US2033069A - Combined heating and cooling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

March 3, 1936. H. F. HAGEN ET AL I 2,033,069

' COMBINED HEATING AND COOLING APPARATUS Filed July 5, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS fiAEOLDE HAsE/v BY EL M. ANDERSON ATTORNEY March 3, 1936. H. F. HAG EN El" AL 2,033,069

COMBINED HEATING COOLING APPARATUS I 'Fil ed July 5, 1954 :5 Shets-Sheet 2 DUUBU 'U U m in E] i 1 INVENTORS 664E010 f HAGE/v BY'5AMUEL M ANDERSON ATTORNEY March 3, 1936. H. F. HAGEN ET AL COMBINED HEATING AND COOLING APPARATUS Filed July 5, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 0 MM% s 065 v M w EH QR Wi m MJM LL Patented Mar. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINED HEATING AND COOLING APPARATUS Harold F. Hagen, Dedham, and Samuel M. Anderson, Sharon, Mass., asslgnors to B. F. Sturtevant Company, 1110., Boston, Mass.

Application July 5, 1934, Serial No. 733,734

2 Claims.

ing and cooling air which is circulated through railway passenger cars.

It is now becoming well known that human comfort requires that the air within an enclosure should be not only circulated to provide sufllcient ventilation, but should in winter be warmed, with moisture added to maintain the proper relative humidity and in summer should be cooled, and moisture extracted from it to overcome the excessive humidity which is usually present.

While the conditioningof air for motion picture theaters, hotel, office and industrial buildings has been developed to a high degree in recent years, the air conditioning of vehicles, and particularly railway cars, has been more or less neglected, due, perhaps, to the peculiar problems involved and the many difficulties present. Among the dimculties which present themselves are the lack of space in a railway car, which already of necessity has had to accommodate the maximum. of equipment in the minimum of space, the excessive refrigeration equipment which would have to be carried if\the ordinary method of conditioning buildings were followed, the changing temperature conditions through which a railway car must pass, the cost of the equip-; ment, and other dimculties.

While there have been several methods proposed for the distribution of conditioned air in railway passenger cars, most railway managements prefer the use of longitudinal distribution ducts. Ordinarily the air conditioning apparatus is mounted in one end and in the roof zone of the car, longitudinal supply ducts extend down along the side of the, car and overhead the passenger space, and are provided with a small number of spaced outlets through which the conditioned air is blown. 4

The difficulties with this arrangement in the past have been two-fold, namely, distribution and drafts. When the relatively few openings were made of sufficient size to permit a low outflow velocity, distribution was almost entirely uncontrolled and resulted in unequal delivery from the various openings. When these openings were made small enough to dam back the air flow, pro-' duclng a static pressure in the duct, the velocities from the openings were too high and produced unpleasant drafts.

' To secure both good distribution and low velocities in the final discharge, the outflow of the conditioned air is controlled, according :to this invention, in two steps, by having a small distributing outlet from the main duct through which the air flows at high velocities. It then strikes a distributing baflle and flows at substantially any desired velocity through its final opening into the car. This is accomplished by providing in addition to a main duct, a small distributing outlet or auxiliary duct. The conditioned air is-'built up under static pressure in the main duct and flows at high velocity into the auxiliary duct, where it strikes a distributing baflle and then flows at a low or substantially any desired velocity into the passenger space of the car.

According to another feature of the invention the recirculated air drawn into the air conditioning unit for reconditioning may be indrawn from either the roof zone or, the floor zone. 4 In summer, the recirculated air is drawn into the conditioning unit from the roof zone, and, in winter, is drawn into the unit from the floor zone. By indrawing the air from the floor line in winter and discharging it in the'roof zone, a positive circulation is obtained which has not been done before, and which is highly desirable. In summer, when air is cooled, the recirculated air can be withdrawn from the roof zone and-the cold Another object of the invention is to supply cold air in summer without drafts and warm air in winter with adequate circulation.

Other objects of the invention'will be apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings,

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, of which: i

Fig. 1 is a horizontal, sectional view of the air I conditioning apparatus and a portion of the supply duct mounted in the railway car shown by i Figsf3 and4; 1

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the appa -ratus'shown by Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a railway passenger car equipped according to this invention;

Fig. 4 isv a planview, with the roof removed, of

the apparatus contained in the car shown by Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the central air duct shown by Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through another type of air duct which may be used according to this invention, and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the discharge portion of the duct of Fig. 6 modified slightly.

The railway passenger car of Figs. 3 and 4 has the air conditioning unit, indicated generally by lil, mounted in one end and in the roof zone of the car. The air may be discharged through the central supply duct II or the two longitudinal ducts i2, arranged one along each side of the car and indicated by the dash-dot lines of Fig. 4.,

The details of the apparatus of Figs. 3 and 4 are shown by Figs. 1 and 2. The apparatus is seen to comprise the blower l3, which indraws fresh and recirculated air into the air conditioning unit I0, passes it over the heater or cooler coils within the unit, and discharges it through the supply ducts. The fan or blower l3 may be driven by the electric motor M, which may be energized from a storage battery mounted on the car and/or from an axle-driven generator.

The extended surface cooling coils l5 are provided for cooling the air passing, in hot weather, through the unit, and may be supplied with ice water from an ice system, with brine from a secondary refrigeration system, or refrigerant such as freon, may be expanded directly in the coils, used as evaporator coils. The steam coils l6 are provided for heating the air in winter, and a steam humidifier, or drip humidifier, may be associated with the steam coils to add moisture to the heated air when desired. The recirculated air enters the unit l0 and passes through the channel II, which is arranged beneath the heat- -1ng coils l6, cooling coils l5, and blower I3. The removable filters l8 are arranged to the rear of the heat exchange coils for filtering the air to be conditioned.

The recirculated air intak to the unit It opens into the air supply duct l9, w ch has a recirculated air inlet 20 at the floor line of the car, and the recirculated air inlet 2| in the root zone oi. the car. The damper 22 may be adjusted manually or thermostatically to close 011 the recirculated air inlet 2| and open the recirculated air inlet in summer, or to close off the recirculated air inlet 20 and open the recirculated air inlet 2| in winter, thus allowing air tobe drawn from the floor line or roof zone, as required for the most advantageous circulation of conditioned air.

As indicated by Fig. 4, a single central air duct l I may be used, or two air ducts l2, one arranged adjacent each of the longitudinal sides of the car, may be used. Fig. 5 is a cross section through the central duct II and illustrates one embodiment of an air duct, according to this invention, in which an equal static pressure is maintained throughout the length of the duct. The conditioned air from the unit is blown under pressure into the upper portion 23 of the duct. Dividing the upper portion 23 from the lower portion 2!, is the dividing wall 25, in which are arranged the three small slits 26, which extend the length of the duct. A plate perforated with round or rectangular holes may also be used. These 'slits are preferably not more than 5; inch in width. In operation, a static pressure of approximately 0.2 inch of water extends in the area 23, the entire length of the duct. The-air under static prS-' sure passes out through the small openings 26 and is converted from static to velocity energy. A static air pressure is again built up in the lower area 24, and the air is discharged from the discharge openings 2| under static pressure and at a desirable low velocity. The openings 21 are horizontal slits extending the entire length of the duct, or, if desired, of course, may be of any desired length and may be spaced longitudinally or crosswise of the duct. With this arrangement, the conditioned air is discharged under equal pressure and with equal velocity at both ends of the duct. 7

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate theinvention for equal air distribution applied to pairs of ducts extending along the longitudinal sides of the car. The conditioned air from the unit is discharged under pressure into the area 28 of the longitudinal duct I2. The vertical side of the duct is provided with the small slit 29, which, in this embodiment, extends the length of the duct and, as stated in connection with the discussion of Fig. 5, the width of inch has been found suitable under actual operating conditions. The slit 29 discharges into the area 30, arranged to one side of the duct l2, and this area 30 is provided with the discharge outlet 3|. In operation, a static pressure of approximately 0.2 inch of water is built up in the area 28 all the way to the end 01' the duct. This static pressure is converted into velocity energy on passage of the air through the slit 29 into the area 30. In the area 30, a lower static pressure is again built up, and the static pressure, on discharging through the discharge outlets 3 I, is converted again into velocity energy, and the air passes out into the car at low velocity.

Fig. '7 illustrates a modification of the arrangement of Fig.6, utilizing the ordinary car lighting fixtures for the discharge of air from the pair of longitudinal supply ducts. To the rear of the electric light bulb 32 of Fig. 6 is arranged the conduit 33, which receives and supports the socket of the bulb 32. This conduit may be provided with a narrow slit through which the air under static pressure in the area 28 passes, and the area 35, within the conduit 33, may correspond to the area 30 associated (Fig. 6) with the duct l2. Arranged around the socket 36 of each bulb 32 is the opening 31 which corresponds to the discharge opening 3| of Fig. 6. In operation, the static pressure is converted into velocity energy on passage through the slit 34; is partially converted again into static pressure on passage of the air into the space 35;. converted again into velocity energy in the space 31, and is discharged at low velocity on passage into the car.

With the arrangements illustrated by Figs. 6 and 7, pairs of ducts are used and the air is discharged from one duct towards the opposite duct, the streams of low velocity air discharged of said car, means for conditioning the air passing through said unit, a relatively large longitudinal duct connecting with the discharge side of said unit, an auxiliary duct associated with said relatively large duct and receiving air therefrom, means for enabling the buliding up a substantial static pressure in said relatively large duct and for discharging the air therefrom at high velocity into said auxiliary duct, a plurality of electric lightbulb receptacles extending through said auxiliary duct into said car,and

means for discharging the air from said auxiliaryduct into said car around said receptacles.

2. Air conditioning apparatus for a railway passenger car comprising an air conditioning unit mounted in one end and in the root zone of said car, means in said unit for chilling, dehumidifying air in and discharging air therefrom, a distributing duct connecting with the discharge side of said unit, a plurality of spaced electric light fixtures containing light bulbs, and means for discharging the air from said duct into said car through openings adiacent said fixtures whereby the discharged air, prior to entrance into the passenger space or said car, passes over and around said bulbs.

HAROLD F. HAGEN.

SAMUEL M. ANDERSON.

Images