Improvements in Apparatus for Refrigerating or Producing and Utilizing Cold.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Apr., 1886.
Complete Left, 24th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 1st Apr., 1887.
Improvements in Apparatus for Refrigerating or Producing and
Utilizing Cold.
I, ROBERT MATTHEWS of the Firm of Goodfellow & Matthews of Hyde in the
County of Chester Engineers, Millwrights and Metal Founders do hereby declare the
nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to apparatus wherein air is compressed and expanded
alternately for its utilization in the production of cold and my said Invention consists
in a novel and efficient relative arrangement of the component parts of the apparatus
whereby many of the objections hitherto applying to such apparatus as ordinarily
constructed are overcome and also in improvements connected with the valves of the
apparatus as herein after explained.
I arrange the low pressure cylinder of the apparatus at the back of the high
pressure cylinder, tandem fashion the end of the low pressure cylinder having at the
end nearest the high pressure cylinder an internal flange and cover so that the pistons
can be drawn out without disconnecting them-The air expansion cylinder is arranged
at the back of the compression cylinder and alongside the low pressure cylinder away
from the cooler so as to be as clear as possible of radiated heat and may be carried by
a bracket connected to the bed or condenser which is situated out of contact with the
cooler and underneath of (and so that it carries) the low pressure cylinder there being
preferably wood or other nonconducting packing between the feet of the expansion
cylinder and the bracket or in other equivalent position so as to prevent the
conducting of heat to the cold air and admit of a free discharge-The air compressing
pump is arranged in line with the expansion cylinder and alongside the high pressure
cylinder and delivers through suitable pipes into the cooler which is provided with
tubes to intercept the air and effect a cooling thereof down to as near the initial
temperature of water as possible. The air is thence taken up through a pipe and back
along to the expansion cylinder whereto it is admitted through valves for expansion and
wherefrom after expansion it is exhausted through the exhaust valves. In order to
effect the deposit of moisture the pipes which so lead the air to the expansion cylinder
may be replaced by a tubular cooler enveloped by the cold air returning from the

page_text: freezing chamber or when discharged from expansion cylinder on its way to the cold
chambers I prefer to take the air out of the cooler at the end next the crank shaft so
as to keep it as cool as possible-The air pump and circulating or cooling pumps can
be worked from the crank shaft by rods which may also if preferred work the valves
of the Engine The condenser (either of the jet or surface type) is placed as aforesaid
away from the coolers and beneath the low pressure cylinder so as to drain it and to
be as efficient as possible by its proximity-The expansion cylinder has long taper
plug valves so as to prevent as much as possible the heating of air by friction and also
prevent the accumulation of vapour which is frozen into ice and is so damaging to
existing valves.
Of these valves the ports of the admission valve are preferably so arranged in size
and position as to make the valve in equilibrium.
The admission port which passes through the liner of the valve casing has a recess
on the side of the casing opposite the admission port of equal width thereto so that
when the valves are closed the pressure acting in the port is neutralized by the equal
pressure in the said recess. The fluid under pressure is passed through small holes in
the ends of the valve to the interior thereof to allow the pressure to act on both sides
of the valve. The exhaust valve is a plain taper plug valve so arranged that no
accumulation of water or of vapour can take place to be frozen into ice.
The gear which operates the inlet and exhaust valves of the expansion cylinder is so
arranged that the valves travel quickly at closing and so also that after they are
closed the motion is reduced so as to cause but little friction. This may be effected
by connecting the eccentric, rod from the engine shaft to a lever on a shaft to which is
keyed another lever so arranged as to give their full travel one way but very little the
other way.
It is obvious that the admission valve could be so made as to have an internal
expansion valve to he worked in the ordinary manner for giving an early cut off but
I prefer for simplicity to make the eccentric for working the admission valves to be
capable of a variable throw which is actuated by a screw and is so arranged that the
lead is constant The exhaust valves are preferably arranged in a similar way. The
valves in the compression cylinder have water jacketted covers and guards and
the valves may be in one piece but preferably are in halves slit in a number of places
so as to render them flexible and to enable them to lift. In this case the guard is
made or provided with flats corresponding in number and dimensions to the portions
between the slits in the valve. By this arrangement the valve is enabled to bed or
bear upon its whole surface instead of along a number of lines only.
Datadl this oh
L 1000
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
70, Market Street, Manchester,
Agent for Robert Matthews.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION...
Improvements in Apparatus for Refrigerating or Producing
and Utilizing Cold..
I, ROBERT MATTHEWS of the firm of Goodfellow and Matthews of Hyde in the
County of Chester, Engineers, Millwrights, and Metal Founders, 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 :-
My Invention relates to Apparatus wherein Air is compressed and expanded
alternately for its utilization in the production of cold and my said Invention consists
in the novel and efficient relative arrangement of the component or main parts of the
apparatus whereby many of the objections hitherto applying to such apparatus as
ordinarily constructed are overcome, and also in improvements connected with the
valvular arrangements of the Apparatus as hereinafter explained.
When I use a compound Steam Engine as the motor I arrange the low pressure
cylinder of the Engine at the back of the high pressure cylinder, tandem fashion as
shewn in plan in Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings, the high pressure cylinder
being marked A, and the low pressure cylinder being marked B, the end of the low
pressure cylinder nearest the high pressure cylinder having preferably an internal
flange and cover so that the pistons can be drawn out from both the high and low
pressure Steam cylinders without disconnecting them. Figure 2 is a side elevation of
the machine corresponding to the plan Figure 1. The air expansion cylinder is
marked C. It is arranged at the back of the air compression cylinder_(marked D,)
and alongside the low pressure steam cylinder B away from the cooler E so as to be
as clear as possible of radiated heat and may be carried by a bracket as at F' connected
to the bed or condenser G which is situated out of contact with the cooler E and
alongside of, or underneath, and so that it carries, the low pressure Steam Cylinder B,
there being preferably wood or other non-conducting packing between the air
expansion cylinder C and the bracket F, (as at f) or in other equivalent position so as
to prevent the conducting of heat to the cold air and admit of a free discharge of cold
air. The air compression cylinder is arranged in line with the air expansion cylinder C
and alongside the high-pressure Steam cylinder A and delivers through any suitable
arrangement of pipes or passages as at d, into the cooler E which is provided with
tubes to intercept the air and effect a cooling thereof down to as near the initial
temperature of the cooling medium as possible which may be effected by cold air or
water coming into contact with the one side of the tubes whilst the compressed air is
in contact with the other side of the tubes. The compressed air is taken from the
cooler, up through a pipe or passage e, and back along through the pipe to the air
expansion cylinder whereto it is admitted through inlet valves I for expansion and
for doing work by operating the piston in the said Cylinder, and acting through the
piston rod thereof on the piston of the air compression cylinder and crank shaft; the
said air, after expansion and so operating, being exhausted through outlet valves I³ into

page_text: the trunk or passage by which it passes to the chamber in which the cold produced is
to be utilized, the said air thence returning to the compression cylinder, and if an
air cooler be used, first passing through the cooler on the reverse sides of the tubes to
those with which the compressed air is in contact. This air cooler will ensure the
deposit of moisture and the further cooling of the compressed air as in the Windhausen
machine described in the Specification of Letters Patent No 669, of 1869, where
very intense cold is desired, the cooling air, instead of being that returning from the
place of utilization, (such as the meat chamber,) may be the air or part of the air
discharged from the expansion cylinder on its way to the meat chamber or other place
of utilization, I prefer to take the air out of the cooler E on its way to the air expansion
cylinder at the end next the crank shaft as shewn (at e) so as to keep the said air as
cool as possible. The air pump of the Steam Engine and the water circulating pump
(where water is used as the cooling medium) can be worked from the crank shaft by rods
as at Tin Figures 1 and 11. These may also if preferred work the valves of the Engine.
The condenser may be either of the jet or surface type and being placed as aforesaid
away from the coolers and beneath or alongside of the low pressure cylinder will by
its proximity thereto be as efficient as possible and drain the said cylinder.
The expansion cylinder has at both ends long taper hollow plug valves with long
double openings therein for admission so as to reduce the motion and thus prevent as
much as possible the heating of air by friction and also prevent the accumulation of
vapour which is frozen into ice and is so damaging to valves as usually arranged or
constructed.
comes
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section and Figure 4 is a transverse section of these
valves. The admission valve is marked I and the outlet valve is marked I². They are
both hollow valves as shown. The admission port i communicates through the liner (¹
of the valve I by the passage with the interior of the valve when the passage
opposite the admission port i and at that time the passages coincide with the
passages by which the air passes into the cylinder to actuate the piston thereof and
generate cold in doing work. There is a recess 3 at the side of the casing opposite
the admission port i the said recess and port being of the same width so that when the
valve is closed the pressure acting on the valve in the port is neutralized by the equal
pressure acting on the valve in the said recess. The air under pressure passes through
holes in the ends of the valve to the recesses to allow the pressure to act on both
ends of the valve. The arrangement described and shewn puts the valves practically
in equilibrium. Each exhaust valve I' is a plain taper hollow plug valve with long
openings thereto, therethrough and therefrom so that no accumulation of water or
vapour takes place, which accumulation would result in an objectionable collection of
snow or ice therein, and is so arranged that all wear can be taken up as is usual with
taper valves. It will be understood that the arrangement shewn is repeated at the
other end of the cylinder.
The gear which operates the inlet valves of the expansion cylinder is so arranged
that the valves travel quickly at closing and so also that after they are closed the
motion is reduced so as to cause but little friction. This may be effected as illustrated
by Figures 1 and 2 or by Figures. 5. 11 and 12 by connecting the eccentric rod J from
the engine shaft to a lever K on a shaft L to which is keyed another lever or which
first named lever is provided with cross extensions as shewn at k k to which the valve
rods (omitted from Figure 12) are respectively connected as shewn so as to give
their full travel one way but very little the other way. It is obvious that the admission
valve could be so made as to have an internal expansion valve to be worked in the
ordinary way for giving an early cut off as is well understood but I prefer for
simplicity, to make the ecentric for working the admission valves to be capable of a
variable throw which is actuated by a screw as at M and is so arranged that the lead
is constant. The exhaust or outlet valves are preferably arranged in a similar way
and are actuated by a similar arrangement from the crank shaft as shewn in
Figure 5.
The valves which are at both ends of the air compression cylinder are illustrated
with regard to one end in section at Figure 6. Figure 7 being an end view of the

page_text: cylinder. They have water jacketted cylinder covers and valve guards. In Figure 6
the guard is shewn at N the water space being marked and water can be passed
thereinto and therefrom respectively by pipes P which have perforations at p by
which the water also passes into and from the space q of the hollow cylinder cover
or in any other suitable way-R are the inlet valves opening against the inclined faces
of the guard N, and S are the outlet valves opening against the inclined faces of the
guards s-The valves R and S may each be made in one piece but they are preferably
made in halves so that they can be removed and replaced without passing them along
the rod and they are slit in a number of places (as shewn with regard to the valve R
in Figure S where the slits are marked) so as to render them flexible and enable
them to lift in tangential parallel planes, the guards N and s being made as shewn
with regard to the guard N in front elevation in Figure 9 and in cross section in
Figure 10 with flats or tangential parallel planes n² the same in number as the
divisions of the valve-The valves R have holes n³ through them coinciding with the
passages through the guards N, and the passages n leading to the valves S.
Figures 11 and 12 represent in plan and side elevation the general arrangement of
apparatus according to our Invention when a simple or non compound steam engine is
used. A is the single high pressure cylinder and the other parts are marked with the
same letters of reference as those used to indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1.
and 2. In this arrangement there is shown a compound cooler the one part E being
a water cooler and the other part E2 being an air cooler but an air or water cooler
alone may be used if desired.
The compression cylinder D delivers the air through a pipe Y underneath the said
cylinder into the water cooler E from which it passes by the pipe e which is divided
by a partitione up one side of the partition over the top and down the other side
thereof into the pipe X and thence to the air cooler E2 where it is further cooled by
the cold air passing on the other side of the tubes of the said cooler and is delivered
therefrom by the pipe e into the expansion cylinder C. When the cold air used for
thus cooling the air on its way to the expansion cylinder is the air passing from the
place of utilization back to the compression cylinder, it may be admitted into the
cooler E2 by the branch pipe W and out from the said cooler by the pipe V into
the compression cylinder D.
Figures 13 and 14 shew in transverse and longitudinal sections a modification of
the valves of the air expansion cylinder wherein parallel or corliss instead of taper
admission valves are used this arrangement being applicable where snow is not likely
to be troublesome.
These parallel valves are arranged and shaped as shewn at I whereby I obtain a
double opening and consequently a double speed in closing as in the case of the arrange-
ment of taper valve herein before described, but in this case the port to the cylinder is
single the double opening being obtained by the valve. This will be readily understood
from Figure 13 where the valve is shewn at its full opening the arrows shewing the
flow of the incoming air..
Figures 15 and 16 are transverse and an end view of a modification in the valvular
arrangements and covers of the air compression cylinders wherein N is the water
jacketted guard which, is fixed between the cover and cylinder the water space n of
the said guard being supplied with water from the lower part n' of the cylinder jacket
through the passages PP the water being then delivered through the passages into
the upper part n of the cylinder jacket whereby there is obtained a thorough circula-
tion of the water-The other parts are as hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is―
First. In apparatus for producing and utilizing cold by the compression and
expansion of air as described the arrangement of the actuating or motor cylinder or
cylinders and the air compression and expansion cylinder and coolers substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 and by the modification
Figures 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Second. In apparatus for producing and utilizing cold by the compression and
expanson of air as described the arrangement of the actuating or motor cylinder or
cylinders and the air compression and expansion cylinder and cooler or coolers as
described in combination with the outlet from the cooler or from the first cooler at
the end next to the crank shaft substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
Third. In apparatus arranged as hereinbefore described and claimed by the
preceding claiming clauses the combination of a condenser arranged as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described.
Fourth. In apparatus for producing and utilizing cold by the compression and
expansion of air inlet or exhaust valves (or both) for the air expansion cylinder the
said valves being hollow taper plugs with long passages and ports substantially as and
for giving the advantages hereinbefore described and illustrated.
Fifth. In apparatus for producing and utilizing cold by the compression and
expansion of air the combination with the air expansion cylinder of inlet valves and
ports or passages arranged substantially as and for giving the advantages hereinbefore
described.
Sixth. In apparatus for producing and utilizing cold by the compression and
expansion of air the gear for operating the valves of the air expansion cylinder
arranged substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated.
Seventh. In apparatus for producing and utilizing cold by the compression and
expansion of air the arrangement of the valve guards and cylinder covers of the air
compression cylinder with water recesses or jackets substantially as described and
illustrated.
Eighth. In apparatus for the production and utilization of cold by the compression
and expansion of air in and for the air compression cylinder slit or radially divided
valves constructed and arranged in combination with guards substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1887