Patents by Inventor Ralph Longsworth
Ralph Longsworth has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 10794616Abstract: A hybrid expander combines a Brayton engine first stage with one or more GM colder stages that uses the flow from the Brayton engine to provide refrigeration at one or more remote heat stations.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2014Date of Patent: October 6, 2020Assignee: SUMITOMO (SHI) CRYOGENIC OF AMERICA, INC.Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Patent number: 10677498Abstract: To provide refrigeration below 200 K, a Brayton cycle engine contains a light reciprocating piston. The refrigerator includes a compressor, a gas-balanced reciprocating engine having a cold rotary valve, a counterflow heat exchanger, a gas storage volume with valves that can adjust system pressures, a variable speed engine and a control system that controls gas pressure, engine speed, and the speed of the piston. The engine is connected to a load such as a cryopanel, for pumping water vapor, through insulated transfer lines.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2012Date of Patent: June 9, 2020Assignee: SUMITOMO (SHI) CRYOGENICS OF AMERICA, INC.Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Patent number: 9897350Abstract: A means and a method to cool down an MRI magnet, in a cryostat that is designed for a maximum pressure of about 0.2 MPa, are described which use cold helium output from a Brayton cycle refrigerator at a pressure of about 0.8 MPa to exchange heat with helium in the MRI cryostat in a coupling heat exchanger that is located removeably in or proximate the neck tube of the MRI cryostat. A circulator drives helium from the MRI cryostat through the coupling heat exchanger.Type: GrantFiled: January 2, 2014Date of Patent: February 20, 2018Assignee: SUMITOMO (SHI) CRYOGENICS OF AMERICA INC.Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Patent number: 9581360Abstract: An expansion engine operating on a Brayton cycle which is part of a system for producing refrigeration at cryogenic temperatures that includes a compressor, a counter-flow heat exchanger, and a load that may be remote, which is cooled by gas circulating from the engine. The engine has a piston in a cylinder which has nearly the same pressure above and below the piston while it is moving. Low pressure on a piston drive stem provides a force imbalance to move the piston towards the warm end.Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2014Date of Patent: February 28, 2017Assignee: SUMITOMO (SHI) CRYOGENIC OF AMERICA, INC.Inventors: Stephen Dunn, Ralph Longsworth, John Borchers
-
Patent number: 9546647Abstract: The primary invention is to cool a water vapor cryopump using a Gas Balanced Brayton cycle refrigerator. The refrigerator is comprised of a compressor, a gas balanced reciprocating engine and a counterflow heat exchanger. It is connected to the cryopump through insulated transfer lines. Options include a gas storage volume with valves that can adjust system pressures, a variable speed engine, gas lines between the compressor and cryopanel that by-pass the engine, and a gas line that by-passes the heat exchanger. This system can cool down and warm up rapidly, rapidly warm and cool the cryopanel without warming the engine, and reduce power input when the cryopanel heat load is reduced.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2012Date of Patent: January 17, 2017Assignee: SUMITOMO (SHI) CRYOGENICS OF AMERICA INC.Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Publication number: 20150354865Abstract: A means and a method to cool down an MRI magnet, in a cryostat that is designed for a maximum pressure of about 0.2 MPa, are described which use cold helium output from a Brayton cycle refrigerator at a pressure of about 0.8 MPa to exchange heat with helium in the MRI cryostat in a coupling heat exchanger that is located removeably in or proximate the neck tube of the MRI cryostat. A circulator drives helium from the MRI cryostat through the coupling heat exchanger.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 2, 2014Publication date: December 10, 2015Inventor: Ralph LONGSWORTH
-
Patent number: 9186601Abstract: A means of rapidly melting a large quantity of type II cryogen in a cryopump that is configured to contain the liquid in the warm cryopanel with the inlet to the cryopump facing up or sideways, and venting the liquid and gas in a controlled way. Rapid melting is preferably accomplished by flowing a purge gas that will condense on the cryodeposit. By not allowing the liquid to drain onto the vacuum housing the evaporation rate is limited and the maximum pressure in the cryopump can be controlled by the purge gas flow rate.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2012Date of Patent: November 17, 2015Assignee: SUMITOMO (SHI) CRYOGENICS OF AMERICA INC.Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Patent number: 9174144Abstract: Faster cool down time is achieved in a low profile cryopump by having heat transferred directly from the inlet louver to the first stage heat station through one or more tapered thermal busses, and by obviating the need of a thermal shield over the second stage cylinder of the expander by having second stage cryopanels that form a nested tent like structure, at least one of which, extends over the cylinder.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2012Date of Patent: November 3, 2015Assignee: SUMITOMO (SHI) CRYOGENICS OF AMERICA INCInventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Publication number: 20150226465Abstract: A cryogenic refrigeration engine for producing refrigeration at temperatures below 200 K includes a reciprocating piston having a warm end and a cold end. A gas is admitted to the cold end of the piston at a first pressure and exhausted at a second pressure through a rotary valve. The second pressure is lower than the first pressure. The piston may be cup shaped and have a bottom and a cylindrical side wall. The bottom separates a space near room temperature and an expansion space below 200 K, and the side wall slides within a cylinder having a temperature gradient between room temperature and below 200K.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 22, 2015Publication date: August 13, 2015Applicant: Sumitomo (SHI) Cryogenics of America, Inc.Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Patent number: 9080794Abstract: An expansion engine operating on a Brayton cycle which is part of a system for producing refrigeration at cryogenic temperatures that includes a compressor, a counter-flow heat exchanger, and a load that may be remote, which is cooled by gas circulating from the engine. The engine has a piston in a cylinder which has nearly the same pressure above and below the piston while it is moving. The piston and valves can be either mechanically or pneumatically actuated and the pressures above and below the piston can be nearly equal by virtue of a regenerator that connects the two spaces or by valves.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2011Date of Patent: July 14, 2015Assignee: SUMITOMO (SHI) CRYOGENICS OF AMERICA, INC.Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Publication number: 20150176867Abstract: A hybrid expander combines a Brayton engine first stage with one or more GM colder stages that uses the flow from the Brayton engine to provide refrigeration at one or more remote heat stations.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2014Publication date: June 25, 2015Applicant: Sumitomo (SHI) Cryogenics of America, Inc.Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Publication number: 20150159586Abstract: To provide refrigeration below 200 K, a Brayton cycle engine contains a light reciprocating piston. The refrigerator includes a compressor, a gas-balanced reciprocating engine having a cold rotary valve, a counterflow heat exchanger, a gas storage volume with valves that can adjust system pressures, a variable speed engine and a control system that controls gas pressure, engine speed, and the speed of the piston. The engine is connected to a load such as a cryopanel, for pumping water vapor, through insulated transfer lines.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2012Publication date: June 11, 2015Applicant: Sumitomo (SHI) Cryogenics of America, Inc.Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Patent number: 8978400Abstract: This invention relates generally to oil lubricated helium compressor units for use in cryogenic refrigeration systems, operating on the Gifford McMahon (GM) cycle. The objective of this invention is to keep the oil separator and absorber, which are components in an oil lubricated, helium compressor, in an indoor air conditioned environment while rejecting at least 65% of the heat from the compressor outdoors during the summer. The balance of the heat is rejected to either the indoor air conditioned air, or cooling water. This is accomplished by circulating hot oil at high pressure to an outdoor air cooled heat exchanger and returning cooled oil to the compressor inlet, while hot high pressure helium is cooled in an air or water cooled heat exchanger in an indoor assembly that includes the compressor, an oil separator, an oil absorber, and other piping and control components. It is an option to reject the heat from the oil to the indoor space during the winter to save on the cost of heating the indoor space.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2010Date of Patent: March 17, 2015Assignee: Sumitomo (Shi) Cryogenics of America Inc.Inventors: Stephen Dunn, Ralph Longsworth
-
Publication number: 20140290278Abstract: An expansion engine operating on a Brayton cycle which is part of a system for producing refrigeration at cryogenic temperatures that includes a compressor, a counter-flow heat exchanger, and a load that may be remote, which is cooled by gas circulating from the engine. The engine has a piston in a cylinder which has nearly the same pressure above and below the piston while it is moving. Low pressure on a piston drive stem provides a force imbalance to move the piston towards the warm end.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 13, 2014Publication date: October 2, 2014Applicant: Sumitomo (SHI) Cryogenics of America, Inc.Inventors: Stephen Dunn, Ralph Longsworth, John Borchers
-
Patent number: 8776534Abstract: An expansion engine operating on a Brayton cycle which is part of a system for producing refrigeration at cryogenic temperatures that includes a compressor, a counter-flow heat exchanger, and a load that may be remote, which is cooled by gas circulating from the engine. The engine has a piston in a cylinder which has nearly the same pressure above and below the piston while it is moving. Low pressure on a piston drive stem provides a force imbalance to move the piston towards the warm end.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2011Date of Patent: July 15, 2014Assignee: Sumitomo (SHI) Cryogenics of America Inc.Inventors: Stephen Dunn, Ralph Longsworth, John Borchers
-
Publication number: 20130276467Abstract: A means of rapidly melting a large quantity of type II cryogen in a cryopump that is configured to contain the liquid in the warm cryopanel with the inlet to the cryopump facing up or sideways, and venting the liquid and gas in a controlled way. Rapid melting is preferably accomplished by flowing a purge gas that will condense on the cryodeposit. By not allowing the liquid to drain onto the vacuum housing the evaporation rate is limited and the maximum pressure in the cryopump can be controlled by the purge gas flow rate.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 20, 2012Publication date: October 24, 2013Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Publication number: 20130276466Abstract: Faster cool down time is achieved in a low profile cryopump by having heat transferred directly from the inlet louver to the first stage heat station through one or more tapered thermal busses, and by obviating the need of a thermal shield over the second stage cylinder of the expander by having second stage cryopanels that form a nested tent like structure, at least one of which, extends over the cylinder.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 20, 2012Publication date: October 24, 2013Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Patent number: 8448461Abstract: A refrigeration system for minimizing the cool down time of a mass to cryogenic temperatures including a compressor, an expander, a gas storage tank, interconnecting gas lines, and a control system. The compressor output is maintained near its maximum capability by maintaining near constant high and low pressures during cool down, gas being added or removed from the storage tank to maintain a near constant high pressure, and the speed of said expander being adjusted to maintain a near constant low pressure, no gas by-passing between high and low pressures.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2011Date of Patent: May 28, 2013Assignee: Sumitomo (SHI) Cryogenics of America Inc.Inventor: Ralph Longsworth
-
Patent number: 8418479Abstract: A two-stage pulse tube refrigerator having a compact design, low vibration and low heat loss is provided where at least the 2nd stage is co-axial but preferably, both stages are co-axial with the second stage pulse tube being central and the first stage pulse tube occupying the annular space between the second stage pulse tube and the first stage regenerator. Convection losses associated with different temperature profiles in the pulse tubes and regenerators are minimized by shifting the thermal patterns in the pulse tubes relative to the regenerators by one or more of spacers in the regenerators, physical differences in length with gas channel connections, adjustment of dc flow, and thermal bridges.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2009Date of Patent: April 16, 2013Assignees: Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., Sumitomo (Shi) Cryogenics of America Inc.Inventors: Mingyao Xu, Ralph Longsworth
-
Publication number: 20130008190Abstract: The primary invention is to cool a water vapor cryopump using a Gas Balanced Brayton cycle refrigerator. The refrigerator is comprised of a compressor, a gas balanced reciprocating engine and a counterflow heat exchanger. It is connected to the cryopump through insulated transfer lines. Options include a gas storage volume with valves that can adjust system pressures, a variable speed engine, gas lines between the compressor and cryopanel that by-pass the engine, and a gas line that by-passes the heat exchanger. This system can cool down and warm up rapidly, rapidly warm and cool the cryopanel without warming the engine, and reduce power input when the cryopanel heat load is reduced.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2012Publication date: January 10, 2013Inventor: Ralph Longsworth