US2192221A - Air conditioning method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

March 940. R. 'r. BRIZZOLARA 2,192,221

AIR CONDITIONING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed April 13, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 imwum mm:-

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March 5, 1940. R. "r. BRIZZOLARA. 2,192,221.

AIR CONDITIONING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed April 13, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Poss/2T 7'. BIZ/ZZOLAEA,

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AIR CONDITIONING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed April 15. 193: 5 Sheets-Sheet s March 5, 1940.

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AIR CONDITIONING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed April 13, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. 205527 T BQ/ZZOLARA,

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March S, 1940. 2 BRIZZQLARA I 2,192,221

AIR coum rlom-ue METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed April 13, 1923 s Sheets-Sheet s I N V EN TOR.

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Patented Ma 9 AIR. CONDITIONING METHOD 1 APPARAT S AND Robert T. Briznolara, New Dorp, N. Y., assignor to B. F; Sturtevant Company, Hyde Park, Boston,

Mass. I

Application April 13, 1933, Serial No. 665,860

Claims. (c1. 98-10) and again conditioned, and again discharged at high velocity over the space to be served, down f along the other side of the enclosure, where it This invention relates to the conditioning of air for human comfort and relates more particularly to the refrigeration and dehumidification of air circulated through passenger vehicles.

It is now becoming well known that human comfort requires that the air within an enclosure should be not only circulated to provide sufficient ventilation, but should in winter, be warmed, with moisture added to maintain the proper relative humidity, and in summer should be cooled, and moisture extracted from it, to overcome the excessive humidity which is usually present.

While the conditioning of air for motion picture theaters, hotel, oflice and industrial buildings has been developed to a high degree in recent years, the air conditioning for vehicles, and particularly railway cars, has been more or less neglected, due, perhaps, to the peculiar problems involved and the many difliculties present. Among the difficulties which present themselves are the lack of space in a railway car which already of necessity has had to accommodate the maximum of equipment in the minimum of space, the excessive refrigeration equipment which would have to be carried if the ordinary method of conditioning buildings were followed, the changing temperature conditions through which a railway car must pass, the cost of the equipment, and other difliculties. The weight of refrigerating systems is a serious factor, particularly when this weight must be carried all the year round.

An object of this invention is to condition the air supplied to passenger vehicles with a minimum of apparatus and expense.

Another object of the invention is to condition the air supplied to passenger vehicles without the necessity of modification of the interior of the vehicles.

Another object of the invention is to condition the air supplied to passenger vehicles without using ventilating ducts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ductless air distribution system for the supplyv o conditioned air to enclosures.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in an air conditioning system, a novel form of heat exchange surface.

According to a feature of this invention, the conditioned air supplied to the passenger space of a vehicle, or the space occupied by persons in any other form of enclosure, is first conditioned and then forced at high velocity from a conditioning unit having a discharge located at one end of the enclosure, above the space to be served and down along one side of the enclosure.

"Located at the other end of the enclosure is another conditioning unit into which the conditioned air supplied by the other unit is drawn is picked up and indrawn, by the action of a blower in the first conditioning unit, into thefirst conditioning unit, and again conditioned.

Thus, a continuous circuit or loop of conditioned air is kept in movement, above the space being served, the conditioned air being directed down one side of the enclosure and up the other side by the cooperating action of the two units, the one picking up the air discharged by the other unit, conditioning it, and again discharging it. Blowing the high velocity air to the other fans suction, tends to control the direction of flow in a manner to prevent drafty currents of cold air eddying downward on passengers. Outside air is filtered and supplied in suflicient quantities to one or the other, or both, of the units to add make-up air, and to maintain a positive static pressure slightly above outside pressure. This feature eliminates the infiltration of dust and cinders into the car through crevices and cracks, since the fiow of air through these points will be from the inside of the car, where the higher pressure prevails to the outside.

In summer operation, for which this invention is primarily intended, the air supplied is cooled and dehumidified. The cold air discharged at high velocity from the conditioning units is heavier than the warm air within the enclosure and advantage is taken of this fact to provide what is believed to be a new circulating system. According to this invention, rapid circulation of the cold air is maintained over the heads of s-the occupants of the enclosure. The

colder air, due to the staticpressure and the relative air densities existing within the space being served and in the circulating air stream, permits cold air to trickle down by gravity from the main overhead stream.

According to another featureof this invention in its application to passenger vehicles, a mechanical filter is arranged horizontally in the vestibule of the car. The outside air is passed through this filter on its way to the conditioning unit. By arranging the filter horizontally, advantage is taken of the continuous, unavoidable vibration of the railroad car to maintain the filter at all times in efiicient filtering condition. As the particles of dust, cinders, and other foreign matter are collected by the filter from the air passing 'therethrough, the vibration of the car causes the filter to vibrate and the particles.

of foreign matter to be continuously dislodged therefrom to be deposited, of course, upon the floor of the vestibuleoi' thecar.

PATENT (5pm;

by breaking up the discharge into well directed laminations.

According to another feature of the invention, the type of extended surfaces commonly used in automobile radiators, for example, are used for heat exchange surfaces in an air conditioning system. These types of units are extremely light in weight per unit of surface and correspondingly less costly.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, in section of a railway car equipped with an air conditioning system according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, in section, similar to Fig. 1 of a railway car equipped with an air conditioning system utilizing the same type of conditioning unit as shown by Fig. 1, except that it is located in a small cabinet erected at the back ends of the cars, opposite the lavatories, where narrow seats are usually provided.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the car of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view, with top removed, of the air conditioning unit utilized in the systems of Figs. 1 and 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view looking into one end of the car, shown by Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of a complete system, according to this invention, utilizing steam for heating and ice water for cooling the air, and

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic view of a complete system, which may be used according to the systems of this invention, utilizing mechanical refrigeration for cooling the air.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings, the apparatus utilized in one embodiment of the invention will be described. These figures of the drawings show a standard railway car modified to a slight extent and equipped with air conditioning apparatus according to this invention. In each end of the car and in the half deck-zone thereof, a small area indicated generally by the numerals I0, is sealed off by the partitions II from the passenger space of the car. Inserted in one of the partitions I I is the intake grill I2 and in another'of the partitions and on the opposite side of the center of the car is the outlet grill I3. Located within the space I0 is the air conditioning unit I4 comprising the two extended surface units I5, the fan I6, driven by the motorand the discharge duct I8. A passageway I9 is provided in the end of the car between the space I0 and the space existing between the ceiling 20 of the vestibule-of the car and that portion of the roof of the car overlying the vestibule. Arranged in the ceiling 20 of the vestibule of the car is the mechanical filter 2| which is horizontally mounted. In operation, the outside air is admitted to the conditioning unit I4, passes from the vestibule of the car through the filter 2| and.

opening I9, and then through the extended surfaces I5 in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. Due to the horizontal arrangement of the filter and the continuous, unavoidable vibration of the railway car, the filter 2| is self- I cleaning. The felt filter effectively removes from the air passing therethrough, on its way to the conditioning unit, small particles of dust, cinders,

and other foreign matter from the outside air.,

These particles, as they collect, are continuously removed by being shaken out to be deposited upon the floor of the vestibule of the car.

The operation of the system in summer is as follows: A refrigerating fluid is circulated through the extended surfaces I5 and removes heat therefrom. This refrigerant may be ice water, any brine solution, or may be freon, ammonia, or any other suitable refrigerant which may be expanded directly in the extended surface side air passing through the extended surfaces I5, the cold extended surfaces of which serve to extract the heat and humidity from the air. Cooled air is then drawn into the blower and is discharged through the duct I8 from the outlet grill I3 at high-velocity down along one side of the car and over the space occupied by the passengers.

The conditioning unit, located in the opposite side of the car, is so arranged that its intake grill I2 is opposite theoutlet grill I3 of the other unit; and its outlet grill I3 is opposite the intake grill I2 of the other unit. It is thus seen that one unit discharges coldair at high velocity down along one side of the car and above the passenger space to the intake of the other unit. The blower of the other unit, by suction action, picks up the air stream discharged by the opposite unit, the moving air stream thus being sustained in direction by the pressure of one unit and the cooperating suction of the other unit. Thus, it. isseen that the two units cooperate to force air down along one side of the car and to return the air down along the other side of the car, the air being conditioned in both units and outside air, as desired, being admitted at each unit.

While it has been found that the air under pressure of the blower in one unit and under the suction of the oppositely placed unit, travels in substantially a straight line down one side of the car without interfering with the. reversely moving air stream on the opposite side of the-car, a vertically extending longitudinal partition 22 may be provided for positively confining the two air streams each to its own side of the car. This partition may extend the full length of the car, between the units, or for any desired portion of the length therebetween.

It is seen that this invention provides a ductless system for the distribution of conditioned air. As is well known, for the summer conditioning of air, it is not suflicient to merely cool the air to the desired dry bulb temperature, this because normally too much moisture for human comfort.

bulb temperature in order that the dew point of the air may be reduced sufliciently that. suflicient moisture content for comfort purposes is precipitated on the extended surfaces. As a result of this necessity for dehumidification, the air discharged normally has too low a dry bulb temperature or sensible heat for comfort. If this air was discharged directly into the .space adjacent a person, he would feel a pronounced chill and draft and would be uncomfortable, it having been demonstrated that a temperature difference of more than about 5% produces undesirable draft and chill conditions.

In theaters and other enclosures where air is conditioned in summer, it is customary to heat the air after it is cooled to raise its sensible heat to that desired. This has been accomplished in the past either by the use of steam coil tempering devices, or by the recirculation ofair from the auditorium where it is mixedlwithin the conditioning unit with the cold air to raise the sensible heat thereof prior to discharge. Such arrangements require, of course, expensive tempering devices or expensive duct work, requiring space which is not available in railway cars, for example.

According to this invention, the high velocity stream of very cold air discharged above the space occupied bythe passengers, does not enter directly the space immediately adjacent the passengers and thus produce drafts and discomfort.

On the contrary, the cold air trickles down gradually under the static pressure and the influence of gravity to penetrate the lower levels, displacing at the same time warmer air. As the very cold air seeps down gradually, it has its sensible heat raised by contact withthe warmer air within the passenger space to that desired, so that the conditioned air finally reaching the passengers has the desired temperature and sensible heat. Thus, the by-pass principle is made use of' without the necessity of returning the recirculated air to the-conditioning unit prior to the discharge of the conditioned air.

Another important feature of the invention is,

of course, that the use of distributing ducts is dispensed with. In the air conditioning systems in railway cars common at the present time, longitudinal distribution ducts are placed down one or both sides of the car. Such ducts are not necessary according to this invention. Further:

more, no useful space is occupied by the apparatus according to this invention. Thus, none of the valuable space required for seating the passengers is utilized for air conditioning purposes.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 5," another em-' bodiment of the invention, having the air distribution features of the invention just described by employing. a different arrangement of the apparatu s,. is disclosed. Whereas in the embodiment just described all of the air conditioning equipment is mounted in the half deck zone of the car in the embodiment about to be described a portion of this equipment is mounted in small rooms oppositely placed in the two ends of the car, a portion of the equipment extending into the car below the half deck zone. The discharge and intake ducts in this embodiment are arranged substantially similar to those in the embodiment already described. The two air conditioning units are mounted in the two rooms 23 which are formed in the ends of and opposite corners of the car by partitions. The rooms are made substantially airtight except, of course, for the inlet and outlet openings. The air conditioning units each comprise a cooling compartment 24 containing extended surfaces l5, shown by Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. 'The'refrigerant is circulated through these extended surfaces to extract the heat therefrom, the extended surfaces in turn extracting heat from the air passing through the compartment. A filter 25 is mounted in window 26 and'outside air is drawn in through this filter K into the room 23. The air passesin the cooling passes into the cooling compartment 24, where it has a portion of its heat content and moisture extracted andthe conditioned air is then discharged at a high velocity through the discharge grill 29. The drain pipe 30 is provided for disnoted that the intake grill for drawing in air is located considerably higher than the small discharge grill.

is taken of the fact that the air discharged from,

With this arrangement, advantage one unit is considerably warmer when it reaches the intake grill of the oppositely placed unit,

and, as a result, tends to rise to a higher point in the car than the cold air.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and '7, there are disclosed diagrammatically two refrigeration sys-' tems for the supply of refrigerant to the extended surfaces in the air conditioning units.

The embodiment disclosed in Fig. 6 is an ice water system, the ice bin 3| containing cakes of ice and water, the melting of the ice extracting heat units from the water and the water being recirculated by means ofipump 32 driven by motor 33, through piping 34, to and through the extended surfaces 15. The ice bin 31 is adapted to be mounted on the underside of the car equipped with easily accessible doors through which cakes of ice may be introduced when it is necessary to replenish the bin.

In the embodiment shown by Fig. 'Lmechanical refrigeration is utilized. The compressor 35, driven by motor 36, operates to compress any suitable refrigerant which is expanded within the surface coolerl5, to extract the heat from the extended surfaces and through them from the air passing thereover. 31' is provided for the expansion of the refrigerant. The heat absorbed by the refrigerant is expended in combination with the cooling tower condenser 38. The combined condenser pump and water storage bin 40 supplies water to the cooling tower spray, where it is cooled to substanclub carsand diners where the car is consider-* ably shortened, it may not be necessary to use oppositely placed air conditioning units operated as described, but one unit may be eliminated entirely, or both units may'be used and That is, its

one unit operated as a dummy. blower alone is operated, no refrigerant being supplied to its coils, the blower assisting in they circulation of the conditioned air supplied by the other unit.

J The expansion valve While the air conditioning system hasbeen.v

described in connection with summer operation, obviously the same equipment could be used for winter operation. In winter, instead of supplying a refrigerant to the extended surfaces "I5, steam could be supplied thereto and the extended surfaces used for transmitting heat to the air to be conditioned. In winter, under ordinary conditions, it would be desirable to add humidity to the air. The saucer type humidifier 43, indicated in dotted outline by Fig. 4, may be used for increasing the relative humidity of the heated air. Water may be supplied to this humidifier from a convenient pressure tank, or may be supplied from a drip line connected with the steam supply system.

Heating in the winter can also be gotten by operating the ice water pump, the water being heated by a steam coil in the ice tank or a finned steam coil in the water line.

To assist in the distribution of the air by controlling its direction when discharged from the ari conditioning units, according'to this invention, referring now to Fig. 4, the stream lined dampers 44 serve to break the air stream up into laminations and maybe adjusted to divert the air to one side, as required, to provide more eflicient circulation.

It is to be noted, referring again to Fig. 4, that the extended surfaces l5 are cellular in form, resembling the construction of automobile radiators. This form of construction is believed to be novel for air conditioning purposes and its advantages are that such surfaces are cheaply constructed and are rugged and compact, these two latter factors being very important for railway car purposes where cost of maintenance, light weight, and the amount of space required for installation are important. The unit is constructed of two of these radiator type surfaces arranged in substantially V form. The air drawn into the blower is forced to pass through one or the other, or both, of the radiators before entering the blower.= Ordinarily the fresh air is drawn through one radiator and recirculated air in the other, the air being mixed in ro-the space between thetwo units before being air in unconfined high velocity blasts in a single,

indrawn into the blower. The mixing of air can take place before entering the radiators in the chamber enclosing the radiators. This will always occur to more or less extent, dependent on the proportion of fresh air to recirculated air. The arrangement shown by Fig. 4 is believed to provide a maximum heat exchange surface with a minimum of space required.

' The control of temperatures can be obtained by a variety of means; such as thermostatic by-r pass valves, or stoppage of the pump, throught the means of a thermostat in the car.

While one or more embodiments of the invention have been described for the purpose of illustration, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the details described since many modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of supplying conditioned air at a desired temperature into a space to be served, which comprises, filtering outside air, mixing the filtered outside air with recirculated air, chilling the mixed air to a temperature substantially lower than that it is desired to maintain within said space, forcing .all of the chilled continuous, closed, loop circuit substantially above and around the sides of said space, and permitting chilled air from said circuit to fiow slowly into said space and warm air from said space to flow into said circuit in convection currents, whereby the sensible heat 'of the chilled air isincreased by contact with the warmer air overlying said space, until the temperature of the conditioned air is that it is desired to supply into said space.

2. The method of supplying conditioned air at a desired temperature and relative humidity into a space to be served, which comprises filtering outside air having a high dry bulb temperature, mixing recirculated air with the filtered outside air, chilling the mixed air to a dew point temperature substantially lower than the dry bulb temperature to be maintained in said space, forcing all of the chilled air in unconfined high velocity blasts in a single, continuous, closed, loop circuit substantially above and around the sides of said space, permitting chilled air from said circuit to flowslowly into said space and warm air from said space to flow into said circuit in convection currents, whereby the sensible heat of the chilled dehumidified air is increased by contact with the warmer air overlying said space until the dry bulb temperature of the conditioned air is that it is desired to supply into said space, and maintaining a static air pressure in saidv space above that of .the atmosphere external said space whereby vitiated air is discharged from said space into the atmosphere.

3. Apparatus for the conditioning and ductless distribution of air, supplied to passengers within a railway passenger car, comprising, an

air conditioning unit mounted in' one end of the car, means for conducting outside and recirculated air into said unit, means within said side of said car and arranged substantially above said discharge means, and another similar air conditioning unit in the other end of said car and having an inlet arranged substantially above said discharge means of said first unit and a discharge means arranged substantially below said last mentioned inlet and on a level with 4. Apparatus for the conditioning and ductless distribution of air supplied to passengers within a railway passenger car, comprising an air conditioning unit mounted in one end of said car outside the zone of the useful passenger space, means for filtering outside air and conducting the filtered outside air into said unit, heat exchange coils in said unit, means adapting said coils for heating or cooling action as desired, means for forcing the, air to be conditioned. through said unit in contact with said heat exchange means, a vertical partition located outside the zone of the useful passenger space between said unit and the passenger space, dis charge means in the roof zone'of and adjacent 'one of the longitudinal sides .of said car and terminating'in said partition for discharging the conditioned air from said unit in an unconfined 70 50 said discharge means in said first unit but adja cent opposite sides of said car.

said car for discharging the conditioned air from said second unit in an unconfined blast down along said other side of said car and overhead the passenger space, and a vertical partition extending between said discharge means longitudinally of said car for separating the air in said blasts.

'5. Apparatus for the conditioning and ductless distribution of air supplied .to passengers within a railway passenger car, comprising an air conditioning unit mounted in one end of said car outside the zone of the useful passenger space, means for filtering outside air and conducting same into said unit, heat exchange coils in said unit, means for supplying a refrigerant to said coils, a vertical partition located outside the zone of the useful passenger space, between said unit and the passenger space, discharge means in the roof zone of and adjacent one of the longitudinal sides of said car and terminating in said similar to said first mentioned discharge means connecting with said second unit and terminating in said second mentioned partition and located opposite said inlet, a second blower within said second unit, and means forming a second inlet connecting with said second unit, terminating in said partition and arranged opposite said first mentioned discharge means.

6. Apparatus for the conditioning and duct-' 'less distribution of air supplied to passengers within a railway passenger car, comprising an air conditioning unit mounted in one end of said car outside the zone of the useful passenger space, means for filtering outside air and conducting the filtered outside air into said unit, heat exchange coils in said-unit, means for supplying a refrigerant to said coils, a vertical par.- tition located outside the zone'of the useful passenger space between said unit and the beginning of passenger seating space, discharge means in the roof zone of and adjacent one of the longitudinal sides of said car, connecting with said unit. and terminating in said partition, for discharging the conditioned air from said unit in an unconfined blast down along one longitudinal side of said car and overhead the passenger space, a blower within said unit between said coils and said discharge means, means comprising a plurality of pivoted vertical vanes for controlling the direction of the air discharged from said discharge means, and means forming a recirculated air inlet in said unit spaced from said discharge means towards the other side of said car.

7. In a railway passenger car having a passenger space to be conditioned, a pair of transversely disposed cooling surfaces mounted overhead the passenger space, means for, supplying a cooling medium to said surfaces, a pair of spaced bulkhead partitions extending crosswise said car above the passenger; space, means form- I ing transversely disposed recirculated air inlet openings, one in each of said partitions, means forming transversely disposed ductless chilled air discharge outlet openings, one extending through each of said partitions and terminating flush therewith on \the discharge side thereof, and a pair of oppositely directed blowers, transversely disposed, one in alignment with and discharging into one of said outlet openings, and the other in alignment with and discharging into the other of said outlet openings, all disposed above said space, for forcing recirculated air in an unconfined blast down along one longitudinal side of and overhead said space and in contact with one of said surfaces, and for returning same in an unconfined blast down along the other side of and overhead said space and in contact with the other of said surfaces.

8. The method of supplying cooled air at a desired temperature into a space to be served, which comprises establishing a single, unconfined loop circuit of recirculated air substantially above and around the sides of said space, adding substantial volumes of outside air having a substantially higher temperature and humidity than it is desired to maintain in said space, to

said circuit, chilling the air at two points in said circuit on opposite sides thereof to a temperature substantially lower than that it is desired to maintain in said space, and permitting chilled air from said circuit to flow slowly into said space and warm air from said space toflow into said circuit, in natural convection currents whereby the sensible heat of the chilled air is increased in its downward movement by contact with the warmer air overlying said space until the temperature of the conditioned air supplied from said circuit to said space is that it is desired to supply into said space.

- 9. In apparatus for the conditioning and ductless distribution of air, the combination with a railway car having a relatively long and narrow passenger compartment terminating short of the ends of the car, an air conditioning unit at each end of the car above the normal headroom of the car and external to the said passenger compartment, and means for establishing unconfined air currents moving in opposite directions along the opposite sides of and from end to end of the passenger compartment above the passenger space therein; said means comprising blowers for forcing air through the respective units, discharge means and a recirculated air inlet for each unit, the discharge means of the units being located at opposite ends of the passenger compartment adjacent opposite sides of the car and above the passenger space within the compartment, and the recirculated air inlet of each unit being substantially above the associated discharge means and at the opposite side of the car. v

10. Apparatus as claimed in the preceding claim, wherein compartments are provided at opposite ends of the car for housing said air conditioning units, said compartments being ROBERT T. BRIZZOLARA.

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