Liquid heaters and vaporizers – Friction generator
Patent
1997-12-04
1999-05-18
Walberg, Teresa
Liquid heaters and vaporizers
Friction generator
126247, F22B3/06
Patent
active
059041200
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a viscous heater in which a viscous fluid is caused to generate heat by shearing. The resulting heat is utilized as a thermal source for heating by carrying out heat exchange with a circulating fluid which circulates in a radiator chamber.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, a viscous heater used in a vehicular heating apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No.2-246,823. In regard to this viscous heater, a front housing and a rear housing are disposed so as to face each other, and fastened together by through bolts, thereby forming therein a heat-generating chamber, and a water jacket which is disposed around an outer region of the heat-generating chamber. In the water jacket, circulating water is circulated so that it is taken in through a water inlet port and that it is delivered out to an external heating circuit through a water outlet port. In the front housing, a driving shaft is held rotatably via a bearing device. On this driving shaft, a rotor is fixed so that it can rotate in the heat-generating chamber. A wall surface of the heat-generating chamber and an outer surface of the rotor constitute labyrinth grooves which approach to each other. In a space between the wall surface of the heat-generating chamber and the outer surface of the rotor, a viscous fluid, such as a silicone oil, is disposed.
In this viscous heater assembled into a vehicular heating apparatus, when the driving shaft is driven by an engine, the rotor is rotated in the heat-generating chamber. Accordingly, the viscous fluid is caused to generate heat by shearing in the space between the wall surface of the heat-generating chamber and the outer surface of the rotor. The heat thus generated is transferred to the circulating water in the water jacket, and the heated circulating water is used in the heating circuit, to heat a cabin of a vehicle or the like.
In the above conventional viscous heater, however, when a sufficient volume of viscous fluid to make a rotor completely immersed therein is contained in order to improve heat generating efficiency by using the rotor with a certain radius effectively, the viscous fluid is expanded in generating heat and tends to leak from the heat-generating chamber to the outside of the housing.
In this respect, it is conceivable to employ a construction in which the heat-generating chamber communicates with the atmosphere in order to allow expanded viscous fluid to be absorbed by the atmosphere. In this case, however, because moisture in the atmosphere tends to be supplied to the viscous fluid and degrade the viscous fluid, a decrease in heat-generating efficiency is expected. Therefore, it is not preferable to employ this type of construction.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a viscous heater which can attain an improvement in heat-generating efficiency, while preventing leakage caused by expansion of the viscous fluid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A viscous heater according to one embodiment of the invention comprises a front housing and a rear housing forming therein a heat-generating chamber and a radiator chamber which adjoins the heat-generating chamber and in which a circulating fluid is circulated; a driving shaft held rotatably by the front housing by way of a bearing device; a rotor disposed in the heat-generating chamber and rotatable by the driving shaft; and a viscous fluid disposed in a space between a wall surface of the heat-generating chamber and an outer surface of the rotor, and caused to generate heat by rotation of the rotor, with a surplus space which communicates with the heat-generating chamber and permits thermal expansion of the viscous fluid.
In the viscous heater according to the invention, when a viscous fluid is contained only a certain ratio of the sum of the volume of the heat-generating chamber in itself and the volume of the surplus space, a large volume of viscous fluid is contained. As a result, degradation of the viscous fluid is retarded and a longer lifetime of
REFERENCES:
patent: 5573184 (1996-11-01), Martin
Ban Takashi
Hirose Tatsuya
Mori Hidefumi
Yagi Kiyoshi
Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
Walberg Teresa
Wilson Gregory A.
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