Economizing air conditioning system of increased efficiency of heat transfer selectively from liquid coolant or refrigerant to air

Claim 2

A dual air conditioning apparatus which comprises a pair of separate circulating systems for a liquefiable gas refrigerant that is cooled by compression, condensation and evaporation, and for a liquid coolant that is cooled by cold outside air, each of which separate circulating systems includes different air cooling coils through which the respective refrigerant and liquid coolant pass, means for preventing passing of liquefiable gas refrigerant and liquid coolant through the respective cooling coils at the same time, and a multiplicity of heat transfer fins, joined to both such air cooling coils, and adapted selectively to transfer heat to circulating fluids in such coils from air to be cooled by the air conditioning apparatus, such pair of separate circulating systems being incorporated together so that both such systems can be used simultaneously to cool the air by the refrigerant or liquid coolant therein or by either such system being so employed, and which dual air conditioning apparatus comprises a single heat exchanger for cooling circulating liquid coolant by cold outside air, and means for circulating said liquid coolant through either or both of the sets of coolant-containing cooling coils of the component systems.

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the liquid coolant is aqueous solution of ethylene glycol.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 2 which comprises sets of a plurality of multiple pass cooling coils containing refrigerant and of a plurality of multiple pass cooling coils containing coolant, and the multiple pass refrigerant-containing coils alternate with the multiple pass coolant-containing coils of the sets where they are joined to the heat transfer fins so as to improve the heat transfer efficiency when either refrigerant or coolant is circulated through its cooling coils.

Claim 5

A dual air conditioning apparatus which comprises a pair of separate circulating systems for a liquefiable gas refrigerant that is cooled by compression, condensation and evaporation, and for a liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant that is cooled by cold outside air, each of which separate circulating systems includes different air cooling coils through which the respective refrigerant and liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant pass, means for preventing passing of liquefiable gas refrigerant and liquid aqueous ehtylene glycol coolant through the respective cooling coils at the same time, and a multiplicity of heat transfer fins, joined to both such air cooling coils, and adapted selectively to transfer heat to circulating fluids in such coils from air to be cooled by the air conditioning apparatus, such pair of separate circulating systems being incorporated together so that both such systems can be used simultaneously to cool the air by the refrigerant or liquid coolant therein or by either such system being so employed, and which dual air conditioning apparatus comprises a single heat exchanger for cooling circulating liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant by cold outside air, means for circulating said coolant through either or both of sets of coolant-containing cooling coils of the component systems, and means for circulating said coolant through the condensers of either or both of the component systems to condense refrigerant therein.

Claim 6

A dual air conditioning apparatus which comprises a pair of separate circulating systems for a liquefiable gas refrigerant that is cooled by compression, condensation and evaporation, and for a liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant that is cooled by cold outside air, each of which separate circulating systems includes different air cooling coils through which the respective refrigerant and liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant pass, means for preventing passing of liquefiable gas refrigerant and liquid aqueous ehtylene glycol coolant through the respective cooling coils at the same time, and a multiplicity of heat transfer fins, joined to both such air cooling coils, and adapted selectively to transfer heat to circulating fluids in such coils from air to be cooled by the air conditioning apparatus, such pair of separate circulating systems being incorporated together so that both such systems can be used simultaneously to cool the air by the refrigerant or liquid coolant therein or by either such system being so employed, and which dual air conditioning apparatus comprises a single heat exchanger for cooling circulating liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant by cold outside air, means for circulating said coolant through either or both of sets of coolant-containing cooling coils of the component systems, and means for circulating said coolant through the condensers of either or both of the component systems to condense refrigerant therein.

Claim 7

A dual air conditioning apparatus which comprises a pair of separate circulating systems for a liquefiable gas refrigerant that is cooled by compression, condensation and evaporation, and for a liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant that is cooled by cold outside air, each of which separate circulating systems includes different air cooling coils through which the respective refrigerant and liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant pass, means for preventing passing of liquefiable gas refrigerant and liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant through the respective cooling coils at the same time, and a multiplicity of heat transfer fins, joined to both such air cooling coils and adapted selectively to transfer heat to circulating fluids in such coils from air to be cooled by the air conditioning apparatus, which cooling coils are in sets of a plurality of multiple pass cooling coils containing refrigerant and a plurality of multiple pass cooling coils containing liquids aqueous ethylene glycol coolant, both of which sets of cooling coils make multiple passes through the multiplicity of heat transfer fins, through which heat is transferred from air being cooled to circulating fluid in such coils, which multiple pass refrigerant-containing cooling coils are substantially cylindrical and alternate with multiple pass coolant-containing coils of the sets at locations where the coils are joined to heat transfer fins, which are substantially rectangular and elongated, so as to improve the heat transfer efficiency when either refrigerant or coolant is circulated through its coolant coils, and wherein the ratio of the number of coolant-containing coolant coils to refrigerant-containing cooling coils is within the range of 1.3 to 1.7, with the tubes of the cooling coils being located in planes which are at an angle of 15° to 35° to the transverse axis of the rectangular fins, such pair of separate circulating systems being incorporated together so that both such systems can be used simultaneously to cool the air by the refrigerant or liquid coolant therein or by either such system being so employed, with the same coolant being circulatable through the coolant-containing sets of cooling coils of either or both of the component systems and with the same coolant being circulatable through the condensers of either or both of the component systems to condense the refrigerant therein, and which dual air conditioning apparatus comprises a single heat exchanger for cooling circulating aqueous ethylene glycol coolant by cold outside air and means for circulating said coolant through either or both of the sets of coolant-containing coils of the component systems.

Claim 8

A dual air conditioning apparatus which comprises a pair of separate circulating systems for a liquefiable gas refrigerant that is cooled by compression, condensation and evaporation, and for a liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant that is cooled by cold outside air, each of which separate circulating systems includes different air cooling coils through which the respective refrigerant and liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant pass, means for preventing passing of liquefiable gas refrigerant and liquid aqueous ethylene glycol coolant through the respective cooling coils at the same time, and a multiplicity of heat transfer fins, joined to both such air cooling coils and adapted selectively to transfer heat to circulating fluids in such coils from air to be cooled by the air conditioning apparatus, which cooling coils are in sets of a plurality of multiple pass cooling coils containing refrigerant and a plurality of multiple pass cooling coils containing liquids aqueous ethylene glycol coolant, both of which sets of cooling coils make multiple passes through the multiplicity of heat transfer fins, through which heat is transferred from air being cooled to circulating fluid in such coils, which multiple pass refrigerant-containing cooling coils are substantially cylindrical and alternate with multiple pass coolant-containing coils of the sets at locations where the coils are joined to heat transfer fins, which are substantially rectangular and elongated, so as to improve the heat transfer efficiency when either refrigerant or coolant is circulated through its coolant coils, and wherein the ratio of the number of coolant-containing coolant coils to refrigerant-containing cooling coils is within the range of 1.3 to 1.7, with the tubes of the cooling coils being located in planes which are at an angle of 15° to 35° to the transverse axis of the rectangular fins, such pair of separate circulating systems being incorporated together so that both such systems can be used simultaneously to cool the air by the refrigerant or liquid coolant therein or by either such system being so employed, with the same coolant being circulatable through the coolant-containing sets of cooling coils of either or both of the component systems and with the same coolant being circulatable through the condensers of either or both of the component systems to condense the refrigerant therein, and which dual air conditioning apparatus comprises a single heat exchanger for cooling circulating aqueous ethylene glycol coolant by cold outside air and means for circulating said coolant through either or both of the sets of coolant-containing coils of the component systems.

Claim 9

A dual air conditioning apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the aqueous ethylene glycol includes sufficient ethylene glycol to prevent freezing at a temperature of -30° C., the refrigerant is a chlorofluoro lower hydrocarbon, the cooling coils are of copper and the fins are of aluminum.