Improvements in or relating to Agitating Apparatus for Ice Making Tanks.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 30th May, 1395-Accepted, 6th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Agitating Apparatus for Ice Making
Tanks.
I, JOSEPH PRICE of 11 Belmont Drive, Newsham Park, Liverpool in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an improvement on or addition to the Patents of
Mr. Bannister No. 902388 and myself and the said Bannister No. 97160, and is
designed to still better eliminate the air from the water during its formation into
ice, and to lessen the power required to effect this operation. I have found that
when a nozzle only dips a short distance into the can, the effluent water rushes out
in the form of a cone until it strikes the sides, it then deflects, comes against the
dead water at the bottom and rises at once and it is almost impossible to cause it to
agitate the water much below the base of this cone. My present invention
therefore consists among other things in an arrangement whereby the water, while
to a certain extent forming a cone, will proceed to the bottom of the cau before
rising. For this purpose, I immerse the nozzle to a much greater depth than
heretofore and further have an unsymmetrical nozzle, one pointing rather to one
side. The result is that, as the water is ejected, it forces the nozzle against one
side of the can, and the escaping water is ejected downwards against the bottom,
from whence it rises to a large extent on the other side of the can. As however a
nozzle immersed so deeply would soon get frozen, my invention consists partly in
a plan whereby the nozzle is automatically either at intervals or continuously
raised up until quite clear of the vessel. In carrying out this part of my invention,
I prefer to suspend it from a pipe at the small end of a volute winding sheave by
means of a flexible pipe; the flexible pipe carries a vessel at the end formed
preferably of ordinary hose pipe and having the unsymmetrical nozzle at the
bottom and of sufficient diameter and length to give the requisite water displace-
ment. The volute sheave is used in order that when the vessel is at its lowest
depths, it hangs to one side of the can, but as it rises, it goes more and more to the
centre until, when nearly rising out of the water, it is immediately over the centre ;
other mechanisms that will perform this motion will do. The hollow axis of the
winding sheave communicates with the main pipe to the pulsator of the agitating
apparatus by means of a rotating plug so arranged that when the sheave has
rotated sufficiently to nearly raise the nozzle out of the water, the communication
with the pulsator is nearly cut off, the cutting off being completed as the nozzle
rises above the water. On this rotating plug is secured a plate provided with
several stops which engage with an adjustable catch for the purpose of regulating
the degree of immersion of the vessel or of suspending it wholly free of the cans.
In cases where I wish to raise the whole of the agitating vessels simultaneously
free from the caus to enable them to be travelled along the freezing tank, I provide
in each catch plate an adjustable stop which engages with another stop in an arm
or plate revolving freely on the same axis, on this arm or plate being rotated by
any suitable mechanism, the stops are so arranged that those belonging to the most
deeply immersed vessels engage first and thus gradually raise these vessels, then
the stops for the less immersed vessels next engage, the raising proceeding with
both sets and so on until all are raised to the required height, and this effect may
be produced automatically, either by the act of moving the cans or by any suitable

page_text: time mechanism. The pulsator producing the necessary compressing action is
preferably an ordinary circular bellows inverted and is actuated by means of a
water motor direct acting, oscillating on trunnions and worked to any known valve
arrangement, the end of the piston rod of this motor being connected to the
movable plate of the bellows by the intermediation of a toggle joint in the centre
line of the piston being so arranged relatively to the line of motion of the bellows
as to obtain by the medium of the toggle joint combined with the angle of effort of
the piston, and with the constant pressure on that piston, an increasing pressure on
the bellows towards the end of the stroke in somewhat the same ratio as the
resistance increases on ejection of the water from the vessels. The bellows or
pulsator is fitted with safety valves to prevent either undue vacuum or pressure.
Dated this 29th day of August 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Agitating Apparatus for Ice Making
Tanks.
I, JOSEPH PRICE of 11 Belmont Drive, Newsham Park, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, 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 has for its object an improvement on or addition to the Patents of
Mr. Bannister No. 902388 and myself and the said Bannister No. 971600 and is
designed to still better eliminate the air from the water during its formation into
ice, and to lessen the power required to effect this operation. I have found that
when a nozzle only dips a short distance into the can, the effluent water rushes out
in the form of a cone until it strikes the sides, it then deflects, comes against the
dead water at the bottom and rises at once and it is almost impossible to cause it
to agitate the water much below the base of this cone.
My present invention therefore consists, among other things, in an arrangement
whereby the water, while to a certain extent forming a cone, will proceed to the bottom
of the can before rising. For this purpose, I immerse the nozzle to a much greater
depth than heretofore and further have an unsymmetrical nozzle, one pointing
rather to one side. The result is that the water is ejected downwards against the
bottom, from whence it rises to a large extent on the other side of the can.
however a nozzle immersed so deeply would soon get frozen, my invention consists
partly in a plan whereby the nozzle is automatically either at intervals or con-
tinuously raised up until quite clear of the vessel.
A6
The invention will be best understood by referring to the accompanying drawings,
in which-
Figure 1 shows a nozzle in its lowest position in the freezing can or when the
water is beginning to freeze and a volute sheave for raising it therefrom.
Figure 2 a similar view with the nozzle in its raised position or when the block
is nearly frozen.
Figure 3 an edge view of the sheave and pipe.
Figure 4 shows on a reduced scale the distributing pipe and sheaves complete,
Figures 5, 6 and 7 a valve of special construction, Figure 5 being an end elevation,.
Figure 6 a longitudinal section and Figure 7 a transverse section and Fig. 8 a
diagramatic view of a pulsator.
A is the freezing can and B a vessel carrying the nozzle b. This vessel is formed
preferably of ordinary hose pipe and having at the bottom the unsymmetrical

page_text: nozzle b of sufficient diameter and length to give the requisite water displacement and
it is also provided with a valve C which is raised by the rapid up or exhausting
stroke of the pulsator and the vessel is thereby filled from a higher stratum of
water. On the down or compression stroke the valve closes and water has to flow out
through the nozzle b. D is the volute winding sheave mounted on the hollow shaft E,
one of such sheaves being located over each freezing can. F is a flexible pipe, one
end of which is attached to the sheave D and communicates with the hollow
distributing shaft E as shown at G, its other end entering the vessel B at B', the
vessel being suspended thereby. The volute sheave is used in order that when
the vessel B is at its lowest depths, it hangs to one side of the can, as shown at
Figure 1, but as it rises, it goes more and more to the centre until, when nearly
rising out of the water, it is nearer the centre as shown at Figure 2; other
mechanisms that will perform this motion will do. The hollow axis E of the
winding sheaves communicates with the main pipe to the pulsator of the agitating
apparatus by means of a rotating plug H, Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, so arranged that
when the sheave D has rotated sufficiently to nearly raise the nozzle bout of the
water, the communication with the pulsator is nearly cut off, the cutting off being
completed as the nozzle rises above the water. On this rotating plug H is secured
a plate I provided with several stops J which engage with an adjustable catch K
pivoted atk to the valve casing for the purpose of regulating the degree of
immersion of the vessel or of suspending it wholly free of the cans.
In cases
where I wish to raise the whole of the agitating vessels simultaneously free from
the cans to enable them to be travelled along the freezing tank, 1 provide on each
catch plate I a stop L which engages with another stop M on an arm or pulley
plate N revolving freely on the same axis, on the arms or plates N (there being
one to each row of cans) being rotated by any suitable mechanism, the stops are
so arranged that those belonging to the most deeply immersed vessels engage
first and thus gradually raise these vessels, then the stops for the less immersed
vessels next engage, the raising proceeding with both sets and so on until all are
raised to the required height, and this effect may be produced automatically, either by
the act of moving the cans, or by any suitable time mechanism. The pulsator whereby
the vessel is allowed to be filled with water and afterwards emptied through the
nozzle by compression of air is preferably an ordinary circular bellows O inverted
and is actuated by means of a water motor P Fig. 8 direct acting, oscillating on
trunnions and worked to any known valve arrangement, the end of the piston
rod of this motor being connected to the movable plate of the bellows by the inter-
mediation of a toggle joint R in the centre line of the piston, being so arranged
relatively to the line of motion of the bellows as to obtain, by the medium of the
toggle joint combined with the angle of effort of the piston, and with the constant
pressure on that piston, an increasing pressure on the bellows towards the end of
the stroke in somewhat the same ratio as the resistance increases on ejection of the
water from the vessels. The bellows or pulsator is fitted with safety valves to
prevent either vacuum or undue pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
ion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
or
1. The improvements substantially as herein set forth on the ice making invention
patented No. 9023 of 1888 and No. 9716 of 1890, both as regards process and
apparatus, whereby or in which the water is ejected (1) near the bottom of the can
or (2) towards the side, or (3) both, at the commencement of the freezing and at
higher levels points nearer the centre line as the freezing is nearer completion.
2. The herein described improvement in my said patented process and apparatus
n which the vessels carrying the nozzles have each a valve so arranged that on
he rapid up or exhausting stroke of the pulsator such vessels are filled from a
higher stratum of water and on the down or compression stroke such water is

page_text: expelled through the nozzles at a lower stratum whereby the circulation is thus
aided.
3. In an agitating apparatus for ice making tanks a pulsator such as described
which allows the vessels carrying the nozzles to be filled with water and then
emptied through the nozzles by compression of air, substantially as set forth.
4. In an agitating apparatus such as described the approach of the nozzles to the
centre of the tank as the ice is formed and the withdrawal or lifting of the same
and the means employed therefor substantially as and for the purposes described.
5. The improved agitating apparatus for ice making tanks, taken as a whole
substantially as described and shown on the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 90th day of Mov 1805
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.