Improved Process and Means for Sinking Shafts by the Freezing Process.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 25th Aug., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Process and Means for Sinking Shafts by the Freezing
Process.
1, LOUIS KOCH, of 39 Weber Street, Nordhausen on the Harz, Prussia,
Machinist, 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 for its object, to improve the process and means for sinking
shafts through water bearing strata, which means have hitherto proved to be
defective.
Until now the cold was transferred by means of liquids, preferably salt-solutions,
to a conduit of pipes placed in the ground, in order to effect the freezing of the
material surrounding the pipes, and to obtain thus solid wall for sinking work.
The transferring process has proved very difficult, as only a slow progressive
cooling of the freezing pipes could be effected by the circulation of the transferring
liquid, and several parts of the conduit were liable to get out of order; and owing
to the slow effect obtained there was a difference of temperature between the
beginning and end points in the conduit of about 5 to 8° C., in consequence of which
only 14° to 20° C. of cold could be attained.
Recently experiments have been made with compressed gaseous ammonia which
was forced into the sunk pipes. The results thus obtained were also insufficient, as
air entered the pipes, so that the gases could only partly effect their action.
By the application of carbonic acid or of carbonic acid mixed with sulphurous
acid (SO), it is possible, to attain 60° C. and more of cold, whereas with ammonia
gas only 35° C. could be attained. Carbonic acid would not, however improve the
process, if the pipes used hitherto were not supplanted by special apparatus which
form the subject of my invention.
In the accompanying drawings :
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing my improved freezing apparatus and the connection
of the same with the condenser of a compressor of any known construction.
Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 represents on a larger scale a sectional freezing apparatus composed of
two compartments or chambers.
The sectional apparatus (Fig. 3) is placed in the required position in the quick-
sand or water, and any required number of these sections are employed (as indicated
by Figs. 1 and 2) to suit the locality to be acted upon. Hereupon is mounted the
connection a of the same with the condenser A of the compressor, and around the
pipe a is mounted the pipe 6 for the expanded gases.
The compressed gases pass from the condenser A at m into the pipe a and flow
through openings n into the tubes r r (as volatile gas), from where the gas, as soon
as the valves k k allow the passage, enters into the several compartments (chambers)
of the freezing apparatus and cools the same.
By the compressor these expanded gases are sucked off through the openings t
and the bends c and are conducted to the machine through d. Every pipe r is led
to the bottom of its compartment and is provided at its lowest point with a valve k.
As soon as a compartment is discharged, there arises a vacuum, in consequence of
which the pressure of the compressed gases supplied into the piper opens the valve,
and fresh gases may enter the compartment.
The gases sucked off through the conduit 6 flow round the walls of the inner
conduit a (into which latter flow the gases supplied to the apparatus) and cool the
same perfectly.

page_text: By the improved apparatus, which may be constructed with any desired number
of compartments, it is possible to obtain, into the freezing conduit, a constant
cooling which could not be effected or attained by any other known transferring
process without the inconveniences mentioned above. By its application it is
possible to employ any cooling fluid, provided it forms a liquid by or under
compression, and has a boiling point under 0° C.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
-
1. The application of gases (preferably ammonia gas, carbonic acid or carbonic
acid mixed with sulphurous acid) after compression by a machine of any known
construction, for sinking shafts through quicksand or water, by providing a number
of freezing apparatus divided into compartments (chambers) each of which has a
supply for the compressed gases and a discharge opening t for the expanded gases,
in combination with a valve k at the end of the pipes r, which valves regulate
(owing to the sucking off of the expanded gases) the supply of fresh compressed
gases to the compartments of the apparatus, substantially as described and for the
purpose specified.
2. In the apparatus hereinbefore described, the combination of the conduit a for
the compressed gases supplied to the apparatus, with and within the conduit 6 which
conducts the expanded gases to the compressor, in order to effect a perfect cooling
of the supplied compressed gases, substantially as described.
3. A sectional freezing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated with reference to Fig. 3.
Dated this 4th day of September 1893.
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
433 Strand, London, Agents for the Applicant.