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US 2006/0150643 A1Published application
Refrigerator
AssigneeGreenCentAire, LLC
InventorShaun Sullivan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator includes a gas flow generator formed with passages providing communication between an annular inlet chamber and a gas flow chamber, so that gas under pressure in the inlet chamber flows through the passages into the gas flow chamber. An energy transfer tube has a cylindrical interior space in communication with the gas flow chamber at one end of the tube and a throttle valve is installed in the energy transfer tube at its opposite end. An acoustic tone at a frequency in the range between about 1 kHz and about 20 kHz is spontaneously generated in the energy transfer tube when gas at a pressure exceeding about 100 psig is supplied to the inlet chamber.
Claims11
A refrigerator comprising:
- an inlet device for receiving a flow of gas under pressure, the inlet device having a cylindrical interior surface bounding an inlet chamber outwardly,
- a gas flow generator located coaxially of the inlet device and having a cylindrical exterior surface bounding the inlet chamber inwardly and also having a cylindrical interior surface bounding a gas flow chamber, the gas flow generator being formed with passages providing communication between the inlet chamber and the gas flow chamber, so that gas under pressure in the inlet chamber flows through the passages into the gas flow chamber,
- an energy transfer tube having first and second opposite ends, the energy transfer tube being connected at its first end to the inlet assembly and having a cylindrical interior space in communication with the gas flow chamber,
- a throttle valve installed in the energy transfer tube at the second end thereof, the throttle valve including a baffle portion that substantially blocks the cylindrical interior space of the energy transfer tube and being formed with at least one port for allowing gas to escape from the interior space of the energy transfer tube at a location adjacent to the tube, the throttle valve being movable lengthwise of the energy transfer tube for selective adjustment of the effective length of the energy transfer tube,
- and wherein the passages formed in the gas flow generator each have an inner portion that is inclined at a first acute angle to said inner cylindrical surface, an outer portion that is inclined at a second acute angle to said cylindrical exterior surface, and a curved intermediate portion joining the outer portion and inner portion,
- and the inner portion of each passage formed in the gas flow generator lies in a plane that is inclined at an angle in the range from 4° to 30° to a plane that is perpendicular to the central axis of the energy transfer tube, and wherein the refrigerator is configured such that an acoustic tone at a frequency in the range between about 1 kHz and about 20 kHz is spontaneously generated in the energy transfer tube when gas at a pressure exceeding about 100 psig is supplied to the inlet chamber.
3 more elements
A method of generating a flow of cool air comprising:
- providing a refrigerator that comprises an inlet device for receiving a flow of gas under pressure, the inlet device having a cylindrical interior surface bounding an inlet chamber outwardly, a gas flow generator located coaxially of the inlet device and having a cylindrical exterior surface bounding the inlet chamber inwardly and also having a cylindrical interior surface bounding a gas flow chamber, the gas flow generator being formed with passages providing communication between the inlet chamber and the gas flow chamber, so that gas under pressure in the inlet chamber flows through the passages into the gas flow chamber, an energy transfer tube having first and second opposite ends, the energy transfer tube being connected at its first end to the inlet assembly and having a cylindrical interior space in communication with the gas flow chamber, a throttle valve installed in the energy transfer tube at the second end thereof, the throttle valve including a baffle portion that substantially blocks the cylindrical interior space of the energy transfer tube and being formed with at least one port for allowing gas to escape from the interior space of the energy transfer tube at a location adjacent to the tube, the throttle valve being movable lengthwise of the energy transfer tube for selective adjustment of the effective length of the energy transfer tube, wherein the passages formed in the gas flow generator each have an inner portion that is inclined at a first acute angle to said inner cylindrical surface, an outer portion that is inclined at a second acute angle to said cylindrical exterior surface, and a curved intermediate portion joining the outer portion and inner portion, and the inner portion of each passage formed in the gas flow generator lies in a plane that is inclined at an angle in the range from 4° to 30° to a plane that is perpendicular to the central axis of the energy transfer tube,
- and wherein the method comprises supplying compressed gas to the refrigerator at a pressure exceeding about 100 psig to the inlet chamber,
- the refrigerator being configured such that an acoustic tone at a frequency in the range between about 1 kHz and about 20 kHz is spontaneously generated in the energy transfer tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.