U.S. patent number 3,829,015 [Application Number 05/265,399] was granted by the patent office on 1974-08-13 for acoustic nozzle.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Combustion Equipment Associates, Inc.. Invention is credited to Richard J. Monro.
United States Patent |
3,829,015 |
Monro |
August 13, 1974 |
ACOUSTIC NOZZLE
Abstract
A nozzle for finely dispersing a liquid in a gas stream, usually
air or steam, has therein a reverberation chamber for producing
acoustic energy in the gas stream. The gas then flows through a
plurality of tubular passages which are intersected by tubular
passages carrying therethrough a liquid to be nebulized, said
liquid usually being oil. The nozzle is particularly useful for
nebulizing oil in preparation for combustion thereof.
Inventors: |
Monro; Richard J. (Bronxville,
NY) |
Assignee: |
Combustion Equipment Associates,
Inc. (New York, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
23010282 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/265,399 |
Filed: |
June 22, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
239/425;
239/589.1; 239/430; 261/DIG.48 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F23D
11/34 (20130101); B05B 17/0692 (20130101); Y10S
261/48 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B05B
17/04 (20060101); B05B 17/06 (20060101); F23D
11/00 (20060101); F23D 11/34 (20060101); B05b
017/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;239/102,425,433,424.5,431,430,426 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wood, Jr.; M. Henson
Assistant Examiner: Love; John J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Blum, Moscovitz, Friedman &
Kaplan
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An improvement in an acoustic nozzle for nebulizing oil in
preparation for combustion thereof, said acoustic nozzle having a
central axis and being supplied with a gas through an inner tube
and with oil through an annulus defined by said inner tube and an
outer tube surrounding said inner tube, wherein said improvement
comprises an axial resonant chamber in said nozzle for introducing
acoustic energy into said gas, said chamber being continuous with
said inner tube and supplied with gas therefrom, a plurality of
first tubular passages leading from said inner tube adjacent said
resonant chamber to the exterior surface of said nozzle for
conducting said gas containing acoustic energy to said exterior
surface of said nozzle, and a plurality of second tubular passages,
each of said second tubular passages having an inner and an outer
end, all of said inner ends making connection with said annulus for
receiving flowing oil, and each of said outer ends intersecting one
of said first tubular passages at a region proximate the exterior
surface of said nozzle, thereby serving to bring together gas and
oil streams for nebulizing said oil by said acoustic energy in said
gas stream.
2. The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein the exterior
surface of said nozzle is frustoconical in shape.
3. The improvement as defined in claim 2, wherein the outer ends of
said tubular passages lie on a circle the plane of which is
perpendicular to the axis of said nozzle.
4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein a stem is located
axially in said resonant chamber in order to increase the
efficiency of acoustic energy transfer to said gas.
5. The apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said stem has a
flange at its upstream end, said flange being held between said
nozzle and the downstream end of said inner tube, said flange
having passages therethrough connecting said inner tube with said
nozzle for flow of gas therethrough.
6. The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein the number of
first tubular passages equals the number of second tubular
passages.
7. An acoustic nozzle having a downstream exit end and an upstream
inlet end comprising a central passage extending between said inlet
and exit ends for receiving gas supplied at said inlet end, a
resonant chamber communicating with said central passage and
located adjacent said exit end, a plurality of exit passages
extending between said central passage and the exterior of said
nozzle to deliver gas outwardly of said nozzle at acoustic energies
from said central passage, said exit passages communicating with
said central passage upstream of the end of said resonant chamber,
and a plurality of fuel passages within said nozzle for receiving
fuel to be nebulized, said fuel passages having inlet and outlet
ends, said outlet ends communicating with said exit passages
intermediate the ends thereof.
8. An acoustic nozzle as claimed in claim 7 wherein said central
passage includes a stem positioned centrally thereof and extending
into said resonant chamber.
9. An acoustic nozzle as claimed in claim 8 wherein said stem
carries radially extending flanges at the upstream end thereof for
segmenting a portion of said central passage intermediate the ends
thereof.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A variety of nozzles have been devised in which a rapidly moving
gas stream is caused to generate pressure waves at sonic or
supersonic frequencies for the purpose of nebulizing a liquid. In
the process, the energy in the pressure waves is transferred to the
liquid causing the liquid stream to break up into droplets which
present a large surface for combustion or other types of
reaction.
The energy transferred in the process is substantial, so that
improvements in nozzle design which results in an increase in the
efficiency of atomization can yield substantial savings. This is
particularly the case where large quantities of fluid must be
dispersed.
Heretofore, attempts to increase the efficiency of atomization by
nozzles had been directed at modifying the shape of the axial
passage through which the gas stream flows. In general,
modifications have consisted of contractions or expansions of the
interior of the nozzle so that flow through the nozzle may be
successively convergent, constant in cross section, and divergent.
Although resonant chambers may be provided by such an arrangement,
the results have been less than optimum as measured by efficiency
of dispersion, the required pressure at which the gas must be
supplied to the nozzle and the quantity of gas which must be
supplied to disperse a given amount of liquid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A high efficiency of dispersion of a liquid is obtained by the use
of a nozzle having a resonant chamber therein from which the gas
flows through a plurality of tubular passages to the exterior of
the nozzle. Simultaneously, oil flows through a plurality of
tubular passages equal in number to those carrying the gas stream
to the exterior of the nozzle, each of the oil passages
intersecting one of the gas passages proximate the surface of the
nozzle. The energy of the gas stream atomizes the flowing liquid
into fine droplets.
In a second embodiment, an axial stem is disposed centrally within
the resonance chamber, modifying the resonant chamber into an
annulus for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of energy
transfer by the resonant chamber.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an
improved nozzle for atomizing a liquid stream by means of a gas
stream.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved
nozzle for generating acoustic energy within a gas stream to be
used for atomizing a liquid.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved
nozzle having a resonant chamber with an axial stem therethrough
for the purpose of generating acoustic energy at high efficiency
for the purpose of atomizing a liquid stream.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be
obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,
combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be
exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the
scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to
the following description taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an end view of a nozzle in accordance with the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG.
2; and
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the
present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A nozzle in accordance with the present invention is generally
indicated by the reference numeral 11. Gas, which is usually air or
steam, is brought to nozzle 11 through inner tube 12. In the
embodiment shown in FIG. 2 nozzle 11 is joined to the inner tube 12
by threaded section 13. Nozzle 11 is positioned axially with
respect to inner tube 12 by seating of end 14 on shoulder 15. Gas
flowing at high rate through inner tube 12 reaches resonant chamber
20 in which part of the energy of flow is converted into acoustic
energy. Chamber 20 terminates in an end 16. The gas carrying the
acoustic energy departs resonant chamber 20 through tubular
passages 17.
Simultaneously, the liquid to be dispersed, usually oil, flows
through annular passage 18 defined by outer tube 19 and inner tube
12. The flowing oil on leaving annulus 18 enters tubular passages
21 which intersect gas passages 17 proximate surface 22 of nozzle
11. Atomization of the flowing liquid takes place at the
intersection between the plurality of passages 17 and 21 at high
efficiency.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 thru 3, outer tube 19 is
connected gas-tightly with nozzle 11 by the use of gasket 23. Axial
location of nozzle 11 with respect to outer tube 19 results from
seating of shoulder 24 on end 26 of outer tube 19. For purposes or
removal of nozzle 11 from inner tube 12, nozzle 11 is provided with
flats 27.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, stem 28 is centrally disposed
within passageway 29 leading to resonant chamber 20. Chamber 20
terminates in an end 16. Stem 28 has a flange 31 which is held
between end 32 of inner tube 12 and shoulder 33 of nozzle 11. Ducts
34 in flange 31 provide for the flow of gas from inner tube 12 to
resonant chamber 20. Upper end 36 of stem 28 seats within aperture
37 provided in nozzle 11.
The purpose of the stem 28 is to increase the efficiency of
resonant chamber 20 in producing acoustic energy in the gas flowing
therethrough. Where it is desired to use the nozzle of FIG. 4
without stem 28, the embodiment of FIG. 2 results.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those
made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently
attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above
construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above
description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be
interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended
to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention
herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention
which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall
therebetween.
* * * * *