Refrigeration – Refrigeration producer – Sorbent type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-02
2001-07-24
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Refrigeration producer
Sorbent type
C062S497000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06263696
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ammonia absorption chiller heater with air-cooling means and a modification method therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
An absorption chiller heater in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.Hei 11-223432 is publicly known which uses ammonia as a refrigerant and water as an absorbent and is equipped with air-cooling means.
Description will here be given of the known art mentioned above.
In a generator, ammonia aqueous solution is heated to generate ammonia vapor.
This heating is performed by using a gas burner.
The ammonia aqueous solution having ammonia vapor generated therefrom makes dilute ammonia water.
The ammonia vapor generated in the generator is introduced to a condenser. The vapor is circulated through a heat exchanger while air-cooled by a cooling fan, thereby being condensed into liquid ammonia.
The condensed liquid ammonia is let through an expansion valve for pressure reduction, and fed to an evaporator.
In the evaporator, the liquid ammonia evaporates into ammonia vapor, which consumes heat of evaporation to cool brine. This cooled brain is circulated through cool/heat loads to offer a refrigeration effect or cooling effect.
Meanwhile, the dilute ammonia water obtained through the generation of ammonia vapor in the generator described above is introduced through a pressure-reducing valve and sprayed into the upper part of an absorber. At the same time, the ammonia vapor having evaporated in the evaporator is also introduced to the absorber mentioned above.
In this absorber, the dilute ammonia water absorbs the ammonia vapor to make dense ammonia aqueous solution, which is sent back to the aforementioned generator by a solution pump. The ammonia aqueous solution is then reheated by the gas burner to generate ammonia vapor therefrom, making diluted ammonia water again.
Subsequently, these processes are repeated to carry out the refrigeration cycle.
As has been described above, the known art uses a gas burner to heat ammonia aqueous solution in the generator.
The use of a gas burner is advantageous for compact configuration of the entire absorption chiller heater. However, gaseous fuel is high in cost per calorie and therefore uneconomical as compared to liquid fuel.
Under such circumstances, conversion of the gas burner into a fuel oil burner is desired by users.
Liquid fuel is, however, greater in specific gravity and viscosity as compared to gaseous fuel. Therefore, liquid fuel needs to be atomized by spraying so as to mix with air, which elongates the flame.
Long flames from a burner give rise to a problem as follows:
The generator of an absorption chiller heater typically comprises heat transfer fins on its peripheries. Here, high-temperature gas produced by combustion flows in contact with the heat transfer fins to heat the entire generator.
If a flame reaches the heat transfer fins, the fins might locally be overheated until burned out, or combustion-produced solids might adhere to the fins to hamper the heat transfer. Thus, the burner must be placed so that the extremity of the flame cannot come to touch the heat transfer fins.
Accordingly, the longer the flame is, the greater the distance between the burner and the generator must be to establish a flame channel greater in length. This enlarges the entire shape and size of the absorption chiller beater. On this account, a wider floor space is required for installation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, a main object of the present invention is to provide a method of modifying a ready-made absorption chiller heater that is designed and fabricated to use a gas burner into an absorption chiller heater for use with a fuel oil burner, without increasing the entire shape of the chiller heater.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an “absorption chiller heater using a fuel oil burner” which is nearly equal in shape and size to an absorption chiller heater using a gas burner.
The objects stated above are, in other words, to improve absorption chiller heaters of conventional examples on condition that the heat transfer fins never be overheated to burn out and the combustion-produced solids never be deposited on the heat transfer fins to hamper the heat transfer.
The foregoing objects have been achieved by the provision of the present invention whose basic principle is as follows:
The lengthy flame from a fuel oil burner is directed toward a flame buffer plate (to put it more correctly, the flame buffer plate is opposed straight to the shooting direction of the flame from the fuel oil burner). The flame buffer plate is formed of refractory material.
This flame buffer plate preferably is a member moderate in width, having such shape and size that the flame (i.e., the flow of burning gas) can make a detour around the flame buffer plate.
In such configuration, a long flame ejected from the fuel oil burner collides against the flame buffer plate, changing its flowing direction to make a detour around the flame buffer plate toward the generator. This accordingly forms a curved flame.
The flame ejected from the fuel oil burner is indeed long but curved. Therefore, the flame channel, which is formed in conformity to the curved shape of the flame, also has a curved shape.
In spite of its greater length, the flame channel is curved and therefore relatively small in outer dimensions. This allows the absorption chiller heater including the flame channel to be compact in outer dimensions.
According to the present invention, “the distance between the generator and the nozzle of the liquid fuel burner” in an air-cooled absorption type chiller heater with a liquid fuel burner is generally equalized to “the distance between the nozzle of the gaseous fuel burner and the generator.” Besides, there is no danger of locally overheating the heat transfer fins of the generator or depositing combustion-produced solids thereon to hamper the heat transfer.
In addition, according to the present invention, air-cooled absorption type chiller heaters designed and fabricated to be equipped with a gas burner can be modified into air-cooled absorption type chiller heaters with a liquid fuel burner. The modification can be made without the danger of allowing flames to reach the heat transfer fins while suppressing increases in shape and size.
The nature, principle, and utility of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are designated by like reference numerals or characters.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3491552 (1970-01-01), Roeder, Jr.
patent: 4955359 (1990-09-01), Briggs et al.
patent: 6101839 (2000-08-01), Reimann et al.
patent: 3 338 126 A1 (1983-10-01), None
patent: 0 681 152 (1995-11-01), None
patent: 2 155 609 (1985-09-01), None
patent: 2 280 494 (1995-02-01), None
patent: 2 311 363 (1997-09-01), None
patent: 11-223432 (1999-08-01), None
Search Report, European Patent Office, Jun. 30, 2000, 4 pages.
“The Oil Flame That Cools”, Fuel Oil & Heat, p. 82, May, 1957.
Hukushima Yukio
Iwao Hidenori
Katou Isao
Machizawa Kenji
Tachibana Keiji
Costellia Jeffrey L.
Doerrler William
Hitachi Building Systems Co., Ltd.
Jones Melvin
Nixon & Peabody LLP
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