Air refrigeration device

Claim 2

A refrigeration device comprising: unitary compressor and expander means, a heat exchanger having an inlet port connected to one side of said unitary means and an outlet port connected to another side of said unitary means, said unitary means including an intake port and an exhaust port, both of said ports being open to ambient pressure whereby a fluid enters said unitary means and is compressed, and then is passed through said heat exchanger at a substantially constant pressure, and then reintroduced into said unitary means and is expanded and exhausted to ambient pressure, such fluid passage comprising one cycle for said refrigeration device.

Claim 3

A refrigeration device comprising: a stator including a chamber having a noncircular cross-section, end members closing said chamber, a rotor rotatably mounted in said chamber, said rotor having a plurality of vane slots therein, an inlet port and an outlet port communicating between ambient pressure and said stator chamber, a heat exchanger having an inlet port and an outlet port both communicating with said stator chamber and both located between the inlet and outlet ports of said device which communicate with ambient pressure, a multiplicity of vanes, at least one being at least substantially radially slidable in each of said slots, vane biasing means which urges said vanes in at least substantially a radially outward direction into slidable but continuous contact with the chamber wall whereby a multiplicity of separate chambers are formed inside said stator chamber, said chambers being adapted to successively increase in capacity and decrease in capacity upon rotation of the rotor, one of said separate chambers communicating with the stator inlet port to ambient pressure, another of said separate chambers being sealed and adapted to compress fluid therewithin upon rotation of the rotor, another of said separate chambers communicating with the heat exchanger inlet port, another of said separate chambers communicating with the heat exchanger outlet port, another of said chambers being sealed and adapted to expand fluid therewithin upon rotation of the rotor, another of said separate chambers communicating with the stator outlet port to ambient pressure, a 360* rotation of the rotor causes a given fluid segment between vanes to pass from an intake stage at ambient pressure, through a compression stage, through a heat exchanger stage, through an expansion stage, and into an exhaust stage to ambient pressure whereby substantially all the heat of compression is dissipated through the heat exchanger and substantially all the cooling effect of expansion is imparted to the fluid being exhausted at the stator exhaust port.

Claim 4

A refrigeration device comprising: a stator including a chamber having a noncircular cross-section, end members closing said chamber, a rotor rotatably mounted in said chamber, said rotor having a plurality of vane slots therein, an inlet port and an outlet port communicating between ambient pressure and said stator chamber, a heat exchanger having an inlet port and an outlet port both communicating with said stator chamber and both located between the inlet and outlet ports of said device which communicate with ambient pressure, a multiplicity of vanes, at least one being at least substantially radially slidable in each of said slots, vane biasing means which urges said vanes in at least substantially a radially outward direction into slidable but continuous contact with the chamber wall whereby a multiplicity of separate chambers are formed inside said stator chamber, said chambers being adapted to successively increase in capacity and decrease in capacity upon rotation of the rotor, one of said separate chambers communicating with the stator inlet port to ambient pressure, another of said separate chambers being sealed and adapted to compress fluid therewithin upon rotation of the rotor, another of said separate chambers communicating with the heat exchanger inlet port, another of said separate chambers communicating with the heat exchanger outlet port, another of said chambers being sealed and adapted to expand fluid therewithin upon rotation of the rotor, another of said separate chambers communicating with the stator outlet port to ambient pressure, a 360* rotation of the rotor causes a given fluid segment between vanes to pass from an intake stage at ambient pressure, through a compression stage, through a heat exchanger stage, through an expansion stage, and into an exhaust stage to ambient pressure whereby substantially all the heat of compression is dissipated through the heat exchanger and substantially all the cooling effect of expansion is imparted to the fluid being exhausted at the stator exhaust port.

Claim 5

The refrigeration device of claim 2 wherein the heat exchanger outlet port is located so that the fluid volume defined by the vanes immediately on either side of said outlet port at a given rotational point has a value adapted to accept the same amount of fluid mass as entered the heat exchanger inlet port at said given rotational point.

Claim 6

The refrigeration deviCe of claim 3 wherein said heat exchanger outlet port is at a fixed location calculated for a normal range of ambient conditions whereby an approximately VHXE compensated device is provided.

Claim 7

The refrigeration device of claim 3 including VHXE compensation means comprised of: a fluid inlet from the heat exchanger to a chamber inside the rotor, a pair of thin-walled semi-cylinders at least one of which is circumferentially in said rotor chamber, fluid passages from said rotor chamber to the fluid segment of the heat exchanger exhaust port, one of said cylinders being shiftable to open and close said passages, control means for circumferentially shifting at least one of said semi-cylinders, said means being responsive to pressure changes inside the heat exchanger whereby heat exchanger fluid is supplied to the fluid segment at the heat exchanger exhaust port in sufficient mass to provide VHXE compensation.

Claim 8

The refrigeration device of claim 3 including VHXE compensation means comprised of: a heat exchanger outlet port movable with respect to its circumferential position on the chamber wall of the stator, heat exchanger outlet port location control means responsive to pressure changes in the heat exchanger and calibrated to move said port so that the fluid volume defined by the vanes immediately on either side of said heat exchanger outlet port at a given rotational point has a value adapted to accept the same amount of fluid mass as entered the heat exchanger inlet port at said given rotational point.

Claim 9

A refrigeration device according to claim 2 having inlet and outlet ducts communicating, respectively, with the stator inlet port and stator outlet port, moisture or ice particle catching means disposed in said outlet duct whereby exhaust air is dehumidified.

Claim 10

The refrigeration device according to claim 7 wherein said moisture catching means is connected to cooling means adapted to circulate said moisture in heat exchanging relationship with the fluid in said heat exchanger whereby said heat exchanger fluid is cooled.

Claim 11

The refrigeration device according to claim 2 having adjacently disposed inlet and outlet ducts communicating, respectively, with the stator inlet port and stator outlet port, and variable mixing means communicating between said inlet and outlet ducts whereby incoming warm moist fluid may be mixed in the desired proportions with the cool, dry exhaust fluid to provide temperature and humidity adjustment.

Claim 12

The refrigeration device of claim 3 including VHXE compensation means comprised of: a heat exchanger inlet port movable with respect to its circumferential position on the chamber wall of the stator, heat exchanger inlet port control means responsive to pressure changes in the heat exchanger and calibrated to move said port so that the fluid volume defined by the vanes immediately on either side of said heat exchanger inlet port at a given rotational point has a value adapted to inject the same amount of fluid mass as exited the heat exchanger outlet port at said given rotational point.

Claim 13

The refrigeration device of claim 3, including VOE compensation means comprised of: A device outlet port movable with respect to its circumferential position on the chamber wall of the stator, device outlet port control means responsive to changes in VOE and calibrated to move said port so that the fluid pressure in the space denoted VOE at a given rotational point has a value substantially equal to the fluid pressure in the space denoted VOLT at said given rotational point.