Патент USA US2401079

May 23, 1946-
2,401,079
1.. D. JONES ET AL
CENTRIFUGAL DEAERATOR ‘ ~
Original Filed July 4, 1942
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51316.2,
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Leo D. Jones
John lSQ’I'eH.
BY W
M
ATTORNEY
Patented May ‘28, 1946 '
- 2,401,079’
_ "
A UNlTED STATE s2,401,079PATENT ' orsics
CENTRIFUGAL DEAERATOR
Leo D. Jones, Philadelphia, and (John J. Serrell,
Wynnewood, 'Pa., assignors to The Sharples
Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of
Delaware
Original application July 4, 1942, Serial No.
449,830. Divided and this application ‘July 19,
1943, Serial No. 495,262v
2 Claims. (Cl. 183-25)
In the preferred form of the invention, the
The present invention pertains to a centrifugal
. centrifugal deaerator consists of a non-rotating
apparatus for deaerating liquids.- It will be de
other applications.
0
tank around the interior surface of which the oil
?ows in a rotating motion during its passage ‘from
entrance to exit of the tank in a longitudinal
scribed for purposes of illustration and conven
ience in relation to the ‘lubricating system of an
aviation engine, since that is the purpose for
which it was originally conceived, although it has
direction. This tank is preferably provided with
a valve controlling discharge or gas or vapor from
'
a central portion of the tank, after removal of
' This application is a, division of'our prior appli
cation Serial Number 449,830, ?led July 4, 1942'. '
this gas or - vapor under the in?uence of cen
The lubricating system of an airplane engine 10 trifugal force, and the opening and closing of this
valve are controlled by the thickness of the layer
of, liquid passing along the interior wall of the
deaerator. 'Thus, when the wall of liquid exceeds
or in the engine for pumping oil to the various I
a predetermined thickness, the actuating mecha
parts of the engine to lubricate it,_a sump in the
engine into which the oil drains from the various } 15 nism moves the deaerator valve to a‘position pre
venting discharge of gas from the tank, and when
parts of the engine, a scavenge pump ‘for pump
this wall recedes again to a permissible thickness,
ing oil from the sump, a conduit from the scav
the valve is again opened and discharge or gas
enge pump to an oil cooler, an oil cooler and a
consists of an oil storage tank, a conduit from
the storage‘tank to the engine, a feed pump on
conduit back to the oil storage tank. The sys
tem may include additional items such as a relief 20
valve to by-pass oil around the cooler under cer
tain conditions, a thermostatic valve for accom
plishing this same purpose, and/or a centrifugal
resumed.
t‘
'
.,
A better understanding of the details of the
invention will be had by reference to the follow
ing description in the light of the attached draw
ing, in which,
Figure 1 is a cross sectional view through a
separator for purifying the oil after use, but the
elements discussed above are the important ones,
insofar as the background of the present inven-_
preferred form of deaerating apparatus, and
tion is concerned.
*
The scavenge pump ordinarily has a displace- '
Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of
Figure 1 with parts broken away to illustrate a
valve detail.
‘
-
Referring to the drawing by reference charac
ment from two to three times as great as the oil
feed rate of the feed pump in the case of radial - ters', the deaerator consists of a tank Iil provided
with an interior surface II which is preferably
engines, and in the case of in-line engines, there
circular, and which may be cylindrical or frusto
are usually two scavenge pumps, one at each end
of the crankcase, each of these pumps having a ' conical .as shown. This tank is provided with
an inlet connection i2 for injecting oil tangen
displacement at least twice as great as that of the
tially
into the tank along the surface II in a
feed ‘pump. This relationship of capacities be
direction having a longitudinal component toward
tween the scavenge pump or pumps and feed
the tangential outlet l3 which receives the oil.
pump is necessary to insure the continuous re
after the gas‘ has been separated by- centrifugal
moval of all of the oil which drains into the
force
due to rotating movement of the oil during.
sump. A necessary incident to this relationship,
however, is the fact that vapor from the crank 40 passage along surface II from entrance to exit.
The tank In is provided with an end plate I 4,
case is pumped by the scavenge pump or pumps
which ‘is removably mounted to permit access to ,
together with the oil through the oil cooler and
the interior of the tank. This end plate is pro
into the storage tank. The 'pumping ofthis vapor
vided with a central opening to receive a housing
through the oil cooler increases the drop in pres
; l5 for a packing gland, this housing being secured
sure through the cooler and the load on the
to the end plate by bolts IS. A hollow'tube I1
scavenge pump or pumps, and complicates the
is slidably mounted in a central bore of the hous
problem of cooling the oil.
ing IS, the upper end of this tube extending to
In order to solve these and other problems, a
centrifugal deaerator is provided which may be"
interposed in the line of flow from the scavenge
pump to the oil cooler.
'
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a position within the tank I0, and this position
to ‘being adjustable‘ by longitudinal movement of
the tube. .
2
2,401,079
A packing gland l8 surrounds the tube I1
within the bore of the housing l5, and the pre
vention of leakage and longitudinal securement
opening in the otherwise closed upper end of the
’ tube H, and preventsfurther discharge of air so
longa's this condition continues to prevail. As
of the tube in the desired position are both ac
the operation continues after this condition is
complished by tightening of the gland nut I9.
Tube I1 is provided with a nipple 20 at its
reached, the pressure in the central part of the
lower end for connection to other piping. A valve
2! is secured ‘in sliding relationship upon the
released air cannot be discharged through the
tube l1, and this increase in pressure will cause
an increase in the amount of .oil discharged
tank In will increase, due to the fact that the
upper end of the tube l1, and the upper end of I ,
the valve is urged downwardly and held in con-' 10 ‘through tangential outlet I3, with the result that
tact .with the upper end'of the tube I‘! by the
the-amount of discharge will ultimately exceed
spring 22. The lower end of the spring 22 is se
the amount of feed, and the inner surface of the
"cured in position longitudinally with respect to
stratum of oil within the surface II will again ‘
the tube I‘! by the nut 23, which may be locked
recede. When this happens, the spring 22 will
by nut 24, both of these nuts being threaded to 15 again return the valve to open position, with the '
the tube l'l. These nuts provide a method of se
result that the air can again be discharged
curing the spring in position longitudinally, and
through tube. l1.
also a method of altering the tension on the
Thev above description of the operation of the
centrifugal deaerating apparatus is somewhat
idealized for the sake of simplicity of explana
-
spring, as will be evident from inspection of the
drawing. A stop pin 25 is secured to the tube ll
adjacent the bottom of the valve 2 l, and this stop
tion. As a. matter of fact. in the actual operation ‘
pin coacts with van abutting surface 25 of the
of the ‘apparatus, the valve may not be moved ‘
lower end of the valve to secure the valve in open
completely either to absolutely closed or abso
position under ‘the in?uence of the spring 22
lutely open position, after the operation is well
until accumulation of a predetermined thickness 25 under way. This valve moves to an intermediate
of an annular layer of liquid along the interior
position after a condition fairly close to equi
of the wall II, as will be evident from further '
librium is established between the effect of the
discussion of details by which this result is ac‘
spring 22 in moving the valve to open position and
complished. A plurality of wings 21 extend out
the eifect of wings 21 in moving it to closed posi- ‘
wardly from the cylindrically extending portion 80 tion. As a matter of practical operation, how
of the outer surface of the valve 2!, and this
ever, the effect of the valve in permitting dis
valve is also provided with a cylindrically extend
charge of gas, but preventing discharge of liquid
ing portion 30 above the upper end of the tube
through tube l‘! by preventing accumulation of
H, in order to minimize leakage of oil into the
too deep a stratum of liquid within the tank is
tube I? by splashing. When the abutment 2B is 35 the same, regardless of whether the valve actu
in contact with the pin 25, an opening 28 in the
ating mechanism effects actual successive clos
upper, otherwise closed, end 29 of the valve 2!
ing and opening of the valve, or merely the at
registers with an opening in the upper end of
tainment Of an equilibrium condition which builds
the tube l‘! to permit discharge of gas through
up a pressure within the center of the tank sum
these registering openings and the tube ll. When
cient to bring the rate of discharge of oil through
the abutment 26 is moved in a counterclockwise
conduit 13 to the approximate rate of feed thereof
direction-away from the pin 25, on the' other
through the conduit l2.
hand, these openings are brought out of registry -'
Various modi?cations are possible within the
with each other, with the result that the valve
scope of the invention, and we do not therefore
connection and possibility of discharge of gas
wish to be limited except by the scope of the fol
through the tube I1 is closed, much, after the
lowing claims.
fashion of a talcum powder can.
We claim:
‘
In the operation of the above apparatus, the
mixture of air and oil, which may be under pres
1. In a centrifugal machine for‘ separating gas
from liquid, the combination comprising, a cen
sure derived from the scavenge pump, enters 50 trlfugal separating chamber in the form of a
through the tangential inlet pipe I2. The mix
stationary tank, meansifor feeding a mixture of
ture ?ows around the inner wall ll of the tank
liquid and gas to said chamber and rotating said
l0, during its passage-from the inlet l2 to the
mixture around the wall of said chamber, means
outlet l3, and this rotating flow causes separation
for discharging liquid-from an outer portion‘of H
of air toward the center of the tank under the 65 said chamber continuously during normal opera
in?uence of centrifugal force. After being re
tion of said machine, means for discharging sepa
lieved of its air in this manner, the oil leaves the
rated gas _from an inner portion of said chamber.
tank through the tangential outlet I 3. The air
a, valve controlling said discharge of gas, and a
flows through the hole 28 and registering hole in
rotatable actuating member within said cham
the top of tube l1, and escapes from the appara 60 ber adapted to receive motion by contact there
tus through this tube. So long as the valve is
with of liquid rotating within said chamber upon
maintained in open position by the action of the
accumulation of said liquid beyond a predetere
spring 22 in holding the abutment 26 against the
mined annular thickness in sald'chamber, and
pin 25, the air will discharge rapidly through the
means controlled by said actuating member for
valve and tube IT. During this operation, the
operating said valve, whereby'dlscharge of gas
thickness of the body of oil rotating within the
is permitted untilsaid liquid has attained such
surface I l during its passage longitudinally along
that surface will graduallyr increase until the
inner surface of this layer strikes the wings 21
and causes these wings to move in a counter
predetermined thickness and prevented when
said liquid has attained such predetermined
thickness.
70
7
2. In a centrifugal machine for separating gas
from liquid, the combination comprising, a cen
trifugal separating chamber in the form of a
stationary tank, means for feeding a mixture of
liquid and gas to ‘said chamber and rotating said
clockwise direction against the in?uence of the
spring 22. This rotary movement of the wings 21
under the impelling effect of the rotation of the
body of oil within the tank causes the opening
28 to be moved out of registrywlth the enacting 76 mixture around the wall of said chamber. means7
2,401,079
for discharging ‘liquid from an outer portion of
said chamber continuously during normal opera-'
tion of said machine, means for discharging sepa- '
rated gas from an inner portion of said chamber,
a valve controlling said discharge of gas, and ro- ‘
tary means for actuating said valve upon accu
mulation of liquid beyond a predetermined an
nular thickness in said chamber, said rotary
‘
v
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‘ and designed to. be impacted by liquid rotating
in said tank when said liquid exceeds a predeter
mined thickness in said tank, whereby discharge
of gas is permitted until s'aidvliquid has attained
such predetermined thickness and prevented
when said-liquid has attained such predetermined
thickness.
means including a plurality of vanes extending‘
outwardly from a central portion of said tank 10 I
LEO D. JONES.
JOHN J. SERRELL.