Liquid heaters and vaporizers – Friction generator
Patent
1997-04-23
1998-02-17
Solis, Erick R.
Liquid heaters and vaporizers
Friction generator
126247, F22B 306, F24C 900
Patent
active
057181934
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, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 2-246,823, a viscous heater is disclosed which is utilized as a heating apparatus for a vehicle. In this viscous heater, a front housing and a rear housing are disposed so as to face with each other, and are fastened by through bolts, thereby forming a heat-generating chamber and a water jacket therein. The water jacket 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 shalt is held rotatably via a bearing apparatus. To the 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 interposed.
In the viscous heater built into a vehicle heating apparatus, the rotor rotates in the heat-generating chamber when the driving shalt is driven by an engine. 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 thus generated heat is heat-exchanged to the circulating water in the water jacket. The heated circulating water is used at the heating circuit to heat a vehicle.
However, in the above-described conventional viscous heater, the heat-generating chamber, and the water jacket, which works as the radiator chamber, should be constituted by the front and rear housings only. The front and rear housings are independent component members, respectively, and accordingly they are formed as complicated configurations. Therefore, the viscous heater suffers from a disadvantage in that it is difficult to manufacture. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the viscous heater is pushed up.
Further, in the viscous heater, heat exchange cannot be carried out fully, because the surface area of the wall surface, which constitutes the water jacket, is relatively small, and because there is a fear of short-circuiting or residing the circulating water in the water jacket.
Furthermore, in the viscous heater, there is a fear of leaking the viscous fluid to the outside, because the heat-generating chamber is communicated with the outside by way of the bearing apparatus. In view of this, it is possible to think of disposing a shaft-sealing apparatus. However, when a shaft-sealing apparatus is simply provided, there remains a fear that a rubber-like material in the shaft-sealing apparatus is degraded by the thermal influence, which results from the viscous fluid held in the heat-generating chamber. Moreover, after durability, there also arises a fear of leaking the viscous fluid. This problem further results in mutual leakage among the viscous fluid held in the heat-generating chamber, the circulating fluid circulating in the radiator chamber and the outside air.
It is therefore a first assignment to the present invention to provide a viscous heater which can be manufactured readily and at reduced cost.
It is therefore a second assignment to the present invention to provide a viscous heater which can not only solve the first assignment but also can carry out full heat exchange securely.
It is therefore a third assignment to the present invention to provide a viscous heater which can not only solve the first and second assignments but also can reliably inhibit the mutual leaking among the viscous fluid
REFERENCES:
patent: 4664068 (1987-05-01), Kretchmer et al.
patent: 4733635 (1988-03-01), Menard et al.
patent: 4773388 (1988-09-01), Herbulot et al.
patent: 4993377 (1991-02-01), Itakura
patent: 5419306 (1995-05-01), Huffman
patent: 5573184 (1996-11-01), Martin
Ban Takashi
Hoshino Tatsuyuki
Mori Hidefumi
Yagi Kiyoshi
Kabushiki Kaisha Tayoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
Solis Erick R.
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