Patents Assigned to Niagara Blower Company
  • Patent number: 8052847
    Abstract: A system and method for removing water from a liquid desiccant such as a glycol used to dry cooled air in order to restore the desiccant to a purity up to around 97% in a closed continuous flow process. Liquid desiccant can be sprayed into cooled air in a conditioner where it gains moisture. The wet or gained desiccant can be optionally preheated in an economizing heat exchanger and then routed into a concentrator. Desiccant pure to around 97% can be removed from the concentrator, passed through an economizing heat exchanger to provide the preheating and returned to the conditioner holding area. The concentrator can be heated by steam or other means such as natural gas to boil the wet desiccant causing mixed vapor to enter a vertical distillation column where most of the glycol condenses out on the column packing or plates and returns to the concentrator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Niagara Blower Company
    Inventors: Matthew Koban, Phillip Rowland, Michael Harvey, Peter Demakos
  • Patent number: 5249433
    Abstract: This invention relates to an apparatus for continuously providing low temperature refrigerated air for freezing and storage of food products, wherein process air is refrigerated by passing over an evaporator coil. Frost build-up on the evaporator coil is removed by periodically spraying the evaporator coil with a food-grade propylene glycol solution. Entrained liquid propylene glycol droplets are removed as the process air passes through a primary mist eliminator, composed of a series of corrugated plates, and an auxiliary mist eliminator, composed of a flat sheet of woven wire mesh incased between two flat sheets of diamond mesh. The use of demisters enables operation at high air face velocities, which in turn reduces equipment size and increases heat transfer coefficients, resulting in lower heat transfer surface area requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1993
    Assignee: Niagara Blower Company
    Inventors: Edward R. Hardison, Randolph S. Coo
  • Patent number: 4608119
    Abstract: An apparatus for concentrating aqueous solutions of hygroscopic organic liquid having boiling points higher than the normal boiling point of water is disclosed. The apparatus includes an airtight evacuated chamber, means for injecting a preheated temperature adjusted solution into the chamber to vaporize water from the solution and produce a concentrated aerosol of organic liquid, and means for coalescing the concentrated aerosol. Also included is a system for recovery of organic vapor leaving the chamber along with the vaporized water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1984
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1986
    Assignee: Niagara Blower Company
    Inventor: Jack T. Rowland
  • Patent number: 4519450
    Abstract: An air cooled vacuum producing condenser is disclosed for condensing vapors containing non-condensible gases, i.e. air. The condenser includes a condenser chamber with a bundle of condenser tubes across the chamber. Inlet and outlet headers are disposed at opposite ends of the chamber. Water is directed downwardly onto the bundle of condenser tubes, and air is discharged from the interior of the chamber to create a downward flow of air through the chamber across the bundle of condenser tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1985
    Assignee: Niagara Blower Company
    Inventor: Walter Kals
  • Patent number: 4517805
    Abstract: An air cooled vacuum producing condenser is disclosed for condensing vapors containing non-condensible gases, i.e. air. The condenser includes a condenser chamber with a bundle of condenser tubes across the chamber. Inlet and outlet headers are disposed at opposite ends of the chamber. Water is directed downwardly onto the bundle of condenser tubes, and air is discharged from the interior of the chamber to create a downward flow of air through the chamber across the bundle of condenser tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1985
    Assignee: Niagara Blower Company
    Inventor: Walter Kals
  • Patent number: 4509591
    Abstract: An air cooled vacuum producing condenser is disclosed for condensing vapors containing non-condensible gases, i.e. air. The condenser includes a condenser chamber with a bundle of condenser tubes across the chamber. Inlet and outlet headers are disposed at opposite ends of the chamber. Water is directed downwardly onto the bundle of condenser tubes, and air is discharged from the interior of the chamber to create a downward flow of air through the chamber across the bundle of condenser tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1985
    Assignee: Niagara Blower Company
    Inventor: Walter Kals
  • Patent number: 4494599
    Abstract: An air cooled vacuum producing condenser is disclosed for condensing vapors containing non-condensible gases, i.e. air. The condenser includes a condenser chamber with a bundle of condenser tubes across the chamber. Inlet and outlet headers are disposed at opposite ends of the chamber. Water is directed downwardly onto the bundle of condenser tubes, and air is discharged from the interior of the chamber to create a downward flow of air through the chamber across the bundle of condenser tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1984
    Date of Patent: January 22, 1985
    Assignee: Niagara Blower Company
    Inventor: Walter Kals
  • Patent number: 4273733
    Abstract: This invention relates to an apparatus for maintaining the desired temperature of a fluid, or more specifically, to reducing the temperature of the fluid to a desired level. The apparatus generally relates to one including a heat exchange coil through which the fluid to be cooled passes and over which an air stream is moved to absorb heat from the coil. In such an arrangement, it is common to increase the heat transfer efficiency of the coil by maintaining the same in a wet condition by means of a water spray or cascade, for example. In this manner, evaporation of the water causes an accelerated transfer of heat from the fluid in the coil for a given amount of air flow thereover than would be the case if the coil surface was not drenched. The present invention is directed to the disposition of a propeller air moving means sufficiently downstream of the cooling coil so as to be substantially free of air flow obstructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1979
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1981
    Assignee: Niagara Blower Company
    Inventor: Walter Kals
  • Patent number: 4240499
    Abstract: A system for recovering and utilizing, to a controlled and variable extent, waste heat from a coolant fluid. The amount of heat recovery varies in proportion to the marginal costs associated therewith. Heat laden coolant passes through an interior heat exchanger where heat may be extracted in varying amounts from the coolant by a thermostatically-controlled air mover, the air mover admitting outside air past the interior heat exchanger. The coolant proceeds to an exterior wet surface heat exchanger where residual heat is concurrently extracted from the coolant by a thermostatically-controlled combination of ambient air, recirculated ambient air, and water spray. The coolant then returns to the beginning of its cycle. The temperature of outside air is the principal variable determining the proportion of heat recovered by the interior heat exchanger and the proportion extracted by the exterior heat exchanger. The total heat extracted reduces the coolant temperature to a predetermined operating level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1978
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1980
    Assignee: Niagara Blower Company
    Inventor: Walter Kals
  • Patent number: 4104112
    Abstract: Apparatus for concentrating an aqueous solution of higher boiling point organic antifreeze medium includes a casing having a first and second upright legs connected by a third inclined leg. The first leg is open at the upper end to provide an ambient air inlet and includes a spray discharge nozzle, heating coils, an extended evaporation surface and a sump vertically disposed with respect to each other. The second leg constitutes a multistage reflex chamber having a plurality of alternately disposed reflex cooling coils and reclaiming screens of glass fiber cloth, each screen formed in a plurality of zigzag stretches. The third leg connects the first and second legs and is inclined downwardly from the second casing to the first casing to permit migration of liquid to the sump. A pump and conduits are provided to supply liquid from the sump to the discharge nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1973
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1978
    Assignee: Niagara Blower Company
    Inventor: Robert C. Stutz