AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF APPLYING COLD AIR FOR THE MANU- FACTURE OF ICE AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR, ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PRESERVATION OF FOOD AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1881

page_text: No text detected.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Sturgeon and John
Wilfred de Villemont Galwey at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 17th October 1881.
John Sturgeon, of 15, Water Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
and JOHN WILFRED DE VILLEMONT GALWEY, of Warrington, in the County of
Lancaster. "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF APPLYING COLD AIR FOR THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ICE AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR, ALSO APPLICABLE TO
THE PRESERVATION OF FOOD AND OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention has for its object an improved system of applying cold air for the
manufacture of ice and apparatus employed therefor, also applicable to the
preservation of food and other purposes.
In the application of cold air for the above purposes, it has hitherto been
customary to apply it to large chambers insulated with non conducting material, in
which chambers the materials or substances to be acted upon by the cold air are
placed. By this arrangement a large volume of air has to be dealt with at once,
necessitating the use of a large cold producing apparatus in order to reduce
the temperature rapidly; otherwise if a small apparatus be used the process is
necessarily slow and some of the cold produced being lost by conduction, leakages
in the chamber, the small apparatus is unable to make headway against such losses
beyond a certain limit. On the other hand, when a large cold producing apparatus
is used sufficient to run down the temperature rapidly, a great waste of power is
involved by reason of the necessity of working the apparatus at the slow rate
D.... 0-1

page_text: required for only making up the losses by conduction and leakage. In a large
chamber moreover there is great difficulty in effecting the equal distribution of the
cold air throughout the chamber, and the air consequently varies in temperature in
different parts of the chamber, and in some places may be even stagnant.
Instead of applying the cold air thus to one large chamber, our Invention in the
first place consists in subdividing the chamber into a number of small insulated
compartments, or they may be several small separate chambers, and applying the
cold air from the cold producing apparatus to these chambers or subdivisions in
detail, through pipes provided with means to enable any one of these chambers to
be acted upon by the cold producing apparatus separately from the others. On
reducing the temperature in the first compartment to the required point, that
compartment can then be shut off from the cold producing apparatus, and the
communication opened to the second compartment, and so on throughout the series.
Each insulated compartment in which the temperature has been reduced will, when
left, slowly gain in temperature, and this gain will be shown by the thermometer.
Whenever any one of the compartments indicates too great a rise in temperature,
the cold producing apparatus can be turned on to that compartment to run down
the temperature again, thus taking the work in detail. A small cold producing
apparatus may be applied to keep cool a much larger space than would be possible
by attempting the whole volume at once.
In applying this system to the manufacture of ice, by the direct action of cold
air a very great saving in power is effected. When the temperature of one of the
small chambers is reduced to a sufficient degree below freezing point, it can be left
in that condition for the cold to operate upon the water exposed to its influence in
the chamber, a definite period of time being required for the water to be exposed
to the action of the cold to convert it into ice, during which time the cold producing
apparatus can be working in connection with other chambers, and come back again
to any of those left standing that may indicate too great rise of temperature.
Our Invention consists in the second place in an improved means of applying
the cold air in these chambers to the water intended to be frozen. Hitherto it has
been customary to place the water to be frozen in deep vessels sunk in a trough
containing brine kept at a low temperature, the form of the vessel being such as to
present the greatest possible surface to the action of the brine, and the sinallest
surface of water exposed at the top of the vessel. But the small surface of water
exposed renders it more difficult to get rid of the air contained in the water, which
being a non conductor delays and hinders greatly the freezing of the water, and has
hitherto been usually expelled by means of agitators. According to our Invention
we employ flat trays to contain the water having the upper surface as widely
extended as possible, so as to facilitate the free discharge of the air contained
therein, which we may effect by the previous application of heat, and we place
these trays filled with water one above another in small insulated chambers, such
as above described, in such a way that the cold air can get all round them. This
arrangement also effects a great economy of space as compared with the wide
'spread ice floors and troughs at present in use.
.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Sturgeon and John Wilfred de Villemont Galwey in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 17th April 1882.
JOHN STURGEON, of 15, Water Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
and JOHN WILFRED DE VILLEMONT GALWEY, of Warrington, in the County of
Lancaster. "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF APPLYING COLD AIR FOR THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ICE AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR, ALSO APPLICABLE TO
THE PRESERVATION OF FOOD AND OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention has for its object an improved system of applying cold air for the
manufacture of ice and apparatus employed therefor, also applicable to the
preservation of food and other purposes.
In the application of cold air for the above purposes it has hitherto been
customary to apply it to large chambers insulated with non conducting material,
in which chambers the materials or substances to be acted upon by the cold air are
placed. By this arrangement a large volume of air has to be dealt with at once,
necessitating the use of a large cold producing apparatus in order to reduce the
temperature rapidly; otherwise if a small apparatus be used the process is
necessarily slow, and some of the cold produced being lost by conduction and
leakages in the chamber, the small apparatus is unable to make headway against
such losses beyond a certain limit. On the other hand, when a large cold
producing apparatus is used sufficient to run down the temperature rapidly, a great
waste of power is involved by reason of the necessity of working the apparatus at
the slow rate required for only making up the losses by conduction and leakage.
In a large chamber more over there is a great difficulty in effecting the equal
distribution of the cold air throughout the chamber, and the air consequently
varies in temperature in different parts of the chamber and in some places may be
even stagnant.
Instead of applying the cold air thus to one large chamber, our Invention in the
first place consists in subdividing the chamber into a number of small insulated
compartments, or they may be several small separate chambers, and applying the
cold air from the cold producing apparatus to these chambers or subdivisions in
detail, through pipes provided with means to enable any one of these chambers to
be acted upon by the cold producing apparatus separately from the others. On
reducing the temperature in the first compartment to the required point, that
compartment can then be shut off from the cold producing apparatus and the com-
munication opened to the second compartment, and so on throughout the series.
Each insulated compartment in which the temperature has been reduced will
when left slowly gain in temperature, and this gain will be shown by the
thermometer. Whenever any one of the compartments indicates too great a rise in
temperature, the cold producing apparatus can be turned on to that compartment
to run down the temperature again, thus taking the work in detail. A small cold
producing apparatus may be applied to keep cool a much larger space than would
be possible by attempting the whole volume at once.
In applying this system to the manufacture of ice by the direct action of cold air
a very great saving in power is effected. When the temperature of one of the
small chambers is reduced to a sufficient degree below freezing point, it can be left
in that condition for the cold to operate upon the water exposed to its influence
in the chamber, a definite period of time being required for the water to be
exposed to the action of the cold to convert it into ice, during which time the cold
producing apparatus can be working in connection with other chambers, and

page_text: come back again to any of those left standing that may indicate too great rise of
temperature.
Our Invention consists in the second place in an improved means of applying the
cold air in these chambers to the water intended to be frozen. Hitherto it has
been customary to place the water to be frozen in deep vessels sunk in a trough
containing brine kept at a low temperature, the form of the vessel being such as to
present the greatest possible surface to the action of the brine, and the smallest
surface of water exposed at the top of the vessel. But the small surface of water
exposed renders it more difficult to get rid of the air contained in the water, which
being a non conductor delays and hinders greatly the freezing of the water, and
has hitherto been usually expelled by means of agitators. According to our
Invention we employ flat trays to contain the water, having the upper surface as
widely extended as possible so as to facilitate the free discharge of the air contained
therein, which we may effect by the previous application of heat; and we place
these trays filled with water one above another in small insulated chambers, such
as above described, in such a way that the cold air can get all round them. This
arrangement also effects a great economy of space as compared with the wide spread
ice floors and troughs at present in use.
In order that the system which we employ for carrying our Invention into
practice may be thoroughly understood, we have hereunto attached a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof. The Drawings are marked with letters and figures
of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation, like letters and
figures being used to denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the
various views.
Reference to the Drawings,-
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of an apparatus suitable for carrying out
the system according to our Invention of cooling down and reducing the
temperature by stages, whether applied to simple cold air chambers or chambers
fitted for the manufacture of ice.
Figure 2 is an end section of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a chamber showing the direction of the cold
air currents therethrough.
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of a flooring showing the application of our
Invention to the production of ice surfaces for skating rinks.
Reference to Figures 1 and 2 it will be seen that according to our Invention the
refrigerating apparatus A is divided into a series of chambers B, the size and
number of which we make in proportion to the size of the refrigerator and the
power of the cold air producing apparatus. The supply of cold air is through the
cold air main C, which leads from a cold air producing apparatus of any suitable
type. Each of the chambers B communicates with the cold air main C by the
branch pipes D. Each branch pipe being provided with a stop valve E. The
chambers B are provided with the cold air jackets or passages F into which the
pipes D open. The passages F communicate with the interior of the chambers B
through the perforations H formed in the corrugated sides J, shown at Figures 1,
2, and 3. The chambers B are all insulated from each other, and are lagged and
set in suitable non conducting material K, as shown in the group, Figure 1. The
air exit from the chambers B is at the furthest point from the air inlet, as at M,
Figure 2, arrows showing the direction of the currents. By thus subdividing the
apparatus A into the group of insulated compartments B we are enabled to apply
the cold air in detail to each and any of the chambers B, and thus on reducing the
temperature of one chamber B to the required point that chamber can be shut off
from the cold air main C, and the communication from the cold air main C can be
opened to another compartment, and so on throughout the series. Each chamber B
in which the temperature has been reduced will when shut off from the main C
slowly gain in temperature, this gain being indicated by a thermometer. When
any one chamber B indicates too great a rise in temperaturo, communication with
the cold air main C is opened and the temperature again reduced. By our system

page_text: we work the refrigerator A in stages and are thus enabled to get the maximum
result from a small cold air producer.
In applying this system to the manufacture of ice a very great saving in power
is effected. The water to be frozen is placed in the shallow trays a, the form of
the vessel a being such as to present the greatest possible surface to the action of
the cold air. We form the upper portion of the trays a with greater surface than
the under portion, so as to facilitate the free discharge of air from the water
therein. If desired, we may expel this air by the previous application of heat.
The water trays a are supported upon the ledges b, and thus each compartment B
is again subdivided. In working, when the temperature of one chamber B is
reduced to a sufficient degree below freezing point, it can be left in that condition
for the cold air to operate upon the trays of water exposed to its influence and
convert such water into ice, during which time the cold producing apparatus can
be working to produce the same condition in the other chambers B and come back
again to any chamber that may indicate a too sudden rise in temperature.
In Figure 3 the lines in the apparatus represent cold waves, the vertical lines
being longer near. the inlet D where the incoming air is colder, and the outgoing
air through the exit M. warmer. The lines are shorter near the far end of the
chamber approaching the end where the air enters the chamber through the
perforations H, thus tending to equalise the temperature all through the
chamber.
In Figure 4 N is the surface or flooring which it is desired to cover with ice. The
surface is of corrugated metal fitted in a suitable shallow cistern A; P is the level
of the water line; B are compartments under the flooring N; the compartments B
each communicate with the cold air main C through the pipes D and the stop
valves E, which are so arranged as to let the cold air in to any compartment B and
at either end thereof in detail, the return or escaping air having to circulate
through the other compartments before passing back to the cold producing
machine. We arrange these ice floors so that they can be temporally planked over
as at R in dotted lines and used for public meetings, balls, and the like, and we
form this planking in compartments B¹ and utilize it so as to pass return cold
air over the surface P to assist in first forming the ice.
Having now described our Invention and shown how the same may be put into
operation, we would have it understood that we do not limit ourselves to the
precise details or construction of the apparatus, as it will be evident that such
details are capable of various modifications to adapt our Invention to various uses
to which it is suitable, but what we claim as our Invention and secured to us by
Letters Patent as aforesaid is,
The improved system of applying cold air for the manufacture of ice and general
refrigerating purposes, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Wilfred de Villemont Galwey, on behalf
of the said John Sturgeon and myself, have to this our Specification set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
JOHN WILFRED DE VILLEMONT (LS.) GALWEY,