Automotive absorption air conditioner utilizing solar and motor waste heat

• US 4,307,575 A
• Filed: 07/30/1980
• Issued: 12/29/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frosch Robert A Administrator of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration With Respect To An Invention of, Zenon Popinski
• Original Assignee: Frosch Robert A Administrator of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration With Respect To An Invention of, Zenon Popinski
• Inventors: Frosch, Robert A. Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, with respect to an invention of, Popinski, Zenon
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Lloyd L.
• Application Number:
  US06/173,519
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 62/2, 62/238.3, 62/323.2, 62/239, 62/240, 62/243, 62/244, 62/148, 62/476
• US Class Current: 62/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3201 using absorption or adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/32011 using absorption, e.g. using Li-Br and water
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/10 with provision for using different supplies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 27/007 in sorption type systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 27/02 using waste heat, e.g. from internal-combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/274 using waste energy, e.g. from internal combustion engine
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility

Abstract

In combination with the ground vehicle A powered by a waste heat generating electric motor 16, a cooling system 10 including a generator 17 for driving off refrigerant vapor from a strong refrigerant-absorbant solution, including a solar collector 12, an air-cooled condenser 30 connected with the generator for converting the refrigerant vapor to its liquid state, an air-cooled evaporator 38 connected with the condenser for returning the liquid refrigerant to its vapor state, and an absorber 18 is connected to the generator and to the evaporator for dissolving the refrigerant vapor in the weak refrigerant-absorbant solution, for thus providing a strong refrigerant solution, a pump 22 for establishing a pressurized flow of strong refrigerant-absorbant solution from said absorber through the electric motor, and thence to the collector.

Claims

1. In combination with a ground vehicle powered by a waste heat generating electric motor, a space cooling system comprising:

A. an air-cooled condensor for converting refrigerant vapor to a liquid;

B. means including an air-cooled absorber wherein a refrigerant gas is dissolved in a weak refrigerant-absorbant solution for thus forming a strong refrigerant-absorbant solution;

C. generator means for heating said solution comprising;

a heat extracting conduit passing through the housing of said electric motor for conducting the strong refrigerant-absorbant solution through the motor in a heat exchange relationship therewith simultaneously with a generation of waste heat by said motor, whereby waste heat generated by said motor is transferred from the motor to the strong refrigerant-absorbant solution, a black body, flat plate solar collector mounted on said vehicle and connected to said conduit in solution-receiving relation therewith for transferring solar heat to said strong refrigerant-absorbant solution for converting the strong refrigerant-absorbant solution to a vapor and a residue of a weak refrigerant-absorbant solution, means for directing the weak refrigerant-absorbant solution to the absorber and delivering said vapor to the condenser, whereby the vapor is converted to a liquid refrigerant;

D. a space cooling evaporator connected to the condensor for receiving and converting the liquid refrigerant to a gas;

E. means connected between the absorber and the generator for directing the weak refrigerant-absorbant solution to the absorber from the generator and means connected between the absorber and the evaporator for delivering to the absorber refrigerant gas to be dissolved in the weak refrigerant-absorbant solution for thereby providing a strong refrigerant-absorbant solution output from the absorber.