US2745262A - Refrigerator gas liquiefier - Google Patents

Description

y 1956 J w. KCHLER REFRIGERATOR LIQUEFIER Filed May 1, 1952 INVENTOR JAcoe WILLFWMLAURE s KO ER AA /I/T United States Patent REFRIGERATOR GAS LIQUEFIER Jacob Willem Laurens Kiihler, Eindhoven, Netherlands,

assignor to Hartford National Bank and Trust Company, Hartford, Conn., as trustee Application May 1, 1952, Serial No. 285,440

Claims priority, application Netherlands May 31, 1951 Claims. (Cl. 62123) This invention relates to refrigerators comprising two spaces which vary continuously in' volume with a substantially constant relative phase difierence, one space having a lower temperature and the other space a higher temperature, said spaces communicating with one another by way of a freezer, a regenerator and a cooler, and containing a gas of invariable chemical composition which traverses a closed thermodynamic cycle whilst being in the same physical state.

Such refrigerators are known and are sometimes referred to as refrigerators operating on the reversed hotgas engine principle.

It has been proposed by the applicant to'construct a refrigerator in a manner such that a gaseous medium is cooled to 150 C. and is condensed.

It has now been recognized by the applicant that with the same physical state, is characterized in that this refrigerator is adapted to condense a gaseous medium, for example air, at at least l50 C., this temperature being reached at one stage by the process which takes place in the refrigerator, the medium condensing on a wall of the freezer through which heat exchange with the working medium takes place and condensation taking place on at least substantially the whole of that part of the wall which serves for the heat exchange, the freezer being surrounded by a screen having heat-insulating properties and extending substantially the whole length of the freezer and the said insulating screen being separated from that surface of the freezer which is in heat exchanging contact with the working medium of the refrigerator by a preferably subdivided space for the medium to be condensed.

Preferably, the gas pressure of the medium to be condensed differs Within the screen having heat insulating properties by not more than 0.2 atmosphere from atmospheiic pressure. In contradistinction to known refrigerators, it is thus not necessary for the liquefaction of gaseous media that the gaseous medium should be compressed; this results in a considerable advantage.

The medium to be condensed may be supplied to the freezer by means of the pressure difference resulting from the difference in temperature between the cooled medium and the medium not yet cooled. As an alternative, the medium to be condensed may be supplied to the freezer due to hydrostatic pressure differences in the condensed medium. Both these alternatives'permit of other expedients for the supply'of medium, such as fans, being omitted.

Particularly if gas other than air is required to be liquefied it is desirable that the machine should comprise a discharge pipe for the condensed medium which pipe contains a liquid-obturation, the discharge pipe being wide enough and having a position before and behind this liquid-obturation such as to prevent condensed medium from filling these parts of die pipe at any point.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, given by way of example, in which Fig. 1 shows a refrigerator according to the invention which comprisesa screen having heat insulating properties,

Fig. 2 shows a modification of the refrigerator shown in Fig. 1,'

Figs. 3 and 4 show a third embodiment of the invention and Fig. 5 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention.

The refrigerator shown in Fig. 1 comprises a cylinder 1 in which a displacer 2 and a piston 3 reciprocate with a constant phase difference. The displacer 2 and the piston 3 are linked by means of connecting rods 4 and 5, respectively, to a crank shaft 6. The space 7 above the displacer is the freezing space and communicates via a freezer 8, a regenerator 9 and a cooler 10 with a cooled chamber 11 between the piston 3 and the displacer 2. The refrigerator is constructed so as to enable very low temperatures to be obtained in one stage from room temperature. If, for example, the temperature of the cooled space is +30 C., the temperature of the freezing space 7 and of the freezer 8 will be, for example, C. The freezer 8 comprises a wall 12 through which the heat exchange with a medium to be cooled is required to take place. The freezer is surrounded by a screen 13 having heat-insulating properties. The medium to be cooled, for example air, is supplied at the top of the screen through an aperture 14. This medium condenses on substantially the whole of the surface of the wall 12. The pressure of the gas in the space between the screen 13 and the wall 12 differs by not more than 0.2 atmosphere from atmospheric pressure. The medium is fed to the wall as a result of the pressure difference which occurs by reason of the difference in temperature between the cooled medium and the mediumnot yet cooled. The freezer comprises at its bottom an annular channel 15 in which condensed medium is collected. This condensed mediuniis discharged by means of a discharge pipe 16. This discharge pipe 16, which has a position and a width such that the condensed medium cannot fill the pipe at any point, contains a trap working with condensed medium.

This trap is provided with an envelope 17 into which the pipe 16 opens. a container 18 in which the liquid dripped from the pipe 16 is collected. The container 18 has thus formed in it a trap and the condensed medium is discharged through the pipe 19. This pipe is wide enough to prevent it from being filled with liquid at any point.

This trap is of particular use of a gas other than air is required to be condensed.

The refrigerator is driven by an electric motor 20 shown in broken lines.

Fig. 2 shows a freezer of a refrigerator, the heat-insulating screen being constructed in a manner slightly different from that of Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, parts similar to those of Fig. l are designated by like reference numerals. The Wall 12 of the freezer 8 is provided with fins 21. The fins shown extend vertically but as an alternative Arranged to surround the orifice is it is possible for the fins to be shaped in a different form,

for example, in the form of overlapping rings imbricately arranged on the wall 12 of the freezer. The freezer is surrounded with a cylindrical screen 22 whichri s open at the top. In thisembodiment, the medium to be lique tied is supplied in the same manner as shown in Fig. 1 and the discharge is also effected in a similar manner. Obviously, the screen 22. is not limited to being cylindricalfbut may alternatively taper either to the one end or to the other..

Fig. 3 shows afreezer with which the channels for the medium. to be condensed are arranged in the body. of the freezer, which comprises a wall 30 havinglrecessed into it channels 31 which at their lower ends open into a. common annular channel 32. This annular channel. 32

comprises a discharge pipe 16. The wall 30 is surrounded by a heat-insulating'screen 33 which at the. top has at 34, flows through the parallel-connected channels 31 and is discharged in a liquid staterthrough thev channel 16. In this embodiment also, the freezer is surrounded by a screen. having heat-insulating properties and this screen and the surface of the freezer which is in heat-,

exchanging contact with the working medium of the machine are separated by a space provided. for the medium to be condensed.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IV--IV of Fig. 3, Whereas Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III'III of Fig. 4.

Fig. 5 shows a freezer which is constructed as a pipe freezer, the freezing chamberl. communicating with the regenerator 9-via pipes 40. The pipes 40 are surrounded by a screen 41 having heat-insulating properties. 'The medium to be condensed is supplied to the top of the screen through an aperture 42. At. the bottom provision is made of a discharge pipe 16 by means of which the condensed mediumcan be discharged. v

' Reference has been. made above to the liquefaction. of air. It will be obvious that the refrigerator may be used for liquefying other gases, for example, nitrogen or argon in which cases the screen will have the additional advantage that'the condensation process is effected in a space which excludes the ambient atmosphere. The machine according to the invention is not limited to being arranged vertically, as shown in the accompanying drawing, but may alternatively be arranged, for example, horizontally.

What I claim is: V

1. A refrigerator, comprising a freezer; a regenerator; a cooler and two spaces containing a working medium of invariable chemical composition which traverses .a closed. thermodynamic cycle while being in the same physical state through. said freezer, ,regeneratorand cooler; one

anapertute 34. The medium to be condensed enters.

space having a relatively lower temperature than the other space; the working medium in each of said spaces varying continuously in volume with a substantially constant relative phase difference; a gaseous medium surrounding said freezer being adapted to condense at least at 150 C. on substantially all of the wall of said freezer;-

and a screen having heat insulation properties extending in a space confronting manner for'substantially the whole length of said freezer thereby formingan interspaceforsaid gaseous medium to be condensed therein.

2. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 1 whereindhe pressure of said gaseous medium to be condensed within said interspace differs by no more than 0.2 atmosphere.

from atmospheric pressure.

3. A refrigerator as claimed in. claim 1 wherein the a gaseous medium to be condensed is supplied to said inter.- space by means of the pressure difference resulting from the temperature. difference between; the cooled and uncooled. gaseousmcdium; I 1

4. A refrigerator as claimed in claim lJwherein said gaseous medium to-be condensed is. supplied'tothe freezer by; means of hydrostatic pressure differences in the con,

densed gaseous medium. 1

5 A refrigerator comprising. a freezer; a regenerator;

a cooler and twospaces containing a working medium of invariable chemical composition which traverses a closed thermodynamic cycle while being in the same physical. state through'said freezer, regenerator. and. cooler; one space having a relatively lower temperature than theother space; the working medium ineach of said spacesv varying; continuously in volume with a substantially constant relative phasediiference; a gaseous medium surrounding said freezer being adapted to condense at least: at --150 C. err-substantially all' of the wall of said freezer; a screen having heatinsulation properties ex.- tending in a space confronting manner for substantially the whole length of said freezer. thereby forming an inter-space for said gaseous medium to be condensed therein; a discharge pipe; and a trap for: the condensed gaseous medium.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS:

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