US2168557A - Top bunker refrigerator car - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 8, 1939. c. D. BoNsALL TOP BUNKER REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed Nov. 22, 1937 Patented Aug., .1939? v NETE@ STATE `4 arrasar Charles D. Bonsall, Pit

mesme ents Equipment Mannfactnring Cn, a co ration oi Delaware tsburgh, Pa., assigner, by

to S f i uw i Railway application November es. roer, sei-iai No. 175,762

12i canna The invention relates to refrigerator cars for handling perishable commodities and more particularly to what is known as the top bunker type oi refrigerator car wherein an ice container is positioned adjacent the roof of the car and provided with a drip pan therebelow and spaced therefrom to provide a substantially horizontally disposed due which communicates with a ver tical nue associated with the vertical wall ci the car. whereby air in the horizontally disposed ue being cooled and densiled by the ice in the refrigerant container is caused to descend through the vertical flue 'from whence it rises through the foraminous false door and then-through the lading, and being warmed thereby, reenters the horizontally disposed flue andrepeats the cycle.

One of the objects of the invention is to form. the ice container so that a part of the melted ice will pass through the bottom thereof to the drip pan and a part of the melted ice will he temporarily retained in the container'so that the melted ice so temporarily retained will help cool the air circulating through the horizontally disposed flue.

Another object is to provide means in the lower parts of the container so as to allow the melted ice to gradually escape from the con- 'tainer into the horizontally disposed flue over the drip pan so as to help cool the sir circulating in the flue.

the container so as to retard the service movements of the car from lswishing melted ice over the bottom of the container.

Another object is to form the drip pan so that it will retain some of the melted ice on the drip pan to aid in coolingv the circulating air.

Another object is to form the drip lpan to retard the service movements of the car from w slushing melted ice around over the drip pan.

Another object is to form the ice container so that the melted ice escaping therefrom will be distributed over a relatively large area of the drip pan, or in other words, to evenly distribute such melted ice over the drip pan, and a further object is to also form the drip pan so that it will evenly'distribute the melted iceover the width of the vertical nue associated with the vertical wall.

Another object is to provide means to prevent the melted ice as it descends through the vertical ue from being accumulated at one side thereof by the service movements ot the car.

Another object is to combine the advantages' s oi the improved ice container, drip pan and verancther object 1s to form the lower parte of (ci. cre-1c) tical due so that a large amount' of heat will be absorbed from the melted ice as it moves from the refrigerant container through the horizontally disposed flue and vertical flue. Studies have developed that a great deal of the melted ice is now discharged from refrigerator cars at a temperature around 342 which means that it still has a great deal of heat absorbing capacity, and as numerous ladings are carried in a refrigerator car around 45 to 50 temperature, it is the object oi this invention to transfer more heat in the circulating air to the melted ice before it is discharged from the car.

'In the drawing: A

Fig. i shows part of a cross section of a railway refrigerator car incorporating some of my inventions.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing a horizontal section of the4 `wall of the car and the associated vertical ilue.

Fig. 3 shows the refrigerant container of Fig. l in perspective.

' Figs. i and 5 show partitions for providing the vertical ilue adjacent the side wall.

Fig. 6 shows a modification of the container oi Fis. 3.

Fig. '1 is a modircation` of the containers of Figs. 3 and 6.

In the form of the invention illustrated one or more refrigerant chambers or containers2 are preferably positioned on each side of the center line 8 of the car adjacent the roof l of the car and also preferably adjacent the side or other vertical wall 5 of the car. Hatchways 6 are provided in the roof above the container 2 for loading it with ice or other refrigerant. The

. usual hatch plug 1 and hatchway lid are used. The partition I0 is held in spaced relation to the side wall A5 by a series of vertical pieces I2 to i form vertical nues i3 associated with the side wall li. The insulated horizontally disposed partition or drip pan I5 is positioned below the refrigerant container y2 and spaced therefrom to provide a substantially horizontally disposedue i6, which flue, however, inclines downwardly toward and communicates with the vertical flue I3. A partition or member i1 extends upwardly from the inner margin of the drip pan i5 and is spaced from the refrigerant container 2 to provide a short vertical flue I8. The vertically disposed members I1 on opposite sides of the center line 8 oi the car are spaced apart to provide an Yair channel or passageway 2|. A floor rack or foraminous false floor 23 rest: upon the invsul'ated door 24 and is spaced therefrom to proand rarefied by the lading, rises and passes upwardly through the passageway 2l and vertical flue I8 into the horizontally disposed iiue I6 from whence the cycle is repeated.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the bottom of the container is made of a metallic plate 33 formed with a plurality of substantially parallel corrugations 3| extending parallel to the wall 5 of the car so that the melted ice instead of running to the lower part of the inclined container is partially retained in the grooves 32 between the corrugations. I'he upper parts 33 of the corrugations are provided with apertures 34 (see Fig. 3) so that the overflow of melted ice may fall through to the drip pan I5. These apertures 34 are preferably dispersed over a large area at the bottom of the container 2 to sprinkle the melted ice over a large area of the drip pan I5. It may be desirable to provide relatively small apertures in the lower parts of the corrugations 3l; that is, the valleys between the corrugations 3| to allow the melted ice to graduallyescape from the container to the drip pan. 'I'hese holes may also function as drain holes after the load has been removed from the car. to the drip pan passes through the horizontally disposed flue I Ii and further cools the air passing therethrough.

In a railway car when the refrigerant containers 2 are positioned adjacent the side walls 5 thereof it is desirable to have as few hatchways 6 in the roof 4 of the car as possible owing to leakage of water and heat, therefore, refrigerant containers are made relatively long and extend lengthwise of the car so that normally it becomes difficult to load the container with ice in the portions of the container remote from the hatchway, particularly when the container has a mesh or open bottom, as the ice catches on the openings therein. However, in my construction the corrugations are preferably positioned parallel to the side wall of the car (as shown in Fig. 1) where they serve as runners so that ice may be easily slid to the remote portions of the containers. 'I'he walls of the container are preferably perforated. A

In the construction shown in Fig. 6 the corrugatiofns 33 extend normally to the wall 5 of the car and function to retard the service movements of the car from slushing the melted ice 2 and a horizontally disposed flue I6 therebelow;

furthermore, provides great stiffness and strength for the plate against deection due to the weight 'Ihe melted ice falling from the container and impact forces of the refrigerant in the container. These corrugations are beams between opposite side walls of the container. However, ribs, bames, or similar projectionsl shown as 40 in Fig. 7, may be used instead of corrugations and still perform the desired functions. y

I also preferably provide a drip pan I5 having the upper surface thereof made of a metallic plate 42 formed with a plurality of corrugations 43 which may extend parallel to the side wall of the car (as shown in Fig. 6) or normally thereto (as shown in Fig. 3) for the purposes and advantages set forth for the corrugations in the bottom of the refrigerant container. One of the objects of extending the corrugations in the drip pan normal to the wall of the car (as shown in Fig. 3) is to provide means to distribute the melted ice evenly, or substantially so, over the width of the vertical flue. The drip pan is preferably insulated by, for instance, the boards 45.

One of the objects of the invention is to distribute the melted ice from thedrip pan I5 evenly over the width of the vertical iiue I3 associated with the side wall 5 but even when this is done service movements of the car may cause the water to accumulate in one vertical side of the flue, therefore, I provide means to maintain the melted ice evenly distributed over the width of the vertical ue` I3 as it passes therethrough. Such means may comprise a metallic plate 91 formed with a plurality of vertical corrugations 98 (see Figs. 1 and 2) which are preferably in l alignment with corrugations 43 in the drip pan I5 when the corrugations 43 extend normally to the side wall of the car. Another means to accomplish this purpose comprises a plurality of vertical partitions I2 which preferably are provided with spaced apart horizontal apertures IDU (see Fig. 5) so that air may pass between adjacent iiues I3-I3, while only a limited amount of water will be allowed to pass through the partition. Fig. 4 shows a partition I2 provided with a phirality of notches IOI in each side thereof.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the preferred form of the invention, though it is to vbe understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled inthe art. f'

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator car having a roof having a hatchway therein, a wall having a vertical flue associated therewith, an ice container positioned y below the hatchway, and a drip pan positioned below and spaced apart from the container to I provide a horizontally disposed flue sloping toward and communicating with said vertical iiue whereby air in the horizontally disposed flue being cooled and densifled by a refrigerant in the refrigerant container is caused to descend through the vertical flue, the bottom of said container being formed so that part of the melted ice will pass therethrough to the drip pan and part of the melted ice will be retained in the container.

2. In a refrigerator car having a roof having a. hatchway therein, a. wall having a vertical flue associated therewith, an ice container positioned below the hatchway, and a drip pan positioned below and spaced apart from the container to provide a horizontally disposed flue sloping toward and communicating with said vertical iiue whereby air in the horizontally disposed flue being cooled and densifled by a refrigerant in therefrigerant container is caused to descend through the vertical flue, the bottom of said container being formed so that part of the melted ice will pass therethrough to the drip pan and part of the meltedlice will be temporarily retained in the container.

3. A structure as dened in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the container is made of a metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations extending parallel to said wall and having apertures in the upper portion thereof.

4. A structure as defined in claim 2 wherein the bottom of the container is made of a metallic plate formed with a. plurality of corrugations extending parallel to said wall with relatively small apertures in the lower part of the corrugations to allow the melted ice to gradually escape from the container.

5. A structure as dened in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the container is made of a perforated metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations.

6. A structure as deiined in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the container is made of a metallic plate formed with-a plurality of corrugations extending normally to said wall to retard the movement of the car from swishing the melted ice over the floor of the container.

7. A structure as dened in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the container is downwardly inclined toward the vertical flue and made of a metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations extending parallel to said wall and having apertures in the upper portion thereof.

8. A structure as deilned in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the container is made of a metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations and having apertures in the upper portion thereof, said apertures being dispersed over a large area of said bottom to sprinkle melted ice over a large area of the drip pan.

9. A structure as deiined in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the container is made of a metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations and having apertures in the .upper portion thereof, said apertures being dispersed over a. large area of said bottom to sprinkle melted ice over a large area of the drip pan and the drip pan is made of a metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations extending normally to said wall to cause the melted ice to remain more evenly distributed over the drip pan.

10. A structure as dened in claim 1 wherein the drip pan is made of a metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations. extending parallel to said wall to retain some melted ice in the drip pan.

11. A structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the drip pan is made of a metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations extending normally to said wall to cause the melted ice to remain more evenly distributed over the drip pan.

12. A structure as dened in claim 1 wherein the drip pan is made of a metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations extending normally to said wall to cause the melted ice to remain more evenly distributed over the drip pan,

v said corrugations extending to said vertical flue to cause said melted ice to be more evenly distributed over the vertical flue.

CHARLES D. BONSALL.

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