Transport refrigeration system with engine shaft horsepower augmentation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9758013-B2
Application number	US-201214366750-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2012
Priority date	Dec 20, 2011
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

Shaft horsepower output associated with a prime mover for driving a component of a transport refrigeration system may be selectively augmented through an auxiliary power apparatus. In an embodiment, a compressed air engine is provided and selectively operable to augment the shaft horsepower output for driving the component. At least one storage tank is provided for storing compressor air and at least one air compressor is provided for generating and supplying compressed air to the at least one compressed air storage tank. In an embodiment, the prime mover is a fuel combustion engine and the compressed air is heated by exhaust gas from the fuel combustion engine. The driven component may be a refrigerant compressor. The driven component may be an electric generator.

First claim

I claim:

1. A transport refrigeration system for refrigerating a perishable cargo within a cargo space of a mobile refrigerated unit, comprising:
a refrigeration unit having a refrigerant compressor;
an engine coupled to a drive shaft for powering the refrigerant compressor and operable to generate an available shaft horsepower output;
a compressed air device operatively associated with the drive shaft for driving the refrigerant compressor and selectively operable to augment the available shaft horsepower output of said engine such that both the engine and the compressed air device provide torque to the drive shaft;
at least one compressed air storage tank that stores compressed air to power the compressed air device; and
an engine exhaust gas to compressed air heat exchanger disposed in operative association with said at least one compressed air storage tank for heating said compressed air in-situ within said at least one compressed air storage tank.

2. A transport refrigeration system as recited in claim 1 wherein said compressed air device comprises a compressed air engine.

3. The transport refrigeration system as recited in claim 1 where the compressed air device is selectively operable in a first mode as a compressed air engine to provide torque to the drive shaft and selectively operable in a second mode as an air compressor to provide compressed air to the at least one compressed air storage tank.

4. The transport refrigeration system as recited in claim 3 further comprising a first compressed air conduit establishing air flow communication between an outlet of the least one compressed air storage tank and an inlet to said compressed air device; and a second compressed air conduit establishing air flow communication between an outlet of said compressed air device and an inlet to said at least one compressed air storage tank.

5. The transport refrigeration system as recited in claim 1 wherein the said mobile refrigeration unit has a plurality of wheels, at least one air compressor operatively associated with at least one wheel of said plurality of wheels, said at least one air compressor driven by a braking of said at least one wheel.

6. The transport refrigeration system as recited in claim 1 further comprising an engine exhaust gas to compressed air heat exchanger wherein a supply of compressed air to be supplied to said compressed air engine is heated by a flow of exhaust gases generated by said engine.

7. The transport refrigeration system as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
a compressed air delivery conduit establishing air flow communication between said at least one compressed air storage tank and said compressed air device; and
an engine exhaust gas to compressed air heat exchanger through which a flow of compressed air passing through said compressed air delivery conduit passes in heat exchange relationship with engine exhaust gas provided by said engine.

8. The transport refrigeration system as recited in claim 1 wherein:
said at least one compressed air storage tank comprises a plurality of compressed air storage tanks disposed in a parallel flow arrangement with respect to supplying compressed air to said compressed air device; and
an engine exhaust gas to compressed air heat exchanger is provided in operative association with each tank of said plurality of compressed air storage tanks for heating said compressed air in-situ within each tank of said plurality of compressed air storage tanks.

9. The transport refrigeration system as recited in claim 6 wherein:
said at least one compressed air storage tank comprises a plurality of compressed air storage tanks including a primary compressed air storage tank connected by a compressed air delivery conduit in air flow communication to said compressed air device and at least one secondary compressed air storage tank connected in air flow communication with the primary compressed air storage tank.

10. The transport refrigeration system as recited in claim 9 wherein said at least one secondary compressed air storage tank includes an engine exhaust gas to compressed air heat exchanger arranged in association with said at least one secondary compressed air storage tank for heating compressed air in-situ within said at least one secondary compressed air storage tank.

11. The transport refrigeration system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant compressor comprises an electric motor, the engine powering the electric motor through an electric generator coupled to the drive shaft.

Assignees

• Carrier Corp

Inventors

• Steele John T

Classifications

• B60H1/3232

  particularly adapted for load transporting vehicles (B60H1/3226 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/00428 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• F25D11/003

  Transport containers · CPC title

• B60H1/00435

  fluid or pneumatic · CPC title

• B60P3/20 Primary

  Refrigerated goods vehicles (air treatment of goods space B60H; {air-conditioning means for freight cars, isothermic wagons B61D27/0027; superstructures for refrigerated goods vehicles B62D33/048}) · CPC title