IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF COLD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ICE AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PRODUCTION OF COLD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ICE AND OTHER
PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by Cyprien M. Tessie du Motay,
of Paris, in the Republic of France, but temporarily residing in the City of
New York, and Auguste I. Rossi, of the City of New York, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd January 1880.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF COLD FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF ICE AND OTHER PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by Cyprien M.
Tessie du Motay, of Paris, in the Republic of France, but temporarily residing in
the City of New York, and Auguste I. Rossi, of the City of New York, United
States of America.
This Invention relates to the production of cold for the manufacture of ice or for
general refrigerating purposes by means of the volatilization of a liquid or liquefied
refrigerating agent and condensation again thereof to a liquid state. These
operations are performed alternately and continuously, and are carried on in
refrigerating or, as generally called, ice machines. Heretofore the refrigerant used
commonly anhydrous sulphurous acid (sulphurous anhydride or sulphurous deoxide)
or ammonia has been condensed by direct pressure, aided more or less by the
circulation of a cooling medium. In practical operation, especially with either of
the gases named, owing to the great elasticity and tension of their vapor at ordinary
or even low temperatures, powerful compression apparatus and hermetically tight
receivers of great strength are required in effecting their change from a gaseous to
a liquid condition, and vice versa, so that the operations may proceed without
external loss and in a perfectly continuous manner. In this Invention the power
of chemical affinity is made to accomplish work performed by the mechanical
compression. In connection with a liquifiable gas or highly volatile liquid an
absorbent is used which at ordinary temperatures under the proper pressure is a
liquid, and which in that condition by the force of chemical affinity absorbs the

page_text: gas or volatilized liquid and forms therewith a binary liquid. This binary liquid
constitutes the refrigerating agent. Volatilization takes place in vacuo therefrom,
cold being produced as readily understood, and the binary liquid is reformed at the
ordinary temperatures with a comparatively small pressure, viz., that necessary for
maintaining the absorbent in a liquid condition, the liquefiable gas being reduced
to a liquid by absorption. The pressure heretofore required to liquefy the
refrigerant after volatilization is therefore dispensed with largely or practically
altogether.
It is highly important that the absorbent should be highly volatile in vacuo
even at the lowest temperature attained in practical operations, and uncongealable
under any conditions to which it would be subjected. When the absorbent
volatilizes its affinity no longer retains the absorbed material in a liquid form and it
also volatilizes, producing cold in the same manner as though from a liquefied state
due to pressure, and the volatilization of the absorbent assists in the production.
The best effects are consequently produced with a practically uncongealable and
highly volatile liquid as the absorbent and a gas liquefiable by direct compression
only under great pressure but reducible to a liquid readily by absorption in the
volatile liquid as the absorbed material.
It has been found that sulphuric ether in connection with anhydrous sulphurous
acid or ammonia is most effective and of great practical value.
The Invention may be conveniently carried out in the following manner:-
Sulphuric ether prepared in any ordinary or suitable manner, for example, from
alcohol and sulphuric acid by distillation, is placed in any desired quantity in a
receiver, which is connected with a pipe through which anhydrous sulphurous acid,
prepared by burning sulphur or in any known and suitable manner and dried over
chloride of calcium, is passed into the ether. Instead of sulphurous acid anhydrous
ammonia prepared from ammonia chloride (salammoniac) and lime and dried may
be admitted through the pipe into the liquid. A receptacle containing liquefied
sulphurous acid or liquefied ammonia prepared for ice machines may be connected
with the receiver containing the ether and the gas will force itself by its own
elasticity into the absorbing liquid. The pipe conveying the gas should dip below
the level of the liquid ether almost to the bottom of the receiver. Suitable means
may be used to ensure thorough contact to aid the absorption, and the receiver
should be kept cool as by a water circulation. The gas is passed into the ether
till the latter is saturated: This can be ascertained readily by the density of the
liquid, as when it ceases to increase the saturation is complete. For practical
purposes a sufficiently high degree of saturation may be obtained in the following
manner: The sulphuric ether in a concentrated or anhydrous condition, say 50 to
100 lbs., is placed in a closed vessel, into which the anhydrous sulphurous acid or
ammonia is introduced through a pipe extending to the bottom from a gasometer
or other suitable reservoir, by means of which a pressure of a few pounds may be
given. The aforesaid vessel is provided with a valve loaded with a few pounds
pressure which, when the operation is completed, is lifted and gives an alarm.
The binary liquid thus produced either with sulphurous acid or ammonia can be
stored or sold in ordinary bottles or carboys tightly corked.
In order to use and produce cold by the binary liquid a refrigerating or ice
machine of any ordinary or suitable construction containing an aspiration and
compression pump, a refrigerating coil or chamber, and a condenser, will answer,
for example, what is known as the Pictet machines, can be used. The aspiration
produces a vacuum above the liquid and its two components volatilize together,
producing great cold, and pass together through the pump to the condenser, where
under the restored pressure the ether becomes liquid and reabsorbs the gas, the
temperature being kept low by a water circulation. The pressure required is that
necessary to condense the ether vapors, viz., atmospheric pressure or but little
The binary liquid reformed in the condenser flows into the refrigerating coil
or chamber and is used again and again.
more.
Instead of the gases and liquid named others may be used, such, for example, as

page_text: sulphurous acid in sulphide of carbon, sulphurous acid in chloroform, chloride of
methyl, and many other absorbents, and absorbed materials, liquids, and gases.
It is preferred to saturate the absorbent with the absorbed gas as the best effects
are thereby produced, but it is evident that the same advantages in a less degree
could be obtained with less than saturation, or by the use of ether or other absorbent
only in a proportion to produce a partial absorption of the gas in the ice machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
June 1880.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF COLD FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF ICE AND OTHER PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by Cyprien M.
Tessie du Motay, of Paris, in the Republic of France, but temporarily residing in
the City of New York, and Auguste I. Rossi, of the City of New York, United
States of America.
The said Invention relates to the production of cold for the manufacture of ice,
or for general refrigerating purposes, by means of the volatilization of a liquid or
liquefied refrigerating agent, and condensation again thereof to a liquid state. These
operations are performed alternately and continuously, and are carried on in refrige
rating, or, as generally called, ice machines. Heretofore the refrigerant used,
commonly anhydrous sulphurous acid (sulphurous anhydride or sulphurous
dioxide) or ammonia has been condensed by direct pressure aided more or less by
the circulation of a cooling medium. In practical operation, especially with either
of the gases named, owing to the great elasticity and tension of their vapour at
ordinary or even low temperatures, powerful compression apparatus and hermetically
tight receivers of great strength are required in effecting there change from a gaseous
to a liquid condition, and vice versa, so that the operations may proceed with
In this Invention the power
external loss and in a perfectly continuous manner.
of chemical affinity is made to accomplish work performed by the mechanical com-
pression. In connection with a liquefiable gas or highly volatile liquid an absorbent
is used which at ordinary temperatures under the proper pressure is a liquid, and
which in that condition, by the force of chemical affinity, absorbs the gas or
volotilized liquid and forms therewith a binary liquid; this binary liquid consti-
tutes the refrigerating agent. Volatilization takes place in vacuo therefrom, cold
being produced, as readily understood, and the binary liquid is reformed at the
ordinary temperatures with a comparatively small pressure, videlicet, that necessary
for maintaining the absorbent in a liquid condition, the liquefiable gas being reduced
to a liquid by absorption. The pressure heretofore required to liquefy the refrigerant
after volotilization is therefore dispensed with largely or practically altogether. It
will be readily understood that in operating with a volotile liquid which at a low

page_text: temperature is gaseous only at less than atmospheric pressure the advantage
resulting from the reduction of pressure required will be less apparent, as in no case
is great pressure necessary. It follows also from what has been stated that in
general the greatest results comparatively are obtained when the difference of
pressure required to maintain the absorbent and the absorbed material, gas, or
vapor in a liquid state independent of each other is greatest, and within certain
limits this is true. It is however highly important, and indeed essential to the
attainment of the best results, that the absorbent should be highly volatile in vacuo,
even at the lowest temperatures attained in practical operations, and uncongealable
under any conditions to which it would be subjected. The latter quality is necessary
to prevent the deposition of the absorbent, as frost or in icicles, which would greatly
impair the effectiveness of the machine. When the absorbent volatilizes its affinity
no longer retains the absorbed material in a liquid form, and it also volatilizes,
producing cold in the same manner as though from a liquified state due to pressure,
and the volatilization of the absorbent assists in the production.
The best effects are consequently produced with a practicably uncongealable and
highly volatile liquid as the absorbent and a gas liquifiable by direct compression,
only under great pressure, but reducible to a liquid readily by absorption in the
volatile liquid as the absorbed material.
It has been found that sulphuric ether in connection with an hydrous sulphurous
acid or ammonia is most effective and of great practical value. The binary liquid
produced by absorption of sulphurous acid or ammonia in sulphuric ether at ordinary
temperatures, say 80° Far. or 26° C., and at atmospheric pressure is homogeneous
and remains unchanged without loss of gas and without tension. It may be kept
in ordinary bottles corked, special receivers not being required.
In order that the said Invention may be perfectly understood, I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall take as an example
the use of sulphuric ether and sulphurous acid or ammonia.
Sulphuric ether, prepared in any ordinary or suitable manner, say for example,
from alcohol and sulphuric acid by distillation, is placed in any desired quantity in
a receiver which is connected with a pipe, through which anhydrous sulphurous
acid, prepared by burning sulphur or in any known and suitable manner, and dried
over chloride of calcium, is passed into the ether. In lieu of sulphurous acid
anhydrous ammonia, prepared from ammonia, chloride (salammoniac), and lime, and
dried, may be admitted through the pipe into the liquid. A receptacle containing
liquified sulphurous acid or liquified ammonia prepared for ice machines may be
connected with the receiver containing the ether, and the gas will force itself by its
own elasticity into the absorbing liquid. The manner of preparing the sulphuric
ether and sulphurous acid or ammonia form of themselves no part of this Invention.
The pipe conveying the gas should dip below the level of the liquid ether almost to
the bottom of the receiver. Suitable means may be used to ensure thorough contact
to aid the absorption, and the receiver should be kept cool, say for example, by a
water circulation. The gas is passed into the ether until the latter is saturated.
This can be ascertained readily by the density of the liquid, as when it ceases to
increase the saturation is complete. For practical purposes a sufficiently high degree
of saturation may be obtained in the following manner:-The sulphuric ether, in a
concentrated or anhydrous condition, say 50 to 100 lbs., is placed in a closed vessel,
into which the anhydrous sulphurous acid or ammonia is introduced, through a pipe
extending to the bottom, from a gasometer or other suitable reservoir, by means of
which a pressure of a few pounds may be given. The aforesaid vessel is provided
with a valve loaded with a few pounds pressure, which when the operation is com-
pleted is lifted and gives an alarm. Small cocks are provided for withdrawing
portions of the liquid as the operation proceeds, and a large cock for drawing off
the binary liquid when the operation is finished.
The binary liquid thus produced either with sulphurous acid or ammonia can be
stored or sold in ordinary bottles or carboys tightly corked. Care should be taken
that it is not exposed to a temperature sufficiently elevated, say 90° F., (32, Co.) or

page_text: above, to volatilize the ether, or provision must be made to withstand the pressure
generated, which would not however be very great.
In order to use and produce cold by the binary liquid a refrigerating or ice
machine of any ordinary or suitable construction containing an aspiration and
compression pump a refrigerating coil or chamber and a condenser will answer, for
example, what is known as the Piclet machines can be used. It is not necessary
that the pump and other parts should be constructed with the same strength as
much less pressure will have to be resisted in operating in accordance with this
Invention. The binary liquid is introduced into the apparatus in any suitable
manner, as, for example, by a simple syphon of lead pipe with proper connections
opening into the refrigerating coil or chamber, or even a funnel would answer the
purpose. The pump is, operated by a steam engine or other motor. The aspira-
tion produces a vacuum above the liquid, and its two components volatilize together
producing great cold and pass together through the pump to the condenser, where,
under the restored pressure the ether becomes liquid and reabsorbs the gas, the
temperature being kept low by a water circulation. The pressure required is that
necessary to condense the ether vapors, videlicet, atmospheric pressure, or but little
more. The binary liquid reformed in the condenser flows into the refrigerating
coil or chamber, and is used again and again. The proportions of the several parts,
the amount of charge, and the speed at which the pump is run to the attainment
of the maximum effect are matters within the discretion of the superintendent.
In working with ethero-sulphurous dioxide, as the binary liquid produced by
absorption of sulphurous acid (sulphurous dioxide) in ether is called, or ethero
ammonia, as that produced with ammonia is named, there is practically no danger
from fire. The former hardly takes fire, and the flame is short and fuliginous, and
in a limited space can be immediately extinguished.
The comparative degrees of cold produced under the same conditions of weight
of liquid velocity of vaporization and time are for ethero sulphurous dioxide a
lowering p minute of 24° F., for ethero-ammonia 22° F., and for ether alone
15° F.
In practical operation with the same power expended a greater amount of cold
can be produced with the binary liquid not only than with ether alone but also
than that produced by the vaporization of sulphurous acid or ammonia, both the
latter having been liquefied by mechanical compression.
The proportion to which the absorption of the gases named, videlicet, sulphurous
acid or ammonia and others can be carried is a matter to be determined from
experiment, and different results will often be obtained according to care on the
part of the person superintending to push the operation to the point of actual
saturation. In different experiments an absorption of sulphurous acid of from
33% to 70% of the weight of sulphuric ether has been found to take place, the
proportion being ascertained by means of the density of the resulting liquids. By
more careful experiment a higher rate of absorption might possibly be obtained.
°
The degree of cold above mentioned for ethero sulphurous dioxide was obtained
with an absorption of 33% of the weight of the ether with 70%, absorbed, the
degree of cold produced under the same conditions otherwise would be greater.
°
48
The proportion of ammonia absorbed was 6% of the weight of the sulphuric
ether. In lieu of the gases and liquid named others may be used, such for
example, as sulphurous acid in sulphide of carbon absorption 11% lowering of
temperature 15° F.; sulphurous acid in chloroform absorption 5°, lowering of
temperature 10° F.; chloride of methyl absorption less than 1%, lowering
of temperature 18° F., and so on for numberless other absorbents and absorbed
materials, liquids, and gases. Chloroform alone would produce a lowering of 5° F.
The temperature given are comparative with those given before.
I have called the refrigerating agent a binary liquid; this must be understood of
the two components, the absorbent and the absorbed, and not as excluding the idea
that either or both the components could be compound, that is, composed of two or
more elements provided they were not antagonistic.

page_text: It is preferred to saturate the absorbent with the absorbed gas as the best effects
are thereby produced, but it is evident that the same advantages in a less degree
could be obtained with less than saturation, or by the use of ether or other
absorbent only in a proportion to produce a partial absorption of the gas in the ice
machine.
When an absorbent is used which is gaseous at ordinary pressure and temperature
it and the gas to be absorbed should be kept under conditions necessary to retain it
in a liquid, and the binary liquid formed would require a receiver of proper
strength, or the two components could be introduced as gases into the circulation
of the ice machine and the binary liquid formed by its operation.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The process of producing cold for the manufacture of ice and other
purposes, the same consisting in causing a volatilization by means of a vacuum or
partial vacuum from a binary liquid composed of a suitable absorbent, and a
volatile absorbed material having affinity, therefore reforming the binary liquid by
the restoration of pressure, and the affinity of the gas or vapour of the absorbed
material for the absorbent, and repeating the operations continuously, substantially
as herein before described.
Secondly. The process of producing cold for the manufacture of ice and other
purposes, which consists in volatilizing a binary liquid of which one component is
more volatile than the other, and held in absorption by its affinity therefore, and
both being practically uncongealable, restoring the binary liquid by the condensation
of the less volatile component and the absorption of the other, and repeating the
operation continuously, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Thirdly. A refrigerating agent consisting of a binary liquid of which one
component is a highly volatile and practically uncongealable liquid or liquified gas,
and the other a more volatile material held in absorption thereby, substantially as
herein before described.
Fourthly. A binary liquid adapted to serve as a refrigerating agent composed of
sulphuric ether holding in absorption an hydrous sulphurous acid or its specified
equivalent ammonia, substantially as hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Specifi-
cation set my hand and seal, the Twenty fifth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)