US2507387A

US2507387A - Water-cooling device

Info

Publication number: US2507387A
Application number: US650035A
Authority: US
Inventors: Merlin A Sticelber
Original assignee: Stickelber and Sons Inc
Current assignee: Stickelber and Sons Inc
Priority date: 1946-02-25
Filing date: 1946-02-25
Publication date: 1950-05-09
Anticipated expiration: 1967-05-09

Description

May 9, 1950 M. A. STICELBER WATER COOLING DEVICE Filed Feb. 25, 1946 WATER 5 FROM RECEIVER OUTLET IN VENTOR MERLIN A. STICELBER BY PM; ATTORNEY Patented May 9, 1950 UNITED STATES WATER-COOLING DEVICE Merlin A. Sticelber, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Stickelber & Sons, Inc., a corporation of Missouri Application February 25, 1946, Serial No. 650,035

My invention relates to liquid coolers, and more particularly to a water cooling apparatus.

It is a purpose of my invention to provide a simple and efiicient water cooling device that is so constructed and arranged as to have high efiiciency and at the same time prevent formation of ice on the cooling coil, this being accomplished by setting up a rapidly moving flow of the liquid over the turns of the coil in a direction generally axial of the coil and controlling the flow of reirigerant by thermostatic means in such a manner as to maintain the temperature 01 the body of liquid in the cooling device at a temperature sufliciently above the freezing point to prevent such ice formation.

More particularly my invention comprises an elongated tank, preferably, substantially circular in cross section with means for mounting a cooling coil which is, preferably, helical in character, therein so that said coil extends longitudinally of the tank and the axis of said coil is co-axial with the axis of the tank, and to provide means for creating a flow of liquid in a generally longitudinal direction of said tank and cooling coil, said means comprising a propeller that is mounted with its axis of rotation substantially on the axis of the cooling coil and the tank, within the coil.

My invention further provides new and improved simple mounting means for a cooling coil of the above mentioned character, said mounting means including a, pair of longitudinally extending tubular members supporting the turns of the coil and connected with said coil and with conduit means extending from the receiver or" a direct expansion refrigerating system and to the compressor of such a system, so that the refrigerant will pass from the receiver into one end of the cooling coil and to'the compressor from the other end thereof throughsaid mounting means. .Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the description of the drawing proceeds. I desire to have it understood, however, that I do not intend to limit myself to the 3 Claims. (Cl. 257-235) proved water cooling means comprises a substantially cylindrical tank I0 mounted on suitable supports II and having a concavo-convex head #2 at one end thereof, which is permanently secured liquid tight to the cylindrical side wall portion of said tank, and a similar concavoconvex head I3, which is detachably secured to the cylindrical body portion of the tank I0, said body portion I0 and head I3 being provided with flanges id and I5, which are secured together by bolts or similar securing means I6 for securing the detachable head portion'to said tank. A liquid tight joint is provided in any suitable manner between the flanges I4 and I5, suitable gasket material being provided therebetween, if this isfound to bedesirable.

Mounted in fixed position in openings in the heads I2 and I3 are the sleeve-like members I1, IE, IS and 29, said sleeve-like members being secured in liquid tight relation in the openings in the heads I2 and I3. Mounted in the sleevelike members I8 and I9 is a tubular member 2I and mounted in the sleeve-like members I! and. 25 is a tubular member-22, said sleeve-like members I8 and I9 being longitudinally aligned with each other and the sleevelike members I! and 28 being longitudinally aligned with each other. The tubular members 2| and 22 may be pipes or similar members, and are of such a size as to fit snugly within the sleeves [1, I8, I9 and 2B and are, preferably welded therein so as to make a liquid tight joint between each sleeve and the tubular member mounted therein.

The tubular members 2I and 22 are each made up of two lengths of pipe or tubing with a T interposed between the two lengths of pipe or tubing, the T 23 being provided on the tubular member 2! and the T 24 being provided on the tubular member 22. The T 23 is located near the end of the tubular member-2| remote from the head 43, while the T 24 is located near the end of the tubular member 22 that passes through the head I3, Connected with the T 23 is one end of a spiral or helical cooling coil 25, the other end thereof being connected with the T 24.: The turns 25 of the coil 25 aremounted on the tubular members 2! and 22, said tubular members 2I and 22 supporting said turns of said coil and serving as the sole support therefor, and being so located that the axis of the coil 25 coincides with the axis of the cylindrical wall portion II] of the tank, the turns 28 of the coil being located at a point closer to the wall I!) than to the axis of the cylindrical portion It to thus provide a passage ofrelatively great diameter axially through the cooling coil 25.

Plugs

8 and 9 are mounted in the tubular members 2! and 22, respectively, to shut off the portions thereof to the left of the

Ts

23 and 24, respectively, from the refrigerant passage to the right thereof. The ends of the tubular members extending into the sleeves I! and I8 may also be closed.

The end of the tubular member 2| extending through the head I3 is connected with the liquid refrigerant pipe 27, which extends from the receiver of a conventional refrigeratin system, an.

expansion valve 28 being interposed in the pipe 2'! adjacent the tubular member 21. The portion 1 of the tubular member 22 that extends through the head i3 has the suction. pipe"29. leading to the compressor of a conventional refrigerating system connected therewith, the bulb 36 of a thermostatic control for the'expansion valve 28 being, preferably, mounted on the suction pipe adjacent the connection therewith to the tubular member 22. The flow of refrigerant accordingly is-from the expansion valve 23 through the tubular-member 2| to the end of thecoil 25 adjacent the head 12 through the succeeding turns of the cooling coil 25to the T 24 and through the tubular member 22 to the suction pipe 29.

The head I3 is providedwith a central opening 3 l which isprovidedwith a flange 32 provided withscrew-threaded members 33 receiving nuts to secure the base plate 34 thereto; Mounted on the base plate 34 is a collar 35' in which is mounted the bronze bearing sleeve 38 for the propeller shaft 31, a-liquid tight joint being provided around the shaft 3l-by means of a packing gland 38 cooperating with the sleeve 36 in the usual manner, and a mass-ofpacking material 35 provided inthe housing Ell, which is mounted on the base plate lid-in any suitable manner, as by meansof a flangebolted onto said base plate, as shown in'Fig. 2. The housin 456 is also provided'with a bearing opening 4| therein for the propeller shaft 37. The bearing sleeve'36 is fixed in the col1ar35 and a suitable thrust collar 42 is provided between the'end of the bearing sleeve 36 and the spacing sleeve 33 provided between the hub portion a l of a propeller 45 and said thrust collar i2: The shaft 37 has mounted thereon to rotate therewith'a pulley 46, the hub portion ll "of which is in engagement with the end wallof the housing 40'.

Thepropeller '45 is detachably mounted on the shaft in any desired manner so as to rotate therewith. The blades of the propeller 45 have such pitch and'the rotation of the shaft is in the proper direction to advance a stream of Water parallel to the axis of rotation of the propeller to the left of the propeller as viewed in Fig. 2, and to draw a stream of water substantially par allel to the axis of the shaft from the right of the propeller into the same. As a result of such rotation of the propeller there is a rapid flow of a stream ofwater created within the coil 25 in the direction of the axis thereof, some of the stream of water being defiected'by the turns of the coil 25 so as to flow between-theturns and into the space outside the coil, or between the coil and the cylindrical tank wall. The major portion of the stream, however; will flow to the head I2 and be deflected by the concave wall thereof toward the cylindrical shell of the tank It! and flow back from left'to right, as viewed in Fig. 2', toward the end of the tank that is provided with the head l3. As a result there will be a rapid flow ofwater or other liquid around all portions of thecooling coil so as to prevent any accumulation of ice on the turns of the coil, provided that the temperature of the water is maintained slightly above the freezing point. The pulley 45 may be driven by any suitable means.

The water inlet is, preferably, through a pipe 48, which is welded or otherwise mounted liquid tight within a sleeve-like member 49, which is welded liquid tight in anopening in the head I2. A T 53 is, preferably, connectedwith the water inlet pipe 68 and a pipe 5! is connected with the T 56, the pipe 5i leadin from a suitable source of water supply. The bulb 52 is mounted within the tank closely adjacent the Water inlet and has aliquid material therein, which is also prow'ded .in thetubular member 53 extending therefrom through the T 5tlto a switch 54, a liquid tight joint bein provided between the tubular member 53 and the downwardly extending branch of the T 50.

The liquid in the bulb 52 and tubular member 53 is of such a character that it expands upon rise in temperature and contracts upon drop in temperature and is operatively connected with suitable switching means inthe switch 5% so that said switching means will move to circuit closing position upon rise of the temperature of the liquid surrounding the bulb 52 above a predetermined value and will open upon drop of the temperature around the bulb below a predetermined value. The switch M-is interposed ina circuit controlling operation of the compressor of a conventional refrigerating system, being interposed between the conductors 55 and 56', which are'part of the controlling circuit-of said compressor. .Said'controlling system is so-arranged that the compressor will operate whenever the temperature of the water around the bulb 52 reaches a predetermined maximum temperature and" will cease operating whenever the temperature of the water around the bulb 52' reaches a predetermined low temperature, said low temperature being sufliciently above the freezin point of water that witli'the agitation created in the body of liquid by the propeller 45 ice will not form on the coils 25 of the cooling coil 25. A cold water outlet pipe 5'! is mounted liquid tight in a sleeve 53-, which in turn is secured liquid tight in an opening in the head l2 near the bottom of the tank.

Due to the provision of the propeller, not only will the cooling coil be prevented from becoming covered with ice, but the liquid will be so thoroughly agitated and continuously flowing from end to end of the tank that the temperature thereof will be substantially uniform throughout, and as a result the temperature of the water flowing through the outlet pipe 57 will be kept substantially uniform at all times.

What I claim is:

l. A liquid cooling device, comprising a horizontally elongated cylindrical tank providing a liquid chamber, said tank having heads at the opposed ends thereof, a pair of straight tubular members mounted in said heads and extending horizontally between the same substantially parallel to the axis of said tank, and-a helical cooling coil mounted in said tank with its axis extending horizontally on the axis of said tank; said coil having the turns thereof lying externally of said tubular members, said turns being each engaged at opposite sides thereof by said tubular members to support said coil and said coil having one end thereof secured to one of said tubular members and the other end thereof secured to the other tubular member.

2. A liquid cooling device, comprising an elongated cylindrical tank providing a liquid chamber, said tank having heads at the opposed ends thereof, a pair of tubular members mounted in said heads and extending lengthwise of said tank between the same substantially parallel to the axis of said tank, and a helical expansion coil mounted in said tank with its axis substantially on the axis of said tank and embracing said tubular members, said coil having each of the turns thereof engaged at opposite sides by said tubular members to support said coil and having the ends thereof secured one to each of said tubular members, one of said tubular members being connected with one end of said coil to provide a refrigerant inlet connection thereto, and the other of said tubular members being connected with the other end of said coil to provide a suction connection leading therefrom.

3. A liquid cooling device, comprising an elongated cylindrical tank providing a liquid chamber, said tank having heads at the opposed ends thereof, a pair of tubular members mounted in said heads and extending between the same sub-- stantially parallel to the axis of said tank, a helical expansion coil mounted in said tank with its axis substantially on the axis of said tank and embracing said tubular members, said coil having the turns thereof engaged at opposite sides by said tubular members to support said coil and having the ends thereof secured one to each of said tubular members, one of said tubular mem" bers being connected with one end of said coil to provide a refrigerant inlet connection thereto and the other of said members being connected with the other end of said coil to provide a suction connection leading therefrom, the space within the helix of said coil being open to unrestricted flow of liquid therein in all directions from end to end thereof, and means within said coil rotating about the axis of said coil to create a flow of liquid longitudinally of said coil from end to end thereof and between the turns thereof.

MERLIN A. STICELBER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 577,925 Lothes Mar. 2, 1897 1,175,147 Howard Mar. 14, 1916 1,733,760 Spreen Oct. 29, 1929 1,828,989 Wade Oct. 27, 1931 2,071,624 Graham Feb. 23, 1937 2,210,031 Greene Aug. 6, 1940 2,300,058 Osborn, Jr., et al. Oct. 27, 1942