US2770317A - Refrigerator dehydrator - Google Patents

Description

13, 1956 E. w. BOTTUM 2,770,317

REFRIGERATOR DEHYDRATOR Filed Oct. 1, 1953 INVENTOR.

wmwo 14 8077044 284 BY -rv-r/n /fazsm/ United States Patent REFRIGERATOR DEHYDRATOR Edward W. Bottum, Detroit, Mich.

Application October 1, 1953, Serial N 0. 383,534

ll Claim. (Cl. 183--4.8)

The present invention relates to a dehydrator and accumulator for a refrigeration system which is designed and adapted to maintain the refrigerant substantially free from moisture at all times.

The present invention is an improvement over thedevice disclosed in my previous United States Letters Patent No. 2,623,607, issued December 30, 1952, for a refrigeration dehydrator. In that device, the desiccant, such as silica gel, is contained in a mesh bag placed within a cylindrical container through which the refrigerant passes. Prior to this invention the desiccant had been loose within the container. I have found, however, that in my previous device, the flow of the refrigerant tends to buffet the bag of desiccant with the result that some powdering of the granules of desiccant contained in said bag has been observed. For this reason it has been found desirable to use a very fine mesh material in the bag construction to prevent the powdered desiccant from entering the refrigerant stream. Also, the bag of desiccant is subjected to similar buffeting during shipment and storage of the dehydrator.

In order to overcome this problem I have developed the novel dehydrator of the present invention wherein the mesh bag containing the dessicant is firmly held within the dehydrator casing by a novel spring retaining means which is integral with the desiccant bag and engages the inner walls of the dehydrator to prevent shifting of the desiccant bag within the dehydrator casing.

I have also found that it is desirable to use a wire or spring clip around the bag longitudinally to compress the desiccant therein and prevent rattling thereof within the bag itself.

Further, I have discovered that it is advantageous to insert a plug of glass wool or metal wool in one or both ends of the bag prior to scaling the ends thereof. The plug insulates the desiccant from the ends of the bag so that when the ends are sealed, such as by welding or soldering, the desiccant is not subjected to the heat inwolved. The plug also serves as a baffle as the refrigerant enters the end of the bag to facilitate dispersing the refrigerant stream and directing it more evenly through the desiccant, as well as absorbing the force of the refrigerant stream thereby diminishing the buffeting of the desiccant within the bag. The plug at the opposite end of the bag will serve to filter the refrigerant stream as it passes therethrough removing any fine particles of desiccant which may be included therein. The plugs also serve as cushions to firmly retain the desiccant within the mesh bag.

I have found that with these improvements 1 am able to use a coarser mesh in the desiccant bag which in turn reduces the cost of manufacture of the dehydrator. The coarser mesh also allows more of the refrigerant to flow through the bag instead of passing therearound and also reduces the resistance of the bag to the refrigerant flow thereby decreasing the pressure drop through the dehydrator.

It is accordingly one object of the present invention to provide a refrigerant dehydrator for use in a refrigeration system wherein the dehydrating material is contained in 2 a mesh bag disposed in the dehydrator casing so that the refrigerant will circulate freely through the dehydrator without breaking down the particles of the dehydrating material to the end that no fine particles of the desiccant are introduced into the refrigerant stream to clog the dehydrator or other elements of the refrigeration system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a dehydrator wherein the mesh bag disposed therein is provided with a novel spring retaining means to firmly hold said bag within the dehydrator shell and prevent relative movement thereof during shipment and storage of the dehydrator or relative movement of the bag by the refrigerant stream during the use thereof.

Still another object of the present invention is toprovide such a refrigeration dehydrator wherein glass wool or metal wool plugs are inserted in the ends of the mesh bag so as to insulate the desiccant from the heat used in sealing the ends of said bag, to cushion the desiccant within the bag and prevent powdering thereof, to disperse the refrigerant stream through said bag and desiccant to absorb the force of the refrigerant flow and to filter the refrigerant as it passes out of said bag.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a refrigeration dehydrator wherein the mesh bag containing the desiccant is provided with a wire or spring clip longitudinally therearound to compress the desiccant therein and prevent rattling thereof within the bag.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of one embodiment of the present invention with the near side of the dehydrator casing broken away to show the desiccant bag disposed therein and a portion of the desiccant bag broken away to show an end plug therein,

Fig. 2 is an end view showing one of the end caps of the dehydrator of the present invention,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an end view of the other end cap of the dehydrator of the present invention,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a second embodiment of the present invention,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the longitudinal spring clip shown in position on the desiccant bag in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a side View of one end of the desiccant bag showing the method of closing the end thereof.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is -to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring to Fig. 1, the refrigeration dehydrator and accumulator of the present invention comprises the cylindrical casing 10 having the end caps 12 and 14 thereon. As can be seen the end caps 12 and 14 have the tube portions 16 and 18 respectively projecting therefrom which are securely fitted thereto and form an integral part thereof.

A wire mesh bag 20 is disposed within the casing 10 and contains a desiccant material 22, such as silica gel, in granular form. The mesh bag 20 is formed of Monel metal or similar non-corrosive material which is inert to the desiccant and the refrigerant.

Either one or both ends of the mesh bag 20 is provided with a plug 24 of glass wool or metal wool such as copper,

brass, and aluminum. This plug 24 is inserted after the desiccant has been placed in the bag and the ends of the bag are then folded over and fastened by any suitable means such as by soldering or welding. The plug also keeps the desiccant from the end fold thereby preventing its interfering with the soldering as well as insulating the desiccant from the end of the bag so that when the bag is soldered the heat does not reach the desiccant.

The plug 24 also serves to cushion the desiccant Within the bag 20 thereby preventing rattling of the desiccant which would result in fine particles breaking off and being carried by the refrigerant stream when the dehydrator is placed in service. Further, the plug 24 When positioned adjacent the inlet end of the dehydrator, will serve to bame the gaseous refrigerant stream and direct it more evenly through the desiccant while at the same time absorbing the force of the refrigerant flow thereby preventing the refrigerant stream from buffeting the desiccant particles within the bag 20. When the plug 24 is positioned adjacent the outlet end of the dehydrator it serves to filter any fine particles of desiccant or foreign matter which may have been absorbed into the refrigerant stream.

It is to be understood that I contemplate providing a plug 24 at either one or both ends of the mesh bag 20 within the scope of the present invention.

Referring again to Fig. 1, the novel spring retaining means for holding the bag 20 within the casing 10 can be seen. As shown in Fig. 7, when the ends of the bag are folded over and soldered as at 23 a channel 25 is formed to receive the spring wire 26. This spring wire is somewhat longer than the diameter of the casing 10 so that it will bend as shown when the bag is inserted into the casing and the ends of the spring wire 26 engage the inner wall of the casing 10 as shown in Fig. 1. A similar spring may be provided at both ends of the bag 20. Thus, the bag is held firmly in position within the casing 10 by the spring 26 so that during shipment or storage of the dehydrator the bag will not rattle and powder the desiccant. Also, when the dehydrator is placed in service, the refrigerant flow will not buffet the bag about within casing 10.

It can be seen that the folding over of the bag ends and theme of the spring 26 gives the filler bag 20 the general shape of a pillow with the corners projecting slightly from the main body thereof to engage the casing 10. The bag is also made shorter in length than the length of the easing 10 so that space is provided completely around the bag 20 which also insulates the bag from the casing. Consequently, upon soldering of the end caps 12 and 14 to the casing 10, the desiccant within the bag 20 is held far enough away from the casing to prevent the heat of the soldering operation from breaking down the desiccant. This space also provides a bypass for a certain amount of i the refrigerant flow so that there will be no material pressure drop through the dehydrator.

A wire 28 (Fig. 1) is fastened longitudinally around the mesh bag 20. This wire serves to compress the desiccant within the bag and prevent rattling thereof. The wire also serves somewhat to aid in retaining the pillow shape of the bag 20 and in bowing the spring 26. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the spring clip 28A is provided to serve the same purpose as wire 28 of Figs. 1 and 3. The embodiment shown in Fig. 5 is similar in all other respects to that shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

While I have illustrated in the drawings a wire mesh bag having one end plug 24, a spring retainer means 26 in only one end of the bag, and a longitudinal wire 28 or spring clip 28a, it is to be understood that it is within the contemplation of the present invention to utilize a plug 24 at each end of the bag 20 and a spring 26 at each end also. Further it is to be understood that when the plugs 24 are used it may in some instances be possible "to omit the use of the longitudinal wire 28 or spring clip 28A as the desiccant may then be sufficiently cushioned within the bag 20 and firmly held therein.

From the above it can be seen that I have provided a novel refrigeration dehydrator and accumulator wherein the desiccant is contained within a mesh bag within the device in such a manner as to prevent powdering of the desiccant and a novel spring retaining means has been provided to firmly retain the mesh bag.

Also, it can be seen that my novel construction prevents the powdering of the desiccant and therefore allows the use of a coarser mesh bag than in previous constructions thereby decreasing the cost of my device and also decreasing the pressure drop through the dehydrator and accumulator when it is utilized in a refrigeration system.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a dehydrator adapted for placement in a refrigerating system to dehydrate a refrigerant and comprising a hollow casing having inlet and outlet means and a wire mesh bag containing a granular desiccant disposed there- 'in, the improvement consisting of a spring wire positioned in a channel formed by folding and fastening the end of said bag, said spring wire being slightly bowed With the ends thereof engaging the inner wall of said container to firmly position said bag within said container and prevent movement of said bag relative to said container thereby preventing the powdering of said desiccant.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,507,028 Lockwood May 9, 1950 2,556,292 Newcum June 12, 1951 2,593,132 Gannon Apr. 15, 1952 2,623,607 Bottum Dec. 30, 1952 2,625,360 Hall Jan. 13, 1953

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