Refrigeration – Gas compression – heat regeneration and expansion – e.g.,...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-05
2001-07-31
Capossela, Ronald (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Gas compression, heat regeneration and expansion, e.g.,...
C062S285000, C062S288000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06266963
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to refrigeration systems, and, more specifically, to refrigeration systems that use a Stirling cooler as the mechanism for removing heat from a desired space. More particularly the present invention relates to glass door merchandisers for vending and for chilling beverage containers and the contents thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Refrigeration systems are prevalent in our everyday life. In the beverage industry, refrigeration systems are found in vending machines, glass door merchandisers (“GDMs”) and dispensers. In the past, these units have kept beverages or containers containing a beverage cold using conventional vapor compression (Rankine cycle) refrigeration apparatus. In this cycle the refrigerant in the vapor phase is compressed in a compressor, causing an increase in temperature. The hot, high pressure refrigerant is then circulated through a heat exchanger, called a condenser, where it is cooled by heat transfer to the surrounding environment. As a result of the heat transfer to the environment, the refrigerant condenses from a gas to a liquid. After leaving the condenser, the refrigerant passes through a throttling device where the pressure and temperature both are reduced. The cold refrigerant leaves the throttling device and enters a second heat exchanger, called an evaporator, located in the refrigerated space. Heat transfer in the evaporator causes the refrigerant to evaporate or change from a saturated mixture of liquid and vapor into a superheated vapor. The vapor leaving the evaporator is then drawn back into the compressor, and the cycle is repeated.
Stirling coolers have been known for decades. Briefly, a Stirling cycle cooler compresses and expands a gas (typically helium) to produce cooling. This gas shuttles back and forth through a regenerator bed to develop much larger temperature differentials than the simple compression and expansion process affords. A Stirling cooler uses a displacer to force the gas back and forth through the regenerator bed and a piston to compress and expand the gas. The regenerator bed is a porous element with a large thermal inertia. During operation, the regenerator bed develops a temperature gradient. One end of the device becomes hot and the other end becomes cold. David Bergeron,
Heat Pump Technology Recommendation for a Terrestrial Battery
-
Free Solar Refrigerator
, September 1998. Patents relating to Stirling coolers include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,678,409; 5,647,217; 5,638,684; 5,596,875 and 4,922,722 (all incorporated herein by reference).
Stirling coolers are desirable because they are nonpolluting, are efficient and have very few moving parts. The use of Stirling coolers has been proposed for conventional refrigerators. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,848 (incorporated herein by reference). However, it has been recognized that the integration of free-piston Stirling coolers into conventional refrigerated cabinets requires different techniques than conventional compressor systems. D. M. Berchowitz et al., Test Results for Stirling Cycle Cooler Domestic Refrigerators, Second International Conference. To date, the use of Stirling coolers in beverage vending machines, GDMs and dispensers is not known.
Therefore, a need exists for adapting Stirling cooler technology to conventional beverage vending machines, GDMs, dispensers and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention satisfies the above-described needs by providing novel applications of Stirling cooler technology to the beverage industry. A novel apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulated enclosure having an outside and an inside and at least partially defining a drain from the inside to the outside. A Stirling cooler is disposed outside the enclosure. The Stirling cooler has a hot portion and a cold portion. A heat-conducting member is disposed inside the enclosure and is connected in heat exchange relationship to the cold portion of the Stirling cooler. The heat-conducting member is operatively associated with the drain such that condensation on the heat-conducting member can flow out of the enclosure through the drain.
An alternate embodiment of the present invention comprises a method comprising cooling a heat-conducting member disposed inside an insulated enclosure. The heat-conducting member is associated in heat conducting relationship with a cold portion of a Stirling cooler. A bottom portion of the insulated enclosure at least partially defines a drain passage. The bottom portion is shaped such that fluid that falls on the bottom portion is directed to the drain passage. Fluid that flows through the drain passage is collected in a fluid collector outside the insulated enclosure. Air is moved past the fluid collector to promote evaporation of fluid therefrom.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved refrigerated apparatus used in the beverage industry.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved glass door merchandiser.
Another object is to provide a system for easily mounting a Stirling cooler to a glass door merchandiser, so that it can be easily removed for service or repair.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a system for removing condensation from a glass door merchandiser cooled by a Stirling cooler.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments and the appended drawing and claims.
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Abstract
Capossela Ronald
Sutherland & Asbill & Brennan LLP
The Coca-Cola Company
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