US 4,494,524 AGranted

Centrifugal heating unit

OwnerLee Wagnerinventor

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Abstract

A centrifugal heating unit includes a circular plate unit mounted on a rotatable shaft in a housing. A motor rotates the shaft and spins the plate unit within the housing. The plate unit is immersed in multi-viscosity synthetic oil. The plate unit includes first and second circular disks of equal diameter which are attached to and separated by a spacer disk of smaller diameter. A peripheral buffeting area is formed between the disks outside the perimeter of the separator plate. Each disk of the plate unit is provided with slots equally spaced around the periphery, extending from the separator plate out to near the perimeter of the disk. Each slot is aligned at a 45.degree. angle to a radius of its disk. As the plate unit rotates, oil moving radially outward due to centrifugal force is drawn through the slots into the buffeting area between the disks where it is buffeted, which generates heat. The hot oil heats the housing, from which heat is transferred to warm the ambient air.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A heating apparatus comprising:

a housing defining a chamber for containing a viscous liquid, the chamber being defined by a plurality of generally planar walls which meet at opposed corners spaced about a periphery of the chamber in cross-section along a first plane;
a plate unit positioned within the chamber for rotation about a central drive axis while immersed in the viscous liquid, the drive axis being perpendicular to the first plane and the plate unit comprising:
a first disk generally perpendicular to the drive axis, the first disk having its periphery in close tolerance to an intermediate portion of each of the walls and having a first passage means for permitting flow of viscous liquid through the first disk;
a second disk generally perpendicular to the drive axis, the second disk having its periphery in close tolerance to an intermediate portion of each of the walls and having second passage means for permitting flow of viscous liquid through the second disk;
means for attaching the first and second disks in an axially spaced apart, generally parallel, fixed relation with a region between the first and second disks in communication with the first and second passage means;
and
motor means for rotating the plate unit about the drive axis within the chamber to cause heating of the viscous liquid.

4 more elements

A heating apparatus comprising:

a housing defining a chamber for containing a viscous liquid, the chamber having parallel top and bottom walls and a plurality of generally planar, generally vertical side walls which meet at opposed corners spaced about a periphery of the chamber in cross-section along a generally horizontal plane;
a generally vertical shaft extending downward centrally through the top wall of the housing into the chamber;
motor means mounted above the housing for rotating the shaft;
a plate unit fixedly mounted on the shaft for rotation in the chamber of the housing parallel to a generally horizontal plane, the plate unit including:
a generally horizontal top disk having its periphery in close tolerance to an intermediate portion of each of the side walls and having a plurality of first slots therethrough, each first slot being aligned at an angle with respect to a radius of the first disk and extending outward to near a perimeter of the first disk, and wherein the first slots are generally equally circumferentially spaced around the first disk;
a generally horizontal bottom disk of a diameter generally equal to a diameter of the first disk, the bottom disk having a plurality of second slots therethrough, each second slot being aligned at an angle with respect to a radius of the second disk and extending outward to near a perimeter of the second disk and wherein the second slots are generally equally circumferentially spaced around the second disk;
and
a generally horizontal spacer disk of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first and second disks, the spacer disk being fixedly coaxially mounted between and adjacent to the first and second disks for forming an internal peripheral region between the disks which communicates with the first and second slots.

5 more elements

A heating apparatus comprising:

a housing having top, bottom, and side walls defining a chamber for containing a viscous liquid;
a generally vertical shaft extending downward through the top of the housing into the chamber;
motor means mounted above the housing for rotating the shaft;
a plate unit fixedly mounted on the shaft for rotation in the housing parallel to a generally horizontal plane, the plate unit including:
a generally horizontal top disk having a plurality of first slots therethrough, each first slot being aligned at an angle with respect to a radius of the first disk and extending outward to near a perimeter of the first disk, and wherein the first slots are generally equally circumferentially spaced around the first disk;
a generally horizontal bottom disk of diameter generally equal to the diameter of the first disk, the bottom disk having a plurality of second slots therethrough, each second slot being aligned at an angle with respect to a radius of the second disk and extending outward to near a perimeter of the second disk and wherein the second slots are generally equally circumferentially spaced around the second disk;
a generally horizontal spacer disk of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first and second disks, the spacer disk being fixedly coaxially mounted between and adjacent to the first and second disks for forming an internal peripheral region between the disks which communicates with the first and second slots;
a plenum above the housing;
heat exchanging fins extending upward from the housing in the plenum for exchanging heat from the housing to air in the plenum;
a motor compartment for enclosing the motor means, the motor compartment being open to the plenum;
an air inlet in the motor compartment for allowing entrance of outside air;
an outlet duct in the plenum;
and
means to move air in through the inlet, through the motor compartment, through the plenum across the heat exchanging fins, and out the outlet duct.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.