US2619803A

US2619803A - Overhead bunker refrigerator car with a fan

Info

Publication number: US2619803A
Application number: US193267A
Authority: US
Inventors: Raymond A Doering
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-10-31
Filing date: 1950-10-31
Publication date: 1952-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 1969-12-02

Description

Dec. 2, 1952 R. AfDoERlNG P2,619,803

OVERHEAD BUNKER REFRGRTOR CAR WITH A FAN Filed Oct. 3l, 1950 l 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR.

DCC. 2, 1952 R. A. DoERiNG 2,619,803

OVERHEAD BUNKER REFRIGERATOR CAR WITH FAN Filed Oct. 31,* 1950 2' SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVEN'Toz;

N I 1 I 3067x729 Patented Dec. 2, 1952 OVERHEAD BUNKER REFRIGERATOR CAR WITH A FAN Raymond A. Deering, San Francisco, Calif.

Application October 31, 1950, Serial No. 193,267

This invention relates to refrigerators used to store and maintain perishable commodities therein at a predetermined temperature. The essential features of a refrigerator are an insulated body to prevent or retard ingress of heat during warm weather and egress of heat during cold weather.

The invention applies particularly to railroad refrigerator carswherein the cooling means, preferably containers for water ice, eutectic ice, brine or Dry Ice or any other refrigerant, are suspended immediately below the ceiling of the car. Thevlading is supported upon a foraminous rack in spaced relation to the oor. Flues at the side walls of the car communicate between the refrigerant compartment and the space under the floor rack to provide a path for circulation of air.

The efficiency of any refrigerator is dependent primarily upon the quality of the insulation in the walls, the air. circulation, the surface area of the refrigerant containers, and the speed with which the heat transfer takes place.

It is, therefore, the objects of thisV invention to provide a refrigerator having refrigerant tanks of large surface area and to augment said area by radiationns; to provide heat transfer ducts through said containers and to provide means for forcing air circulation through said ducts which also augment the circulation of air throughout the refrigerator; and to provide means whereby the Warm air in the refrigerator is forced to travel upwardly in a flue formed in part by the side Walls of the refrigerator from the space under the floor rack to the area around the refrigerant containers; and the air cooled by the refrigerant is forced to travel downwardly adjacent the first mentioned ue in a foraminous rack ue formed in part by said first mentioned flue to the commodity being cooled.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Y will appear in the following description thereof.

Referring now'to the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts.

Fig. 1 is a transverse section through a refrigerator car body illustrating an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. v2 is a partial top plan view and horizontal section of approximately one-half of a refrigerator car.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the upper part of a refrigerator car body illustrating a pair of the improved refrigerant containers.

7 anims. (c1. 62-17) In the drawings, the general parts of the refrigerator car body shown are vthe insulated roof 2, side walls 3, floor 4, hatches 5, refrigerant containers 6, side wall flues "I, foraminous door rack 8 and space 9 between the rack 8 and floor 4. The refrigerant containers 6, preferably four, are spaced apart and positioned immediately below the roof 2 extending transversely of the car to adjacent the side walls 3. The bottoms of these containers are inclined downwardly from the ends toward the transverse center thereof below the ridge of the car. kThe bottoms of said containers are provided with a plurality of spaced parallel radiation fins I0 which extend from end to end of the containers and which provide a plurality of passageways for circulation of air under said containers and between said fins, thereby materially increasing the surface area of heat transfer of said containers. Each container is also provided with a transverse rectangular heat transfer duct I I extending through the container being supported therein by the sides of said container, said ducts of adjacent containers projecting into the space therebetween. The side walls of the projecting endsof said ducts taper down to a collar I2 within which is mounted a motor driven fan I3 for forcing alr through said duct and at the same time increasing the air circulation throughout the car. This duct II is spaced from the top and bottom of the container so that the duct is submerged within the brine or other refrigerant within the container. A plurality of parallel transversely disposed finned tubes I4 extend from top to bottom of said container so that the refrigerant may pass freely therethrough or at least so that said tubes will be filled with said refrigerant.

The air forced by the fans I3 through said ducts will be compelled to pass between the finned tubes and thus the. area of heat transfer of said containers is further increased.k The top and bottom of the ducts are covered with ya Vscreen to prevent chunks of ice or salt becoming lodged within the tubes. Each container is provided with a drain pipe I5 provided with a valve I for draining the containers when necessary. Through the top of each container is provided a pair of spaced openings II which are located so as to occur directly under the hatches 5v when the containers are installed in the car. Carlines I8 extend from side to side of the car on opposite sides of the containers, to which they are attached, to hold said containers in place in the car. Power for the motors of fans" I3 may be storage batteries charged by any of several axle 3 power take-off devices well known in the railroad eld.

An overflow pipe 40 extends from an end of each tank downwardly toward the upper end of the adjacent flue 1 to conduct any brine overflowing into said pipe 40 into said flue 1 and downwardly therethrough to gutter M and out through an ordinary refrigerator car drain trap, not shown.

Under each refrigerant container 6 is a pair of spaced drip pans 20, each arranged parallel with the bottom of said container. The space between the ends of the drip pans at the center of the car provides an area for the passage of the cooled air therethrough downwardly to the lading space of the car. metal lining provided with upturned flanges 2I at the sides and a flange 22 at the end to prevent condensation falling thereon from runningtherefrom onto the lading. At the center of each end flange 22 a drain connection 23 is provided to carry the condensation from the pans to the longitudinally 'disposed drain pipe 24 which extends under both containers 6 and empties into the lend wall flue 1. The drain pipes I yfrom the containers also flow into this drain lin'e 24. Each drip p'an extends from a sid-e wall of the 'car to adjacentl the longitudinal center thereof. The space between the drip pans and containers forms a :duct for the passage of air therethrough in circulating.

The side walls 3 are of the usual insulated construction and provided with Aa suitable lining 3c extending from the top to bottom of the car and from end to end thereof. Spaced, vertically dislposed spacer strips 3| are secured to lining 38,

to the inner surface of which is secured another lining 32 which extends from adjacent the oor rack 8 to adjacent the outer edge of the drip pan 20, to which 'it is connected by `an inclined piece 33. Thus the '

spaced linings

33 and 32 form the flue 1, which flue communicates with the space 9 under the floor .rack 8 and the space between the drip pan and the container 6. To the inner surface of the lining 32 are secured a plurality of spaced vertically 'disposed Vspacer strips 34, and to the inner surfaces of these strips are secured a plurality of horizontally disposed Vspaced slats 35, thus providing a wall rack flue 36, which communicates with and is similar to the space 9 under the -ii'oor rack 8. These slats 35 continue up the side walls of the car to adjacent the drip vpans 2Q, in any event sufficiently high to be at least slightly above the top of the lading in the car.

The end walls of the car are provided with identical vflues and are consequently given the same reference characters.

When the fans are not operating, and air Vcirculation is by gravity, the air between the containers and drip pans, upon being cooled by the refrigerant within the containers, will now rdown to the center Yof the car onto the lading within the car below the drip pans. If this lading is boxes, barrels, or the like, with spaces therebetween, the `cooled air will lter down and about the lading, gradually being warmed in the process, until it reaches and passes downwardly through the spaces 'between the lslats of the floor rack 8 into the space 9. It then passes `laterally to the 'side walls lof the car and up the outer flue 1 to the space between the drip pans and containers, where the cycle is repeated. If the lading is a tight load, as, for example, boxes which abut with no space therebetween, the cold Each drip .pan has a air moving down from the center of the car will move laterally over the top of the lading to the wall rack nues 36 and will move downwardly therethrough, picking up heat from the lading as it passes downwardly in said flues. It then passes upwardly through outer flue 1 to the space between the drip pans and the containers 6 and repairs the cycle.

When the fans are operating, the air between adjacent tanks is forced by said fans I3 through ducts II about finned tubes I4 in containers 6 wherein said air is cooled and then said cooled air falls down through the lading and/or the rack flue 36 and eventually backs up through the flue 1 to the space between the containers 6 and drip pans where the cycle is repeated.

The greater proportion of heat entering the car is through the side walls thereof, and because the war-m air is constantly passing upwardly in the flues 1, said heat units will be carried quickly to the containers and be absorbed by the refrigerant therein. thereby maintaining a cold wall.

I claim' 1. In a refrigerator car, a refrigerant container spaced below the roof and extending vfrom adjacent one wall to adjacent the opposite wall of said car, the bottom of said container beingA inclined downwardly from opposite ends to the transverse center of said container, *drip*l pans below said container parallel with the bottom thereof each extending from an end of said container to adjacent said transverse center providing a space between said drip pans, a oor rack providing a space between said rack and the car licor, nues formed in part by said walls, said nues communicating with the space between said drip pans and container and the space between said floor rack and car floor, and rack nues formed in part by said rst mentioned flues, said rack nues communicating with the space under said drip pans above the space normally occupied by a lading in thev refrigerator and the space below the noor rack.

2. In a refrigerator car, a refrigerant container spaced below the roof and extending from adjacent one wall to adjacent the opposite wall of said car and having nlling openings adjacent the ends of said container, an 'air duct extending through said container from side to side thereof between said filling openings, and communica-t'- ing with the exterior of said container; agplurality of finned tubes extending transversely vof said air duct and communicating with the interior of said container, whereby refrigerant within said container may surge through said tubes due to service movements of the car, and

Y air may move through said ductabout said tubes and be 'cooled by Contact therewith.

3. A refrigerant container, for a railway refrigerator car, said container having a bottom surface inclined downwardly from opposite ends toward the transverse center thereof, spaced fins .projecting downwardly from said bottom surface,

a duct extending through said container between opposite walls thereof and open to the exterior of said container for passage of air therethrough said duct being spaced from the top, bottom and ends of said container, a plurality of tubes extending between oppOsite wal-ls of said duct `and communicating with the interior of said container for passage of refrigerant through said tubes, whereby air moving through said 'ducta-nd about said tubes will be cooledl thereby.

4. A refrigerant container, for a railway-re,-

frigerator car, said container having a duct extending through said container between opposite walls thereof and projecting beyond one wall and open to the exterior of said container for passage of air therethrough said duct being spaced from the top, bottom and ends of said container, a fan mounted within the projecting end of said duct for optionally forcing air therethrough a plurality of tubes extending between opposite walls of said duct and communicating with the interior of said container for passage of refrigerant through said tubes, whereby air moving through said duct and about said tubes will be cooled thereby.

5. A refrigerant container, for a railway re` frigerator car, said container having spaced, longitudinally vdisposed ns projecting downwardly from the bottom surface of said container, a'

transverse duct extending through said container between opposite walls thereof and projecting beyond one wall for passage of air therethrough said duct being spaced from the top, bottom and ends of said container, a fan mounted within the projecting end of said duct for optionally forcing air therethrough a plurality of nned tubes exV tending between opposite walls of said duct and communicating with the interior of said container for passage of refrigerant through said tubes, whereby air moving through said duct and about said tubes will be cooled thereby.

6. In a refrigerant container for a railway refrigerator, an air duct extending through said container between opposite walls thereof and communicating with the exterior of said container for passage of air therethrough said duct being spaced from the top, bottom and ends of said container, a fan mounted at one end of said duct for optionally forcing air therethrough, and a 6 1 plurality of nned tubes extending transversely of said duct and communicating with the interior of said container for passage of refrigerant therethrough, whereby air moving through said duct and about said tubes may be cooled by contact therewith.

'7. In a refrigerator car having a roof with hatchways on opposite sides of the ridge of said roof; a refrigerant container spaced below said roof and extending from adjacent one wall to adjacent the opposite wall of said car, the top of said container having filling openings registering with said hatchways, an air duct extending transversely through said container between said filling openings, and spaced from the top, bottom and ends of said container, and communicating with the exterior of said container, a plurality of finned tubes extending transversely through said air duct and communicating with the interior of said container, whereby refrigerant within said container may surge through said tubes due to service movement of said car and air may move through said air duct about said tubes and be cooled by contact therewith.

RAYMOND A. DOERING.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 303,164 Jennings Aug. 5, 1884 1,622,918 Merlis Mar. 29, 1927 1,823,393 Galloway Sept. 15, 1931 1,934,551 Meysenburg Nov. 7, 1933 2,199,031 Sperry Apr. 30, 1940 2,256,197 Finger Sept. 16, 1941