US2532026A

US2532026A - Precooler with internal fins

Info

Publication number: US2532026A
Application number: US36882A
Authority: US
Inventors: Heinrich J Kellershon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1948-07-03
Filing date: 1948-07-03
Publication date: 1950-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 1967-11-28

Description

Nov. 28, 1950 H. J.' KELLERSHON PRECOOLER WITH INTERNAL FINS Filed July 3, 1948 A INVENTOR. \M\Msmsm wf* @ifi A TTORA/EXS.

3 ns are attached to the wall 29 by solder 42 which forms fillets along the entire peripheral edge of the n element 40.

There are openings 44 and 45 (Fig. 3) through the

fins

34 and 35, respectively. It is a feature of the construction that these openings 44 and 45 extend from a region near the ridge 4l to the fillet provided by the solder 42. By having these openings extend all the way down to the fillets providedby the solder, the construction provides drainage that prevents the accumulation of water in what would otherwise be a pocket between the lower portion of each n and the side wall 25 of the pre-cooler. Any such pockets in which water could accumulate would decrease the eiiiciency of the pre-cooler because the improved re suits of the pre-cooler are obtained by keeping the water continually in motion and by constantly bringing different particles of water into contact with the side wall 29.

Some heat is conducted through the wall 29 and soldered fillets 42 to the ns so that the water receives heat from the fins, but the transfer of heat through the wall 29 to cold water on the other side of the wall is even more direct. The

fins

36 and 37 comprise the sloping sides of a iin element 'which is of identical construction with the iin element 40. The ridge 52 of the fin element U, however, is preferably disposed at a 4phase angle to the axis of the chamber which is at 90 to the phase angle of the ridge 4|. The next fin element 53 below the iin element 5d is disposed at the same phase angle to the chamber axis as the fin element 40.

In the construction shown, each successive iin element is located with its ridge atta phase angle to the chamber axis which differs by 90 from the phase angle of the next n elements above and below it. It will be understood that the successive n elements can be arranged at`other phase angles with relation to one another, the purpose of the construction being merely to locate the openings through the successive iins so that most of the cross section of each opening is located above a surface area of the next adjacent fin l below.

In order to make it possible to remove obstructions which may become lodged in the pre-cooler, the openings through the fins are shaped so that a portion of each opening over-lies a portion of the corresponding openings in the iins below. This is illustrated in Figure 3 Where the upper portion of the opening 44 over-lies a part of

openings

54 and 55 of the n element 53, while the y upper portion of the opening 45 over-lies portions Vfin elements.

The center clearance through the pre-cooler, provided by the overlapping openings of the suc cessive n elements, permits tweezers or a hook or other instrument to be inserted into the precooler to remove any foreign body that becomes lodged between any of the fin elements, no matter at what level in the pre-coolerV the foreign body may be located.

`The warm water on its way to the refrigeration lli unit travels through a conduit in heat exchange relation with the outside of the wall 29. This conduit, in the construction shown, comprises a helical coil of metal tubing 5l, which is preferably made of copper. The tubing 6l is secured to the wall 29 by solder 68 which forms iillets that increase the section of metal through which heat iiows from the tubing 61 into the wall 29 of the pre-cooler. The lower end of the tubing 61 is connected with a water main, or other source of water, and the upper end of the tubing 61 has a connection l!! leading to the water inlet of the refrigeration unit i4.

In the manufacture of the apparatus, the iin elements are stacked in the metal tubing 29, one above the other, and the helical metal tubing 61 is placed around the outside of the metal tubing 29. The parts are then fluxed and the entire unit is dipped in molten solder. VIn this way the fin elements and all of the convolutions of the tubing 61 are soldered to the metal tubing or wall 29 at said drain of a pre-cooler through which theV water from the drain is discharged, said precooler comprising a cylindrical chamber having a helical conduit in heat-exchange relationship with the outside wall of the pre-cooler, the upper end of said helical coil being connected with the supply pipe to the refrigerating unit, and the lower end of said helical conduit being connected with a water main, a plurality of fin elements located in the pre-cooler and connected with the inside wall of the pre-cooler, each of said n elements comprising a metal member having a bend providing a high ridge across the nn element and iins slop-ing downward on both sides of said ridge,

said fins sloping downward to the the pre-cooler, and said fins having openings therein in staggered relation with one another so that the surfaces of successive iins Yextend under the openings in the respective n's'above them Yfor the drainage of water through each fin into contact with the surface of the fin immediately below it. Y

2. In a water cooler of the type having a housing with a basin and a waste water drain from the basin, and having within the housing a refrigeration unit and a refrigeration compartment that is closed by a door and in which food and drinks can be stored, the combination with said housing of a pre-cooler located within the housing in position to receive water from said drain, a chamber within the pre-cooler through which the waste water runs'n elements within the chamber and attached to a .wall of the chamber around the peripheral edges of said n elements, each of said n elements comprising a metal member having abend providing 'a high ridge across the iin element and iins sloping downward on both sides of said ridge, said ns having openings therein which are inv staggered relation in successive ns so that the surfaces of successive `ns extend under the openings in the sides of respective -iinsaboveI them; and said ns having sloping surfaces for i diverting the water toward thewal-liof the chamber, the cross section-ofsaid chamber being substantially `larger than the cross section of the openingthrough which waste water from saidf drain enters `the chamber-so that-the waste water is broken upV into small'massesof water Athat are'4 agitated andf `further divided as they drop through the pre-cooler by gravity against the sloping lsurfaces of successive ns, and-at .least sonrie` of the openings inxthe ns being located in position to drainwater from the space between-:theywall of` the chamber and the lowermost portions of the iins, and a conduit in heatexchanging relation with the outsidel of thel wall of the chamber of the'pr'eucooler, saidconduit having an upperend. that connects with the water inlet of Athe refrigeration unit and having aconnection at its-lower end for `communication with a` water mainA or other source of water.-

3. In a water cooler of the type having a refrigeration unit and a waste drain through which unused refrigerated water is discharged to a sewer, the combination with said drain of a precooler having a wall enclosing a chamber through which water iiows from the waste drain, a conduit around the outside of the wall and through which water flows to the refrigeration unit in a direction counter to the flow of water through said chamber, iin elements within the chamber connected with the chamber wall, each of said iin elements comprising a metal member having a bend providing a high ridge across the n element and fins sloping downward on both sides of said ridge, and the iins on opposite sides of the ridge sloping toward opposite sides of the chamber for directing water into contact with the wall of the chamber, and said ns having openings therein in staggered relation with one another, so that the surfaces of successive iins extend under the openings in the respective ns above them, said openings extending substantially to the lowest regions of the respective fins so as to prevent the accumulation of water be tween the chamber wall and the lowest regions of the respective fins, the successive ns in the chamber sloping in different directions so as to compel the water to follow a tortuous path in contact with different iins that keep delecting the water toward the wall of the chamber for heat exchanging relation with the wall.

4. The structure described in claim 3 in which the openings through the successive ns are of such shapes that at least a portion of the openings through the different fins overlap the corresponding openings through other fins that are disposed in a different direction so that there is an unobstructed passage through the center region of the chamber for access to foreign material that may become lodged. in the chamber.

5. A pre-cooler comprising a chamber through which waste water runs from a drain and a conduit surrounding a side wall of the chamber for the counter flow of water from a supply source to a refrigeration unit, fins within the chamber in spaced relation one above the other and disposed at a slope for deilecting water into contact with the side wall of the chamber, an inlet pipe through which the waste water is introduced into the upper end of the chamber, said inlet pipe having a cross section substantially smaller than the open cross section of the chamber so that a solid column of water moving through the inlet is broken up into groups of deiiected particles within the chamber, the suc- 6 cessive fins Within thechamber" havingl openings thereinu disposed `with a portion of` eachopenirig inr line-with aportionL off-the next Aopening above it in' adirection parallel? to the `chamber ax-is So-that there `is an open spacelextendingstraight throughcthe" chamber, and with a solid portion olif-each successive under another portion of theopening in the n above it.`

6i Apre-'cooler forfthe counter flowof cold i waste water in heat exchanging relation with a stream of warmer water moving to a` `refrigeration unit, said pre-cooler comprising a tubular wall' connected with end walls -to form achamber, a helical coili'surrounding the outsideof the tubular wall and connected tothe outside of the wallby solder which' provides fillets lfor increasingithe-iareaioffmetalthrough which heatis conducted from thecoil tov` the tubular wallfof tli``e:ciia1r1be:n',` a plurality of iin elements stacked one-abovefthe other within the-chamber, each of` thevhn* elements'comprising a metal member having a substantial right angle providing a high ridge bend across its mid portion and from which fins slope downward on opposite sides of the ridge, said fins being shaped to contact with the inside wall of the tubular element around the entire periphery of the iin element, the peripheral edge of each iin element being connected to the tubular element by solder that forms fillets between the rin element and. the chamber wall, each successive fin element being disposed with its high ridge at a phase angle about the axis of the chamber differing by about from the phase angle of the next succeeding fin element and having at least one opening in each of the downwardly sloping sides of the fin elements, said openings extending on both sides of each n element substantially to the fillet provided by the solder along the lowest peripheral portions of the fin element, and said openings extending upward to regions near the ridge of the 1in element and being shaped to leave a portion of each opening in an overlapping relation with the corresponding openings of the next successive n element so that there are openings extending straight through the precooler near the axis of the pre-cooler chamber and at the regions where the successive iin elements have their highest elevations, and an inlet through which water flows into a pre-cooler, said inlet having a cross section of a diameter less than one-half the internal diameter of the chamber in the pre-cooler so that a solid stream of water owing through the inlet is broken up into particles by the hns in the pre-cooler.

7. In apparatus of the type that supplies refrigerated water and that has a drain for waste water, the combination with said drain of a precooler, said pre-cooler having a wall enclosing a chamber through which the waste water passes, a conduit for the passage of supply water to a refrigerating unit beyond the pre-cooler in a direction opposite to the direction of flow of the cold waste water through the pre-cooler, said conduit being outside of the wall of the precooler and in heat-exchanging relation with the wall, fin elements within the chamber connected to the wall, each of said fin elements comprising a metal member having a bend providing a high ridge across the fin element and ns sloping downward on both sides of said ridge, successive n elements having their ridges at different phase angles with respect to a longitudinal axis through the chamber so that the ns of successive elements slope in different directions, said ns having openings therein through which water drops into contact with the next fin below.

8. In apparatus of the type that supplies refrigerated water and that has a drain for waste water, the combination with said drain of a precooler, said pre-cooler having a wall enclosing a chamber through which the Waste water passes, a conduit for the passage o f the supply water to a refrigerating unit along the pre-cooler in a direction opposite to the direction of flow of the cold waste water through the pre-cooler, said conduit being outside of the wall of the precooler and in heat-exchanging relation with the wall, a plurality of n elements located one above the other in the chamber and connected with the wall of the chamber, each of said fin elements comprising a metal member having a bend providing a high ridge across the fin element and fins sloping downward on both sides of said ridge, each successive fin element having its ridge at a phase angle to the pre-cooler axis 8 which diiers by substantially 90 from the phase angle of the next adjacent n element and each n element having its n extending down into contact with the ridge of the fin element below it, and each of said ns having openings therein through which water drops into contact with the next n below. Y

HEINRICH J. KELLERSHON.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,664,872 West Apr. 3, 1928 1,934,371 Muiy Nov. 7, 1933 2,010,504 Askin Aug. 6, 1935 2,276,964 Grove Mar. 17, 1942 2,446,289 Love et al. Aug. 3, 1948