US2243931A - Radiant heat absorbing means - Google Patents

Description

' June 3, 1941. H. a. WEBSTER RADIANT HEAT 'ABSORBING MEANS Filed April 29, 1938' Patentecl June 3, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RADIANT HEAT ABSORBING MEANS Harry G. Webster, Chicago, Ill.

Application April 29, 1938, Serial No. 204,962

7 Claims.

This invention relates to means for increasing body heat loss, particularly of living creatures, including human beings, with a View to increased comfort of the latter, and has to do with radiant heat absorbing means suitable to that end.

Air conditioning of houses, buildings and offices, and other establishments with a view to greater comfort of the occupants, is now well known and rather extensively used. Under present practice such air conditioning is accomplished by maintaining the air within a room or space at an optimum temperature and humidity which assures desired comfort of the occupants of such space or room. That necessitates handling large volumes of air and controlling the temperature and humidity thereof, which con sumes considerable energy necessitating an adequate power source. The ordinary system of air conditioning is subject to the further objection that persons passing from an air conditioned room or space into a space which is not air conditioned, or vice versa, are subjected to abrupt and sometimes sever changes in air temperature and humidity, with the result that respiratory infection may be induced.

It is known that if two bodies at different temperatures be placed in proximity there will be a tendency to equalization of the temperatures of the bodies, by transfer of heat from the body of higher temperature to the body of lower temperature, such heat transfer being effected by radiant energy, commonly termed radiant heat.

It is possible, by properly promoting the loss oi heat from the hum-an body and clothing, to maintain the body temperature such that a per son will be entirely comfortable even in an atmosphere of high temperature and humidity. My invention is directed primarily to means whereby the loss of body heat may be promoted in a simple and efiicient manner such that all necessity for regulating the temperature and humidity of large volumes of air is eliminated, resulting in a very much reduced cost of operation and in a superior result. The particular apparatus employed for that purpose may assume various forms, as will become apparent, and I have disclosed herein but one form by way of example. Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the detail description.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an isometric front view of radiant heat absorbing means embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse lengthwise sectional view of the radiant heat absorbing means of Figure 1, taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of Figure 2, certain parts being shown in elevation; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 2.

My invention comprises appropriately cooled heat absorbing means exposed to radiant energy in the form of dark heat or infra-red rays passing through a wall or plate permeable to such rays. Neither air cooling nor dehumidifying is intended .or desired, and the heat absorbing means preferably is enclosed within a suitable chamber effective to prevent free flow of air in contact therewith, the plate constituting a wall of the chamber. Preferably, the chamber is made substantially air-tight, and, in certain instances, it may be made completely air-tight and evacuated, with a view to insulating thermally the cooled parts of the apparatus from the surrounding air.

I have illustrated by invention as embodied in a portable unit comprising a base 5, conveniently mounted on casters of known type and in a known manner, for portability. Upon the base 5 I mounta relatively thin cubiform casing 6, defining a chamber 8. The back of easing B is closed by wall 9, which constitutes a side Wall of both chamber 8 and casing 6. The latter also defines two vertical ducts Iii, disposed at the ends of chamber 8 and opening at their lower ends into base 5, the upper ends of ducts 10 being open to the atmosphere.

Within chamber 8 there is supported heat absorbing means, comprising a heat absorbing surface and means for taking oii heat absorbed by such surf-ace. This means includes a plate II, conveniently formed of metal, preferably copper due to the high heat conductivity of the latter. Plate ll preferably has its outer surface provided with a black coating highly efiicient for absorbing heat, such as lamp black, or such surface may be treated to provide a thin layer of black oxide of copper. The plate I I conveniently has a refrigerant receiving and vaporizing means comprising a plurality .of vertical tubes l2, formed of copper or other suitable metal. Tubes l2 depend from a cylindrical tank I3 and open, at their lower ends, into a header 14 having, at one end, an elbow l5 passing through bottom wall it of chamber 8, this bottom wall conveniently being formed by a portion of the top wall of base 5. Tank 13 maybe supported by brackets ll secured to the back Wall 9 of casing ii. Plate II may be formed integrally with or secured to the tubes l2 in any suitable manner. The heat absorbing and conducting plate H and the refriger-ant receiving and evaporating means thus form a complete unit effective for absorbing and taking off heat, and the plate II is in intimate thermal conducting relation to the refrigerant.

The front of chamber 8 is closed by a thin rectangular plate 1 of a material highly permeable to radiant energy of long wave length, such as dark heat or infra-red rays. Rock salt crystals and hard r-ubber, sometimes termed ebonite, are both well suited for that purpose. Plate 1 preferably is formed of hard rubber, for practical reasons. It constitutes the front wall of chamber 8, which preferably is air tight, or substantially so.

Base 5 contains a refrigerant compressing and condensing unit of known type. This unit comprises an electric motor !8 having a belt driving connection to a compressor !9, and a condensing coil 29. The motor and the compressor carry fans effective for inducing air through openings 2! and 22 in back wall 23 of base 5 and blowing this air over the condensing coil 20, the air then escaping through the ducts Ii]. compressor I9 is connected by a tube 2 to tank l3, for withdrawing refrigerant vapor therefrom. The compressed refrigerant is delivered from the compressor I9 to the condensing coil 29 and thence into a refrigerant tank or reservoir 25, g

in a known manner. The reservoi conveniently is supported above the condensing coil 2B, in a known manner. Refrigerant is supplied from reservoir 25 to header M, through a tube 25, expansion valve 2? and elbow i 5. valve 2-! is of known type and is controlled in a known manner by a thermostat (not shown) connected by a tube 28 to valve 2?. The use of an expansion valve controlled by a thermostat, for admitting refrigerant to a refrigerant receiving and vaporizing unit, is well known in the electrical refrigeration art and need not be described here in detail. Suffice it to state that refrigerant is admitted from reservoir 25 to header I i in accordance with requirements, by

means of the expansion valve and the thermostat, the latter being responsive to the temperature of plate H. It is also contemplated providing suitable thermostat control means for closing and opening the circuit of motor 8, at appropriate times, such means being well known in the refrigeration art and requiring no i-llustration nor description here. -It will be also understood that a suitable electric cord having a plug cap, or other appropriate means, for connecting the electric motor into the house or building circuit is to be provided.

The portable unit herein disclosed is well suited for use in a room or office. In practice it is The intake of The expansion disposedan appropriate distance from the person whose body heat loss is to be promoted, with the plate or wall I toward such person. The rays of dark heat emanating from the persons body and clothing readily pass through plate I and the intervening air as radiant energy which, upon impinging upon the plate Ii is converted into heat, which is taken ed by the cooling means. Since the heat absorbing means is maintained at a considerably lower temperature than that of the heat emitting body (the body temperature of the person), flow of radiant heat from the person to the radiant heat absorbing means is promoted, and such heat flow may be controlled, within limits, by maintaining the heat absorbing means at that temperature which produces the most comfort.

While I have shown the radiant heat absorbing means of my invention, in the illustrated embodiment thereof, as including means for compressing and condensing the refrigerant, that is not essential to my invention. In its broader aspects, my invention ccmprehends anysuitable means for absorbing and taking off heat produced by the radiant energy or dark heat rays passing through the wall or member permeable to such rays and impinging upon the heat absorbing plate. I also contemplate using any suitable number of radiant heat absorbing units, comprising a member permeable to dark heat or infra-red rays and an associated relatively cold ,heat absorbing member, with extraneous means for taking off heat from the latter, such units being arranged in any suitable manner with reference to the person whose body heat loss is to be promoted and to the room or other structure within which such person may be situated.

I claim:

1. In radiant heat absorbing means, a plate of material highly transmissive to dark heat rays, such as are principally emitted from the human body, a second plate of a material of high heat conductivity disposed adjacent but spaced from said first plate and. having a heat absorbing surface exposed thereto, and cooling means in thermal conducting relation to said second plate.

2. In radiant heat absorbing means, a refrigerated heat absorbing element, and a casing enclosing said element and shielding it from the atmosphere surrounding said casing, the latter having a wall substantially out of thermal conducting contact with said element and transmissive to dark heat rays such as are principally emitted from the human body.

3. In combination, a cold body, means for removing heat from said body, and means for insulating said body from coaction with the circumambient medium, said insulating means being transmissive to radiant heat such as is emitted from the human body.

l. In combination a refrigerated panel, an enclosing casing for said panel adapted substantially to exclude free atmosphere from contact with said panel, and a wall portion of said casing of material transmissive to radiant heat such as is emitted by the human body.

5. A cooling device comprising the combination of a substantially air sealed casing, a wall portion on said casing of material transmissive to radiant heat waves such as .are principally emitted from the human body, and heat disposing means in said casing comprising an extensive surface for absorbing heat rays and means for removing heat therefrom, said surface being spaced from said wall so as -to substantially avoid cooling said wall to as low a temperature as said surface.

6. In a device of the class described, a heat absorbing element, and a casing enclosing :said

element and shielding it from the atmosphere surrounding said casing, a portion of said casing consisting of a material transmissive to dark heat rays such as are principally emitted from the human body.

7. In radiant heat absorbing means, a closed chamber comprising a wall of material highly transmissive to dark heat rays such as are principally emitted from the human body, heat absorbing means within said chamber spaced from said wall and having a surface adjacent said wall exposed to heat rays passing through said wall, and cooling means within said chamber and in thermal conducting relation to said heat absorbing means.

HARRY G. WEBS'I'ER.

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