US5533362A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Heat transfer apparatus for heat pumps
Assignee: Columbia Gas of Ohio Inc
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Filing: 1994-08-19
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Granted: 1996-07-09
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Expires: 2014-08-19
Abstract
Abstract A refrigeration and heating system in which an absorber (97), condenser (100) and recuperator are placed (107) in a single module (270) and are provided with tube-in-tube or tube-in-cylinder construction with fluted inner tubes. A general purpose, divided-flow, tube-in-cylinder, heat transfer device (400) is used to reduce the pressure drop in the circulating fluid.
Inventors
- 👤 F. Bert Cook
- 👤 Stephen E. Petty
- 👤 Howard C. Meacham, Jr.
- 👤 Richard N. Christensen
- 👤 Kevin R. McGahey
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 07:11
CPC Classifications
F; F25; F25B; F25B33/00; F25B15/00; F25B15/008; F28; F28D; F28D7/00; F28D7/02; F28D7/024; F28F; F28F2210/00; F28F2210/06; Y; Y02; Y02A; Y02A30/00; Y02A30/27; Y02B; Y02B30/00; Y02B30/62
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
350 words
A tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device comprising: a) a plurality of coils formed about a coil axis in a generally annular cylindrical composite form from a twisted fluted tube having raised longitudinal helical crests on the exterior surface of said tube with corresponding interior helical troughs on the interior surface of said tube and longitudinal helical troughs adjacent to said exterior crests on said exterior surface of said tube with corresponding interior raised helical crests on said interior surface of said tube with said plurality of coils receiving a fluid flow and with each coil of said plurality of coils juxtaposed one to the next and contacting another coil of said plurality of coils; b) an annular cylinder enclosing and contacting said juxtaposed and contacting coils, with said exterior surface of said tube and the interior walls of said annular cylinder forming voids, said voids existing: 1) between juxtaposed contacting coils as a result of said troughs adjacent to said raised crests, said raised crests on one coil contacting the raised crests on an adjacent juxtaposed coil; 2) between said coils and said interior cylinder walls as a result of said troughs adjacent to said raised crests, said crests on said coils contacting said interior annular cylinder walls; and 3) between said coils and said interior cylinder walls as a result of the circular shape of said coil tube, said coils in contact with each other and said interior cylinder walls; and c) said voids configured to define means to allow a second fluid to flow in cross-flow: 1) around and between said juxtaposed coils in said troughs and voids adjacent to said crests; 2) over said coils and between said coils and said interior cylinder walls in said troughs and voids adjacent to said cylinder-wall contacting crests; 3) between said coils and said interior cylinder wails in said voids formed as a result of the circular shape of said coil tube in contact with each other and said interior cylinder walls, and 4) in an overall direction generally perpendicular to said coils and parallel to said coil axis of said coils.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
350 words
A tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device comprising: a) a plurality of coils formed about a coil axis in a generally annular cylindrical composite form from a twisted fluted tube having raised longitudinal helical crests on the exterior surface of said tube with corresponding interior helical troughs on the interior surface of said tube and longitudinal helical troughs adjacent to said exterior crests on said exterior surface of said tube with corresponding interior raised helical crests on said interior surface of said tube with said plurality of coils receiving a fluid flow and with each coil of said plurality of coils juxtaposed one to the next and contacting another coil of said plurality of coils; b) an annular cylinder enclosing and contacting said juxtaposed and contacting coils, with said exterior surface of said tube and the interior walls of said annular cylinder forming voids, said voids existing: 1) between juxtaposed contacting coils as a result of said troughs adjacent to said raised crests, said raised crests on one coil contacting the raised crests on an adjacent juxtaposed coil; 2) between said coils and said interior cylinder walls as a result of said troughs adjacent to said raised crests, said crests on said coils contacting said interior annular cylinder walls; and 3) between said coils and said interior cylinder walls as a result of the circular shape of said coil tube, said coils in contact with each other and said interior cylinder walls; and c) said voids configured to define means to allow a second fluid to flow in cross-flow: 1) around and between said juxtaposed coils in said troughs and voids adjacent to said crests; 2) over said coils and between said coils and said interior cylinder walls in said troughs and voids adjacent to said cylinder-wall contacting crests; 3) between said coils and said interior cylinder wails in said voids formed as a result of the circular shape of said coil tube in contact with each other and said interior cylinder walls, and 4) in an overall direction generally perpendicular to said coils and parallel to said coil axis of said coils.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
A refrigeration and/or heating system comprising said heat-transfer device according to claim 1.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The refrigeration and/or heating system according to claim 2 with at least one of a condenser, an absorber, a generator, an evaporator and a recuperator comprising said heat-transfer device.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
91 words
The refrigeration and/or heating system of claim 3 wherein said heat-transfer device is an absorber wherein absorption of a refrigerant vapor into a weak solution occurs within said coils of said twisted fluted tube of said heat-transfer device and wherein absorption heat from said absorption of said refrigerant vapor in said weak solution is transferred to said second fluid flowing in said voids of said annular cylinder of said heat-transfer device in cross flow in a direction generally perpendicular to said coils and parallel to said coil axis of said coils.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The refrigeration and/or heating system of claim 4 with said refrigerant vapor comprising ammonia and said weak solution comprising sodium thiocyanate as absorbent.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
83 words
The refrigeration and/or heating system of claim 3 wherein said heat-transfer device is a condenser wherein condensation of a refrigerant vapor occurs in said coils of said twisted fluted tube of said heat-transfer device and wherein condensation heat from said condensation of said refrigerant vapor is transferred to said second fluid flowing in said voids of said annular cylinder of said heat-transfer device in cross flow in a direction generally perpendicular to said coils and parallel to said coil axis of said coils.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The refrigeration and/or heating system of claim 6 comprising a solution pair of ammonia and sodium thiocyanate with said refrigerant vapor comprising ammonia.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
92 words
A refrigeration and/or heating system having a recuperator, a generator, an absorber, a condenser, and an evaporator with at least one of said recuperator, said generator and said absorber and at least one of said condenser and said evaporator comprising said heat-transfer device according to claim 1 and wherein said twisted fluted tube of said heat transfer device of at least one of said condenser and said evaporator has more flutes than said twisted fluted tube of said heat-transfer device of at least one of said recuperator, said generator and said absorber.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
52 words
The refrigeration and/or heating system of claim 8 wherein said twisted fluted tube of said heat transfer device of at least one of said condenser and said evaporator has about 1.3 times as many flutes as said twisted fluted tube of at least one of said recuperator, said generator and said absorber.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
94 words
A refrigeration and/or heating system having a recuperator, a generator, an absorber a condenser and an evaporator with at least one of said recuperator, said generator and said absorber and at least one of said condenser and said evaporator comprising said heat-transfer device according to claim 1 and wherein said twisted fluted tube of said heat-transfer device of at least one of said condenser and said evaporator has more flutes per unit length than said twisted fluted tube of said heat-transfer device of at least one of said recuperator, said generator and said absorber.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
60 words
The refrigeration and/or heating system of claim 10 wherein said twisted fluted tube of said heat transfer device of at least one of said condenser and said evaporator has about three times as many flutes per unit length as said twisted fluted tube of said heat transfer device of at least one of said recuperator, said generator and said absorber.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
345 words
A tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device comprising a tube wherein said tube is a twisted fluted tube having raised longitudinal helical crests on the exterior surface of said tube with corresponding interior helical troughs on the interior surface of said tube and longitudinal helical troughs adjacent to said exterior crests on said exterior surface of said tube with corresponding interior raised helical crests on said interior surface of said tube with said tube formed as a set of a plurality of coils about a coil center-line in a generally annular cylindrical composite form with the coils juxtaposed and contacting each other one to the next and contained within an annular cylinder with the axis of said coils being coextensive with said annular cylinder center-line and through which said annular cylinder flows a fluid through voids formed by said exterior surface of said tube and the interior annular cylinder walls, said voids existing 1) between contacting juxtaposed coils as a result of said troughs adjacent to said raised crests, said raised crests on one coil contacting the raised crests on an adjacent juxtaposed coil, 2) between said coils and said interior cylinder walls as a result of said troughs adjacent to said raised crests, said crests on said coils contacting said interior annular cylinder walls, and 3) between said coils and said interior cylinder walls as a result of the circular shape of said coil tube, said coils in contact with each other and said interior cylinder walls, said voids allowing said fluid to flow in cross-flow 1) around and between said juxtaposed coils in said troughs and voids adjacent to said crests; 2) over said coils and between said coils and said interior cylinder walls in said troughs and voids adjacent to said cylinder-wall contacting crests, 3) between said coils and said interior cylinder walls in said voids formed as a result of the circular shape of said tube coils in contact with each other and said interior cylinder walls, and 4) in an overall direction generally perpendicular to said coils and parallel to said coil center-line.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
345 words
A tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device comprising a tube wherein said tube is a twisted fluted tube having raised longitudinal helical crests on the exterior surface of said tube with corresponding interior helical troughs on the interior surface of said tube and longitudinal helical troughs adjacent to said exterior crests on said exterior surface of said tube with corresponding interior raised helical crests on said interior surface of said tube with said tube formed as a set of a plurality of coils about a coil center-line in a generally annular cylindrical composite form with the coils juxtaposed and contacting each other one to the next and contained within an annular cylinder with the axis of said coils being coextensive with said annular cylinder center-line and through which said annular cylinder flows a fluid through voids formed by said exterior surface of said tube and the interior annular cylinder walls, said voids existing 1) between contacting juxtaposed coils as a result of said troughs adjacent to said raised crests, said raised crests on one coil contacting the raised crests on an adjacent juxtaposed coil, 2) between said coils and said interior cylinder walls as a result of said troughs adjacent to said raised crests, said crests on said coils contacting said interior annular cylinder walls, and 3) between said coils and said interior cylinder walls as a result of the circular shape of said coil tube, said coils in contact with each other and said interior cylinder walls, said voids allowing said fluid to flow in cross-flow 1) around and between said juxtaposed coils in said troughs and voids adjacent to said crests; 2) over said coils and between said coils and said interior cylinder walls in said troughs and voids adjacent to said cylinder-wall contacting crests, 3) between said coils and said interior cylinder walls in said voids formed as a result of the circular shape of said tube coils in contact with each other and said interior cylinder walls, and 4) in an overall direction generally perpendicular to said coils and parallel to said coil center-line.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
14 words
A heating and/or cooling system comprising said tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device according to claim 12.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
The heating and/or cooling system of claim 13 wherein said heat-transfer device is at least one of a condenser, an absorber, a generator, an evaporator and a recuperator.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
The heating and/or cooling system according to claim 13 wherein said fluid flowing through said voids is a hydronic working fluid.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
26 words
The heating and/or cooling system according to claim 13 wherein said tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device is a condenser and/or evaporator used in both heating and cooling modes.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
75 words
A heating and/or cooling system wherein a first tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device is used as a condenser and/or evaporator and a second tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device is used as a recuperator and/or generator and/or absorber, wherein said first heat-transfer device and said second heat-transfer device are formed according to claim 12, and wherein said twisted fluted tube of said first tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device has more flutes than said twisted fluted tube of said second tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
37 words
The heating and/or cooling system according to claim 17 wherein said twisted fluted tube of said first tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device has 1.3 times as many flutes as said twisted fluted tube of said second tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
37 words
The heating and/or cooling system according to claim 17 wherein said twisted fluted tube of said first tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device has more flutes per unit length than said twisted fluted tube of said second tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
41 words
The heating and/or cooling system according to claim 19 wherein said twisted fluted tube of said first tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device has about three times as many flutes per unit length as said twisted fluted tube of said second tube-in-cylinder heat-transfer device.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-07-09 | 2000-01-08 | 2000-07-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-07-09 | 2004-01-08 | 2004-07-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-07-09 | 2008-01-08 | 2008-07-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |