Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-07-09
Revolution I'm Ice-M ak ing.

A Mr.. Harrison of Geelong in the British
COLONY of Victoria has a machine working in
| Red Lion Square, London, driven by ten
| horse engine. which turns out ice at the rate
| of 5000 b day
The refr geratiOn as we learn from a recent
| number of an English journal, is produced by
the evaporation of ether in vacuum, and
! the popularity of the invention consists in
the arrangements for evaporating the ether at
a low temperature and condensing it at
higher; precisely the reverse of ordinary
evaporating processes. The ether is contained
in air-tight vessels, relieved from the pressure
of the atmosphere. The cylinder in the cen
ter of the apparatus is filled with valves, so
that each stroke of the piston withdraws
quantity Of ether vapor from the left hand
vessels, and forces it into a condensing vessel
on the right hand. Where the vapor is rails
ed an intense cold is produced; where it is
condensed, corresponding degree of heat is
evolved. The ether, after resuming the liquid
state. returns by a selfregulating valve to the
evaporating vessel, and the process thus con-
tinues uninterruptedly, without requiring any
attention, and without the slightest waste of
material. Indeed, as the pressure inside the
vessels is less than the outside atmospheric
pressure, ii is an impossiblity that any ether
can escape.
The evaporating vessel is simply tubular
boiler. This is not misnomer, for the ether
actually boils in it at a temperature, If re-
uuired fifty degrees below the freezing point.
The cold produced is utilized by means of
stream of salt water, which does not itself
freeze at the temperature required for ice
making, but carries the cold to the vessels
containing the fresh water intended for con-
version into ice. This part of the apparatus
consists of trough twenty feet in length.
fitted with sixty-One freezing moulds over the
outside surfaces of which the cold salt water
circulates in continued stream. After hav-
ing thus parted with its cooling power, it is
returned to the refrigerating vessel, and again
passed through the tubes of the boiler. There
is thus continued and regular circulation of
this fluid. similar to that of the ether, the
whole bearing a remote resemblance to the
double circulation of the blood. 1t is found
that the number of freezing moulds is not
nearly sufficient, and that the machine will be
worked with more advantage If the number
be doubled.
The ice can be made of any required shape
or thickness. 1t is at present turned out IN
slabs eighteen inches square on the sides, and
an inch and a half thick. The slabs can be
placed together so as TO form blocks of any
thickness. The ice formed rapidly at the
coolest end of the trough is white and Opaque,
while that formed slowly at the lower end is
more transparent. BY increasing the dimen-
sions of this trough, and thus insuring more
uniformity OF action, the ice VIII DC uahspa-
rent throughout. The relative excellence OF
white ice and clear ice is a debatable point.
The white, although actually colder when
formed, melts more rapidly than the clear ice
"a drawback when the ice has to be kept, but
an advantage when it is to be used.
The expense of the process is simply that
of the motive power. In the process itself
there is no waste or expenditure of anything
except water An ordinary steam-engine Of
t..r, h.r. "A nf
day, and the product in ice will be four to
five tons The removal of the ice when form
ed, and refilling the moulds with water, are
the only parts of the operation requiring the
services of an attendant. The whole expense
OF making ice in London, including interest
on capital, &C. will be considerably less than
ten shillings per TOM. T. Post.