US2607203A - Refrigeration plate with defrosting means - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 19, 1952 H, w. KLElsT 2,607,203

REFRIGERATION PLATE WITH DEFRosTING MEANS Filed Dec. 22, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 5T NL- LUN Ing/@afar @man WzeZ-S N *P WMM Aug. 19, 1952 H. w. KLElsT 2,607,203

REFRIGERATION PLATE WITH DEFRosTING MEANS Filed Dec. 22, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 19, 1952 H. w. KLEIST REFRIGERATION PLATE WITH DEFROSTING MEANS Filed Deo. 22, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 k2/enz?? 5 @d n f Patented Aug. 19, 1952 y neural?) sTArees PArsNr-o-F aEFniGEnATIoN PLATE WITH DEFRosTING MEANS f t Herman 'WrKleisMChicagm Ill., assigner toDolev` Refrigerating Company, Chicago, I1l.,a.corpo- A rationoflllinois @scenari-neuesten,1947,.seria1No.79s,2oi f jVv 4cm-,img (01462-115) My invention relates to Yan 'improvement 1in defrosting devices, and has forionepurpose to providemeans for defrosting a refrigerating coil.

Another purpose is 'to provide means for-defrosting a refrigerating plate in which ia volatile refrigerant is normally evaporated Within the plate, in a coil housed Within the plate.

Another purpose is to provide` an improved refrigerating plate in which both .a .refrigerating and a defrosting coil .are included. Y

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate the invention .morefor less diagrammatieally'in the accompanying drawings where- Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating a group or battery -of my plates embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the structure of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view with parts in section; and

Figure 4 is a section onan enlarged scale on the line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification -and drawings.

Referring to Vthe drawings, I villustrate :a ,plurality of plates generally indicated as l, each' of which may conveniently be :formed Eby sheet metal members 2, 3, having connecting vside flanges 4. Positioned withiny each plate is an evaporating coil, generally indicated as E, each such coil having an inlet pipe 6 and an outlet pipe 1. The coil is housed in the space within and between the sheet members 2 and 3.

While I do not wish to limit myself to vacuum plates, I i'lnd it convenient to provide means for partially evacuating the interior of the plates. I illustrate, for example, a fitting 8, through which the air may be partially evacuated, and the fitting then closed. Since the fitting does not, of itself, form part of the present invention, it is not herein shown in detail. It will be understood, however, that the reduction of the pressure within the plate to less than atmospheric is effective to force the sheets 2, 3 against the coil 5 in satisfactory heatA conductive relationship.

As a matter of convenience, I illustrate the plate as having outwardly extending edge portions 9 which may be received in notches Ill of any suitable structural supports Il. It will be understood that the details of the plates and of the supporting means may be widely varied. Referring, for example, to Figure 3, I illustrate a heating or defrosting coil or pipe l5, which may,

, of the plate and endingr I'iafdi-s 2f L v for example, receivehot Water I anymtlierfsuitable uid or liquid raised-,tera emperature suf.- cient to v'defrost the plate, llustrategforiexample, a hot Waterinlet; leonnected to v-thefpi-pe or coil I 5 `by a water.deliverypipe 1L I A,line-trate the pipe or coil -15,asipassingfaroundthree edges hare@ eine i8 extending to asuitableutletf .1f f r In the embodiment of, my ventionherein shown, I `illustrate-a plurali-ty,-ofplatesui 4arranged in parallel ,relatonship'andsgripped, for example, .between 'structural members l--I ,With their notches ID,the:structuralgmembers being connected by rods; or :long boli'fsji 2lil with their heads 2| and 4nuts.:22.' #Where fthe rinitis-,used in lair conditioning, `or :inicooling-airinconnection with locker` plants ,and :the-.lik'e,; fthe-individual plates l .may befcloseiyn-spaced,,fand -niaybe separated .by relatively *,smali'ginteryeni-ng spaces 23, whiclimay advantageouslybe ofsubstantially uniformclearance. V:.:r: I,

Any suitable means xmaygbe. used -forcycling a volatile refrigerant through the coils 5 Iof :the-individual plates.v .I illustrate .axdschargemanifold 26, the plates ibein'garranged ,in parallel. Any suitable means: fora: cycling. f a- -gyolatile refrigerant maybe employed,-.the-details-of which vdo not form :part of 'thefpresentx invention, and are therefore/not shown'. Imay providea similar arrangement Vfor circulating -the-defrosting Amedium, such as hotvwaterggl illustrate, for eX- ample, .anLinle't `manifoldrl Sand lran .outlet manifold I9, which constitute, respectively, the inletY invention. I therefore Wish my description and y drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting me to my precise showing.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

I illustrate herein a type of plate which may advantageously be used for a forced air railway car refrigerating unit, in which air from the interior of the frozen storage space of a refrigerator car is passed between long and closely spaced plates, and is thereafter returned to the interior of the car. It will be understood that when so used, the group of plates may be suitably housed or jacketed, to define a passage for the air. However, in the present invention, the primary purpose is to provide a hot water or hot fluid defrosting arrangement for the plates, whether the plates are used in railway refrigeration, domestic refrigeration,I commercial refrigeration. or the like. y

It will be understood that each individual plate contains one 'of the evaporating coils 5. I illustrate each plate as having, in its interior, but adjacent its edges, one of the defrosting ducts or pipes l5. Such an arrangement is adequate where a narrow plate is used. It will be understood. however, that if a plate substantially Wider than those herein shown is used, a larger number of bends of hot water or defrosting tubing may be employed. In either event, the hot water tubing ls incorporated in the plate, and is o1' a substantially shorter length than the length of tubing or piping used for the evaporation of the volatile refrigerant. There is thus a minimum interference with the freezing efcieney of the platefas agwhole.`

An importantfactori'n the us'eof plates made in accordance withmy invention is that the hot iluid passage l is in heat conductive association with the planewalls 2 ."3'o'ifthe plate.' Thus heat is rapidly propagated, 'f across the walls 'of the plate, there being a sumcient temperature rise to free the frost from the surface. 'In m'any instances, it is not necessary to melt off the frost. It may be merely loosened, so that it may more easily be scraped oiI. It is of maximum importance, initially, to break the bbndat the edges of the plate. Then the shell or'layer of frost becomes so loosened as to be readily removed. If the plate is in vertlcalposition, it 4may drop off by itself, or be very readily scraped or tapped' oi. Hence, a marginal passage, around the edge of the plate, is, in general, more: important and more helpful than an intermediate passage;- although one or more intermediate passages may be necessary in the case of plates oi substantial or excess breadth.

- I claim: j f

l. In a refrigerating plate, and means for defrosting it, a gas-tight housing including outer walls,van evaporatorcoil positioned within said walls and in heat-conductive relationship' with said walls, said 'coil having an inlet and an outlet separate from said inlet' extending through said walls, and alde'frostingy 'coil adapted for circulating a defrosting fluid jthrough said plate,isaid coil being positioned within the interior of said plate and having the same heat-conductive relationship with the same Walls as that of the evaporator coil and having an inlet and an outlet separate from said inlet extending through the walls of said plate, and a tting in the housing through which air may be exhausted from the interior of the housing, whereby the walls are held in heat conductive relationship by the external atmospheric pressure, with both the evaporator coil and the defrosting coil in heat conductive relationship with said walls.

2. In a cold plate adaptable for use in refrigerating structures, a gas-tight housing including two parallel, plane, outer Walls sealed together about their edges to'enclose a gas-tight interior, an evaporator coil positioned Within and between said walls and in heat-conductive relationship with said walls, said coil having an inlet and an outlet, and a defrosting coil adapted for circulating a defrosting fluid through the interior of said plate, said defrosting coil being positioned within the interior of'said plate and in heatconductive relationship with said walls, and having an inlet and an outlet independent of the inlet and outlet of the evaporator coil, said evaporator coil and said defrosting coil being of the same gauge and having a like conductive relation to the same walls of the plate.

3. The structure of claim 2 characterized in that the defrosting coil extends about the evaporator coil.

4. The structure of claim 2 characterized in that the defrosting coil extends about the evaporator coil and is located adjacent but within the outer edge of the space within the gas-tight housing. 4 l

' HERMAN W. KLEIST.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS I Number Name Date 685,310 Vollmann Oct. 29, 1901 847,'73'7 Daly Mar. 19, 1907 1,890,085 Hill Dec. 6, 1932 1,908,573 Sulzberger May 9, 1933 2,081,479 Fink May 25, 1937 2,181,276 Kogel Nov. 28, 1939 2,4l0,449 Kleist Nov. 5, 1946

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