Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 16th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 27th Jan., 1888
1, HENRY JOSEPH WEST, of No. 116 Southwark Bridge Road, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in ice making and refrigerating machines
in which the refrigerating effect is produced by the alternate compression into the
liquid form, and expansion into the gaseous form, of a substance such as anhydrous
ammonia, for example, and the objects of the invention are, to facilitate the removal
from the compression pump of the heat of compression, thereby keeping the com-
pression pump comparatively cool, thus minimising the super-heating of the gas and
the pressure generated by compression, and further, by the absence of rarefaction,
to cause a larger quantity of gas to pass through the pumps.
For these purposes I preferably employ pumps in which the pistons, connecting
rods, crank shaft and other moving parts, are enclosed in a strong air-tight box or
casing capable of supporting a pressure at least equal to the maximum pressure
prevailing at any time in the refrigerator of the machine. And such pumps may
have one end of the crank shaft passing out through a stuffing box in the side of the
aforesaid box or casing for connecting with any suitable driving gear or actuating
means by which the said crank shaft may be set in rotary motion. Both ends of the
crank shaft may pass out through the sides of the box or case if desired. The
delivery and suction valve boxes are placed on the upper ends of the working
cylinders or barrels and the latter are by preference surrounded with jackets or tanks
for the circulation of cooling water in the usual way. A prolongation of the afore-
said box or casing extends upwards by the side of the pump cylinders or barrels, and
is connected therewith by pipes or passages which open into them at points above the
pistons when the latter are in their lowest positions. This prolongation of the box or
casing, or some other part of the upper portion of the latter, is connected by a pipe
with the upper part of a vertical vessel the lower part of which is connected by a pipe
with the lower part of the box or casing containing the crank shaft. The said vertical
vessel contains a coil of piping through which cooling water can be circulated
either from the jacket or tank surrounding the pump cylinders or from some other
source of supply.

page_text: The box or casing and the vertical vessel are filled with glycerine, hydro-carbon oil,
or other lubricating liquid which has no injurious effect upon the ammonia or other
refrigerating substance employed in the machine, (and which liquid is by preference an
efficient carrier of heat) up to a level somewhat above the passage or pipe leading from
the upper part of the box or casing to the pump cylinders.
It will now be understood that all the working parts of the pumps are immersed
and move in a lubricating liquid. As the pistons move up and down in their
cylinders part of the liquid in the box or casing moves up and down in the cylinders
also, thus not only lubricating the surfaces of the latter but removing part of the
heat imparted to them by the compression of the gas. Furthermore each time the
pistons pass down below the passage or pipe leading from the upper part of the box
or casing, a portion of the liquid is drawn into the cylinders and not only takes up
during the upstroke of the pistons a part of the aforesaid heat of compression but
laying as it does on the tops of the pistons, secures the ejection of the entire charge
of compressed gas through the delivery valve and is itself ejected from the cylinder
through the same valve into the delivery pipe and is collected therefrom into a
receiver or collecting chamber whence it is returned by a pump or otherwise to the
upper part of the aforesaid vertical vessel where it is cooled by the water passing
Through the coil contained therein. With large machines a similar cooling coil may
be placed with advantage in the glycerine collecting chamber. It is obvious that a
cooling coil may be also placed in the pump box or casing. As the liquid is cooled in
the cooling vessel it falls towards the bottom and ultimately passes back into the lower
part of the box or casing, gradually rises therein, is again drawn into the pump
cylinders, passes on to the collecting chamber, and thence back to the cooling vessel,
and so on continuously. The connection between the upper part of the box or casing,
and that of the cooling vessel, is for the purpose of maintaining the same level of
liquid and of equalizing the pressure in both so that the circulation of the liquid from
the latter to the former may not be prevented. There is also a connection between
the refrigerator and the box or casing, or between the refrigerator and the cooling
vessel, whereby a sufficient pressure is maintained to force the liquid into the pump
cylinders against the pressure of the gas which has been drawn into them during the
down stroke of the pistons.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ice Making and Refrigerating Machines.
I, HENRY JOSEPH WEST, of. 116 Southwark Bridge Road, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
This invention relates to improvements in ice making and refrigerating machines in
which the refrigerating effect is produced by the alternate compression into the
liquid form, and expansion into the gaseous form, of a liquefiable gas or vapour
such as anhydrous ammonia for example; and the object of the invention is
to facilitate the removal, from the compression pump, of the heat of compression,
thereby keeping the compression pump comparatively cool, minimizing the superheating
of the gas and consequently the extra pressure resulting from such superheating;
furthermore the rarefaction of the gas by heating, as it enters the cylinder, is reduced,
and consequently, a larger quantity of gas is passed through the puups in a given
time.
For this purpose, I employ the arrangements illustrated in the drawings hereto
annexed, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a pair of compression pumps
with my improvements applied thereto, and Figure 2 a sectional elevation of same
taken on line 1-1 of Figure 1.
I prefer to employ, as shown in the Drawings, compression pumps AA in which
the pistons B B, connecting rods CC, and crank shaft D, are enclosed in a strong air-
tight box or case E capable of supporting an internal pressure at least equal to the
One
maximum pressure prevailing at any time in the condenser of the machine.
end of the crank shaft D passes out through a stuffing box F in the side of the box
or case E for connection with a spur wheel, or other suitable driving gear, or
actuating means, by which the said crank shaft may be set in rotary motion. The
other end of the crank shaft D is preferably arranged to revolve in a bearing G closed
air and liquid tight at its outer end by a disc G₁, and provided with a channel or
channels H to secure a proper supply of lubricating material to the rubbing surfaces
from the interior of the casing E without the necessity of lubrication from the outside.
Both ends of the crank shaft D may pass out through stuffing boxes in the sides of
the box or case E if preferred.
The delivery and suction valve boxes II are placed on the upper ends of the
working cylinders or barrels A A, and the latter and the valve boxes I l'are, by
preference, surrounded with a jacket or tank J for the circulation of cooling water in
the usual way.
A prolongation of the aforesaid box or case E extends upwards,
between, or by the side of, the pump cylinders or barrels A, and is connected there-
with by passages K which open into them at points above the pistons B B when the
latter are in their lowest positions. This prolongation E of the box or case E, or
some other part of the upper portion of the latter, is connected by a pipe with the

page_text: upper part of a vertical vessel M, the lower part of which is connected by a pipe N
with the lower part of the case E containing the crank shaft. The vessel M contains
a coil of piping O through which cooling water can be circulated from any suitable
source of supply.
The case E, and the vessel M are filled with glycerine, hydrocarbon oil, or other
lubricating liquid, which has no injurious effect upon the ammonia, or othe
refrigerating substance employed in the machine (and which liquid is, by preference,
an efficient carrier of heat) up to a level somewhat above the passages K leading from
the upper part E of the case E to the pump cylinders A.
It will now be understood that all the working parts of the pumps are immersed
and move in a lubricating liquid. As the pistons B B move up and down in their
cylinders, part of the liquid in the case E moves up and down in the cylinders also,
whereby not only are the surfaces of the latter lubricated but a portion of the heat
imparted to them by the compression of the gas is removed therefrom. Furthermore,
each time the pistons B B pass down below the passages K K, a portion of the
lubricating liquid in E' is drawn into the cylinders above the pistons, and not only
takes up, during the upstroke of the pistons, a part of the aforesaid heat of com-
pression, but lying, as it does, on the tops of the pistons, it fills the clearance spaces
and secures the ejection of the entire charge of compressed gas through the delivery
valve, and is itself partly ejected from the cylinder through the same valve into the
delivery pipe P, and is collected therefrom into a receiver or collecting chamber Q,
whence it is returned by a pipe R, or otherwise, to the upper part of the vessel M
where it is cooled by the water passing through the coil O contained therein.
coil S, for cooling water, may also be placed, with advantage, in the collecting
chamber Q, and a cooling coil may also be placed in the case E.
A
As the liquid is cooled in the vessel M, it falls towards the bottom, and ultimately
passes back through the pipe N into the lower part of the case E, gradually rises
therein as it becomes warmer, is again drawn into the pump cylinders through the
passages K, passes on to the collecting chamber Q, and thence at intervals back to the
cooling vessel M through the pipe N, and so on continuously. The connecting pipe L,
between the upper part of the case E and that of the cooling vessel M, is for the
purpose of maintaining the same level of liquid, and for equalizing the pressure in
both, so that the circulation of the liquid from the latter to the former may not be
prevented. There is also a connection T between the suction pipe U, or some part of
the refrigerator, and the cooling vessel M, or the case E, whereby a sufficient pressure
is maintained to force liquid through the passages K into the pump cylinders A
against the pressure of the gas which has been drawn into them during the down
stroke of the pistons.
guage
In the Drawing, Figure 2, the delivery pipe P is shown carried downwards some
distance into the collecting vessel Q, in order to favour the separation of the liquid
from tho gas, which then rises to the upper part of that vessel, and is conveyed by the
pipe to the condenser. If desired, any suitable arrangement of baffle plates, or
other known devices for facilitating the separation of liquids from gases or vapours,
may be employed in the collecting vessel for the purpose of separating the glycerine
or oil from the gas before the latter passes on to the condenser. When too much
liquid has accumulated in the collecting vessel Q (which will be indicated by the
glass V) the tap W is opened, and the pressure of gas in the upper part of the said
vessel will force the said liquid out of the vessel Q, through the pipe R, into the
upper part of the cooling vessel M, or, if preferred, a pump may be employed to draw
the liquid from the vessel Qand to force it into the vessel M, but, in most cases, the
pressure of the gas in the vessel Q will be found most convenient for the purpose,
and the tap W may be adjusted, if desired, so as to allow the liquid to return from the
vessel to the vessel M at the same rate as it is collected in the vessel Q; by that
means the circulation of the glycerine or other liquid is effected automatically and
continuously. Instead of the tap W, there may be placed at the lower end of the
vessel Q and in communication with the pipe R, a valve connected to a float which is
raised when the level of the liquid, in the said vessel Q, reaches a certain point,

page_text: whereby the said valve is opened, allowing the liquid to be forced out of the vessel ()
into the vessel M until the level is lowered again and the float drops, closing the
said valve, whereby the circulation of the liquid is effected automatically in another
way.
The above described arrangements, for cooling the lubricating liquid, may also be
applied to double acting compression pumps, whether vertical or horizontal, and for
this purpose, the glycerine, oil, or other lubricating liquid, cooled in the vessel M as
above described, may be caused to circulate through a hollow chamber in the piston
rod stuffing box, and thence back to the vessel M, by means of a small pump, or other
suitable device.
It will be seen that the cooling vessel M acts as a reservoir for keeping the case E
full of lubricating material up to a proper level, or for keeping the piston rod
stuffing box supplied with cold lubricant.
In some cases, the lubricating liquid may be admitted to the cylinder through the
suction valve instead of through passages in the side thereof.
In the Drawings hereto annexed, the cold water coils are shown connected to the
pump jacket or tank in such manner that the cooling water enters the bottom of
the coil O in the vessel M, rises to the top thereof, then enters the lower part of the
jacket or tank J, issues from the upper part thereof, descends to the lower end of the
coil S, rises to the top thereof, and thence flows away to waste, but it is obvious that
the course of the cooling water may be otherwise arranged, or that a separate supply
may be provided for each coil, and for the jacket or tank, if preferred.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First In ice making or refrigerating machines in which the refrigerating effect
is produced by the alternate compression into the liquid form, and expansion into the
gaseous form, of a liquefiable gas or vapour, means for cooling the lubricating
material which has been heated directly, or indirectly, by the compression of the gas
or vapour, or by the friction of the moving parts of the machine, substantially as
hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Second In ice making or refrigerating machines of the kind specified in the first
claiming clause hereof, the combination of vertical single-acting compression pumps
having means for admitting lubricating material to the upper sides of their pistons,
with a cooling apparatus for cooling such lubricating material, and a collecting vessel
for collecting the same, the collecting vessel being furnished or not with a cooling
coil, as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Third In ice making or refrigerating machines of the kind specified in the first
claiming clause hereof, the combination, with the stuffing box of the compression
pump, of the cooling apparatus for cooling the lubricating material, as hereinbefore
described.