REFRIGERANT FEED CONTROL AND SYSTEM

• US 3,741,242 A
• Filed: 12/10/1971
• Issued: 06/26/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Parker Intangibles LLC (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Charles C. Hansen, John D. Nilles
• Inventors: Hansen, Charles C., Nilles, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Klinksiek, Henry T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US05/206,671
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 137/504,503,517,269
• US Class Current: 137/504
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 17/0433 with vibration preventing means
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/30 Expansion means; Dispositions thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/5109 Convertible
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7792 Movable deflector or choke

Abstract

An automatic flow regulator for refrigeration systems in which a fixed flow control orifice in series with a spring-opened flow regulating valve are carried on the same member for access laterally from the refrigerant line for servicing and making changes in orifice sizes.

Claims

1. A liquid refrigerant feed control comprising:

a housing having an inlet for the feed line and an outlet to an evaporator for a liquid refrigerant and providing cylinder means therebetween having a lateral outlet opening defining a valve port facing the outlet;

piston means exposed at one end to inlet pressure slidably mounted in said cylinder means to extend beyond said outlet opening at its other end and having a conduit throughout its length centrally discharging essentially towards a wall of the housing through the center of said valve port;

fixed orifice means connected in series with and controlling flow through the conduit;

valve means carried by said piston means adjacent to said outlet including radial openings communicating with said conduit and movable by said piston means in a direction transversely to the plane of said port to coact with said valve port and vary the flow opening of the valve with movement of said piston means; and

means urging said piston means to establish a low pressure differential across the orifice including a resiliently operating element exerting a force upon the piston means in the valve opening direction.

2. The combination called for in claim 1 in which the axis of said cylinder means is at an acute angle to the common axis of said inlet and outlet and has an access opening at its remote end opening to atmosphere to receive and provide access to the piston means therethrough with said outlet opening in close proximity to said outlet;

and closure means for closing said access opening.

3. A liquid refrigerant feed control comprising:

a housing having an inlet for the feed line and an outlet to an evaporator for a liquid refrigerant and providing cylinder means therebetween having a lateral opening defining a valve port facing the outlet;

piston means slidably mounted in said cylinder means and having a conduit therethrough;

fixed orifice means in the conduit adjacent said inlet comprising a disc having angularly spaced orifices of different sizes for selective adjustment to coincide with said conduit;

valve means carried by said piston means adjacent to said outlet coacting with said valve port to vary the flow opening of the valve with movement of said piston means; and

means urging said piston means with a predetermined force in the valve opening direction to establish a low pressure differential across the orifice.

4. The combination called for in claim 1 in which said orifice means, piston means and valve means operate as a unit within the confines of said housing.

5. A liquid refrigerant feed control comprising:

a housing having inlet and outlet openings connected by a chamber having a wall defining a cylinder means in two spaced sections intermediate the openings and a valve chamber intermediate said sections with one section in communication with one of said openings;

a flow control means including a fixed orifice means, a valve means having a variable flow control valve element adjacent one end of the cylinder means and a porting valve element adjacent the other end of the cylinder means telescoping in sliding relation with said control valve member and coacting therewith for regulating flow between said openings;

piston means slidably mounted in said wall and having a conduit therethrough teminating in one of said valve elements adjacent to one of the openings and carrying adjacent to the other opening the orifice mEans in communication with said one valve member through said conduit;

said housing at said one opening carrying the other valve element; and

resilient means for urging said piston means to open said valve means in a direction counter to the direction of flow through said conduit to establish a low pressure differential across said orifice means.

6. A liquid refrigerant feed control comprising:

a housing having inlet and outlet openings connected by a chamber having a wall defining spaced cylinder sections intermediate the openings and a valve chamber intermediate said sections in communication with one of the openings;

plug means for closing said cylindrical chamber adjacent to one of said openings to confine flow communication to the other opening through said cylinder means and valve chamber;

a flow control means including a fixed orifice means and a valve means having a variable flow control sleeve valve element and a porting element telescoping therewith for regulating flow between said openings;

piston means slidably mounted in the cylindrical wall and having a conduit therethrough terminating in one of said valve elements adjacent to one of the openings and carrying adjacent to the other opening the orifice means in communication with said one valve member through said conduit;

said housing at said one opening carrying the other valve element; and

resilient means for urging said piston means to open said valve means in a direction counter to the direction of flow through said conduit.

7. The combination called for in claim 5 in which said flow control valve element is carried by said piston means;

and cup means axially in open communication with the lower pressure of said pressure differential on one side and the outlet pressure on the other side reciprocably supporting said piston means and mounted in said housing to carry both said flow control valve element and said resilient means for coaction with said piston to actuate said valve means.

8. A liquid refrigerant feed control comprising;

a housing having inlet and outlet openings connected by a chamber having wall defining a cylinder intermediate the openings;

a flow control means including a fixed orifice means and a valve means carried by said piston means having a variable flow control sleeve valve element and a porting element telescoping therewith for regulating flow between said openings;

piston means slidably mounted in the cylindrical wall and having a conduit therethrough terminating in one of said valve elements adjacent to one of the openings and carrying adjacent to the other opening the orifice means in communication with said one valve member through said conduit;

said housing at said one opening carrying the other valve element;

resilient means for urging said piston means to open said valve means in a direction counter to the direction of flow through said conduit;

cup means reciprocably supporting said piston means and mounted in said housing to carry both said sleeve valve element and said resilient means for coaction with said piston to open said valve means;

said cup means being reciprocably mounted in said housing adjacent said outlet opening to respond as a back flow check valve in coaction with said resilient means and flow control valve element when the pressure differential between said outlet opening and the inlet opening is substantially reversed.

9. The combination called for in claim 6 in which the orifice means includes a disc rotatably mounted on said piston means carrying a selection of fixed orifices of different sizes of which flow control means has at least one fixed orifice;

shaft means journaled in said plug means and rotatably driving said disc to dispose any fixed orifice selected in sole communication with said conduit at a time;

means for holding said piston against rotation; and

manually rotated indicator means carrying said shaft for selective orifice rotation of saiD disc.

10. The combination called for in claim 6 in which said plug means is of a size greater than the cylinder size for removal of said piston from the cylinder;

and said orifice being releasably mounted on said piston for removal and replacement.

11. A liquid refrigerant feed control comprising:

a housing having inlet and outlet openings connected by a chamber having a wall defining a cylinder intermediate the openings;

a flow control means including a fixed orifice means and a valve means having a variable flow control sleeve valve element and a porting element telescoping therewith for regulating flow between said openings;

piston means slidably mounted in the cylindrical wall and having a conduit therethrough terminating in one of said valve elements adjacent to one of the openings and carrying adjacent to the other opening the orifice means in communication with said one valve member through said conduit;

said housing at said one opening carrying the other valve element;

resilient means for urging said piston means to open said valve means in a direction counter to the direction of flow through said conduit;

said orifice member comprising a disc element carrying a plurality of selective fixed orifices; and

detent means for holding said disc means with any selected fixed orifice in communication with said conduit.

12. The combination called for in claim 5 in which said piston means is in two sections bridging said valve chamber and define between them a second valve chamber and said porting element.

13. The combination called for in claim 5 in which the piston means is supported at opposite ends in said cylinder sections and comprises two sections held together at an engagement with each other located essentially between said cylinder sections by said spring to operate as a unit.

14. The combination called for in claim 6 in which said sleeve valve element continuously engages said porting element and includes a plurality of triangular castellated slots for multiple lineal orifice flow control in coaction with the porting element.

15. A liquid refrigerant feed control comprising a housing having coaxial inlet and outlet openings and with a cross wall between them and defining on the outlet side of the wall a valve compartment whose major space is disposed to one side of said axis;

said wall and the housing adjacent one of said coaxial openings defining a cylinder whose axis is disposed at an acute angle to said coaxial openings with an external access opening spaced laterally from one of said coaxial openings;

piston means reciprocably mounted in the cylinder to bridge said valve compartment;

valve port means carried by said housing opening into said compartment adjacent to one of said openings;

flow control valve means carried by said piston having triangular castellated lineal slots coacting with said valve port means;

conduit means through said wall interconnecting said flow control valve means and said inlet opening including an orifice member;

resilient means urging said piston means to open said flow control valve means;

means for applying inlet pressure to said piston to urge the piston means to close said flow control valve means; and

closure means for said access opening.