US1874115A - Evaporator unit - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 30, 1932. F. D. P LTIER 1,374,115

' EVAPORATOR UNIT Filed Aug. 14, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Q3 INVENTOR.

If-j W 49. 044mg,

v ow

ATTORNEYS.

.50 Fig. 1;

Patented Aug. 30,- 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK I). PELTIER, OF. BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO SERVEL, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE EVAPORATOR UNIT This invention relates to evaporator units for mechanical refrigerating systems, and more particularly to evaporating units which are provided with chilling spaces for the reception of icev trays in which ice cubes are formed for domestic consumption.

The invention has for its object, the provision of an improved evaporating unit of the character described, which is efiicient, ecom nomical and readily manufactured.

More specifically, the invention has for its object, the provision of an evaporating unit made of cast metal that is adapted to produce quick cooling effects and arranged to hold the refrigerant in tightly sealed condition Without the liability of leaks or escape to other parts.

Another object is to provide an evaporator of the cast metal variety with a receptacle go for the refrigerant, which is made separable and is so arranged as to be in good thermally conducting relation with the metal of the evaporating unit. Such receptacle is also arranged to disposefof condensation and frosting which may gather on the same without interfering with the refrigerator effect.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of 5 which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be ,had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. in which Fig. 1 is a top .plan view, parts being broken away, showing an evaporating unit installed in a refrigerating chamber constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation, showing the evaporating unit disclosed in Fig. 1, viewed from a plane taken at right angles to the plane of Fig. 3 is a front ting unit; 1

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, the plane of this section being parallel to the plane of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view. Referring now to the drawings, 10 denotes the insulating wall of a refrigerating chamber, from the top of which is suspended an evaporating unit 11, of the present invention, this unit being of a suitable cast metal, for example aluminum, and having supporting columns 12 formed integrally therewith and extending upwardly from the top thereof and secured in the top wall of the refrigerating elevation of the evaporachamber, as'shown at 13 in 2.

The evaporating unit 11 is preferably constructed as an integral cast structure having a chambered forward portion for producing a refrigerating effect, and a rear portion for holding a receptacle 14 for the refrigerant. The chambered forward portion is clearly shown in Fig. 2, and is seen to comprise a plurality of superposed cells separated by horizontal partitions 15. These partitions extend rearwardly from the front to form floors for the cells and are integrally joined to the rear portion of the evaporating unit, so as to serve as a means for conducting heat to the receptacle 14. Within each cell and resting on the partition 15 is disposed a removable ice-tray or drawer, as indicated at 16. In order that the refrigerant receptacle 14 may be removably held in place in the-rear portion of the evaporating unit, this rear portion is fashioned after the manner of a pair of adjacently projecting jaws '17 and 18 which have oppositely curved walls disposed in concave relation, so as to receive the wallof the receptacle 14- and snugly fit thereagainst. These jaws 17 and 18. have engaging means preferably in the form of a plurality of lugs 19 and 20 formed respectively along the adjacent edges of the jaws, through which one or more bolts 21 are passed forsdrawing the same together in grip ing relation. These bolts are here shown as 'aving nuts 22, which,

when tightened, draw the edges of the jaws 17 i and 18 together so I as to grip tightly the re-,- ceptacle 14.

The receptacle 14 may be of any convenient shape, but is preferably of cylindrical form having a wall of metal which is relatively strong and of relatively high thermal conductivity. A wall of drawn sheet brass is suitable for this purpose, such wall being preferably drawn from a single sheet of brass and formed to have a dome shaped lower portion, as indicated at 23. The upper end of the receptacle is hermetically joined onto any suitable top plate, for example, that indicated at 24 which is disk shaped, has a bead for the wall 14, and is provided with two tubular conduits shown at 25' and 26 respectively. The connection 26 supplies the refrigerant, is of less diameter than that at 25, and depends into the receptacle a distance which is at or slightly below the normal liquid level for the refrigerant within the receptacle; this liquid level being determined in any suitable manner, for example, by a float valve (not shown in the interest of clearness). The larger tubular connection 25 leads directly from the top of the receptacle 14 and serves as an exit for the vaporized refrigerant which is returned to the compressor or other means for circulating the refrigerant.

The concave walls of the jaws 17 and 18, which engage with the walls of the receptacle 14 while arranged to make very intimate contact therewith, are preferably not so formed as to make continuous contact, but have one or more fluted passages or grooves, indicated at 27 and 28 respectively, cut thereacross and preferably lie parallel to geometric elements of the wall of receptacle 14. These passages provide vertical exits through which may pass the melted frosting that has formed on the upper projecting end of the receptacle 14.

'It is also seen that these passages impart a' certain amount of flexibility to the walls of the jaws, so that they may be readily drawn into intimate engagement with the receptacle 14. I

In order to accelerate the refrigerating effect which the evaporating unit produces'in the refrigerating chamber, the rear portion 'of the evaporating unit is preferably provided with a plurality of heat conducting fins as indicated at 30. These fins obviously may have any convenient shape and disposition,

and while they are shown as flat and may be placed either horizontally, or vertically, it 'is .preferable that they shall be placed verticaL' 'ly, as, by this arrangement, the air currents" which cool the refrigerating chamber more readily traverse the same by reason of the chimney efl'ect thereby produced, which as? sistsin accelerating the movement of the air being chilled.

The evaporating unit of the present invention is also preferably constructed so as to accelerate the cooling effect inv the chambered'forward portion, of; the unit," 'Tothis end, the middle portion of the rear wall of join the-jaw 17 to the side wall of the cham- Patent, is

each chambered cell is cut away so that the interior of the cell, its contents and its floor may be disposed directly in heat conducting relation with the wall of receptacle 14. This construction is clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, where it is seen that the. side portions of the rear wall which remain have edges depicted respectively at 31 and 32, the portion'terminating at 31 serving as a web to X5 bered forward portion of the evaporating unit similarly the portion of the cell terminating at 32 serves as a web to join the jaw 18 to the chambered forward portion.

The ice-trays 16, which are formed of heat conducting material, preferably have an 'upper rolled edge, as indicated at'36, that may be drawn outat the'forward portion of the trays, as indicated at 37, in order to provide a place for the fingers to grip when it isdesired to insert or draw out the ice-trays from their cells. By this construction the entire bottom of each ice-tray is, in heat conducting relation with the floor 15 of its cell so that quick and relatively uniform chilling effects upon the water in the ice-trays are thus had. By arranging these ice-trays also to contact with the wall of the receptacle 14, these chill- In operation, the evaporating unit of the present inventlon issecured in place in the refrigerating chamber with the refrigerant receptacle 14 alreadyin place. The connection through the conduits 25 and 26 of the refrigerant circulating means is then completed and the unit brought to any deslred relatively low surface temperature, for example 30 F. when refrigerant is circulated therethrough. Water placed in the ice-trays 16 isjreadily frozen and air in the refrigerating chamber, as it passes over the exterior of the unit, is quickly chilled in consequence thereof. p

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodimentsof the invention could be made with-. out departing from the scope thereof, itis intended that all matter contained in the I above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters '1. An evaporating unit for mechanical reevant frigerating systems comprising a cast metal body having integrally-joined front and rear structures, said front structure havin top, bottom and side walls integrally joine together, and a plurality of integrallyjoined partitions extending transversely between the side walls, said rear structure having the central portion of its rear wall cut away, the side portions being projected rearwardly and formed as a pair of jaws having concave flexible walls.

2. An evaporating unit for mechanical refrigerating systems comprising a cast metal body having a portion constructed to engage a receptacle for receiving and discharging refrigerant, and a second portion integrally and forwardly disposed with respect to said receptacle engaging portion, and provided with solid integral walls arranged to provide cells for the reception of removable ice-trays, a portion of the rear walls "of said cells being removed to provide direct access to the wall of said receptacle.

3. An evaporator unit comprising a body having a compartment for ice trays and jaws for supporting said body upon an evaporator, said body being cut away between said jaws and compartment for permitting direct heat exchange between said compartment and the evaporator upon which the device is supported.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

FRANK D. ZPELTIER.

Images