AN IMPROVED PROCESS TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ICE AND FOR OTHER COOLING OR REFRIGERATING PURPOSES
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th April 1883. Communicated to
him from abroad by Simon Benton Hunt, of the City of New York, and
Francis Effingham Pinto, of Brooklyn, both in the State of New York, United
States of America
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings London "AN IMPROVED PROCESS TO BE USED IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ICE AND FOR OTHER COOLING OR REFRIGERATING PURPOSES
[a communication to him from abroad by Simon Benton Hunt, of the City of New
York, and Francis Effingham Pinto, of Brooklyn, both in the State of New York,
United States of America]
This invention relates to an improved process for use in the manufacture of ice
and is also applicable for cooling or refrigerating substances or articles of various
kinds.
The said process consists essentially in the employment of dry atmospheric air
under pressure by means of suitable apparatus.
In carrying the said invention into practice I am enabled to economize power by
employing the apparatus hereinafter described that is to say, an expanding engino
is arranged in combination with a steam-engine and compressors.
In the air chest and valve chamber forming a part of the expanding engine I
provide stem-valves which are operated by means of pedals, and a shaft provided
with pins said shaft being operated by bevel gearing. Connecting pipes are attached
to the compressors to produce a vacuum to exhaust the warm air from the freezing
or refrigerating chamber or for other uses.
I provide a chamber filled with coiled piping charged with compressed air to be
passed into any suitable air-trap provided with a blow-off water pipe having the
necessary valves to regulate the discharge of condensed water from said trap; this
water of condensation is precipitated to the bottom of the trap by its own gravity,
from whence it is forced out through a pipe and cock by the force of the confined
air under pressure in said trap. The last named pipe passes downward inside the
trap, or the blow-off cock and pipe may be at the bottom and parallel with the same.
Another pipe conveys the dry air under pressure from the trap to the cylinder of
the expanding engine,

page_text: I do not confine myself to any particular form of trap or coil-chamber or their
connections, as any form of trap may be used to suit the different applications but
it will be seen that an air-trap is applied to draw off the water of condensation
produced in a refrigerating or freezing apparatus, by which means I produce a
dryer and better air for mercantile purposes than can be obtained by means
heretofore employed.
The power is returned to the steam-engine by connecting the piston-rod of the
expanding cylinder to a shaft which operates the piston in the steam cylinder and
air compressors so that after the air has been compressed by the steam-engine it is
admitted into the expanding cylinder at such a position of the pistons of the
compressors and of the steam-cylinder as to assist in carrying out a more perfect
and thorough compression of the air.