US1765656A - Art of refrigeration - Google Patents

Description

June 24, 1930. a CQFFEY I 1,765,656

. ART OF REFRIGERATION Filed Nov. 17, 1925 ATTORNEY with states BMTGN E. CGFFEY, ELIZABETH, JERSEY ART OF REFRIGERATION original application filed August 9, 1920, Serial lilo. 4022,4293. Divided and this application filed November 17, 1925. Serial No. 69,624.

My invention relates to improvements in expansion cocks and compressors. ll attain the art of refrigeration and particularly to this ob ect by the form of my device illusthe compression method of refrigeration in trated in the accompanying drawing but whi h i l d th evaporation of li uid modifications may be made therein without to efiect the heat flow. In this method the departing from the spirittof my invention, I 55 refrigerating liquid such as sulphur dioxide, is app 1 a dlvlswml pp i a ion ammonia, carbonic acid or the like at a given of my application, on which there was issued temperature and corresponding pressure to me Letters Patent No. 1,565,795, dated lDefiows into a lower pressure and correspond- 11 1 1 15, 1925.

ing temperature, evaporation takes place at The Preferlhd form of my devlce so this temperature, the required heat being h h h p y g g, 111 drawn from the liquid or refrigerant and Whlch the cooling body, thus lowering their temh figure is a gr mmatic View of the peratures. The vapor formed is then comu t is pressed and condensed at the original pres- Similar characters of referencc refer to 5 sure and temperature, the heat being absorbed similar Parts in the speclficshion and drawby a cooling fluid. The cycle thus reveals a closed circuit of refrigerating liquid and In the devlce here Illustrated, 1 Present a vapor in contact but not mixed, one section method of applymgho the 5m? 9 Tefrlgemtloh of which is kept at a high pressure, and the the theorem. d mmlult 7 other at a low pressure accompanied by two f t whlch hqmd' and vapor 1S flowmg heat currents at different thermal levels and aq h the sum of the beahenergy and in opposite directions, i. e. at the lower level i fi energy at i sectlon 1S constant the heat current passes into the refrigerating m otter Words i of pressllremd liquid and at the higher pressure the heat Al may d l magltltu e 9 m? 75 current passes from it, all of which is in con- Spon mg Vanatlons m veloclty which m formity with the recognized laws of thermotum a be pf'oduced by Yariatign in the dynamics area on successive cross sections 0 the coni duit. As is obvious the conduit may be a ggg gigggz gggggfiifgig:$321312: closed circuit without affecting this law, and so tofore to y knowledoe, been accomplished if energy be introduced in the conduit suificient-to overcome frictional resistances lus only with reciprocating compressors of varip v t t1 d the energy equivalent to the net Work of X possessmg. 1e p ma 1911s an adiabatic compression the circulation becomes Ob18Ct1OIlS inherent in devices of this character. The expansion has generally been continuous and it is ap arent that if low 85 temperature heat is alosor ed at the low presi omfiqes or cocks whlFh dwldes the ,sure point of the circuit and if it, plus the circuit and direct from the high to the low heat of adiabatic com th 1 th Xt l gression and friction Pressure sectlohs, 7 us e 6 y andotherheat added is ischarged atthehigh 4 energy Possessed y the expahdlhg Vapoh pressure point a refrigerating cycle of the 90 The object of my invention is to eliminate cgmpression type results h cpmpressor expahsloh cock and dlvlded Particularly 1 make a plication of the hycllclllt Save energy of the exps'hded draulic principles that t e pressure in a colp P P h the Carnot y and umn of liquid varies directl with the height t tt in h d ijll 9 1 gradually P ofthe column; and that if t e velocity of the ducing the required variat on of pressure and flow in th column is sufliciently high, any temperature in an undivided closed circuit vapor formed will be entrained by the liquid of refrigerating liquid and vapor (which and subjected to its hydraulic pressure existthus itself performs the compressing funcins at each level in the column or riser.

0 tion) enclosed in a conduit free from valves, in the drawing 1 and 2 are the risers which need not he of constant diameter, 3 is the brine cooler, or source of low temperature heat, and i is a condenser of any desired type. A pump 5 is provided in the system, It is obvious that any desired hydraulic pressure can be attained in the condenser 4: by extending the height of the risers 1 and 2 and must at least equal the difierence hetween condenser and brine cooler pressures, also that the hydraulic pressure at the brine cooler 3 will he zero, The circuit is filled with refrigerat ing liquid or medium to a point Where there is left only suliicient space to permit evaporation. Any desired type of brine cooler 3 and condenser t may he used. The circulation of the refrigerating liquid or medium is maintained by means of the pump 5.

' The shaded sections a, a, diagrammatically illustrate the increase and in suspension With the consequent changes in the temperatures and pressures accompanying adiabatic expansion and compression and the reception rejection of heat.

circuit can be divided into tvvo parts or logs, the expansion riser 1 from condenser to cooler in the direction of the llovv, and the compression riser 2 from cooler to the condenser in the seine direction. .li no heat was added or subtracted. from the system it. is apparent that, neglecting friction, the refrigerating medium once set in motion, would continue to circulate indefinitely exhibiting the changes of temperature and pressure above described, and the decreasing scales of pressure and temperature in riser 1 would he duplicated in inverse order in riser 2, the net resul heing a perfect hydraulic and vaper tension halance. The heat supplied from the cooler 3 however, disturbs this halance and the quantity ot-heat iii-transit in riser 2 as Well as the vapor in suspension hecomes proportionately greater, the efiect or" "which is tovreduce the mean density of the refrigerating medium in said riser, and consequently the columns no longer balance. In order then to maintain the circulation, energy must he supplied which is the function or the circulating pump 5. The energy thus supplied is that necessar to compress the additional vapor generatec loy the cooler 3 and after traversing the condenser the circuit is thus restored to its original state.

The fundamental principle of this method consists hroadly in setting up various pressures in an integral body of refrigerating liquid in motion, supplying low temperature heat to the system at the points of low pres sure and Withdrawing high temperature heat at points of high pressure, the liquid serving a transporting agent to move the vapor thus formed from point to point and to cornpress it all in enact accordance Withthe thee retical compression refrigeration cycle. -lln my e n, the heat transier surfaces, the hy- 5 0 l -c the racers and the pressures decrease of vapor at o, a, containing latent adapted by gravity alone 'tvveen said risers,

form in suficient quantity to inalre pressures and temperatures conform arriving at the brine cooler with minimum pressure and corresponding temperature, heat Will he received at constant temperature accompanied by a proportionate 'formation of vapor indicated heat in quantityto balance that received. it s the liquid passes on it enters the cones of increasing pressure with this added-quantity of vapor in suspension which gradually condenses and is completely condensed in the condenser 4..

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is: v

1, In a device of the character descrihed, the combination of? a closed 'valvelcss circulating system, including a pair of risers adapted to set up static pressures in a re frigerant thereinhy gravity alone and constituting compressor means in said system, a cooler operatively connected in said system and a condenser also operatively connected in said system. I

2. in a refrigerating system, a' conduit having compressor means comprising vertical risers of suhstantially equal length to set up operative static pressures in a refrigerant contained therein, connecting-conduits hetween said risers respectively the tops and bottoms thereof, a refrigerant medium in said conduit, a cooler to impart heat to said refrigerant medium in operative relation to one of said connecting conduits, a condenser to ahstract heat from said refrigerant medium at the other of said connecting conduits, and

means to circulate said refrigerant medium,

through said conduit.

3.. In a refrigerating system of the character described, a conduit oi uniform crosssectional area having vertical risers or schstantially equal length and having connecting conduits hetvveen said risers respectively at the topsand hottoms thereof, a retrigen ant medium in said conduit, a cooler to impart heat to said refrigerant medium at the upper of said connecting "conduits and hea condenser to abstract heat from said refrigerant medium at the lower of said connecting conduits, and a pump at the junction of one or said risers and lower connecting conduit,

4. In a refrigerating machine, and endless closed conduit, a refrigerant circulating therein and comprising a mixture of liquid refrigerant and its vapor, a high pressure zone and a low pressure zone in the refriger ant produced by gravitational force'alone,

and a pump by which the refrigerant is circulated.

5. In a refrigerating apparatus, an endless closed conduit having two riser sections adapted by their height to operatively produce-in a refrigerant contained therein zones of unequal static pressures, a refrigerant medium in the conduit, means for circulating the refrigerant medium,.and a cooler and a condenser in combination.

6. In a compression refrigeration closed system, the combination of an evaporator, a condenser, a pump, and a connecting conduit including uptake and downtake risers of sufficient height that when filled with a mixture of liquid and vapor refrigerant in motion a hydrostatic pressure will be produced therein at the condenser, greater than the difference between its pressure and that in the evaporator,

7. In a refrigerating system, the combination of compressor means comprising a pair of substantially vertical risers of equal.

height, adapted by gravity alone to set upv operative static pressures in a refrigerant contalned thereln, conduits between said risers whereby refrigerant may circulate through said risers and said conduits, a refrigerant medium in said risers and said conduits, and means to cause said refrlgerant to circulate and means for adding heat to I the refrigerant.

8. In a refrigerating system the combination of compressor means comprising a pair of risers adapted by gravity alone to set up operative static pressures in a refrigerant contained therein, conduits between said risers whereby refrigerant may circulate, a refrigerant medium in said risers and said conduits, means to circulate said refrigerant, a cooler in said system for adding heat to said refrigerant at a point of substantially zero pressure, and a condenser in said system for cooling said refrigerant.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature.

BARTON H. COFFEY.

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