US2644317A - Refrigerating storage apparatus - Google Patents

Description

July 7, 1953 H. D. HAYwoon REFR'IGERATING STORAGE APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 19, 1950 n lill!! mvENToR W W Y ATTORNEYS July 7, 1953 H.D. HAYwooD 2,644,317

REFRIGERATING STORAGE APPARATUS' s ts-shet 2 Filed Juiw l l EJE.

july 7 l953 H. D. HAYwooD REFMGERATING STORAGE APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 19. 1950 IrIIIIII'-II'IIIII'I |Il IIIA ll Illllllll INVENTOR HAROLD D. MYWOOD l Amma( Patented July 7, 1953 UITED stares geren? 2,644,317 REFRIGEBATING STORAGE APPARATUS Harold D. Haywood, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application June 19, 1950, Serial No. 168,920

in Canada `lune 27, 1949 This invention relates to improvements in refrigerating apparatus, and particularly to cold storage rooms.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a refrigerating room, the walls, floor I `the walls, iioor and ceiling thereof, in whichV there fis very'little difference between the temperature in the room and the temperaturegof the air in the Walls, floor and ceiling. A

` A further object is the provision of a refrigerating room in which the freezing unit is more efficiently used than in similar storage rooms now v in use.

Yet another object isl the provision of a cold storage or refrigerating room in which there is very little dehydration of the products stored y therein.

The refrigerating storage apparatus laccording to this invention includes a room which is completely insulated, that is, the walls, floor and ceiling include proper insulation. A blower and freezing unit is provided, the inlet of which is connected to a low pressure chamber and the outlet to a plenum chamber. One of these chambers preferably, although not necessarily, covers the entire ceiling of the room. A plurality of channels extend from the plenum chamber through all the confining walls of the room to the low pressure chamber. The chambers, apparatus and channelsmay becontained within the room insulation. i

An example of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a refrigerating room,

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on'the line 3-3 of Figure 1, in which channels and partitions beneath the floor surface of the room are diagrammatically illustrated, and,

Figure 4 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 1. l n

Referring to the drawings, Ill is a refrigerating or storage room having side walls II, end walls I2, floor I3 and ceiling I4. Suitable insulation I5 is provided at the outer surface of the side :and end walls, below the floor, and above the ceil- 4 Claims. (Cl. (i2- 95) vof wall channels.

ing. 'The floor is provided with a floor surface Il, while the ceiling I4 is provided with acfalse ceiling I8 suspended from the main ceiling by l'straps or hangersV I B.

` A blower and freezing unit 25 of any wellknown construction is provided in the room I0. This unit is preferably located at one end of the chamber, and it includes a freezing'coil 26 and a y.

A plenum chamber 30 is providedV blower 21. beneath the unit 25 and is connected to the outlet of the blower. A lowpressure chamber 33 covers the entirejceiling of the room, this chamber being located between the ceiling I4 and false' ceiling i8. The inlet ofthe blower of the unit 25 is connected to the chamber 33 in any 'convenient manner, such as by means of a relatively large duct 3A extending upwardly from the unit to and communicating with the chamber. A plurality of vertical channels 38 are formed in each of the walls II and I2. These channels eX- tend upwardly through the wall and open at one end into the chamber 33, while the opposite ends thereof communicate with the space beneath the iloor covering I1. v

A plurality of channels 42 are formed in the Yfloor I 3 and radiate from the plenum chamber 3B. Each of these channel-s communicates with the plenum chamber at one end and with a pluralityef wall channels 38 at the opposite end thereof. These channels are arranged to distribute cold air from the plenum chamber equally to all the channels in the four walls. A plurality '.of vertical partitions 44 divide each floor channel 42 into a Lplurality of sub-,channels 5 adjacent its outer end. Some of these partitions extend from the outer end of each oor channel back therein towards the plenum chamber farther than others, as clearly shown in Figure 3. These partitions act as bales to Iassist in distributing the cold. air to the wall channels. If

l any .wall of the chamber is whatis known as a warm wall, thatis, the temperature at the outer surface of said wall being relatively high, the floor channels maybe arranged to deliver more cold air to the warm wall than to the others. y

It will be noted that each floory channel `l2 communicates at its outer end with a plurality Each floor channel and its wall channels form part of an individual circuit which extends from the plenum chamber. 30 through the floor and a wall ofthe room to the ceiling chamber 33 and back to the floor and freezing unitinlet. I-n other words, cold air Dassing along each floor channel from the plenum chamber moves upwardly through one or more wall channels into the ceiling or low pressure chamber. This air naturally moves directly from its point of entry into the ceiling chamber to the floor and freezing unit inlet. Thus, each circuit is completely separate from the others in the ioor and Walls.

This invention represents a new concept in refrigeration and cold storage. In the past, cold air has been directed first to the top of the storage area and removed from the bottom thereof. The theory was that the top is the warmest area of the storage space, and that the cold air natur ally moves downwardly. This means that the cold air is warmed to some extent before it moves through the remainder of the storage space. Yet the present invention reverses this. The cold air is moved through the floor and walls before it gets to the warmest point of the room. As a result of this, the room obtains the full benet of the cold air. This air picks up the heat from the warmest area of thev room just before it moves directly to the freezing coil. It has, been found that lower temperatures may be maintained throughout the entire area of the storage room with cold air of a given temperature than has heretofore been possible. It has also been found that the average temperature throughout the ceiling area of the room was very little higher than the average temperature throughout the floor area thereof.

The chamber may be provided with one or more doors through which the products to be stored may be moved into or out of the room. In use, the blower of the unit 25 draws air from the low pressure or ceiling chamber 33 through the duct 34 and directs it through the freezing coil 25. The cold air is discharged into the plenum chamber 30, whence it moves along the iioor channels 42 and through the sub-channels therein to the wall channels 38. This cold air is pushed by the pressure in the door channels and drawnV by the comparatively low pressure in the ceiling chamber into the latter. This means that the cold air completely covers the floor area, the wal1 areas and the ceiling area. With this arrangement it is not necessary to have an extremely low temperature at any point in the stor= age room in order to maintain at least a predetermined temperature throughout the rest of the room. It willbe noted that the ceiling chamber, and the floor and wall channels are all located within the'insulation l5 which completely surrounds the room. Any warmth which may get through the insulation tends to rise in the wall channels rather than pass `on into the storage room. Dehydration of the products stored in the room is greatly reduced by the fact that there is no cold spot therein at which the moisture in the air condenses and freezes. 'Ihis means that the products remain in better condition during the storage period and require little or no reconditioning after removal.

If it isdesired to remove most of the moisture from the air being circulated in this system, it is only necessary to operate this apparatus until the moisture accumulates and freezes on the freezing coil. After the coil is defrosted in the usual manner, and the water removed, the air remaining in the systemV is relatively dry.

With this apparatus, it is possible to maintain the temperature of the air in the room at almost the same temperature as the air in the surrounding walls, floor and ceiling. This maintains the temperature approximately the same throughout the entire apparatus. By circulating and recirculating the air in the manner described, the freezing unit is used to the best advantage.

While the chambers and S3 have been described as plenum and low pressure chambers, respectively, it is to be understood that this may be reversed, in which case the blower unit would move the air in the opposite direction. Although the chamber 33 preferably covers the entire ceiling of the room, as shown, it is obvious that it may cover only a portion of it or may be located away therefrom. In the latter case, suitable ducts would connect the wall passages to the chamber. Furthermore, the blower and freezing unit may be located outside the refrigerating room, if it is so desired.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. Refrigerating storage apparatus comprising an insulated room, a low pressure chamber covering the ceiling of the room, a blower and freezing unit having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the blower being connected tothe ceiling chamber, a plenum chamber connected to the blower outlet, a plurality of channels radiating lfrom the plenum chamber in the floor covering the entire area of the latter, each of said channels increasing in width towards its outer end, a plurality of vertical partitions dividing each floor channel into sub-channels adjacent its outer end, some of said partitions extending from the outer end of each floor channel back therein farther than others, and a plurality of vertical channels in each of the walls covering the entire area thereof leading from the floor channels to the ceiling chamber, each floor channel being connected at its outer end to a plurality of wall channels'to form therewith part of an individual circuit which extends from the plenum chamber through the floor and a wall to the ceiling chamber and back to the blower and freezing unit inlet, and each circuit being completely separate from the others in the floor and walls.

2. Refrigeratingstorage apparatus comprising an insulated room, a single low pressure chamber covering the ceiling of the room, a blower and freezing unit adjacent a wall of the room and having an inlet and an outlet, a relatively large duct leading from the ceiling ychamber down to the inlet of the blower, a plenum chamber connected to the blower outlet, a plurality of channels radiating frozn the plenum chamber in the oor covering the entire area of the latter, each channel extending to a wall of the room, and each of said channels increasing in width towards its outer end, a plurality of vertical partitions dividing each floor channel into sub-channels adjacent its outer end, and a plurality of verti-cal channels in each ofthe walls covering the entire area thereof leading from the floor channels to the ceiling chamber, each viioor channel being connected at its outer end to a plurality of wall channels to form therewith part of an individual circuit which extends from the plenum chamber through the floor and a wall to the ceilingv chamber and back to the blower and freezing unit inlet, and each circuit being completely separate from the others in the floor and walls. Y

3. Refrigerating storage apparatus comprising an insulated room, a low pressure chamber at the ceiling of the room, a blower and freezing unit having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the blower being connected to the ceiling chamber, a plenum chamber connected to the blower outlet, a plurality of channels radiating from the plenum chamber in the floor covering the entire area of the latter, each of said channels increasing-in width towards its outer end, and a plurality of vertical channels in each wall covering the entire area thereof leading from the Y of an individual circuit which extends from the plenum chamber through the floor and a Wall to the ceiling chamber and back to the blower and freezing unit inlet, and each circuit being completely Separate from the others in the floor and walls. Y

4. Refrigerating storage apparatus comprising an insulated room, a low pressure chamber at the ceilingof the room, a blower and freezing unit having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of theblower being connected to the ceiling chamber, a plenum chamber connected to the blower outlet, a plurality of channels radiating from the plenumchamber in the floor covering the entire area of the latter, each of said channels increasing in width towards itsouter end, and a plurality of vertical channels in each wall covering the entire area thereof leading from the oor channels tothe ceiling chamber, each floor channel being connected at its outer end to a pluralityv of `wall channels to form therewith part of an individual circuit which extends from the plenum chamber through the floor and a wall to the ceiling chamber and back to the blower and freezing unit inlet, and each circuit being completelyseparate from the others in the oor and walls.

HAROLD D. HAYWOOD.

References cited in theme of this patent VUNITED STATES PATENTS 2,529,734 Lehmann Nov. 14, 1950

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