Improvements in Apparatus for the Distillation and Liquefaction of Condensable Gases as Applied to Refrigerating Apparatus.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 10th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 12th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL. SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Distillation and Liquefaction of
Condensable Gases as Applied to Refrigerating 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 improvements relate especially to those apparata in which any of the con-
densable guses are employed for the abstraction of heat, and the object of our
invention is to make the processes of distillation and liquefaction of the gas continual,
and the circulation of the fluids in the apparatus automatic.
Our apparatus consists of a boiler or generator, an ascension pipe, an economiser, a
condenser, an analyser, a rectifier, a liquefier, a receiver, a refrigerator, an absorber
and a cooler, with the necessary pipes and mountings for connecting the several parts,
and also an arrangement by means of which the circulation of the fluids in the
apparatus is made automatic; these we now proceed to describe.
The boiler or generator may be of any convenient form, preferably one in which a
rapid circulation can be set up, and it may be heated by a steam coil, by fire, by gas
or in any other convenient manner. The ascension pipe we jacket with water for a
portion of its length and we connect its lower extremity to the generator and its
upper extremity to the absorber. We fix a branch in the ascension pipe above the
water jacket, this branch we connect to the condenser which may consist of one or
more pipes or coils surrounded by water, these pipes or coils may be connected, or
formed in one, with other similar pipes or coils, also surrounded by water, which form
the rectifier. The rectifier communicates with the liquefier which may be a cylindrical
vessel. The liquefier we connect to the receiver, which may likewise be a cylindrical
vessel, the lowest point of which we connect by a pipe to the before mentioned
ascension pipe. From any convenient part of the liquefier we carry a pipe to the
refrigerator. The refrigerator may consist of one or more coils or series of pipes, or
of one or more cylindrical vessels containing coils or series of pipes, or of one or
more vessels of any suitable shape divided into compartments each communicating
with the other and through which a circulation may be maintained. From the
refrigerator we carry a pipe to a check valve communicating with the absorber. The
absorber we make by preference a cylindrical vessel containing one or more coils or
series of pipes through which we cause water to circulate. From the absorber we
carry a pipe to the cooler. The cooler consists of one or more coils or series of pipes
surrounded by water, which pipes we connect with the generator.
The generator being filled with the liquid which contains in solution the gas to be
distilled, heat is applied, the gas and vapor thereby generated rise in the ascension
pipe and pass into the analyser, where the heavier vapor becomes condensed, and falls
back through the ascension pipe into the generator, the gas passes forward through
the condenser into the rectifier, and from thence into the liquefier, the latent heat
having been abstracted from the gas during its passage through the before mentioned
parts of the apparatus by the water surrounding them, the gas becomes liquefied, and
the liquid is allowed to pass into the refrigerator where it is again vaporized and the
gas passes through the check valve into the absorber where it meets the weak liquid
which has ascended from the generator through the cooler, and is there absorbed by
the weak liquid. So far the process we have described is not novel and to complete
the cycle it has been usual to employ a pump or pumps to return the liquid from the
absorber into the generator, by our invention we dispense with these pumps and

page_text: g
apparatus.
Suvet
19 811 elevation party in section
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Fig. 3 sheet 1 is an elevation partly in section shewing a modified form of
automatic balance box.
Fig. 4 sheet 1 is a modification shewing a cock applied instead of a discharge
valve.
Ha
In figures 1 2 3 and 4 A is a boiler or generator, B an ascension pipe, Can
economizor, D a condenser, E a pipe leading to F a rectifier, Ga liquefier,
receiver, I a refrigerator, J an absorber, K a cooler, La lever, L' and L automatic
balance boxes, M a discharge valve or cock, N a tumbling box, and O a water
supply.
The necessary pipes and valves for connecting the several parts of the apparatus are
indicated by small letters as hereinafter referred to.
In carrying out our invention the boiler or generator A may be of any convenient
form preferably one in which a rapid circulation can be set up and it may be heated
by a steam coil, by fire, by gas or in any other well known and convenient manner.
The ascension pipe B which may have a water jacket b for a portion of its height as
shewn in Fig. 1 is connected at its lower extremity to the generator A by means of
the economiser C and at its upper extremity to the absorber J by means of the pipe c.
The ascension pipe B above the water jacket 6 is connected by pipe E to the
condenser D which may consist of one or more bent pipes or coils connected together
and surrounded by water contained in a tank d, the ascending members F of these
pipes or coils form the rectifier, and the descending members G form the liquefier.
The liquefier G we connect to the receiver H, to the lowest point of which we fix a
blow off cock e and pipe e' which we connect with the ascension pipe B. From any
convenient point of the receiver H we carry a pipe f, in which we place a check
valve p, to the refrigerator I which may consist of one or more coils or series of pipes,
or of one or more vessels containing coils or series of pipes. From the refrigerator I
we carry a pipe g to a check valve h communicating with the absorber J by means of
a pipe which we carry to the bottom of the absorber J and terminate with a ring
perforated on its upper side. The absorber J we make by preference a cylindrical
vessel containing one or more coils or series of pipes ; the inlet of which j¹ we connect
with any convenient water supply or with the outlet S¹ of the balance box L', the
outlet is connected by means of the pipe with the tank k¹ which contains the
cooler K, this we make of one or more coils or series of pipes k one extremity of
which passes through the cover of the absorber J and terminates in a ring k³
perforated on its under side, the other extremity we connect with the generator A,
and we fix in any convenient position in the pipe ka check valve l.
In the operation of our invention as shewn in Fig. 1 the generator A is filled with
the liquid which contains in solution the gas to be distilled (a solution of ammonia for
example) heat is applied thereto and the gas and vapor thereby generated rise in the
ascension pipe B and pass by the economiser C and pipe E into the condenser D in
the ascending members F of which, constituting the rectifier, the heavier vapor
becomes condensed and falls back through the ascension pipe into the generator, the
gas passes forward through the rectifier and thence into the liquefier G its heat having
been abstracted during its passage to and through the condenser. The gas thus
liquefied collects in the receiver H from whence its passes through the check valve p
into the refrigerator I where owing to the absorption of external heat it is expanded
and the resultant gas passes through the check valve h into the absorber J where it meets
the weak liquid which has ascended from the generator through the cooler K, and the
gas is absorbed by the weak liquid in J-So far the process we have described is not
novel and apparatus similar to that described has been used, but to complete the cycle
it has been usual either to discontinue the operation of distillation and to cool the
generator by running water over it or submerging it in water, or to employ a pump
or pumps to return the liquid from the absorber into the geuerator. By our invention

page_text: 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 apparatus for the distillation and liquefaction of condensable gases as applied to
refrigerating apparatus the combination of a valve or cock governing a passage from
the absorber to the generator with a rocking beam or lever moved intermittently by
water substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Candam 1000
HENRY PUPLETT.
JONATHAN LUCAS RIGG.
HENRY PUPLETT.
JONATHAN LUCAS RIGG.