Appliance for rapid sorption cooling and freezing

A household appliance capable of rapidly cooling or freezing a composition placed in a cooling chamber thereof comprising:

• a walled housing member having a cooling chamber therein having a volume of between about 20 liters and about 40 liters and a door thereon for accessing said cooling chamber from the exterior of said housing member,
• an evaporator containing ammonia, and air handling means for circulating cold air from said evaporator to said cooling chamber,
• a condenser for converting gaseous refrigerant to a liquid phase, and means for cooling said condenser with ambient air,
• first and second reactors, each containing a complex compound of ammonia and a chloride, bromide, sulphate or chlorate salt of a metal selected from the group consisting of an alkali and alkaline earth metal, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, tantalum and rhenium,
• a first heater in said first reactor and a second heater in said second reactor, for heating the complex compound therein, respectively,
• first valve means cooperating with first conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said evaporator to said first and second reactor, respectively,
• second valve means cooperating with second conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said first and second reactors, respectively, to said condenser,
• third valve means cooperating with third conduit means for directing ammonia from said condenser to said evaporator,
• control means for sequentially operating said heaters for alternately heating said complex compounds in said first and second reactors, for operating said air handling means, and for operating said first valve means, and
• switching means for being connected to a source of electrical power for turning said apparatus on and for energizing said control means when said switching means is actuated.

An appliance capable of selectively cooling or heating a composition placed in a chamber thereof comprising:

• a walled housing member having a cooling chamber therein and door thereon for accessing said cooling chamber from the exterior of said housing member,
• an evaporator containing ammonia, and air handling means for circulating cold air from said evaporator to said cooling chamber,
• a condenser for converting gaseous refrigerant to a liquid phase, and means for cooling said condenser with ambient air,
• first and second reactors, each containing a complex compound of calcium bromide and between 2 and 6 molecules of ammonia,
• a first heater in said first reactor and a second heater in said second reactor, for heating the complex compound therein, respectively,
• first valve means cooperating with first conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said evaporator to said first and second reactor, respectively,
• second valve means cooperating with second conduit means for alternately directing ammonia from said first and second reactors, respectively, to said condenser,
• third valve means cooperating with third conduit means for directing ammonia from said condenser to said evaporator,
• control means for sequentially operating said heater for alternately heating said complex compounds in said first and second reactors, for operating said air handling means, and for operating said first valve means,
• a microwave tube for providing microwave radiation for selectively heating said chamber, and
• switching means for being connected to a source of electrical power for turning said appliance on and for selectively operating said apparatus to provide cooling and heating for a composition placed in said chamber.