US1885624A - Refrigerator car ice bunker - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 1, 1932. R. c. PIERCE 1,885,624

REFRIGERATOR CAR ICE BUNKER Filed Aug. 15, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 z fc' i Nov. 1, 1932. R. c. PIERCE 1,385,624

REFRIGERATOR CAR ICE BUNKER Filed. Aug. 15, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 1, 1932 um'rso- STATES PATENT FFICE RAYMOND C. PIERCE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL AMERICAN TANK CAR CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA REFRIGERATOR CAR ICE BUNKER Application filed August 15, 1931. Serial No. 557,393.

One of my objects is to augment the refrigerating effect of the ice on the air supplied to the bunker for delivery. in refrigerated condition tothe interior of the car.

Another object is to prevent the formation of ice in the spaces provided between the bars of the ice-supporting grate of the bunker thereby to maintain the maximum circulation of air in the bunker; and other objects as will be manifest from the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a refrigerator car a portion of the section being through the ice bunker and the remainder thereof through the car in front of the bunker, the section being indicated at the line 11 on Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrows. V

Figure 2 is a plan sectional view through one bunker-equipped end of the car; and

Figure 3, a broken section taken at the line 3-3 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the particular illustrated embodiment' of my invention, the refrigerator car represented generally at 4 is provided, in accordance with common practice, with an ice bunker at each end thereof so constructed as to permit the warm air at the top of the space carrying the lading to be cooled by the ice in the bunker and thence, in refrigerated condition, discharge into the lower portion of the lading-space; and as the construction at both ends of the car is the same, the description will be directed to one end only thereof. 7

The ice bunker comprises an ice container, or basket, represented generally at and formed of upwardly extending perforated walls 6, 7, 8 and 9 disposed in a rectangular arrangement, these walls by way of example being formed of heavy wire mesh as illustrated, the structure thus provided and which serves to retain the ice in position against lateral displacement, being open at its top and in vertical alinement with hatchways 10 lo cated in the roof of the car at opposite sides of its median line and provided with removable closures 11.

The perforated Walls 8 and 9 are spaced from the sides 12 and 13 of the car and the wall 6 from the end wall 16 of the carto provide vertical air passages 14 and 15 at the sides of the car and a vertical air passage 17 the end thereof, the corners of the basket being connected with vertical spacer bars 18, 19, 20 and 21 disposed between the basket and the adjacent vertical walls of the car.

The walls of the basket 5 also comprise vertical perforated structures 22 which extend inwardly from the side walls 6, 7 8 and 9 of the basket 5 causing the interior contour of the walls of this basket to be of general convoluted form and forming a series of bays. The members 22- as shown, and by prefer-' ence, are in the form of perforate d members of arc shape in plan, as for example of wire mesh, bent. into the shape referred to and held in place by bolts 23 passing throughthe members 2-2 and anchored in the walls 12, 13 and 16 of the car and in a bulkhead, hereinafter referred to, positioned in front of the basket 5. To ensure rigidity of the wall structure of the basket vertical spacing studs 24- and are provided and through which the bolts :23 pass, the studs 24 being interposed between the convexed walls of the mem bers 22 the side walls of the basket opposing it and the s uds 25 being located between these side walls and the adjacent upright walls of the car and the bulkhead referred to. The basket structure described extends, as shown, from a point above the floor 26 of the car to substantially the bottoms of the hatchways, and extending in front of, and in spaced relation to, the wall 7 of the basket is the bulkhead above referred to and represented at 27 and providing a vertical air-passage between it and the wall 7. This bulkhead is formed of a solid wall portion 28 extending entirely across the car, its lower edge being at substantially the same elevation as the lower edge of the surrounding wall structure of the basket 5 and its upper edge terminating short of the ceiling of the car thus providing an opening 29 filled with a wire mesh member 30.

The bottom of the basket 5 is in the form of the space defined by the walls 6, 7 8 and 9 of the basket. The bars forming the grate structure comprise long shallow bars 31 and shorter deeper bars 32 alternating with the bars 31. the bars 31 and 32 being secured together in spaced apart relation by the tie rods 33 extending therethrough and through spacers 34 between these bars. By way of example, the bars 31 may be thick and 1 deep, the bars 32 thick and 5 deep and the spacing between adjacent bars 31 and 32 approximately 1%.

The grate structure thus provided is supported, in spaced relation to the bottom of the car, at the ends of the bars 31 which rest upon ledges 35 and 36 formed as parts of parallel flanged channel irons 37 and 38, respectively, located beneath the walls 7 and 6, respectively, and to which these walls are secured, the channel iron 37 being supported on vertical brackets 39 and the channel iron 38 on blocks iO in vertical registration with the studs 25.

As will be understood from the foregoing description the air warmed in the process of refrigerating the lading in the car rises to the upper portion of the car and flows through the perforated wall 30 into the ice bunkers in the opposite ends of the car thence flowing downwardly through the spaces between the perforated walls 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the baskets and the adjacent walls of the car and the bulkheads and through the spaces defined by the members and the walls of the baskets adjacent thereto and also through the ice mass, thus causing the warm air to contact with the ice in the baskets and become refrigerated, the refrigerated air thence flowing to the bottom of the lading-space through the openings below the bulkheads 27.

As will be understood the greater the area ofice exposed to the air to be refrigerated the greater the possibility of reducing the temperature of the air to freezing temperature. Thus by constructing the baskets as described, relatively large areas of ice are exposed to the air currents, the ice more or less conformingly contacting with the members 22 and the portions of the perforated walls 6, 7, 8 and 9 between the members 22, and furthermore air passages of relatively large cross-section are provided.

The deep bars 32 of the grate depend into a position in which the refrigerated air currents, upon flowing from the spaces between the walls 6 of the baskets and the rear walls 16 of the car toward the lading-space and thus under the baskets, flow along, and in contact with, the bars 32, this feature of my construction being of great advantage in that freezing of the water in the spaces between the grate bars with consequent plugging of the grate and throttling of the circulation of air through the ice mass and grate and hindrance to the desired free circulation of the air, is prevented; it being well known that application of pressure to ice causes its melting point to become raised, the metling water becoming re-frozen on the grate bars, unless prevented, due to the cold temperature of the bars and producing the plugging of the spaces therein. By the construction described the bars 32 are subjected to the warming action of the air flowing against them and slightly above freezing temperature thus maintaining the temperature of the bars 32 above freezing, the water in flowing down on these bars maintaining them in wet condition and thus enhancing the transference of heat from the air to the bars 32.

It has been found in practice that the bars 32 need not extend entirely across the basket to function satisfactorily in the manner above stated and thus by providing them of the relatively short length as shown considerable saving of metal, with consequent economy of construction, is effected.

In practice the ice in the bunkers is frequently salted to augment the refrigerating effect and accordingly the temperature at which the resultant brine solution freezes, would be lower than the freezing temperature of plain water. However, the action of the refri erated air currents on the deep bars 32 as described would, in case salt were used, result in preventing the freezing of the brine flowing down these bars, it being my intention that the expression freezingtemperature as used in the specification and claims, be construed as meaning a temperature sufficient to prevent freezing of the liquid flowing down on the bars 32 whether the liquid be plain water or a solution which freezes below plain-water-freezing temperature, under which latter condition the temperature of the bars 32 produced by the air currents may be below that at which plain water freezes.

While I have illustrated and described a particular construction embodying my invention, I do not wish to be understood as intending to limit it thereto as the same may be variously modified and altered without departing from the spirit of my invention. Thus, if desired, and by way of example of a modification of the construction shown, the grate, instead of being formed of the two depths of bars, may be formed of deep bars on y.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of an ice-basket having perforated side walls, ice-supporting means at its lower end, walls surrounding said basket and spaced from the walls of the latter to provide air passages therebetween, perforated members at the inside of certain of said walls of said basket and therewith defining other upwardly extending air-passages, spacers in said last-referred-to air passages, spacers in certain of said first-referred-to air passages, and securing devices clamping together said members, spacers, the wall against which said spacers extend and the adjacent one of said secondreferred-to walls.

2. An ice bunker formed of spaced apart upwardly extending outer and inner walls, said inner walls being perforated, and a grate for supporting ice in the tank, said grate having portions positioned to be contacted by the air flowing through said space and below the grate and partially refrigerated by the ice, said grate being warmed thereby above freezing temperature.

3. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket having upwardly ex tending walls, a grate at the bottom thereof, and structure which with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extending air passage through which partially refrigerated air flows beneath said basket, said grate comprising bars spaced apart, certain of said bars extending into the path of .said partially refrigerated air, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket having upwardly extending walls, a grate atthe bottom there of, and structure which with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extending air passage through which partially refrigerated air flows beneath said basket, said grate comprising relatively long and shallow bars and relatively deep bars interspersed, said deep bars extending into the path of the said partially refrigerated air, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket having upwardly extending walls, a grate at the bottom thereof, and structure which with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extending air passage through which partially refrigerated air flows beneath said basket, said grate comprising relatively long and shallow bars and relatively deep bars arranged alternately, said deep bars extending into the path of the said partially refrigerated air, for the purpose set forth.

6. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket having upwardly extending walls, a grate at the bottom thereof, and structure which with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extending air passage through which partially refrigerated air fiows beneath said basket, said grate comprising relatively long and shallow bars and relatively deep bars interspersed, said deep bars extending into the path of the said partially refrigerated air for the purpose set forth, and means securing said bars together.

7. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket having upwardly extending walls, a grate at the bottom thereof, and

structure which with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extending air passage through which partially refrigerated air flows beneath said basket, said grate comprising relatively long and shallow bars and relatively deep bars interspersed, said deep bars extending into the path of the said partially refrigerated air for the purpose set forth, means securing said bars together, and means engaged by the ends of said relatively long bars for supporting said grate.

8. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket having upwardly extending walls, a grate at the bottom thereof, and structure which with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extending air passage through which partially refrigerated air flows beneath said basket, said grate COID- prising relatively long and shallow bars and relatively deep shorter bars interspersed with said long bars, said deep bars extending into the path of the said partially refrigerated air, for the purpose set forth.

9. The process of preventing formation of ice in the interstices between assembled masses of ice which comprises subjecting the lower portion of said masses to the warming action of partially refrigerated air flowing about and below the same.

10. A method of refrigeration which comprises passing a portion of air to be cooled through interstices between assembled masses of refrigerant; passing another portion of the air into contact with the outside of the assembled masses and below the same; and subjecting the lower portions of the assembled masses to the warming action of the last named air portion.

RAYMOND C. PIERCE.

Images