Curtiss-Wright Corporation

Angelo De Feo

William S Hosek

Mark R Kulina

Earl B Norwood

Edward Drewniany

A fluidized bed combustor comprises a reactor or a housing which has a windbox distributor plate adjacent the lower end thereof which contains a multiplicity of hole and air discharge nozzles for discharging air and coal into a fluidized bed which is maintained above the distributor plate and below a take-off connection or flue to a cyclone separator in which some of the products of combustion are treated to remove the dust which is returned into the fluidized bed. A windbox is spaced below the fluidized bed and it has a plurality of tubes passing therethrough with the passage of combustion air and fluidizing air which passes through an air space so that fluidizing air is discharged into the reaction chamber fluidized bed at the bottom thereof to maintain the bed in a fluidized condition. A fluid, such as air, is passed through the tubes which extend through the windbox and provide a preheating of the combustion air and into an annular space between telescoped inner and outer tubes which comprise heat exchanger tubes or cooling tubes which extend upwardly through the distributor plate into the fluidized bed. The heat exchanger tubes are advantageously arranged so that they may be exposed in groups within the reactor in a cluster which is arranged within holding rings.

Tube construction for fluidized bed combustor

A high temperature lined conduit comprising, a liner, a flexible insulating refractory blanket around and in contact with the liner, a pipe member around the blanket and spaced therefrom, and castable rigid refractory material between the pipe member and the blanket. Anchors are connected to the inside diameter of the pipe and extend into the castable material. The liner includes male and female slip joint ends for permitting thermal expansion of the liner with respect to the castable material and the pipe member. Elbows and tees of the lined conduit comprise an elbow liner wrapped with insulating refractory blanket material around which is disposed a spaced elbow pipe member with castable refractory material between the blanket material and the elbow pipe member. A reinforcing band is connected to the elbow liner at an intermediate location thereon from which extend a plurality of hollow tubes or pins which extend into the castable material to anchor the lined elbow and permit thermal expansion. A method of fabricating the high temperature lined conduit, elbows and tees is also disclosed which utilizes a polyethylene layer over the refractory blanket after it has been compressed to maintain the refractory blanket in a compressed condition until the castable material is in place. Hot gases are then directed through the interior of the liner for evaporating the polyethylene and setting the castable material which permits the compressed blanket to come into close contact with the castable material.

High temperature lined conduits, elbows and tees

The valve assembly for use with high temperature and high pressure fluids has inner and outer spaced shells and a valve actuator support of inner and outer spaced members which are connected at their end portions to the inner and outer shells, respectively, to extend substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the inner shell. A layer of resilient heat insulating material covers the outer surfaces of the inner shell and the inner actuator support member and is of a thickness to only occupy part of the spaces between the inner and outer shells and inner and outer actuator support members. The remaining portion of the space between the inner and outer shells and the space between the inner and outer members is substantially filled with a body of castable, rigid refractory material. A movable valve member is disposed in the inner shell. A valve actuator assembly is supported in the valve actuator support to extend into the inner shell for connection with the movable valve member for movement of the movable valve member to positions from a fully open to a fully closed position to control flow of fluid through the inner shell. An anchor mneans is disposed adjacent opposite sides of the axis of the valve actuator support and attached to the inner shell so that relative radial movement between the inner and outer shell is permitted by the layer of resilient heat insulating material and relative longitudinal movement of the inner shell to the outer shell is permitted in opposite directions from the anchor means to thereby maintain the functional integrity of the movable valve member by providing an area of the inner shell surrounding the movable valve member longitdinally stationary, but at the same time allowing radial movement.

Valve assembly for use with high temperature and high pressure fluids

Fluidized bed combustor and tube construction therefor

An improved fluidized bed reactor of the type having dual shells spaced apart to define a gaseous fluid inlet passageway which is in communication with a source of gaseous fluid and a gaseous fluid distribution partition to form within the inner shell a reaction zone and having a heat exchange unit in the reaction zone for temperature control. The improvement comprises two manifolds which are disposed adjacent the gaseous fluid distribution partition and each in communication with the inlet passageway to receive gaseous fluid from the latter. One manifold communicates with the distribution partition passages while the other manifold communicates with the heat exchange unit. A valve means is disposed within the reactor for controlling flow of gaseous fluid from the inlet passageway to provide flow of one portion of the gaseous fluid to one manifold for passage, through the distribution partition, into the reaction zone for fluidization and another portion of the gaseous fluid flow to the other manifold for passage into the heat exchanger and control of the temperature in the reaction zone.

Fluidized bed reactor

A system and apparatus for controlling excessive vibration of a rotating shaft at critical speed or when a large imbalance suddenly occurs, comprising an emergency bearing having sufficient radial clearance that it does not normally engage the shaft, and located longitudinally at a portion of the shaft which is sensitive to excessive vibration, and where it will raise the critical speed of the shaft system when additional support is added at that position. The bearing is of inexpensive construction and of such design that it requires no lubrication during the period when the shaft is passing through the critical speed and the bearing is operative.

Growing community of inventors

Totowa Boro, NJ, United States of America

Angelo De Feo