New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-09
REFRIGERATION WITH AIR.
a NOVEL SYSTEM TO BE TRIED IN WAL.
LABOUT MARKET.
THE COLD OF EXPANsIoN-coMPARIsoN wIrf
THE AMMONIA AND BRINE sYsTEMs-EN-
TENsIvE PIPELINES.

THE COLD OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WITH
THE AMMONIA AND BRINE sYsTEMs-EX
TENsIvE PIPELINES.
Public attention has recently been drawn to
comparatively new system of producing cold IN inc
household theatre and storage warehouse by
proposition to lay lot Of cold air pipes IN Wa'la
bout Market. Brooklyn. for the benent OF '"e
butchers and produce dealers there inc MATURE
and merits OF the process which 1t Is propose" ~
employ In the presen, instance will be more re"o's
understood perhaps II some reference hrst be maue
70 other modes OF refrigeration now in use IN
many Of our cold storage establishments the oe
sired degree OF chill ia produced by means vi nv,
pipes arranged In fiat coils on inc soe waits "
the apartment and containing brine. The tempera-
ture Of this fluid has previously been reduced Nv
the ammonia some other process IN an o"'s,"e
room TO a degree n little below the freezing point
Of fresh water and the stuff is kept III crcuauoh
through the pipes WIKI tho aid OF pumps
Sometimes airronia gas whose volume has been
greatly reduced by powerful compressors IS lea u
the coil and there permitted TO expand snooenN'
The pipes constituting this coil unlike 'hose en'-
p,oved with brine arc very much larger in diane-
ter than the supply duct. so as TO aio" eNpa',s
10 take place abruptly and extensively ioi II
upon this phenomenon that the whoie ollec' w
pen6s Owing 20 a well-known law Of physics. COM
nression heats an elastic substance and expansion
cools It. The latter operation IL utilized IN the am
r,onia system After the gas has performed its ser
vre II il led back TO the engine-room again. anu
either compressed directly conducted 10 tam Oh
water tina. absorbs and temporarily stores IT, i"e
ammonia Is used over and over again so Is 'he
brine. -,
Now vba. they propose 10 do over in the Wana-
hou, Narke. Is 20 compress air 10 about one-'en
OF its normal volume. remove the excess OF he
deyelored In that proceeding. distribute 'he ar
through pipes under a pressure OF sone'n. S
40 nounds 10 the square inch. and then al tne
/. &c to be allow
&c exactly wnnt is done in the ammonia process
But the air is allowed 20 escape, ana requires III
return pipe and there orc other points OF die'chee
between the Two systems, as VIII he presently po'"'
cd out. For the work In hand TWO loo-horse-Po"e,
Corllss engines will be set up, ana the! WI" " ~
,o drive air conpressors OF some approved HPc.
The amount OF heat which this reduction OF o.'N
will develop is equivalent TO an increase o. SUI ue
prees in temperature But the air IS 10 oe ieu
,hroneh Mines immersed in water tanks. TO removs
.be surplus warmth so thaE when IL goes OUT i"''
the mains IL will have the temperature OF the OUT
side ATMOSPHERE AS the boilers that drive the en-
CINE are fed these tanks. it VIII be prac'c"oe
10 save most OF the heat thus generated.
II would be rash, however, TO assum9 una "
actual practice the fall OF temperature resulting
fror, the subseuuent expansion OF the air TO It's
natural degree OF rarity will correspond with the
rise lust referred Theoretically OF course Z"
would: but matter OF iact, tnere are 81
many interfering influences at WORK that Il" De-
INV : -
thus produced II the air had temperature OF
but x o- 50 degree, above zero before expan-
sion the fall would cover but llttle more tnan
half the range of the Use. But nooooy' eAcep.
laboratory chemist Thaps. wants anything ms
such severe cold as is here indicated In certain
rooms OF a new storage warehouse ABOUT 10 DO
erected zero temperature will be employed SO that
Ssb butter poultry and some other supplies may
he actually frozen. IN certain other rooms tenn
neratures OF 90 So degrees Will be secured and
maintained with careful uniformity. These VIII be
rarea "refrgerating rooms" rs distinguished from
the freezing rooms. incidentally, II may De
noted that OF the neat radated from the
newly COMPRESSED cir before Il has been cooled
by its BATH will be utilized in still another ROOM
where warmth is desired for ripenlng fruits and
for similar purposes.
In speaking OF this enterprise TO Tribune re-
porter last week Charles +. Smith. chief engineer
Of the United States Air Rcfrigerating and Power
Company, pointed out some OF the advantages
which are claimed FOR the system lie said that
for The amount OF steam power employed 10 run
tho conlpressors more cold could be obtained with
air than with ammonia Some produce, IKE nut
ter has a grea. tendency 10 absorb doors: and as
there 3 always more less leakage in ammonia
plants the gas is liable to be taken up by the
butter ana TO spoil its flavor But II air leaks from
the coil It can do no possible harm. on the other
hand It possesses distinct preservative qlailty
on account of iis dryaess purity and freedom from
microbes. The heat due TO compression would com
pletcly extnsuish all bacterial life
While therefore, in many cases the air would
be discharged outside the room after expansion
II Nigh: we'll be permitted TO flow directly into the
,iaces where produce was stored because OF its OK
cep.ional qualities. Among The other consequences
OF such policy would be the prevention OF the
fungous formation often found on meats stored In
n damp atmosphere. Here Is another interesting
consideration: II a fire should break oar Il; the
compressor station. an ammonia tank there would
probably explode and release an enormous guam
,ty 81 s9 dIcDen age been kept at BAY for many
minutes 10y the amount OF ammonia dinused in the
Ienn OF Refrigeration. compressed air has al least
two conspicuous merits. 1t does not corrode the
Brine is Chilled before beirg sent out. and its tenn
psraure Is l1%tf man ny oi neceesapii a
sorb more less heat therefore before getting 10
temperature as that OF It's environment until 1t
reaches TIE scene OF action, ana therefore Is not
4 particularly novel feature o. the ap p; tn
which Is 10 DC ntT9nuced at W HdaITu bed
by the United States Ar Refrgerating and Power
Company is valve which regulates the flow from
the supply pipe into The col Whefe the "a, ar exi
pands This valve T. aulGmal NC IN US aGton; ana
MONA systems the valve is controlled by hand an
requires FREQUENT attention IL uniformly OF TEN.
The new device that be lef. entirely to Itself
sor nours or DAYS with perfect confidence as 10
The result Within the last few months there has
been some talk in German newspapers about the
lessor Iinde's machine ard re,ailed in strong
steel bottles holding a quart each.
One such bottle. they say, viii DO the work or a
ten.pound block Of ice; but aside from the dhi-
cuIties incident 10 the handling OF such intensely
cold objects and the cost OF liqucfylnS air. the
system is open 20 still another ohjectionit works
100 ropidIy 4 quart bottle OF LIQUID air. placed
IN q refrgerafor will freeze solid that you
can knock off chips with hammsE. obviously
such severe cold IS undesirable. aside from Us
wasicfuluess What Is wanted is plan when
admits OF careful regulation Of the Temperature.
Tbe nos sii,lifv % developing refrigeration win
cnmprsssed AIR 20 point where n house-to- mouse
service NAV be afforded MS with water and gas
octlfy
ore IN couip Waabout Market. Indeed, r"fri2er'
ating nipe fines. using brine or caFbonc ac'd Sas
NnriOns MNStcrn cltIts