IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ICE, AND FOR THE REFRIGERATION OF SOLID AND FLUID MASSES IN GENERAL
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Marc Antoine François Mennons
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th July 1861. A communication from Mr. Edouard Blée, resident at
No. 3, Rue d'Amboise, Paris.
I, MARC ANTOINE FRANÇOIS MENNONS, of the British and Foreign Patent
Offices, 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of France, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ICE, AND
FOR THE REFRIGERATION OF SOLID AND FLUID MASSES IN GENERAL," (a communi-
cation,) to be as follows:→
These improvements relate to the construction and arrangement of appa-
ratus for general freezing and refrigerating purposes, the action of which is
based on the known application of the evaporation in vacuo óf volatile liquids
to the abstraction of caloric from surrounding bodies.
.
In the accompanying Drawing, which represents the complete apparatus,
A is a double-action pneumatic pump, in the covers of which are formed a
series of apertures a, a, a, a, giving ready access to the valves, and closed by
strongly bolted plates. The two sucking valves of this pump communicate
with the evaporating chamber B by the conduit C, opening into the dome D,
which serves as casing to a series of corrugated or star-shaped vasos connected
by the bands d; d. b is a tubulure, closed by a conical valve acted on by the
pressure screw c, and serving for the introduction of the volatile liquid. The
base of the evaporating chamber is closed by a support E, forming recipient,

page_text: in which open the lower orifices of the corrugated vases, and the whole is
surrounded by a strong wooden reservoir F, F, charged with a saline acid,
alcoholic, or other solution capable of resisting-without congelation the intense
cold developed by the evaporation of the volatile liquid. On the opposite side
of the pump is placed the condenser G, the construction of which is somewhat
similar to that of the evaporating chamber above described. This condenser,
which communicates with the compression valves of the air pump, is enclosed
in a reservoir H, H, charged with cold water, which is admitted by the
pipe e.
On working the pump of the apparatus constructed as above a vacuum is
formed in the evaporating chamber B containing the volatile liquid, which
instantaneously passes into a state of ebullition. The disengaged vapour is
drawn up by the pump, and thrown into the condenser G, where it is again
converted into liquid, which falls into the lower reservoir, and from thence
passes to the recipient I, communicating with the tube f, f, the orifice of
which is closed by the float J; when a sufficient quantity of liquid has passed
over this float rises, and the communication being thus opened between the
condenser and the evaporating chamber, the liquid is thrown into the latter by
the difference of pressure. The supply of liquid being exhausted, the float
again closes up the orifice of the tube f, f, under the pressure of the
condenser.
The saline or other solution contained in the reservoir of the evaporating
chamber being reduced in temperature to the desired point is run off by the
stop-cock K into the recipient L, in which are placed the moulds or other
capacities containing the substances to be cooled or frozen. The cooling
solution having withdrawn from these substances a certain portion of their
caloric is carried off through the conduit 9 by the small pump M, and thrown
into the recipient N, from whence, after reducing the vapours which may have
remained in the upper section of the condenser G it flows back to the reservoir
of the evaporating chamber B by the inclined tube h. In this manner is
maintained the continuous circulation of the refrigerating medium between
the parts of the apparatus in which its temperature is reduced and those in
which it absorbs the caloric of the substances under treatment.
The saline or other slightly congelable solution employed as cooling medium in
the operations above described may in certain cases be advantageously replaced
by atmospheric air, the temperature of which is reduced in the same manner
by the evaporation in vacuo of a volatile liquid. When this vehicle of cold is
adopted the open reservoir of the evaporating chamber B is replaced by a
closed capacity, provided with entry and eduction tubes, while the arrange-

page_text: ment of the corrugated vases and other accessories is modified according to the
intended application of the cooled air. The air thus treated may be employed
in many cases in which liquid media would be unavailable; as, for instance,
in the cooling of hospital and prison wards, theatres, or appartments; or again,
when a degree of cold is required below the freezing point of ordinary
solutions.
The form, dimensions, and arrangement of the moulds, trays, chambers,
conduits, and other capacities in or by means of which the masses to be
operated on are exposed to the action of the cooling medium, may be varied
according to the intended application of the apparatus.