Gas and liquid contact apparatus – Contact devices – Liquid spray
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-01
2001-11-20
Bushey, C. Scott (Department: 1724)
Gas and liquid contact apparatus
Contact devices
Liquid spray
C261SDIG001, C239S533130, C239S546000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318706
ABSTRACT:
PRIOR ART
Numerous prior art air compressor devices are known. Most are complex and require high energy consumption.
In addition, in the context of regulating temperature in a room by means of a flow of air, prior devices are generally based on the use of a mixture of air flows at different temperatures for adjusting the temperature to the desired temperature, at constant pressure.
Thus, for example, Document DE-A-36 44 590 describes, in particular with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14, an embodiment of apparatus for air-conditioning a room and comprising an induction air diffuser 55 whose flow rate can be varied by a device 57 for closing its outlet opening 21 in part. That apparatus achieves a flow rate variation but does so by using the same pressure as the intake pressure. It is thus a conventional system in which the outlet pressure is essentially identical to the intake pressure, and, from complete opening to complete closure, the outlet pressure of the air remains unchanged so that the length of the air jet varies as a function of the value of the working outlet opening 21.
Document U.S. 2,959,359 relates to an adjustable flow rate nozzle that operates on the same principle, and is described in particular for spraying liquids.
Document U.S. 3,776,470 describes a nozzle device of variable flow section for conveying various fluids that can contain solid particles which can be carried away by the flow of fluid. That device operates on the same principle as in the preceding documents, without any upstream obstruction device, since that would prevent the flow, specifically of the solid particles that can be carried away by the fluid.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the present invention is to solve the new technical problem consisting in providing a solution that makes it possible to compress a compressible fluid (preferably air) to a variable pressure in a manner that is particularly simple, and low cost, starting from an incident flow whose pressure is substantially constant.
Another main object of the invention is to solve the new technical problem consisting in providing a solution that makes it possible to form a fluid jet of substantially constant range, this flow of fluid advantageously being air, thereby making it possible to provide apparatus for air-conditioning at least one room.
Another main object of the present invention is to solve the new technical problem consisting in providing a solution that makes it possible to compress a compressible fluid (preferably air) with its flow rate being self-regulating or automatically compensated, thereby removing the need for pipes, pumps, heat-exchanger batteries for cooling or heating, since it is then possible for all the necessary power to be transmitted directly to the fluid, thereby also making it possible to obtain comfort that is unparalleled in the context of air-conditioning. In addition, an object of the invention is to make it possible to compress a compressible fluid (preferably air) that is flowing at a high speed, thereby making it possible to implement variants of the invention so that it can be used in all sectors of air-conditioning, ranging, for example, from use in an offshore platform to use in the home, thereby opening up new market sectors, in particular by means of implementation costs that are particularly low compared with the costs of the prior art product(s) on the market.
An object of the present invention is to solve these new technical problems in a manner that is simple, low-cost, reliable, and usable on an industrial scale and in the context of air-conditioning business premises or dwellings.
The present invention achieves all of these results simultaneously.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In a first aspect, the present invention provides apparatus making it possible to obtain a fluid jet that is preferably of constant range, said apparatus being characterized in that it comprises a confinement duct for confining said fluid, which duct is open at both of its ends, namely its upstream end and its downstream end, and is provided at its downstream end with at least one compressor device for compressing said compressible fluid, which device comprises a deformable casing that is deformable between a maximum flow section and a minimum flow section, and, at its upstream end, said duct is provided with at least one member organized to adjust the head loss of the incoming fluid, thus making it possible to increase the pressure of the air passing through the casing from a minimum pressure for the maximum flow section to a maximum pressure for the minimum flow section, thereby providing a pressure in the fluid at the outlet of the apparatus that is variable starting from an incident flow of substantially constant pressure.
In other words, the invention makes it possible to transfer energy from the upstream portion to the downstream portion by means of the presence of at least one member organized to adjust the head loss of the incoming flow. It can be understood that when the downstream flow section is at its maximum, the flow rate is at its maximum and the head loss is at its maximum, so that the pressure of the fluid output by the apparatus of the invention is at its minimum, i.e. very different from the pressure of the incoming flow, whereas when the flow section is almost closed, the outgoing flow rate is at its minimum, so that the head loss in the device for adjusting head loss tends towards zero, thereby transferring pressure from the head-loss device to the outlet of the apparatus, and the outlet pressure is then at its maximum.
It is thus possible to construct apparatus which, for example, for a 50% reduction in flow rate, maintains a downstream flow rate that remains unchanged (which is quite surprising and remarkable).
In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, said apparatus is characterized in that the device as a whole is an assembly in alignment on an axis, i.e. the upstream head-loss member has its axis essentially aligned with the axis of the downstream compressor device, and also preferably with the axis of an optional confinement duct for confining the fluid, so that maximum energy recovery can be obtained with minimum turbulence in the apparatus and at the outlet thereof, thereby minimizing noise, the apparatus preferably being constructed with an internal duct profile at an air-flow angle that is substantially perfect, and generally about 7°.
In a currently-preferred embodiment, the member for adjusting a said head loss comprises at least one cylinder subdivided into a multitude of tubes of predetermined diameter for passing said fluid, thereby making it possible to obtain head loss that is predetermined, while making said device more flexible for varying the downstream pressure.
In an advantageous variant embodiment, the apparatus is characterized in that, upstream, it comprises a plurality of head-loss members that can be plugged into one another, so as to increase the total length of the tubes, thus causing head loss to vary, thereby influencing the value of the pressure of the fluid at the outlet of the apparatus.
In another advantageous embodiment of the apparatus, at least one partial-closure member is provided, advantageously upstream from said member for adjusting the head loss of the incoming fluid, which partial-closure member can be moved inactively, partially actively, or fully actively, by being moved towards or away from the member for adjusting head loss, so as to provide fine head-loss adjustment.
In an advantageous embodiment, the device is characterized in that said casing is circularly-symmetrical in shape, and its maximum flow section is a substantially cylindrical section. Advantageously, the minimum flow section of the deformable casing is an essentially flattened section.
In another embodiment, the device is characterized in that it comprises means for varying the section of said deformable casing.
In a variant embodiment, the means for varying the section of said casing are controlled by a control member outside the casing, which membe
Bushey C. Scott
Cohen & Pontani, Lieberman & Pavane
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