US2157519A

US2157519A - Air conditioning apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2157519A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1939-05-09
Anticipated expiration: 1956-05-09

Description

y 9, 1939. H. F. BEEMAN 2,157,519

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed March 10, 1958 2 SheetsSheet l a-T,

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AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 10, 1938 Lima;

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Patented May 9, 1939 UNITED STAT-ES PATENT FFICE AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Henry F. Beeman, Denver, 0010. Application March 10,1938, Serial No. 195,025 8 Claims. (01. 261-41) This invention relates to improvements in air conditioning apparatus and has reference more particularly to a portable apparatus that can be used to condition the air of oflices, individual rooms and small homes.

It is well known that the summer heat, in many p rts of our country, is almost intolerable due to the combined effect of humidity and heat.

It has been proposed to subject the air to the cooling action of a mechanical refrigerating unit and to circulate the air through coils cooled by a brine solution. Such air conditioning devices are expensive to install and to operate and are therefore suitable only in places where cost is not a serious consideration.

It is the object of this invention to produce an air conditioning device that can be produced at a very reasonable first cost and which can be operated at a minimum expense.

Another object is to produce an air conditioning device that can be used for heating as well as for cooling and which-will reduce the temperature quite appreciably without having to resort to mechanical refrigeration or to the use of ice.

Another object is to produce a device of the character specified that can be employed to drastically reduce the temperature of a room by the use of ordinary or "dry ice whenever this becomes necessary.

It is well understood that the temperature of water can be reduced rapidly and to almost any extent, even to the freezing point, by the action of evaporation combined with a decrease in air pressure.

It is the object of this invention to produce an air conditioning device that combines the evaporative action of air and partial vacuum to reduce the temperature of the water employed to cool-the air.

It is well understood that the latent heat of vaporization or water is very great and therefore by" expediting the evaporation by a decrease in pressure a large quantity of heat is abstracted from the air.

The objects pointed out above and any other objects that may become apparent as this description proceeds are attained by means of a construction and an arrangement of parts that will be described in detail in the following portions oi. this specification and for this purpose.

reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings in which the invention has been illustrated and in which:

Figure 1 is a. vertical longitudinal section taken on line l-l Fig. 2;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus, with the cover removed, portions being broken away and shown in section to more clearly disclose the construction;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section, taken on line 33 Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevation looking in the direction of arrows 4-4 Fig. 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevation, looking in the direction of arrows 55 Fig. 3;

Figure 6 is a fragmentarytop plan view of the cover, looking in the direction of arrows 6-6 Fig. 1;

Figure 7 is a section taken on plane 'l--1 Fig. 1; and

Figure 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 Fig. 2 and shows the wall construction.

The apparatus consists of a box-like cabinet having a bottom l0 and an end wall II, a removable end wall l2, side walls I3 and a cover H. A partition l5 divides the interior oi the cabinet into two unequal compartments A and B. The bottom is provided with two cleats i6 on which the cabinet is supported.

Compartment A has a sheet metal lining I! that forms a water tight tank. At one end of compartment A is an ice compartment 0 that has a bottom l8 and a front side wall l9 which are attached to the lining I! so as to form a water tight tank. When very low temperatures are desired tank 0 may be filled with ice, with ice and salt or with dry ice. It will be observed that the bottom i8 is spaced a considerable distance above the bottom of compartment A so as to allow a large space for water. In Fig. 1 the top level of the water has been shown as about on the level with bottom l8. An overflow pipe 20 determines the water level.

From Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that a sheet metal partition 2| extends downwardly parallel with wall l9, and is spaced some distance from the latter so as to provide a narrow passage D in which is positioned a zigzag screen 22, which may be a copper fly screen or a screen of smaller mesh. A'pipe 23 is in communication with a. water supply pipe 24 through a cook 25 which controls the rate at which the water is supplied to compartment A. It will be observed that pipe 23 is provided on its under side with a row of holes of small diameter through which the water flows in fine streams or sprays 26 and the water that thus enters is further broken up by the screen. It will be noted that screen 22 is in 55 thermoconductive contact with the sheet metal wall i9 and therefore, when compartment 0 con-- tains ice, the temperature of the water will be lowered until by the time it reaches the bottom of the screen it will be practically the same temperature as the water in tank C.

Cover l4 fits air tight against the top of the housing and air is supplied through an air pipe 21. This pipe has been shown as of rectangular cross section and has three sides, two of which are soldered to the side wall I l of compartment A so as to form a conduit E. At the top the air pipe has a portion 28 that extends through an opening in wall l3 in the manner shown in Fig. 3. A shield 29 covers the intake opening 30 of the air pipe. It will also be observed that the air pipe projects downwardly below the water level and that it is downwardly flaring.

A fan of any suitable type is provided for producingan air circulation. The fan illustrated is of the rotary centrifugal type and has a housing 3| of concoidal shape and provided with a discharge opening 32. The fan housing is attached to the partition l5 and is preferably located on the inside of compartment A but may be positioned any suitable place. The housing has an air inlet 33 that is in communication with the interior of compartment A. The fan has a rotor 34, of usual construction, and is mounted on the end of shaft 35 of motor 36, which is supported on a shelf 31 located in compartment B. Current is conducted to the motor through suitable conductors 38 and controlled by a switch that has not been shown.

The cover has an opening 39 that may be closed by a pivoted cover 40. The object of opening 39 will be explained as this description proceeds. The cover is also provided with an opening M in which is positioned an electric heater 42, the heat coils of which have been designated by reference numeral 43. By means of the electric heater it is possible to use the device to heat a room instead of cooling it.

A separate cover 44 is provided for compartment C and this rests on angle iron brackets 45 attached to the walls of the compartment. Cover I has a ring 46 by means of which it can be raised whenever necessary.

The walls of the cabinet are so constructed that they are poor heat conductors and from the cross section shown in Fig. 8, it will be seen that the walls comprise an outer layer 41 of wood and this is separated from a layer 48 of heat insulating material such as Celotex or cork by a layer 49 of tar paper. The inside is covered with sheet metal I! and the upper edge has an angle 50. The walls may, of course, be constructed in any suitable manner but the construction described has been found to be satisfactory.

Let us now assume that the apparatus that has just been described is installed in a room and connected with the water supply, the drain and with the electric current supply. Water is allowed to enter until it overflows through pipe 20. At the level indicated the lower end of the air inlet conduit will be submerged. When the cover is in place and the motor started the air pressure within compartment A will be decreased until air begins to enter. Since the air inlet is below the surface of the water the air must necessarily bubble through the water and besides, in order to overcome the sealing action of the water, a partial vacuum must be formed in compartment A. The decrease in air pressure facilitates evaporation in accordance with well understood physical laws.

The air that passes through the water seai evaporates water and this removes heat from the air with the result that its temperature is lowered many degrees and it therefore emerges from the fan outlet 32 as a stream of cool and humidified air, and since the quantity of air that circulates per minute is very large, even with a small fan and motor, it takes only a short time to reduce the temperature of a room appreciably.

If lower temperatures are desired than can be obtained by the evaporative action utzly, ice may be placed in compartment C and if very low temperatures are desired the natural ice may be mixed with salt or dry ice" may be used.

After the temperature has been reduced the desired amount, opening 39 is partially uncovered so as to reduce the quantity of air that comes into direct contact with the water and thus decrease the evaporation.

The zigzag screen is of importance because it. exposes the water in thin sheets that are in good heat conductive contact with the wall of compartment C so that when the latter contains ice the water will be thoroughly cooled by the time it reaches the bottom of the screen.

In winter, or if it is desirable to increase the temperature of the air, the water may be removed from compartment A and the electric heater put into operation whereby the air will absorb heat as it flows through compartment A.

Attention is again directed to the fact that the water in compartment A is maintained under a partial vacuum during operation; this is due partly to the water seal and to the fact that the fan pulls the air from compartment A. If the air was forced through the compartment by a. blower located in the inlet pipe the pressure in this compartment would be increased.

By passing the air through the water it will be washed as well as humidified so that it will emerge clean and cool.

From the above description it will be apparent that the apparatus is simple and substantial and has great capacity, per unit size, for changing the temperature of the air and that it can be readily.

transported and installed wherever desired, in

homes, offi'ces or hospitals.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is 1. An air cooling and humidifying device, comprising in combination, a housing having a removable cover, a fan having an inlet opening and an outlet, the inlet being in communication with the interior of the housing, the outlet being in communication with the space about the housing, means comprising an electric motor for operating. the fan, and an air inlet tube extending down-v wardly with its air delivery end opening adjacent the bottom of the housing, whereby when there is a quantity of water in the housing it will cover the opening in the tube, wherefore when the fan operates to remove air from the housing, air will enter through the tube and pass through the water covering the opening therein.

2. An air cooling and humidifying device, comprising in combination, a housing having a removable cover, a fan having an inlet opening and an outlet, theinlet being in communication with the interior of the housing, the outlet being in" communication with the space about the housing, means comprising an electric motor for operating the fan, an air inlet tube extending downwardly with its air delivery and opening adjacent the bottom of the housing, whereby when there is a quantity of water in the housing it will cover the opening in the tube, wherefore, when the fan operates to remove air from the housing, air will enter through the tube and pass through the water covering the opening therein, and means for supplying water to the housing to replace that removed by evaporation.

3. An air cooling and humidifying device, comprising in combination, a housing divided into two unequal compartments by a transverse partition, a cover for the larger compartment, a rotary fan having its inlet opening in communication with the larger compartment and its outlet in communication with the space outside of the housing, a motor in the smaller compartment, means for driving the fan from the motor, and an air inlet tube having its upper end open to the atmosphere at a point above the bottom of the housing and its lower end opening into the larger chamber a short distance above the bottom of the housing whereby when the larger compartment contains water it covers the lower end of the air inlet tube, wherefore when air enters the larger compartment due to the operation of the fan it will flow through the water and produce evaporation thereof.

4. An air cooling and humidifying device, comprising in combination, a housing divided into two unequal compartments by a transverse partition, a cover for the larger compartment, -a rotary fan having its inlet opening in communication with the larger compartment and its outlet in communication with the space outside of the housing, a motor in the smaller compartment, means for driving the fan from the motor, an air inlet tube having its upper end open to the atmosphere at a point above the bottom of the housing and its lower end opening into the larger chamber a short distance above the bottom of the housing whereby when the larger compartment contains water it covers the lower end of the air inlet tube, wherefore when air enters the larger compartment due to the operation of the fan it will flow through the water and produce evaporation thereof, and means for replacing water lost by evaporation.

5. A cooling and humidifying device for the conditioning of air, comprising in combination, a housing divided into two unequal compartments by a transverse partition, a cover for the larger compartment, a motor in the smaller compartment, a rotary fan operatively connected with the motor, the Ian having an air intake opening in communication with the interior of the larger compartment and an air outlet in communication with the space about the housing, an air inlet adjacent the bottomof the larger compartment, a tube connecting the inlet with the outside of the compartment adjacent its top, means positioned in the larger compartment for reducing the temperature thereof, and means for supplying water at a predetermined rate to the larger compartment.

6. A cooling and humidifying device for the conditioning of air, comprising in combination, a

' housing divided into two unequal compartments by a transverse partition, a cover for the larger compartment, a motor in the smaller compartment, a rotary fan operatively connected with the motor, the fan having an air intake opening in communication with the interior of the larger compartment and an air outlet in communication with the space about the housing, an air inlet adjacent the bottom of the larger compartment, a tube connecting the inlet with the outside of the compartment adjacent its top, means positioned in the larger compartment for reducing the temperature thereof, and means for supplying water at a predetermined rate to the larger compartment, said last named means comprising a screen for spreading the water to increase the surface area exposed to the evaporation eflect of air.

7. An air cooling and humidifying device for the conditioning of air, comprising in combination, a housing having a compartment for containing a quantity of water, means for supplying water and for maintaining it at a predetermined level, an air inlet tube having its upper end open to the atmosphere and its lower end opening in the compartment below the level of the water therein, means comprising a blower for removing air from the compartment whereby a partial vacuum will be formed above the level of the water, and air will be induced to flow from the atmosphere through the conduit and bubble up through the water so as to expedite evaporation, and means for admitting a quantity of air to the compartment without passing it through the water.

8. In an air conditioning apparatus comprising a casing having a water compartment, an exhaust fan in communication therewith, means for introducing air into the compartment within the body of water contained therein, an ice compartment, a screen in heat conducting connection with the wall oi! the ice compartment, and means for delivering water to the upper edge of the screen whereby. it will be formed into a thin layer in contact with the wires of the screen so that it will quickly attain the temperature of the screen.

ENRY F. BEEMAN