Improvements in Refrigerating and Freezing Apparatus.
Year: 1889

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Refrigerating and Freezing Apparatus.
HENRY PUPLETT, 5 Thornbury Road Clapham Park London S.W. engineer, and
JONATHAN LUCAS RIGG, 11 Victoria Grove Kensington London W. engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to refrigerating and freezing apparatus in which the
production of cold is obtained by the vaporization of any condensable fluid.
Apparatus have previously been constructed in our portion of which a liquid
containing the gas in solution is placed, heat being applied to that portion of the
apparatus the gas is thereby driven off into the other portion of the apparatus which
is kept cool, the gas is liquefied by its accumulated pressure and subsequent cooling;
the heated portion of the apparatus containing the liquid from which the gas has been
expelled is afterwards cooled and the pressure being thereby reduced the heat of any
substance surrounding that portion of the apparatus in which the liquefied gas is
stored vaporises the gas which is re-absorbed by the liquid left in the first named
portion of the apparatus and the temperature of the substance which has furnished the
heat for the vaporisation of the gas is thereby reduced. It is obvious that in such
apparatus there is great dager of explosion from overheating, and that the process
of distillation must necessarily be imperfect, thereby reducing the efficiency of the
apparatus.
To obviate these disadvantages we use a gas or vapor, not a solution, as the frigorific
medium; and instead of a liquid absorbent we employ as the absorbent any substance
which cannot be evaporated but which possesses the property of readily absorbing
the gas or vapor used.
We construct our apparatus in two parts, which may be connected together by
means of a pipe or pipes, these parts we call respectively the Refrigerator and the
Absorber; each of these parts may be constructed of one or more hermetically sealed
vessels or coils of pipes surrounded by an outer vessel or casing.
The modus operandi is as follows.
We charge the refrigerator with the fluid to be used as the frigorific medium
(Carbonic Anhydride, Ammonia, Sulphurous oxide, Ether for example) and into the
outer vessel or casing surrounding the refrigerator we place the substance to be
cooled, if this be brine or other noncongealable liquid it may be circulated through
the outer vessel or casing; when it is desired to freeze water, butter or any other
substance these may be enclosed in separate vessels and submerged in the aforesaid
Brine or noncongealable liquid, the heat of these vaporises the fluid in the refrigerator,
the gas or vapor passes over into the absorber, which has already been charged with
the absorbent (Charcoal, Calcined Clay, Sulphuric Acid for example) and is thereby
absorbed, and the brine or other substance which has furnished the heat of vaporiza-
tion is cooled to the extent of the heat that has been rendered latent in the operation.
To expel the gas or vapor from the absorbent and to reliquefy the gas or vapor for
a repetition of the operation, hot water or steam may be circulated through the
outer vessel or casing surrounding the absorber, or the absorber may be heated in any
other convenient manner, the heat thus applied drives the gas or vapor over through
the connecting pipe or pipes into the refrigerator, these we keep cool in any convenient
manner, the accumulated pressure and subsequent cooling of the gas or vapor cause
its liquefaction, and leave the apparatus ready for a renewal of the cooling operation.
January 10th 1889.

page_text: QUAIT LEIDDI DUIFICATION,
Improvements in Refrigerating and Freezing Apparatus.
HENRY PUPLETT of 5 Thornbury Road, Clapham Park, London S.W. Engineer,
and JONATHAN LUCAS RIGG of 11 Victoria Grove, Kensington, London W. Engineer,
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 refrigerating and freezing apparatus in which the pro-
duction of cold' is obtained by the vaporization of any condensable fluid--For this
purpose we employ apparatus which we shall describe referring to the accompanying
drawings in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is a plan of a refrigerating apparatus according to our invention.
Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section of the apparatus.
Fig. 3 is an elevation partly in section of a modified form of the apparatus..
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the valves J and K shown in figures 1 and 2.
In carrying out our invention we construct the apparatus in two parts viz. the
absorber A and the refrigerator B. Each of these parts consists of one or more air
tight vessels or coils of pipes A¹ A² B" surrounded by an outer vessel or
casing a¹ a² b. and connected by pipes C C D. E. F. G and valves J. K. L..
Figs. 1 and 2 show a refrigerating and freezing apparatus according to our
invention. comprising an absorber A constructed of two air tight vessel's A¹ A2 fitted
with shelves or trays c. (with or without perforations d) upon which the absorbent z
is placed, each vessel is surrounded by an outer casing a 2 inside which near the
top are fixed perforated pipes.el e² communicating by valves ff with any convenient
water supply whereby a means of cooling the absorber and taking up the heat
rendered sensible by the absorption of the fluid used as the frigorific. medium is
provided, a refrigerator B. made of a coil. of pipes B1 surrounded by an outer
vessel b in which the liquid to be cooled, usually a noncongealable liquid, brine; for
example is placed or through which it is caused to circulate in any convenient
manner, and the pipes and valves necessary to connect the various parts of the
apparatus.
In operating the apparatus the absorber A is charged with the absorbent,. a
substance which possesses the property of readily absorbing, the gas or vapor of
the frigorific medium, and which cannot itself be evaporated, charcoal, calcined clay,
calcium chloride for example. The air is then exhausted from the absorbent and
from all parts of the apparatus and the refrigerator B is charged with the frigorific
medium, an anhydrous liquid that can be readily vaporized or gasified,, carbonic
anhydride, ammonia, sulphurous oxide, ether. for example. The vessel 6 is filled
with a noncongealable liquid, brine for example, the heat from which vaporizes
the liquid contained in the coil B, the resultant gas or vapor passes through the
pipe Cand the valve Jinto the vessel A¹ where it is taken up by the absorbent therein:
When. this portion of the absorbent is saturated with the frigorific. medium the
valves. J and K are reversed and the remainder of the gas or vapor is allowed to pass
through the pipe F into the vessel A and is taken up by the absorbent contained
in that vessel.
During this time the vessels A1 and A2 are cooled with water from the pipes e¹ e².
The valve f is then closed and heat is applied to the vessel A (either directly
by fire or gas, or by means of hot water or steam, or in. any other convenient
manner), and the frigorific medium with which the absorbent therein. is. saturated is
driven, off in the form of a gas through the valve J and pipe D into the jacketted
pipe E. in which it is liquefied by its accumulated pressure and by cooling with water
circulated through the jacket by means of the inlet and the overflow. j.
The resultant liquid passes by way of the valve L into the refrigerator. B where it
is again expanded by the transfer of heat from the brine contained in or circulated
through the vessel 6, and the gas passes into the vessel A² as before described. When

page_text: all the frigorific medium desired has been driven over from the vessel A¹ the heating
of that vessel is discontinued and it is cooled by means of water from the pipe el. As
soon as the vessel A¹ has been cooled the operation can be repeated from the reverse
side of the apparatus by heating the vessel A in the manner already described.
The liquid that has been cooled in the vessel b can be employed for cooling an
enclosed chamber, for making ice or for any other like purpose in the ordinary well
known methods. We do not show any ice boxes or moulds, or cooling pipes as these
may be arranged as found convenient.
Fig. 3 shows a modification of the apparatus according to our invention in which
neither valves nor cocks are employed and in which the absorber A is not fitted with
shelves or trays. The refrigerator B is an annular vessel insulated by a non-
conducting casing b.
The absorber A and the refrigerator B are connected by the pipe E which for part
of its length is surrounded by a jacket g through which water is circulated through
the inlet and the overflow j. The liquid or substance to be cooled is placed in the
space M. The operation of cooling is performed as follows. The apparatus having
been charged with the absorbent and the frigorific medium, heat is applied to the
absorber A and the gas driven off through the pipe E wherein it is liquefied, as
herein before described, the resultant liquid accumulating in the refrigerator B. The
absorber A is then cooled by means of water from the pipe e¹ or in any other convenient
manner and the liquid in B is expanded by the consequent reduction of pressure and
by the transfer of heat from the liquid or substance contained in the space M, thereby
cooling such liquid or substance, and the resultant gas passes back again into the
absorber A where it is taken up by the absorbent therein, leaving the apparatus
ready for the operation to be repeated.
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
In refrigerating and freezing apparatus in which the production of cold is obtained
by the vaporization of any condensable fluid, the employment for the absorbent of a
substance which cannot be evaporated and which possesses the property of readily
absorbing the gas or vapor of the liquid used as the frigorific medium in an apparatus
comprising an absorber and a refrigerator each composed of one or more sections
substantially as described and shown.
T
1000
HENRY PUPLETT.
JONATHAN LUCAS RIGG.