US1943970A - Art and apparatus for cooling - Google Patents

Description

1934- G. E. HULSE ET AL 1,943,970

ART AND APPARATUS FOR COOLING Original Filed Oct. s. 1922- l s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS ATTORNEYS i lllnl lk N 7 l W N I v I mum" MU j l l lllllll & 5m,

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' ART AND APPARATUS FOR COOLING Original Filed 001;. 5. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 2 INVENTORS Patented Jan. 16, 1934 ART AND APPARATUS FOR COOLING George E. Hulse and John D. Strobell, New

Haven, Conn., assignors to The Safety Car Heating & Lighting Company, a corporation of New Jersey Original application October 5, 1922, Serial No. 592,483. Divided and this application January 25 Claims.

This invention relates to an art and apparatus for cooling, and more particularly it relates to an art and apparatus for maintaining low tem peratures in railway cars of the type generally known as refrigerator cars.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simple and practical art and apparatus for maintaining at low temperature a cooling or refrigerating chamber. Another object is to provide cooling apparatus characterized by simplicity and compactness of construction, dependability of action and freedom from the necessity of skilled supervision under varying conditions of use. This invention aims also to provide a practical and reliable self-contained apparatus for cooling a refrigerator railway car that will be of efficient operation and action during and throughout the varying conditions of travel of the car. Another object is to provide a practical so art for cooling refrigerator cars that may be inexpensively and conveniently carried on and with minimum manual attention and dependable results. Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

This application is a division of our application Serial No. 592,483, filed October 5, 1922, now Patent No. 1,885,353, patented November 1, 1932.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements. arrangements of parts and in the several steps and relation and order of each of the same to one or more of the others, all as will be illustratively described herein andthe scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown several possible embodiments of the mechanical features of this invention,

Figure 1 is an end view of a railway car body partly broken away to show the assembled apparatus associated therewith;

.Figure 2 is a sectional view, partly diagrammatic, taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is an end view of a car body, partly broken away to show a modified arrangement of certain mechanical features of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and

Figure 4 is a sectional view, partly diagrammatic, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section, of an automatically adjustable orifice;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of an automatic regulating valve; and

Figure 7 is a diagram of the electrical circuits associatedwith the generator and motor forming Serial No. 508,834

the source of power for driving the several mechanisms.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Considering first certain of the mechanical features of this invention and referring principally to Figs. 1 and 2, there is indicated generally at 10 a car body which may be of usual construction within one end of which and adjacent the end wall 11 is formed a chamber, generally indicated at 12, within which certain of the apparatus is conveniently housed. The chamber 12 may conveniently be formed by means of the partition 13 extending crosswise of the car body, thus to separate the chamber 12 from the main interior of the car body 10. Adjacent the end wall 11 and suitably supported upon vertically extending standards 14 is an electric motor 15 so supported that its operating shaft 16 extends vertically. As will be seen in Fig. 1, the supporting standards 14 are extended upwardly and at their upper ends support by means of the spider 17 a compressor 18 whose shaft 19 is in substantial alinement with the shaft 16 of the motor 15 and so is suitably connected thereto as by the coupling 20. The compressor 18 is preferably of the rotary type and is provided with an inlet pipe conncction 21 and an outlet pipe connection 22. The outlet pipe connection 22 is connected to a condenser 23 conveniently formed of a plurality of turns of tubing, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and is adapted to receive from the compressor 18 compressed fluid or gas which may conveniently take the form, for example, of sulphur dioxide. The latter being compressed by the action of the compressor 18 is passed through the condenser 23 wherein it is reduced in temperatureand substantially liquefied.

The condenser 23 is positioned adjacent an opening 24 in the upper portion of the end wall 11 of the car body 10, the opening 24 being provided with a sheet metal grating, generally indicated at 25, to permit the ingress of outside air therethrough. A sheet metal conduit, generally indicated at 26, has its upper end fitted about the opening 24 to guide external air through the grating 25 and over the condenser 23 to cool the latter. The conduit 26, moreover, is preferably so shaped as to enclose within it also the compressor 18 and at least a portion of the motor 15, as is more clearly shown in Fig. 1. This conduit 26 is thereupon extended laterally and downwardly as at 27 through a suitable opening in the bottom 28 of the car body 10 to permit the discharge of air therethrough. A fan 29 is mounted upon the compressor shaft 19 immediately underneath the compressor 18 and acts to draw the air through the conduit 2627 to insure an efficient cooling action in the condenser 23 and to assist also in cooling the compressor 18. Moreover, it will be seen that the draft of air produced by the fan 29 and guided as above described by the conduit 262'7 is directed over the motor 15 and thus carries away the heat losses in the motor 15 itself, thus to insure a more efiicient action on the whole of the entire apparatus.

The fluid, hereinabove assumed as sulphur dioxide, condensed in the condenser 23 by the cooling action thereof as well as by the pressure produced therein by the compressor 18, is passed from the condenser 23, through the pipe 30 to a receiver 31 wherein it is allowed to accumulate. The receiver 31, moreover, is preferably also positioned within the cooling air draft above described and may conveniently be positioned within the air conduit 27 thus to be effectively maintained at relatively low temperature.

From the receiver 31 a pipe connection 32 conducts the liquefied sulphur dioxide through an expansion device, generally indicated at 33, to the cooling coil 34 into which the condensed gas expands, drawing heat from the medium surrounding the cooling coil 34 substantially proportional to its latent heat of evaporation. From the cooling coil 34 the expanded gas passes into the pipe 21 which leads the warmed expanded gas to the inlet side of the compressor, whereupon the above-described cycle is repeated.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the cooling coil 34 is positioned within a tank or reservoir 35 positioned in the upper part of the end of the car body. The reservoir 35, which may conveniently be of sheet metal construction, is insulated by means of any suitable non-heat-conducting means 36 to prevent ingress of heat to the interior of the reservoir 35. The reservoir 35 is adapted to receive a suitable refrigerating fluid, such as brine for example, in order that the cooling coil 34 may abstract heat from the brine by the action hereinabove described and materially reduce the brine in temperature.

From the reservoir 35 a pipe 36 leads the cooled brine through a system of circulating pipes, indicated generally at 37 and suitably suspended from the upper portion of the car body 10. Moreover, the circulating path for the brine providedby the piping 37 is suitably distributed throughout the upper portion of the car body 10 to permit an efiicient abstraction of heat from the interior of the car body to take place. The coils or piping 3'7 forming the circulating path have suspended underneath them a trough 38 for intercepting moisture condensed thereon and to prevent such moisture from affecting the contents of the car body 10. Any suitable means may be provided for disposing of this condensed moisture.

After the cooled brine has circulated through the circulating path 37 to abstract heat from the interior of the car body 10, a pipe 39 conducts the brine through an automatically controlled valve or orifice 40, to be more clearly hereinafter described, to a second reservoir 41 positioned within the chamber 12 and underneath the reservoir 35. The second reservoir 41, moreover, is also insulated against heat as at 42 and is adapted to accumulate the warmed brine after circulation through the car body 10. It will be noted that the reservoir 35 in which the brine is cooled by the cooling coil 34 is positioned at a higher level than the brine-circulating path provided by the pipes 37 to permit the circulation of the brine to take place therethrough by the action of gravity.

At the lower end of the reservoir 41 there is connected a pipe 43 adapted to lead the brine thus accumulated in the reservoir 41 to a pump 44 which may conveniently be of the rotary type. The pump 44, it will be seen, is suitably mounted adjacent the motor 15 and is driven thereby throughout the coupling 45. The output of the pump 44 is led by means of the pipe 46 to the upper portion of the reservoir 35 thus to return the brine from the reservoir 41 to the reservoir 35 to be cooled therein and to be put through the cycle hereinabove described. A pipe 47 connects the upper portion of the reservoir 35 with the reservoir 41 to permit adjustment of air pressures to take place within the brine system and to permit equalization of the pressures in reservoir 35 and the reservoir 41 to take place when the pump 44 is operating, as will be more clearly understood hereinafter.

Turning now to Fig. 6 of the drawings, there is shown in enlarged detail and in section the automatic expansion device 33 through which the condensed gas is allowed to expand into the brinecooling coil 34. It will be seen that this device comprises a valve seat 48 with which the valve member 49 is adapted to'cooperate to vary the amount of opening of the valve 48-49. The latter is interposed between the intake side of the device to which the pipe 32 leading from the reservoir 31 is connected and the outlet side to which the cooling coil 34 is connected. The valve member 49 extends through a wall 50 through the opening in which it is slidable and, moreover, it extended outwardly through the lower end wall 52 of the substantially cylindrically' shaped chamber 53. A diaphragm 54 is suitably secured to the side walls 53 and at its central point is in connection with the extended valve member 49, the several connections being substantially airtight. There is thus formed between the diaphragm 54 and the end wall 50 of the cylindrical housing 53 a chamber 54 which is connected as at 55 through the pipe 56 to a bulb or auxiliary chamber 5'7 positioned within the brine reservoir 35 so as to be affected by the temperature of the brine therein. Within the system formed by the chamber 54, the pipe connection 56 and the bulb is 57 is placed a suitable fluid such as liquid ethylchloride, the vapor of which at such temperatures as it is desired to maintain the brine in the reservoir 35 will be below atmospheric pressure and will vary considerably in pressure with slight changes in temperature. The bulb 57, thus forming in effect a thermostatic cell, is made effective through the changes in pressure in the vapor of the ethylchloride therein contained to regulate the extent to which the valve 4849 through which the expansion takes place is open. The air vent 58 exposes the reverse side of the diaphragm 54 to the atmosphere, and a spring 59 interposed between the outer face of the end wall 52 and an adjustable nut 60 on the outer end of the extended valve member 49 permits the adjustment of the range of action of the valve 48-49 to be made.

Thus, assuming that the cooling apparatus hereinbefore described has brought the brine in the reservoir 35 to the desired low degree of temperature, the pressure of the vapor acting upon the diaphragm 54 is sufliciently diminished to permit the valve member 49 to approach its seat 48 thus diminishing the amount of condensed gas expanded therethrough and eventually also to close the valve 4849 when the extreme lower limit of temperature of the brine within the reservoir 35 is reached. If, however. the temperature of the brine in the reservoir 35 approaches an upper limit which may be predetermined by the adjustment of the nut 60 and hence of the action of the spring 59, the vapor pressure of the ethylchloride in the thermostatic cell system is increased sufficiently to cause the valve member 49 to recede from its seat 48 and thus to increase the opening and to permit a greater quantity of condensed gas to expand therethrough. In this manner the brine in the reservoir 35 is automatically maintained between temperature limits which may be precisely predetermined.

At this point it might be noted that the thermostatic cell and expansion valve controlled thereby act automatically to control the effectiveness of the cooling apparatus in accordance with the temperature of the brine returned to the reservoir 35 by the pump 44 as hereinbefore described; thus, for example, should the motor 15 and pump 44 be driven at a relatively high speed, as will be made more clear hereinafter, the warmed brine from the reservoir 41 will be returned to the reservoir 35 at a higher rate, the resultant disturbance of the temperature of the brine in the reservoir 35 being at once effective upon the cell 5'? and valve controlled thereby to increase the cooling effectiveness of the cooling apparatus. Similarly, should the brine be returned to the reservoir 35 at a lesser rate, causing a lesser disturbance of the temperature in the reservoir 35, the cell 57 with the valve controlled thereby automatically adjusts the cooling effectiveness of the apparatus to accord with the extent to which the brine is raised in temperature in the reservoir 35.

Moreover, there is inserted, as above noted, in the return pipe 39 of the brine-circulating system an automatic control valve, indicated at 40 in Fig. 2, for automatically predetermining the rate of the circulation of the brine through the car body. Turning now to Fig. 5 of the drawings, there is shown in enlarged detail the automatic device 40, and it will be noted that upon the interior of the casing 40 there is slidably positioned a movable controlling member 61 having an orifice 62 of predetermined size. The slidable member 61 is connected through the stem '63 to one end of an expansible or pressure-responsive device conveniently taking the form of a sheet metal corrugated sleeve 64 rigidly mounted at its other end upon the yoke 65 suitably secured to the casing 40*. The expansible sleeve 64 has its interior connected through the pipe or tube 66 (see Fig. 2) to a thermostatic cell 67 positioned at a convenient point in the interior of the car body 10, so as to be responsive to the temperature of the medium surrounding the circulating path formed by the pipes 37. The hydraulic. system formed by the cell 67, the tube 66 and the expansible chamber 64 contains a suitable volatile liquid, such as ethylchloride, for example, and when the temperature acting upon the cell 6'7 rises, the vapor pressure of the volatile liquid therein is increased causing the sleeve 64 to expand thus moving through the stem 64 the movable valve member 61 to expose a greater area of the orifice 62 therein to the path of flow of the brine through the pipe 39. The rate of circulation of the brine is thus increased to bring about a greater withdrawal of heat from the interior of the car body, and as the temperature approaches the desired lower limit, the vapor pressure in the cell 6'7 and its associated devices is decreased causing the valve member 61 to be moved in reverse direction and to expose a lesser area of the orifice 62 through which the brine may 8L thereupon pass. The rate of circulation of the brine from the upper reservoir 35 through the circulating path 37 and to the collecting reservoir 41 may thus be automatically governed to maintain the temperature of the interior of the car body 10 within predetermined limits.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the brine thus moves from the upper reservoir 35 through the heat-abstracting path or conduits 37 to the lower reservoir 41, in which it may be collected, for subsequent return by the pump 44 to the upper reservoir 35, for cooling or reduction in temperature by the cooling coil 34; it will further be seen that, with the above described action of this embodiment of this invention, neither reservoir is completely filled at the same time, their respective capacities with respect to the quantity of brine being preferably and under certain conditions so chosen that the storage reservoir 35 may, for example, have stored in it a full charge of .low temperature brine which may be discharged through the conduits .37 and collected in the lower reservoir 41, for repetition of the cycles herein outlined.

Turning now to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, there is illustrated a modified arrangement of the apparatus hereinbefore described. It may be briefly noted that the refrigerating fluid or brine system is in these figures substantially the same as hereinbefore described, and the various parts thereof are indicated by the same reference characters. The cooling apparatus, however, comprises the motor 15 mounted upon a suitable base 14*, and it will be noted that the shaft 16 of the motor is horizontal and extends in a general direction transversely of the car body 10 and adjacent the end wall 11 thereof. The motor shaft 16 is connected through the flexible coupling 20 to a shaft 68 suitably mounted in a gear casing 69 mounted upon the motor base 14 Upon the shaft 68 is mounted a worm gear 70 adapted to mesh with a worm wheel '71 mounted upon the vertically extending compressor shaft 19 suitably mounted in the casing 69. The compressor 18 is supported upon the upper part of the gear casing 69 and through the shaft 19 is thus driven from the motor 15 The output of the compressor 18 passes through the pipe connection 22 to the condenser 23 positioned adjacent the end wall 11 and in front of the opening 24 therein, suitable gratings 25 being provided to permit the passage of air therethrough. An air conduit 26 preferably of sheet metal construction connects with the open ing 24 in the end wall 11 and extends downwardly to guide the air past the condenser 23 and past the compressor 18 In substantial alinement with the shaft 68 and preferably upon an extension 14 of the motor base 14" is secured a pair of spaced shaft hangers '72 and '73 within which is rotatably supported the shaft 74, the latter being connected through the fiexible coupling 75 to the shaft 68.

At the lower right-hand end as viewed in Fig. 3 the air conduit 26 is cut away to provide a suit- 5 able opening within which is made operative the fan 29 mounted upon the shaft '74, thus to make effective the passage of the air as above described. The air thus drawn through the air conduit 26 is discharged through an extension 2'7 of the 15d conduit, this extension being fitted to the opening within which the fan 29* operates and extending laterally and downwardly through the bottom 28 of the car body.

From the condenser 23 the condensed gas passes through the pipe 30 to a receiver 31 from which a pipe 32 conducts the condensed gas through the expansion device 33 to the cooling coil 34 positioned in the upper brine reservoir 35, substantially as already hereinbefore described. From the coil 34 a pipe 34* returns the warmed and expanded gas to the intake side of the compressor 18 To the outer end of the shaft '74 is connected he pump 44 for returning the warmed brine collected in the reservoir 41 to the upper reservoir 35, the connections being substantially as already above described.

The pipe 39 through which the brine is returned to the collecting reservoir 41 (see Fig. 4) has mounted at its end a detachable cap '76 provided at its end wi'h an orifice 77. The orifice is of such size as to predetermine the rate of circulation of the brine and it may be noted that this rate may be readily changed by replacing the cap member 76 with one having an orifice '77 of different size.

The driving motor 15 or 15 of either of the above-described arrangements is driven from an electric generator, diagrammatically indicated at 78 in Figs. 2 and 4, the generator '78 being suitably suspended, as for example from the car body, for actuation thereof from the car axle 79. Thus, for example, the generator '78 is provided with a pulley 80 connected by means of the belt 81 to the pulley 82 on the car axle '79. The generator 78 therefore is driven from the car axle '79 at a speed which will vary substantially in accordance with the variation of speed of the car axle itself. and the direction of rotation of the armature of the generator will partake of reversals whenever the direction of travel of the car or car axle is reversed.

In Fig. '7 is diagrammatcally shown the circuit arrangement for operating the motor from the car axle generator. The generator 78 is preferably of the shunt-wound type and is provided with a shunt field 78 connected in the usual manner across the armature of the generator 78 but through a variable resistance. preferably taking the form of a carbon pile 83, the pressure upon which is preferably controlled as hereinafter described. The motor, indicated at 15 in Fig. '7. is preferably of the series-wound type and has a series field 15 the series-wound motor being connected through the conduc'ors 84 and 85 directly across the terminals of the generator 78. We prefer, however, to interpose between the motor l5 and the generator 78 and preferably in one of the conductors. as the conductor 84. a double-throw switch, indicated at 86, which when thrown to the right as viewed in Fig. '7 directly connects the motor 15 to the generator '78: when thrown to the left, however, he motor is disconnected from he generator 78 and the switch 86 places the conductor 84 in connection with one pole 87 of a receptacle, the other pole 88 of which is directly connected through the conducor 89 to the other conductor 85 to which the motor 15 is connected. In this manner the motor 15 may at will be disconnected from the generator 78 and connected through the receptacle 8'788 to an external source where such operation may be desirable, as will be more clearly hereinafter set forth.

maae'ro The switch 86, however, is normally thrown to the right when the car is placed in transit, whereby the motor 15 derives its driving energy from the generator 78. The later being of the shunt-wound type will have its output reversed in polarity with every reversal of the direction of the rotation of the car axle 79, but the motor 15 being of a series-wound type will be unafiected by such reversals in polarity of the electrical energy supplied thereto and will operate the several devices hereinbefore described in the same direction of rotation irrespective of the direction of rotation of the generator 78. By this arrangement pole changers are avoided and an exceedingly simple and inexpensive arrangement is attained.

Assuming now that the car is traveling at a relatively low speed, the output of the generator 78 will be correspondingly relatively low, it being noted that at this time the pressure on the carbon pile 83 is a maximum and its resistance a minimum. A bell crank lever 90 pivoted at 91 has its one arm in engagement with the left-hand end of the carbon pile 83, the other end being fixed, and acting in response to the spring 92 holds the carbon pile 83 in a s ate of maximum compression. At the other end of the lever 90 is connected the core 93 of a coil 94, herein illustratively shown as responsive to the voltage of the output of the generator 78 and connected by means of the conductors 94 and 94* across the terminals of the generator 78.

When, as above assumed, the speed of the car, and hence of the car axle 79, is relatively low, the motor 15 will be responsive to the correspondingly low output of the generator 78 and bring about the operation of the cooling apparatus as above already described at length, the voltage winding 94 being at this period inefiective to control the output of the generator '78. As the speed of the car and of the car axle increases, the motor 15 will respond to like increases in the output of the generator 78 and will be efiective to operate the cooling devices at a greater rate, and during such periods of relatively high speed will be effective through the pump 44 or 44 to store in the reservoir 35 a relatively large quantity of brine. This brine is cooled by the cooling apparatus and at this point it may be noted that the thermostatic cell 57 and the expansion valve 33 controlled thereby will permit the cooling apparatus to operate at greater efiectiveness to cool the brine stored in ihe reservoir 35 and returned thereto at such an increased rate.

Assuming now, for example, that the speed of the car should be greatly decreased or should become zero, thus greatly diminishing the cooling effectiveness of the apparatus or making the latter inoperative, the brine thus stored during the periods of relatively high speed will continue to circulate through the circulating path provided by the piping 37 at a rate which is automatically predetermined by the temperature-responsive orifice in the device 40 of Fig. 2 or at a predeterminedly fixed rate determined by the orifice 77 of Fig. 4. The capacity of the reservoir 35 is sufiicient to receive a quantity of brine, which has been cooled therein as above described, great enough to permit the circulation thereof to take place for a material period of time after the cessation of operation of the cooling apparatus controlled by the motor 15. Thus, it will be seen that while the car is in operation or in transit the interior of the car body is maintained at the desired temperature by the normal operation of the apparatus, but that during greater outputs of the variable source of energy derived from the car axle a sufficient quantity of refrigerating fluid is cooled and stored for circulation through the car body during periods when the output of the variable source is less or is in effect nil. An effective cooling of the car body may thus be attained during the various conditions of the car when in transit.

When the 'car attains relatively great speed, thus tending to materially increase the output of the generator 78 and hence also of the motor driving the cooling apparatus, the voltage coil 94 becomes effective to relieve the pressure on the carbon pile 83 andto maintain the output of the generator 78 within a desired upper limit, thus safeguarding not only the generator but also the motor and the apparatus driven thereby. It will be seen that the electrical control is of marked simplicity, and that in the series motor a high starting torque is made effective to bring the cooling apparatus into operation and that the complexity, as well as expense, of an automatic switch and of a pole changer may by the arrangement hereinabove described, be dispensed with. Moreover, the entire operative apparatus is effectively safeguarded, is substantially selfcontained, and is simple and compact in construction; and it will readily be seen that it is free from the necessity of constant skilled supervision and adjustment.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided in this invention a practical art and apparatus for cooling a railway car, and it may be noted that such cooling is effectively carried on to insure the maintenance of the desired low temperature in the car body during the various conditions of the operation and of transit to which the car may be subjected. -Moreover, it may be noted that where the car is returned empty it arrives at its destination to be reloaded in a thoroughly pre-cooled state, thus avoiding the delay attendant upon pre-cooling the car body prior to reloading. Where, however, it should become necessary to bring about the operation of the cooling apparatus while the car is stationary, the switch 86 (see Fig. 7) may be thrown to the left and the motor actuating the cooling apparatus may thereupon be connected to an external source through the receptacle 8788, thus providing on the whole an exceed ingly flexible and readily controllable arrangement.

Moreover, it will be noted that the self-contained cooling equipment is effective to efiiciently maintain the desired low temperature in the car body irrespective of the distance of travel of the car, and that thereby the delays, as well as incidental expense, in transit due to icing of the car en route, as is the present practice, is avoided. It will, moreover, be seen that the several objects hereinbefore noted, as well as others, together with many advantages, have been successfully achieved.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features of the above invention and as the art herein described might be varied in various parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. In apparatus of the general nature of that herein described, in combination, heat-abstracting means adapted to cool a refrigerating fluid, a conduit for said cooled fluid, a source of motive power which is intermittently operated and arranged to drive said heat-abstracting means, a reservoir positioned at a higher level than and connected to said conduit for storing cooled fluid during the operative intervals of said heat-abstractingmeans and adapted thereby to permit a flow of said fluid through said conduit during intervals of operation and inactivity of said source of motive power, a container for receiving said fluid after its passage through said conduit, and means at the end of said conduit for predetermining the rate of flow of fluid through said conduit.

2. In apparatus of the general nature of that herein described, in combination, heat-abstracting means adapted to cool a refrigerating fluid, a conduit for said cooled fluid, a source of motive power which is intermittently operative and arranged to operate said heat-abstracting means, means positioned at a higher level than said conduit for storing said cooled fluid during the operative intervals of said heat-abstracting means and adapted thereby to permit a flow of said fluid through said conduit to take place by the action of gravity, a container for receiving said fluid after its passage through said conduit, and an orifice at the end of said conduit and substantially where said conduit discharges said fluid into said container for predetermining the rate of flow through said conduit.

3. In apparatus of the general nature of that herein described, in combination, a conduit for carrying a cooled refrigerating fluid to abstract 0 heat from the medium surrounding said conduit,

a storage reservoir positioned at a level higher than that of said conduit, and in connection therewith to permit the refrigerating fluid to circulate through said conduit by the action of 115 gravity, a reservoir adapted to receive said fluid from said conduit, means for returning said fluid from said second reservoir to said first-mentioned reservoir, means intermittently operative for cooling the fluid returned to said first-mentioned 120 reservoir, and means associated with said conduit substantially at the end thereof for predetermining the rate of flow of fluid therethrough to permit flow thereof during both operative and inoperative intervals of said intermittently operative cooling means.

4. In apparatus of the general nature of that herein described, in combination, a conduit for carrying a cooled refrigerating fluid to abstract heat from the medium surrounding said conduit, a storage reservoir positioned at a level higher than that of said conduit and in connection therewith to permit the refrigerating fluid to flow through said conduit by the action of gravity, a reservoir adapted to receive said fluid from said 135 conduit, intermittently operative means for returning said fluid from said second reservoir to said first-mentioned reservoir, means intermittently operative for cooling the fluid returned to said first-mentioned reservoir, means associated with said conduit for predetermining the rate of flow of fluid therethrough to permit flow thereof during both operative and inoperative intervals of said intermittently operative cooling means and fluid-returning means, said last-mentioned means adapted to insure a substantially constant amount of said fluid in said conduit.

5. In apparatus of the general nature of that herein described, in combination, a conduit adapted to have passed therethrough a refrigerating fluid for abstracting heat from the medium surrounding said conduit, a storage reservoir for receiving cooled fluid positioned at a higher level than that of said conduit and in connection therewith whereby said fluid may flow through said conduit by the action of gravity, a second reservoir for receiving the fluid after passage through said conduit, means for returning fluid from said second reservoir to said first reservoir, means intermittently-operative for abstracting heat from said fluid returned to said firstmentioned reservoir, and an orifice associated with said conduit for predetermining the rate of flow of fluid therethrough, said first-mentioned reservoir having a capacity sufficiently great and said orifice being of such size as to permit flow of cooled fluid from said reservoir through said conduit for an appreciable length of time after the termination of an operative interval of said intermittently operative fluid-cooling means.

6. In cooling apparatus for railway cars and the like, in combination, a conduit positioned within the car body and adapted to have passed therethrough a refrigerating fluid for abstracting heat from the interior of said car body, a storage reservoir positioned at a higher level than that of said condit and in connection therewith whereby said fluid may flow through said conduit by the action of gravity, a second reservoir for receiving the fluid after passage through said conduit, a pump for returning fluid from said second reservoir to said first reservoir, mechanically operated means for cooling the fluid returned to said first reservoir, means operated from the car axle and varying in output substantially in accordance with the speed of said car axle for driving said cooling means and said pump thereby to store in saidfirst reservoir during high speeds of said car axle surplus cooled refrigerating fluid, and means for predetermining the rate of flow of said fluid through said conduit.

'7. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, means forming a space whose tern.- perature is to be controlled, a conduit positioned within said space and adapted to have passed therethrough a liquid refrigerant for abstracting heat from said space, a reservoir positioned at a higher level than that of said conduit and connected to one end of the latter, a second reservoir connected to the other end of said conduit for receiving liquid therefrom, said reservoirs and conduit containing such a quantity .of liquid refrigerant as will fill said conduit and only one of said reservoirsfmeans adjacent the end of said conduit to which said second reservoir is connected for determining the rate of flow of liquid therethrough, and heat-abstracting means for cooling the liquid refrigerant in said first reservoir.

8. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, means forming a space whose temperature is to be controlled, a conduit positioned within said space and adapted to have passed therethrough a liquid refrigerant for abstracting heat from said space, a reservoir positioned at a higher level than that of said conduit and connected to one end of the latter, a second reservoir connected to the other end of said conduit for receiving liquid therefrom, said reservoirs and conduit containing such a quantity of liquid refrigerant as will fill said conduit and only one of said reservoirs, means adjacent the end of said conduit to which said second reservoir is connected for determining the rate of flow of liquid therethrough, a refrigeration unit having a driven element and having an evaporator in thermal contact with the liquid refrigerant in said first reservoir, and means forming a source of driving power for said driven element that is inherently intermittent in operation, said first reservoir having a capacity sufficiently great to store a sufficient quantity of cooled liquid refrigerant to permit the flow of the latter through said conduit and into said second reservoir during periods of inoperativeness of said source of power.

9. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, means forming a space whose temperature is to be controlled, a conduit positioned within said space and adapted to have passed therethrough a liquid refrigerant for abstracting heat from said space, a reservoir positioned at a higher level than that of said conduit and connected to one end of the latter, a second reservoir connected to the other end of said conduit for receiving liquid therefrom, said reservoirs and conduit containing such a quantity of liquid refrigerant as will fill said conduit and only one of said reservoirs, means adjacent the end of said conduit to which said second reservoir is connected for determining the rate of flow of liquid therethrough, a refrigerating unit having a driven element and an evaporator in thermal contact with the liquid refrigerant in said first reservoir, and means forming a source of driving power for said driven element and being inherently intermittent in operation and independent of and free from control by reduction in temperature caused by said refrigeration unit, said first reservoir having a capacity sufliciently great to store a sufficient quantity of cooled liquid refrigerant for flow through said conduit during periods of inoperation of said source of energy.

10. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, means forming a space Whose temperature is to be controlled, a conduit positioned within said space and adapted to have passed therethrough a liquid refrigerant for abstracting heat from said space, a reservoir positioned at a higher level than that of said conduit and connected to one end of the latter, a second reservoir connected to the other end of said conduit for receiving liquid therefrom, said reservoirs and conduit containing such a quantity of liquid refrigerant as will fill said conduit and only one of said reservoirs, means adjacent the end of said conduit to which said second reservoir is connected for determining the rate of flow of liquid therethrough, a refrigerating unit having a driven element and an evaporator in thermal contact with the liquid refrigerant in said first reservoir, means forming a source of driving power for said driven element and being inherently intermittent in operation and independent of and free from control by reduction in temperature caused by said refrigeration unit, said first reservoir having a capacity sufficiently great to store a sufficient quantity'of cooled liquid refrigerant for flow through said conduit during periods of inoperation of said source of energy, and means responsive to temperature changes in the liquid refrigerant in said first reservoir for controlling the refrigerating action of said evaporator.

11. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a conduit adapted to have passed therethrough a fluid refrigerant for abstracting heat from the medium surrounding said conduit, a reservoir connected to said conduit for storing said refrigerant, a second reservoir posiin combination, a conduit adapted to have passed therethrough a fluid refrigerant for abstracting heat from the medium surrounding said conduit, a reservoir connected to said conduit for storing said refrigerant, a second reservoir positioned below said first reservoir and connected to the opposite end of said conduit, means for conducting said refrigerant from said second reservoir to said first reservoir, means for cooling said refrigerant, and thermostatic means positioned substantially at the end of said conduit adjacent said second reservoir for controlling the rate of flow of said refrigerant through $81.1 conduit into said second reservoir in accordance with the temperature requirements of the medium surrounding said conduit, said thermostatic vmeans adapted to insure a substantially constant amount of said refrigerant in said conduit for substantial periods of time.

13. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a conduit adapted to have passed therethrough a fluid refrigerant for abstracting heat from the medium surrounding said conduit, a reservoir connected to said conduit for storing said refrigerant, a second reservoir positioned below said first reservoir and connected to the opposite end of said conduit, means for forcing said refrigerant back from said second reservoir to said first reservoir at certain intermittent periods, means for cooling said refrigerant, and thermostatic means positioned substantially at the end of said conduit adjacent said second reservoir for controlling the rate of flow of said refrigerant through said conduit into said second reservoir in accordance with the temperature requirements of the medium surrounding said conduit.

14. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, a space in said vehicle whose temperature is to be regulated, a conduit positioned within said space for conducting a liquid refrigerant, a container for storing said refrigerant connected to said conduit, a reservoir connected to the other end of said conduit, means for cooling said refrigerant, means for forcing said refrigerant from said reservoir to said container only when said last-mentioned means is operating, and means for controlling the flow of liquid refrigerant through said conduit and into said reservoir.

15. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, a space in said vehicle whose temperature is to be regulated, a conduit positioned within said space for conducting a liquid refrigerant, a container for storing said refrigerant connected to said conduit, a reservoir connected to the other end of said conduit, means for cooling said refrigerant, means for forcing said refrigerant from said reservoir to said container only when said last-mentioned means is operating, and an orifice positioned on said conduit at the end thereof adjoining said reservoir for predetermining the rate of flow through said conduit.

16. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, a space in said vehicle whose temperature is to be regulated, a conduit positioned within said space for conducting a liquid refrigerant, a container for storing said refrigerant connected to said conduit, a reservoir connected to the other end of said conduit, means for cooling said refrigerant, means for forcing said refrigerant from said reservoir to said container only when said last-mentioned means is operating, and thermostatic means associated with said conduit for determining the rate of flow of said refrigerant through said conduit and into said reservoir in accordance with the temperature requirements of said space.

17. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, a space within said vehicle whose temperature is to be regulated, a conduit positioned within said vehicle and adapt ed to conduct a fluid refrigerant, a container connected to one end of said conduit, a reservoir connected to the other end of said conduit and positioned below said container, means for cooling said refrigerant, means for forcing said refrigerant from said reservoir to said container only when said cooling means is operative, and means associated with said conduit substantially at the end thereof adjoining said reservoir for predetermining the rate of flow and the quantity of said refrigerant in said conduit.

18. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, a space within said vehicle whose temperature is to be regulated, a conduit extending into said space, a tank connected to said conduit for storing fluid refrigerant, a reservoir connected to the opposite end of said conduit, means for conducting said refrigerant from said reservoir to said tank, means for cooling said refrigerant, means for actuating an element of said cooling means, the operation and speed of said last-mentioned means being proportionate to and dependent upon the speed and movement of said vehicle, and means associated with said conduit for predetermining the rate of flow of said refrigerant therethrough.

19. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, a space within said vehicle whose temperature is to be regulated, a conduit extending into said space, a tank connected to said conduit for storing fluid refrigerant, a reservoir connected to the opposite end of said conduit, means or conducting said refrigerant from said reservoir to said tank, means for cooling said refrigerant, means for actuating an element of said cooling means, the operation and speed of said last-mentioned means being proportionate to and'dependent upon the speed and movement of said vehicle, and thermostatic means responsive to the temperature of said space for determining the rate of flow of said refrigerant through said conduit and into said reservoir.

20. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, a space within said vehicle whose temperature is to be regulated, a conduit extending into said space, a tank connected to said conduit for storing fluid refrigerant, a reservoir connected to the opposite end of said conduit, means for conducting said refrigerant from i said reservoir to said tank, means for cooling said refrigerant, means for actuating an element of said cooling means, the operation and speed of said last-mentioned means being proportionate to and dependent upon the speed and movement of said vehicle, and an orifice positioned at the end of said conduit adjoining said reservoir for predetermining the rate of flow of said refrigerant through said conduit.

21. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, a space within said vehicle whose temperature is to be regulated, a conduit extending into said space, a tank connected to said conduit for storing fluid refrigerant, a reservoir connected to the opposite end of said conduit and positioned substantially below said tank, means for conducting said refrigerant from said reservoir to said tank, means for cooling said refrigerant, means for actuating an element of said cooling means, the operation of said lastmentioned means being directly dependent upon the movement of said vehicle and the speed of said last-mentioned means being proportionate to the speed of said vehicle, and thermostatic means associated with said conduit for predetermining the rate of flow of said refrigerant therethrough in accordance with the temperature needs of said space.

22. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, means forming a space within said vehicle Whose temperature is to be regulated, a storage tank for a fluid refrigerant, a conduit connected to said tank and extending into said space, a reservoir connected to the opposite end of said conduit and positioned substantially below said tank, a pump adapted to force said refrigerant from said reservoir to said tank, means for cooling said refrigerant, said last-mentioned means and said pump being dependent for operation upon the movement of said vehicle, and means for predetermining the rate of flow of said refrigerant through said conduit and into said reservoir.

23. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, means forming a space within said vehicle whose temperature is to be regulated, a storage tank for a fluid refrigerant, a conduit connected to said tank and extending into said space, a reservoir connected to the opposite end of said conduit and positioned substantially below said tank, a pump adapted to force said refrigerant from said reservoir to said tank, means for cooling said refrigerant, driving means for said pump and an element of said cooling means, said driving means being dependent upon the movement of said vehicle for operation and the speed of said driving means being proportionate to the speed of said vehicle, and means for predetermining the rate of flow of said refrigerant through said conduit.

24. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, means forming a space within said vehicle whose temperature is to be regulated, a storage tank for a fluid refrigerant, a conduit connected to said tank and extending into said space, a reservoir connected to the opposite end of said conduit and positioned substantially below said tank, a pump adapted to force said refrigerant from said reservoir to said tank, means for cooling said refrigerant, driving means for said pump and an element of said cooling means, said driving means being dependent upon the movement of said vehicle for operation and the speed of said driving means being proportionate to the speed of said vehicle, and thermostatic means for determining the rate of flow of said refrigerant through said conduit and into said reservoir.

25. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a vehicle, an apparatus compartment in said vehicle, a cooling chamber in said vehicle, a tank containing a refrigerating brine located in the upper portion of said vehicle, a conduit connectedto said tank and extending through said cooling chamber, a container located in said apparatus compartment and below said tank, said conduit being connected to said container, a refrigeration unit located in said apparatus compartment and including an evaporator coil disposed within said tank, an electric motor for driving an element of said refrigeration unit, a pump for forcing the brine from said container to said tank, said pump adapted to be driven by said motor, an axle driven generator mounted on said vehicle and connected to said motor to supply said motor with current when said vehicle is running, and a thermostatic valve located in said conduit and adapted to control the flow of fluid from said conduit into said container in accordance with the temperature requirements of said cooling chamber.

GEORGE E. HULSE. JOHN D. STROBELL.

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