Abstract: Air is evaporatively cooled by water in which the evaporating water is kept separate from the useful air (cooled air stream) by means of a heat exchanger so that cooling is performed without the addition of water vapor to the useful air, and in which the working air, absorbing the water vapor, is drawn from the load. A heat exchanger is disclosed which operates by movement of the working air internally through tubular conduits countercurrently to water flowing downwardly on the inner surfaces thereof while the air to be cooled passes externally across the conduits.

Abstract: The present method may be employed to reduce the temperature of water including chilling or freezing the water to produce ice and slush and simultaneously therewith keeping the water in motion, as from one container to another, without the use of a circulating pump. Liquid carbon dioxide is used as an expendable refrigerant by releasing same continuously beneath the water and then the activity of the conversion of the carbon dioxide changing from a liquid to a solid and gas is applied in a confined space to circulate the water as a liquid heat exchange medium.The basic apparatus comprises a large container of water in which are one or more conduits or stacks at the bottom of which are holes admitting the water to be chilled. A CO.sub.2 nozzle receives liquid CO.sub.2 and a pressurized supply tank discharges the CO.sub.2 as a solid and gas through the nozzle which receives the CO.sub.

Abstract: The preservation of metabolically active matter such as fruit, vegetables, meat, fowl, shrimp, fish, other food, cut flowers, cuttings, foliage plants and the like is disclosed, characterized by storage at controlled and correlated conditions of hypobaric pressure, temperature, humidity, air circulation and air exchange. A non-deleterious gas such as air is humidified by contacting it with heated water from a supply, and then the humid air is passed through, and when advisable, recirculated and/or rehumidified within a storage chamber containing the metabolically active matter. The relative humidity is maintained within the range of about 80 to 100 percent and the pressure is maintained continuously or intermittently at a selected value at least slightly higher than the vapor pressure of the water in the stored commodity.

Abstract: A bed of beads is placed in the path of the air flowing to the tubing of the condenser. Water is sprayed on the bed so that it will be evaporated and so cool the air below the dry bulb temperature.

Abstract: The combination with an air conditioning system including compressor, condenser and evaporator, with a humidifier for humidifying conditioned air and a heat exchanger for transferring heat between hot refrigerant of the air conditioning system and water supplied to the humidifier.

Abstract: Crude gas, such as cracking gas, is subjected after quenching to a two stage cooling system wherein water is employed in the first stage as both a direct contact coolant and scrubbing agent to remove condensed out hydrocarbons and solids from the gas. The scrubbing liquid in the first stage is subjected to a rough decanting step to separate hydrocarbons from water which is to be recycled; however, no indirect heat exchangers are used for recycle water, thereby avoiding clogging. The gas recovered from the first cooling stage is at about the water dew point of the gas, and is then cooled in a second stage in direct contact with refrigerated water, but because the fouling substances of the gas are removed in the first stage, there is no clogging problem when the recycle water is cooled in an indirect heat exchanger with an external refrigerant.

Abstract: An evaporative refrigerator or cooler comprising a bundle of spaced, porous walled tubes closed at one of their ends and vented to a vacuum at the other end is disclosed. The tube bundle is surrounded by a water jacket having a hot water inlet distribution manifold and a cooled water outlet through a plenum chamber. In operation, hot water is pumped into the jacket to circulate around the tubes, and when this water meets the vacuum existing inside the tubes, it evaporates thereby cooling the water in the jacket. If cooling proceeds to the point where water penetrating or surrounding all or part of the tubes freezes, operation continues with local sublimation of the ice on the tubes while the circulating water attempts to melt the ice. Under some conditions, both sublimation and evaporation may take place simultaneously in different regions of the device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provides conditioning of an air stream by cooling in a regenerative heat exchanger having two groups of channels separated from one another by walls through which heat exchange occurs. The air stream to be conditioned flows through one group of channels while an auxiliary air stream flows through a second group of channels the walls of which comprise wettable material maintained wet by means of water which is caused to evaporate by the auxiliary air stream to result in cooling. The wettable material provides a substantially stationary liquid layer maintained in the channels of auxiliary air flow so that evaporation takes place directly from the walls separating the two groups of channels to obtain high heat exchange efficiency.

Abstract: An air conditioning unit having a driven rotor with a plurality of vanes and including a compressor portion and an expander portion, each having inlet and outlet ports, with a heat exchanger connected between the compressor outlet port and the expander inlet port. A non-condensing gas such as air is fed into the compressor inlet port, compressed, accompanied by a rise in temperature, cooled by the heat exchanger, and expanded back to substantially its initial pressure for discharge in the cold state at the expander outlet port, a non-condensing gas being defined as any gas which does not condense at the pressures and temperatures encountered in the unit.

Abstract: A piping arrangement for an air washer is disclosed which enables the air washer to maintain constant dewpoint of air passing from the leaving side of the air washer. Chilled water is sprayed from a first manifold and is used to cool air to a required wet bulb temperature. The air is then passed through subsequent manifolds having spray nozzles which further humidify the air until the air reaches a required dewpoint temperature in a substantially saturated state.

Abstract: The conditioning of building structures and the like by "exterior surface cooling" which takes advantage of heat flow from hot to cold areas for minimizing the energy required to condition the building interior. The exterior surface of the building is subjected to the flow of air which eliminates penetrating heat at the surface of the building structure, particular advantage being derived from the useful employment of otherwise waste evaporative air discharge from dry-air evaporative cooling, utilized with this invention both for sensible conditioning of the building interior and for surface cooling of the building exterior.BACKGROUNDIn the construction of buildings and the like such as trailers and motor homes and commercial structures as well, air conditioning is ordinarily excessively energy consuming commensurate with the inability of such structures to reject heat.

Abstract: Liquefaction of a vapor such as carbon dioxide gas is achieved by utilizing the refrigeration available in liquefied natural gas (LNG) to sub-cool liquid carbon dioxide, which in turn is sprayed into carbon dioxide gas in a condensing vessel thereby liquefying the gas. Suitable control means are provided for maintaining a predetermined temperature within the condensing vessel and for regulating the flow rate of LNG in response to variations in the flow of liquid carbon dioxide before the sub-cooling of liquid CO.sub.2 by LNG is effected.