Trickler Patents (Class 165/115)
  • Patent number: 11867436
    Abstract: A multi-step method is disclosed for exchanging heat in a vapor compression heat transfer system having a working fluid circulating therethrough. The method includes the step of circulating a working fluid comprising a fluoroolefin to an inlet of a first tube of an internal heat exchanger, through the internal heat exchanger and to an outlet thereof. Also disclosed are vapor compression heat transfer systems for exchanging heat. The systems include an evaporator, a compressor, a dual-row condenser and an intermediate heat exchanger having a first tube and a second tube. A disclosed system involves a dual-row condenser connected to the first and second intermediate heat exchanger tubes. Another disclosed system involves a dual-row evaporator connected to the first and second intermediate heat exchanger tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: THE CHEMOURS COMPANY FC, LLC
    Inventors: Denis Clodic, Youssef Riachi, Mary E Koban
  • Patent number: 11554641
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner installed in a vehicle includes: a condenser that causes heat exchange between a coolant and outside air; at least one spray nozzle that sprays water to a portion near the condenser; and a water tank that is in communication with the spray nozzle through an output hose, and stores the water to be sprayed. The at least one spray nozzle is disposed at a higher level than the water tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masashi Hotta
  • Patent number: 11092365
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed to help create longitudinal refrigerant streams, for example, in a shell and tube type evaporator, so as to manage refrigerant and/or lubricant in the evaporator. In some embodiments, the shell side of the evaporator may include a plurality of longitudinally extended pans stacked in a vertical direction. In some embodiments, refrigerant can be directed onto a top pan. The refrigerant can form a longitudinal refrigerant stream along the pan and flow down to the next pan in the vertical direction and form another longitudinal refrigerant stream. Each of the pans may form a refrigerant pool to help exchange heat with a process fluid carried in heat exchanger tubes. By forming longitudinal refrigerant streams in the pans, heat exchange efficiency may be improved and a lubricant content in refrigerant streams may be concentrated toward a bottom of the evaporator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Bin Liu, Jing Ma, Fei Huang
  • Patent number: 10996002
    Abstract: An evaporator evaporates a working fluid by heat from a battery. The evaporator includes at least one evaporation channel connected to the battery in a thermally conductive manner. The evaporator includes a supply channel connected to an upstream end of the evaporation channel, and supplies the working fluid in liquid phase from the supply channel to the evaporation channel. The evaporator includes an outflow channel connected with a downstream end of the evaporation channel, and discharges the working fluid. The outflow channel is disposed above the supply channel, and the supply channel is disposed at a position more insulated from the heat of the battery than the evaporation channel is.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasumitsu Omi, Takeshi Yoshinori, Masayuki Takeuchi, Koji Miura
  • Patent number: 10943708
    Abstract: A process for the separation of 99mTc from molybdenum targets is described. The method for separation of 99mTc isotope from molybdenum targets includes: i) providing an initial multicomponent mixture of elements, the mixture containing 99mTc; ii) dissolving the multicomponent mixture of elements with an oxidizing agent to oxidize the mixture of elements; iii) heating the mixture of elements at a temperature sufficiently high enough to sublimate a vaporized compound containing 99mTc; iv) condensing the vaporized compound containing 99mTc to form a reaction product; v) adding a base to the condensed reaction product to dissolve the 99mTc containing reaction product to form sodium pertechnetate (Na99mTcO4); and vii) purifying the crude solution of sodium pertechnetate Na99mTc04 using column chromatography to provide the 99mTc isotope as a radiochemical compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Inventors: Richard Ray Johnson, William Z. Gelbart, Brian Abeysekera, Lidia Matei, Glenn McRae
  • Patent number: 10926189
    Abstract: The invention relates to a heat transfer tube (9) for falling film evaporation having a heating medium surface (21) to be heated by a heating medium, a falling film surface (20) to have spent liquor passing over it, and being made from an iron based high alloy stainless steel material with an alloy content above 16.00% for Chromium and above 1% for Nickel. The falling film surface of the heat transfer tube is equipped with at least one weld ridge (WR; WR1, WR2), said weld ridge having a height (h; h2) in the range 0.3 to 5.0 mm, a width (w; w2) in the range 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: VALMET AB
    Inventors: Lars Olausson, Krister Pettersson, Martin Apel, Mattias Gourdon, Anders Åkesjö
  • Patent number: 10845125
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes a shell, refrigerant distributor, tube bundle, and first upper baffle. The shell has a refrigerant inlet through which at least refrigerant with liquid refrigerant flows and a shell refrigerant vapor outlet. A longitudinal center axis of the shell extends substantially parallel to a horizontal plane. The refrigerant distributor fluidly communicates with the refrigerant inlet and is disposed within the shell. The refrigerant distributor has at least one liquid refrigerant distribution opening that distributes liquid refrigerant. The tube bundle is disposed inside of the shell below the refrigerant distributor so that the liquid refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant distributor is supplied to the tube bundle. The first upper baffle is vertically disposed at a top of the tube bundle. The first upper baffle extends laterally outwardly from the tube bundle toward a first lateral side of the shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: DAIKIN APPLIED AMERICAS INC.
    Inventors: Michael J. Wilson, Robert Page, Louis A. Moreaux, Jeffrey Stamp, Satoshi Inoue, Shannon Cobb
  • Patent number: 10816270
    Abstract: A heat and mass transfer system configured to be a passive system using gravitational force to form a thin liquid film flow on an outer surface of a flow distribution head and downstream conduit member to subject the thin liquid film to heat transfer mediums. The at least partially spherical flow distribution head creates a uniform thin flow of liquid on the outer surface increasing the efficiency of the heat and mass transfer system. The heat and mass transfer system may include a heat transfer medium supply system in fluid communication with internal aspects of the downstream conduit such that a heat transfer medium flows within the downstream conduit while the liquid film flows on the outer surface of the downstream conduit. Rather than conventional sheet flow on inner surfaces of a conduit, the flow distribution head enables sheet flow to be formed on an outside surface of a component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Management Group LLC
    Inventor: Roshan Jachuck
  • Patent number: 10584887
    Abstract: An air conditioner system including a sleeping enclosure defining a sleeping space into which conditioned air is adapted to be delivered from one end or side of the sleeping space in a manner which maximizes contact between conditioned air and a person or persons in the sleeping space, the sleeping space including an upper air pervious section; and a lower relatively air impervious section adapted to surround a bed in the sleeping space and configured to minimize passage of the conditioned air from the sleeping space through the pervious section or other leakage paths; and an air conditioner unit for generating a conditioned air flow, wherein the impervious section extends to a height above the sleeping surface of the bed at the end or side of the bed opposed to said end or side sufficient to contain the conditioned air as it moves towards and returns from the opposite end or side of the sleeping space, and wherein the impervious section extends to a sufficiently increased height above the sleeping surface at
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: CLOSE COMFORT PTY LTD
    Inventor: James Trevelyan
  • Patent number: 10462931
    Abstract: A heat exchanger has a tube and an inner fin. A heat medium exchanging heat with a heat exchange target flows in the tube, and the tube has a flat shape in cross section perpendicular to a flow direction of the heat medium. The inner fin has first fins and second fins. The second fins are formed parallel to the flow direction in at least one of an upstream end portion located on an upstream side of an area, in which the first fins are formed, in the flow direction or a downstream end portion located on a downstream side of the area in the flow direction. Fin pitches between the first fins are all identical with each other. At least one of fin pitches between the second fins is different from other fin pitches between the second fins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki Suzuki, Tomohiro Shimazu, Yasuhiro Mizuno
  • Patent number: 10401315
    Abstract: A track pin sensor for monitoring an operational status of a track pin of a track chain for heavy equipment. The track pin sensor may be incorporated into a communication system for monitoring a plurality of track pins of the track chain. A method of monitoring operational status of a track pin is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: David W. Baarman, Brian B. Steketee, Kevin Stephens
  • Patent number: 10376807
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating purified liquid from an input liquid, comprises, an evaporation chamber flooded with the input liquid and wherein the evaporation chamber generates saturated gases and comprises a shared wall with the condensation chamber and wherein the evaporation chamber is configured to generate evaporation cavities and condensation cavities on respective sides of the shared wall for a 2-phase counter flow of a liquid phase component and a gaseous phase component in composite flows for a 2-phase to 2-phase direct latent heat exchange. A condensation chamber has channels disposed in the input liquid, wherein liquid-saturated gases are generated therefrom in the evaporation chamber. The apparatus is operated as a four-port counter-flow heat exchanger where two different fluids are exchanging heat based on the inlet ports of both fluids being on opposite sides and the outlet ports of both fluids are also on opposite sides of the evaporator and condenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Inventors: Huei Meng Chang, Yee Chun Lee, Narayan D. Raju
  • Patent number: 10317151
    Abstract: A water collection system is provided for an indirect evaporative cooler. The water collection system includes a housing having an open bottom, a front wall, a back wall, and two end walls, which together define an interior region of the housing. The water collection system further includes a plurality of tube assemblies each extending through one of the front wall and the back wall of the housing and disposed within the interior region of the housing. The water collection system further includes a plurality of panel assemblies disposed within the interior region of the housing above the plurality of tube assemblies. Each panel assembly is associated with a respective tube assembly to channel fluid to the tube assembly. A method of collecting and distributing water within an indirect evaporative cooler configured to spray water on a heat exchanger is further disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC IT CORPORATION
    Inventors: John H. Bean, Jr., Roy L. Grantham, Ozan Tutunoglu
  • Patent number: 10267547
    Abstract: A falling-film evaporator includes an evaporator cylinder, a mist eliminator disposed in the evaporator cylinder, a dispenser disposed in the evaporator cylinder, a liquid baffle disposed in the evaporator cylinder, a first chamber formed at least partially by the mist eliminator and the liquid baffle on a first side of the evaporator cylinder below the mist eliminator, a gas returning chamber formed at least partially by the mist eliminator and the liquid baffle on a second side of the evaporator cylinder above the mist eliminator, a gas-liquid separation chamber formed at least partially by the dispenser at an upper portion of the first chamber, and an evaporation chamber formed at least partially by the dispenser at a lower portion of the first chamber, and where the gas returning chamber is in fluid communication with the evaporation chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignees: Johnson Controls Technology Company, York (Wuxi) Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Co., Ltd., Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Technology (Wuxi) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xiuping Su, Li Wang, Jinliang Li, Fang Xue
  • Patent number: 10222127
    Abstract: A guide plate having depressed portions is provided between an array of heat exchanger tubes, herein after “tubes”, arranged horizontally side-by-side and a next lower array of tubes arranged horizontally side-by-side, and is positioned with the lowest parts of the depressed portions near crest portions of respective lower tubes. The guide plate conveys a liquid D on outer surfaces of respective upper tubes onto similarly positioned lower tubes even when the tubes move in a right-and-left direction. A falling film heat exchanger installed in a ship, an offshore structure or the like can avoid reduction in heat exchange performance, even when the ship or the like inclines and swings, by substantially evenly distributing and dropping a liquid onto the crests of the tubes and causing the liquid dropped from the tubes located in an upper array to fall onto the tubes located in the next lower array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: MODEC, INC.
    Inventors: Takuju Nakamura, Masaki Kawase
  • Patent number: 10118835
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating purified liquid from an input liquid, comprises, an evaporation chamber, wherein the evaporation chamber is flooded with the input liquid; and a condensation chamber having channels, wherein the channels are disposed in the input liquid, wherein liquid-saturated gases are generated from the input liquid in the evaporation chamber, wherein the liquid-saturated gases are guided into a first end of the channels, and wherein the purified liquid is outputted at a second end of the channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Inventors: Yee Chun Lee, Narayan D Raju, Huei Meng Chang, Ah Beng Tan
  • Patent number: 10060685
    Abstract: A laminated header includes: a plurality of plate-like members laminated with each other; one first opening; a plurality of second openings; and a distribution flow passage connecting the one first opening and each of the plurality of second openings to each other. The distribution flow passage includes: a first passage having a straight line shape; a first branching flow passage for the first passage to branch into a plurality of passages; a second passage that has a straight line shape and is connected to each of the plurality of passages branched in the first branching flow passage; a second branching flow passage for the second passage to branch into a plurality of passages; and a third passage that has a straight line shape and is connected to each of the plurality of passages branched in the second branching flow passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeyoshi Matsui, Shinya Higashiiue, Takehiro Hayashi, Atsushi Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 10046249
    Abstract: The system may include a vapor separator, a falling film evaporator, and a mechanical vapor recompression device. The system may also include a spin vane positioned at the inlet to the vapor separator. The falling film evaporator may surround an outer wall of the vapor separator, defining a common vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Caloris Engineering, LLC
    Inventor: Artur G. Zimmer
  • Patent number: 9970719
    Abstract: A water collection system is provided for an indirect evaporative cooler. The water collection system includes a housing having an open bottom, a front wall, a back wall, and two end walls, which together define an interior region of the housing. The water collection system further includes a plurality of tube assemblies each extending through one of the front wall and the back wall of the housing and disposed within the interior region of the housing. The water collection system further includes a plurality of panel assemblies disposed within the interior region of the housing above the plurality of tube assemblies. Each panel assembly is associated with a respective tube assembly to channel fluid to the tube assembly. A method of collecting and distributing water within an indirect evaporative cooler configured to spray water on a heat exchanger is further disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC IT CORPORATION
    Inventors: John H. Bean, Jr., Roy L. Grantham, Ozan Tutunoglu
  • Patent number: 9625221
    Abstract: A flow distributor for a liquid descending in a vertically elongated mass transfer column, a mass transfer column employing the same, and a method of treating a fluid stream in the mass transfer column is provided. The flow distributor includes a central distribution member for passing liquid to a plurality of outwardly extending side arm members, which, in turn, feed the liquid into a plurality of distribution troughs located below the elongated side members. The distribution troughs, which may be oriented substantially perpendicularly or substantially parallel to the elongated side members, include a bed of packing material disposed therein. Use of such distributors in vapor-liquid or liquid-liquid columns results in more uniform horizontal distribution of the liquid across the diameter of the column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Koch-Glitsch, LP
    Inventors: Darran Matthew Headley, Izak Nieuwoudt, Stephen Andrew Pile
  • Patent number: 9568248
    Abstract: A cooling tower is provided with a housing containing a fan at the bottom of the tower, and a plurality of layers of water collection troughs or channels above the fan to capture water droplets sprayed downwardly from the top of the device through an evaporative cooling pad located above the collection troughs. The collection troughs extend from one side of the housing to the other in the form of a structural support for the housing and the equipment therein. The troughs have open ends which extend through the housing to discharge collected water to an adjacent vertical tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Harold Dean Curtis Revocable Trust
    Inventor: Harold Dean Curtis
  • Patent number: 9468158
    Abstract: Apparatus for controlling an environment in a greenhouse, the apparatus comprising: first and second heat exchangers, each comprising a radiator and a fan system for driving air through the radiator; a first refrigerant circulation system that circulates a refrigerant fluid between and through the radiators; a heater controllable to heat the refrigerant; a controller that controls the apparatus to operate selectively in a maintenance mode or a flush mode, wherein in the maintenance mode the heater heats the refrigerant and the first and second fan systems drive air from outside to inside the greenhouse and through the radiators to acquire heat from the refrigerant, and in the flush mode the first fan system vents air from inside to outside the greenhouse through its respective radiator to deposit heat in the refrigerant and the second fan system drives air from outside to inside the greenhouse and through its respective radiator to acquire the heat deposited in the refrigerant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: PHAZA ENERGY LTD.
    Inventor: Omer Pinchuk
  • Patent number: 9314802
    Abstract: Disclosed is a spraying tube device capable of, even in a case where a spray solution having low latent heat is used in a falling film type evaporator, uniformly spraying the spray solution to a heat-transfer tube, and a heat exchanger using the spraying tube device. The spraying tube device includes: a spraying tube configured to eject a spray solution M upward through ejection holes arranged along a tube axis C; a cover arranged above the spraying tube and configured to receive the ejected spray solution M and cause the spray solution M to flow through a space S between the cover and the spraying tube to flow downward on an outer surface of the spraying tube, and fins configured to uniformize in a tube axis C direction a distribution of the spray solution M having flowed downward from the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Okumura, Naoki Miyake, Tadashi Takemura, Kyoko Takemura
  • Patent number: 9297595
    Abstract: The heat exchanger flow balancing system serves to substantially equalize fluid flow through essentially identical diameter heat exchanger tubes in a heat exchanger having a single inlet plenum, a single outlet plenum, and a series of equal diameter heat exchanger tubes extending therebetween. In one embodiment, a series of different diameter orifices are provided at the inlet end of each of the tubes, with those tubes farther from the single larger diameter inlet pipe to the plenum generally having smaller orifices. In another embodiment, each of the tubes is provided with a conical nozzle at its inlet end, with those tubes farther from the single inlet pipe to the plenum generally having smaller diameter nozzles. The effect is to substantially equalize fluid flow through all of the heat exchanger tubes, thus increasing the efficiency of the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
    Inventors: Syed A. M. Said, Rached Ben Mansour, Mohamed A. Habib, Muhammad Umar Siddiqui
  • Patent number: 9273911
    Abstract: Plate (1) intended to form a partition between two fluids circulating inside a welded heat exchanger, the plate (1) having a plurality of undulations (2) characterized in that all or part of the undulations (2) has, on at least one upper crest line (3), at least one preferred contact area (4) that has a height above a nominal height of the undulations (2) of the plate (1), the at least one preferred contact area (4) being intended to come into contact with a lower crest line of an undulation of another plate provided above the plate (1) and to be deformed when the exchanger is manufactured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignees: ALFA LAVAL CORPORATE AB, ALFA LAVAL VICARB
    Inventors: Erik Vännman, Olivier Noël-Baron
  • Patent number: 9016354
    Abstract: Cooling performance of a cooler for pre-cooling humid gas supplied to a gas turbine power generation plant, etc. is improved by increasing heat transfer efficiency between the humid gas and cooling liquid flowing in heat exchanger tubes with utilization of condensed liquid generated due to the cooling of the humid gas. In a heat exchanger for cooling humid gas a flowing surrounding heat exchanger tubes 8 of the tube groups 9a and 9b by flowing cooling liquid r in the tubes, the liquid droplets cl generated by condensation of moisture contained in the humid gas are gathered and sprinkled or fallen in drops on a part of the heat exchanger tube group 9b, which results in increased heat exchange efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Hiraoka, Koichi Inoue
  • Patent number: 9005393
    Abstract: A method of operating an evaporator is described. In evaporator feed water, a Taylor bubble is developed which has an outer surface including a thin film in contact with an inner surface of an outer wall of an evaporator tube. The Taylor bubble is heated as it rises within the evaporator tube so that liquid in the thin film transitions into vapor within the bubble.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: DEKA Products Limited Partnership
    Inventor: Kingston Owens
  • Patent number: 8951392
    Abstract: A modular portable evaporator system for use in a Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) systems having an evaporator, with a sump including an oil skimming weir, a short tube vertical falling film heat exchanger including an outer shell containing short tubes provided for lower water circulation rate. The system further having external to the evaporator, a compressor for compressing evaporated steam from the tube side of the heat exchanger and routing to the shell side of the same exchanger, a distillate tank to collect hot distilled water, a recirculation pump to introduce liquids from the sump into the heat exchanger and an external suction drum protecting the compressor from liquid impurities. The evaporator system receives produced water from the SAGD process into the sump and provides cleaned hot water to a boiler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: 1nSite Technologies Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenneth James
  • Patent number: 8944152
    Abstract: A compact evaporator including a suction baffle system is provided for use in a refrigeration system. The suction baffle system includes a suction baffle and a passageway. The suction baffle includes a plurality of walls and is adjacent to the interior wall of shell. The passageway extends below one of the walls of the suction baffle toward the lower portion of the shell and is adjacent to the interior wall of the shell. A suction tube having an inlet is attached to the evaporator shell and the inlet is adjacent to the passageway and located partially below the suction baffle. The passageway minimizes the possibility of liquid carry-over in the suction tube that feeds into the compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Satheesh Kulankara, Michael Lee Buckley, Mustafa Kemal Yanik
  • Publication number: 20140366574
    Abstract: A liquid distributor delivers a falling flow of the liquid to be distributed substantially uniformly along a longitudinal extent of the liquid distributor. The liquid distributor has a bottom wall including a longitudinally extending distribution plate having a plurality of laterally spaced and longitudinally extending channels. A shell and tube evaporator for chilling a working fluid incorporates the liquid distributor as a distributor of liquid onto the heat exchange tubes of a tube bundle disposed within an interior volume of the shell. Each channel is aligned with a respective column of the plurality of vertical columns of heat exchange tubes and is configured to deliver a falling flow of liquid refrigerant onto the respective tube column substantially uniformly along the longitudinal extent of the respective tube column.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Inventors: Marcel Christians, Jack L. Esformes, Satyam Bendapudi, Martin Bezon, Xinliang Qiu, Sean P. Breen
  • Patent number: 8869879
    Abstract: An inside regular filler layer is disposed inside a pipe where heat is exchanged between an inside and an outside of a pipe wall so as to abut an inner peripheral surface of the pipe, and an outside regular filler layer is disposed outside the pipe so as to surround the pipe and closely contact an outer peripheral surface of the pipe. The outer peripheral surface of the pipe is subjected to close contact-promoting processing in order to enhance close contacting feature between the outer peripheral surface and the outside regular filler layer. The pipe/filler unit is used for the distillation section of an internal heat exchanging type distillation column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignees: Kimura Chemical Plants Co., Ltd., National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Toshinari Nakanishi, Kazumasa Aso, Kensuke Iuchi, Kinpei Horiuchi, Masaru Nakaiwa
  • Patent number: 8871062
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for controlling the thickness of a flowing, laminar fluid film. The film flow may be gravity-induced or the result of an alternative force. The fluid is deposited on an upper end of a flow surface where a relatively thick layer of the film forms. The film flows over a fluid dispersal region where the surface area is rapidly expanding, which results in rapid thinning of the film thickness. The fluid then flows over an active region where the surface area is designed to control the fluid film thickness. For example, in some applications, it may be desirable to maintain an approximately constant film thickness as the fluid flows over the active region of the surface. The geometry of the flow surface is used to obtain the desired control over the fluid film thickness. The flow surface is the outer surface of a solid with a closed upper end and a lower end that may be open or closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Inventors: Charles David Gilliam, Stefanie Renee Gilliam
  • Patent number: 8826969
    Abstract: An inlet arrangement (1) for use in plate heat exchangers (2) is disclosed. The arrangement comprises an element with a dispersion opening (6) for arrangement in an inlet (5) in a plate exchanger. The inlet arrangement (1) is arranged to form a mainly fitting cylinder wall when introduced in the inlet (5). The cylinder wall comprises at least one opening (6) which extends partly or fully along the length of the inlet (5) and is sealingly arranged towards the inlet (5) of the plate heat exchanger. Furthermore, the opening (6) is oriented towards one side at an angle from the perpendicular. The use of such inlet arrangement (1) is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Institutt for Energiteknikk
    Inventors: Tove Risberg, Stein Rune Nordtvedt, Svein Grandum, Bjarne Horntvedt
  • Patent number: 8783054
    Abstract: A counter flow indirect evaporative heat exchanger (10) having vertically stacked alternate counter flow wet (14) and dry (12) passages where the wet passages are wetted during operation of the heat exchanger by wetting means (50, 52, 53, 54, 70, 72, 74, 76) travelling vertically of the stack. Elongately wetting of a small plurality of the total number of passages (14, 12) of the heat exchanger (10) occurs at a time during vertical travel of the wetting means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: F.F. Seeley Nominees Pty. Ltd.
    Inventor: Robert William Gilbert
  • Patent number: 8771478
    Abstract: A modular distillation apparatus including at least one heat exchanger that preheats contaminated liquids: a heater that heats the contaminated liquid from the heat exchanger; an evaporator condenser adapted o boil the contaminated liquid coming out of the heater to produce water vapor and contaminant concentrate, and condenser the water vapor into distilled water; a vacuum chamber capable of operating at below atmospheric pressure, the vacuum chamber housing the evaporator condenser and including at least one partition to separate the distilled water from the contaminate concentrate; a vapor compressor operably associated with the vacuum chamber to receive water vapor from the evaporator condenser in the vacuum chamber and pump the water vapor at pressure back through the evaporator condenser, wherein the heat exchanger recovers sensible heat from outgoing condensed distilled water and contaminant concentrate recycled from the vacuum chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Equus Environmental Ltd.
    Inventor: Dudley Edgar James Ward
  • Patent number: 8640490
    Abstract: This unit (37) comprises an evaporator (45) of liquid refrigerating fluid and an absorber (47) of gaseous refrigerating fluid linked to the evaporator (45). The apparatus (37) includes a migrating chamber (121) for gaseous refrigerant fluid delimited by an evaporation surface (73A) located on the absorber (47) facing the evaporation surface (73A), and through a connecting floor (57) linking these surfaces (73A, 109A). The evaporator (45) comprises a refrigerant fluid collector (65) linked to the evaporation surface (73A) to collect the refrigerant fluid downstream from this surface. The evaporator (45) comprises partitions (67) set out in the chamber (121) and delimiting, on the evaporation surface (73A) at least one area (103) covered by partitions (67) and at least one uncovered evaporation area (105). For application in motor vehicle air conditioning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignees: Ecoclim S.A., Peugeot Citroen Automobiles SA
    Inventors: Michel Cossenet, Emmanuel Boudard, Fabien Gerard, Vital Bruzzo
  • Patent number: 8561675
    Abstract: A spray type heat-exchanging unit includes a main body; a distributive refrigerant spray module located in an upper part of the main body and having an extended distributor and a refrigerant spray surface; and a plurality of heat exchange tubes provided in the main body below the distributive refrigerant spray module. A liquid refrigerant is guided into the extended distributor to drip onto the refrigerant spray surface, and then uniformly sprayed onto the heat exchange tubes. Gaseous refrigerant produced by evaporation in heat exchange in the main body is recovered via a top opening of the main body, making the mechanical refrigerating apparatus more efficient than a refrigerating apparatus adopting a flooded evaporator, and minimizing the refrigerant charge amount and material cost required by the heat-exchanging unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Chung-Che Liu, Yie-Zu Hu, Hsi-Tsung Cheng
  • Patent number: 8561423
    Abstract: This device (11) comprises a generator (33) for separating a mixed fluid into a refrigerant fluid and an absorbent fluid. It comprises a refrigerant fluid condenser (35), linked to a generator (33) and an evaporator (51) of refrigerant fluid linked to a condenser (35) by a feeder conduit (61) into refrigerant fluid. This device (11) also comprises a refrigerant fluid absorber (55) linked to an evaporator (51) and a generator (33). The device (11) comprises a refrigeration circuit (53) using refrigerant fluid. The circuit (53) is linked to at least a first heat exchanger (77) located outside the evaporator (51). The circuit (53) is linked to at least a first evaporation area of the evaporator (51), up and down stream from the first heat exchanger (77) to make part of the refrigerant circulate as a refrigerant fluid in the refrigeration circuit (53). For application in air conditioning for motor vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignees: Ecoclim S.A., Peugeot Citroen Automobiles SA
    Inventors: Emmanuel Boudard, Vital Bruzzo
  • Patent number: 8291968
    Abstract: A distributor of flowable medium for a heat exchanger has a housing member and at least one substantially vertically oriented tube member arranged therein. The distributor has a hollow body arranged to be supported in one end of the tube member. An upturned funnel shaped core member is formed in the hollow body, resulting in an annular flow passage between the body and the core member. The body has an upper section with an inlet, a lower section with an outlet, and a mid section between the upper and lower sections. The flow passage extends from the inlet to the outlet at the lower section, and is configured to narrow progressively from the inlet towards the mid section, and widen progressively from the mid section towards the outlet for modifying flow characteristics of the medium flowing through the passage. Intake guide elements are provided at the upper section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Eestech, Inc.
    Inventor: Gregory Mark Paxton
  • Patent number: 8158840
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for steam cracking liquid hydrocarbon feedstocks utilizes a vapor/liquid separation apparatus to treat heated vapor/liquid mixtures to provide an overhead of reduced residue content and includes: i) indirectly heat exchanging liquid bottoms with boiler feed water to provide cooled liquid bottoms and preheated boiler feed water; ii) directing at least a portion of said preheated boiler feed water to a steam drum; and iii) recovering steam having a pressure of at least about 4100 kPa (600 psia) from said steam drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventor: David B. Spicer
  • Patent number: 8087454
    Abstract: The invention relates to a rolled heat exchanger with several pipes that are wound around a central pipe, with a casing that delimits an external space around the pipes and with a liquid distributor for distributing liquid in the external space. According to the invention, the liquid distributor is designed as a pipe manifold that has a main channel (21) and several distributing arms (22) that are flow-connected to the main channel (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Linde Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Christiane Kerber, Helmut Kreis, Anton Moll, Manfred Steinbauer
  • Patent number: 8051900
    Abstract: This invention relates to an internal jet impingement type shell and tube heat exchanger in which the jet cooling tubes and the heating tubes in shell and tube heat exchanger are formed either as a staggered tube bundle or as a square tube bundle, and the orifices on each jet cooling tube are provided according to the arrangement of tube bundle. Thus, the heat transfer performance of jet impingement type shell and tube heat exchanger is remarkably enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Southern Taiwan University of Technology
    Inventor: Tong-Bou Chang
  • Patent number: 8034214
    Abstract: A reciprocating film type evaporator for solvents and other chemicals which eliminates the need for a large powerful motor, and other associated equipment such as rotary gaskets, by using reciprocation, versus 360 degree rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Tracera LLC
    Inventors: Collin McKinney, Rob Musser
  • Publication number: 20110042047
    Abstract: A drip tube has a generally horizontal section, a generally vertical section and a drip loop connecting the sections. The drip loop is positioned so that its exterior surface is lower than the exterior surfaces of the generally horizontal section and the generally vertical section at the points where they meet the drip loop to provide a location where water may drip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Applicant: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Andrew E. Karl, Ron A. Wilson
  • Publication number: 20110023515
    Abstract: A refrigeration system is provided, such as for use with chillers. The system uses a tube-side condenser, such as a microchannel condenser, along with a shell-side evaporator such as a falling film evaporator. A flash tank economizer is disposed between the condenser and the evaporator, and an inlet valve to the flash tank is controlled based upon subcooling of condensate from the condenser. The vapor exiting the flash tank may be fed via an economizer line to a system compressor. Liquid phase refrigerant combined with some gas phase refrigerant exits the flash tank and is directed through an orifice before entering the evaporator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: William L. Kopko, Israel Federman, Satheesh Kulankara, Andrew John Graybill
  • Publication number: 20110017432
    Abstract: A compact evaporator including a suction baffle system is provided for use in a refrigeration system. The suction baffle system includes a suction baffle and a passageway. The suction baffle includes a plurality of walls and is adjacent to the interior wall of shell. The passageway extends below one of the walls of the suction baffle toward the lower portion of the shell and is adjacent to the interior wall of the shell. A suction tube having an inlet is attached to the evaporator shell and the inlet is adjacent to the passageway and located partially below the suction baffle. The passageway minimizes the possibility of liquid carry-over in the suction tube that feeds into the compressor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2010
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: JOHNSON CONTROLS TECHNOLOGY COMPANY
    Inventors: Satheesh KULANKARA, Michael Lee Buckley, Mustafa Kemal Yanik
  • Publication number: 20100204837
    Abstract: Climate control system for the rooms of buildings, where the air is treated by cooling, wherein a cooling tank (2) is in the upper part of the room to be cooled and is connected to water consumers (6).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2008
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Inventor: Jan Rybon
  • Publication number: 20100175865
    Abstract: A probe mounted directly to a conduit conveying a process stream of gas to be analyzed, which can condition a continuous sample of the gas before it is analyzed by removing undesirable vapor components of the sample through interaction with a heat exchanger conduit which condenses these components into a liquid such that they precipitate under the force of gravity back into the process stream. The probe uses a Venturi device to motivate the gas through a flow cell chamber where it interacts with light shown through the chamber before ejecting the sample back into the process stream through a sample return conduit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2010
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Applicant: AA HOLDINGS, LTD.
    Inventor: Daniel Murphy
  • Patent number: 7481857
    Abstract: Process and reaction unit for isothermal shift conversion of a carbon monoxide containing feed gas, the process comprising the steps of introducing the feed gas in a reaction unit into reactor tubes with a fixed bed of a shift conversion catalyst in a reaction zone; contacting the feed gas with the catalyst at conditions being effective in carbon monoxide shift conversion reaction with steam reactant to hydrogen and cooling the reaction by indirect heat exchange with a cooling agent by passing the cooling agent in a falling film along shell side of the reactor tubes and removing heated cooling agent from the falling film; passing hydrogen when it is formed by the shift conversion reaction through a hydrogen selective membrane to a permeate zone; withdrawing hydrogen from the permeate zone and carbon monoxide depleted feed gas from the reaction zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Haldor Topsoe A/S
    Inventors: Thomas Rostrup-Nielsen, Erik Løgsted-Nielsen
  • Publication number: 20080149311
    Abstract: A spray type heat exchange device includes a spray unit, a first group set of heat transfer tubes, at least a distributing unit and a second group set of heat transfer tubes. The distributing unit redistributes the remaining liquid refrigerant that is sprayed out from the spray unit and flowed through the first group set of heat transfer tubes, and the remaining liquid refrigerant is dropped downwardly to the second group set of heat transfer tubes. By this disclosed method, the inner space of the heat exchange device could be fully utilized to configure and accommodate more heat transfer tubes therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Inventors: Chia-Hung Liu, Chung-Che Liu