[0001] The present patent relates to an evaporator-condenser battery, especially for air
conditioners of the removable type and in general for apparatuses operating on the
basis of a refrigerating circuit
[0002] In the specific case of conventional air conditioners of the movable type, the ambient
air is conducted through two exchangers, which constitute, respectively, the evaporator
and the condenser of the cooling circuit, the air being cooled and dehumidified in
the evaporator and then fed into the room to be conditioned, and the air being, in
the condenser, heated by the effect of the condensation, humidified by the re-evaporation
of the condensate water coming from the evaporator and then fed out of doors by means
of a pipe, with advantage a flexible pipe, inserted, for example, between the half-closed
leaves of a window.
[0003] In this type of conventional air conditioner, the re-evaporation of the condensate
on the condenser is important because, requiring a certain quantity of heat, it allows
the quantity of ambient air discharged to the outside to be reduced to a minimum,
with a resultant reduced return into the room of untreated air (better overall efficiency)
and with a reduction of the dimensions of the pipe leading out of doors to greatly
reduce values. The re-evaporation furthermore simplified the use of the apparatus,
by eliminating the problem of recovering the condensate.
[0004] In said conventional conditioners, the re-evaporation of the condensate being achieved
by atomizing the condensate water onto the (hot) condenser by means of a pump, centrifugal
impeller or equivalent mechanical means.
[0005] The use of two separate exchangers (evaporator and condenser) obviously involves,
not only the necessity for providing means, as referred to above, for atomizing the
condensate onto the condenser, but also disadvantages of various types, among which
may be mentioned the need for constructing two distinct units, the need for providing
space for accomodating said two distinct units, the labour costs involved in assembly
and other drawbacks well known to the person skilled in the art.
[0006] The objective of the present invention consists in providing a composite evaporator-condenser
battery which shall make possible the realization of an air conditioning apparatus,
or other apparatus operating on the basis of a cooling or refrigerating circuit,
which shall have a decidedly more simple and efficient construction than the conventional
devices.
[0007] It follows from this that another objective of the invention consists of providing
an apparatus, a conditioner or the like, equipped with such a battery so as to have
relatively limited dimensions and proportionally reduced production costs.
[0008] These and other objectives of the invention will become apparent to the person skilled
in the art from the following description and from the Claims which follow.
[0009] The battery, especially for air conditioners of the movable type and in general for
apparatuses operating on the basis of a refrigerating circuit, according to this
invention, is characterized by the fact of being constituted of a plurality of fins,
constituting as a whole a single package, through which passes a first series of coiled
pipes connected to the delivery side of a compressor, and a second series of coiled
pipes connected to the return of said compressor, the two series of pipes being conventionally
connected to one another by an expansion device and the second series of pipes, when
the battery is in a working position, being disposed above the first series of pipes.
[0010] The invention is illustrated by way of example but in a non-limiting context, in
the Figures of the attached sheet of drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 is an axonometric view of the composite battery of this invention, associated
with the relevant compressor,
- Figure 2 is a schematic section through the battery of Figure 1, showing the path
of the refrigerating liquid and the state (liquid, liquid/gaseous, gaseous) of this
refrigerating liquid;
- Figure 3 is a view, partly cut away, of a movable air conditioner using the battery
of this invention;
- Figure 4 is a schematic section of the conditioner of Figure 3, illustrating the
flow of air; and
- Figure 5 is similar to Figure 2, but illustrating a possible variant falling within
the innovative concept of this invention.
[0011] Referring to the aforementioned Figures, the composite evaporator-condenser battery
is referenced generally 1 and is conventionally associated with a compressor 2, forming
a part of a conventional refrigerating circuit.
[0012] The battery 1 is constituted of a plurality of fins 3 side-by-side, constituting
as a whole a package, through which passes a first series of coiled pipes 4, connected
to the delivery 5 of the compressor 2, and a second series of coiled pipes 6, connected
- by means of the return 7 - to said compressor 2.
[0013] The last length of the coiled pipe constituting the first series 4 is connected,
by means of an expansion device 8, to the first length of the coiled pipe constituting
the second series 6.
[0014] In practice, the first series of pipes 4 constitutes the condenser of the refrigerating
circuit and the second series of pipes 6 constitutes the evaporator of said refrigerating
circuit.
[0015] As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the battery 1 - in the case of its use in an air
conditioner of the removable type and referenced generally 9 - is disposed above a
fan unit 10 in a vertical position or near to the vertical. With this vertical, or
almost vertical position, the condensate which forms on the cold zone of the evaporator
in the uppermost part of the battery 1 flows by gravity along the fins 3, moving gradually
and uniformly over the hot surface of said fins 3 of the battery 1, situated in correspondence
with the condenser, which consequent re-evaporation.
[0016] This, clearly, enables optimum efficiency of the apparatus to be achieved as well
as a notable reduction in overall size and simplification by the complete elimination
of the conventional means for transfer and atomization of the condensate.
[0017] For completeness of the description, and with reference once again to Figures 3 and
4, the fan 10 sucks in the room air through the opening 11, conducts it through the
battery 1 and the portion of the room air passing through the condenser zone 4 of
said battery is discharged, hot, to the outside through the opening 12. The portion
of the room air passing through the evaporator zone 6 of said battery 1 is returned,
cooled, into the room through the aperture 13.
[0018] Figure 5, as stated above, is similar to Figure 2, the only difference being that
the fins 3 of the battery 1 are not continuous between the upper zone (evaporator)
and the lower zone (condenser), but are separated by a small space 14, thereby forming
an upper group of fins 3′ and a lower group of fins 3˝, the two groups - in each case
- being so disposed as to permit the desired transfer of the condensate from the evaporator
part of the battery to the condenser part in order to achieve the re-evaporation of
same.
1. Battery (1), especially for air conditioners of the movable type (9) and in general
for apparatuses operating on the basis of a refrigerating circuit, characterized by
the fact of being constituted of a plurality of fins (3, 3′, 3˝), constituting as
a whole a single package, through which passes a first series (4) of coiled pipes
connected to the delivery (5) of a compressor (2) and a second series (6) of coiled
pipes connected to the return (7) of said compressor, the two series of pipes being
conventionally connected to one another by an expansion device (8) and the second
series of pipes, when the battery (1) is in the working position, being disposed above
the first series of pipes.
2. Battery, according to Claim 1, characterized by the fact that fins (3) constituting
as a whole a single package are associated, in a continuous form, with the condenser
part (4) and with the evaporator part (6) of said battery.
3. Battery, according to Claim 1, characterized by the fact that the fins constituting
as a whole a single package are interrupted by a gap (14) interposed between the condenser
part (4) and the evaporator part (6), thus forming two groups (3′, 3˝) so arranged
as to make possible the transfer of the condensate by gravity from said evaporator
part to said condenser part.
4. Battery, according to the preceding Claims, characterized by the fact of being
installed in a conditioner interposed in a vertical or almost vertical position between
the fan (10) of said conditioner and the openings (12, 13) of the latter, these openings
being respectively for the discharge to the outside of the hot air passing through
the condenser part (4) of said battery and for the recycling into the room to be conditioned
of the cooled air passing through the evaporator part (6) of said battery.