Engine powered energy providing assemblies

Claim 1

An internal combustion engine powered energy providing assembly comprising: a supporting assembly having an external enclosure; an internal combustion engine; a generating apparatus, said apparatus including a generator mounted on and driven by said engine, for generating mains specification electricity supply accessible by a connection on said supporting assembly; a refrigeration apparatus that includes a compressor mounted on and driven by said engine and forming a closed refrigerant circuit within said external enclosure and arranged in heat exchange relationship with an open coolant circuit having at least one accessible connection on said supporting assembly externally of said external enclosure, said internal combustion engine, said generator and said compressor forming a rigid unit; a compliant suspension means on said supporting assembly for operatively suspending said rigid unit, said compliant suspension means including a plurality of compliant suspension springs which suspend said rigid unit within said external enclosure and a snubbing means which limits longitudinal, transverse and rotational movement of said suspended rigid unit; and adjustment means for operatively centralizing said suspended rigid unit relative to said snubbing means.

Claim 13

A method of providing one of refrigeration and air conditioning to a site, the method comprising the steps of; providing an internal combustion engine powered energy providing assembly, said assembly comprised of a supporting assembly having an external enclosure; an internal combustion engine; a generating apparatus, said generating apparatus including a generator mounted on and driven by said engine, for generating mains specification electricity supply accessible by a connection on said supporting assembly; a refrigeration apparatus, that includes a compressor mounted on and driven by said engine and forming a closed refrigerant circuit within said external enclosure and arranged in heat exchange relationship with an open coolant circuit having at least one accessible connection on said supporting assembly externally of said external enclosure, said internal combustion engine, said generator and said compressor forming a rigid unit, wherein said refrigerant circuit includes a chiller assembly that provides said heat exchange relationship with said open coolant circuit, said chiller assembly comprised of an elongate casing having end plates for sealably closing the casing, a tube bank retained within the casing and comprised of a plurality of hairpin shaped tubes passing through a plurality of baffle plates arranged within said casing, thereby forming a circuitous path for the coolant, wherein each of said hairpin shaped tubes are closely spaced together and have adjacent open tube ends, said tube ends interconnected together by a return bend, thereby providing continuous flow paths through a plurality of said hairpin shaped tubes, wherein said hairpin tubes are arranged to cause the flow through said tubes to be substantially transverse to said baffles, said tubes arranged within each of said baffles such that they form a series of slotted walls, said flow transversing through each of said slotted walls; and electronic control means for controlling operation of one of said engine and said refrigeration apparatus, wherein said electronic control means provides an appropriate engine starting sequence so that the engine can be started manually and automatically as required and which senses when electrical power is required, and when coolant is required, said means also determining when a coolant temperature rises above a datum level so as to initiate the start sequence, and capable of sensing when no load exists to automatically shut down the engine and maintain the engine on standby until a next power demand; installing a refrigeration/air conditioning means at the site, said means being of a fan/coil type which is adapted to receive a supply of coolant; operatively connecting a supply and a return line between the accessible coupling means of the refrigeration apparatus provided in said internal combustion engine powered energy providing assembly and said refrigeration/air conditioning means, and operating said internal combustion engine powered energy providing assembly.

Claim 14

A method of providing one of refrigeration and air conditioning to a site, the method comprising the steps of; providing an internal combustion engine powered energy providing assembly, said assembly comprised of a supporting assembly having an external enclosure; an internal combustion engine; a generating apparatus, said generating apparatus including a generator mounted on and driven by said engine, for generating mains specification electricity supply accessible by a connection on said supporting assembly; a refrigeration apparatus, that includes a compressor mounted on and driven by said engine and forming a closed refrigerant circuit within said external enclosure and arranged in heat exchange relationship with an open coolant circuit having at least one accessible connection on said supporting assembly externally of said external enclosure, said internal combustion engine, said generator and said compressor forming a rigid unit, wherein said refrigerant circuit includes a chiller assembly that provides said heat exchange relationship with said open coolant circuit, said chiller assembly comprised of an elongate casing having end plates for sealably closing the casing, a tube bank retained within the casing and comprised of a plurality of hairpin shaped tubes passing through a plurality of baffle plates arranged within said casing, thereby forming a circuitous path for the coolant, wherein each of said hairpin shaped tubes are closely spaced together and have adjacent open tube ends, said tube ends interconnected together by a return bend, thereby providing continuous flow paths through a plurality of said hairpin shaped tubes, wherein said hairpin tubes are arranged to cause the flow through said tubes to be substantially transverse to said baffles, said tubes arranged within each of said baffles such that they form a series of slotted walls, said flow transversing through each of said slotted walls; and electronic control means for controlling operation of one of said engine and said refrigeration apparatus, wherein said electronic control means provides an appropriate engine starting sequence so that the engine can be started manually and automatically as required and which senses when electrical power is required, and when coolant is required, said means also determining when a coolant temperature rises above a datum level so as to initiate the start sequence, and capable of sensing when no load exists to automatically shut down the engine and maintain the engine on standby until a next power demand; installing a refrigeration/air conditioning means at the site, said means being of a fan/coil type which is adapted to receive a supply of coolant; operatively connecting a supply and a return line between the accessible coupling means of the refrigeration apparatus provided in said internal combustion engine powered energy providing assembly and said refrigeration/air conditioning means, and operating said internal combustion engine powered energy providing assembly.