US3372740A

US3372740A - Lighting luminaire which is liquid cooled

Info

Publication number: US3372740A
Application number: US520121A
Authority: US
Inventors: John C Kastovich; Jack D Meess
Original assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
Current assignee: Cooper Industries LLC
Priority date: 1966-01-12
Filing date: 1966-01-12
Publication date: 1968-03-12
Anticipated expiration: 1985-03-12

Description

March 12, 1968 J. c. KASTQVICH ET Al.

LIGHTING LUMINAIRE WHICH IS LIQUID COOLED 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 12, 1966 March 12, 1968 J, c. KASTQVICH ET AL 3,372,740

LIGHTING LUMINAIRE WHICH IS LIQUID COOLED Filed Jan. 12, 1966 FIG. 4.

I RESERVOIR NGER 2 Sheets-Sheet United States Patent 3,372,740 LIGHTING LUMTNAIRE WHICH IS LIQUID COOLED John C. Kastovich, Franklin Township, Belmont, and

Jack D. Meess, Franklin Township, Export, Pa., assignors to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 520,121 8 Claims. (Cl. 16547) This invention relates generally to liquid-cooled luminaires and, more particularly, to an improved liquidcooled luminaire which is adapted for easy connection to a liquid cooling system.

It is well known to provide unitary conduit systems formed by joining together oppositely contoured halves of sheet metal. Such conduit systems are known as Control Bond and Roll-Bond and have been used in conjunction with refrigerators as well as liquid-cooled luminaires. In the preferred form of the present invention such a conduit system is used to liquid cool luminaires and the conduit system is unitarily formed in the luminaire reflector. It is necessary to provide conduit openings which are readily adapted to be connected with supply and return liquid lines located in the service area above the luminaire. It is difficult to make simple liquidtight connections between the conduits in the reflector members and the liquid-containing service lines which connect to the cooled luminaire. Such connections must be readily made without stressing the material of which the luminaire is fabricated and, in addition, there frequently is only a small amount of space provided between the ceiling of the area to be illuminated and the floor above. It is also desirable to have access to the liquid-containing service lines which connect to the luminaire without removing the luminaire from its mounting in the ceiling.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel conduit-connecting arrangement for a liquid-cooled luminaire.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel conduit connection for a liquid-cooled luminaire, which conduit connection can be made without wrinkling the conduits or otherwise stressing the material of which the luminaire is fabricated.

It is another object to provide a liquid-cooled luminaire wherein ready access may be had to the service lines which connect to the luminaire without removing the luminaire from its position in the ceiling.

Briefly these and other objects, which will become apparentas the description proceeds, are achieved by providing a luminaire having a raised housing longitudinally disposed therealong for ballast and circuit components. Reflecting cooling members which carry conduits are aflixed to either side of the housing. Securing flanges are provided along the longitudinal edge of each cooling member adjacent to the housing. Conduit extensions are provided extending laterally from each cooling member into the housing. Each conduit extension terminates in a conduit opening. Conduits through which the cooling fluid has ingress and egress are provided for supplying and returning the cooling liquid. These conduits are connected to the conduit openings and extend through the raised portions of the housing.

The present invention will become more apparent when considered in view of the following detailed description and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the present lurni naire;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines II-II of FIG. 1;

3,372,749 Patented Mar. 12, 1968 FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional top view taken along tines IIIIII of FIG. 2, with the middle portion of the luminaire broken away showing the conduit connections which are made in the ballast housing;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken along lines IV-IV of FIG. 2 showing the positioning of a connecting line with respect to the reflector; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a modification of the luminaire as shown in FIG. 1, showing the cooling members connected in parallel to the service lines.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a luminaire 10 comprising a generally horizontal and elongated housing 12 longitudinally disposed therealong. A pair of generally

similar cooling members

14 and 16 are provided, each having a reflective lower surface. Each cooling member comprises a top cover 18 having two longitudinal edges 18a and 18b, a curved depending side wall 20 afiixed to one of the longitudinal edges 18a, and a securing flange 22 (better shown in FIG. 2) affixed to the other longitudinal edge 18b. The securing flanges 22 afiix the

cooling members

14 and 16 to the housing 12 with the top covers 18 projecting generally horizontally away from the housing 12. End walls 24 are provided at the ends of the

cooling members

14 and 16, which in conjunction with the depending side walls 20 define a bottom light opening 26 (better shown in FIG. 2).

Conduits 28 are preferably unitarily formed as a part of the

cooling members

14 and 16 to enhance the heat conduction thereacross. Cooling liquid, such as water or ethylene glycol, for example, from a reservoir 3t and pump means 31 (shown in block form in FIG. 2) is pumped into the conduits 28 through a supply conduit 32. The cooling liquid passes through the supply conduit 32 and exits from the luminaire 10 through a return conduit 34. The cooling liquid then passes through a heat exchanger 36 (also shown in block form) and returns to the reservoir 30. The conduit means 32 and 34 extend through housing 12 and preferably terminate in an upwardly extending rubber or flexible curved portion 35 to facilitate connecting them to the supply and return lines located above the luminaire 10. A plurality of luminaires It may be supplied with cooling liquid from a single reservoir 30. The preferred conduit spacing and the luminaire dimensions are described in more detail in copending application, entitled Liquid Cooled Luminaires, Ser. No. 520,110, filed Jan. 12, 1966 concurrently herewith by the present inventors and assigned to the present assignee.

FIG. 2 shows a solid light-transmitting closure member or light diffuser 38 disposed over the bottom light opening 26 to form an enclosure 49 with

cooling members

14 and 16 and end walls 24. If desired, the light diffuser 38 may be infra-red absorbing or reflecting, to hinder heat from passing therethrough out of the luminaire 10. The luminaire 16 preferably :is recessed into a ceiling 42 as shown, with the diffuser 38 substantially flush with the lower surface thereof. if desired, a seal 44 may be included around the bottom opening 26 engaging the periphery of the light diffuser 36. The seal 44 prevents dust from entering the enclosure 40, and prevents warm air within the enclosure 40 from exiting therefrom through the bottom opening 26. If the luminaire 10 is to be of the air handling type, the seal 44- will not be required. The enclosure 40 contains heat generating discharge means or light sources 46, fluorescent lamps for example, supported by lampholders 48. The light sources 46 have a predetermined input power rating, and generate heat as well as light within the enclosure 40.

The securing flanges 22 are provided along substantially the entire inner longitudinal edge 18b of

cooling members

14 and 16 adjacent to the housing 12. Preferably, these flanges 22 are formed by bending the inner portions of the

cooling members

14 and 16 downwardly. The securing flanges 22 are affixed to the spaced

longitudinal sides

50 and 52 respectively of housing 12. If desired, the securing flanges 22 may form the lower portion of the housing 12 as shown in FIG. 2. A substantial surface contact is made between the securing flanges 22 and the housing

longitudinal sides

50 and 52 to facilitate heat transfer therebetween. Preferably, circuit and ballast components 54 (shown in block form) are contained in the housing 12. Preferably, both the housing 12 and the luminaire enclosure 40 are cooled by the cooling liquid flowing in the conduits 28, to remove a substantial part of the heat generated by both the ballast components '4 and the light sources 46 respectively. Interconnecting webs 56 are provided between the adjacent portions of the conduits 28 in supporting and thermally conducting relationship therewith. The webs 56 and the conduits 28 comprise substantially all of the top covers 18 and the depending side walls 20. The inner surfaces 58 of the webs 56 and conduits 28 are reflective and have a predetermined area which is disposed towards the light sources 46 to absorb the heat generated thereby. This heat is in turn conducted through the webs 56 to the conduits 28, and carried away by the cooling fluid to the heat exchanger 36.

FIG. 3 shows two conduit extensions 58 and two conduit extensions 59 positioned proximate each end of

cooling members

14 and 16. Each cooling member is provided with an inlet conduit extension and an outlet conduit extension. These

conduit extensions

58 and 59 extend laterally into the housing 12 through the raised portions of the

longitudinal side walls

50 and 52. The

conduit extensions

58 and 59 terminate in conduit openings 60 at the innermost edge thereof. If desired, the cooling

members

14 and 16 may be of identical construction as shown in FIG. 3, with the two conduit extensions 58 and the two conduit extensions 59 positioned at the corresponding ends directly across from one another. This identical construction requires that the supply conduit 32 and return conduit 34 both be offset as shown. At the other end of the cooling

members

14 and 16, the two conduit extensions 59 are connected by an interconnecting conduit 62. In this embodiment the conduit systems of each cooling

member

14 and 16 are connected in series with one another. As shown in FIG. 2, the top covers 18 are generally planar. The

conduit extensions

58 and 59 are generally coplanar with these top covers 18 and no bending of the conduit extensions is required. Thus conduit weakening and wrinkling is eliminated.

FIG. 4 shows a conduit opening 60, and a securing flange 22. The flange 22 extends substantially the entire length of the inner longitudinal boundary of cooling member 14. A similar flange is correspondingly positioned on cooling member 16. In this embodiment the securing flanges 22 are formed by bending down the inner longitudinal regions of the cooling

members

14 and 16. The

conduit extensions

58 and 59 are formed by the unbent portions of the securing flanges 22. A housing aperture 64 is shown in the longitudinal side wall 50 of housing 12, through which the supply conduit 32 enters. Similar housing apertures are provided for the return conduit 34 and the interconnecting conduit 62. These apertures 64 are located higher than the top cover 18, and are provided in that portion of the

longitudinal side walls

50 and 52 which extends above the top covers 18.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the conduit systems of cooling

members

14 and 16 are connected in parallel. Each cooling member is provided with a supply conduit 32a and a return conduit 34a. The two supply conduits 32a are connected to the pump 31, and the two return conduits 34a are connected to the heat exchanger 36-. In this parallel modification, the pressure-head of cooling liquid which is maintained across the luminaire is substantially less than the pressure-head in the series-connected preferred modification of FIG. 1.

As another possible embodiment, a valve 66 may be provided in one or all of the

conduits

32 and 34 which traverse the ballast housing 12 as shown in FIG. 2. In this manner, proper flow rates for the cooling liquid can be established without removing the luminaire from the ceiling. A housing bottom cover 68 is provided which is easily removed when the light diffuser 38 is opened. This provides acess to the valve 66. Alternatively, the conduits can be readily drained without removing the luminaire from the ceiling. This facilitates easy access to the supply lines through the ballast housing without removing the luminaire from its mounting in the ceiling.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the objects of this invention have been achieved by providing a novel conduit connecting apparatus. Weakening and wrinkling have been avoided by extending the conduits laterally into a central ballast housing, with supply line connections extending through the ballast housing.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be particularly understood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby.

We claim as our invention:

1. A luminaire adapted to be liquid-cooled to remove heat generated by light-sources adapted to be supported therein, said luminaire comprising:

a generally horizontal and elongated housing longitudinally disposed along said luminaire, said housing having spaced longitudinal side walls;

a pair of generally similar cooling members each having a reflecting lower surface, each of said cooling members comprising: a top cover having two longitudinal edges, a depending side wall afiixed to one longitudinal edge of said top cover, and a securing flange affixed to the other longitudinal edge of said top cover;

said securing flanges affixed to the longitudinal side walls of said housing with said top covers projecting generally horizontally away from said housing on the opposite sides thereof, and a portion of each longitudinal side wall of said housing extending above said top covers;

end walls afiixed to the ends of said cooling members, a bottom light opening defined by said end walls and said depending side walls;

a solid lighttrans1nitting closure member substantially covering said light opening;

spaced conduit means and interconnecting web members forming substantially .all of said top cover and said depending side wall of each of said cooling members, an inlet conduit extension formed on each of said top covers and extending into said housing through the proximate one of the longitudinal side walls of said housing, said inlet conduit extension having a conduit inlet opening formed therein within said housing for the ingress of cooling liquid into said cooling members, an outlet conduit extension formed on each of said top covers and extending into said housing through the proximate one of the longitudinal side walls of said housing, said outlet conduit extension having a conduit outlet opening formed therein within said housing for the egress of cooling liquid from said cooling members;

a cooling liquid supply conduit means connected within said housing to at least one of said conduit inlet openings, said supply conduit means entering into said housing from the opposite side thereof as the said inlet conduit extension to which said supply conduit means connects; and

a liquid return conduit means connected within said housing to at least one of said conduit outlet openings, said return conduit means entering into said housing from the opposite side thereof as the said outlet conduit extension to which said return conduit means connects, and said supply conduit means and said return conduit means entering into said housing at locations higher than said top cover.

2. The luminaire as specified in claim 1 wherein said securing flanges are in heat exchange relationship with the longitudinal sides of said housing, and heat generating ballast components are contained within said housing.

3. The luminaire as specified in claim 1, wherein said top covers are generally planar and said conduit extensions formed thereon are coplanar therewith.

4. The luminaire as specified in claim 1, wherein said supply and return conduit means enter into said housing through said longitudinal side walls, and exterior to said housing, said conduit means have a curved fiexible upwardly extending portion.

5. The luminaire as specified in claim 1, wherein said securing flanges comprise the lower portions of the longitudinal side walls of said housing, and a bottom for said housing is afiixed to the lower extremities of said securing flanges.

6. The luminaire as specified in claim 1, wherein an interconnecting conduit is provided between one outlet conduit opening of one of said cooling members and one inlet conduit opening of the other of said cooling members for serially connecting said spaced conduit means of said cooling members between said supply conduit means and said return conduit means.

7. The luminaire as specified in claim 1, wherein said housing has a removable bottom cover, and a valve means is provided within said housing in at least one of said cooling liquid supply conduit means and said cooling liquid conduit return means.

8. A luminaire adapted to be liquid-cooled to remove heat generated by light-sources adapted to be supported therein, said luminaire comprising:

a pair of generally similar cooling members each having a reflecting lower surface, each of said cooling members comprising: a top cover having two longitudinal edges, a depending side wall affixed to one longitudinal edge of said top cover, and a securing flange afiixed to the other longitudinal edge of said top cover;

said securing flanges afiixed to the longitudinal side walls of said housing with said top covers projecting generally horizontally away from said housing on the opposite sides thereof, and a portion of each lon- 6 gitudinal side wall of said housing extending above said top covers;

end walls afiixed to the ends of said cooling members, a bottom li ht opening defined by said end walls and said depending side walls;

a solid light-transmitting closure member substantially covering said light opening;

spaced conduit means and interconnecting web members forming substantially all of said top cover and said depending side Wall of each of said cooling members, an inlet conduit extension formed on each of said top covers and extending into said housing through the proximate one of the longitudinal side walls of said housing, said inlet conduit extension having a conduit inlet opening formed therein within said housing for the ingress of cooling liquid into said cooling members, an outlet conduit extension formed on each of said top covers and extending into said housing through the proximate one of the longitudinal side walls of said housing, said outlet conduit extension having a conduit outlet opening formed therein within said housing for the egress of cooling liquid from said cooling members;

a cooling liquid supply conduit means connected Within said housing to at least one of said conduit inlet openings, said supply conduit means entering into said housing from the opposite side thereof as the said inlet conduit extension to which said supply conduit means connects;

a cooling liquid return conduit means connected within said housing to at least one of said conduit outlet openings, said return conduit means entering into said housing from the opposite side thereof as the said outlet conduit extension to which said return conduit means connects, and said supply conduit means and said return conduit means entering into said housing at locations higher than said top cover;

a cooling liquid reservoir and pump means connected to said supply conduit means for supplying cooling liquid to said cooling members; and

a heat exchanger connected between said return conduit means and said reservoir and pump means for removing heat from the cooling liquid.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,193,001 7/1965 Meckler 98-40 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner. CHARLES SUKALO, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A LUMINAIRE ADAPTED TO BE LIQUID-COOLED TO REMOVE HEAT GENERATED BY LIGHT-SOURCES ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED THEREIN, SAID LUMINAIRE COMPRISING: A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AND ELONGATED HOUSING LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED ALONG SAID LUMINAIRE, SAID HOUSING HAVING SPACED LONGITUDINAL SIDE WALLS; A PAIR OF GENERALLY SIMILAR COOLING MEMBERS EACH HAVING A REFLECTING LOWER SURFACE, EACH OF SAID COOLING MEMBERS COMPRISING: A TOP COVER HAVING TWO LONGITUDINAL EDGES, A DEPENDING SIDE WALL AFFIXED TO ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID TOP COVER, AND A SECURING FLANGE AFFIXED TO THE OTHER LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID TOP COVER; SAID SECURING FLANGES AFFIXED TO THE LONGITUDINAL SIDE WALLS OF SAID HOUSING WITH SAID TOP COVERS PROJECTING GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY AWAY FROM SAID HOUSING ON THE OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, AND A PORTION OF EACH LONGITUDINAL SIDE WALL OF SAID HOUSING EXTENDING ABOVE SAID TOP COVERS; END WALLS AFFIXED TO THE ENDS OF SAID COOLING MEMBERS, A BOTTOM LIGHT OPENING DEFINED BY SAID END WALLS AND SAID DEPENDING SIDE WALLS; A SOLID LIGHT-TRANSMITTING CLOSURE MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY COVERING SAID LIGHT OPENING; SPACED CONDUIT MEANS AND INTERCONNECTING WEB MEMBERS FORMING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID TOP COVER AND SAID DEPENDING SIDE WALL OF EACH OF SAID COOLING MEMBERS, AN INLET CONDUIT EXTENSION FORMED ON EACH OF SAID TOP COVERS AND EXTENDING INTO SAID HOUSING THROUGH THE PROXIMATE ONE OF THE LONGITUDINAL SIDE WALLS OF SAID HOUSING, SAID INLET CONDUIT EXTENSION HAVING A CONDUIT INLET OPENING FORMED THEREIN WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR THE INGRESS OF COOLING LIQUID INTO SAID COOLING MEMBERS, AN OUTLET CONDUIT EXTENSION FORMED ON EACH OF SAID TOP COVERS AND EXTENDING INTO SAID HOUSING THROUGH THE PROXIMATE ONE OF THE LONGITUDINAL SIDE WALLS OF SAID HOUSING, SAID OUTLET CONDUIT EXTENSION HAVING A CONDUIT OUTLET OPENING FORMED THEREIN WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR THE EGRESS OF COOLING LIQUID FROM SAID COOLING MEMBERS; A COOLING LIQUID SUPPLY CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CONDUIT INLET OPENINGS, SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT MEANS ENTERING INTO SAID HOUSING FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE THEREOF AS THE SAID INLET CONDUIT EXTENSION TO WHICH SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTS; AND A LIQUID RETURN CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CONDUIT OUTLET OPENINGS, SAID RETURN CONDUIT MEANS ENTERING INTO SAID HOUSING FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE THEREOF AS THE SAID OUTLET CONDUIT EXTENSION TO WHICH SAID RETURN CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTS, AND SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT MEANS AND SAID RETURN CONDUIT MEANS ENTERING INTO SAID HOUSING AT LOCATIONS HIGHER THAN SAID TOP COVER.