IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH APPARATUS FOR COOLING AIR
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hargreaves, of Bolton, in the County of Lan-
caster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH APPARATUS
FOR COOLING AIR."
Sealed the 5th July 1878, and dated the 1st May 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hargreaves at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st May 1878.
WILLIAM HARGREAVES, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster.
IN OR CONNECTED WITH APPARATUS FOR Cooling Air."
"IMPROVEMENTS
This Invention relates to the cooling of air by apparatus of the kind described in
the Specification of Letters Patent granted to the present applicant and William
Inglis, and dated 3 September 1877 (No. 3340), and is also applicable in any case
in which it is necessary or desirable to render air cooled by any artificial means to
a temperature below 32 degrees Fahrenheit practically free from moisture.
In carrying out the present Invention in the case of air cooled by re-expansion
(after having been compressed, and after the removal from it of heat rendered
sensible by the compression), there is introduced between the re-expansion apparatus
and the discharge outlet, from which the cooled air issues into the room, chamber,
or space wherein it is to be applied, a piece of apparatus which may be termed a
snow box or snow separator, and which is contrived or arranged to promote
the separation of moisture in the form of snow or ice particles from the air passing
through it, the snow or ice thus separated being collected in the apparatus, and
removed therefrom periodically or otherwise dealt with.
In one modification of the snow box it is a rectangular structure of metal, wood,
or other suitable material, and is divided internally by vertical partitions or dia-
phragms, the compartments thus formed communicating from one to the other in
Price Gidl

page_text: succession by openings alternately at the tops and lower parts of the partitions.
The air is admitted into the compartment at one end, and proceeding through the
several compartments, passes off from that at the other end, its direction being
repeatedly changed by the partitions as it passes through. The openings by which
the air enters the snow box, as well as those through the partitions, and also the
outlet, are by preference made of about the same area as the discharge passage from
the re-expansion cylinder; or they may be of any suitable area which will not
materially affect the intermittent nature of the current from the re-expansion
cylinder, as the repeated rushes of air at each stroke with comparatively quiescent
intervals tend to promote the separation of the snow or ice by causing a stronger
impinging action upon the partitions or diaphragms.
In order to secure the best results with the snow box it is desirable to work the
air-cooling machine so that the temperature of the air leaving the snow box may be
several degrees below the freezing point.
The snow box is by preference placed in what is known as the cold room, that is,
the chamber or space in which the cooled air is to be applied, as, for example, for pre-
serving meat or other food; and in such room, chamber, or space one or more fans,
punkahs, or other suitable air movers are placed to make the air circulate and pre-
vent its becoming stagnant when the refrigerating machine may be only partially
or not at all at work.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Hargreaves in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th October
1878.
WILLIAM HARGREAVES, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster.
IN OR CONNECTED WITH APPARATUS FOR COOLING AIR."
"IMPROVEMENTS
My said Invention relates to the cooling of air by apparatus of the kind described-
in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me and William Inglis, and dated
3 September 1877 (No. 3340), and is also applicable in any case in which it is
necessary or desirable to render air cooled by any artificial means to a temperature
below 32 degrees Fahrenheit practically free from moisture.
In carrying out, my present Invention in the case of air cooled by re-expansion
(after having been compressed, and after the removal from it of heat rendered
sensible by compression), the compression and re-expansion apparatus is worked in
such a manner as to cause the temperature of the air to be considerably, say 10 or
more degrees, below 32 degrees Fahrenheit immediately on its becoming re-expanded,
and if such temperature is too low for the intended applications of the cooled air,
the supply of the very cold air to the room, chamber, or space wherein the cooled
air is required is restricted, so as by mixing with the air in such room, chamber, or
space to make the average temperature not lower than what is required. When the
tenperature of the air is thus reduced considerably below the freezing point, the
whole or nearly the whole of the moisture contained in such air becomes congealed
in the form of fine snow, which is at first distributed throughout the air, but is
capable of being mechanically separated therefrom. For the purpose of separating
the congealed moisture or fine snow there is introduced between the re-expansion
apparatus and the discharge outlet, from which the cold air issues into the room,
chamber, or space wherein it is to be applied, a piece of apparatus which may be
termed a snow box or snow separator, and which is contrived or arranged to promote
the separation of the moisture in the form of snow or ice particles from the air
passing through it, the snow or ice thus separated being collected in the apparatus,
and removed therefrom periodically or otherwise dealt with.
A modification of the snow box or snow separator to be used in carrying out my
Invention is shown upon the accompanying Sheet of explanatory Drawings, Figure
1 being a longitudinal vertical section, and Figure 2 a transverse vertical section. In
these Figures the same reference letters are used to mark the same or like parts
wherever they are repeated.
The snow box or separator is a rectangular structure A, B, of metal, wood, or
other suitable material, and is divided internally by vertical partitions C, D, E, F, GH,
of which there may be more or fewer in different cases. The compartments formed
by the partitions communicate with each other in succession by openings I, J, alter-
nately at the tops and lower parts of the partitions. The cold air from the
re-expansion cylinder or apparatus is admitted by a pipe K into the compartment
at one end, and proceeding in the manner indicated by the arrows, passes off by an
outlet pipe L from the compartment at the other end, its direction being repeatedly
changed by the partitions as it passes through. The opening K by which the cold
air enters the snow box, as well as those I, J, through the partitions C, D, E, F, G, H,
and also the outlet L, are by preference made of the same area as the discharge
passage from the re-expansion cylinder; or they may be of any suitable area which
will not materially affect the intermittent nature of the current from the re-expan-
sion cylinder, as the repeated rushes of air at each stroke with comparatively
quiescent intervals tend to promote the separation of the snow or ice by causing a
stronger impinging action upon the partitions than there would be with a uniform
current.
The first compartment of the snow box is shown as made of greater depth than
the other compartments, as larger quantities of the snow will most probably be
deposited in it.

page_text: One side of the snow box is fitted with a door or doors M, as indicated in Figure
2, to give access for removing the snow from the box at suitable intervals.
The snow box is by preference placed in what is known as the cold room, that is,
the chamber or space in which the cooled air is to be applied for preserving meat or
other food, for example; and in such room, chamber, or space one or more fans,
punkahs, or other suitable air movers are placed to make the air circulate and pre-
vent its becoming stagnant when the refrigerating machine may be only partially or
not at all at work.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise
details herein described and delineated, but that what I believe to be novel and
original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is, the rendering of cooled air practically free from moisture
by separating the moisture when converted into snow or ice particles by a sufficient
diminution of temperature, such separation being effected by causing the air charged
with the snow or ice particles to pass through apparatus constructed and acting
substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hargreaves, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WILLIAM HARGREAVES. (L.B.)