US1219570A - Apparatus and process for circulating liquids. - Google Patents

Description

C. W. MCCOY.

APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR CIRCULATING LIQUIDS. APPLICATION FILED JAN-26,1915.

11,21 9,57% Patented Mar. 20,1917.

QXMWM w W W/yZ W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES WESLEY MCCOY, 0F SPRAGUE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 REFRIGERATOR CAR EQUIPMENT CO., OF SEATTLE, WASH- IN GTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR CIRCULATING LIQUIDS.

Application filed January 26, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES WESLEY MCCOY, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Sprague, in the State of lVashington, in the United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus and Processes for Circulating Liquids; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to an improved a paratus and process for circulating liqui s, and is particularly adapted for refrigeratin apparatus to be used to preserve perishable freights in transportation from one place to another, and to equalize the temperature throughout the apartment containing the perishable freight, and to economize consumption of cooling substance.

This invention has among other objects to produce an automatic circulation of the liquid responsive to the movement of the apparatus, this movement causing a variation in the level of the liquid in different parts of the apparatus, there being means for preventing the level of the liquid from being reestablishedexcept by such liquid passing through the apparatus in a predetermined direction, thereby insuring an automatic circulation responsive to this movement.

In the refrigerating apparatus now used on cars, tanks are placed at the ends of the ears, said tanks containing ice and salt. When the ice melts under these conditions a temperature is produced at the ends of the car, which is entirely too low, being under certain conditions in the neighborhood of zero Fahrenheit. This low temperature either destroys or injures the foodstuff near the tanks and there must be provided some protective means against this injury, such as an interposed gate or barrier of some kind, in which event a portion of the cooling effect is lost. With these systems the temperature near the middle of the car is not low enough, and hence the foodstuff near the middle of the car is not cooled sufiiciently and is liable to be injured because of the higher temperature. This higher temperature is also increased due to the fact that the door is at the center of the car, so

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

Serial N 0. 4,549.

that warm air enters the car at the center whenever the door is opened.

One of the objects of this invention is to equalize the temperatures throughout the car by automatically circulating this brine in response to the movement of the car as it travels, and bringing it to the middle of the car at the top thereof and then returning it to the tanks at the ends, thereby raising the temperature at the ends of the car so as to prevent injury to the foodstuff due to the excessive cold, and lowering the temperature at the middle of the car to prevent injury to the foodstuff due to the fact that this portion of the car is too Warm, thereby utilizing effectively a larger proportion of the cooling effect, and consequently economizing in the consumption of ice and increasing the efficiency of the cooling apparatus. This system also permits the cars to be made of greater length, and still have the temperature properly equalized, there-- by producing a further possibility of increase of efficiency and reduction of cost in the transportation of perishable foodstufl's.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein it is shown as applied to a refrigerator apparatus on a railway car.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the car, showing one form of the apparatus in position;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the system of circulation;

Fig. 3 is a view showing one form of check valve which may be used;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the check valve illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the pipes with the drip-pan attached;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing a modified construction;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view through the drip-pan and a portion of the pipe to which it is connected.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

Referring now to the particular construction illustrated, I have shown a series of tanks 1, 2, 3 and 4 connected together by pipes. In the construction shown in Fig. l the tanks 1 and 2 are located at one end of the refrigerating car or chamber, and tanks 3 and a at the other end thereof, said tanks being preferably provided at the bottom with heat insulating material 5 and the corrugated walls 6. The tanks are separated from the Wall of the car by spaces 7 at each end, so that there is ample room for the free movement of air. Tanks 1 and 2 are connected by the pipe 8, and the tanks 3 and 4 are connected by the pipe 9. A check valve 10 is arranged to control. the communication between tanks 1 and 2, said check valve automatically opening to permit liquid to pass from tank 2 to tank 1, and automatically closing to prevent the liquid from returning from tank 1 to tank Check valve 11 permits the flow of the liquid from tank 3 to tank 4, but prevents the return of the liquid from tank l to tank 3. Tanks 1 and 3 are connected together by suitable piping. As herein shown, this connection is made by the pipes 12 and 16 and the intermediate larger pipe or reservoir 13. The tanks 2 and at are connected together by the pipes 19 and 23 and the intermediate larger pipe or reservoir 21. The enlarged portions 13 and 21 are arranged near the middle of the car or chamber and are enlarged so as to give a greater surface area at this point so as to secure a greater cooling effect. The connection between tanks 1 and 3 is provided with check valves 1* 15, 17 and 18, arranged to permit liquid to flow from tank 1 to tank 3, but prevent its flowing from tank 3 to tank 1 while the connection between tanks 4 and 2 is provided with check valves 20, 22, 24 and 25 arranged to permit the flow of the liquid from tank 4: to tank 2 but prevent its flow from tank 2 to tank 4:.

When the apparatus is used in a car or boat, or the like, it will be seen that the rocking of the car or boat from side to side, the starting and stopping of the car or boat, the passing up or down grade, of the car, or the tilting of the boat, all tend to produce a variation in level in different parts of the system. This variation in level produces a variation in pressure, and when the car or boat again reaches a level position this variation in pressure causes the liquid to circulate in a pre-determined direction to reestablish the level, thus producing an automatic circulation. This will be seen, for example, by examining Fig. 2. If the car or boat containing the apparatus shown in Fig. 2, which contains the liquid to be circulated, should, for example, rock to one side so as to lower tanks land 3 and raise tanks 2 and 4, it will be seen that the level of the liquid indifferent parts of the apparatus Will be varied, that is, the level in tanks 2 and 4 will be at a higher level than in tanks 1 and 3. The pressure of this liquid will, therefore, tend to establish a proper level, and since the liquid cannot flow through check valve 11, as said check valve would be closed, this liquid, due to the variations in pressure on account of variation in level of the liquid, will flow through check valve 10 into tank 1, and through check valves 14, 15, 17 and 18 into tank 3, and as the liquid in tank 2 is lowered from tank 4 into tank 2, until the proper level is established. If, now, the car or boat rocks back to its level position or rocks on the other side, it will be seen that the difference in level of the liquid is again changed, the liquid in tanks 1 and 3 being higher than that in tanks 4 and 2, thereby producing a variation in pressure. The check valve 10 now closes, and since the liquid is lower in tanks 4 and 2 than in tanks 1 and 3, it will be seen that the variation in pressure thus produced will cause the liquid .to pass from tank 1 to tank 3, and from tank 3 to tank 4, and from tank 4 to tank 2, the check valves being arranged so that the liquid is free to flow in this direction. Again it will be noted that if the end of the car or boat containing the tanks 3 and 4: should be raised, the level of the liquid in tanks 3 and 4: and in tanks 1 and 2 will be different and the liquid will pass from tank 4 to tank 2 and from tank 2 to tank 1, the liquid also passing from tank 3 to tank 4 as the level in said tank lowers. If, now, the car or boat is again brought to a level position, or the other end raised, it will be seen that'the level of the liquid in tanks 2 and 1 will be higher than the level of the liquid in tanks 3 and 4, and the liquid will pass from tank 1 to tank 3 and from tank 3 to tank 4, the liquid also passing from tank 2 to tank 1 as the level in tank 1 lowers.

It will thus be seen that by means of this apparatus the liquid in the apparatus is automatically circulated responsive to movements of the car or boat or other device, which ordinarily are of no value and produce no effective or beneficial result. In other words, it will be seen that by means of this process and apparatus the lost motion or waste movement of the car, boat or other device, is converted into a useful movement to produce useful work and useful results. Any movement, therefore, of the car or boat, which causes the liquid to move from one tank to another, thereby changing the level of the liquid in different portions of the system, can thus be utilized to assist in securing the circulation of the liquid. The distribution of the liquid is such that even when the car is stationary a much more uniform cooling effect is secured.

The pipes are preferably shielded at the under side by a drip-trough 26, which empties through pipe 27 into the drain pipe 28. The drip trough contains between its inwardly curved sides the perforated raised bottom 29, which acts to prevent the splashing of the material in the drip-trough on the articles in the refrigerating receptacle. This drip-trough also collects the bacteria which have accumulated on the frosted piping, and carries them away instead of allowing them to be deposited on the foodstufl in the car.

In Fig. 6 a modified construction is shown for permitting the pipes to be brought nearer the roof of the car. In this construction the pipes which extend along the roof of the car are connected with the tanks at the end of the car by inclined pipes, thus permitting the pipes to be brought nearer the roof. In the construction shown, the liquid, for example, will pass from the tank 31 through the inclined pipe 32 to the chamber 33, and thence through pipe 34 to the larger pipe 35, the backward flow being prevented by the check valves 36. Each tank would have an inclined portion 32 adjacent to it. Many different arrangements of piping and tanks may be made, and sundry changes in construction, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The liquid used in this system is preferably a salty'solution, iced, usually common 'salt and ice placed in the tanks, which melts and forms a brine, and this slushes about in the pipes, constantly changing and returning to the ice-tank. Even after the ice is all melted the brine still continues to be an excellent cooling substance for a considerable period of time, and the best results are obtained by distributing it throughout the system.

This invention has been described as pertaining to refrigerator cars for railway use, but it must be understood that it may be applied on any form of vehicle, evena ship or steamboat, so long as the salient feature remains, that is, the circulation of the liquid by the agitation and change of level caused by the movement of the vehicle.

Further, it-may be said that this invention may be applied as means for cooling all kinds of passenger vehicles in hot weather.

It will be noted that in this construction I have shown four tanks or receptacles 1, 2, 3 and 4, as this number secures the best results, because it gives a movement of circulation every time the car moves to either side or goes up or down grade or stops and starts suddenly. If, for example, the side of the car containing tanks 1 and 3 moves down, the liquid is moved from tank 2 to tank 1 so as to provide an excess of liquid therein, and then when it again returns to the level position or on the other side of the level position, the excess liquid passes through the circulatory connection between tank 1 and tank 2, back to tank 2. If the car moves toward the other side the excess liquid passes into tank 4 and the circulation is then from this tank back through tanks 2 and 1 to tank 3. If the end .of the car containing tanks 1 and 2 is lowered, the excess liquid passes from tank 4 into tanks 2 and 1, and is then returned to tank 4, while if the end of the car containing tanks 4 and 3 is lowered, the excess liquid passes from tanks 2 and 1 into tanks 3 and 4 and then again back into tanks 2 and 1. In other words, by means of the four tanks it will be seen that the degree of circulation is very greatly increased, and that the circulatory movements occur under a great variety of diiferent movements of the car.

It will be noted that whatever the form of the apparatus there is produced a process of circulating liquid in a complete clrculatory system mounted upon a vehicle which consists in utilizing the movement of the vehicle to produce a variation in pressure of the liquid in the difi'erent parts of the system and utilizing the difl'erence in pressure to antomatically produce a circulation of the liquid throughout said system in a pre-determined direction, the liquid traveling from a given point through the system and back to said point.

I claim:

1. The process of circulating liquid in a complete circulatory system mounted upon a vehicle which consists in utilizing the movement of the vehicle to produce a variation in pressure of the liquid in the different parts of the system and utilizing the difi'erence in pressure to automatically produce a circulation of the liquid throughout said system in a pre-determined direction, whereby the 2 liquid travels from a given point through the system and back to sald point.

2. The process of circulating liquid in a circulatory system mounted upon a vehicle, which consists in utilizing the movement of the vehicle to produce a movement of a portion of the liquid from one part of the system to another part of the system and preventing backward movement of said moved liquid, and utilizing the lowered pressure in that part of the system from which the moved liquid came and the increased pressure in that part of the system into which the moved liquid is received, to produce a forward movement of the liquid in the system to equalize the pressures.

3. An apparatus for circulating liquid,"

comprising two tanks, connectionstbetween said tanks, said connections and tanks forming a complete circulatory system containing the liquid to be circulated, means for producing a variation in pressure of the liquid indifferent parts of said system responsive to the movement of said tanks, and means for causing the liquid to circulate through said system in a pre-determined direction responsive to said variation in pressure.

4. An apparatus for circulating liquid, comprising two tanks, means for moving said tanks, a connection between said tanks by which liquid passes from one tank to the 136 other tank when the tanks are moved, means for preventing the return of said liquid through said connection, and a second connection between said tanks through which 'said liquid is returned to the first mentioned tank, whereby a circulation of said liquid in said system is secured.

5.'An apparatus for circulating liquids, comprising four receptacles located in pairs, one pair near each end of the compartment to be cooled, a connection between each pair of tanks, the two tanks at one end being connected with the two tanks at the other end so as to form a complete circulatory system containing the liquid to be circulated, means for moving said tanks so as to vary the relative height of the liquid therein, and means for causing said liquid to flow forward in the same direction when the tanks are given an opposite movement, to equalize the pressure due to said differences in level regard-- less of the tank in which the difference in level occurs.

6. An apparatus for circulating liquids,

comprising four receptacles located in pairs, one pair near each end of the compartment to be cooled, a connection between each pair of tanks, the two tanks at one end being con nected with the two tanks at the other end so as to form a complete circulatory system containing the liquid to be circulated, means for moving said tanks so as to vary the relative height of the liquid therein, and means for causing said liquid to flow forward in the same direction when the tanks are given an opposite movement, to equalize the pressures due to said differences in level regardless of the tank in which the difference in level occurs, the connection between the two sets of tanks being enlarged near the middle of said compartment.

Signed at Montreal, Quebec, Canada, this sixth day of January, 1915.

CHARLES WESLEY MCCOY.

Witnesses:

A. BOSCERS, M. MoCoLLUM.

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