US1448183A - Refrigerating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

' Mar. 13, 1923.

G. A. BANG REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Fi ed Feb. .18, 1922 ATTORNEY Fig.1.-

Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

GEORGE A. BANG, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

Application filed February 18, 1922. Serial No. 537,373.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. BANG, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the city of St. Louis, Stateof Missouri, United States of America, have invented a certain new and useful Refrigerating' Apparatus, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable anyone skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a refrigerating apparatus for articles of food and other perishable articles and one particular service for which it is intended is to maintain ice cream at a low'temperature while being transported on vehicles.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for the purposes mentioned which will produce a very low temperature in the refrigerating chamber by the use of a convenient refrigerant such as a mixture of ice and salt or other chemical which promotes rapid melting of the ice and thus provide efficient refrigerating means which can be easily transported and economically operated on a delivery truck. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a truck body in which my improved refrigerating apparatus may be installed; Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal cross section of the body shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a vertical transverse cross section through compartment 2 of Figure 2. The truck body shown is provided with three compartments 1, 2, and 3 and illustrates a convenient arrangement of compartments on an ice cream delivery truck embodying my invention. The compartments 1 and 3 may be used for carrying ice, containers and articles which do not require refrigeration. My improved refrigerating apparatus comprises the compartment 2 and the devices therein, the walls of the compartment being insulated in any suitable manner (not shown). 4 represents a container for crushed ice and salt provided with an openin and cover 5 at the top of the chamber. K plurality of air pipes 6 extend horizontally through the bottom of the container and, are open at both ends in the upper part of the compartment 2. From the lower edge of one end of I the'container a baffle plate 7 extends downwardly to a point near the bottom of the refrigerating compartment 2 and is spaced from a vertical wall thereof. On the side of the chamber 2 opposite the bafile 7 is a door 8 for access to the chamber and extending upwardly from the lower part 0 the end of the container 4 above the door is a baffle plate 9 which is spaced from the vertical wall of the chamber 2 and from the ends of the pipes 6. A drain pipe 10 for the container 4 is provided with a branch 11 opening in the container at the point just above the level of the upper air pipe 6, this branch 11 and the part of the pipe 10 between the point of connection with 11 and the end of the pipe forming a permanently open drain.

The portion of the chamber 2 beneath the container 4 forms the space for the ice cream or other articles to be refrigerated.

In the operation of the device the container l is filled with crushed ice and salt and the brine formed by action of these elements sinks to the bottom of the container and will fill the container to the level determined by the lowest opening in the pipe 11 and thus submerge the entire lengths of all of the tubes 6. The purpose of draining off brine above the level of the tubes is to and thus have no interference with the most rapid possible cooling action and the maintenance of the walls of the pipes 6 at a very low temperature. The air in the pipes 6 being cooled to a point below that in the bottom of the chamber 2, passes out of the pipes and to the bottom of the chamber displacing the warmer air.

The baffle 9 insures that the discharge of cold will take place from the ends of the pipes above the baffle 7 and this latter baffle directs the air to a point near the bottom of the chamber 2 and establishes a circulation path for the air down one side of the chamber across the bottom and upward on the opposite side of the chamber adjacent to I the door. When the door is opened some of the cold air will of course escape and warmer air entering to take its place will immediately rise between the baffle 9 and the adjacent vertical wall of the chamber 2 and is thus directed through the pipes 6 and cooled before coming into contact with the contents of the chamber 2.

Tests have shown that my refrigerating apparatus will maintain a temperature several degrees below zero Fahrenheit at the bottom of the chamber 2 during the actual use of the truck in hot weather in delivering ice cream to dealers and consumers and with comparatively small consumption of ice, this efiicient operation being chiefly due to the manner of control of the air currents and the fact that the entire lengths of the pipes 6 are kept constantly submerged in the coldest brine it is possible to produce with a mixture of ice and salt. The arrangement and location of the cooling pipes descrlbed also makes possible the formation of a refrigerating chamber having a relatively large capacity in proportion to its overall dimensions.

Having fully described my invention What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

The combination with a refrigerating chamber provided with a door, of a refrigerant receptacle in the upper part of the chamber, a plurality of air pipes extending through the refrigerant receptacle and having their intake ends communicating with the chamber at a point directly above the door, and means controlling air circulation through said pipes to cause the air to enter at said intake ends.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and afiixed my seal.

GEORGE A. BANG. [L. s.]

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