METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AIR CONDITIONING VEHICLES

• US 3,823,568 A
• Filed: 08/29/1973
• Issued: 07/16/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Donald E. Vierling, Howard S. Orr, Tadeusz M. Bijasiewicz
• Original Assignee: Donald E. Vierling, Howard S. Orr, Tadeusz M. Bijasiewicz
• Inventors: Bijasiewicz, Tadeusz M., Orr, Howard S., Vierling, Donald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wye, William J.
• Application Number:
  US05/392,800
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: 180/54B 62/7,52 165/42,63
• US Class Current: 62/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3202 using evaporation, i.e. not including a compressor, e.g. involving fuel or water evaporation B60H1/3235 takes precedence; in general F25B19/00, F25D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 19/00 Arrangement or mounting of refrigeration units with respect to devices or objects to be refrigerated, e.g. infrared detectors

Abstract

In land and water vehicles using cryogenic fuels the liquified fuel is heated and vaporized in an air conduit leading to the passenger compartment of the vehicle. This is done by controlling the volume and temperature of the air delivered to that section of the air conduit containing the fuel. The evaporation of the fuel cools the air which is then fed into the passenger compartment to cool the compartment. In winter the air can be heated by the engine coolant to a degree sufficient to heat the passenger compartment.

Claims

1. In a vehicle having a compartment, an engine, a reservoir for containing a liquified cryogenic combustion supporting gas under pressure, and a conduit for supplying said combustion supporting gas to said engine;

the combination including an air conduit having its exit end connected to said compartment, means for supplying air to the entry end of said air conduit, an evaporating section in said gas conduit located in said air conduit, a heating section in said air conduit between its entry end and said evaporating section, and means for controlling the heat supplied by said heating section.

2. The combination of claim 1 including means for controlling the volume of air supplied by said air supplying means.

3. The combination of claim 1 including a second heating section in said air conduit between its discharge end and said evaporating section, and means for controlling the heat supplied by said second heating section.

4. The combination of claim 3 including means for controlling the volume of air supplied by said air supplying means.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which said combustion supporting gas is the fuel, and said apparatus includes a liquid engine coolant conduit connected to said first heating section, a second liquid engine coolant conduit connected to said second heating section, a first thermostat located in said fuel conduit on the exit side of said evaporating section, a second thermostat located in said compartment, means operated by said first thermostat for controlling flow of liquid engine coolant to said first heating section, means operated by said second thermostat for controlling flow of liquid engine coolant to said second heating section, and means operated by said first thermostat for controlling flow of air into said air conduit.

6. The combination of claim 5 including a cooling section in said air conduit between the exit end thereof and said evaporating section, a refrigeration system powered by said engine, and means for connecting said refrigeration system to said cooling section.

7. In a vehicle having a compartment, an engine, a reservoir for containing a liquified cryogenic combustion supporting gas under pressure, and a conduit for supplying said gas to said engine, and an air conduit leading to said compartment;

the method of evaporating said liquified gas and controlling the temperature in said compartment which comprises passing said gas in said gas conduit through said air conduit, supplying air into the entry end of said air coNduit, and controlling the temperature of air in said air conduit supplied to said gas passing through said air conduit, the temperature and volume of said air passing over said liquified gas being such as to evaporate the liquified gas.

8. The method of claim 7 in which said liquified gas is the fuel, and said method includes varying the temperature of said air in said air conduit after it passes the fuel therein.

9. The method of claim 8 which includes controlling the volume and temperature of said air before it reaches said fuel in accordance with the temperature of said fuel in said air conduit after the fuel passes from said air conduit, and controlling the temperature of said air at the exit end of said air conduit in accordance with the temperature in said compartment.