IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATING AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Caspar Mack, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings,
and State of New York, United States of America, and at present of Guilford
Street, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REFRIGERATING AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
Sealed the 10th August 1877, and dated the 12th April 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Caspar Mack at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th April 1877.
James Caspar MACK, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, and State of New
York, United States of America, and at present of Guilford Street, in the County
of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATING AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
"
My Invention of improvements in refrigerating and in apparatus therefor has for
its object to cool air for any purpose to which it may be applied, and to provide a
reserve of cold, whereby the air may continue to be cooled for a number of hours,
notwithstanding any interruption in the working of the apparatus by which the
congealing agent is made to circulate.
The Invention also comprises improvements in the construction of the apparatus,
whereby its efficiency is augmented and it is rendered more compact, so as to
occupy less space, which is a consideration on board ship.
In most apparatus of the kind at present in use if the pump or other apparatus
for circulating the refrigerating liquid ceases working from any cause the process of
refrigeration is necessarily likewise subject to interruption, which, it will be obvious,
may, if of prolonged duration, result in considerable damage. I provide a tank
or other vessel of considerable dimensions containing water (which when the
apparatus is at work becomes frozen into a solid block of ice), said tank being
traversed by the pipes or coils through which the freezing agent circulates, and also
by passages for the air to be cooled. I prefer that the tank should be open at top,
and wholly enclosed in an outer case of wood, with spaces between the top and
bottom of the tank and the outer case connected by the air passages for the
circulation of the air; and a non-conducting material is packed between the sides
of the tank and the case.
Air is supplied by a blowing apparatus, and enters at an inlet in the cover of the
case, and passes down through the air passages, which are open pipes or flues rising

page_text: from the bottom of the tank to above the level of the water; and there may be
any convenient number of them, the spaces above and below the tank serving to
distribute and collect the air to and from the several passages. The cooled air
passes out at an aperture in the bottom of the case to be couveyed where required.
The air spaces and flues may however be otherwise arranged, and the flues may be
connected with separate pipes instead of with spaces common to all if prefered.
Between the rows of air flues are a series of horizontal coils of pipe, whose upper
ends are connected with a chamber to which the congealing agent is supplied, and
their lower ends with a pipe by which, after performing its duty in the coils, it is
returned to the circulating pump.
The congealing medium I employ is ammonia gas liquefied by pressure and the
abstraction of heat, which is supplied in a liquid state to the coils, and there allowed
to vaporize and produce cold, as well understood. For this purpose the ammonia
gas is forced by the pump into a liquefactor of the ordinary and well known con-
struction, whence it is conveyed in a liquid state to the coils, and having vaporized
is returned to the separating chamber, where it is deprived of any water it may
contain, and thence to the pump.
In order to utilize the waste cold produced by the ammonia gas for the purpose
of abstracting the heat developed by the compression of the gas in the pump barrel,
in lieu of the ordinary water jacket I provide an annular chamber around the latter',
through which the gas passes on its way from the refrigerating tank to the
separator; and in order to economize room I enclose the space within the pump
frame in which the crank connecting rod to piston rod and its guide work, and thus
form an air-tight chambor, in which the separation of the water held in suspension
in the gas is effected, the watery particles being absorbed by a suitable hygroscopic
substance, such as anhydrous chloride of calcium, contained in a tray in the crank
pit at the bottom of the said chamber. The latter is provided with doors bolted on
for access to the interior when necessary. The pump is single acting, and is pro-
vided with an inlet valve in the piston, by which the gas is admitted from the
separating chamber through the piston to the pump barrel, and an outlet valve in
the pump head, from which a pipe leads to the liquefactor.
The annular chamber around the pump barrel communicates with the separating
chamber, and the pump barrel is constructed in the following manner:- The barrel
proper is in the form of a lining separate from the main casting of the pump, and
is fitted in an outer casing or cylinder of sufficient size to leave the said annular
space between the two, an external flange at the outer end of the one fitting against
an internal flange in the other, and the pump head being bolted on with a lead
packing between to make a tight joint,
In order to lubricate the working parts of the pump the ammonia is charged
with a small per-centage of benzine, which combines with ammonia gas, and
possesses the same quality of liquefying under pressure, and of abstracting heat
when vaporized. Or the bearings may have self-acting lubricators attached, the
oil being forced into the cups or distributed by a small force pump.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Caspar Mack in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th
September 1877.
JAMES CASPAR MACK, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, and State of New
York, United States, and at present of Guilford Street, in the County of Middle-
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATING AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
sex.
My Invention of improvements in refrigerating and in apparatus therefor has
for its object to cool air, and particularly to provide a reserve of cold, whereby the
refrigeration of the air may be continued for a number of hours, notwithstanding

page_text: any interruption in the working of the apparatus by which the congealing agent is
caused to circulate.
The Invention also comprises improvements in the construction of the apparatus,
whereby its efficiency is augmented and it is rendered more compact, so as to
occupy less space, which is an important consideration on board ship.
The Invention further consists in the employment as congealing agent and
lubricant for the working parts of the pumps of a mixture of gases hereafter
described.
In most apparatus of the kind at present in use if the circulation of the refriger-
ating medium is not continuously maintained the process of refrigeration is liable
to interruption, which may result in considerable damage and loss where the cold
air is employed for the preservation of perishable articles.
In order that my Invention may be more readily understood I will proceed to
describe it with reference to the annexed Drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a top
plan (with the cover removed), of the refrigerating tank; Figure 2 is a longitudinal
vertical section; and Figure 3, a transverse vertical section thereof.
Figures 4 and 5 are part vertical sections and part elevations, at right angles to
one another, of the pump for circulating the refrigerating medium.
A is a tank, constructed of galvanised iron, enclosed within a wood casing B,
with charcoal, or other non-conducting material, packed between the two, the whole
being closed by an air-tight cover. The tank is traversed by a series of serpentines or
coils C of small tubing, through which the congealing agent circulates, and which, after.
passing several times to and fro through the tank, are connected to a manifold
tube D. E aro rows of vertical air tubes or flues placed alternately between the
coils C. The tubes E are of considerably larger diameter than those of the coils,
and are connected at top and bottom to horizontal tubes F. G, H, are air chests
outside the tank at the end or sido, into which the horizontal tubes F open at
one end, the inner ends of said tubes F being closed. The air to be cooled enters
at G, and after traversing tubes E, F, passes out at H to be conveyed to the place
where it is required for use. These air flues may be made of iron, and screwed
together in the ordinary manner.
The congealing agent employed is preferably a liquefied gas or mixture of gases,
which is distributed to the coils C by pipes leading from a chamber I, which
receives it in a liquid form from the liquefactor. The tank A being filled with
water to the proper height, the congealing agent is caused to circulate through the
coils, where it assumes the gaseous form, thereby abstracting heat from and
ultimately freezing the water in the tank. As soon as ice begins to form, air can
be supplied to chest G by a fan or other blower.
The proportions of the apparatus are so calculated that the heat is abstracted
from the water more rapidly than it can be restored by the air, so that the water
will gradually become entirely frozen into a solid block of ice. In order to cool the
air to a very low degree the pipe leading from the manifold D to the pumps may be
formed into a coil K in the air chest H. If it be desired to cool the air below 32°
the tank A may be filled with brine, which does not congeal until a much lower
temperature is reached.
I do not limit myself to the arrangement of coils C and air flues E shown, as
they may be disposed in various ways; when desired the latter may be horizontal
tubes running from end to end of the tank. In this case the tubes for the
circulation of the congealing agent would be straight and connected to a manifold
> pipe.
Fresh air may be supplied continuously if required, but when used for preserving
purposes the same air may circulate repeatedly through the apparatus. The con-
gealing agent after performing its duty in the coils is returned to the pump shown
in Figures 4 and 5, to be again liquefied by its own pressure and the abstraction of
5 heat. The pump is preferably single acting, and with it is combined the separating
chamber in which the gas is freed from any particles of water that it may hold in
suspension. I thus reduce the dimensions of the apparatus by utilising the space

page_text: required for the working of the crank and connecting rod for the above purpose
instead of employing a separate chamber. L is the pump barrel or cylinder proper,
open at bottom and communicating with the separating chamber M beneath; N is
the plunger, provided with a number of packing rings, and having the inlet valve O
fitted in it, as shown; P, delivery valve in pump head; R, cross head working in
guides and attached by connecting rods S to crank T; M is the air-tight separating
chamber, enclosed by the sides and bottom of the pump frame in which the parts R, S, T,
work, the crank shaft entering through a suitable stuffing box and gland. Apertures
with covers bolted on are provided where required for access to the working parts.
The pump barrel L is made in the form of a lining separate from the main casting
of the pump, so as to be readily renewed when necessary, and is fitted in an outer
casing or cylinder of sufficient size to leave an annular space U between them,
which is closed at top and communicates with chamber M at bottom. The
cylinder L is fitted in the casing by a flange L' fitting against an internal flange on
the casing, and the pump-bead being bolted on with a lead gasket between to make
a tight joint. Another flange is provided round the bottom of the cylinder with
passages to connect spaces U and M.
The congealing agent which has not become entirely gasefied before being
returned to the pump first enters the space U in order by the gasefication of the
remaining liquid particles it contains to serve directly for the abstraction of the
heat developed by the compression of the gas in the pump barrel and the friction
of the plunger, thus utilising what I may term the waste cold of the gas;
it then enters the chamber M, where any watery particles held in suspension fall
and are absorbed by a suitable hygroscopic material, such as anhydrous chloride
of calcium, on a shallow tray V.
The gaseous fluid enters the pump through the valve O in the plunger, and is
forced out through the delivery valve P into a liquefactor of the ordinary and well
known construction, such as a worm immersed in cold water (not shown in the
Drawings), whence it is conveyed in a liquid form to the coils, as above mentioned.
The congealing agent which I prefer to use is ammonia gas and vapour of
benzine; crude aqua ammonia and benzine are distilled together, and the gas thus
formed is liquefied by its own pressure and the abstraction of heat. If required it
may be confined in strong containers for shipment. The proportion of benzine used
may be about 10 per cent. and upwards, but it should not be so much as to over-
come the fire annihiliating properties of the ammonia. This mixture of gases serves
to lubricate the working parts of the pump to which it has access, so that no greaso
or other lubricant is necessary, except for the bearings in which the gas has not
liberty to circulate, and for these mineral oil only should be used.
The benzine vapor readily combines with the ammonia, and has the same pro-
perties of liquefying under the influence of pressure and cold, and of absorbing heat
when allowed to vaporize.
Suitable pressure and vacuum gauges are provided on the apparatus ; instead of
the brass bearings generally used for machinery a composition of tin and antimony
should be used.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. In an apparatus for refrigerating air, the arrangement of the circulation
tubes for the refrigerating agent and the air circulating flues in the same tank con-
taining water or other liquid, which serves as the medium for transmitting the
refrigerative effect to the air, substantially as described.
Second. In an apparatus for producing cold, the employment in combination
with a single acting pump of an air-tight chamber constructed within the pump
frame, as shown and described, for receiving the gas or vapor, drying it, and
supplying it to the pump cylinder, and for the driving gear of the pump to work in,
As specified.
Third. The utilisation of the waste cold of the gas by passing it through the

page_text: annular space around the pump cylinder before it enters the separating chamber,
as specified.
Fourth. The employment of the gaseous mixture specified for the twofold
purpose described.
Fifth. The employment of a suitable hygroscopic material when placed at the
bottom of an air-tight chamber constructed within the pump frame, as described,
for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Caspar Mack, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
TIR
JA. C. MACK. (L.B.)
("ST)