Portable Cooling Unit
First Claim
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1. A portable cooling unit comprising:
- a pump that maintains a circulatory fluid flow through a flow path;
an evaporator that operates in the critical flow regime of a circulatory fluid and generates a compression wave that shocks the maintained fluid flow, thereby changing the pressure of the maintained fluid flow with no heat being added to the circulatory fluid flow before the circulatory fluid flow passes through the evaporator;
a heat exchanging mechanism thermally coupled to the circulatory fluid flow; and
a storage compartment, the storage compartment receiving items to be cooled or maintained at a temperature below ambient, wherein the cooling unit is readily transportable.
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Abstract
A portable cooling unit operates by pumping liquid. Because the portable cooling unit pumps liquid, the compression system that generates the cooling power does not require the use of a condenser. The compression system utilizes a compression wave. An evaporator of the cooling unit operates in the critical flow regime in which the pressure in an evaporator tube will remain almost constant and then ‘jump’ or ‘shock up’ to an increased pressure.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A portable cooling unit comprising:
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a pump that maintains a circulatory fluid flow through a flow path; an evaporator that operates in the critical flow regime of a circulatory fluid and generates a compression wave that shocks the maintained fluid flow, thereby changing the pressure of the maintained fluid flow with no heat being added to the circulatory fluid flow before the circulatory fluid flow passes through the evaporator; a heat exchanging mechanism thermally coupled to the circulatory fluid flow; and a storage compartment, the storage compartment receiving items to be cooled or maintained at a temperature below ambient, wherein the cooling unit is readily transportable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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12. A portable cooling system comprising:
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a storage compartment, the storage compartment receiving items to be cooled or maintained at a temperature below ambient; a pump that maintains a fluid flow of a compressible fluid through the system; and an evaporator that effects a phase change in the compressible fluid, wherein the system establishes a compression wave in the compressible fluid by passing the compressible fluid from a high pressure region to a low pressure region, the velocity of the fluid being greater than or equal to the speed of sound in the compressible fluid, the compressible fluid being cooled during a phase change so that heat is transferred from the system by thermally coupling one or more fins between the compressible fluid and the ambient atmosphere, and wherein the cooling unit is readily transportable. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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Specification