to move the same toward and away from its seat, and resilient means normally urging said valve member toward its seat, said motor vessel being charged with a volatile fluid at a pressure which is normally less equalization of external and internal pressures causes said'resilient means to move said valve member to its position of minimum opening.

2. In a. valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil, the combination housing having a valve seat therein,

of said valve member and the same toward and away from its seat, means including a bracket for guiding said stem, resilient means cooperating with said valve member to move said valve member with respect to its seat, and rotatable means mounted in said bracket and extending through the wall and including a cam or eccentric adjustable abutment for adapted to move element providing am said resilient means.

3. In a valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil, the combination of a valve housing having a, valve seat therein, a valve member for cooperation with said seat, a thermostat operatively consaid spring,

operatively connected to than atmospheric whereby nected to the stem of said valve member and adapted to move the same toward and away from its seat, means including a bracket for guiding said stem, resilient means cooperating with said valve memberto move said valve member with respect to it's seat, a sleeve slidable on the valve stem and engaging said resilient means, and a cam or eccentric element rotatably mounted in said bracket and engaging the end of said sleeve and rotatable to move said sleeve and vary the tension on said resilient means.

4: In a valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil, the combination of a valve housing having a valve seat therein, a valve member for cooperation with said seat, a thermostat operatively connected to the stem of said valve member and adapted to move the same toward and away from its seat, means including a bracket for guiding said stem, a-spring cooperating with the valve stem to move said valve member with respect to 0 nected to the stem of said valve member and adapted to move the same toward and away from its seat, means including a bracket for guiding said stem, a spring cooperating with said valve member to move said valve member with respect to its seat, a sleeve slidable on said valve stem and engaging said spring, a cam or eccentric element rotatably mounted in said bracket and engaging the end of said sleeve for movingthe same with respect to'said stem to vary the tension of a member mounted on said cam or eccentric element exterioriy of said casing for rotating the same, and indicating means associated with said member for indicating the con dition of adjustment of said spring.

6. In a valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil, the combination of a valve housing having a valve seat therein, a valve member for cooperation with said seat, a thermostat operatively connected to the stem of said valve memberand adapted to move the same toward and away from its seat, means including a bracket for guiding said stem, a spring cooperating with said valve member to move said valve member with respect to its seat, a sleeve slidable on said valve stem and engaging said spring, a cam or eccentric element rotatably mounted in said bracket and engaging the end of said sleeve for moving the same wtih respect to said stem to vary the tension of said spring, a member mounted on said cam or eccentric element exteriorly of the casing for rotating the same, and means between said member and said cam or eccentric element for connecting the same in a plurality of relative positions.

7. In a valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil, the combination of a valve housing having a valve seat therein, a valve stem provided with a valve member for cooperation with said seat, a thermostat operatively connected to the stem of said valve member and adapted to move the same toward and away from its seat, resilient means cooperating with saidvalve member to valve seat therein, a valve centric abutment including a bracket *for guiding said stem, and an eccentric abutment rotatably mounted in said bracket in the path of a stem for stopping said valve member in a position to maintain a predetermined minimum flame.

eluding a bracket for guiding said stem, an ecrotatably mounted in said bracket in the path of a projection on said valve stem for stopping said valve member in a position to maintain a predetermined minimum flame, and means accessible from the exterior of said housing for rotating said eccentric abutment and varying the minimum flame.

9. In a valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil, the combination of a valve housing having a valve seat therein, a valve member for cooperation with said seat, a thermostat operatively connected to the stem of said valvemember and adapted to move the same toward and away from its seat, resilient means cooperating with said valve member to move the same with respect to its seat, a rotatable cam or eccentric element for predetermining the tension on said spring, and a rotatable cam or eccentric element constituting a stop for predetermining the movement of said valve member toward its closed position, said elements being separately adjustable.

10. In a valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil, the combination of a valve housing having a valve seat therein, a valve eration with said seat, a thermostat operatively connected to the stem of said valve member and adapted to movethe. same toward and away from its seat, resilient means cooperating valve member to move the same with respect to its seat, a sleeve slidably mounted on said valve stem and engaging said resilient means, a cam or eccentric element rotatably mounted in said housing and extending exteriorly thereof, said element providing an adjustable abutment for said sleeve to predetermine the tension on said resilient means, and a cam or eccentric element rotatably mounted in said housing and accessible from the exterior thereof, said element lying in the path of a projection on said valve stem for adjustably predetermining the maximum extent of movement of said valve member toward its seat.

11. In a valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil, the combination of a valvehousing having a member for cooperation with said seat, a thermostat operatively con nected to the stem of said valve member and adapted to move the same toward and away from its seat, resilient means cooperating with said valve member to move the same with respect to its seat, and means within said housing subdividing the interior thereof into chambers which respectively communicate with the spaces at the opposite sides of said valve seat and through which air or gas may escape from the oil flowing to the valve.

, 12. In a valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil, the combination of a valve housing having projection on said valve with said a valve seat therein, a valve member for cooperation with said seat, a thermostat operatively connected to the stem of said valve member and ment for said sleeve.

13. In a valve for regulating the flow of fuel oil, the combination of a valve housing having a provided with a tubular gwde, a sleeve slidably mounted in said guide and surrounding the valve ment on said valve stem, a cam or eccentric element rotatably mounted in said bracket and constituting an adjustable abutment for said sleeve, a cam or eccentric element rotatably mounted in the path of movement of a prorately rotatingsaid cam or eccentric elements to adjustably predetermine the position of the same.

member, resilient nected to the end of said valve stem, a casing for said thermostat connected to said valve casing, means including a bracket for guiding said stem, and a cam or eccentric element rotatably mounted in said bracket and justable abutment for said resilient means.

17. In a thermostatic regulator for a fuel oil valve, the combination of a generally Tshaped casing having inlet and outlet conduits and means providing a valve port interiorly of said casing, a valve member cooperating with said valve port, a valve stem connected to said valve member, a resilient means for normally urging said valve stem in one direction, a thermostat connected to the end of said valve stem, a casing for said thermostat connected to said valve casing, means including a bracket for guiding said stem, and a cam or eccentric element rotatably mounted in said bracket and disposed in the path of a projection on said valve stem for predetermining the extent of movement of said valve member toward its seat in order to maintain a minimum flame.

18. In a thermostatic regulator for a fuel oil valve, the combination'of a generally T-shaped casing having inlet and outlet conduits and means providing a valve port interiorly of said casing, a valve valve port, a valve stem connected to said valve means for normally urging said valve stem in onedirection, a thermostat connected to the end of said valve stem, a casing for said thermostat connected to said valve casing, means mounted in said valve casing for guiding said valve stem and including a bracket, and a pair of cams or eccentric elements rotatably mounted in said bracket and separately,adjustable, one of said elements constituting an abutment for said resilient means and the other coconstituting ,an admember cooperating with said.

a projection on said valve stem the extent of movement of said operating with to predetermine valve stem.

19. In a thermostatic regulator for a fuel oil valve, the combination of a generally T-shaped casing having inlet and outlet conduits and means providing a valve port interiorly of said casing, a valve member cooperating with said valve port, a valve stem connected to said valve member, resilient means for normally urging} said valve stem in one direction, a thermostat connected to the end of said valve stem, and a casing for said thermostat connected to said valve casing, said thermostat including a motor chamber charged with a volatile fluid at a pressure less than atmospheric and normally tending to open said valve against the tension of said resilient means but permitting movement of said valve member to its position of minimum opening under the action of said resilient means upon equalization of internal and external pressures.

20. In a thermostatic regulator for a fuel oil valve, the combination of a casing having inlet and outlet conduits and means providing a valve port interiorly of said casing, a valve member cooperatingwith said valve port, a valve stem connected to said valve member, resilient means for normally urging said valve stem in one direction, a thermostat connected to the end of said valve stem, stat connected to said valve casing, and a ver- ,tical wall within said valve casing subdividing the interior thereof into chambers in communication with said conduits and said thermostat casing whereby air or gas in the oil flowing to said valve generally T-shapeda casing for said thermoport may escape through said thermostat casing.

WILLIAM B. MAcKmTosH.

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