AU2995377A

AU2995377A - Liquid refrigerant level control inphase separator

Info

Publication number: AU2995377A
Application number: AU29953/77A
Authority: AU
Inventors: G Suss
Original assignee: Linde GmbH
Current assignee: Linde GmbH
Priority date: 1976-10-22
Filing date: 1977-10-21
Publication date: 1979-04-26
Also published as: ATA750477A; NL7711049A; AT369524B; FR2371650B1; DE2647961B1; DE2647961C2; ZA776291B; AU505231B2; BR7707054A; FR2371650A1; ES463285A1; GR63700B; CH623126A5; BE859953A

Description

COMMONWEAkLTH OF AUSTRALIA PATINTS ACT 195M.962

CONVENTION 4kPPLICATION FOR A PATENT

(M1. jorm may be signed by the applicant or by the A-'o-ian Patent Attrosey.,p

tnseftr funl narmoe Wet,LINDE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, of Abraham- and addresa~ds) of Linco3,n-Strasse 21, D-6200 Wiesbaden, Federal Republic applicant(s). of Germany,

hereby apply for the grant of at Patent for an invention entitled "INSTALLATION FOR THE COOLING OF OBJECTS OR MATEI, TALS WITH LIQUID REFRIGERAA1'_ a. a a a *e a a which is decribed in the accompanying complete specification. The applicatiea is a a Convention application and is based on the applicatiorctO for patent or similar protec. a

tion mae it Fed,-eral Republic of Germany, a. S In""z naiww Af 4=Ult~7. a 22nd October, 1976, under number P 26 47 961.8 a U 0*

a S. *6

Inserk date and number of each application on which priority is based. a a ii ~4~i a. 9 I *4 a S.

At~c address fop service is care of DAVIES Our at COLLISON, Patent Attorneys. a...a *9 4.M.P. Building, Hobart Place. Canberra, Commonwealth of Australiai. a. 0 S.

gas a e~ *9 *9 a a S. a. *0 21st day of October, 1977.

t)signaturel,) of ipplicont(s). If a Compiany, formn to be vetcuttd in a manner (A mmbe ofthefirm of DAVIES COLLISON) binditng Oh theco y accordint to Its Artrd1" for and on behalf of of Association or the lawt LINDE AIRTINGESELLSCHAFT of tia: counwr. (bs)Set) of Company (if any).

Nok: Whiial all Alterations,

TO,

OOMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1162,-,1973 DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF CONVENTION ORt NON-CONVENTION APPLICATION'POR A PATENTr OR PATENT OF ADDITION

In support of the Appication mat for a~Paetfrt asO entitled: INSTALLATION FOR THE COOLING OF OBlJECTS OR )4ATBEtZIALS WITH LIQUID REF'RIGERANT"' lmrt full name(s) and addroseajes) xkrx J. Muller, Chairman of the Board,, and of asclarant(a) being the appli. We G. Schaefer, Head of Patent Departmaent, cant(s) or psrson(s) authorized to sign in bohalf of an applicant of LINDE AK(TIENGESELLSCHAFT, of Abraham-Lincolu-Stra3se corapiny. 21, D-6200 Wiesbaden, Federal Republic of Germany,

CQoss out whichaver of parsapphs do solemnly and sincerely declare as follows- or 1(b) does not apply relates to application made We, ar' patent of addition by Individual(s) 1(b) rolates to implcation masde or(b)-L.asm authorized by LINDE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT by company; insert name of We are applicant company.

Cross out whichever of poragraphs the for tbe patent to make this declaration on its bettalf. or 2(b) Ooes inot apply 2.set vkdd~h~ w nifn- ter 2(s) volas to application made by lifatrs) 2(b) reates to.slf~tlcatlon mode or(b) Georg Suss, a German citizen, of Arberstrasse 22, by coma~~o person(s) who 8313 Vilsbiburg, Ge~rmany, are not Inventor(s); Insert full name(s) and Adcjrsr'(ea) of Inven. tota, a 0 a C a C a Og

rthe actual inventor of the invention ond the facts upon which the appsllcant is ntitled to male the application are as follows

State men?~r in lch applicant~a) derive title front inyomtor(s) by virtue of an assignment from the said inventor to tne sid applicant.

Cross oatt pa4raphs 3 and 4 3 The 1afilcution as defined by 3section 141 of the Act W.3 Inad fOr non-couwVnf1on appllCAiiona. Pedera 1 cK 1cpu~j3 For 401'40tiln applications, or. the. 9Q?~r17 titeft b~sd cosntry(s) followed by dae(s) and 6Sjt appliczat(s). on the by on the

4. 'Thoi ha~sc &pplication..... raterrod to In para~raph 3 of this Dockraion the first application made in a Conventi= country in respect of the rsnmic tlhe aibjet of the application. Iftaft Plaoe findi iate of isawron. D6cIared at Wieebatde:, this 24th day of October, 1977. Siature of dwoirml~s) LIMDE A0KrNGSELLSC1AFf atsotatioft treWe) Nove lalal am alterations,

DAVIES &COLUISON, MELBOURNE.~nd CANBER~RA X an .Q "00

(11) AU-A 29953/77

(12) PATENT SPECIFICATION ABSTRACT (19) AU

29953/77 (22) 21.10.77 (23) 21.10.77 k24) 10.76 (31) 2647961 (32) 22.10.76 (33) DE (43) 26.4.79 (1) GOlF 23/24 F251) F17C 13/02 (54) LIQUID) LEVEL CONTROL IN PHWSE SEVARh'J0R (71) LINDE A.G. (72) SUSS G. (74) DC (57) Use of installation in thermioplastics plant also claiimed. CLAIM i. t'Or t raothet:!oii oliz; C of obj(,Cti nul

mtorifalV, u- ih liquiA zc0fi2;ow,'ert2t, wh e.r the

rfri atl is £C fr a ,,toracc tank thrc:h-t

rhc :p~±i'aor, a plh;nvc ztafndc unler the prossur

of the r.jto7aO taxi:. to the c bjcctc- or materials

to be cool'od coht ctvrizcd ill that tile Y'hlase

Spj3ft0l',1 ha1-23 r3 tOf ;iCaSUzo~ai.it ol the 2iC21id

Icvcl v.xai-crinb dcie thich is in conymction

via a con't.xol dcvio ,i ti a v,%ve of the phase

r~cep~.tofor the wating of the vapours ricing

from the refrLamnt.

I L I

4.3

COMMONWEALTH of AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1952-1962

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (Original) FOR OFFICE USE:

Class hIt. Class

Appl ication Number: Lodged:

a. a a Complete Specification Lodged: a S*.

4 Arccepted: FPiblished: a *4 *e@a~4 a Priority: a. a I S..

a Related Art: I I .4

a.. .4

Name of Applicant: LINDE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT 6 6 4O a. 6 a *4*O Address of Applicant; A)braham-Lincoln-Strasse 21, a. D-6200 Wiesbadene *0

o. Federal Republic of Germany. a a S

a Actual Inventor(s): Georg Suss 4* 4

Address for Service: DAVIES COLLISON, Patent Atiorneys, A.M.P. Building, Hobart Place, Canberra, A.C.T. 2601.

Complete Specification for the invenio entitled:

"INSTALLATION FOR THE COOLING OF OBJECTS OR MATERIALS WITH LIQUID RErRIGtRANT"

The following statemnt is a full desci'iption of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us

This inveition relates to an installation for the cooling of objects or materials with liquid

refrigerants, where the refrigerant iq fed from a

storage tank via a phase separator, standing under

the pressure of the storage tank, to the objects or

materials to be cooled. Such installations are known in very different

fields and axe used always then when objects or materials

have to be cooled to deep temperatures quickly. So, for

instance DT-AS 12 72 525 relates to a process and an

arrangement for the production of an object of thermo- plastic synthetics according to the blow process from an

extruded pipe or a parison, where the tube or the parison

is in the hollow chambera of a blow form first widened by

a gaseous expanding medium and subsequently cooled by a

non-gaseous refrigerant which is supplied in the tube or- the pgriaon after its expanSiOn at A tedratu4re substantialy below 'the room topera-ture and is then evaporated. As blowing medium either air or ga.aeous carbon dioxide, anid as refrigerant non-gseous carbon dioxide can be used. In order to unsure that carbon dioxide is supplied always in the liquid state to the object obtained after the exansion, it is provided that carbon dioxide, withdrawn in liquid formu from a source, is prior to being fed into the object charged to a float chamber acting a~i a phase separator and carbon dioxide ,rapours, formed in the maid separator by heat radiation$ are seqpaxated from liquid carbon dioxide. 11rwver, 44ien a float chamber is used tbereis the danger that its mechanical parts ice lip under the efeot of the deep cold temperature of the liquid refrigerant, so that due to the imperfect operation of the mechaniem of the float chamber its saparatirX function booomee substaitially limited. As a result of the fact that under circuinstrxices yet gaseous refrigerant ay be blow~n into the object anid that due to the slight cooling effect of the gaseous refrigerant, the object in the niort feed-in time of the refrigezant) set oy the cycle period of the blow-autoytat, cariot be suffioiently cooled. These cooling problems can equally aris with ~other similar arrangements azid applications. Therefore the object of the invention is to develop an installation for the cooling of objeote and materials of'the kind described heretofore where it can be assured. with tslight technical wcpanae that the refrigerant is supplied to the objecets or matfrials to be cooled atway in a )lquid state. This obj ect is attained in accordance with the inventiton in that the phase separator has a measuring device for the determination of the liquid level whicha is connected via a control device with a valve of the phase separator for venting the vapoure rising from the refrigerant. 'With the arrangeaet of a mnmx~ing device for thc determination of ti~e liquid level inside of the phase separator, the said phase separator can be constructed completely without novine mechaWical par'ts, Mothe danger that the function of the phase separator will be affected by the icing of the mechanical parts is eliniinatede Since in addit5.in the phase separator is at the pressure -f the storage tank for the liquid refrigerant, the following simple mode of operation evolves: the liquid refrigerant flows from the storage tankC firstly so long in the phase separator, until in its inside the sam e pressure has been built up. In this course the liquid refrcigerant settles in the lower part of the phase separator, while the refrigerant vapoure, generated by hea-c radiation, collect in the upper part. If thena liquid refrcigerant in supplied by utilizIng the existing~ prer-Ame from the lower part, that is the liquid collecting space of the phase soepsxator to a consumar, such as e~g. a blow a~utomnat for thc-production of objects of thermoplastic eynthationt where the consumer, for instance, can control the with- drawal of the liquid refrigerant, himself via a mietic valve, the measuring device registors the lowering of the liquid level and transmits thi signal to the control devicep which on Its part opens a further magnetic vAlve which is in connection with the upper part,, that is the gas space of the phase separtor. Thus the gaseous refrigerant flows in the open or back to the storage tank. Iow liquid refrigerant flows for so long in the phase separator, until the meeLuring device registers the oriGlzal liquid level and following that the control devtce shuts the manetic valve for the outlet of the refrigerant vapours. If here, as -is the case with an advantageous embodiment of the installation, the valve for venting the refrigerant vapours from the rcas space is arranged on tho lower pext of the phase separator and is connected with the gan pace by a line, which runs through the liquid spac'e of the space sepaxator, an icing of the gas withirawal point can be avoided to a ';rea-v extent. 2?uther it is advantage to construct the meesuring device an a boundary valuk inistrument with resistor as primary element in order to render its e0 construction sim~ple and its mode of functioning safe. Herce as primary resistor filem1ants expedtitly hot conductors can be used, which are arranged in the phase separator in a height desired for the maxcimum and ininimur, liquid level.* At ent ering or 1leaving respectively the liquid refrigerant, the electric resistance changes due to the changed heat conduotinC conditions, In addition the change of resistan-e can be accelerated in that each hot conductor is provided with an auxillary heating. hue to the effect of hekting, when leaving the liquid the tesmperatuxe, of -the hot conductor rises faster and the resitanice of the hot conductor drops oorr0spondin$ly. in order to 'xisrre that the conuer is always supplied with a refrigerant quantity which ruwains possibly the same per unit of time, It can, be of advar'ta~e to provide in the phase separator for the maintaining of constant pressuare a pressure control devicepby ruoans of which gaseous nitrogen can be fed to the gao. space through a magnetic val.ve cor+trolle4 by the pressure measuring devic. Here, accordine- to the JerriCcx'ant quantity required per -unit of time by the consumer, it is advantagecue if the pressure control device, dendront on the pressure of the storage tank, can be adjusted to any desired value up to 25 box In the following further details of the invention are described with the aid of a diagrammtic illustration. The fi ,yre shows a segment of the installation in accordance with the invcvtion ao it can be used with aavantate, 'or instance, in a plant for the production of objects from thermoplastic synthetics. A phase separator 1 aonastin of'an outer and inner container 2a, 2b is in conection with a storage tank for liquid refrig irarit, which belongs to the installation ,but is for sake of clarity not ahown here, via a supply line 5 reaching into the uppew part of the inner container 2b and is joined to a contsumer) not Ahoun either, as e.g. to a blow automat, via a withdraw line 6 on the, lower part of the inner oontaiter 2b, wherep *Ai~ mid withdrawal. line has a magnetie valve 7 controlled by the corsumer. or insulating the phase separator I the space 4 between the outer and inner container 2a, 2b. can be evacuated through an evacuation nozzle 4a. As the liquid vefrigerant flown under the pressure of the storage tank in the inner oontainer 2b via the supply line 5, the refrigerant settles in the lower part of the inni container 2b and reftigerant vapours generated by heat radiation collect in the upper part. In thin way the inner container 2b is divided into a liquid space 3a and a gas space 3b. A measuring device 10, entering the phase separator I from above and reaching down in the liquid space 3a, has for the measurement of the maximum azid minimum liquid level height of the phase separator I in its lower region boundary value transmitter 11 and 12 in the form of hot; conductors. Outside of the phase separator I the measuring device 10 is connected to a control device 13, which controls the magnetic valve 9 arranged at the lower end of the phase separator. This magnetic valve 9 arranged at the bottom nerves as venting of the vapours wising from the refrigerant and is, therefore in connection with the gas space 3b through a line 8, which passes through the liquid space 3a. When the liquid level in the phase separator I drops below the minimum level, that is below the lower boundary value transmitter 12, the elastic resiatance of the said boundary value trausmitter changes as a result of the changed heat conducting conditions.

The corresponding ourrent increase results in the control device 13 in the attraction of a relay, by vhich the magnetic valve 9 is opened for the venting of the refrigerant

vapours. Thus gaseous refrigerant flows into the open, or, if the magnetic valve 9 is connected to the storage tank,

-I- .7

It can be re~yoled to the tank. Dlue to tbh rv- m

of the gaseous reftigerant from -the phase sparator I liquid refrigeranit flown again froml the storage tank iitil the liquid refrigerant reaohes the upper

boundary value transmitter 11 and thus br its change of~ elect~cio resistance the oot-tro1 device 13 closes: the nuagret-,o val-fe 9. In order to make it possible that in the phase separator pressure should be ke~pt constant,, on the gas space 3b a pressure controlling device 14 can be provided. Via a feed valve 15 controlled by a presoure meawiring device 16 here, as required, gaseous refrigerant can be fed -to the gais space 3b. For the sake of safety also a pressure reliefA valve 17 can be Joined to the gas =_aoe 3b.

~mm

Claims

The Claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. Installation for the cooling of objects and

materials with liquid refrigerant, where the

refrigerant is fed from a storage tank through

a phase separator, wbioh stands under the pressure

of the storage tank, to the objects or materials

to be cooled characterized in that the phase

separator has for the measurement of the liquid

level a measuring device which is in connection

via a control device with a valve of the phase

separator for the venting of the vapours rising

from the refrigerant.

2. Installation in accordance with Claim 1 characterized

in that the valve for the venting of the vapours

rising from the refrigerant is arranged at the lower

part of the phase separator and is connected through

a line passing through the liquid space of the phase

separator with the gas space of the phase separator.

Installation in accordance with any one of the Claims

1 or 2 characterized in that the measuring device is

in the form of a boundary value transmitter with

resistor primary elements.

4. Installation in accordance with any one of the Claims

1 to 3 characteized in that the phase separator has

in the upper part a pressure control device with a

feed valve controlleak via a pressure measuring device.

Installation in accordance with Claim 4 characterized In -that the pressure control device can be adjusted to every desired -value up to 25 bar.

6. Use of the installation in accordae with ainy one of the Claims 1 to 5 5.n a plant for the production of objects from thermoplastio s~vnthetics.

7. The parts, elements, steps and features referred to or indicated in the specification and/or claims and/or drawings of this application, individually or collectively, and any and all combinations of any two or more of said parts, elements, steps and features.

Dated this 21st day of October, 1977.

LINDE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT By its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON.