FOSSE MAGNE (NO)
| EP0250914A2 | 1988-01-07 | |||
| US4653290A | 1987-03-31 | |||
| DE8801516U1 | 1988-03-17 | |||
| US4802344A | 1989-02-07 | |||
| US2625804A | 1953-01-20 |
| 1. | A method for cooling of containers such as gas bottles for the purpose of reclaiming refrigerant from cooling systems, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the bottle (1) is cooled before and/or during reclaim¬ ing of the refrigerant and that the bottle (1) partly or completely is covered by a preferably isolating material formed as a cooling jacket (4) and that it is supplied a cooling medium, preferably liquid C02 in between the jacket's inner wall (12) and the bottle's (1) outer wall and said cooling medium covers after a period of time the bottle with C02 snow so that most of the surface of the bottle is kept cooled. |
| 2. | Cooling jacket (4) according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the cover forms a jacket (4) with the size and form of a bottle (1) and that the cooling medium (10) is fed into the space between the jacket (4) and the gas bottle (l) through at least one opening or nozzle (7) . |
| 3. | Cooling jacket (4) according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the jacket (4) comprises a hose formed material which is put onto the bottle (1) from the top and is closed at the bottom and/or upper part. |
| 4. | Cooling jacket (4) according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the jacket (4) is formed from a squarish or rectangu¬ lar piece of material which covers the bottle or con tainer and is fastened with a zip or the like. |
| 5. | Cooling jacket (4) according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t a line (6) or rope is located at the jackets upper and/or bottom section and which is completely or partly sewn into the jacket. |
| 6. | Cooling jacket (4) according to claim 2, where the cover have a form c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the form of the jacket (4) is sylindrical and fits the form of the bottle (1) . |
The present invention relates to a cooling jacket for cooling of gas bottles, for recovery and storage of refrigerant such as CFC - chlor fluor carbon (i.e. Freon and Iscenon) from cooling systems.
The invention relates to the use of a cooling jacket which covers the essential part of a gas bottle or the like, and where a cooling medium (for instance liquid C0 2 ) is feed into the space between the gas bottle and the cooling jacket. The cooling jacket comprises mainly a cover made of one or more layers of flexible isolating material which has at least one supply nozzle and tube for transportation of the cooling medium through the cooling area.
The danger of the decreasing ozone layer in the higher part of the atmosphere is a very actual problem. The CFC gases which are accumulated in the atmosphere contributes to this problem. Cooling systems which are handled and maintained by the refrigeration industry represents in this respect a possible pollusion source. Large cooling systems are emptied for refrigerant by using equipment comprising a suction accumulator, a compressor and connection means. Intermediate and small systems are often blown off directly to the atmos¬ phere and contributes to the destruction of the ozone layer. Therefore, we have to expect that the authorities will enforce regulations for blowing off refrigerant to the atmosphere.
Known equipment for recovering of refrigerant comprises as said previously, an accumulator, compressor and means for connecting the accumulator to the cooling system. The com¬ pressor evacuates the suction accumulator so that the refri¬ gerant will flow from the cooling system to the accumulator. This equipment has a relatively complicated design, it is heavy and dependent on supply of electricity. Cooling systems with difficult access can therefore not easily be serviced by said equipment. The procedure normally used for emptying system with a difficult access, is to cool an empty gas bottle to obtain vacuum. This is done in for instance an ordinary freezer. The method is unpractical because the time for transporting the gas bottle from the freezer to the cooling system has to be very short, and the bottle will be heated which in turn will result in that the suction pressure due to lower vacuum will be reduced. The known procedure is therefore burdensome and unpractical to use for reclaiming refrigerant in cooling systems which has difficult access.
The object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reclaiming and transportation of refrigerant from cooling systems which is
simple to use has low volume and weight - low energy comsumption.
To meet the above objectives the inventors had to evaluate the state of the art. The inventors valued a method based on prior cooling of the gas bottle as the most promising because it was very mobile, smallest in weight and volume and simple to use. The problem was therefore to find a method for cool¬ ing the gas bottle at the area of application. The inventors' know-how in gas application and cooling of pipes for iceplug- ging gave them the idea of applying CO- as a cooling medium
for the gas bottles. Liquid C0_ will immediately after being pulverized into air, form snow crystals with a temperature of -78°C. This temperature is almost independent of the room temperature, and it will be sufficient for cooling the gas bottle to the required temperature.
Tests showed that by covering the essential parts of the gas bottle with a jacket and thereafter feeding the liquid C0 2 into the space between the jacket and gas bottle, resulted in a temperature in the gas bottle sufficiently low to form a vacuum and thereby provide transfer of the refrigerant from the cooling system to the gas bottle. The vacuum was main¬ tained until the pressure in the gas bottle and cooling system was equalized, or until the temperature in the gas bottle increased.
The method according to the present invention is simple to use, has a very efficient cooling with low energy consumption and the volume and weight can be adjusted according to the need. Instead of reclaiming the refrigerant by using compli¬ cated equipment, the refrigerant is by the present invention fed on empty, cold gas bottles, whereafter the filled bottles are returned for re-use and cleaning of the refrigerant.
The invention will be illustrated in detail by using the examples below and with reference to the figures where;
Fig. 1 illustrates a standard Isceon gas bottle.
Fig. 2 illustrates the cooling jacket according to the invention.
Fig. 3 illustrates the invention comprising connection tubes to a cooling system (not shown) , where the cooling jacket and gas bottle is shown partly in a sectional view.
Fig. 1 illustrates a standard Isceon gas bottle of the simi¬ lar type which is delivered by Isceon to intermediate and small industrial cooling systems. A standard Isceon gas bottle comprises a sylindrical section or wall 1, a bottom part 3 and a protection cup 2 for the valves 8 (not shown) .
Fig. 2 and 3 illustrates the cooling jacket equipped accord¬ ing to the invention. The cooling jacket comprises a speci¬ ally designed cover 4 made of an outer and an inner layer 12 of strong flexible material of woven fabric which covers an inner, isolating core 11 which is also made of flexible material such as foam rubber or the like.
The jacket has at its upper and bottom part a line or cord 6 for tightening the jacket around the Isceon gas bottle. The upper part of the jacket is also equipped with nozzles 7 mounted through the jacket and pointing towards the wall 1 of the gas bottle. Two and two nozzles are interconnected by using tubular, sectional couplings 13, where only one is shown in Fig. 2. On the opposite side of the jacket there is a second coupling.
Fig. 3 illustrates a complete system for filling of refriger¬ ant on gas bottles. The gas bottle and the jacket is illust¬ rated in a partial sectional view. The cooling jacket covers most of the Isceon gas bottle. The cooling jacket is put on to the gas bottle from the top. Thereafter the cord 6 is tightened, at least at the bottom of the gas bottle.
Suitable CO--tight pressure tubes 5 are connecting the coup¬ lings 13 to the bottle filled with liquid C0 2 . This bottle has a riser tube and a C0 2 outlet, and for each of the tubes 5 there is a connection to the couplings 13 on each side of the cooling jacket 14. The nozzles 7 have a conicity of
approx. 60°. The nozzle is made of brass or other suitable material.
The bottle filled with liquid C0 2 are connected to the Isceon gas bottle by the tube 5. Liquid CO- are feed from the C0 2 bottle via the tube 5 to the space between the jacket 4 and the gas bottle wall 1 where the snow crystalles 10 are for¬ med. This space are after a short time filled with snow at a temperature of approx. -78°C. The C0 2 snow 10 is surprisingly easy distributed in this space and will after a short time fill the space and cover the gas bottle from the bottom to the top. It is therefore sufficient to mount the nozzles close to the top and not at the top of the jacket, because the C0 2 snow will be distributed to the bottom and cover the total volume of the space between the gas bottle and the cover. Cold C0 2 vapour will rise and escape at the top of the cover and secure that the total area, both below and above the nozzles, of the gas bottle are cooled. -The gas bottle are thus very efficiently cooled and will after a relatively short time have a sufficient vacuum and be ready for use.
The cooling system and the gas bottle 1 are connected by the tube 9. The refrigerant are due to the vacuum in the gas bottle, sucked into the bottle when the valve 8 is opened.
Test showed that if the space inbetween the cooling jacket 4 and gas bottle 1 was filled up to 1/3 of the height of a standard 10 kg Iscenon gas bottle, the temperature inside the bottle was approx. -25 - -35°C after 10-20 min.
By the present invention the inventors have solved the prob¬ lem on how to reclaim refrigerant from cooling systems which has a difficult access. Although the invention mainly relates to reclaiming and storing of refrigerant, it is obvious that the apparatus and method can be applied for various other
types of liquids and gases. It is also obvious that the method can be applied using a cooling medium other than liquid C0 2 - It is further obvious that the cooling jacket can be used for cooling other types of gas bottles, such as various forms of collecting tanks or boxes etc.