US2032404A - Air cooling, washing, and humidifying apparatus - Google Patents

Description

TUS

E. F. FISHER March 3, 1936.

AIR COOLING, WASHING, AND HUMIDIFYING APPARA Filed June 3, 1935 lm/ewroe ERA/57 F. FISHER Patented Mar. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF ICE AIR COOLING, WASHING, AND HUMIDIFY- lNG APPARATUS My invention has relation to improvements in cooling and air-conditioning apparatus, and'consists in the novel features of construction more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

The invent-ion embodies a suitable casing through which water or brine that has previously been cooled by refrigeration is sprayed, said cooling medium also serving to impel air through the casing whereby said air is washed and the temp rature thereof lowered.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a comparatively simple apparatus for cooling air for subsequent circulation through living rooms, meat coolers, or in any other space in which it is desired to have washed and humidified cool air. A further object is to provide an apparatus for efliciently cooling air that may be manufactured at low cost and that does not require expensive machinery for its operation. These objects, as well as other advantages inherent in the invention, will be apparent from a detailed description of the same in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved cooling apparatus with parts of the outer casing broken away; Fig. 2 is a top plan thereof; Fig. 3 is a vertical, transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical, transverse section through the casing of a modified form of the invention; and Fig. 5 is a horizontal crosssectional detail taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing (and for the present, Figs. '1 to 3, inclusive), I represents a substantially rectangular sheet metal casing in which there are a row of conical tubes 2, 2 extending downwardly from the closed top 3 of the casing to within a short distance of the bottom 4 thereof. It will be observed that the tubes 2 taper downwardly to within a short distance of their lower ends which are provided with oppositely tapered portions 2' forming a constricted throat 5. The chamber 0 within the casing is entirely closed in except for the air outlets 6, 6 provided in one of the side walls of casing I. A pipe 1 extends lengthwise of the casing l above the same and is provided with a series of nozzles 8, 8, etc., arranged centrally above the tubes 2 so as to discharge water or other cooling medium into said tubes.

60 A drain pipe 9 leads from the bottom 4 of the casing I, through which the cooling medium flows out of the casing l.

The operation of the cooling apparatus is as follows:

65 The casing l (comprising a unit of the cooling system) is placed within the space to be cooled and cool water or refrigerated brine is caused to flow through the pipe 1, from the nozzles 8 of which the cooling medium discharges in the form of a spray, completely filling the upper part of the 5 tube 2. The falling of a liquid spray downwardly through the tube 2 causes the injection of air into the tube in the open top thereof. The gradual reduction of the area of the tube 2 causes an increase in the velocity of descending water and 1 entrained air, which velocity reaches a maximum at the constricted throat 5. This velocity of course is converted into pressure with the discharge of the water and entrained air by the flaring mouth 2'. This air pressure is maintained 5 in the bottom of the chamber C by the continually descending column of air and water through the tube 2.

The air pressure maintained within the chamber C of course causes a continual outflow of air 20 from the outlets 6, 6 into the space that is being cooled. One of the advantages of my invention is that the air is not only cooled by contact with the liquid cooling medium, but is further cooled by contact with the outside surfaces of the tubes 25 2 so that a comparatively high cooling efllciency is obtained.

In Figures 4 and 5 I show a modification of the invention wherein a diffusion cone I0 is disposed below the widely flaring mouth ll of the tube i2, 30 said cone l0 projecting upwardly into the mouth ll of the tube. In the annular space l3 between the cone and the wall I4 I provide a series of equally spaced radially disposed vanes IS. The purpose of the diffusion cone is to cause the air 5 to spread throughout the entire lower part of the casing I, the vanes I5 serving to prevent the formation of currents, thereby facilitating the maintaining of an air pressure in the lower part of the chamber C. The diffusion cone [0 and 40 the vanes l5 also serve to break down the water spraycausing cohesion of the fine particles into larger drops of water so that there will be no water spray carried upwardly through the casing I to the outlet 6' with the air.

. It is thus apparent that during the operation of my cooling apparatus the velocity of the air caused by the downward rush of the cooling medium through the tube 2 is converted into com pressed air in the lower part of the chamber C from which the air moves upwardly to continually discharge from the outlets 6 or 6'. Obviously the outlets 6 or 6 may be located at any height on the casing l or I.

Of course, any suitable source of cooling medium may be used from which it may be pumped into the pipe 1 and a pump may be likewise provided to facilitate the draining of the accumulated cooling medium in the lower part of the casing l.

The air issues from the outlets 6 under considerable velocity owing to the pressure within the casing I so that circulation thereof within the space being cooled does not depend upon the difference of temperature between thecooling air and the air within the space cooled. A positive circulation of air is maintained with the coldest air introduced at the upper level of the room. Of course this cooled air displaces warm air be low it and produces a positive circulation since the inlets to the cooling casing l are at the top thereof.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A cooling unit comprising an air-tight casing, a vertically disposed tube within said casing, said tube having its upper end open to the atmosphere and its lower end provided with a conical mouth and opening into the lower part of said casing, a cone-shaped member positioned concentrically with the conical mouth of the tube and spaced from the wall thereof, a series of radially disposed vanes between said conical member and the wall of the conical mouth, a liquid spray nozzle positioned above the tube for discharging a liquid cooling medium downwardly therethrough, means for withdrawing the cooling medium from the casing, and said casing having outlets for the air entrained by the cooling medium.

2. A cooling unit comprising an air-tight casing, a vertically disposed tube disposed within said casing, said tube being tapered so the crosssectional area thereof gradually decreases toward; the lower end thereof, the upper end of said tube being open to the atmosphere, a liquid spray nozzlepositioned above the tube for discharging a liquid cooling medium downwardly therethrough, means for withdrawing the cooling medium from the casing, and said casing having outlets for the air entrained by the cooling medium.

3. A cooling unit comprising an air-tight casing, a vertically disposed tube disposed within said casing, said tube being tapered so the crosssectional area thereof gradually decreases toward the lower end thereof, the upper end of said tube being open to the atmosphere, a coneshaped member positioned below said tube and having its apex within the tube, a series of radially disposed vanes between said cone-shaped member and the wall of the tube, a liquid spray nozzle positioned above the tube for discharging a liquid cooling medium" downwardly therethrough, means for withdrawing the cooling medium from the casing, and said casing having outlets for the air entrained by the cooling medium.

4. A cooling unit comprising an air-tight casing, a vertically disposed downwardly tapering tube within said casing, said tube having its upper end open to the atmosphere and its lower end provided with an outwardly flaring mouth and opening into the lower part of said casing, a cone-shaped member positioned concentrically with the'conical mouth of the tube and spaced from the wall thereof, a series of radially disposed vanes between said conical member and the wall of the conical mouth, a liquid spray nozzle positioned above the tube for discharging a liquid cooling medium downwardly therethrough, means for withdrawing the cooling medium from the casing, and said casing having outlets for the air entrained by the cooling medium.

5. A cooling unit comprising an air-tight casing, a vertically disposed tube communicating with said casing, said tube being tapered so that the cross-sectional area thereof gradually decreases towardthe lower end, the upper end of said tube being open to the atmosphere and the lower end having an outwardly flaring conical mouth discharging into said casing, a liquid spray nozzle positioned above the tube for discharging a liquid cooling medium downwardly therethrough, means for withdrawing the cooling medium from the casing, and said casing having outlets for the air entrained by the cooling medium.

ERNEST F. FISHER.

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