Improvements in Cooling Water or other Liquids, and in Apparatus for the Purpose.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 16th June, 1894-Accepted, 21st July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cooling Water or other Liquids, and in Apparatus
for the Purpose.
I, EDMOND SEE of 15 Rue d'Amiens Lille, France, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to cooling water or other liquids, and is intended
more particularly for the cooling of water which has become heated through having
been used to condense the exhaust steam from steam engines or to cool the motor
cylinder of gas engines or in the condensers of distilling apparatus or for other
industrial or manufacturing purposes. When a stream of water of sufficient
importance is not available and it becomes necessary to draw it from a greater or
less depth its employment becomes expensive on account of the motive power
required. This expense is still greater when the source of supply is that of a town
or city.
In order to avoid this expense it has been usual to employ cooling apparatus, and
those hitherto in use have generally consisted of a series of superposed stages or
frames to the uppermost of which the water to be cooled is conducted. These stages
or frames are formed of hurdles, laths of wood, metal rods, perforated sheet iron,
perforated wooden floors, wire gauze or the like. Cooling apparatus have also
been made in which strings or cords are arranged vertically, the water being caused
to trickle down them in thin streams and being thereby cooled by contact with the
air, but very slowly. These apparatus, however, are cumbersome and expensive.
A characteristic feature of the present invention is that the water or liquid to
be cooled is reduced to the state of very five division or spray by forcing it through
pipes fitted with vertical nozzles or jets that divide or break it up. The water
issuing from the jets is forced up into the atmosphere in the state of spray or fine
division owing to the pressure which is brought to bear upon it and falls into a
vessel below at a temperature nearly approaching that of the surrounding air.
The efficiency of my apparatus arises from the fact that the water is in a state
of very fine division or spray, and that it is in contact with the air both in rising
and falling; it is thus more quickly cooled.
An apparatus constructed according to my invention in the simplest form
consists of a rectangular or other suitably shaped open vessel fitted with a
horizontal pipe which is provided with the spray producing nozzles or jets at
intervals along its upper edge. The water to be cooled is supplied to this pipe
under pressure, rises from the nozzles in the state of spray or fine division and then
falls back in a cooled state into the vessel from which it can be drawn off to be
used for condensing or other purposes. At any suitable part of the horizontal
pipe a vertical pipe is connected its height corresponding with the pressure it is
desired to have at the nozzles. At the upper part of this pipe is an overflow
by which any excess water escapes and falls into the vessel. Instead of one
horizontal pipe the vessel may be fitted with two, three or more horizontal pipes
placed parallel to each other and connected to one common supply pipe and having
one common pressure regulating vertical pipe. Or a number of horizontal pipes
may radiate from a central chamber or box connected with the supply pipe, the
vertical pipe being connected to the central box or to any other suitable part.
Or the vessel may be oval or round and the horizontal pipe be of corresponding
shape with or without horizontal cross-pipes. Or any other suitable construction
may be adopted, the main point being that the water to be cooled is thrown up
in the state of spray or fine division and falls back into the vessel.

page_text: In cases where for any reason it is not desirable or not practicable to employ
an open or uncovered vessel I employ a chamber in which horizontal pipes
fitted with spray producing nozzles are placed, these pipes being connected with a
pump for forcing the water into them. The spray from the nozzles rises into the
air contained in the upper part of the chamber. Below the horizontal pipes is
a porous bed composed of a layer of coke, stone chippings, metallic cloth or
the like through which air is forced by means of a fan or blower. This air
passes to the upper part of the chamber and cools the spray which then falls back
upon the porous bed. The air then passes through a second porous layer to
an outlet at top, this second porous layer preventing the escape of any water
The cooled water passes through the lower porous layer to the bottom
or spray.
of the chamber.
When the water to be cooled is from a steam engine condenser it sometimes
contains grease or oil which it is well to eliminate, and this elimination is
effected by the lower porous layer of coke or other material which acts as a
filter. When the coke becomes charged with grease it can be removed and
burnt, a fresh supply of coke being introduced.
Sometimes place below the porous layer but above the inlet of air from
the fan two or more slightly inclined boards or plates arranged so that the air
has to follow a zig-zag passage before reaching the porous layer.
The water
that passes through the porous layers trickles or flows from hoard to board and
thus becomes further cooled by contact with the ascending current of air.
Dated this 18th day of September 1893.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.
-
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cooling Water or other Liquids, and in Apparatus
for the Purpose.
I, EDMOND SEE of 15 Rue d'Amiens, Lille, France, 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 :-
My invention has reference to cooling water or other liquids and is intended
more particularly for the cooling of water which has become heated through having
been used to condense the exhaust steam from steam engines or to cool the motor
cylinder of gas engines or in the condensers of distilling apparatus or for other
industrial or manufacturing purposes. When a stream of water of sufficient
importance is not available and it becomes necessary to draw it from a greater or
less depth its employment becomes expensive on account of the motive power
required. This expense is still greater when the source of supply is that of a town
or city.
In order to avoid this expense it has been usual to employ cooling apparatus and
those hitherto in use have generally consisted of a series of superposed stages or
frames to the uppermost of which the water to be cooled is conducted. These
stages or frames are formed of hurdles, laths of wood, metal rods, perforated sheet
iron, perforated wooden floors, wire gauze or the like. Cooling apparatus have
also been made in which strings or cords are arranged vertically the water being
caused to trickle down them in thin streams and being thereby cooled by contact
with the air but very slowly. These apparatus however are cumbersome and
expensive.
A characteristic feature of the present invention is that the water or liquid to be
cooled is reduced to the state of very fine division or spray by forcing it through
pipes fitted with vertical nozzles or jets that divide or break it up. The water

page_text: issuing from the jets is forced up into the atmosphere in the state of spray or fine
division owing to the pressure which is brought to bear upon it and falls into a
vessel below at a temperature nearly approaching that of the surrounding air.
The efficiency of my apparatus arises from the fact that the water is in a state
of very fine division or spray and that it is in contact with the air both in rising
and falling; it is thus more quickly cooled.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal section and Figure 14 a
transverse section of an apparatus constructed according to my invention in the
simplest form. It consists of a rectangular or other suitably shaped open vessel E
fitted with a horizontal pipe T which is provided with the spray producing nozzles
or jets II at intervals along its upper edge. The water to be cooled is supplied
to this pipe at A under pressure, rises from the nozzles II in the state of spray or
fine division and then falls back in a cooled state into the vessel E from which it
can be drawn off to be used for condensing or other purposes. B represents the
outlet which may be at any convenient position. At any suitable part of the
horizontal pipe a vertical pipe C is connected its height corresponding with
the pressure it is desired to have at the nozzles. At the upper part of this pipe is
an overflow D by which any excess water escapes and falls into the vessel.
Instead of one horizontal pipe T the vessel may be fitted with two, three or more
horizontal pipes placed parallel to each other and connected to one common supply
pipe and having one common pressure regulating vertical pipe. Figure 2
illustrates in plan a vessel E fitted with two horizontal pipes T and Figure 3
vessel fitted with three horizontal pipes T. In each case the pipes T are provided
with nozzles and are connected to one common supply pipe A and have one common
pressure regulating vertical pipe C. Or, as shown in Figure 4, a number of
horizontal pipes T fitted with nozzles may radiate from a central chamber or box F
connected with the supply pipe A, the vertical pipe C being connected to the
central box as shown or to any other suitable part. Or, as shown in Figure 5, the
vessel E may be oval (or round) and the horizontal pipe T be of corresponding
shape with or without horizontal cross pipes such as those illustrated. Or any
other suitable construction may be adopted the main point being that the water to
be cooled is thrown up in the state of spray or fine division and falls back into the
vessel.
In cases where for any reason it is not desirable or not practicable to employ an
open or uncovered vessel, I employ apparatus constructed with a chamber, such
for example as that shown at F in Figures 6 and 7, in which horizontal pipes T
fitted with spray producing nozzles I are placed, these pipes being connected with
a pump P for forcing the water into them. The spray from the nozzles rises into
the air contained in the upper part of the chamber. Below the horizontal pipes is
a porous hed D composed of a layer of coke, stone chippings, metallic cloth or the
like through which air is forced by means of a fan or blower V which forces air
into the lower chamber E. This air after traversing the porous bed D passes to
the upper part of the chamber F and cools the spray which then falls back upon
the porous bed. The air then passes through a second porous layer G to an
outlet H at top, this second porous layer preventing the escape of any water or
spray. The cooled water passes through the lower porous layer D to the bottom
of the chamber E from which it can be withdrawn at B.
When the water to be cooled is from a steam engine condenser it sometimes
contains grease or oil which it is well to eliminate and this elimination is effected
by the lower porous layer D of coke or other material which acts as a filter. When
the coke becomes charged with grease it can be removed and burnt, a fresh supply
of coke being introduced.
Sometimes I place below the nozzles 1 and porous layer D but above the inlet
of air from the fan V, two or more slightly inclined or horizontal boards or plates
arranged as for example as shown at QQ Figure 8 or at QQ Figure 9 so that the
air has to follow a zig-zag passage before reaching the porous layer. The water
that passes through the porous layers trickles or flows from board to board and

page_text: thus becomes further cooled by contact with the ascending current of air.
Figure 10 is a plan with the upper part removed of the apparatus shown in
Figure 9.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is : :-
1. The cooling of water or other liquids by means of apparatus such as berein-
before described in which the liquid to be cooled is reduced to the state of very
fine division or spray by being forced under pressure through nozzles which
discharge it into the atmosphere or into a closed chamber, the cooled liquid falling
into a vessel or receiver below, as set forth.
2. The several constructions or forms of apparatus represented in Figures 1 to 5
inclusive and herein before described for the purpose set forth.
3. An apparatus for cooling water or other liquid, in which the liquid to be
.cooled is forced under pressure through nozzles which deliver it in a state of very
fine division into a closed chamber into which air is also forced, substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 6 and 7.
4. In an apparatus for cooling water or other liquid constructed as referred to in
Claim 3, a porous bed dividing the chamber between the liquid nozzles and the air
inlet substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 for
the purpose set forth.
5. In an apparatus for cooling water or other liquid constructed as referred to in
Claim 3, a porous bed at the upper part of the chamber, substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 for the purpose set forth.
6. In an apparatus for cooling water or other liquid constructed as referred to in
Claim 3, two or more boards or plates between the liquid nozzles and the air inlet,
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 8, 9 and 10,
arranged so as to cause the air to follow a zig-zag course while the cooled water
falls from board to board as set forth.
Dated this 12th day of June 1894.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.