US2265634A

US2265634A - Refrigerating plant

Info

Publication number: US2265634A
Application number: US269575A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ford J Cumming
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1939-04-24
Filing date: 1939-04-24
Publication date: 1941-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 1958-12-09

Description

. 9, 1941. F. J. CUMMING REFRIGERATING PLANT 2 She'ets-Sheet 1 Filed April 24, 1939 j? van 2 01 jb d J Cznnmz'qg Dec. 9, 1941. F. J. CUMMING 2,265,634

REFRIGERATING PLANT Filed April 24, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H E9. 3 n

Ford 6511772772729 Patented Dec. 9, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING PLANT Ford J. Cumming, Minneapolis, Minn. application April 24, 1939, Serial No. 269,575

16 Claims.

disclosed and claimed in my pending application a S. N. 260,993, filed March 10, 1939, and entitled Refrigerating plant.

In the said pending application there is disclosed a novel arrangement of a low temperature refrigerating unit in connection with a cold storage room and a relatively warm room or compartment. The saidlow temperature unit, as preferably designed, involves a metallic casing exposed in the storage or low temperature room and containing a low temperature heat exchanger.

The said application also involves novel means of defrosting the refrigerating coils or elements within the casing. In practice it has been found that with the metallic casing of the refrigerating unit exposed in the cold room'there was sometimes difficulty in preventing freezing of the water resulting from defrosting on the bottom of the casing or in the drain passage leading therefrom. My present invention provides a simple and eflicient means for remedying that defect without providing heavily insulated conduits for the drain and without making it necessary to insulate the casing of the refrigerating unit.

Certain of the features illustrated in the drawings of this application are common to those in my pending application and these common features will be noted after first describing the figures of the drawings illustrating the present invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section illustrating the invention, some portions being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the irregular line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is avertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

The elements of the present drawings which correspond to the drawings of the earlier application are indicated by the same numerals, to wit; the numeral 5 indicates a processing room or compartment and the numeral 6 indicates a cold storage or lockerroom.

For illustration it may be stated that in practied the temperature maintained in the cold storage room or compartment 6 will usually be maintained in the processing room or compartment 5 will usually be from 70 to 30.

As shown, a normally closed door l0 leads from the room 5 into the room 6. The low temperature unit shown involves a box-like metallic casing I 9 in which a low temperature heat exchanger 20 and a motor driven fan or blower 2i are located. The casing I9 is preferably hung high or near the ceiling in the room 6 and is provided with two

air intake ports

24 and 25, the former being exposed to cold storage room 6 and the latter being exposed to the warm processing room 5. These

intake ports

24 and 25 are adapted to be opened and closed by valves or gates 24' and 25. Also the casing is provided with a main cold air discharge pipe or conduit 26 that opens into the room 6 through one or more discharge conduits 30 adapted to be opened and closed by valve acting louvers or dampers 3|. Pipe or conduit 26 is provided with a branch 32 that opens into the processing room 5 and is adapted to be opened and closed by a valve acting damper or gate 33.

Located in the main pipe or conduit 26 between the branch 32 and outlet 30 is a damper or valveacting closure 34. The low temperature heat exchanger 20 is shown as supplied with refrigerating fluid through pipes 22 leading from a suitable compressor 23. i

In the use of the apparatus so far described, as will more fully appear from the description of the said prior application, closures 25' and 32 will be closed, and dampers or closures 24', if and 34 will be open when the refrigerating unit is used to produce the low temperature in the room 6. When, however, the apparatus is to be defrosted, closures 25' and 33 will be opened and the closures 24' and 34 will be closed so that the warm air from the room 5 will be circulated through the casing I9 to defrost the refrigerating coils 20.

In accordance with my present invention, the bottom of the casing compartment containing the low temperature heat exchanger is located above the casing bottom and the drain pipe leading from the heat exchanger of the casing is located in a by-pass formed in the bottom of the casing l9 and through which a part of the warm air from the room 5 will be circulated to keep the bottom proper of the refrigerating compartment and the drain pipe leading therefrom at a temperature above the freezing point. In the pre-' ferred form of this arrangement, the casing i9 is provided with a raised deck or false bottom 25 from zero to plus 10 F.; while the temperature on which the refrigerating coils and the motor propelled fan or blower are mounted. This deck 35 is air spaced from the bottom of the casing to aflord an auxiliary air passage 30 between the deck II and the bottom of the casing. The receiving end of this auxiliary air passage II is adapted to be opened and closed by a valve act-. ing damper or gate I! and the delivery end of said auxiliary passage opens into the upper part of the casing through a large air passage a 10+ cated quite close to the eye of the fan or blower.

As a means for adjusting and variably-setting the gate or damper 31 there is s'hojwn'ajs provided a depending chain or operating cables as that depend through the bottom of the casing. Opening upwardly through the false bottom or deck 3! and located within the auxiliary air passage 3. is a water conveying drain pipe 40. This drain pipe 40 is extended through the auxiliary air passage II to a point outside of the cold storage room or compartment 30 and from thence, by an extension I, is extended outward and downward to a suitable point of discharge. As shown, the extension pipe 4! extends into the relatively warm room I and from thence outward to a suitable point of discharge or to a suitable receptacle that may be located within the said room or compartment 5. Of course, it is desirable to keep the drain pipe out of contact with the sur-, faces of the casing, so that it will be surrounded by and subject to'the influence of a current 0,1,

warm air during defrosting periods.

In the defrosting operation above indicated, the damper or gate 31 will be opened to such an extent that there will be enough warm air drawn through the auxiliary air passage 38 to keep the drain pipe and the deck 35, from dropping to the freezing point. This obviously prevents freezing of water on the deck or bottom .35 and in the drain pipe. Of course, the main volume of air passes between and around the refrigerating coils of the heat exchanger 20 to melt the ice therefrom, and from thence to the intake of the fan or blower, and the air drawn in through the auxiliary air passage 36 will also be taken in through the eye of the fan and discharged from the fan.

It follows from the foregoing that, for the defrosting operation, the circulation of the rela- ,tively warm air from the warm room I will be into the casing and from thence back into. the said warm room or compartment 5.

n the deck 35 just forward of the air intake passage 38 is a raised transverse flange 42; and

a just forward of the radiator 20 on said deck is a similar transverse raised flange 43. These flanges and the sides of the casing form on the deck 35 a shallow water collecting drain pan that prevents the water resulting from defrosting from running directly into the air duct 33 and from coming into contact with the extreme bottom of the casing, which latter, as noted, is subject to the low freezing temperature in the room 6. a By the means described, the water is prevented from coming into contact with the cold bottom 1 of the casing where it would be likely to freeze, and is caused to run out freely through the drain i pipe 40.

relatively cold and relatively warm room, a refrigerator casing exposed within said relatively cold room, said casing having damperuipped air intake and discharge conduits leading from and to said relatively warm room, a heat exchange radiator located in said casing, a motor driven fan in said casing, and a drain pipe extended from said casing longitudinally of and within the air intake conduit and leading into said relatively warm room.

2. The structure deflned in claim 1 in which said casing has a raised deck forming a false bottom and'drip pan to which said drain pipe is connected and from which said drain pipe leads to said relatively warm room. I

3. m a cold storage refrigerating plant, a cold storage room wherein air is refrigerated to below freezing temperatures, an associated warm room wherein the. temperature is maintained above freezing, an air conduit exposed to the freezingtemperature in the cold storage room and having inlet and outlet openings exposed to the warm air above freezing temperature in said associated warm room, a low temperature heatexchanger located in said conduit intermediate said openings, said conduit being equipped with valve means for opening and closing the same to pas- I sage of warm air therethrough to and from said Broadly considered, the casing i9 forms an enlarged part of the conduits leading to and from a the cold storage room 6, and to and from the j warm room 5. Hence, the casing i9 and its 1 extended conduits may hereinafter be jointly referred to as a conduit having inlet and outlet openings.

What I claim is: 1. In an air conditioning installation, separated warm room, and water collecting and conveying means positioned and arranged within said conduit to collect water precipitated from the heat exchanger during defrosting period and convey the same outwardly of the cold storage room through an extended end portion of said conduit that opens into said warm room, whereby the collecting and conveying means will be maintained under the influence of warm air circulated through the conduit from the warm room 4. The structure deflned in claim 3, in further combination with blower means for force circulating air through said conduit.

5. The structure deflned in claim 3, in which the said water conducting means extends through the warm air intake end portion of said conduit.

6. The structure deflned in claim 3, in which the said water collecting and conducting means is air spaced from the bottom and top of the conduit and in which the air spaces above and below the same are open to gitudinally of the conduit.

7. The structure deflned in claim 3, in which the water collecting and conveying means includes a drip pan positioned within the conduit to intercept and collect water dripping from the heat exchanger defrosting periods, said drip pan being air spaced from the top and bottom of the conduit so as to permit free passage of air above and below the same.

v 8. The structure deflned in claim 3, in which the water collecting and conveying means includes a drip pan positioned within the conduit to intercept and collect water dripping from the heat exchanger defrosting periods, said drip pan being air spaced from the top and bottom of the conduit so as to permit free passage of air above and below the same, and further includes a water conductor leading from the drip pan and outwardlyof the cold storage room through an extended end portion of the conductor that opens in to the warm room, said water conductor being air spaced from the cold surfaces of the conduit substantially throughout that porpassage of air lontion thereof within the cold storage room exposed portion of the conduit.

9. In a cold storage refrigerating plant, a cold storage room wherein air is refrigerated to below freezing temperatures, an associated warm room wherein the temperature is maintained above freezing, an air conduit exposed to the freezing temperature in the cold storage room and having valve controlled inlet and outlet openings exposed to the warm above-freezing temperature air in said associated warm room and also having inlet and outlet openings exposed to freezing air in the cold storage room, a low temperature heat exchanger located in said conduit intermediate the inlet and outlet openings, said conduit being equipped with valve means operative to open the conduit to passage of air therethrough from and to the cold storage compartment and to close the same topassage of warm air therethrough from and t6 the warm room or to close the conduit to passage of air therethrough from and to the cold storage compartment and open the same to passage. of warm air therethrough from and to said associatedv warm room and water collecting and conveying means positioned and arranged within said conduit to intercept and collect water precipitated from the heat exchanger during defrosting periods and convey the same outwardly of the cold storage compartment through an extended end portion of said conduit that opens into the warm room, whereby the conducting and conveying means will be maintained under the influence of warm air circulated through the conduit from the warm room during defrostlng periods.

10. The structure defined in claim 9 in which the water conducting and conveying means extends through the warm air intake end portion of the conduit.

11. The structure defined in claim 9 in which the said water collecting and conducting means is air spaced from the bottom and top of the conduit and in which the air spaces above and below the same are open to passage of air longitudinally of the conduit.

12. The structure defined in claim 9, in combination with blower means for force circulating air through said conduit.

13. The structure defined in claim 9, in which the water collecting and conveying means includes a drip pan positioned within the conduit to intercept and collect water dripping from the heat exchanger defrosting periods, said drip pan being air spaced from the top and bottom of the conduit so as to permit free passage of air above and below the same.

14. The structure defined in claim 9, which further includes a water conductor leading from the drip pan and outwardly of the cold storage room through an extended end portionof the conductor that opens in to the warm room, said water conductor being air spaced from the cold surfaces of the conduit substantially throughout that portion thereof within the cold storage room exposed portion of the conduit.

15. The structure defined in claim 9, in which the said water conducting means extends through the warm air intake end portion of said conduit.

16. Structure defined in claim 1, in which said warm air intake passage within said casing is divided, one branch thereof leading to the intake of the fan through said heat exchanger and the other branch thereof leading to the intake of the fan past the heat exchanger, and in which said drain pipe is located in and is extended longitudinally. through the last noted branch of said warm air intake conduit.

FORD J. CUMMING.