Improvements in and relating to Refrigerators or Cooling Chambers.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 7th Dec., 1895
COMPLETE DIT MCIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Refrigerators or Cooling
Chambers.
1, ROBERT JOHANNES AUGUST HANKOW of 62 Yorkstr. Berlin, in the Empire
of Germany, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 relates to refrigerators or cooling chambers, the characteristic
feature of which is that the air in same is kept in constant circulation, and this
without it being necessary to renew the air, i.e. by admitting fresh air or by
allowing air to escape. The refrigerators or cooling chambers at present in use, in
which the air is caused to circulate by constantly admitting fresh air, are all
defective in so far that the air thus circulating in the cooling-chamber is not
sufficiently dry it being an established fact that for preserving materials-the
principal object of refrigerators-the air in circulation must necessarily be dry.
Another defect of such refrigerators is that the ice melts rapidly, seeing that the
fresh air constantly admitted and which is considerably warmer than the air
in the cooling-chamber, first comes in contact with the ice or the ice-chamber
respectively.
According to my invention fresh air is not admitted into the refrigerator but the
same body of air is kept in circulation by virtue of the special arrangement of
the ice-chamber i.e. by the warmer air (the temperature of same being slightly
increased in passing through the cooling-chamber and by impinging against the
the walls of the latter) passing from the cooling-chamber into the upper part
of the ice chamber, wherein it is cooled and then issuing from the bottom of same
into the cooling-chamber again. The air in circulation is thus kept very dry, while
it will be evident that the air may at the same time be sterilized by placing a
suitable agent at the inlet to and outlet from the ice-chamber i.e. in the path of
circulation.
Referring to the accompanying drawing:
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section on line x-x of Fig. 2,
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the refrigerator,
Fig. 3 is a section on line y-y and
Fig. 4 on line z-z of Fig. 2,
Figs. 5 and 6 represent on an enlarged scale the corner connections of the tops of
the cooling and ice-chambers.
The cooling chamber a is closed on all sides preferably by wooden walls,
between which an isolating material (infusorial earth, slag-wool, spun-glass, or the
like) is placed. The ice-chamber b is formed by the partition p extending the
full height of the cooling-chamber and provided at its upper and lower ends with
gratings e and f, the former for admitting to the ice-chamber the air to be
cooled and the latter ƒ for allowing the cooled air to pass into the cooling-
chamber again.
The top of the cooling-chamber preferably rises somewhat towards the
ice-chamber b, while the latter is closed by a tightly-fitting lid, whose T-like
fittings g', enter the liquid receptacle h and thus preventing air finding its way
into the chambers. The bottom of the ice-chamber is formed by rails or
supports i arranged at a suitable distance apart so as to allow the drip-water from
the ice to run off into the inclined channel k. The latter communicates with a pipe

page_text: passed through the wall in such manner as to prevent air finding access to the
refrigerator.
The door m of the cooling chamber fits snugly and is tightly closed by means
of an indiarubber tube n, or the like. The cooling chamber is preferably provided
with latticed shelves o or the like on which the articles to be cooled are placed.
It will be seen that, with the arrangement described, the air in the cooling-chamber
is kept in constant circulation as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, and this without
the admission of fresh air; i.e. the warmer air passes through the grating e into the
ice-chamber b and after being cooled, enters the cooling-chamber a by way of the
grating f.
It will be evident that if a suitable medium, impregnated with an antiseptic or
sterilizing agent is provided in connection with the gratings e and f, the air in
circulation will at the same time be sterilized.
It will also be evident that an ice-chamber may be arranged at each side, or even
in the centre of the cooling-chamber.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
In a refrigerator or cooling chamber a closed cooling-chamber (a), an ice-
chamber (b) formed by partition (p) and arranged in such manner that a constant
circulation of the same body of air is effected by the warmer air entering the ice-
chamber through the grating (e) in the top of each partition (p) and re-issuing
cooled by way of the grating (f) at the bottom, substantially as described and
shown in the drawing.
Dated this 4th day of November 1895.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.