Improvements in Refrigerating Machinery Applicable to Air Cooling or Freezing Machines for Use at Sea or on Land for Preserving Meat or other Perishable Substances.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1886.
Specification Accepted, 18th Mar., 1887.
Improvements in Refrigerating Machinery Applicable to Air Cooling
or Freezing Machines for Use at Sea or on Land for Preserving
Meat or other Perishable Substances.
I ANDREW BURNS IMRIE of Port Chalmers in the Provincial District of Otago
in the Colony of New Zealand Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in the arrangement of Refrigerating
Machinery as applied to air cooling or freezing Machines by compression and expansion
of air, adapted for working on board ship and on land to economise space and save
labour and fuel in the working thereof and to minimise the risk of accidents to the
Machinery and also for the more efficient working of such refrigerators.
My arrangement consists of, and has for its object the more simple method of the
compression of air; and the manner in which the same is to be performed is by
working the air pump piston direct from the steam piston entirely by the pressure of
the steam upon such steam piston thus entirely obviating the necessity for crank shafts,
Further the
connecting rods, and Flywheels as in other Refrigerating Machinery.
steam and air inlet valves are connected by a Wiper on a rocking. shaft and are driven
by the piston rod cross head.
The air exhaust valve and circulating water pump are driven direct off the cross
head.
The following is a description of the details of my invention showing the various
connections of the same with the Refrigerating Machinery as the same is more
particularly described and delineated in the accompanying drawings.
The letter A refers to the pistons and piston rods connected with a cross head C.
The steam in the steam cylinder presses behind the piston and forces the piston to the
end of the cylinder which compresses the air in the air cylinder, the pistons working
in a reciprocatory manner,
E is an
B is an inlet valve which is driven off the cross head C by a wiper D.
air discharge valve driven direct off the cross head C by Triggers F F. G G are the air
discharge pipes from the Compressors H to the cooler I.
K is the air receiver.

page_text: LL is the air supply pipe from the Receiver K to the air expansion cylinder M. N is a
circulating water pump driven direct off cross head C for circulating cold water through
the cooler I and Cylinder Jackets. O is a steam cylinder. P is a steam chest. The
same direct action herein described is applicable to either compound or single acting
machines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
The especial novelty of the direct action of the pistons A which obviates the necessity for
crank shafts, connecting rods, flywheels, eccentric straps and pulleys as in other
Refrigerating Machines and I claim for this machine the especial economising of space
by reason of the dispensing with crank shafts, connecting rods, flywheels, eccentric
straps and pulleys, the lesser liability of accident to the machinery by the said
application of the direct action, the saving of labour and fuel consequent thereupon.
ANDREW BURNS IMRIE.