Refrigeration – Processes – Reducing pressure on compressed gas
Patent
1997-06-03
1998-12-01
Doerrler, William
Refrigeration
Processes
Reducing pressure on compressed gas
622593, 62480, 62112, F25B 1708, F25B 3504
Patent
active
058423508
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a refrigerating method and a refrigerating device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There is a need for a refrigerating device which is lightweight, portable and nonelectric in various fields, such as portable refrigerators, refrigerated clothing, etc.
It has already been proposed to produce cold by the adsorption of CO.sub.2 on an adsorbent material and then desorption of the adsorbed gas. EP-A-0,523,849 describes a device, based on this principle, consisting of a cylinder which contains an adsorbent material and a compressible gas (such as CO.sub.2) and of a piston actuated by a compressor in order to compress the gas so as to make it be adsorbed by the adsorbent material. When the piston is retracted, the gas is desorbed and produces cold. By successive compressions and decompressions, a cold region and a hot region are created in the mass of adsorbent material. Means (fins) are provided in order to cool the hot region and to convey the frigories from the cold region to an enclosure to be refrigerated.
This device, which requires a compressor in order to actuate the piston, suffers from being heavy and bulky. This is manifestly not a refrigerating device designed to be lightweight and portable.
Likewise, the Applicant Company claims, in French Patent Application No. 93/09348 filed on Jul. 29, 1993, a device for producing cold by adsorption/desorption of CO.sub.2, comprising at least one enclosure furnished with an adsorbent solid material, wherein this adsorbent material comprises activated-carbon fibers or an activated charcoal and has a specific surface area of at least 700 m.sup.2 /g and an external specific surface area of at least 0.005 m.sup.2 /g. The aforementioned application also specifically describes refrigerating systems of the simple effect type or of the resorption type which require the use of two interconnected enclosures and of heating means and which therefore do not lend themselves to producing lightweight and portable systems.
The need for a method of producing cold, which can be used in lightweight and portable devices, has therefore not hitherto been met.
The invention relates to a novel method of producing cold by adsorption of a pressurized gas, which can be adsorbed by an adsorbent material held in a container, and then desorption of said gas, wherein the gas is desorbed under a controlled pressure greater than atmospheric pressure and wherein the desorbed gas is discharged to atmosphere or captured in a trap.
Contrary to the prior methods, the desorbed gas is neither reused nor transferred to another enclosure in order to be subsequently recycled, and this feature allows refrigerating devices to be produced which are simple, lightweight and portable.
By "controlled pressure" is meant a constant or substantially constant pressure or a variable pressure whose variation is regulated depending on a given parameter, especially the temperature of the device used to implement said method or of the article or enclosure cooled by the cold generated by means of a device implementing the present method.
The desorption of the gas is carried out under a controlled pressure greater than atmospheric pressure so as to prevent air from being able to get back into the container holding the adsorbent material.
The present invention also relates to a refrigerating device which is lightweight, portable and simple to produce.
More particularly, the invention relates to a refrigerating device comprising a pressure-resistant container furnished with an adsorbent material, which device furthermore comprises an adjustably set valve whose passage communicates, on the one hand, with the inside of the container and, on the other hand, with the outside, and means for bringing said container temporarily into communication with a pressurized source of gas which can be adsorbed by said adsorbent material.
According to one particular embodiment, said means consist of a two-part quick-action coupling of the self-sealing type, one of the parts of which is fixed to th
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Boye Philippe
Heinry Didier
Spinner Bernard
Doerrler William
Manufactures de Vetements Paul Boye S.A.
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