Portable Air Conditioner

Abstract

Portable air conditioner provided with an external container comprising internally a refrigerating circuit provided with a condenser.

Claims

1. A portable air conditioner provided with an external container and comprising: a refrigerating circuit having at least a compressor, a condenser, an expansion member and an evaporator, a fan that generates a stream of air passing through the condenser, wherein said refrigerating circuit has an auxiliary exchanger inside which a hot gas exiting from the compressor is made to circulate, before being sent to the condenser, for a first reduction in temperature, said auxiliary exchanger being disposed with respect to said condenser in such a way that the same stream of air arriving from the fan hits first the condenser and then the auxiliary exchanger.

2. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary exchanger has a surface affected by the stream of air lower than a surface of the condenser affected by the same stream of air of said condenser.

3. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary exchanger is located upstream of the condenser with respect to the circuit of hot gas.

4. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary exchanger is located downstream of the condenser with respect to said stream of air.

5. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary exchanger is located upstream of a centrifugal ventilator which generates the stream of air.

6. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary exchanger is distinct with respect to said condenser.

7. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary exchanger and said condenser are combined.

8. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary exchanger and said condenser are made in a single body, but with two distinct circuits.

9. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary exchanger and said condenser have pipes with identical sections and/or areas of transit.

10. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary exchanger and said condenser have pipes with different sections and/or areas of transit.

11. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary exchanger (16) and said condenser have heat disposal means with identical characteristics.

12. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary exchanger and said condenser have heat disposal means with different characteristics.

13. The portable air conditioner as in claim 1, comprising a tank containing water and located in correspondence to its bottom.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

[0045] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the basic evolution and the case where it is integrated in existing plants;

[0046] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of another evolution which uses two exchangers;

[0047] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of another evolution which uses two exchangers;

[0048] FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional view of an example installation of the auxiliary exchanger.

[0049] To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can conveniently be incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

[0050] The present invention concerns a portable air conditioner of the type in question, provided with an external container.

[0051] The external container is configured to have sizes adequate to comprise inside it a refrigerating circuit 10 and the components connected to it.

[0052] FIG. 1 shows by way of example a refrigerating circuit 10 present in a portable air conditioner, where the refrigerating circuit 10 has an auxiliary exchanger 16 according to the perfected form of the invention.

[0053] In the case of FIG. 1, the hot gas exiting from an evaporator 14 enters a compressor 11 that compresses it and sends it to a remaining circuit of hot gas 19.

[0054] Unlike in the state of the art, according to the invention, the hot gas 19 enters the auxiliary exchanger 16 for example at about 70 C., where the temperature is slightly lowered. At exit from the auxiliary exchanger 16, the hot gas exits at about 60 C. for example.

[0055] The exit of the auxiliary exchanger 16 is directly connected to the entrance to the condenser 12 by means of a hot circuit 21 which makes it enter the condenser 12 from which it exits, for example at about 45 C., instead of, as happens with traditional solutions that do not have the auxiliary exchanger 16, at about 55 C.

[0056] Once it has exited the condenser 12, the cooling gas flows, in a conventional manner, toward an expansion member, in this case a throttling valve 13, in which it is made to expand before entering the evaporator 14.

[0057] A fan 15, driven by a motor member (not shown), sends the air 17 which in this case by way of example, passes respectively through first the condenser 12 and then the auxiliary exchanger 16.

[0058] Thanks to this circuit configuration, and to the fact that the auxiliary exchanger 16 is in close proximity to the condenser 12, downstream of it, and is hit by the same stream of air, it is possible to exploit the difference in temperature of the stream of air 17 exiting from the condenser 12 and the surface temperature of the auxiliary exchanger 16.

[0059] In fact, since the air exiting from the condenser 12 is at a temperature of about 45 C. and the surface temperature of the auxiliary exchanger 16 is about 65 C., the stream of air 17 exiting from the condenser 12 is able to cool the cooling gas that has left the compressor 11, optimizing the cooling of the cooling gas with a single stream of air 17.

[0060] This also causes a reduction in the absolute condensation pressure, to which there corresponds a reduction in the compression work by the compressor 11 and hence an increase in cooling efficiency, which is given by the ratio between cooling capacity and total electric power absorbed, expressed in watts.

[0061] With reference to FIG. 4, the fan 15 can be installed inside a spiral 23 of a centrifugal ventilator 22 of a known type.

[0062] On the contrary, a fan 115 sends the air 18 through the evaporator 14 in which the expanded cooling fluid transits, and hence brings cool air with it.

[0063] In the case shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary exchanger 16 is autonomous from the condenser 12, even if the two components are combined, so that this solution can also be used to implement existing refrigerating circuits without operating on the external container.

[0064] In the case shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary exchanger 16 and the condenser 12 are integrated, to constitute a single unit pre-assembled during the step when the hot circuit 21 is made.

[0065] It should be noted that, in FIGS. 1 to 3, the auxiliary exchangers 16 are shown with sizes equal or nearly equal to those of the condenser 12, merely by way of example. In practice the auxiliary exchanger 16 can have any size suitable for the purpose and such that it can be easily integrated inside the external container without requiring modifications in size or design.

[0066] FIG. 4 shows an example of a possible practical application of the invention.

[0067] In this case, the stream of air 17 generated by the fan 15 cools the compressor 11, then transits through the condenser 12 and finally passes through the auxiliary exchanger 16 that has a surface 24 affected by the stream of air 17.

[0068] In a variant embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the auxiliary exchanger 16, installed between the condenser 12 and the centrifugal ventilator 22, is configured with a quadrangular shape and with the surface 24, exposed to the stream of air 17, lower than the surface 25 of the condenser 12.

[0069] The evaporator 14 is affected by a stream of air 18 generated by another fan 115, not shown in FIG. 4.

[0070] In another variant, the auxiliary exchanger 16 can be configured so that its bulk is such as to be located inside the external container without having to modify the external container.

[0071] In a variant embodiment, not shown in the drawings, the portable air conditioner can comprise a tank containing water and located in correspondence with its bottom. In this case, the auxiliary exchanger 16, in order to further increase its contribution, could cooperate with drops of water, or a damp source, which affects it.

[0072] It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the perfected portable air conditioner as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

[0073] For example, in variants, not shown but in any case comprised within the field of the present invention, the circuit configuration can be inverted, providing the auxiliary exchanger 16 downstream of the condenser 12 in the hot gas circuit, and upstream of the condenser 12 with respect to the stream of air 17 generated by the fan 15.

[0074] It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of perfected condensers for cooling plants for conditioners, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.