Improvements in Refrigerators.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st June, 1889-Accepted, 6th July, 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Refrigerators.
I. ROBERT DAVIDSON WADDELL of Mount Street, (West) Glasgow in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Sausage Manufacturer, 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 which relates to improvements in Refrigerators has for its object
to provide a better circulation of the air and to economise or effect a saving of
the ice deposited in the chamber, to more readily cool the air and consequently
preserve for a longer time the perishable subjects deposited in the chamber.
My Invention consists in the employment of a chamber of any convenient size,
into which I place ice for cooling and preserving purposes.
The chamber consists of an outer wall made of wood and lined with zinc, against
which I fix or secure vertical bars, made of wood or other suitable material, between
which and the face of the ice deposited in the chamber the air passes along.
At the top end of the outer side wall of the chamber a passage for the admission
of air is made, and immediately behind that, I place a sheet of metal or other suitable
material fixed to the top of the chamber which extends downwards. When the air
enters the passage it strikes against the sheet of metal which drives the air against
the bars and down the face of the ice to the bottom of the chamber.
By the introduction of this sheet of metal at the top of the chamber the hot air
which rushes in becomes suddenly chilled, and falls down the face or outer edges of
the ice, striking against the metal surface at the bottom of the chamber immediately
under the ice, when it again becomes further chilled by the splash or drops of water
which falls from the ice on to the said metal surface on the bottom of the chamber,-
the air while passing through the water deposits all its animal heat and impurities in
the said water, and thus effects a saving of the ice, hitherto the impurities of the air
have been deposited on the ice which caused a great waste of ice-after this has
taken place the follows its course to another final metal surface and receives there its
last chill and purification.
The liquid arising from the melting of the ice passes or drops through bars of wood or
other suitable material, upon which the ice is placed or rests, and thence into and
upon an inclined metal surface at the bottom of the chamber under the ice, and
thence into and upon another inclined metal surface, thereafter passing into an air
trap for transmission to a drain or waste pipe.
By this arrangement a continuous and more direct supply of cool air is obtained,
and as the circulation of the air is very rapid it becomes much cooler (generally being
below 40° Fahrenheit in temperature) and therefore refrigerates the perishable
subjects to be preserved much quicker, and in a more efficient manner, and with a less
amount of waste of ice than hitherto.
In Refrigeraters hitherto used the air comes into contact with the whole body of
ice at the top or bottom of the chamber and its progress is consequently retarded,
thus melting the ice quicker than would be done under my process.
The interior of the Refrigerater may be fitted with hooks, racks or shelves for
hanging or otherwise supporting the meat or perishable subjects to be stored
therein.
In order that my said Invention may be more readily understood and easily carried
into effect I will now proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying sheet
of drawings.
Figure 1, is a sectional elevation, Figure 2 a part sectional plan, and Figure 3, a
cross sectional elevation of a modification of my improvements.
In carrying out my Improvements I construct a chamber A, Figures 1 and 2, for
holding ice, having an outer wall B, made of weod, and lined with zinc C, or other

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suitable material, the said chamber being made of any convenient size, according to
the space available in the refrigerating room, carriage or compartment and which
may be mounted either by hanging against the walls of said compartment or
supported from the floor by means of trestles D, or other convenient arrangement.
The said chamber is made with thoroughly close joints, and is provided with an
opening E, at its top for allowing the hot air to be cooled to enter, and also an
opening F, at its lowest point which is obtained by forming the floor or sole of the
chamber as an incline, the said opening being for the purpose of allowing any water
that may gather from the ice melting to pass away, and also for allowing the cool air
to rush through.
Inside the metal lining I fix or secure vertical bars G, made of wood or other
suitable material for the purpose of forming spaces between the sides or walls of the
chamber A, and the ice which is deposited therein, the said spaces being for the
purpose of allowing the air to rush through and thus get cooled.
Inside the opening E, I fix to the top of the chamber a sheet of metal H, or other
suitable material and which hangs down as shewn, so that on the hot air rushing in
through the opening E, it strikes against the said sheet of metal H, and becomes
suddenly chilled after which it passes down between the bars G, and also between the
zine lining C, and the face or outer edges of the ice, till it reaches the zinc lining on
the bottom of the chamber, where it again becomes further chilled, and divested of all
its impurities and animal heat by means of the splash or drops of liquid from the ice
falling on the said zinc bottom, the air then rushes through the opening F, in the
bottom of the chamber, and gets its final chill by coming against an inclined inclined
sheet of metal J, hung by any suitable means underneath the chamber. The water or
drippings from the ice containing the impurities of the air also falls through the
opening F, on to the sheet of metal J, thence into a conduit or gutter K, mounted in
any suitable way for allowing the liquid to pass through the outlet pipe L, and thence
through a suitable air trap to the drain or waste pipe as desired.
For the purpose of equalizing the pressure of the ice on the sides of the chamber,
I mount near its bottom a suitable number of wooden, or other material joists M, the
said joists running either along or across the chamber and fixed to the sides or ends
of the chamber in any convenient manner.
The chamber is also provided with a door or opening, at any convenient part of it for
allowing the ice to be placed therein.
As a inodification I may form the refrigerating chamber as shewn in Figure 3, to
be placed along the ceiling of the compartiment.
In this instance I construct the chamber A¹, in the manner as herein before
described with outer wall B¹, zinc lining C¹; vertical bars G₁, and joists M³, but
having two openings E¹, for the inlet of the hot air, one on either side, each being
provided with the chilling plate H', and having its outlet opening F, running along
its centre, the said opening being for the cooled air alone, the refuse water or
drippings with the impurities being led off in two conduits k formed in the bottom
or sole of the chamber, the said bottom being inclined from sides to centre and also
inclined to either end as may be desired, and having another conduit or gutter K¹,
mounted there for leading off the water and impurities from the conduits k, to the
outlet pipe and thence through the air trap to the drain or waste pipe. Or if desired
the bottom may be inclined to both ends, having gutter and outlet pipe at each end.
To prevent the ice or water drippings from falling through the openings F¹, I
mount a false bottom or platform N; above it, the said platform being covered or
lined with zinc, and made broader than the opening F¹.
1;
As a further modification I may in lieu of adopting the chilling plate H, Figure 1,.
make the top lining of zinc C, act as the chilling surface by means of mounting it
so as to leave a space or passage for the hot air to pass over it, that is between it
and the outer wall B, the air in this case passing to the back of the chamber thence
down between the bars Gas already described and thence along the inclined sheet of
metal in which case the inclined bottom wall B, or sole of chamber with zinc lining C,
is not necessary and therefore is dispensed with..
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page_text: 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-
First. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the
Refrigerators, all as hereinbefore described and set forth with reference to Figures 1,
2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Second. In Refrigerators at the openings E, & E¹, the sheet of metal H, & H³,
fixed to the top of the chamber for the air to strike against as and for the purposes
hereinbefore set forth with reference to the annexed drawings.
Dated this 31st day of
1000
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.