Abstract: An environmental control system comprises room temperature measurement apparatus, a plurality of thermal sensors fixed on a mattress over abed, a plurality of humidity sensors fixed on the mattress over the bed, an air conditioning unit for varying the room temperature, and a control circuit. The control circuit determines a thermal sensation of a sleeper from measured values by a plurality of thermal sensors , determines a perspiratory sensation of the sleeper from the measured values by a plurality of humidity sensors, and controls the air conditioning unit so as to let the temperature of the air in the vicinity of the bed be different from the room temperature by an amount prescribed by the combination of the room temperature value and the thermal and perspiratory sensation values, thus maintaining a comfortable condition in the bedroom and on the mattress.

Abstract: A portable cooler for cooling an article by utilizing the endothermic and exothermic phenomenon pertaining to a chemical reaction is disclosed, in which an adsorbent and a working medium are sealed in a reaction chamber defined between an inner wall and an outer wall, a working medium retaining member is disposed on the inner wall inside the reaction chamber for holding therein the working medium, the working medium retaining member being spaced from the adsorbent disposed on the outer wall, and a heater is held in contact with the adsorbent for regenerating the same, at least a part of said outer wall constituting a heat radiating portion.

Abstract: A portable cooler for cooling an article by utilizing the endothermic and exothermic phenomenon pertaining to a chemical reaction is disclosed, in which an adsorbent and a working medium are sealed in a reaction chamber defined between an inner wall and an outer wall, a working medium retaining member is disposed on the inner wall inside the reaction chamber for holding therein the working medium, the working medium retaining member being spaced from the adsorbent disposed on the outer wall, and a heater is held in contact with the adsorbent for regenerating the same, at least a part of said outer wall constituting a heat radiating portion.

Abstract: A working fluid comprising trifluoromethane, chlorodifluoromethane and at least one halogenated ethane which consists of two carbon atoms, 1 or 2 hydrogen atoms, 0 to 2 chlorine atoms and balance of fluorine atoms and has a boiling point of not lower than -30.degree. C. under atmospheric pressure, which has very small influence on the ozone layer in the stratosphere and is suitable as a substitute working fluid for dichlorodifluoromethane.

Abstract: The structure is arranged in such a manner that nonazeotropic mixed refrigerant is enclosed therein and a fractioning/separating device is disposed in a low pressure circuit in the main circuit of refrigerating cycle so as to conduct separation operation, the fraction/separation can be conducted at a low pressure in a separation mode, the specific volume of refrigerant gas generated in a reservoir due to heat supplied from a heater is enlarged, and the velocity of gas which moves upwards in the fractioning/separating device can be increased, causing a gas-liquid contact to be promoted. As a result, high performance separation can be conducted at reduced quantity of heat, causing the density of high boiling point refrigerant reserved to be significantly raised. Thus, the composition in the main circuit becomes a composition enriched with low boiling point refrigerant exhibiting excellent heating performance so as to satisfactorily cope with an increase in the load.

Abstract: A heat pump system which comprises a main heat pump circuit filled with non-azeotropic mixed coolant and including a compressor, a utility-side heat exchanger, a throttling device, a source-side heat exchanger, etc.,; a fractionating separator having an upper end fluid-connected with an exit side of the utility-side heat exchanger; a reservoir disposed beneath the fractionating separator and having a bottom fluid-connected through a shut-off valve with a low pressure piping on an inlet side of either the source-side heat exchanger or the utility-side heat exchanger; and a coolant ejector disposed between the compressor and the utility-side heat exchanger, wherein a gaseous medium generated from the fractionating separator when the reservoir is heated is guided to a suction port of the coolant ejector to flow into the main heat pump circuit.

Abstract: In a method for fabricating a brazed aluminum fin heat exchanger comprising a pair of brazing sheets each consisting of a core sheet and a cladding of brazing material disposed on either side of said core sheet and a corrugated fin interposed between the brazing sheets and brazed thereto, an improved process comprises making at least the fin of a heat-treatable (age-hardenable) aluminum alloy in the Al-Mg-Si system containing 0.15 to 0.4% copper, assembling the fin with said brazing sheets into a brazed aluminum fin heat exchanger unit, maintaining the heat exchanger unit at a temperature between 500.degree. C. and 570.degree. C. for a time from 30 minutes to 4 hours, quenching the solution-treated unit to room temperature under cooling conditions which provide a cooling rate between 2.8.degree. C./min. and 50.degree. C./min. down to 200.degree. C. and thereafter, age-hardening the quenched heat exchanger unit. The above heat-treatable aluminum alloy in the Al-Mg-Si system is AA 6951 or AA 6061.