US1722699A - Condenser for refrigerating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

July 30, 1929. GREENWALD 1,722,699

CONDENSER FQR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed March 21, 1927 Sum/14 50 0 flQraZcZfl, Freeware 2 a lpatented July 11929. v v STATES can a. enema,

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0F DETRQIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGN'OR T0 THOMAS C. WHITE- HEAID, 01E DE'IRQIT, MICHIGAN. i

1 nane connnnsnn nor. nnrnrennarmearrann'rns r Application flldd March 21, 1927. Serial No. 177,093.

refrigeration it is usual to design the apparatus" so that the desiredlow temperature may be maintained... in the refrigerator compartment by an intermittent circulation of therefrigerant controlled and regulated by a suitable thermostat. ][t is'also the usual practice to efiect'the condensation of the compressed refrigerantnby circulating a1r at room temperature through condensing coils by means of a fan or equivalent device. The object of my invention is to increase the condenser efficiency by supplementing the air cooling means with additional cooling means so incorporated in the apparatus as to be practical in a domestic typeinstallation. E

For this purpose I have designed a condensing apparatus in which part or' all of the conduits for the'refrigerant arearranged in thermal contact with certain chemical substances having hydroscopic or deliquescent properties, or, in other words, having the property of absorbing moisture from the at mosphere. One substance particularly suitable is calcium chloride. When this sub: stanceis arranged in thermal contact with the condenser coils and the refrigerating apparatus is in the portion of its intermittent cycle where the refrigerant is not circulating, the calcium chlorideconti'nuously absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. When the circula- "tion through the condenser again commences, the heat from the compressed refrigerant causes the absorbed moisture in the calcium chloride to be reevaporated and this evaporaf tion results in a cooling effect which assists in ,the; condensation ofthe refrigerant. Thus if the condenser is sub'ected to air cooling in the usual manner and also arranged in thermal contact. with a hygroscopic or deliquescent substance, the condensation of the re frigerant is accomplished by the combined cooling efiects of the circulating air and the evaporation of the absorbed moisture. The fact that the refrigeratin system is intermittently operatedpermits t e proper. functioning of the calcium chloride as an additional cooling agent whenever its cooling efiect is required. It acts as a carrier for the moisture which is alternately" absorbed and reevaporated. The absorption of the moisture is acnot absorbed to any material degree by the recompanied by a heating effect, but as this 00- curs during the period when the refrigerant is not circulating, the heat acquired by the condenser is" dissipated by radiation and is frigerant itself. On the other hard, when the refrigerant is in circulation the temperature is materially lowered by the cooling sheet 3 and the refrigerantloses part of its heat to the evaporated moisture. l

My invention is not limited in. application, to any particular type of refrigerating apparatus, but in order to more clearly illustrate a practical embodiment of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein r 1 Figure 1 represents a refrigerating system of the compression type to which my inven- I tion may be applied;

Figure 2 is a cross section through a con- 7 denser embodying my invention; I

Figure 3 is a mo ified arrangement, for ob-, taining an additional cooling edect in a re-; frigerant condenser.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 represents an electric motor, 2 a suitable compressor connected thereto by a shaft 3 on which is mounted a fan 4. 5 is a condensing coil connected by a conduit 6 with the outlet of the compressor and having at its base a reservoir 7 for the condensed refrigerant. The, A condenser 5 is cooled by a circulation of air promoted by the fan i and to aidin thecooling there is preferably provided a hood 8 surrounding the condenser, compressor and fan. 9 represents diagrammatically a re- 'frigerator compartmeiit in which is located 'sion valve 13 and compressor valve'll may be a'rrangedin .the usual-maer. For controlling the operation of the motor 1 a suitable thermostatic switch 15 is arranged in any convenient location in the refrigerator. This switch is so designed as to operate the motor when the temperature in there r er ator risesto a pre'deteined value c to stop the motor when the temperature is lowered to any predeterned value.

The calcium chloride or other equivalent substance is referahly arranged on the outer surfaces of t e coils ofthe conder aud it may be retained intheal contact na -m with by various expedients. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the calcium chloride is applied to the coils in the form of a paint, thus forming an adherent layer 16 surrounding the coils 17 With this arrangement the surface area 0f the condenser is not diminished in size, but all of the heat transferred from the refrigerant to the surrounding air must pass through the walls of the coils 17 and the layer of calcium chloride. Due-to the hygroscopic or deliquescent propertiesof the layer or coating 16 the coils 17 are in effect provided with a surrounding reservoir for a cooling fluid, which reservoir is automatically replenishedby the chemical action of the material in absorbing moisturefrom the atmosphere.

In Figure 3 a considerably modified form of my invention is illustrated, for in this arrangement instead of employing calcium chloride as a solid substance surrounding the coils, it is dissolved in water forming a solutionin which the lowermost coils of the condenser are immersed. Thus, as shown, there is provided a suitable container 18 filled with a calcium chloride solution to immerse a certain portion of the condenser coils. In this construction the cooling is dueto the combined effects of the air circulating over the exposed'condenser coils and the evaporation from the solution in contact with the remaining coils during the running periods of the machine. 9 What I claim as my invention is:

1. The method of operating a coolingsysterm which consists in intermittently passing a heatedmedium through a cooling conduit substance in thermal contact with said conduit.

-3. The combination with a refrigerating system havinga compressor, condenser, expansion coils and meansifor intermittently circulating the refrigerating medium, of a deliquescent substance associated with said condenser for assisting in the condensation of therefrigerating medium.

4.- A condenser comprising a conduit for the medium to be'cooled and solid calcium chloride arranged in thermal contact with said conduit. v

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HAROLD A; GREENWALD.

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