Improvements in Refrigerating Machinery.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 5th May, 1896-Accepted, 6th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Refrigerating Machinery.
We, WILLIAM BRUCE CUMMING, Marine Consulting Engineer, of 16 Brunswick
Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and ALBERT WEBSTER, Marine
Consulting Engineer, of 6 Tower Chambers, Water Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to machinery for refrigerating purposes, and has for
its object, more particularly, to provide an inexpensive refrigerating plant which
shall be suitable for butchers and others requiring to store or preserve, by
refrigeration, small quantities of perishable foods; and the system in connection
with which it is preferred to apply our improvements is that in which air is
compressed, then cooled, and then expanded, in the latter action it being usefully
employed by assisting in the driving of the compressor, by which a greater cooling
of the air is effected.
According to this invention, in a refrigerating machine, I employ a single
cylinder and piston, and the air is compressed in this cylinder in one end, while at
the other end it is expanded after cooling, thereby performing these two actions or
operations in one cylinder. This cylinder is provided with a jacket through which
a cooling fluid is circulated for the purpose of cooling the air as it is compressed at
the one end and to prevent the transference of heat from one side of the piston to
the other, it, the piston, should be rendered or made of non-conducting type.
The cylinder, in one form of machine under this invention, is mounted vertically
on a suitable trame, and the two ends of the cylinder are connected together by a
pipe which is carried in a hollow bed of the machine, and which serves as the
surface couler thereof, the cooling fluid being cold water; and the compression end,
which, say, is the lower end of the cylinder, is provided with a suitable inlet valve,
and a suitable discharge valve.
The areas of the opposite sides of the piston will be different, that of the
compression side being larger than that of the expansion side, the diminution of
this latter area being provided by providing a piston rod or trunk of large diameter,
so that the annular space so formed round is the measure of this end of the cylinder.
The distribution or admittance and discharge of air to and from the expansion end
of the cylinder may be conveniently controlled by a slide valve worked from the
crank shaft of the machine.
The crank shaft, in the example of machine under description, is mounted in
bearings on vertical frames, suitably connected or braced together; and this shaft
is driven, either by hand through a crank and fly wheel, or a gas engine, or
equivalent motor; and if a gas engine be employed, it may be suitably mounted on
the same frame as the compression and expandling cylinder.
The crank shaft may be driven from the piston either by a crosshead or the like,
and a connecting rod; or from a connecting rod between the hollow trunk of the
piston and crank shaft.
In the application of this machinery to practical use, the compressed or expanded
and cold air would be discharged into the refrigerator chamber, or used therein in
any suitable known way; and is led back to the inlet valve of the cylinder to be
re-compressed.
Dated this 15th day of October 1895.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15 Water Street, Liverpool, Applicants' Patent Agents.

page_text: We, WILLIAM BRUCE CUMMING, Marine Consulting Engineer, of 16 Brunswick
Street. Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and ALBERT WEBSTER, Marine
Consulting Engineer, of 6 Tower Chambers, Water Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, 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 :-
This invention has reference to machinery for refrigerating purposes, and has
for its olject, more particularly, to provide an inexpensive refrigerating plant
which shall be suitable for butchers and others requiring to store or preserve, by
refrigeration, small quantities of perishable foods; and the system in connection
with which it is preferred to apply our improvements is that in which air is
compressed, then cooled, and then expanded, in the latter action it being usefully
employed by assisting in the driving of the compressor, by which a greater cooling
of the air is effected.
According to this invention, in a refrigerating machine, 1 employ a single
cylinder and piston, and the air is compressel in this cylinder in one end, while at
the other end it is expanded after cooling, thereby performing these two actions or
operations in one cylinder. This cylinder is provided with a jacket through which
a coaling fluid is circulated for the purpose of cooling the air as it is compressed at
the one eml; and to prevent the transference of heat from one side of the piston to
the other, it, the piston, sl ould be ren lered or made of non-conducting type.
The cylinder, in one form of machine un fer this invention, is mounted vertically
on a suitable frame, and the two ends of the cylinder are connected together by a
pipe which is carried in a low bel of the machine, and which serves as the
surface cooler thereof, the cooling fluid being cold water; and the empression en 1,
which, say, is the lower ent of the eylinler, is provided with a suitable inlet valve,
and a suitable discharge valve.
The areas of the opposite sides of the piston will be different, that of the
compression side being larger than that of the expansion side, the diminution of
this latter area being provided by providing a piston rod or trunk of large diameter,
so that the annular space so formed round is the measure of this end of the cylinder.
The distribution or admittance and discharge of air to and from the expansion end
of the cylinder may be conveniently controlled by a slide valve worked from the
crank shaft of the machine.
The crank shaft, in the example of machine under description, is mounted in
bearings on vertical frames, suitably connected or braced together; and this shaft
is driven, either by hand through a crank and fly wheel, or a gas engine, or
equivalent motor; and if a gas engine be employed, it may be suitably mounted on
the same frame as the compression and expanding eslinder.
The crank shaft may drive the piston either by a crosshead or the like, and a
connecting rod; or from a connecting rod between it and the hollow trunk of the
piston.
In the application of this machinery to practical use, the compressed or expanded
and cold air would be discharged into the refrigerator chamber, or use therein in
any suitable known way; and is led back to the inlet valve of the cylinder to be
re-compressed.
In the drawings illustrating this invention,
Figure 1 is an end elevation and Figure 2 a side elevation, of our machine.
Figure 3 is a plan and Figure 4a section at A A Figure 3 of the bed of the

page_text: Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through the cylinder and slide valve. And
Figures 6 and 7 shew two modifications of the construction of the cylinder
cooling and jacketting arrangement.
Referring to the drawings, A designates generally the cylinder piston and
valvular apparatus or parts connected with it. B are the frames of the machine,
on the outside face of one of which the cylinder parts are bolted and carried.
C represents generally the bed or base of the machine on which the frames B, and
the parts which they carry, are mounted. D is a brace connecting each of the
adjacent two sides or limbs of the frames B together. E is the crank shaft, it
being mounted and running in bearings on the ends of the frames B, and having
the crank F on one end of it, and a fly wheel G at the other. His the connecting
rod between the crank F and the piston. And is an eccentric on the shaft E
which operates the slide valve of the cylinder. The arrangement and construction
of the above parts, provides a machine of simple, strong, and inexpensive construc-
tion, and at the same time it occupies little floor space, rendering it particularly
suitable for most of the cases it is intended to ineet, viz., for butchers shops or
stores, or analogous or equivalent cases where small quantities of goods have to be
preserved and where floor space is valuable or little of it is available for
machinery.
Regarding the details and constructions of the different parts, the cylinder, as
will be seen upon reference to Figure 5, comprises a barrel a, with top and bottom
covers and c, respectively, the top one being provided with gland and stuffing
box, through which the hollow piston rod or trunk works, and slide bars, and
the lower one with a casing d in which the air inlet and discharge valves of the lift
type are disposed, these valves being of any known suitable kind and arrangement.
One part of this casing is provided with a branch a' through which the entrance of
air takes place, and another part is provided with a branch d through which the
discharge of compressed air takes place. These valves operate in connection with
the lower end of the cylinder a only, that is the end of the cylinder in which the
compression of air is effected. For controlling the admission of compressed and
cooled air to and discharge of expanded cooled air from the upper end of the
cylinder, it is provided at one side with a slide valve e. This controlling or
distribution of air is effected by an admission port between the valve box 9
the cylinder and a port h, constituting the exhaust port to the cylinder: the action
being, that the cool compressed air admitted to the valve chest through the pipe i
from the cooling pipes, herealter described, is admitted to the cylinder when the
portfis uncovered by the valve e, and then discharged from the cylinder when the
piston has reached the lower end of its stroke, and the air in this part expanded,
through an exhausting part or passage e' in the valve e, which makes communication
between the ports and h, this valve being driven from the crank shaft E by the
eccentric I. The cylinder a in Figure 5 is provided with an annular cooling
jacket a throughout its length, and through it the cooling fluid used-riz. that
used in the bed C-is passed, the circulation being effected through pipes a².
and
In Figure 6 the cooling jacket a' extends only for the lower half of the
cylinder, the upper half being without a covering, or lagged with a non-conductor
as in Figure 6 at a³; while in Figure 7 the cylinder is provided with a divided
jacket, a a, through each of which jackets a circulation of water takes place.
The piston j is of comparatively deep construction and provided at its lower side
with a facing plate ;', of a suitable bad conductor of heat, such as a suitable wood;
and thus the transference of heat from one side to the other is to a large extent
prevented. The piston trunk kis hollow and is formed in one with the body of the
piston j, the size of the trunk being proportioned to that of the cylinder so as to
obtain the desired action and expansion of air, the principle of which is well under-
stood. The nett area, therefore, acted upon by the compressed air is that due to
the annular surface round the piston trunk k.
The base C consists of a box and a cover C on the upper side, which is bolted
to the box, and this base is kept filled with water, which circulates through it.

page_text: Within the box and surrounded by the water in it, are the pipes, into which the
compressed air is delivered from the compressing end of the cylinder a, and in
which it is cooled. This system of pipes is connected on the one hand with the
branch of the valve eased by a pipe m, and a branch a on the bed C, and on the
other hand, with the inlet branch of the valve case, through a pipe o and a
brauch.
A moisture or water trap is, when desired, fitted to the lower part of the air
cooling pipes or system for drawing off water therefrom, the trap being provided
with a valve and fittings as usual for effecting this purpose.
The piston trunk & is connected to the lower end of the connecting rod h, and it
is guided by a crosshead, which is guided by the slide bars on the cylinder
cover b.
The general operation of the machine is as follows:-The machine is driven by
a belt by a suitable motor through the wheel g, and the air which will be drawn in
the cylinder a by the upstroke of the piston j is compressed in the following down-
stroke, the compressed and warmed air being discharged through the discharge
valve and pipe m into the cooling pipes / in the bed box C. In these pipes it is
cooled and is then conducted by the pipe o to the valve box, and thence into the
upper annular space round the piston through the port, wherein in the next
down-troke of the piston it is expanded and assists in driving the piston, and in the
performance of this work, parts with heat, so further cooling the air. At the
bottom of the stroke of the piston the expanded and cooled air will be exhausted
through the exhaust port & into the space or chamber to be cooled, or, with pipes
therein, or wherever desired; and this air, after use in such chamber or pipes in
some cases, is brought back and re-introduced into the compressing eylinder
through the branch d', to be recompressed and re-used.
Although the machine has been described as used for working upon and cooling
air, yet it may be equally usefully employed for working with or upon other
suitable fluids of a known kind, and in known manners,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is-
1. The improved refrigerating machine herein described, consisting of a single
cylinder, piston, and valves, adapted to act both as a compressor and expander of
the fluid operated upon or used; the frames carrying said cylinder and the crank
shaft for driving the piston thereof; and a bed containing pipes and constructed
and adapted to act as a cooler for the compressed fluid; substantially as herein set
forth, and as shewn in the drawings hereto annexed.
2. In a refrigerating machine for the purposes specified, a cylinder and piston
adapted to act at one end or part as a compressor for the fluid employed, and at the
other as an expander for the compressed fluid, said compression part or end being
provided with inlet and discharge valves, and the other end with a centrolling or
distributing valve for the admission and discharge of fluid to and from same;
substantially as herein set forth.
3. The construction of cylinder and parts connected therewith, and its arrangement
on or in connection with its supports, and driving mechanism, particularly as set
forth with reference to and shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 30th day of Auril 1896.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15 Water Street, Liverpool, Applicants' Patent Agents.