Pipe freezer with quick connect evaporator heads
US6408638B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 2, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jun 25, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 2, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF28F9/0258
- WIPO fieldThermal processes and apparatus
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A portable pipe freezer apparatus includes a condenser/compressor unit and a pair of flexible coaxial hoses each connected to an evaporator head with a set of interchangeable adapters configured with one or more nearly semicircular channels conforming to a standard pipe diameter. The adapters hold the evaporation chamber in a position such that the length axis of the chamber is aligned parallel to the axis of the pipe and the hose coupling is oriented perpendicular to the length axis of the chamber. Inside the chamber, a baffle placed between the outlet of the inner tube of the hose and the return to the outer tube forces refrigerant sprayed out of the inner tube to migrate from essentially the midway point of the chamber to an end wall and then back toward the midway point before entering the outer tube. In a preferred embodiment, the evaporation chamber is in the shape of a right cylinder closed by a pair of end plates, and is covered with a protective sleeve to protect the evaporation chamber from dents and scratches.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.