Horizontal direct fired water bath propane vaporizer

Abstract

A horizontal water filled vaporizer chamber is heated through the instrumentality of a horizontal combustion chamber extending through a lower portion of the vaporizer chamber. A first plenum inside the vaporizer chamber at a first end thereof receives combustion products from the chamber, and horizontal flues open to this first plenum carry these combustion products from it through the vaporizer chamber to a second plenum outside of the boiler where they are discharged up a stack. A plurality of vaporizer coils, each consisting of vertically spaced horizontal runs of pipe, extend from end to end in an upper portion of the vaporizer chamber. Each pair of adjacent pipe runs in each coil lie in a plane forming an acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane. Every vaporizer coil is connected inside the vaporizer chamber at its lower end to a liquid propane inlet header and at its upper end to a gaseous propane outlet header. A liquid propane inlet pipe and a propane vapor outlet pipe each open through the first end wall of the vaporizer chamber into their respective headers. The colder inlet header and the first horizontal run of each vaporizer coil leading from it are offset closer to a first vertical side wall of the vaporizer chamber; while the relatively warmer outlet header and a last run of each vaporizer coil leading to it are offset closer to a second vertical side wall of the vaporizer chamber. This induces a circulation of vaporizer chamber water down along the first side wall, across the combustion chamber and flues, up along the second vaporizer chamber side wall and across the top of the vaporizer chamber to enhance the heat exchange function of the vaporizer chamber water.