An Improved Method and Apparatus for Draining Rocky Beds, Water-bearing Strata, and the like, and for Damming Water.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 21st Nov. 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
An Improved Method and Apparatus for Draining Rocky Beds,
Water-bearing Strata, and the like, and for Damming Water.
generally.
We, GUSTAV FRIEDRICH HERMANN WALTER POETSCH, Engineer, of
12 Hähnelstrasse, Dresden, and FRIEDRICH HERMANN POETSCH, Engineer, of
11 Pionierstrasse, Magdeburg, both in the German Empire, 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:-
Our invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus for draining
rocky beds, water-bearing strata and the like and for damming water generally.
Our improved method consists in sinking into the sub-soil, around the rocky
space, earth, sand or the like to be drained, a suitable number of freezing apparatus,
and in circulating in these apparatus a liquid gas, solution, or air, which has been
cooled to a temperature below the zero of the Centigrade scale, until the whole
mass of water included in the space surrounded by the freezing tubes, is solidified
by contact with the said tubes; if necessary, the unfrozen water can be removed
through a bore-hole by means of a pump or by means of a sludger.
In order that our invention may be better understood, we have shown it, in
principle, but by way of example only, in the accompanying drawing.
As shown in this drawing, Figures 1 and 2, it is not imperative to sink the
freezing tubes C vertically into the rock the same result can be obtained by
sinking them at any desired inclination. The said freezers are arranged at any
suitable distance apart, one métre for example. As we have said, a liquid or a
solution, or gases, or air, cooled to a temperature below 0° Centigrade, is
circulated in these freezers C for a certain time; for example, ammoniacal vapours,
or air, or air and cold water in the form of rain or spray, can be employed. The
circulation is controlled by a distributing pipe A and collecting pipe B, the construc-
tion of which is well known; a vessel a filled with any suitable freezing liquid, for
example, liquid ammonia, can also be employed, as shown in Figure 3; this
vessel a is lowered into the freezing apparatus C and is put into communication
with a suitable refrigerating or freezing machine by means of a pipe 6 which rises
from the freezer; the said refrigerating machine feeds the vessel a with the
necessary quantity of liquid to be evaporated in the freezing tube, Figure 3.
A disc c fitted to the tube enables the vessel a to be closed absolutely
hermetically at d, d; by rotating the tube b in one direction or the other, the
disc c rises or falls and thus opens or closes the vessel a; if the latter be opened,
for refrigerating, the refrigerating liquid evaporates and produces cold in the
freezing tube C.
As far as this is possible, it is preferable to draw these vapours or gas, in the
cold state, out of the freezer C, by means of a pump or collecting apparatus P,
Figure 3; they are compressed again to the liquid condition to be afterwards
evaporated a second time in the vessel a or in the freezer C, and so on.
If it be only desired to circulate cold liquid in the freezing apparatus, this
liquid is drawn by a pump into the refrigerating apparatus, forced into the freezers
and again drawn into the refrigerating apparatus to regenerate the cold utilized
during the circulation.

page_text: In the application of our system to drainage, we do not wish to limit ourselves
in any way, either as regards the general construction of the freezing apparatus or
freezers, or in their combination amongst themselves and with the regenerator of
cold or with the refrigerating machine, or to the construction and combination
shown in the drawing, but the practical application, in our process of drainage of
rocky beds and for damining water, of all pipes of any form and construction, in
which can be circulated or which can be filled with a liquid, a gas, or air, the
temperature of which is below 0° Centigrade, forms an important part of our said
invention.
The method of regeneration of the cold in the fluid circulating in the freezers
and the method of sinking the freezing apparatus are of secondary importance in
our invention and can be varied without departing from the nature of our said
invention.
On the other hand, one of the characteristic features of our said invention is the
alternate raising and lowering or rotation of the freezers C at the commencement
of the process of freezing, in order to prevent as much as possible any deformation
of the tubes. In order to enable the freezing tubes to be removed or raised to the
surface again when the process is completed, we fit in the bottom of the freezing
apparatus, a screwed-threaded plug or stopper s, Figure 3, having preferably a
left-handed screw-thread; after unscrewing this plug, we send into the apparatus
a hot solution serving to weaken, if not to entirely destroy the adhesion between
the freezer and the rock. Before raising or removing the freezer C, we lower into
the latter a plug or former n, Figure 5, and if the latter is stopped in its descent
by deformations (indentations or the like) such for example, as that shown at e,
Figure 5, we first straighten the freezing tube and then raise or remove it.
When it is desired to stop or to dry up springs in a well or shaft, according to
our invention, we employ pipes D of spiral or serpentine form, Figures 4 and 44,
and arrange them in the well or shaft in a suitable manner, having regard to the
internal configuration of the latter, and we connect them to the feed-pump in the
usual manner for example, by a descending pipe G and a rising pipe H; since
the water attains the normal level in the well, the pump (ammonia pump, carbonic
acid-pump, air-pump &c.) is operated, and a circulation of cold fluid established in
the freezing tubes D; this operation is continued until an envelope of ice is formed
in the well, afterwards the water, which is not solidified around or in contact with
the freezing tubes D, is removed from the well.
When it is desired to drain isolated rocky heds or the like within a given radius,
a caisson or cylinder E, of suitable size, Figure 6, is sunk through these beds;
- from this cylinder freezers F are caused to radiate through the rock, which
freezers are cooled as above described, so as to drain the rocky zone subjected to
the influence of the said freezers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. The method of draining rocky beds water-bearing strata and the like by cold
applied beneath the natural level of the water, within a determined radius and
depth, which method is also applicable to the damming of water as well as to the
obstruction or stoppage of springs, and consists in the application of a certain
number of freezers sunk in the rock at suitable distances apart and in which is
circulated a liquid, a gás, or air, cooled to a temperature below 0° Centigrade, the
water contained in the space surrounded by the freezers running towards the same
and solidifying in contact therewith, so that the rocky core, contained in the circle
formed by the freezing tubes, after the removal of the freezers, is almost completely
drained, which drainage can be completed by the aid of a bore-hole and a sludger
or by means of a pump.
2. The complete freezing of the water, etc. from a rocky soil, a river, a pond, the
sea, a well, etc. within the zone formed by the freezers, which may be arranged in

page_text: outline of any figure, in which freezers is circulated a liquid, a gas, or air, cooled
to a temperature below 0° C., this taking place during a sufficiently long period to
freeze the whole of the rocky zone, or the like.
3. The application of a caisson or cylinder sunk in the rocky bed to be drained,.
and combined with radiating freezers or freezing apparatus capable of being moved
in a horizontal or an inclined plane, a liquid, a gas, or air, at a very low temperature-
circulating in the said freezers so as to effect the cooling and drainage of the said
rocky bed or the like.
4. The application of spiral or serpentine tubes arranged in a well or in a shaft,.
in order to stop springs discharging into the well, this result being attained by
the circulation in these tubes of a liquid, a gas, or air, at a very low temperature.
5. The application of a screw-threaded plug or stopper arranged at the bottom.
of the freezing tube, this plug being unscrewed and opening the bottom after the
freezing is substantially completed for the purpose of enabling a hot solution to
reach below the bottom, and so facilitate the removal or raising of the freezing
apparatus.
6. The sounding or testing of the interior of the freezing apparatus, for the
purpose of straightening out the latter, if it is necessary, before their removal from.
the rock, substantially as described.
7. The raising, lowering or rotation of the freezers at the commencement of
cooling the rock, for the purpose of preventing, as much as possible, the deformation.
of the tubes, substantially as described.
8. The improved apparatus constructed substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to the Figures 1 and 2, or to Figure 3, or to Figure 4, or 44, or to
Fig. 5 or Figure 6 of the accompanying drawing, for the purposes specified.
Dated this 8th day of August 1896
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.