U.S. patent number 3,750,418 [Application Number 05/236,048] was granted by the patent office on 1973-08-07 for evaporator and condensate collector arrangement for refrigeration apparatus.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Borg-Warner Corporation. Invention is credited to Wendell E. Maudlin.
United States Patent |
3,750,418 |
Maudlin |
August 7, 1973 |
EVAPORATOR AND CONDENSATE COLLECTOR ARRANGEMENT FOR REFRIGERATION
APPARATUS
Abstract
A fin and coil type evaporator positionable in a
vertically-flowing air stream and including a horizontally disposed
plate fin construction with V-shaped fins providing a path for the
flow of moisture, condensed from the air stream, to collectors
extending beneath the fins and being of such narrow width as to
underlie only the pointed lower ends of the fins to minimize
interference with the flow of air through the evaporator.
Inventors: |
Maudlin; Wendell E. (York,
PA) |
Assignee: |
Borg-Warner Corporation
(Chicago, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
22887911 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/236,048 |
Filed: |
March 20, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/290; 62/285;
165/181 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25B
39/02 (20130101); F28D 1/0477 (20130101); F28F
17/005 (20130101); F25D 21/14 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F28F
17/00 (20060101); F25D 21/14 (20060101); F25B
39/02 (20060101); F28D 1/047 (20060101); F28D
1/04 (20060101); F25d 021/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;62/290,291,285,289,288
;165/181 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wye; William J.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An evaporator coil assembly for use in an air conditioning
system of the type in which the evaporator coil assembly is located
within a plenum through which air to be conditioned is forced under
positive pressure through said coil assembly comprising: an
evaporator coil including a plurality of tube sections extending in
at least two planes perpendicular to the direction of air flow; a
plurality of substantially vertically arranged plate-like fins each
lying in a plane parallel to the direction of air flow and being in
heat exchange contact with substantially all the tube sections
traversing said plane, each said fin having a straight upper edge
perpendicular to the air flow and a lower edge providing V-shaped
tapered portions with the apex thereof arranged at the lowermost
condensate discharge point of each fin; a plurality of spaced
parallel condensate-collecting troughs supported on said cabinet in
said passage and extending substantially the length of said coil
portions of said evaporator, said troughs underlying said V-shaped
tapered portions of said fins and each trough having a width to
underlie only the condensate discharge points of the adjacent fins
to collect condensate gravitating from the fins while reducing
interference with the flow of air through said passage to a
minimum.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improved evaporator and condensate
collector arrangement for refrigeration apparatus.
Conventional commercially-available evaporator and condensate
collector arrangements may employ two evaporator fin and coil slabs
assembled into an A-shape, or a single fin and coil slab which is
slanted, for exposure to vertically-flowing air and to position the
same so that condensate flows down the lower edges of the fins into
underlying collector troughs or pans. A third type of evaporator
and condensate collector arrangement contemplates a horizontal fin
and coil slab with a considerable number of inclined hook-section
condensate-collecting troughs so spaced apart with respect to each
other and having such widths that one inclined trough extends
beneath, and thus overlaps in a vertical relation, adjacent troughs
to provide a louver-like assembly disposed in the path of a
vertically-flowing air stream. In these arrangements, the trough or
troughs have considerable width to insure satisfactory collection
of the condensate flowing from the overlying fin and coil slab or
slabs. It has been found such evaporator and condensate collector
arrangements have many disadvantages since a dead air space exists
between the trough or troughs and the overlying evaporator slab or
slabs because the trough or troughs act to block or restrict, and
thereby seriously impair, the circulation of air around and
vertically through the slab or slabs thereby substantially reducing
the efficiency of heat transfer.
The evaporator and condensate collector arrangement of the present
invention is characterized by an evaporator of the fin and coil
type having an improved fin construction provided by each fin
extending vertically and formed with a serrated bottom edge to
provide a series of V-shaped tapered portions so that the pointed
ends of each tapered portion are located at the lowermost
condensate discharge point of the fin, the condensed moisture
converging downwardly along the tapered portions of the fin to the
lowermost points of the fin for flow from the point and collection
in narrow troughs disposed directly beneath the points, the troughs
being manifolded together for drainage of the moisture into a
single drain pan.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an
improved evaporator and condensate collector arrangement for
refrigeration apparatus.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved
evaporator and condensate collector arrangement including an
evaporator slab of the fin and coil type having a fin structure
designed to collect condensed moisture for flow into relatively
narrow troughs providing minimum restriction to the vertical flow
of air around and through the evaporator slab.
Additional objects and advantages will be apparent from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigeration compartment having
the improved evaporator and condensate collector arrangement.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 showing
the fin and coil structure and condensate-collector and drain
troughs; and
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawing, the duct or plenum 10, which forms a
portion of the warm air heating and air conditioning system, has
side walls 11 and 12 and end walls 13 and 14. A finned evaporator
coil structure 15 in the form of a bank or slab is horizontally
positioned in the plenum and extends substantially the entire
length and width of the compartment. The slab is supported on the
plenum side walls 11 and 12 by a plurality of spaced brackets 16,
connected to the thin sheet metal plate-like fins 17 of the bank,
and by bolts 18 extending through the walls 11 and 12 and into
threaded openings in brackets 16.
The evaporator structure 15 comprises a tube or pipe bent back and
forth upon itself to provide its coil 19 acting as a refrigerant
expansion chamber and absorbing heat from the air to thus provide
cooling of the air. Associated with the coil are a plurality of the
fins 17 mounted on the coil convolutions at right angles to the
axes of the parallel coil portions and through which the coil
passes. The evaporator structure 15 is horizontally mounted in the
compartment 10 in the path of the air streams flowing vertically,
as indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 2 and 3, to expose a maximum
area to the air entering the lower open end of the compartment,
flowing through the evaporator structure, and discharged from the
upper open end of the compartment.
As shown in FIG. 2, each fin 17 has a serrated bottom edge
providing a series of V-shaped portions 21 having both sides
tapered angularly toward a point 22 at the lowermost extremity of
the fin. This shape of the fins insures that moisture, formed by
condensation of the surfaces of each fin, will be in the form of a
thin continuous film of condensate on the fin and will flow, by
gravity, to the lowermost discharge point 22 of the fin.
A condensate collector assembly 23 is disposed in the plenum 10,
and relative to the evaporator structure 15, to cooperate with the
coil structure 15 in a manner to insure that moisture, condensed on
and flowing downwardly of the fins, is collected while providing
minimum resistance and restriction to air flowing through the
compartment and into the coil structure. More particularly, the
collector assembly 23 comprises a plurality of U-shaped troughs 24
respectively disposed directly beneath the lowermost points of the
fins, namely, tips 22 of the V-shaped portions 21 of the fins. The
troughs 24 may be formed of thin metal or lightweight plastic and
of such width as to be aligned with and underlie only the tips 22
so that maximum air flow through the collector assembly 23 is
assured. The troughs are connected together by two spaced thin rods
26 extending through the side walls of the troughs and having their
ends seated in pockets 27 in the side walls 11 and 12 of the
compartment. Each trough 24 is angularly inclined to the end walls
13 and 14 of the plenum (FIG. 3) so that condensate moisture in the
troughs will flow downwardly from wall 13 to wall 14 and, at its
lower closed end near the wall 14, will enter spouts 28 and flow
into a drain trough 29 inclined angularly from the side wall 11 to
the side wall 12 of the plenum. In FIG. 2, the drain trough 29 is
shown to be held in position by bolts 30 and 31 extending through
the walls 11 and 12 and threaded into the trough ends to support
the trough beneath the spouts 28 of the troughs 24.
From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that my
improved evaporator and condensate collector arrangement provides a
finned evaporator coil structure which can be mounted in a
horizontal position in relation to vertically flowing air to
provide maximum heat exchange fin and tube area while being of low
height; and, when upflow of air is desirable, the cabinet does not
require insulation since entering air is against the plenum's
inside walls. The condensate collector assembly, including the
troughs 24 and trough 29, provide a very small area minimizing
impedance or restriction of air flow through the collector assembly
while cooperating with the finned evaporator coil structure to
insure satisfactory collection and removal of condensed moisture.
Also, when the cabinet is placed on a furnace, air circulation is
not blocked around the heat exchanger.
* * * * *