Appliance for rapid sorption cooling and freezing

Claim 3

Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said air handling means comprise a fan actuated by said control means.

Claim 4

Apparatus of claim 1 including first and second heat exchange means for alternatively cooling said first and second reactors, respectively.

Claim 5

Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first conduit means includes one-way flow directing means for directing the flow of ammonia only from said evaporator to said reactors, and wherein said second valve means includes one-way flow directing means for directing the flow of ammonia only from said reactors to said condenser.

Claim 6

Apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first and second heat exchange means comprise fans, and said control evans includes means for energizing said fans.

Claim 7

Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said third valve means comprises an expansion valve or capillary tube.

Claim 8

Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said evaporator comprises a liquid overfeed or flooded evaporator.

Claim 9

Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said walled housing member includes interior walls for thermally isolating said evaporator and said cooling chamber from said condenser and said reactors.

Claim 10

Apparatus of claim 5 wherein said walled housing member includes a port adjacent said fans and communicating exteriorly of said housing member.

Claim 11

Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said complex compound comprises calcium bromide and between 2 and 6 moles ammonia per mole of calcium bromide operating to provide an evaporator temperature of between about -70° F. and about -30° F. during adsorption at complex compound heat rejection temperature of between about 70° F. and about 125° F.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said salt comprises calcium bromide.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said salt comprises calcium bromide, strontium chloride, cobalt chloride, cobalt chloride, nickel chloride, ferrous chloride or ferric chloride.

Claim 14

An apparatus of claim 1 including a microwave tube for providing radiation for selectively heating material in said chamber, and switching means for selectively providing cooling or heating to said cooling chamber.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and said second reactors comprise one or more reactors, respectively.

Claim 16

An apparatus comprising, in combination, an apparatus of claim 1 and a mechanical compressor driven refrigerator or freezer.

Claim 17

A household appliance capable of rapidly cooling or freezing a composition placed in a cooling chamber thereof comprising: a walled housing member having a cooling chamber therein having a volume of between about 20 liters and about 40 liters and a door thereon for accessing said cooling chamber from the exterior of said housing member, an evaporator containing ammonia, and air handling means for circulating cold air from said evaporator to said cooling chamber, a condenser for converting gaseous refrigerant to a liquid phase, and means for cooling said condenser with ambient air, first and second reactors, each containing a complex compound of ammonia and a chloride, bromide, sulphate or chlorate salt of a metal selected from the group consisting of an alkali and alkaline earth metal, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, tantalum and rhenium, a first heater in said first reactor and a second heater in said second reactor, for heating the complex compound therein, respectively, first valve means cooperating with first conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said evaporator to said first and second reactor, respectively, second valve means cooperating with second conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said first and second reactors, respectively, to said condenser, third valve means cooperating with third conduit means for directing ammonia from said condenser to said evaporator, control means for sequentially operating said heaters for alternately heating said complex compounds in said first and second reactors, for operating said air handling means, and for operating said first valve means, and switching means for being connected to a source of electrical power for turning said apparatus on and for energizing said control means when said switching means is actuated.

Claim 18

A household appliance capable of rapidly cooling or freezing a composition placed in a cooling chamber thereof comprising: a walled housing member having a cooling chamber therein having a volume of between about 20 liters and about 40 liters and a door thereon for accessing said cooling chamber from the exterior of said housing member, an evaporator containing ammonia, and air handling means for circulating cold air from said evaporator to said cooling chamber, a condenser for converting gaseous refrigerant to a liquid phase, and means for cooling said condenser with ambient air, first and second reactors, each containing a complex compound of ammonia and a chloride, bromide, sulphate or chlorate salt of a metal selected from the group consisting of an alkali and alkaline earth metal, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, tantalum and rhenium, a first heater in said first reactor and a second heater in said second reactor, for heating the complex compound therein, respectively, first valve means cooperating with first conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said evaporator to said first and second reactor, respectively, second valve means cooperating with second conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said first and second reactors, respectively, to said condenser, third valve means cooperating with third conduit means for directing ammonia from said condenser to said evaporator, control means for sequentially operating said heaters for alternately heating said complex compounds in said first and second reactors, for operating said air handling means, and for operating said first valve means, and switching means for being connected to a source of electrical power for turning said apparatus on and for energizing said control means when said switching means is actuated.

Claim 19

Appliance of claim 16 wherein said first and second reactors each comprise a cavity containing said complex compounds having a volume of between about 2.5 and about 10 liters.

Claim 20

Appliance of claim 17 wherein between about 500 and about 4,500 grams of metal salt is initially present in each of said reactors.

Claim 21

Appliance of claim 16 wherein said metal salt is selected from the group consisting of calcium bromide, strontium bromide, strontium chloride, cobalt chloride, nickel chloride, ferrous chloride and ferric chloride.

Claim 22

Appliance of claim 18 wherein said metal salt comprises calcium bromide.

Claim 23

Appliance of claim 16 wherein said first and second heaters comprise resistance heaters.

Claim 24

Appliance of claim 16 including means for defrosting said cooling chamber.

Claim 25

Appliance of claim 22 wherein said means for defrosting includes switching means for operating said air handling means without operating the resistance heaters for said reactors and said first valve means.

Claim 26

In combination, an appliance of claim 16 including a microwave tube for supplying microwave radiation for selectively heating a composition placed in said chamber, and switching means for selectively providing cooling or heating to said cooling chamber.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said first and said second reactors comprise one or more reactors, respectively.

Claim 28

An appliance capable of selectively cooling or heating a composition placed in a chamber thereof comprising: a walled housing member having a cooling chamber therein and door thereon for accessing said cooling chamber from the exterior of said housing member, an evaporator containing ammonia, and air handling means for circulating cold air from said evaporator to said cooling chamber, a condenser for converting gaseous refrigerant to a liquid phase, and means for cooling said condenser with ambient air, first and second reactors, each containing a complex compound of calcium bromide and between 2 and 6 molecules of ammonia, a first heater in said first reactor and a second heater in said second reactor, for heating the complex compound therein, respectively, first valve means cooperating with first conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said evaporator to said first and second reactor, respectively, second valve means cooperating with second conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said first and second reactors, respectively, to said condenser, third valve means cooperating with third conduit means for directing ammonia from said condenser to said evaporator, control means for sequentially operating said heater for alternately heating said complex compounds in said first and second reactors, for operating said air handling means, and for operating said first valve means, a microwave tube for providing microwave radiation for selectively heating said chamber, and switching means for being connected to a source of electrical power for turning said appliance on and for selectively operating said apparatus to provide cooling and heating for a composition placed in said chamber.

Claim 29

An appliance capable of selectively cooling or heating a composition placed in a chamber thereof comprising: a walled housing member having a cooling chamber therein and door thereon for accessing said cooling chamber from the exterior of said housing member, an evaporator containing ammonia, and air handling means for circulating cold air from said evaporator to said cooling chamber, a condenser for converting gaseous refrigerant to a liquid phase, and means for cooling said condenser with ambient air, first and second reactors, each containing a complex compound of calcium bromide and between 2 and 6 molecules of ammonia, a first heater in said first reactor and a second heater in said second reactor, for heating the complex compound therein, respectively, first valve means cooperating with first conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said evaporator to said first and second reactor, respectively, second valve means cooperating with second conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said first and second reactors, respectively, to said condenser, third valve means cooperating with third conduit means for directing ammonia from said condenser to said evaporator, control means for sequentially operating said heater for alternately heating said complex compounds in said first and second reactors, for operating said air handling means, and for operating said first valve means, a microwave tube for providing microwave radiation for selectively heating said chamber, and switching means for being connected to a source of electrical power for turning said appliance on and for selectively operating said apparatus to provide cooling and heating for a composition placed in said chamber.

Claim 30

The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said first and said second reactors comprise one or more reactors, respectively.

Claim 31

An apparatus comprising, in combination, an appliance of claim 26 and a mechanical compressor driven refrigerator or freezer.