Rotating heat pipe for air-conditioning

A process for operating an air conditioner having a housing mounted at an opening in a wall which separates a first body of air from a second body of air, a hollow hermetic member mounted for rotation about its central axis within said housing, means for compressing a gaseous refrigerant having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, and a hollow air impelling member mounted in said first body of air on said rotary member for rotation therewith, means connecting the interior cavity of said hollow impelling member with said compressor means to cause flow of said refrigerant through said cavity and said compressor means, and a vaporizable liquid located in said hollow rotary member, said hollow rotary member having a condenser region and an evaporator region, said evaporator region being located adjacent said compressor, said condenser region being located axially from said evaporator region in said second body of air, said hollow rotary member having an internal surface of substantially circular cross section with its center line coaxial with the axis of rotation of said rotary member and its interior condensing surface having a taper, said condensing surface gradually decreasing in diameter in an axial direction away from said evaporator region, and motor means for driving said rotary member in rotation, the steps of which comprise:

• continually transferring heat from said first body of air to said refrigerant in said hollow air impelling member by rotating said impeller in said first body of air, whereupon heat therefrom is conducted by said impeller to said refrigerant which vaporizes and the resulting vapors flow to the inlet of said compressor means;
• continually transferring heat from said gaseous refrigerant to said liquid in said hollow rotary member while compressing said refrigerant vapors in said compressor means and condensing the compressed refrigerant, whereupon said vapors are reliquefied and give off heat which is conducted by said hollow rotary member at said evaporator region to said liquid in said hollow rotary member which vaporizes and the resulting vapors flow axially into said condenser region;
• continually transferring heat from said vapor in said hollow rotary member to said second body of air by condensing said vapor on the condensing surface of said hollow rotary member so that said vapor gives off heat which is conducted by said hollow rotary member through said condensing surface to said second body of air from the outer surface of said hollow rotary member opposite said condensing surface;
• and
• rapidly forcing the condensate off of said condensing surface as soon as it forms to return said condensate to the evaporator region and to keep the condensing surface relatively free of liquid by rotating said condensing surface in excess of a predetermined rotary speed which provides a high centrifugal acceleration having a component equal to at least 1G in an axial direction parallel to the tapered condensing surface in the condensate located on said condensing surface, whereby the process provides a high rate of heat flux from said first body of air to said second body of air.

Air conditioning apparatus comprising

• a housing adapted to be mounted at an opening in a wall which separates a first body of air from a second body of air;
• a hollow hermetic member mounted for rotation within said housing, said hollow hermetic rotary member having a condenser region located in said second body of air and an evaporator region, said hollow hermetic rotary member having an internal surface of substantially circular cross section with its center line coaxial with the axis of rotation of said hollow hermetic rotary member, the interior surface of said hollow hermetic rotary member having a taper in said condenser region, the tapered condensing surface gradually decreasing in diameter in an axial direction away from said evaporator region;
• a vaporizable liquid sealed in the interior cavity of said hollow rotary member;
• means for compressing and condensing a gaseous refrigerant at the outer surface of said hollow hermetic rotary member in said evaporator region, said compressing means having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
• condensing means for liquefying said refrigerant by transfer of heat from the refrigerant to the liquid in said evaporator region;
• said condensing means having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
• means connecting said condensing means inlet to said compressing means outlet;
• a hollow air impeller mounted in said first body of air on said hollow hermetic rotary member for rotation therewith;
• means connecting said compressing means inlet and said condensing means outlet to the interior cavity of said impeller to cause flow of said refrigerant through said interior cavity;
• and
• means for driving said hollow hermetic rotary member and said impeller together in rotation at a velocity such that the liquefied refrigerant collects in the radially outermost zones of the impeller cavity and absorbs heat from the impeller in such zones whereupon the refrigerant vaporizes and the resulting vapors flow through said compressor means and said condensing means, where they are reliquefied and give off heat, portions of such heat being conducted through said evaporator region of said hollow hermetic rotary member to said second liquid whereupon said second liquid vaporizes and the resulting vapors flow into said condenser region where they contact said tapered condensing surface and are returned to said evaporator region, said velocity being sufficient to generate a component of centrifugal acceleration in an axial direction parallel to said tapered condensing surface at essentially any location thereupon which is greater than 1G, the condensate formed on said condensing surface thereby being rapidly forced off of said condensing surface to keep it relatively free of liquid.