US2279804A - Refrigeration apparatus - Google Patents

Description

chamber Patented Apr. 14, 1942 2,279,804 ,'BEFRIGERATION APPARATUS John G. Walz, Holyoke, Mass.,

assigner to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company,

a corporation of Pennsylvy East Pittsburgh, Pa'.,

vania Application Api-i1 15, 1939, serial No. 267,983

(ci. cia-104)l 9 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus adapted to cool articles which are to be dispensed 4at frequent intervals.

One object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator in which the articles to be cooled are progressively carried'therethrcugh. I

Another objectl of the invention is to provide a refrigerator for cooling articles by passinga chilled current of air containing a chilled spray of liquid over the articles.

.A further object is to provide a refrigerator for spraying the articles to be refrigerated with a chilled liquid and thereafter evaporate the liquid from the articles to cool thesame.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved bottled beverage cooler and particularly to provide for adequate cooling at times of heavy load with a refrigerating-mechanism that is of suicient capacity to handle only average loads.

These and other objects are'effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which: A

Fig. lis a vertical section'of the apparatus of this invention taken on the line I-TI of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the apparatus taken on the line II'-II of Fig. 1.

Referring specificallyto the drawing for a detailed description of the invention, the reference numeral I represents a circular cabinet having a horizontal partition'II therein to divide the cabinet into an upper storage chamber I2 anda lower machine compartment I3. The storage I2 is lined with insulating material I4 and provided with an inner metallic lining I5.

The side of the chamber I2 is provided with an entrance opening I6 and a door I1 therefor adapted to spring horizontally on hinges I8.

A cooling unit I9 is provided in the upper portion of the insulated chamber I2 and comprises a spirally wound tube 2| and radial iins 22 on said tube 2|. The upper edges of the fins 22 are welded or otherwise secured to the upper wall of the inner liner and the fins 22 support the tube 2|. The cooling unit I9 is preferably of the evaporativetype and is supplied with liquid refrigerant through the capillary tube 23 from the refrigerant condensing machinery located in the lower compartment I The refrigerant condensing machinery comprises a condenser 25 and a motor driven re- "frigerant pump (not shown) in a sealed casing 26. The refrigerant pump withdraws the evaporated refrigerant from the cooling unit I9 through a suction tube 21, compresses it, and conducts the compressed refrigerant through the tube 28 to the condenser 25. A fan 29 driven by a motor 3| circulates' air through the condenser 25 and passes it over the sealed casing 26 to cool the same. refrigerator may be regulated by a control 39 actuated by the temperature of the tube 2|, as is well known in the art.

A vertical shaft 32 in the center of the cabinet is journaled in an upper bearing 33 and a lower bearing 34. The lower bearing 34 extendsr through the bottom wall II of the refrigerated chamber i2 to a motor 35 secured to the lower surface of this wall, which motor drives the shaft 32. A centrifugal fan 36 is secured on the shaft 32 below the cooling unit I9 and a conical shroud 31 is-positioned below the cooling unit I9 and above the fan 36 to guide the air cir` culated by the fan 36 through the cooling unit I9. The shroud 31 is welded or otherwise secured to the lower edges of the fins 22 and drains the condensate dripping from the cooling unit I9 onto the fan 36, which sprays the condensate through the storage chamber I2. An outer rim portion 38 Yof the shroud 31 is carried downwardly and is spaced from the side walls of the chamber and terminates at a distance above the bottom wall of the .chamber to provide an air circulating path which commences at the fan 36, passes radially outward through the storage chamber I2, downwardlyy beneath the outerA edges of the shroud 37., then upwardly through the space between `the outer rim portion 38 of the shroud 31 and the side wall of the chamber I2 and then y through the'cooling unit I9 to the fan 36. The

rim portion has an opening 4I adjacent the door opening I6.

` The refrigerator. as thus far described, operchamber I 2.

ates as follows: As air in the storage chamber I2 is drawn through the cooling unit I9, some of -the air is ordinarily chilled below its dew point and moisture is condensed on the.cooling unit. The moisture condensed will drip from the cooling unit I9 and run down the conical portion of the shroud 31 to the fan 36, which sprays it over the bottles 39 or other articles stored in the The bottles 39 will normally be at a higher temperature than either the air or the water, ,so that the moisture adhering to the bottles 39 will be warmed and will then again evaporate in thestream of air and be redeposited The temperature of the l the entire platform an ice booster effect pose. During peak Aice water will be sprayed on departing from the 2- y on the cooling unit I9.. The bottles Il in the chamber l2 are therefore cooled in three distinct ways.' first, by the cold -air blown over them, secondly, by the cold water sprayed over them, and thirdly, by theevaporation of the water on the bottles. This vmaterially reduces the time of cooling warm bottles over that of a cooler wherein cold air alone is circulated.

The orderly cooling of the articles in the-storage chamber is facilitated by a rotatable plat form 42 adjacent the bottom of the chamber I2 which platform 42 is secured at its center to a ring-shaped bearing 43 Journaled on a'proiecting portion of the bearing 34 so that the plat-- form 42 rotates thereupon. The platform 42 is further supported at its edges by rollers 44 afnxed to the bottom of the chamber l2. The outer edge 45 of the rotating platform 421s beaded upwardly to define a shallow storage basin '46 for water which may drip from the bottles 2S.

the opening i6 and placed on the adjacent por- A42. The platform 421s and additional bottles 39 procedure repeated until 42 is loaded with bottles. When the refrigerated bottles 39 are to be dispensed, they are withdrawn through the opening I6, warm bottles put in their placevand the platform 42 rotated slightly to bring a new sup' ply of cold bottles adjacent the opening It for the next dispensation.

may be operated to provide during peak loads of short duration. To secure this effect, the control 2li is set to operate the cooling unit I9 at a temperature. low enough to freeze the condensate on the cooling unit Y I9 into ice during light and normal loads. The water in'the storage basin 46 will provide sumcient water vapor for 4this purloads, such` as when large bottles are inserted in the the temperature of tion of the platform then rotated slightly are inserted and tV The refrigerator numbers of warm storage chamber at one time,

thereupon,

'which are affected bythe water, such as fresh art or as are specifically set forth in the appended The refrigerator is adapted to cool articles not affected by the water sprayed such as bottles, as well as articles fruits and-vegetables.

'What I claim is:

1. In a refrigerator, the combination of an insulated chamber providing a storage space for the chamber I2"will rise, some or all of the ice on the cooling unit I! will melt and the melted the bottles' 38. Some of this water will again be reevaporated, as previously drain into the storage basin 46.

It will be apparent from the above that this invention provides a refrigerator for coolingarticles progressively.v The apparatusis further adapted to chill articles rapidly by means of the combined action of a chilled current of air,

of a chilled spray of water, and by the evaporation of the water sprayed thereon. 4 It is also adapted to provide auxiliary refrigeration during peak loads by the melting of ice formed during less than peak loads.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of varioustchanges and modifications lwithout spirit thereof, and I desire, such limitations shall be imposed by the prior therefore, that only placed thereupon as are described, and the remainder willV 'the articles to be refrigerated, a cooling unit in said chamber, and a motor driven fan forcirculating the air oi' said chamber through said cooling unit and over said articles, said fan also being adapted to spray moisture condensing on v said cooling unit over said articles.

2. In a refrigerator, the combination of an insulated chamber providing a storage space fox` the articles to b'e refrigerated, a cooling unit in said chamber, a motor driven fan at i sulated chamber providing a storage space for articles to be refrigerated, a cooling unit in said chamber, a motor-driven fan at a level below said cooling unit, a shroud for conducting the condensate formed on the cooling unit to the fan. and a water storage vpan in said chamber, said fan being arranged to circulate the air in said chamber through the cooling unit and over the articles to be refrigerated and to spray the moisture conducted to it by the shroud over such articles, said pan being in position to collect the excess moisture.

4. In a refrigerator, the combination of an insulated chamber providing a storage space for l articles Yto bey refrigerated, a cooling unit in said chamber adapted to condense moisture from the air in said chamber, to freeze said moisture during light .and normal loads and to permit said frozen moisture to melt during heavy loads, a motor-drivenfan at a level below said'cooling unit,'a shroud for conducting moisture dripping -from the cooling unit to the fan, and a water storage pan in said chamber, said fan being arranged to. circulate the air -in said chamber through the 4cooling unit and over the articles to be refrigerated and to spray the moisture conducted to it by the shroud over such articles, said pan being in 'position to collect the excess moisture.

5. In a refrigerator, the combination of an insulated chamber providing a storage space for the articles refrigerated, a cooling unit in the top of said chamber, a centrifugal fan revolving on a substantially vertical axis and located below said cooling uni* and substantially centrally in said chamber, a motor for driving said fan,

and a. shroud -for guiding air and condensate from said cooling unit to said fan, said fan being arranged to blow said air and condensate substantially radially through said chamber and across the articles stored therein, the condensate on the articles evaporating in said air to additionally cool said articles.

6. In a refrigerator, the combination of a circular insulated chamber providing a storage space for the articles to be refrigerated, a cooling unit in the upper portion of said chamber, a fan below said cooling unit, a shroud for cona levelv below said cooling unit, and a shroud for con-l ducting the condensate of-said cooling unit to said fan, a rotatable platform in said chamber for supporting the articles to be refrigerated, an access opening in the side wall of said chain` ber, and a door for said opening, said rotatable platform being arranged -to convey articles stored thereon adjacent said access opening, said fan being arranged te circulate the air of said chi ber through the cooling unit and'across the articles to be refrigerated and to spray the condensate of said cooling unit over said articles.

7. in refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a cabinet including a storage chamber adapted to contain articles 'to be cooled, means for affording access to the interior of said chamber from the outside thereof, mechanism including a cooling element in said chamber for abstracting heat from air circulating therein, a device for controlling the operation of said mechanism, and means for forcibly circulating the air in said chamber over the cooling unit and said articles, the setting of said dev'ice being so correlated with the capacity of the cooling unit that the normal operation thereof will cause water vapor in the air circulated in said cabinet to freeze on the cooling element during light-A vload periods and melt during heavy-load periods and means for directing the meltage from said cooling element into the air of said cabinet before the forcible circulation of the mixture of the air and meltage over said articles occurs.

8. In refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a cabinet including a storage chamber adapt-v ed .to contain articles to be cooled, vmeans for lated with the capacity of the cooling unit that 'the normal operation thereof will cause water 'vapor 'in the air circulated in said cabinet to ireeze on the cooling element during iight-load periode and melt during heavy-load periods and means iordirecting the meltage from said cooling element into the air stream flowing over said articles 9. In refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a cabinet including a storage chamber adapted to contain articles to be cooled, means for affording access to the interior of said chamber from the outside thereof, mechanism' including a cooling element in. said chamber for abstracting heat from air circulating therein, a device for controlling the operation of said mechanism,

the setting of said device being* so correlated with the capacity of the cooling unit that the` normal operation thereof will cause water Vapor in the air circulated in said cabinet to freeze on the cooling element during lightload periods and melt during heavy-load periods and means for forcibly circulating air over the cooling unit and said articles and for directing the meltage from said. cooling element over said articles.

JOHN G. WALZ.

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