US2215046A - Compression refrigerating plant - Google Patents

Description

Se 11. 1940. Q.' A. F. www 2,215,046

COMPRES S I ON REFRIGERATING PLANT 'Filed Jan. 2o, 1938 2 sheets-sheet 1 mi' l N@ 3S ra :t 3

t w m M .m M M u w M m Q TW, H w .m M w M m m .M m K. m m a, Umm Q Q wmv/ w Y m s n .C :,VEVM ,fr/ Q m ,m .ltemkffflfflflwlhx Patented sept. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES COMPRESSION REFRIGERATING PLANT Otto Andreas Frederiksen Kramhift, ltiisskov, Denmark f Application January 20, 1938, Serial No. 185,982

In Denmark January 23, 1937 4 Claims. (Cl. 62-115.)

i In refrigerating plants having two. or more refrigerators the 'problem often occurs that the .temperature must be different at the various refrigerators. 'I'his in many cases has been ats tained by using cooled brine as cooling medium, brine having lust the temperature suitable for cooling therooms being` circulated through the refrigerating elements arranged in the rooms by means of mixing valves and one or more brine l pumps.

In refrigerating .plants -working with direct evaporation of the refrigerating medium in pipe coils arranged in the rooms and without using brine as an intermediate agent, it has been necessary as a rule to produce the dierent temperatures by increasing or decreasing the refrigerating surfaces or by employing more compressors, eachassociated with avroom to be cooled. 'Ihe ilrst named of these methods will often be detrimental to the goods stored in the room, since the air in some rooms will be too moist 'and in other rooms it will be too dry depending upon'whether the refrigerating surface is large or small (the cooling coil being long or short), and both sys- 25 tems suffer from, the drawback that they can only be-regulated to an insumcient degree. Whenl multicylinder compressors or double acting compressors with separated suction sides are used it has, therefore, in some cases been preferred to 30 operate with diierent suction pressures. but in known arrangements of 'this kind complicated pipe systems with ordinary valves and numerous ilange Joints are used which require a large space, create possibilities for leakage and involve an un,- 35 reliable and diillcult inspection.

The invention has for its purpose tov obviate these drawbacks in a compression refrigerating system having a compressor plant with more compression .spaces and a plurality of refrigera o tors operating by directv evaporation, which are adapted to work at two or more different suction pressures and temperatures. The invention is mainly characterizedby the provision of a suction manifold comprising a plurality of passage or channel members and a plurality of doubleadiustable or multiple-adjustable valves, which passages and the housings of said valves are connected each with a separate compression space and with an evaporator respectively; each valve 50 being adjustable to connect either of a plurality of compression spaces with the evaporator in vquestion. Alternatively the valve housings are incommunication each with a compression space whereas the said passages are connected each 55' with an evaporator. 'I'he said valves may consist of two-way valves in a simple case or of multiple way cocks, but they are preferably formed as slide valves or as rotary slide valves. In such a plant two or more different suction temperatures can be obtained by as few manipulations as pos- 5 sible by means comprising for instance a multicylinder compressor or a double acting compressor, and in addition a greater or smaller fraction of the entire compressor capacity may be concentratedon the evaporator or evaporators where l0 it is required. In this way the present refrigerating system for direct evaporation is as readily controllable as a brine refrigerating plant, and moreover the number oi necessary ange joints and stumng-boxes and thereby the risk for leak- 16 age is materially reduced, so that much space is saved, which is particularly important on board ships, where the available space is always very restricted and parts of the technical installations are often accessible with difculty only, and where 20 the possibility of accidents and destroying of goods and 'machinery by leaking refrigerating medium is substantially greater than in plants lashore.

The suction manifold, whose passages or channels and slide valves or other valves preferably, but not necessarily have their Yaxes arranged transversely to each other can advantageously be constructed as a mechanically coherent unit or structure which can be handled as suchand connected with the various conduits of the refrigeratlngsystem. However, in such manifold the passages and the slide valves maybe arranged in inclined vrelationship or they may be parallel to eachl other, suitable pipe branches and flange joints being provided for this purpose.

The manifold in addition to the said passages may contain an extra passage or casing connected therewith and provided with suitable valves so disposed that each compression space can be connected with either of the other passages.-

If the suction manifold comprises slide valves thev` slide valve housings are preferably provided with a plurality of lateral connecting branches with ports adapted to be opened or closed by a displaceable or rotatable hollow, cylindrical slide valve body also provided with ports. 'I'he number of the latter does not necessarily need be equal to the number of ports in the wall of the slide valve housing, since one end of the slide valve body may for instance serveas a controledge. v

The invention maybe utilized for all kinds of refrigerating systems for direct evaporation, such as stationary plants and ship installations, and

in either case the number of compressor cylindersy or compressor cylinder sides may be equal to or different from the number of refrigerators.

As an example of a stationary plant, wherein various temperatures are required ice-cream factories may be named, in which the goods are frozen at 10 C. to 15 C. are hardened at 20 C. to 25 C. and are quick-frozen at 45 C.

to 50 C., or iish freezing plants wherein ice is produced at 10 C. to 12 C., fish is frozen at 30 C. to 40 C. and frozen sh is stored at 15 C. to 20 C.

With regard to ship cooling installations the invention is applicable for instance to fruit boats which must simultaneously transport for instance bananas at 12 C., oranges at 6 C. and applies at 0 C. Y

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 diagrammatically shows an embodiment of a compression refrigerating plant according to the invention and Figures 2 and 3 on a larger scale show longitudinal section and top view respectively of a preferable embodiment of a distributing slide valve, four such slide valves being included in the suction battery forming part of the refrigerating plant illustrated in Figure 1, and

Figure 4 showson a scale smaller than that of Figures 2 and` 3 a front view, partly in section, of part of the suction manifold.

In Figure 1 the numeral I designata a threecylinder-compressor whose three cylinders 2, 3 and 4 have each a separate suction conduit 5, 5 and 1 respectively'through which the evaporated refrigerating medium is admitted from a suction manifold designated as a whole by the numeral 8. The delivery conduit 9 common to all of the three compressor cylinders is connected with a condenser I0, in which the compressed refrigerating medium. is condensed by cooling water maintainedin circulation by means of a cooling water pump II. The liquid refrigerating medium is collected in a receiver I2, from which it ows to a manifold I3, and then to the refrigerating coils i6, I5, I6 and I1 controlled by hand operated regulating or expansion vaives I8, I9, 20 and 2i respectively. For these hand-operated valves could be substituted automatic regulating valves. 'Ihe number of regulating valves varies with the numberof refrigerators. In Figure 1 four refrigerating coils are shown, but the invention can also be used in such cases where there is found a greater or smaller number of refrigerating coils, andthe compressor likewise may have more cylinders or less cylinders than those shown. As a rule` in ships more than one compressor is installed in order to establish a reserve, but the reserve compressor with accesseries is omitted on the drawings to make the same more perspicuous.

The suction manifold 8 as shown comprises three passages orchannels 8a 8b and 5 connected each to a separate suction conduit 5, 5 and 'l respectively, and four distributing slide valves 2,

, 25, 26 and 21 arranged transversely to said passages and connected each to one of the refrigerating coils I8, I5, I6 and I1 respectively. 'I'hese distributing slide valves may for instance be constructed in the manner shown in Figures 2 and 3 to bemore clearly described in the following, but

at any rateeach slide valve is so formed as to control communication of the refrigerating coil with which it is associated with either of the suction conduits 5, 8 and 1. The suction manifold 8 moreover is provided at one end with anadditional passage 8i arrangedtransversely to the other passages, connected to the left hand end of all of them asv shown in Figure 1 and furnished with two valves 22 and 23. The manifold 8 forms a unitary structure, whose parts are for instance interconnected by means of flanges and bolts.

The desired different temperatures in the rel frigerating coils are obtained in the following way:

It is assumed that the valves 22 and 23 are closed. The distributing slide valves 24, 25, 23 and 21 arel thought to beso adjusted, that the shown in dotted, lines. It is hereby made possible `to work in the refrigerating coils I4 and I5 with a temperaturediierent from that in the refrigerating coils I6 and I1. It will be easily understood, however, that by suitably adjusting the valves`22 and 23 and the distributing slide valves many other combinations can be obtained, and especially that by operating the valves 22 and 23 two or more cylinders may be caused to simultaneously draw refrigerating medium from a. single refrigerating coil.

'I'he embodiment of a distributing slide valve` shown in Figures 2 and 3 has a hollow cylindrical valve body 35 open at one end, which valve body by means of a rotatable, but non-displaceable screw-spindle 23 (or in any other suitable way, l

for instance by means of a lever mechanism not shown) can be so adjusted that the ports 23 in the cylindrical wall of the valve body are put in v communication with the port 32 in the valve housing 21 or that the port 30 'in the valve are connected with the port 33 of the valve housing or nally that the interior of the valve housing at the right hand end 3l of the valve body comes into communication with the port 54 in the valve housing. Thus either of the three connecting branches 31, 38 and 39 can be connected at will with the supply conduit 38 for the evaporated low-pressure refrigerating medium. In the position of the slide valve shown in Figure 2- the branch 31 is connected with the conduit $8, whereas the two other branches 38 and 39 are cut off from the latter.

In the embodiment of the slide valve shown in VFigures 2 and 3 the end wall 35L of the valve body forms a nut 'threaded on the screw-spindle 28, and said end wall has a pin 35h engaging a longitudinal groove 21 in the inner wall of the valve housing, whereby rotationA of the vvalve body is prevented. A' small non-rotatable nut 40 threaded -on'the external portion of the screw- A spindle 28 isgprovided with a pointer 4I intiicatf" ing'the momentary axial position of the slide valve along a scale 52.

Ae will be readily understood by those sinned i in the art the 4slide valve construction shown in Figures 2 and '3 can easily be modified to form` a rotary valve operating almost in the same way.

While Figures 2 and 3 show an embodiment of However, only the valve housings are shown ,the slide valve 21 at the right end of the suction im CFI y asiaose to make the larrangement-of the various passages more clear. It will be seen -that the valves 25 and 26 are similar to the valve 21 except that they have each a double set of connecting are formed each by a horizontal series of connecting branches and annular cavities 44 and 43.

Thus the slide valve housings also constitute the necessary elements of the transverse passages. The three branches on one side of the valves have a common iiange 45, see Figures 2-4, and

these flanges are clamped together by bolts 46.

I claim:

1. In a compression refrigerating system the combinationv of a compressor plant having a plurality of compression spaces, a condenser, a plurality of evaporators, a regulating vvalve interposed between each of said evaporators and said condenser, a manifold including two cooperating interconnected sets of passages, each of the passages of one set communicating with one of said compression spaces, eachvof the passages of the other set communicating with one of said evaporators,'the walls of one set oi said passages forming valve housings, and an adjustable valve in each of said valve housings for selectively communicating the passage therein with any one of the passages of the other set whereby various connections may .be established between said compression spaces and said evaporators.

2. In a compression refrigerating system the combination of a compressor plant having a plurality of compression spaces, a condenser, a plurality of evaporators, a regulating valve interposed between eachof said evaporators and lsaid condenser, a set of parallel channel members, each of said channel memberscommunicating with one of said compression spaces, a second set of. parallel channel members arranged transversely to said iirst set and connected with each' channel member thereof, each of the channels of the second set communicating with one of the ,evaporatora the walls of one set of said channel [members constituting valve housings, and an adjustable valve in each of said valve housings for selectively communicating its associated channel with the channels of the other set whereby various connections may be selectively established between saidcompression spaces and said evaporators; l l

3. In a compression refrigeratingrsystem the combination oa compressor plant having a plurality of compression spaces, a condenser, a plu`- rality of evaporators,v a regulating valve interposed between each of said evaporators and said condenser, a manifold including two cooperating interconnected setsof passages, each of thev passages of one set -communicating,with one of said compression spaces, each of the passages of the other set communicating with onefof said evaporators, the walls of one set of said passages forming valve housings, an adjustablelvalve in each of said valve Ahousings for selectively communicating its associated passage with the pas. sages in the other set whereby various connections may be established between said compression spaces and said evaporators, and auxiliary valve means operatively associated with the passages communicating with said compression spaces whereby each compression space may be put into communication with any of the passages communicating with the evaporators.

4. In a compression refrigerating system, the combination of a compressor plant having a plurality of compression spaces, a condenser, a plurality of evaporators, a regulating valve interposed between each "of said evaporators and said condenser, a manifold including two cooperating interconnected sets of passages, each of the pas- `sages of one set communicating with one` of said compression spaces, each of the passages oi.' the other set communicating with one o! said evaporators, the walls of one set of said passages being formed as slide valve housings each havlng al plurality of laterally disposed openings leading to the other set of said passages, and a hollow cylindrical slide valve body in each o! said slide valve housings, said` slide valve body having openings in its cylindrical wall arranged relative to said valve housing openings whereby when the slide valve is moved, the valve body openings may be brought selectively into registration with the valve housing openings to establish communication of the interior of the valve body with anyone o! the passages of the other set.

FRED KRAMHQFT.

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