King Refrigeration, Inc.

Tannas Company

Marc J Hildebrandt

Theodore W Selby

Richard H Hall

Joseph S Trombley

James R Cotter

Christopher John Rudy

Gregory C Miller

Refrigerant gas can pass through hollow type plate, and this can be employed for refrigeration of a block by employment of the plate in thermal communication with the block. The block, which typically contains one or more test cells, may have a rhomboid shape.

Plate type direct refrigeration

Scanning Brookfield dry block instrument component, viscometer instrument, and method of use of the instrument can employ direct refrigeration with heat provision. A thermoelectric chip substitute may be employed as well.

Scanning brookfield dry block

Cabinet bath with round window

Directly refrigerated component or system in which a refrigerating pathway is provided with passive cooling moderation. The passive cooling moderation can be provided, for example, by a passive cooling moderator that has moderating live space, or by a passive cooling moderator has moderating dead space. The component or system can be a test device for rotational viscometric testing of an oleaginous fluid, and, when it has test wells and sample sleeves which go into the wells, the sample sleeves can be stopped from rotating in the wells by a pin and pin-engaging hole or slot arrangement.

Directly refrigerated block

Heat-inhibition respecting a motor is provided in connection with a heated instrument through a stand-off mount system and/or a heat-inhibiting rotor/stirrer. The instrument can be a hot bath containing instrument where stirring of the contents of the bath can be carried out, for example, a kinematic viscosity bath device, which may include the stand-off mount system and heat-inhibiting rotor/stirrer in which is present a convoluted path for heat conduction and/or increased air flow generator between the surface of the bath and the motor.

Heat-transfer-inhibiting motor and rotor

Device for direct refrigeration has heat-conductable solid member with refrigerant passageway coursing through or about; and at least one test sample well in or in proximity to it, at least one solid, heat-generating member affixed or in proximity to it; and/or optional component(s) and/or feature(s). Heat-conductable solid member may have opposing refrigerant flowpaths containing conventional cooling material(s), for example, air, liquid methanol or ethylene glycol, but preferably, refrigerant for direct refrigeration. The member may be, for example, a block of copper and/or other material with a high heat-conductance, with one or more test sample well(s) for insertion of test sample cell(s) for low-temperature rotary viscometric yield stress testing of engine oils, or other testing. Heating may be employed. Dynamic temperature control can be facilitated by temperature sensor and/or controller system, with sensor(s) and/or heating element(s) strategically placed in or on the block. The device may be augmented or conjoined with or to a solid block thermoelectric cooling/heating contrivance which operates by the Peltier effect. Radially endowed correspondent cell pin and rotor bottom cup arrangement can for practical purposes provide nearly friction free action, essentially unencumbered by water/ice interference. Dry gas blanket delivery system and rotor key arrangements are provided as well.

Direct and/or opposing flowpath refrigeration

Heater-evaporator has a hollow refrigerator fluid evaporator body with which is incorporated a heater. The body can enclose the heater, which is separate from the body, or the body and the heater can be part of one another. The heater can be heated by any suitable means, to include electrical resistance and/or induction. The invention can be utilized in refrigeration and temperature control, to include, for example, in laboratory test devices requiring refrigeration and temperature control.

Heater-evaporator

Oven, for example, embodied as a foam tester, can heat and cool circulating gas, and hence, contained sample containers, rapidly. A volume for containing coolant material is provided for cooling the oven volume is provided apart from the oven volume, and the cooling volume is adapted to contain cooling material, at least during operation of the cooling cycle. Optionally, the cooling volume can be closed off from the oven volume when the device is in heating mode and opened when in cooling mode, but preferably, it is not but has a drainable liquid, for example, water, cooling system installed in the cooling volume. The device may have an air plume; preferably however, it has such a plume eliminated with high circulation blowing and mixing of the bath gas, for example, air, provided. Accessories such as a removable drain tray, and so forth, may be added. The exemplary devices are particularly useful for testing for the foaming characteristics of liquids, and the principles of the cooling volume can be applied to cabinet ovens in general. As an option, gel or cooling other than liquid in radiator cooling, for example, solid state cooling, may be employed. Test methodology can include injection of a gas to include a preheated gas, for example, air, into an oleaginous liquid sample, for example, oil or transmission fluid, especially having standardized, predetermined level(s) of contaminant(s).

Rapidly cyclable foam testing oven

Apparatus for sample volatilization and collection has a housing which includes volatilization and collection equipment mounting adaptation(s) and a pressure gage for monitoring internal pressure of such equipment. The housing can contain power and/or power line(s) to include for heating the equipment and/or providing a vacuum for the equipment, and/or a device for providing an internal vacuum for the equipment; additional condition monitoring gage(s), and so forth. The apparatus can include the equipment, which can be especially adapted for Noack-type testing.

Growing community of inventors

Midland, MI, United States of America

Marc J Hildebrandt