Cooling apparatus
First Claim
1. A Joule-Thomson effect cooler includinga supply of high pressure gas having an outlet, said supply including a chemical, pyrotechnic composition operable to generate a pure gas, and a device operatively associated with said composition to initiate combustion thereof and thereby to initiate gas generation from said composition and supply of said gas from said outlet, the temperature of the gas being above its inversion temperature,a throttle having an inlet and an outlet,a cool chamber having an inlet connected to the outlet of said throttle, and an outlet,a heat exchanger operatively connected to cool the gas passing to said inlet of said throttle, said heat exchanger being operatively connected to said outlet from said cool chamber, andfilter means operatively connecting said outlet of said gas supply to said inlet of said throttle, the filter means performing a cooling as well as a filtering action and cooling the gas to below its inversion temperature,whereby the gas arriving at the inlet of the throttle is free of impurities capable of significantly reducing flow through said throttle.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cooling apparatus comprises a chamber containing a pyrotechnic gas generating composition together with an igniter. When ignited, the gas generated by the composition is fed through filters where it is cooled to below the inversion temperature and it is then fed via a heat exchanger to a Joule-Thomson effect throttle where its temperature is further reduced. The gas output from the throttle is fed through a cool chamber where liquid gas collects. The outlet from the cool chamber is fed to the heat exchanger where it serves to reduce the temperature of the gas being fed to the throttle increasing the overall cooling effect.
15 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A Joule-Thomson effect cooler including
a supply of high pressure gas having an outlet, said supply including a chemical, pyrotechnic composition operable to generate a pure gas, and a device operatively associated with said composition to initiate combustion thereof and thereby to initiate gas generation from said composition and supply of said gas from said outlet, the temperature of the gas being above its inversion temperature, a throttle having an inlet and an outlet, a cool chamber having an inlet connected to the outlet of said throttle, and an outlet, a heat exchanger operatively connected to cool the gas passing to said inlet of said throttle, said heat exchanger being operatively connected to said outlet from said cool chamber, and filter means operatively connecting said outlet of said gas supply to said inlet of said throttle, the filter means performing a cooling as well as a filtering action and cooling the gas to below its inversion temperature, whereby the gas arriving at the inlet of the throttle is free of impurities capable of significantly reducing flow through said throttle.
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13. A method of cooling including the steps of pyrotechnically activating a gas generating composition for generating substantially pure oxygen or nitrogen at a pressure sufficient to operate a Joule-Thomson cooler and at a temperature above the inversion temperature of the gas,
filtering the generated gas and at the same time cooling the gas to below its inversion temperature, and passing the gas through a Joule-Thomson throttle at said high pressure to produce a liquefied gas for cooling purposes, the gas arriving at the said throttle being free of impurities capable of significantly reducing the flow through said throttle.
Specification