IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATING LIQUIDS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Allee Purkis, of Cheam, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE
OF AND APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATING LIQUIDS."
Sealed the 24th December 1872, and dated the 26th June 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Allee Purkis
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 26th June 1872.
I, ROBERT ALLEE PURKIS, of Cheam, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATING LIQUIDS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of apparatus whereby
with the aid of aether or other suitable volatilizeable liquids, the cooling
and refrigerating of water and other liquids may be economically
effected.

page_text: The liquid refrigerator consists of a horizontal rotary drum mounted
in a fixed cylindrical water-tight case, and fitted with a core or filling
block, which leaves but a narrow space between it and the sides of the
drum. Above this case is mounted a condenser consisting of a vessel
fitted with a serpentine pipe and with horizontal partitions, which are
interposed between the bends of the pipe. This condenser is supplied
at bottom with water which flows upwards over the whole length of the
pipe and serves to cool its surface. If desired the pipe may be fitted
with an internal tube through which cold water may be run to increase
the cooling surface of the condenser. Aether or other refrigerating
liquid is supplied to this pipe, and it descends therefrom in a con-
tinuous stream to the drum of the liquid refrigerator, which drum by
its rotation causes the aether to spread over its inner surface. The
periphery of this drum I form of flanged rings, which are bolted together
to make up the required length, and the inner periphery of these rings
I groove in order to increase the area of the surface exposed to the
aether. One of the trunnions of this drum is made hollow to allow of
the introduction of the aether into the drum, and it is through this
opening also that the vaporized aether is drawn off, the drum rotates, say,
in water or brine, which is supplied to the bottom of the case, and the
discharge of the cold water or brine therefrom in a state for refrigerating
takes place at the upper part of the case. The vapor of ȧether is let
off to a vapor refrigerator constructed like the aether condenser already
described. The serpentine pipe of this refrigerator is connected with a
vacuum pump which draws the vapor of aether from the rotating
drum, and through the serpentine pipe (where it is cooled) and passes
it forward to the serpentine pipe of the aether condenser. The overflow
water from this condenser may discharge into a cistern below, and this
condensing water may be returned by a circulating pump to the con-
denser. In like manner the overflow water from the vapor refrigeration
may be received into a cistern and again supplied to the refrigerator
by a circulating pump. These several pumps will all be worked by the
engine which is employed to give rotary motion to the drum of the
liquid refrigerator.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Allee Purkis in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th December 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT.
ALLEE PURKIS, of Cheam, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send
greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Robert Allee Purkis, Her special licence that I,
the said Robert Allee Purkis, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Robert Allee Purkis, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE
OF AND APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATING LIQUIDS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Robert Allee Purkis, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Allee Purkis, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say)
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of apparatus whereby
with the aid of ether or other suitable volatilizable liquid the cooling
and refrigeration of water and other liquids may be economically-
effected

page_text: The liquid refrigerator consists of a horizontal rotary drum mounted
in a fixed cylindrical water-tight case and fitted with a core or filling
blook which leaves but a narrow space between it and the sides of the
drum. Ahove this case is mounted a condenser consisting of a vessel
fitted with a serpentine pipe or a series of serpentine pipes and with
horizontal partitions which are interposed between the bends of the pipe
or pipes. This condenser is supplied at bottom with water which flows
upwards over the whole length of the pipes and serves to cool their
पु
in a fixed cylindrical water-tight case and fitted with a core or filling
block which leaves but a narrow space between it and the sides of the
drum. Ahove this case is mounted a condenser consisting of a vessel
fitted with a serpentine pipe or a series of serpentine pipes and with
horizontal partitions which are interposed between the bends of the pipe
or pipes. This condenser is supplied at bottom with water which flows
upwards over the whole length of the pipes and serves to cool their
surfaces.
If desired these pipes may be fitted with an internal tube, through
which cold water may be run to increase the cooling surface of the
condenser. The vapor of ether or other refrigerating liquid supplied to
these pipes descends therefrom in a continuous stream to the drum of
the liquid refrigerator, which drum by its rotation causes the ether to
spread over its inner surface. The periphery of this drum I form of
flanged rings which are bolted together to make up the required length,
and the inner periphery of these rings I groove, and thus enable the
drum while rotating to take up and retain sufficient liquid ether to
ensure the maintenance of a wet surface over the whole of the inner
periphery of the drum. One of the trunnions of this drum is made
hollow to allow of the introduction of the ether into the drum, and it is
through this opening also that the vaporized ether is drawn off. The
drum rotates, say, in water or brine or any suitable refrigerating medium
which is supplied to the bottom of the case, and the discharge of the
cold water or brine therefrom in a state for refrigerating takes place at
the upper part of the case. The vapor of ether is led off to a vapor
refrigerator constructed somewhat like the ether condenser already
described. The serpentine pipes of this refrigerator are connected with
a vacuum pump which draws the vapor of ether from the rotating drum
and through the serpentine pipes, and passes it forward to the serpentine
pipes of the ether condenser. The overflow water from this condenser
may discharge into a cistern below, and this condensing water may be
returned by a circulating pump to the condenser. In like manner the
overflow water from the vapor refrigerator may be received into a
cistern and again supplied to the refrigerator by a circulating pump.
The pumps above mentioned will all be worked by the engine which is
employed to give rotary motion to the drum of the liquid refrigerator.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional
elevation of my improved refrigerating apparatus shewing also the
engine and
pumps for working the same; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section
of the liquid refrigerator; and Figures 3 shew in plan and section on an
enlarged scale the inner periphery of the drum of the liquid refrigerator.
This liquid refrigerator shewn in cross section at A, Fig. 1, consists of a
horizontal cylindrical case of metal closed at its ends by covers and
clothed with a jacket of any suitable material being a bad transmitter of
heat. Within this case a drum a¹ is mounted concentrically therewith.
The drum a' is made of thin copper or other metal that is not readily
oxidizable, and it is so proportioned with respect to the case a as to allow
ample space between the two for the reception of water, brine, or other
liquid intended to be refrigerated. The drum a' is carried by a central
spindle a³ which receives motion through a band and pulley from the
crank shaft B of the engine. The drum a¹ is provided with a hollow
trunnion a³ which turns in and passes through a stuffing box cast on one
of the end covers of the case a. The spindle a³ works through a similar
stuffing box on the opposite end cover. The drum is made up of flanged
annular sections which are grooved on their inner periphery (see
Figures 3) in order to carry round a sufficient supply of ether for the
refrigerating operation. This drum is closed at its ends to render it
fluid tight, and a small pipe is introduced into its trunnion for the supply.
of ether to the interior of the drum. Connected with the outer end
of this trunnion, but not so as to interfere with its rotation, is a pipe
which leads by means to be presently explained to an exhaust pump C,
and which serves to conduct off the vapor of ether as it is formed in
the drum. Rotary motion is given to the drum in order to spread the
ether over its inner periphery and thereby keep it constantly wet. To
prevent an accumulation of vapor in the drum it is desirable to insert a
cylindrical core in the drum as shewn at a', which leaves only a narrow
annular space for the vapour of ether to fill. Set above the liquid
refrigerator A is the ether condenser shewn at D, which consists of an
open tank supplied with an arrangement of serpentine pipe d between
the folds of which are horizontal partitions which ensure a serpentine
flow upwards of the cooling liquid supplied thereto. These serpentine
pipes & terminate in a pipe & which leads to the trunnion of the rotary
drum as before explained, and it is through this pipe d² by means of a
tap and branch pipe with which it is provided-that the other is in the

page_text: first instance supplied to the apparatus. An overflow pipe ď³ from the
condenser D discharges itself into a tank E placed below the liquid
refrigerator, and the water from this tank is led off by a pipe e to a
circulating pump F. The ether as it is evaporated by the action of the
vacuum pump C passes from the liquid refrigerator A to that pump.
Before, however, this takes place it is caused to flow through the vapor
refrigerator G, which consists of a closed and jacketed tank containing
an arrangement of serpentine pipes g' which connect with the pipe g
leading to the vacuum pump C and with the pipe g³ in connection with
the trunnion a³ of the liquid refrigerator. This tank is supplied with
water, brine, or other medium from a second circulating pump F by
means of the pipe f³, and like the tank D it is fitted with partitions
which ensure a serpentine downward flow of the water, brine, or other
medium. At the bottom of the tank is a pipe g³ which serves to supply
water, brine, or other medium to the case a of the refrigerator A. This
liquid when cooled in the refrigerator A by the direct action of the
liquid ether is led off by the pipe a³ to be used as required. It will now
be understood that the vapourised ether conducted by the pipe g to the
vacuum pump C will, in passing through the serpentine pipes of the
vapour refrigerator, serve to reduce the temperature of the liquid supplied
to the tank G, and thus prepare it for further cooling (as above explained)
in the liquid refrigerator A. The vapour when it has been admitted to
the vacuum pump C is returned through the pipe c to the condenser D,
in passing through which the ether again assumes the liquid form and is
then discharged into the liquid refrigerator A to repeat its cooling action
on the water, brine, or other refrigerating medium contained therein.
The return of the ether to the refrigerator drum is regulated by a tap
in the pipe ď provided for that purpose. It should be remarked that
the overflow water from the refrigerator G discharges by a pipe g* into
a cistern H, which cistern is connected by a pipe / with the second
circulating pump F.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of " Improvements
in the Mode of and Apparatus for Refrigerating Liquids," and explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,--
First. Subjecting the liquid that is to be refrigerated to a preparatory
cooling from the action of the vapour of the volatilizable liquid as it

page_text: passes off through a supplementary refrigerator, and then submitting
the liquid thus cooled to the action of the volatilizable liquid in the
refrigerator in which the vapour is generated.
Second. The compound refrigerating apparatus as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Allee Purkis, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.