US2708832A - Evaporator assembly - Google Patents

Description

y R. MCGREGOR EVAPORATOR ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 17, 1952 INVENTOR.

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May 24, 1955 R. M GREGOR EVAPORATOR ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 17, 1952 IN VEN TOR.

P41 PH M G/?6 BY v/mmw ATTOK/V 5 United States Patent EVAPORATOR ASSEMBLY Ralph McGregor, Libertyville, 111., assia'uor to Motor Products Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of New York Application November 17, 1952, Serial No. 320,851

2 Claims. (Cl. 62126) liquid refrigerant through the evaporator in such a manner that the liquid refrigerant is entirely evaporated before reaching the return line of the system. Thus maximum cooling is obtained with an evaporator of given size.

Another object of this invention is to provide an evaporator wherein liquid refrigerant is compelled to flow in a circuitous path through the evaporator shell by an arrangement of partitions or discs and wherein a certain amount of liquid refrigerant is retained in heat transfer relationship to the partitions or discs until it is evaporated.

A further object of this invention is to provide an evaporator of the foregoing type composed of a relatively few simple parts capable of being inexpensively manufactured, assembled and installed.

The foregoing as well as other objects will be made more apparent as this description proceeds especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a semi-diagrammatic view of a refrigerating system having an evaporator constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the evaporator shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a modified form of construction.

Referring first to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1-3 inclusive, the numeral designates an evaporator comprising a cylindrical shell 11 having the upper end closed by a top wall 12 and having the lower end closed by a plug 13. The plug 13 is seated against an annular shoulder 14 formed on the shell at the lower end thereof and is held in engagement with the shoulder by a base plate 15. The base plate 15 is removably secured to the plug 13 by screws 16 and is formed with ears 17 which project laterally outwardly from the side wall of the shell 11. The ears 17 are spaced from each other circumferentially of the shell and each car has an opening therethrough for receiving an anchoring stud 18.

The interior of the shell 11 is divided into vertically spaced chambers 19 by sheet metal discs 20 having annular downturned flanges 21 at the periphery thereof engageable with the inner surface of the shell 11 and having aligned openings through the central portions for receiving a vertical stud 22. The discs 20 are spaced from each other axially of the stud 22 by a plurality of tubular spacers 23 respectively mounted on the stud between adjacent discs 20. The upper end of the stud is threaded into the top wall 12 of the shell and a nut 24 is threaded on the lower end of the stud in a position to engage the bottom disc 20. A tubular spacer 25 is mounted on the stud between the top disc 20 and the bottom surface of the top wall 12 in a manner to coact with the nut 24 to clamp the discs in assembled relationship.

The chamber 19 formed by the space between the top disc 20 and the top wall 12 of the shell communicates with one end of a conduit 26 having the opposite end connected to the discharge side of a condenser 27 through the medium of the usual capillary tube 28. The chamber 19 formed by the space between the bottom disc ice 20 and the plug 13 is connected to one end of a conduit 29 having the opposite end connected to the intake side of a motor-compressor unit 30 through a suitable accumulator 30'. The discharge side of the motor-compressor unit 30 is connected to the intake side of the condenser 27 in accordance with the usual practice. It follows from the above that liquid refrigerant is introduced into the top chamber 19 of the evaporator through the conduit 26 and gaseous refrigerant is discharged from the bottom chamber 19 of the evaporator to the motorcompressor unit 30.

In order to establish communication between the top and bottom chambers 19 in the evaporator each of the discs 20 are formed with openings 31 therethrough. The openings 31 in adjacent discs are staggered with respect to one another and in the present instance are spaced 180 from each other so that the refrigerant flows in a circuitous path from the top chamber 19 of the evaporator to the bottom chamber 19. More particularly, the liquid refrigerant is compelled to flow substantially over the entire area of the discs 20 and as a result evaporation of the liquid refrigerant is expedited. In order to further insure complete evaporation of the liquid refrigerant within the evaporator a certain amount of the refrigerant is retained in the respective chambers 19. This is accomplished by forming each disc 20 with an annular upstanding flange 32 around the opening 31 therethrough. The flanges 32 trap a certain amount of liquid refrigerant in each of the chambers 19 and provide in effect a flooded condition on the surfaces of the various discs 20. In

4 other Words, a shallow pool of liquid refrigerant remains on each disc until evaporation takes place and due to the relatively large area of the discs 20 the transfer of heat from the disc 20 to the liquid refrigerant is accomplished expediently. Thus, it is possible to cool a food storage area of substantial size with a relatively small compact evaporator.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 4 of the drawing, a tube 33 is substituted for the stud 22 and the evaporator discs 20 are mounted on the tube 33 in vertical spaced relationship in the same manner described above. The tube 33 extends beyond opposite ends of the shell 11 and may be connected in a secondary refrigerating system (not shown) in a manner such that refrigerant from the secondary system is conducted through the evaporator 10 and cooled thereby.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An evaporator for a refrigerating system, comprising a vertically extending shell having a wall at one end closing the latter end of the shell, a closure for the opposite end of the shell formed separately from the shell, a plurality of discs of heat conducting material supported within the shell in vertical spaced relationship to each other and to the ends of the shell, said disc having the outer edges engageable with the inner surfaces of the shell and having aligned centrally arranged openings therethrough, a tie member extending vertically through the centrally aligned openings and clamped to the shell, tubular spacers supported on the tie member between adjacent discs for securing the latter on the tie member in proper vertical spaced relationship, a passage for refrigerant communicating with the space between the end wall aforesaid of the shell and the adjacent disc, a second passage for refrigerant communicating with the space between the closure and adjacent disc, each disc having an opening therethrough for the passage of refrigerant and the openings through adjacent discs being staggered with respect to one another, and each disc having an upstanding flange encircling the opening therethrough.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein the tie member comprises a tube for conducting refrigerant through the shell, said tube extending vertically through the centrally aligned openings in the discs and through the end Wall and closure at opposite ends of the shell,

and abutments on the tube beyond the top and bottom discs and cooperating with the spacers to hold said discs in assembled relationship with the tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 865,980 Garland Sept. 10, 1907 1,116,322 Pampe Nov. 3, 1914 1,636,115 Von Platen et a1. July 19, 1927 1,739,544 Cracknell Dec. 17, 1929 2,185,001 Nelson Dec. 26, 1939 2,326,243 Meyer Aug. 10, 1943

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