Economizer for air conditioning system or the like

Abstract

Used in a thermal circulation system in which a fluid cooling agent is circulating in proper order through a compressor, a condenser, a capillary tube/expansion valve and a evaporator, an economizer is disclosed to include an enclosed vane wheel set in between the condenser and the evaporator and rotatable by the fluid cooling agent, two sealing structures mounted in the housing of the enclosed vane wheel to seal the gap between the housing and shaft of the enclosed vane wheel, and a cooling fan fixedly mounted on the shaft of the enclosed vane wheel outside the housing and rotatable with the shaft and the vanes at the shaft to cause currents of air toward the condenser for carrying heat away from the condenser.

1 . An economizer used in a thermal circulation system comprising a compressor, a condenser, a capillary tube/expansion valve, an evaporator, and a fluid cooling agent circulating in proper order through said compressor, said condenser, said capillary tube/expansion valve and said evaporator, the economizer comprising:
 a vane wheel set in between said condenser and said evaporator and rotatable by said fluid cooling agent, said vane wheel comprising a watertight housing, an inlet pipe connected between said housing and said condenser for guiding said fluid cooling agent from said condenser into said housing, an outlet pipe connected between said housing and said evaporator for guiding said fluid cooling agent out of said housing to said evaporator, said inlet pipe having a caliber smaller than said outlet pipe; a shaft rotatably mounted in said housing, said shaft having one end extending out of said housing, and a set of vanes fixedly mounted on said shaft inside said housing and rotatable by said fluid cooling agent;   sealing means mounted in said housing around said shaft to seal the gap between said housing and said shaft; and   a cooling fan fixedly mounted on said shaft outside said housing and rotatable with said shaft and said set of vanes to cause currents of air toward said condenser for carrying heat away from said condenser.   
   
   
       2 . The economizer as claim in  claim 1 , wherein said housing is comprised of a casing and a cover plate covering said casing. 
   
   
       3 . The economizer as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said sealing means comprises two semispherical axle holders mounted in said housing at two opposite sides to support said shaft in said housing, said semispherical axle holders each having a plurality of inside grooves, a fluid polymer filled in said inside grooves inside said axle holders, and two stepped caps respectively mounted in said housing and capped on said semispherical axle holders to seal the gap between said housing and said shaft. 
   
   
       4 . The economizer as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said housing comprises two axle bearings disposed at two opposite sides and adapted to support said shaft in said housing; said sealing means comprises two stepped elastic sealing rings respectively mounted on said axle bearings and said shaft to seal the gap between said axle bearings and said shaft, and two stepped hard caps respectively capped on said stepped elastic sealing rings.