AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ICE, COOLING BUILDINGS, AND OTHER COOLING OR REFRIGERATING PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Pierre Newton Weatherby
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th June 1874.
I, CHARLES PIERRE NEWTON WEATHERBY, of the City and State of
New York, United States of America, now of No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ICE, COOLING
BUILDINGS, AND OTHER COOLING OR REFRIGERATING PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
--
This Invention relates to a process and apparatus for manufacturing
ice and for cooling or refrigerating by combining the cooling effect
produced by the alternate condensation, cooling, and evaporation of a
liquid which boils at a low temperature, or of a condensible gas, and the
cooling effect produced by the alternate compression, cooling, and
expansion of atmospheric air. The said process is conducted in such a
manner that the temperature of the air during its compression can be
reduced to 18 degrees below the freezing point of Fahrenheit's scale, or
lower by the evaporation of the compressed liquid or gas, and such

page_text: temperature can be further reduced to 70 degrees below the freezing
point, or 38° Fahrenheit, by allowing the air to expand.
The expansion of the cold air is effected in a closed chamber containing
an ice pan filled to the depth of about 2 an inch with water, and
when frozen a fresh batch of water is admitted. The water to be con-
verted into ice is admitted into the ice box to the depth of one-half inch
at a time, when its congealment is shown by the gauges another half
inch is admitted, and so on, until a thickness of ten or twelve inches of
solid clear ice is formed; then sufficient steam is admitted under the ice
box to loosen the ice from the metal so that it can be cut into blocks for
market. These solid blocks prevent waste where the ice is delivered in
carts to the consumers at a distance.
The process of congealation is carried on in the ice chamber by a
constant current of cold air at the temperature of 40 degrees or more
below the freezing point on Fahrenheit's scale. The cold air enters the
ice chamber under the water box or pan, and returns over the surface of
the water. The air is made cold by compression with pumps to about
one-sixth or one-seventh of its original volume in a strong cylindrical
vessel. This vessel is furnished with tubes through which the air passes
under compression, and it is there cooled down to the point required,
that is, 18° below the freezing point, and it is expanded in the ice
chamber under the ice box, producing by expansion a further degree of
cold, equal to 25° to 30°, or a total of 48° Fahrenheit below the freezing
point. The air is cooled while passing through the pipes under com-
pression by the expansion in the said cylindrical vessel (outside of the
pipes) of fluid sulphurous acid amonia, or the like. The sulphurous
acid is rendered fluid in another cylinder, also furnished with tubes,
through which cold water circulates to aid the pressure by cooling the
gas which is forced into the said vessel by pumps and becomes fluid at
a pressure of 45 pounds to the square inch when the water in the tubes
and around the cylinder is at 60° Fahrenheit, or at a lower pressure
with a lower temperature of the water. The fluid acid then passes into
the air cylinder or cylindrical vessel, and after cooling the compressed
air by its evaporation is returned in a gaseous state to the pumps to be
again rendered fluid.
The gas should be free from air, moisture, or sulphuric acid, or
carbonic or other gas. The gas is made pnre by forcing the products of
combustion of sulphur into milk of lime or a solution of caustic soda.

page_text: The sulphurous acid gas is then expelled in a sufficiently pure state by
adding sulphuric acid to the bi-sulphate of lime or soda. The sulphurous
acid however on its way to the pumps should be passed through
sulphuric acid of 66° Beaumé contained in a lead lined vessel to deprive
it of any vapour of water.
The expansion cylinder is made of boiler plate. I also use a gas
compression cylinder constructed of boiler plate and provided with
strong iron heads. The said cylinders are lined with sheet lead inside
and the tubes are coated outside, where the gas plays with a mixture
of lead and tin; the two inside heads through which the pipes pass are
also coated on both sides so that the ends of the protruding tubes can
be filled up with solder outside to a level with the ends and be made
tight; when the solder is poured round the ends of the tubes they must
be plugged.
During the evaporation of the fluid acid the caloric engendered by
the compression of the air is radiated through the metallic tubes, and as
the fluid.acid.assumes the state of vapor this caloric is carried off by the
gas outside the tubes as latent heat.
The air and gas pumps are situated side by side in a water tank, and
are worked by eccentrics mounted on a shaft which receives a revolving
motion from a steam engine. The tubular air cylinder is supplied with
steam for the purpose of melting any ice which may form therein.
I arrange the valves for the air and gas pumps at the bottom of the
pump cylinders and in chambers or sockets which are formed on the
ylinder covers. The outer ends of these chambers are closed by boxes
hrough which the valve spindles extend, and which contain springs
2 hereby the said valves are controlled or regulated. The boxes are
srewed into the sockets and can be quickly removed and replaced,
thereby permitting ready access to the valves for repairing or cleaning
them. This arrangement of the valves may be adapted in pumps for
other purposes.
According to another part of my Invention I furnish a supply of cold
water at a low temperature for the purpose of cooling the air during
compression in warm weather, the degree of cold produced by expansion
of the compressed air being in proportion to the temperature to which
the air was reduced during compression. For this purpose I employ the

page_text: following apparatus:-A force pump is arranged to inject air through a
pipe to a perforated centrifugal tube working in a vessel partially filled
with cold water which is obtained from the tank by means of a suitable
pump. The air passing through the holes in the said centrifugal tube gives
motion to the same, an overflow cock is provided to allow the heated
water to escape; there are also a pipe and cock for allowing the com-
pressed air to expand in a second water vessel connected with the first
vessel, and which is partially filled with cold water to be further cooled
by expanded air. A blow-off cock is provided to allow the expanded air
on leaving the water vessel to pass off into a water tank. A force pump
is employed to force the water cooled in the said second vessel into
another cooling vessel, and there is another force pump for forcing the
water from the latter vessel back into the other vessel to be again cooled
in the same. An air pump is arranged to force and compress air into
the third vessel to be cooled previous to expansion in the refrigerator or
ice box. A pipe conveys air to a centrifugal tube in the said third vessel,
and another pipe conveys cold compressed air to expand in the
refrigerator. A pipe and cock are provided to return air to the force
pump to be again compressed and cooled in the said third vessel.