GB817938A - Improvements in or relating to a method of manufacturing heat regenerators, regenerators manufactured by this method and device for carrying out this method - Google Patents

Abstract

817,938. Making heat-exchangers; making metal fibres; shearing. PHILIPS' GLOEILAMPENFABRIEKEN N.V. Sept. 5, 1956 [Sept. 8, 1955], No. 27175/56. Classes 83 (2) and 83 (4). [Also in Group IX] A method of manufacturing a heat regenerator in which a predetermined quantity of tape or wire of less than 50 microns hydraulic diameter is projected on to a wall is characterized in that the wall rotates during the projection of the said material and attains such a speed, either during or subsequent to the projection of the material, that the layer of material formed on the wall attains a desired filling factor. Copper wire 6 is fed from a reel 7 by a roller 8 and air feed device 9 through an aperture 12 to a rotating cutter 13 having blades 14 which cut the wire into pieces, preferably longer than 2 mm, and shorter than 10 cm. The pieces pass down through a funnel 16 to a duct 17, 20 of a rotating supply device 18 which flings the pieces through channels 21 on to the wall 4a of a cylindrical head 4 of, for example, a refrigerator. The head 4 is supported in a container 1 and rotated thereby at such a speed that the wire pieces are retained by centrifugal force on the wall 4a. The supply device 18 is moved up and down axially of the head 4 by fluid pressure or other means 28 so that a uniform layer of pieces is formed. During the rotation an inner wall 43 is inserted in the head 4 leaving a space 44 between it and the wire filler which latter expands to fill the space as the rotation is stopped. Instead of short pieces of wire long pieces may be fed to the wall, the cutter 13 being omitted. The wires may be blown from the supply device 18 to the wall. The speed of rotation of the head 4 may be low during the supplying of the wire but increased afterwards to compact the wire pieces.