US1972912A

US1972912A - Method and apparatus for conditioning air

Info

Publication number: US1972912A
Application number: US555429A
Authority: US
Inventors: Samuel M Anderson
Original assignee: BF Sturtevant Co
Current assignee: BF Sturtevant Co
Priority date: 1931-08-06
Filing date: 1931-08-06
Publication date: 1934-09-11
Anticipated expiration: 1951-09-11

Description

P 1934- s. M. ANDERSON 1,972,912

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING AIR Filed Aug. 6, 1931 Fly. 3

Witness l nventar W Q77 fl z 7%, W

Patented Sept. 11, 1934 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING Am I Samuel M. Anderson, Sharon, Mass., assignor to B. F. Sturtevant Comp any, Hyde Park, Mass a co poration of Massachusetts Application August 6, 1931, Serial No. 555,429

4 Claims. (Cl. 62-176) The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for conditioning the air.

Thepbject of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive and dependable method 6 and apparatus for supplying cooled and dehumidiliillfd air to rooms, auditoriums, vehicles, and the With this object in view, the principal feature of the invention comprises a dehumidifier, to-

gether with means for circulating water therethrough and means for cooling water by direct contact with a body of ice. Control means are provided for directing a variable quantity of -water into contact with the ice in accordance with the temperature and humidity conditions of the air.

Other features of the invention consist in certain novel feahires of construction, combinations and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. l is a diagram of one form of apparatus for practising the present invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the arrangement of the cooler in the roof of a railway car: and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a modified, and in some respects, preferable form of cooler.

The illustrated apparatus comprises a dehumidifier 2 of suitable form, preferably a spray device of the type disclosed in my copending applicationSerial No. 395,402, filed September 26, 1929, through which the air to be conditioned is directed by a fan 4 and from which the air is distributed through a main duct 6. Water is continuously circulated through the dehumidiiler by a pipe 8 leading from the drain of the dehumidifier to a cooler 10, thence through a pipe 12 to the inlet of a pump 14, and. from the outlet of the. pump through a pipe 15 to the inlet of the dehumidifier. The outlet of the cooler is covered with a screen or perforated plate 16 to prevent circulation of ice flakes with the water.

The cooler 10 comprises an insulated casing containing a body of ice 1? with which the water contacts directly. The ice is preferably in the form of small chunks or flakes to afford a large surface for contact with the water. The box is closed by an cover 18. Inasmuch as so the volume of water in the system will increase,

due to the dehumidifying of the air, an overflow drain pipe 20 is provided within the cooler. The temperature of the water supplied to the dehumidifier is controlled --by means of a bypm pipe 22, connected around the cooler be-' tween the pipes 8 and 12. A three-way valve 24, for varying the relative quantities of water passed through the cooler and through the bypass, is connected at the junction of the

pipes

8 and 22/ The setting of the valve 24 is 'automatically adjusted by a. control mechanism 26 sensitive to temperature and humidity conditions in the duct 6. The valve may be either a gradual motion type to vary the proportions of water passed through the cooler and by-pass. or it may be of a snap acting type to by-pass the water entirely when the air temperature passes below a predetermined point and to restore passage of water through the cooler when the air temperature rises to a predetermined value.

The pump 14 is driven by an electric motor 30 supplied with electrical energy through leads 32. In one of the leads is included a. switch 38 controlled by a thermostat 40 in the pipe 15 and adjusted to open the switch 38 when the temperature of the circulated water rises above a predetermined value.

In operation, the water is continuously circudated through the dehumidifier, the extent of cooling of the water being controlled by air con- 0 ditions, as determined by the device 26 and the by-pass valve 24. When the cooler is filled with ice, it is usually necessary to circulate only a relatively small part of .the water through the cooler, and a considerable part is by-passed by 35 the valve 24, either continuously or intermittently, depending on the construction of the valve.

As the ice melts, a larger proportion of water is necessarily circulated through the cooler to maintain the desired temperature and humidity 9 conditions. Eventually, if the supply of ice is exhausted before it can be replenished, the circulating water may rise to a sufliciently high temperature so that the air cannot be properly dehumidified. At that time, the thermostat 40 opens the motor circuit to shut ofl the circulation of water and therefore to prevent improper conditioning of the air.

When applied to the cooling of vehicles, such as railway cars, the ice may be conveniently located in a receptacle in the roof of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 2. The cooler 42 is provided with an insulated hatch 44 through which the ice supply may be replenished from an elevated platform when the train is stopped at a station. 105 The overflow drain pipe 46 is conducted through a wall of the vehicle. With this construction, the dehumidifying apparatus and the circulating system are preferably placed below the floor of the vehicle.

A modified form of ice tank for use either in stationary installations or in vehicles, as shown in Fig. 3, comprises a cooler 48 supported below the floor 50. Extending upwardly as a continuation of the cooler 48 is a magazine 52. The magazine preferably has walls with a slight downward and outward flare, to prevent jamming of ice as it descends. 0n opposite sides of the cooler 48 are

water chambers

54 and 56 separated from the tank by filter or perforated metal screens 58. An overflow pipe 60 is placed in each water tank. The inlet and outlet pipe connections for the

tanks

54 and 56 are shown at 62-and 64 respectively. The pump 14 and the by-pass 22 are controlled and operated in the same manner as the similar parts of the construction of Fig. 1. The magazine is filled with flaked or chopped ice or, if preferred, with ice blocks, in the latter case, the cooler being of sufilcient dimensions to permit fiow of water around the ice. By this construction, the ice settles by gravity from the magazine into the cooling tank as it is used and therefore provides uniform cooling of the water by the ice until the ice supply is nearly exhausted. For stationary installations in buildings, the magazine may be placed in a convenient location in the basement, and refilled periodically through a chute. For a railway car installation, the magazine 52, which is not necessarily of large dimensions, may be placed in any convenient location, for example, in one side of the vestibule. A special filling door 66 is used in place of the regular door on one side of the car. The door is formed in two

sections

68 and 70,. hinged together at 72. The bottom section is hinged above the fioor line at '14. By this construction, either the upper section or the entire door may be opened for replenishing the ice in blocks or pieces of any desired size. Alternatively, the magazine may be filled with ice through a hatch 64 in the roof.

In either of the constructions of Figs. 2 and 3, the control of operation is exactly similar to that employed in the construction shown in Fig. 1, the degrees of cooling of the water being controlled by the by-pass, and means being provided to shut down the circulation of the water when the temperature becomes too high.

The method and apparatus of the present invention are of advantage in that they do not require a refrigerating apparatus which in many instances is expensive to install and maintain. The apparatus is particularly suitable for conditioning of air in railway cars, in that the cooling continues even though the vehicle may be required to make an extended stop. The apparatus is entirely independent of the motion of the vehicle and therefore permits a uniform control of temperature and humidity conditions in the air.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A method of conditioning air which consists in supporting a column of ice exposed to atmospheric pressure, forcing a stream of water around and in contact with a definite portion of the ice at the bottom of the column while permitting settling of ice from above as the ice at the bottom melts, and dehumidifying air by the cooled water.

2. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a cooler to contain ice exposed to atmospheric pressure, means for maintaining water around and in contact with the ice in the cooler, an ice magazine surmounting the cooler and containing ice unexposed to the water and arranged to feed ice to the cooler as the ice therein melts, a dehumidifier, and means for circulating water from the cooler to the dehumidifier and for forcing the water from the dehumidifier to iElow around and in contact with the ice in the cooler.

3. A method of conditioning air which consists in supporting a column of ice, flowing a stream of water through and around a definite portion of the ice at the bottom of the column while permitting settling of ice from above as the ice at the bottom melts, maintaining a level of water by overflowing excess water before it contacts with the ice, and dehumidifying air by the cooled water.

4. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a cooler to contain ice, means for flowing water through and around the ice in the cooler, an ice magazine surmounting the cooler and containing ice unexposed to the water and arranged to feed ice to the cooler as the ice therein melts, an overfiow pipe adjacent the inlet of the cooler, a dehumidifier, and means for circulating water from the cooler to the dehumidifier.

SAMUEL M. ANDERSON.