US1736788A

US1736788A - Precooler for refrigerator cars

Info

Publication number: US1736788A
Application number: US127268A
Authority: US
Inventors: James D Huston
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1926-08-05
Filing date: 1926-08-05
Publication date: 1929-11-26
Anticipated expiration: 1946-11-26

Description

1929- J. D. HUSTON- I 1,736,788

PRECOOLER FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed Aug. 5, 1926 Patented Nov. 26, 1929 imrrau STATES 'i nane STAMES D. HUS'I'ON, OF IMPERIAL, CALIFORNIA EREGOOLER FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Application. filed August 5, i826. Serial No. 127,268.

The primary'object of my invention is to provide simple and efiective portable means for quickly reducing the temperature of perishableproduce and other lading subsequent to loading into a refrigerator car and previous to starting the car on its journey. This initial cooling can be accomplished inefliciently by the use of ice in the ice bunkers in the usual manner, provided sufficient time is allowed. This initial cooling, however, is too slow for eficient results in making long hauls, due to the inherent heat inthe lading.

My improvement provides portable means which may be quickly installed in and removed from the car after loading and before starting the car on its journey and employed to effectively augment the circulation of air through the ice bunkers and lading chamber and consequent cooling efiect of the ice in the bunkers upon the lading. In this manner the lading is quickly and efi'ectively reduced in temperature throughout the entire load,

which low temperature is easily and continuously maintained by the ice in the bunkers after discontinuing the operation of my provement. v

My invention further comprises the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Fig. l is a side elevation partly in central longitudinal section of a refrigeration car showing my invention installed therein; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, and'Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the blower and truck removed from the car.

In the drawing, A indicates the body of a refrigerator car having the usual end ice bunkers or chambers B and C in its opposite ends and the doorway D in its median portion. Each ice bunker'is of usual construction and as shown has the ice basket struc- -tu're 12 therein, the bunker wall 10, ice grate 11, cold air egress passage H, return air in gress passage I, extending across the upper portion of the bunker wall in the usual manner and hatchwa s 6. The ice, bunkers or chambers B and are thus each open at their upper and lower ends, through passages I and H, into the central or storage chamber of the car.

This structure described is adapted to receive and hold the lading J in the load receiving chamber or body, said lading consisting of crates or other packages to be transported. These packages are stacked on floor racks 3 on the floor partway up towards the ceiling in the usual manner, leaving a space in the center of the car' andabove the lading so'that air may circulate freely down through and around the ice 8, in the ice bunkers, out through the cold air egress passages H, upwardly through and around the lading and to the median portion between the ends of the car and the air of warmest temperature assing back from the u per portion of the ody into the bunkers t rough passages L This action transpires in the usual manner while the car is in transit and while the bunkers contain ice. This operationwith the use of the ice bunkers as described is capable only of slowly reducing the temperature of the lading, the time consumed rendering the apparatus uneconomi'cal and ineflicie'nt for initial cooling or per-cooling 9f the car after loading, the inherent heat in the fruit or other perishable, lading being suflicient to retard ordinary cooling and eventually preventing the most effective transportation of the lading over long distances.

' M improvement provides means for quickly and economically'pre-cooling the lading after loading into the car and before starting the car on itsjourney. This is accomplished by placing a rotary blower 15, of comparatively large capacity, between the stacks of lading J ,1n'the car; said blower being. mounted upon a truck or carriage means 17', which is easil wheeled intoand out of the car anddriven y an electric motor 14:, said motor being supplied with operating current from an external source. The air inlet of this blower is provided with an ingress orinlet duct 16, opening upwardly so as to conduct air of the warmest temperature in the upper portion of the lading chamber into the blower. The airv egress-or outlet duct 13,

leading from the'bloweris bifurcated and connected by branches or conduits 16, ex-

tending over the lading to the air ingress passages I, of the ice bunkers. The connections between the ends of the branches 16, and the ing provided with a tubular member, as

shown, for connection of the branch or conduit 16 thereto.

When the blower is driven and while the doors of the car are closed, the circulation of air downwardly through and around the ice in the ice bunkers and upwardly through, around and in contact with the lading in the car is accelerated, thus quickly cooling the lading. After pre-cooling, the blower and its connections are removed from the car and the ordinary cooling of the lading by ice in the ice bunkers continues. During pre-cooling under the influence of the blower, a lower temperature is produced by the use of salt on the ice in the bunkers. It will be understood that after the blower and truck or carriage means 17 are removed, suitable brac ing means may be placed between the stacks of lading at the opposite sides of the space thus left, in order to hold the same in position.

Various modifications in construction of my invention are contemplated within the spirit thereof and of the claims following.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for precooling a refrigerator car having ice bunkers in the opposite ends of ,its body, comprising a portable blower temporarily situated inside the median portion of the car having an air ingress duct extending downwardly thereinto from a position connecting with the upper portion of the provision chamber and an air egress duct detachably connected with the upper portions of the ice bunkers, said ducts being adapted to conduct chilled air received from the lower portions .of the ice bunkers upwardly through and around the lading and into the blower and assist in returning air of higher temperature in the car back into the upper portions of the ice bunkers.

2. An'apparatus for precooling a refrigerator car having ice bunkers in the opposite ends of its body, said ice bunkers having air ingress openings in their upper portions, comprising air spreaders detachably connected over said ingress openings, a portable blower temporarily situated inside the median portion of the car having an air ingress duct extending downwardly thereinto from a position to receive air from the upper portion of the provision chamber and an air egress duct detachably connected with said spreaders and the outlet of said blower, said blower and ducts being adapted to conduct chilled air received from the lower portions of the ice bunkers upwardly through and around the lading back into the upper portions of the ice bunkers.

3. An apparatus for precooling a refrigerator car having ice bunkers in the opposite ends of the car body, said ice bunkers having air ingress openings in their upper portions, comprising air spreaders over said ingress openings, a portable blower temporarily situated inside the median portion of the car having an ingress duct extending downwardly thereinto from a position to receive air from the upper portion of the provision chamber and an air egress duct provided with branches detachably connected with said spreaders, said ingress duct being adapted to draw chilled air received from the lower portions of the ice bunkers upwardly through and around the lading and into the blower and said branches being adapted to return air of the warmest temperature in the car received into the blower back into the upper portions of the ice bunkers.

4. A device for precooling produce in a refrigerator car having an ice chamber at one end opening into the car both at top and bottom, comprising a portable blower adapted to be set inside the car, an outlet conduit from the blower adapted to lead to the top opening of the ice chamber, and an upwardly opening intake pipe for ,the blower.

5. A device for precooling produce in a refrigerator car having an ice chamber at one end opening into the car both at top and bottom, comprising a portable truck to rest on the floor of the car, a blower mounted on the truck, a motor connected to the blower and also mounted on the truck, an outlet pipe projecting upwardly from the blower, a closure member adapted to close the upper chamber opening, a tubular member connected to the closure adapted to project outwardly of the ice chamber, and a conduit member arranged for detachable connection to the outlet pipe and tubular member.

6. A device for precooling produce in a refrigerator car having ice chambers at both ends opening into the car both at top and bottom, comprising a blower adapted to be set on the floor of the car centrally of its length, an outlet pipe from the blower, opposed longitudinally extending conduits adapted to lead from said pipe to the upper openings of the ice chambers, and a single upwardly projecting intake pipe for the,

blower.

7. A device for precooling a refrigerator car having an ice chamber at one endopening into the car both at top and bottom comprising a blower adapted to be removably disposed within the car, and conduit means from the discharge of the blower adapted to removably extend to the top opening. of the ice chamber; the intake of the blower opening into the car.

8. A device for precooling a refrigerator car having an ice chamber at one end opening into the car both at top and bottom comprising a blower adapted to be removably disposed within the car, said blower having intake and discharge openings, and conduit means from one of said blower openings adapted to removably extend to one of sand ice chamber openings. 7

- JAMES D. HUSTON.