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US 2008/0136068 A1Published application
Mold cooling by recovery of energy from spent compressed air in blow-molding process
AssigneeNestle Waters North America, Inc.
InventorRobert L. Leone
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Heat is extracted from compressed gas used in a blow-molding process by expansion cooling the exhausted gas and/or passing the exhausted gas through a vortex tube, which supplies cold gas at an exit thereof. The cold gas is then routed through cooling channels in the mold. This obviates the need for recirculating or externally chilling a coolant and saves energy.
Claims20
A cooling arrangement for a mold of a blow molding machine, comprising:
- an expansion cooler having a high pressure side and a low pressure side, said high pressure side receiving pressurized gas used for molding an article in the blow molding machine and having a first temperature;
- and
- a cooling channel disposed in the mold and receiving gas from the low pressure side of the expansion cooler at a second temperature lower than the first temperature, said gas at the second temperature flowing through the cooling channel and cooling the mold.
A method for cooling a mold of a blow-molding apparatus, comprising:
- exhausting gas at a first temperature from a pressurized compartment of the blow-molding apparatus through an expansion cooler to provide a flow of gas at a second temperature lower than the first temperature;
- and
- directing the gas flow at the second temperature through a cooling channel in a mold to cool the mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.