Thermo King Corporation

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Rodney H Volk

Lowell M Anderson

Herman H Viegas

Peter B Allard

Clarence F Graser

William F Arendt

David H Taylor

Gerald J Ladendorf

Ronald W Seipp

Ambrose Tao

William A Forsty

Donald E Erickson

Bruce D Johnson

Gary L Zebell

Methods and systems for controlling condenser/radiator airflow in a TRS are provided. In particular, methods and systems are provided to control a fan speed of condenser fan(s) of a TRS based on a condenser/radiator performance parameter, a traveling speed of a refrigerated transport unit, and/or a compressor discharge pressure a compressor of the TRS. The fan speed of the condenser fan(s) can be increased when necessary to limit a negative impact on TRS performance caused by a static pressure at an outlet of the condenser fan(s) or under high ambient temperature conditions. The fan speed of the condenser fan(s) can be reduced to reduce noise levels generated by the TRS when the static pressure at the outlet of the condenser fan(s) does not negatively impact the performance of the TRS or when the refrigerated transport unit is not located in an area with a high ambient temperature.

Method and system for controlling condenser/radiator airflow

A refrigerated mobile trailer is provided that includes a trailer body having an opening present in both its front wall and roof for receiving a transportable refrigeration unit. The refrigeration unit includes a housing having a roof panel and a side panel, a condenser assembly disposed within the housing that includes a condenser coil, an air inlet located in the side panel of the unit housing for receiving ambient air for circulation over the condenser coil and at least one air outlet for discharging circulated air to remove waste heat from the coil. The condenser coil is located adjacent to the roof panel of the refrigeration unit, and all air outlets for removing waste heat from the coil are advantageously located in the unit roof panel directly above the coil. The fact that all of the waste heat air outlets are located in the roof panel advantageously prevents air discharged from these outlets from recirculating back into the condenser air inlet when the mobile trailer is in a stationary position. Such a component arrangement also provides more useable space within the unit housing, which may be used to reduce the unit extension beyond the trailer front wall by 17%.

Condenser and radiator air outlets

Cover for a transport refrigeration unit

A transport refrigeration system having a frame which supports a refrigerant compressor, a prime mover for the compressor, condenser and evaporator coils, and an air delivery assembly for moving air through the condenser and evaporator coils. The air delivery assembly includes a single shaft having first and second condenser blowers mounted adjacent the ends of the shaft, and an evaporator blower mounted on the shaft between the first and second condenser blowers. A drive arrangement for the air delivery assembly includes a jack shaft between the shaft of the air delivery assembly and the prime mover, with the prime mover being linked to drive the jack shaft, and with the jack shaft being linked to drive the shaft of the air delivery assembly.

Transport refrigeration system

A transport refrigeration system suitable for narrow post highway trailers in which the refrigeration system intrudes into the trailer cargo space only to the extent necessary to direct trailer air into an evaporator. The evaporator is completely serviceable external to the trailer, with its inlet surface being substantially co-planar with the inside surface of the front wall of the trailer. An air delivery unit is manufactured as an integral assembly and mounted in a main support frame of the transport refrigeration system without requiring further adjustment. Mounting of the air delivery unit completes a plenum chamber for the evaporator, placing an axially narrow blower into an air flow path in which the blower draws trailer air through the evaporator and forces conditioned air back into the trailer. Mounting of the air delivery unit also places a fan into an air flow path in which outside air is directed upwardly through a condenser, and laterally through an engine radiator.

The transport refrigeration unit (FIG. 5) includes a generally planar main frame 20, 22, 24 which supports a base frame 34 for carrying the compressor 54 and engine 56, and with an evaporator plenum 58 and a condenser plenum 60 in side-by-side, but spaced apart relation to provide a channel 62 therebetween. A heavy intermediate upper support member including wall 44 supports a bearing and support housing 68 which carries the shaft upon which is mounted, in cantilevered relation, both the evaporator blower 72 and the condenser blower 74. The plate fins 66 of the condenser are in planes parallel to the plane of the main frame with the air for the condenser entering the condenser plenum 60 from the side, rather than the front. With the arrangement as shown, all of the shafts carrying pulleys for the drive train to the blowers are parallel with each other.

Transport refrigeration unit

Cover for transport refrigeration unit

A component and structural arrangement of a transport refrigeration unit for the front wall of a trailer and which utilizes a generally planar frame attached to the front wall to provide a support arrangement in which the load of the components is transferred back to the planar frame, and which includes an airflow plenum through which trailer air is passed for conditioning which is disposed relative to the plane of the frame with a material part of the front-to-rear depth of the plenum being forwardly of the plane to significantly reduce the projection of the plenum into the trailer cargo space.

An air conditioning unit having a housing providing support structure for supporting the unit on a relatively thin sheet metal roof of a bus or the like. The housing includes two opposed upright side panels which provide the support for the air conditioning components housed therein and which also in turn are supported on the bus roof, generally adjacent the sidewalls of the bus to utilize the greater load bearing capability of the roof in this vicinity. The housing is separated into an evaporator compartment and a condenser compartment by an internal bulkhead extending between and supported by the side panels. The unit includes a single condenser fan motor and a single evaporator fan motor which are each cantilevered from the bulkhead in their respective compartments to generally counterbalance one another while transferring their weight through the bulkhead to the sidewalls of the housing.

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Eden Prairie, MN, United States of America

Rodney H Volk