US2597293A - Refrigerated water system - Google Patents

Description

May 20, 1952 E. J. COLETTI REFRIGERATED WATER SYSTEM Filed Aug. 5, 1950 ll ll.

Patented May 20, 1952 IT ED STATES v2 Claims. 1

This invention relates" to refrigerated water systems, and more specifically-to the drinking water systems-such as required, for example, in Pullman'cars andsimilar installations wherein it is desirable to'provide uniformly cool water at any one of a multiplicity of'outlets.

In'the drinking water systems'of'the" most modern types presently employed in conventional "sleeping cars, the individual taps or outlets located in the various compartments or roomsof' the'car are all connected to a common recirculating system. Ordinarily, this system is supplied with water: from a refrigerated-cooler provided nearoneendof the car. In the most common present construction, the carsare pro videdwitha compartment about six-feet high and" nine: or" ten inches square; in i which" this cooler," as" well as the j compressor, condenser; evapprator; and. ,fan'; of the refrigerating system are; installed. Obviously; the size. and shapeof this" compartment; which is dictated by; the limitations of space available within the car, requires expensive equipment especially designed for such installations.

This arrangement has also shown itself to be disadvantageous in several other" respects, particularly since the fan'and condenser of the refrigerating system are located within the car and adjacent the rooms and compartmentsthereof, Where they are not only difficult of access for repair, inspection and service, but where-they are in the'proximity of an unusually high concentration of'lint in the air, and ma position where the'noise of operation of the mechanical parts'of'the unit is irritating topassengers in the car.-

In further explanation of the above, it may be pointed'out that since it is essentialto have adequate circulation of air through the condenser ofthe refrigerating unit, there appears to be no feasible way of effectively soundproofingthe unit orv its'housing sufiiciently that the noise of its operation will'not disturb passengers inthe car. large quantities of bed linens, etc., within the car, together with the activityof'many people within a comparatively small area, and the constant abrasion of carpet, upholstery and clothing; gives" rise to an extremely high lint content in the air. This is a source of constant trouble inconventional systems, since it tends to-accumulate on the fins of the condenser of the refrigerating system so rapidly that repeated service is requiredto keep the units in condition' for efiicient operation.

At the same time, the presence of The present systems are further objectionable in-that'the temperature'of the water available in the various-compartments is not uniform, even with a well insulating recirculationsystem, since there areal-ways enough thermal lossesto bring about a drop-of several degrees between the tem-' perature of water available at a tapcloseto the cooling unit and the water available at a mor'e remote outlet.

It is; therefore; the general aim of the present invention to provide "a novel and improvedwater cooling system wherein the "disadvantages inherent inconventional installationsare largely overcome, so that water may be supplied to a multiplicity of outlets-at a-more constant temperature, yet with less expensive equipment than-heretoforerequired.

A further object of 'theinvention' is-t0 provlde a water cooling system which is of f greater el fi'ciency than those heretofore proposd, so-that a'higher'capacity unit may be employedatle'ss to be unafifectecl-bythe presence of lint-in the 7 air inside of the car,,and to utilize less interior spaceof the car.

In the present invention the above objects are brought about by a'unique Watencooling system whichdeparts from the prior practiceoi providing a unitary water cooler with a supply line extending therefrom to the various .outlets ofthesystem, and provides, a systemwhjerein the evaporator ofithe refrigerating unitislcsoextensivewith the water supply line and inheat exchanging relationship therewith throughout its length, so that'the refrigerating actioritakes place along the entire length of the linerathe than at the point of supply only. 7, By, this means it;is entirely feasible to provide a system ,where:

in water cooled to theoptimum temperature will,

be available at any and every tap along the entire supply'line, even without utilizing arecirculating'system to maintain uniformity of "temperature. The system isequally applicable;

however, to any type of recirculating system, and a preferred embodiment of the invention utilizing the present teachings in connection with the recirculating system of a railroad sleeping car is described in connection with the drawings of this application, wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a preferred form of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view of the junction between the water supply line of the system and the refrigerant line of the evaporator employed thereby.

The system here disclosed is adaptable to installation in hotels, residences, oflice buildings and many other locations, but is particularly well suited to installation in railroad sleeping cars,

for example, and will accordingly be described in connection with a specific illustration of such an installation.

The car, generally designated as Ill, includes an undercarriage or frame comprising beams II to which trucks or wheels 12 are secured in the conventional manner. It will be understood that while no detail is shown in the present drawings, such a car has a number of separate rooms or compartments, each of which is provided with a faucet or tap such as the outlet valves l3, l4, l and I6.

It is obviously desirable to supply each of these multiplicity of outlets with fresh, clean refrigerated water at a uniform temperature. Moreover, it is desirable that the water supplied to these taps be available instantly upon opening the tap, without necessity of drawing off a quantity of water before water of the desired temperature reaches the outlet.

To this end, the valves I3, I4, I 5 and 16 are each connected to a common water supply line I 8, which extends from a discharge outlet IQ of a recirculating pump 20. The supply line I8 is a part of a closed recirculating system including a return line 2|, which extends from the outer extremity of the supply line 18 to the inlet 22 of the recirculating pump. The recirculating system is insulated throughout by an insulating layer 24 over the supply line and over the return line, and the recirculating pump may be enclosed within an insulating housing if desired. All of these parts are Within the railway car, however, where they are not subject to extremes in temperature, so that the entire recirculating system is adequately protected against freezing.

Water drawn from any of the outlets of this recirculating system is replenished through a supply connection 25 which extends from a reservoir 2'5 through a check valve 21 and into the return line 2| from whence it is drawn through the pump 29 and discharged into the supply line l8.

The water from the reservoir 26 may be forced into the system by gravity if the reservoir is located at a sufiicient height, but with the reservoir located below the car and suspended from the frame members thereof as shown, any conventional means (such as the compressed air valve 21) may be employed to force the water from the reservoir into the recirculating system. It will be understood, of course, that if the water supply reservoir is positioned exteriorly of the car as shown, adequate precautions will be taken to prevent freezing of water in severe Weather, as by provision of additional insulation or an internal heater (not shown). Also, a filler cap 28 or other connec- 4 tion is provided for replenishing the supply of water in the reservoir.

The present system differs from systems heretofore employed primarily because of the fact that the water is refrigerated throughout substantially the entire length of the recirculating system rather than at a single source of supply. To accomplish this, the car is provided with a refrigerating unit 30 comprising a compressor 3| and condenser 32, both of which may be conveniently mounted on a single base 33 and detachably suspended on the undercarriage ll of the car, as by the bolts 34. As is conventional in such units, the coils of the condenser may terminate in an expansion valve 35, from which a refrigerant supply line 36 leads to a coupling 31 on the lowermost end of a tube 38 extending through and sealed into the exterior wall of the line I8, as indicated at 39 (Figure 2). The tube 38 comprises the evaporator of the refrigerating system, and this tube, which has an outside diameter considerably smaller than the inside diameter of the water supply line I8, extends through the recirculating system the entire length of the supply line 18 and, as shown, continues through the rear line 2| to an exit connection 4| adjacent the inlet 22 of the recirculating pump. From the point 4| the refrigerant is fed back to the inlet 42 of the compressor through a return line 43 coupled to the inlet line 44 of the compressor by a detachable coupling 45.

From the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the cooling unit of the present system does not cool the water at one point only (as is the practice in conventional systems), but is so designed that the cooling takes place along the entire length of the supply and return lines, so that the system tends to maintain a high degree of uniformity of temperature at all points in the line, irrespective of whether the pump 20 is operated to keep the water in constant circulation.

It is to be further noted, however, that even if relatively large quantities of Water are drawn off from the several taps in the system, adequate cooling is provided to water supplied thereto, since the greatest cooling effect of the evaporator 38 occurs in the portions closest to the expansion valve, and this portion of the evaporator is positioned between the pump 20 and the outlets of the supply line, so that the water entering the line is adequately cooled before it reaches the tap. A thermostat 46 may be positioned in the line to control the operation of the refrigerating system, as is conventional in refrigeration practice.

It should be observed that with a system constructed in accordance with the present teachings, all difficulties arising from the presence of the refrigerating mechanism within the car are eliminated, and it follows that operation of this mechanism cannot disturb occupants of the car by reason of the noise produced, and that the fins and cooling coils of the condenser will not be subjected to high concentrations of troublesome lint laden air. The ordinary dust encountered on a railroad right-of-way is not particularly bothersome in this respect, since it has very little material having fibers of sufficient length to cause objectionable clogging.

The system here disclosed is additionally advantageous in that the positioning of the refrigerating unit at a point outside of the car makes it feasible to use any conventional type of compressor and evaporator, rather than one specifically designed for the limited space available in an interior compartment of the car, and also renders the operating parts of the refrigerating unit easily accessible for inspection, repair or replacement. As a matter of fact, the entire unit may be quickly and easily removed merely by loosening the bolts 34 and detaching the connections 31-45. An entirely new unit may thus be put in position, connected and placed in operation without disturbing occupants sleeping in the various compartments of the car.

With all of the above, the system here disclosed accomplishes more eflicient cooling than heretofore obtained, since substantially the entire external surface of the evaporator is in direct contact with the liquid being cooled. This reduces thermal losses to a marked degree, and thus accomplishes greater eificiency in cooling than heretofore practicable in such installations.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a circulating refrigerated water system for a railway car, the combination of a closed recirculating cool Water circuit comprising a supply line having a plurality of water outlets spaced apart along its length, a circulating pump having an outlet discharging water into said lines under pressure to maintain flow therethrough, and a return line extending from said supply line to the intake of said pump, with said supply line, circulating pump and return line located within the said railway car; a water supply connection for said recirculating circuit,

and a refrigerating system located exteriorly of the car, with an evaporator comprising a refrigerant line extending substantially the entire length of the water supply line and in intimate heat exchanging relationship therewith.

2. In a circulating refrigerated water system for a railway car, the combination of a closed recirculating cool Water circuit comprising a supply line having a plurality of water outlets spaced apart along its length, a circulating pump having an outlet discharging water into said lines under pressure to maintain flow therethrough, and a return line extending from said supply line to the intake of said pump, with said supply line, circulating pump and return line located within the said railway car; a Water supply connection for said recirculating circuit, and a refrigerating system located exteriorly of the car, with an evaporator comprising a refrigerant tube smaller than the water line and extending therethrough with the exterior walls of the tube in direct contact with the water in the supply line.

EUGENE J. COLETTI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,712,567 Kritzer May 14, 1929 1,726,093 Williams Aug. 27, 1929 1,826,372 Spreen Oct. 6, 1931 1,924,525 Taylor Aug. 29, 1933 2,085,186 Eger June 29, 1937

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