US1914032A - Refrigerating system - Google Patents

Description

June 13, 19330 J. T. MACKAN REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 51, 1931 Patented June 13, 1933 unrrrio STATES PATENT OFFICE...

. JAMES T. MACKAN, 0F COLUMBUS, OHIO REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Application filed December 31,1931. Serial No. 584,182;

This invention relates to improvements in separation of the cooled or chilled air from the refrigerant is effected and the chilled air discharged into a room or other area under temperature control to produce desired sub-normal temperatures.

Such cooling systems are quite generally used in meat packing establishments and the storage of comestible products generally. I have found, however, that their operation in commercial practice is not efficient or effectlve 1n the matter of obtainlnguniform temperatures in all portions of the room or other'area being cooled. That 1s, with apparatus of th1s character heretofore used,

I there is a marked difference in the tempera- 3U tures adjacent to thefioors and ceilings of such rooms, with the floor regions being greatly lower in temperature than the ceiling regions, or again, certain intermediate regions between the floor and ceiling possess appreciable and undesired temperature differentials. Since in meat storage rooms, the products are quite often suspended from overhead supports and occupy these mtermediate regions to a large extent, itis apparent that such temperature variations,

particularly warm strata in the vicinity of the stored products, should be avoided. I attribute these undesired temperature clifferences largely to the fact that in previous apparatus of this character, the cold air out lets of the cooling conduits have been so located that the cold air discharged therefrom has been directed downwardly or laterally toward and across the regions adjacent to the floor, where the cold air collects by reason of its greater weight and is not subject to such movement or circulation as to pass effectively throughout all portions of .the room to produce the desired equalization in room temperature. J

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cooling system employing a liquid cooling medium or'refrigerant and possessing the arrangement and construction of the above indicated. character but wherein the outlet conduit, for expelling the cooled: or chilled air terminates in a plane contiguous to the ceiling or top wall of the room or other area under temperature control, so that there is provided a natural gravity system of positive air circulation, the cold or chilled air travelling laterally across the room, adjacent to its ceiling and thence downwardly toward the floor regions and finally back into theair entrance of the cooling conduit. By providing for the positive circulation of the cold or chilled air, I am enabled to avoid theobjectionable:stratification of staticlayers heretofore present in systems of this nature and as a corollary to such circulation, my improved system serves to partly dehumidify and eliminate excessive moisture from the room or rooms being cooled, eliminating that wet or moist condi tion present in most meat storage. rooms where ordinary refrigerating apparatus is employed. Meat products possess consid-= erable inherent moisture and, when stored, this moisture is released and accumulates as a condensate, very much like a heavy fog in a refrigerated storage room. By the apparatus comprising the present invention due to should have a normal degree of moisture best adapted for the preservation of meat P 5,. vi 1h] For a further understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view showing the interior of a cooling room or compartment provided with a plurality of cooling units constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through one of said units;

Fig. 3 is a similar View taken on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, disclosing the air inlet end of the spray conduit;

Fig. 4 is a. similar view disclosing the outlet end of the air discharge conduit;

Fig. 5 is a detailview showing a slightly modified form thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates my improved coolingsystem in its entirety. Preferably, the cooling system comprises a multiplicity of cooling units arranged side by side along or adjacent to the wall of a room, compartment or other area wherein the system is installed for the purpose of maintaining subnormal temperatures. A plurality of such units have been illustrated in Fig. 1 arranged along one of the side walls of a room in operative positions. Since said units are of identical construction, a description of one will suifice for all. Each unit thereof comprises a vertically disposed spray tube or cooling conduit, designated by the numeral 2, which preferably extends from a point located at the lower portion of the room to the top or ceiling thereof. Usually, this conduit is of standard pipe construction, although it may be formed from other desired materials and may possess any desired cross sectional configuration.

The top of each of the spray tubes is provided with a boxor casing 8, having the opposite side walls thereof formed with openings 4: which are closable by means of sliding plates 5, by which the afiected area of each of the openings is regulated to control the inflow of air into the box or casing and into the open upper end of the tube 2 associated therewith.

Entering the top of the casing 3 is a pipe line 6 which, above the casing, is provided with a regulating valve 7 for the purpose of controlling the flow of a liquid cooling me dium, such as water or brine, through the pipe line. The pipe line terminates within the open upper end of the tube 2 and is provided within said tube, with a nozzle or spray head 8 by which the cooling medium or refrigerant is forced in a finely divided form as a mist or spray downwardly under considerable pressure through the interior of the tube or conduit, the finely divided form of the cooling medium providing for extended. surface contact with the air drawn into the upper end of the tube by the operation of the spray head or nozzle 8, it being understood that the liquid refrigerant or cooling medium is supplied to the spray head or nozzle under desired pressures.

As the sprayed or jetted refrigerant passes downwardly through the tube 2, the air drawn into the tube moves concurrently therewith so that effective heat interchange takes place between the cooling medium and the air, resulting in the lowering of the temperature of the air to a desired degree. The lower portion of each tube 2 is connected with a bottom fitting 9 which ordinarily is threaded into a return pipe 10, by which the liquid cooling agent or refrigerant is returned to a working tank (not shown) in which the refri erant may be re-cooled and returned under pump pressures to the pipe line or lines 6.

Intermediately of its ends, each tube 2 is provided with an angularly extending upwardly directed branch 11, there being a baliie 12 provided in the tube contiguous to the point of juncture of the branch 11 with the tube 2, whereby the refrigerant spray stream is deflected from the entrance of the branch 11, permitting the cooled or chilled air to readily separate from the liquid and pass upwardly, under some pressure, through the branch tube 11 toward the outlet of the latter.

In most of the prior systems of this character, although I am aware of the disclosures contained in the British patent to Hendel 23,497, Oct. 31, 1904, the cooling medium upon leaving the discharge branch has been directed downwardly or at least laterally across the floor region. It is one of the features of the present invention that the discharge or air outlet end of the air discharging conduits or branches 11 shall terminate contiguous to the ceiling of a refrigerating area and, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, it will be observed that the branch 11 terminates above the box or casing 3 and is equipped with an adjustable elbow 13, rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, and wherein the outlet of the elbow 13 extends horizontally and is located immediately below the ceiling of the room.

By virtue of this arrangement, the cooled air discharged from the elbow 13 is directed outwardly and laterally across the room adj acent to its ceiling, the air settling toward the floor, preventing the formation of strata or blankets of varying temperatures and insuring uniform temperatures throughout all portions of the room. After the air loses temperature, it is returned by this system of gravity circulation to the inlet box or casing 3 where it is again drawn into a spray tube and re-cooled. If there is excessive moisture in the room, arising from the comestible products therein contained, the circulation of air serves to readily pick up the released moisture and transmit it to the spray tubes, Where the moisture is condensed and becomes a part of the cooling medium, being removed from the room through the outlet pipe 10. This serves to keep the atmosphere of the cooling room or compartment in a clear condition, avoiding specifically that dripping wet condition ordinarily prevalent in meat storage rooms where stagnant circulation is present. By removing excessive moisture, I am enabled to keep meats in better condition for longer periods of time by preventing mold formation. Pipes or tubes 2 and 11 may be covered with a suitable heat insulating material to increase as far as possible the efliciency of the heat exchanger and to preserve the life of the metallic structure of the pipes. The elbow fittings 13 may be provided with longitudinally disposd extensions 14 of dif ferent lengths, so that the cooled air outlets of the apparatus may be positioned most advantageously with respect to the particular configuration of the room or compartment being cooled. Since the extensions 14 are rotatable about substantially vertical axes, it will be apparent that considerable latitude is provided in the matter of positioning the dis charge ends of the extensions 14.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention comprises an efficient and practical cooling system composed of but few and simple parts, capable of op erating for extended periods of time without repair, adjustment or replacement. The temperatures which obtain in the cooled areas may be readily controlled by varying the quantity of the liquid refrigerant forced from the jets or spray nozzles 7. It is of course within the range of the invention to employ thermostatically operating means by which a con-' stant temperature condition can be obtained without necessitating manual control. By the provision of the upright branches or risers 11, together with the lateral extensions thereof, the brine or refrigerant is prevented from being carried into the room by the air currents, as the refrigerant during this long travel through the outlet pipe will become separated from the air and permitted to be drawn back into the lower end of the pipes or tubes 2. While I have described what I consider to be the preferred form of the invention, nevertheless it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown in the drawing or to the specific operation set forth, but is subject to such variations and modifications as may be said to fall fairly within the scope of the following claims.

WVhat is claimed is:

1. In a cooling system, the combination with a room having a plurality of cooling units arranged adjacentone'wallthereof,

each; of said unitscomprisinga vertically disposed conduit having an-air inlet provided at its upper end, a spray nozzle; positioned. in

the upper end of said conduit and through which is forced under-pressure aliquid refrigerant, said nozzle serving to force the refrigerant into said conduit in a'finely divided mist-like form and to draw air through said intake and into commingled engagein a plane substantially with that of the inlet end of said air intake, and a horizontal conduit extension provided at the upper end of said outlet conduit arranged adjacent the ceiling of said room, said conduit extension being mounted for horizontal swinging movement.

2. In a cooling system, the combination with a room having'a plurality of cooling units arranged along one of the Walls thereof, each of said units comprising a vertically disposed conduit having an air inlet provided in the upper end thereof, a spray nozzle positioned in the upper end of said conduit and through which is forced under pressure a liquid refrigerant effecting thereby an induced flow of air through said conduit into intimate commingled relationship with the spray liquid, a vertically disposed air outlet conduit connected with the lower portion of said first mentioned conduit, the upper end of said outlet conduit terminating substantially in the plane of the air inlet opening of the first mentioned conduit and a horizontally disposed conduit extension connecting the upper end of said outlet conduit, the horizontal conduit extensions of said units being of variable length and capable of being adjusted in a horizontal plane to distribute the cooled air at different points in the cooling area of said room.

3. In combination with a cooling room, a cooling system including a plurality of cooling units arranged along one wall thereof, each of the units being formed to include a vertically disposed conduit having an air inlet opening provided in theupper end thereof, a nozzle disposed at the upper end of said conduit for discharging a liquid refrigerant under pressure into and through said conduit effecting thereby an induced flow of air through said conduit into intimate commingled relationship with the sprayed liquid, a liquid outlet at the lower end of said conduit, a vertically disposed air outlet conduit connected with said first conduit above said liquid outlet and having its upper end terminating adjacent the ceiling of said room, and a horizontally disposed conduit branch connecting the upper end of said outlet con- JAMES T. MACKAN.

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