US2152663A

US2152663A - Refrigerating apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2152663A
Application number: US60966A
Authority: US
Inventors: Randel Bo Folke
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1936-01-27
Filing date: 1936-01-27
Publication date: 1939-04-04
Anticipated expiration: 1956-04-04

Description

April 4, 1939. B R NDEL 2,152,663

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 27, 1936 INVENTOR Bo FOLKE RANDEL.

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 157) This invention relates to refrigerating means and methods and is an improvement upon the invention disclosed in applicant's copending application Serial No. 477,038.

According to the present invention, an atomized liquid at high velocity is employed as a motive medium to exhaust an evaporating space and transfer a refrigerant vapor from a low pressure space to a high pressure space. The capacity of the apparatus will by this arrangement be considerably increased, due to more thoroughly commingling of the vapor and liquid. Thepreferred method is to employ the same medium in liquid and vapor state both as a motive medium and as a refrigerant, but different mediums may be used if so desired. In the event two different mediums are employed they should be of different specific gravitiesso that they will separate after liquefaction into separate bodies.

With these and other objects in view, as well as other advantages that may be incident to the use'of the improvements, the invention consists in the parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed, and with the understanding that the several necessary elements constituting the same may be varied in proportion and arrangement without departing from the nature and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claim.

In order to make the invention more clearly understood, there are shown in the accompanying drawing, means for carrying the invention into practical use, withoutlimiting the improvements in their useful application to the particular construction, which, for the purpose of explanation, have been made the subject of illustration.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of a refrigerating apparatus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on a larger scale through the atomizer shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modified form of i5 atomizer.

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, a refrigerating apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention is shown as comprising a high pressure receiver I0 $0 for containing a supply of liquid employed both as a motive medium and as a refrigerant and having a cooling coil ll suitably mounted therein. A conduit l2 extends through the wall of the receiver l0 adjacent to the bottom thereof and i6 communicates at its outer end with a suitable pump l3 driven by an electric motor M. The motive medium is drawn from the receiver III by the pump l3 and forced upwardly at relatively high pressure through a pipe l5 and thence back into the receiver l0 through an atomizer, lndi- 5 cated generally at I6, located on the upper end of the receiver.

The atomizer I6 preferably comprises an elbow fitting I! which communicates with the pipe l5 and which is secured to the upper end of a cast- 10 ing l8 having a Venturi tube portion I9 and an upper chamber 20 communicating therewith. An annular fiange 2| is disposed within the chamber 20 (Fig. 2) and supports a disk 22 having a plurality of very small openings 23 formed therein 5 and which is maintained against displacement by a retainer ring 24. The apparatus also includes a refrigerating coil 25 which communicates at its lower end with the chamber 20 and at its upper end through a reduction valve 26 with a pipe 21 20 communicating with the high pressure receiver I0 adjacent to its lower end.

In operation, the liquid motive medium is drawn from the receiver ill by the pump I4 and forced upwardly through the pipe l5 and thence 25 into the upper portion of the atomizer It, in this case the elbow I1. The liquid under pressure then passes through the apertures 23 in the disk 22 and travels toward the Venturi portion of the atomizer at high velocity in the form of a large number of jets each consisting of a series of very minute droplets closely resembling vapor. These jets of liquid draw the refrigerant from the lower end of the coil 25, commingles with it and forces the same through the restricted portion it of the 35 Venturi tube and back into the pressure tank III. This movement of the liquid motive medium de-- velops a negative pressure within the chamber 20 such as will draw liquid employed as the refrigerant from the receiver l0, through the pipe 21 40 valve 26 and cooling coil 25 into the chamber 20 where it is entrained by the liquid motive medium in jet or atomized form and is carried thereby back into the receiver l0. During the passage of the liquid motive medium through the orifices 23 and the Venturi tube it is subjected to both friction and compression which action will cause a. certain degree of heat to be generated which will be extracted through contact with the cooling coil ll, causing the condensation of the refrigerant entrained by the atomized liquid motive medium. .The action above described is comparable to that of a steam jet compressor, but without the necessity of extraneous heat.

If the liquid motive medium is of greater specific gravity than the refrigerant, it will collect in the lower portion of the receiver Ill while the condensed refrigerant will collect in a superimposed layer or stratum.

In this case the expansion valve 26 may be dispensed with and the pipe 21 connected with the receiver In above the level of the liquid motive medium. I I

In Fig. 3 anatomizer of slightly different type is shown. In this particular construction the refrigerant is drawn into the atomizer through a pipe 28 which communicates with the cooling coil 25 and which passes through a packing gland 29 formed on the upper portion of the elbow l1 and centrally through the perforated disk 22.

While the primary object is to devise a refrigerating means and method, the specific atomizer and pump action thereof may also be employed in other applications, as for instance, as vacuum pumps in heating installations or as a. pump when it is desired to move a vapor or a gas from a lower to a higher pressure or from one space to another.

Other modifications and changes in the proportions and arrangement of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the nature and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

The invention described herein may be man factured and used by or for the Government the United States of America for government purposes without the payment of any royalti thereon or therefor.

I claim:

In a refrigerating apparatus a receiver for on taining a supply of liquid refrigerant; a Venti tube communicating with said receiver above 1 liquid level of the refrigerant therein; an atoi izer injector communicating with said Vent tube; a refrigerating coil communicating at end with said receiver below the liquid level said refrigerant and at its other end with s: Venturi tube; and a pump for withdrawing a p tion of said refrigerant from said receiver a delivering'it under pressure to said atomiz injector and thence in a fine spray to said Vent tube and into the upper portion of said receii thus reducing the pressure in said refrigerat coil so as to cause another portion of said ref] erant to be'withdrawn from said receiver, 1 culated through said coil, entrained and cc mingled with said spray and delivered back said receiver in an atomized condition.

BO FOLKE RANDE]