AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ICE, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Pierre Newton Weatherby
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 18th December 1873.
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, PARTLY
APPLICABLE TO OTHER 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 tem-
perature can be further reduced to 70 degrees below the freezing point,

page_text: 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 half an inch with water, and when frozen a fresh
batch of water is admitted. The water to be converted into ice is
admitted into this ice box to the depth of half an 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 up 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 congelation 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 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 compression
by the expansion in the said cylindrical vessel (outside of the pipes) of
fluid sulphurous acid, ammonia, 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 lbs. 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 pure 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 bisulphate of lime or soda. The sulphurous
acid however on its way to the pumps should be passed through
sulphuric acid of 66° of Baumé, 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 com-
pression 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
pumps and in chambers or sockets which are formed in the cylinder
The outer ends of these chambers are closed by boxes through
which the valve spindles extend, and which contain springs whereby the
said valves are controlled or regulated. These boxes are screwed into
the sockets and can be quickly removed and replaced, thereby permitting
ready access to the valves for repairing or cleaning them. This arrange-
ment of the valves may be adapted in pumps for other purposes.
covers.