Improved Method of and Apparatus for Manufacturing Ice.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 17th July, 1895-Accepted, 17th Aug.,
1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of and Apparatus for Manufacturing Ice.
We, DANIEL LIVINGSTON HOLDEN of No. 2142 Seventh Avenue in the City
and State of New York, Manufacturer, and LEMUEL WRIGHT SERRELL of
No. 625 West Front Street, Plainfield in the State of New Jersey, Solicitor of
Patents, both in the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
In the manufacture of ice according to this invention ammonia or other suitable
material is employed as à source of cold, as heretofore well known in the manufacture
of ice artificially.
One feature of the present invention relates to means for scaling or cutting off
the ice as the water is congealed upon a cold surface so that the operation may be
more rapid than in those devices where ice is allowed to accumulate, because the
thicker the layer of ice may become the more slowly is the water frozen upon that
layer, hence by constantly removing the layer of ice as frozen a larger quantity of
ice can be obtained from the same surface during a given period.
In apparatus that has heretofore been made use of great difficulty has been
experienced in obtaining perfectly clear ice free from bubbles of air or gas. By
the present improvement the scales or pieces of ice are kept below the surface of
the water until after they are consolidated into a block, thereby effectually
preventing bubbles of air becoming mixed with the ice during the manufacturing
operation.
The scales of ice are received into a suitable trunk or holder and subjected to a
sufficient pressure to consolidate the scales and cause them to form one homogeneous
or nearly homogeneous block or cake, and it is advantageous to deliver the ice in
the form of a continuous cake or strip of suitable dimensions from the delivery end
of the press and to cut up the same into blocks or cakes of the desired length by
the action of a saw or similar device moved across such continuous cake while the
same is at rest.
It is well known that water expands under the action of cold and during the
consolidating operation, and if ice is subjected to a sufficient pressure it may be
liquified or partially liquified by a slight reduction in volume due to the pressure
and the water will immediately solidify as the pressure is relieved. We make use
of this philosophical fact to ensure the solidifying of the scales of ice, such scales
being at a sufficiently low temperature before being passed into the press to become
solidified along with the water that fills the interstices by the pressure to which
the materials are subjected before the cake of ice is delivered.
In carrying out the present invention any suitable apparatus may be made use
of, such for instance as a series of cylinders containing the frigerific materials,
which cylinders may be revolved and exposed to the action of a series of chisels or
points that scale off the ice, and in some instances the chisels or points are caused
to travel backwards and forwards periodically so as to scale off the ice as soon as
the layer becomes of the desired thickness. In other instances the chisels or points
are mounted upon arms and revolved in contact with the interior of a stationary
cylinder to scale off the ice, and where it is not desired to make the ice free from
air bubbles the ice scales or pieces may be allowed to fall down into a hopper
beneath which is a trunk having a reciprocating follower or piston that acts to squeeze

page_text: the ice scales or pieces together and form a compact cake of ice; in this instance
it is advantageous to provide numerous holes in the follower to allow surplus water
to run away.
Where the ice is to be frozen clear and without air bubbles, such ice as it rises
in the tank of water as it is scaled off from the frigerific surfaces, is passed away
laterally and advantageously by the action of a screw conveyor in the water, to a
trunk in which is a reciprocating piston advantageously working vertically and
perforated with numerous holes so as to carry down the mass of granular ice or
scales and press the same into a solid block, the surplus water passing through the
holes up into the hollow piston and by the same being returned into the tank
holding the water, and in this case the block of ice is moved downwardly and
progressively, and it is advantageous to employ holding clamps or lips that
apply friction to the sides of the block of ice to prevent the same dropping out of
the press, and it is also advantageous to provide a stop against which the end of the
block of ice rests during the pressing operation of a new mass of ice against the end
of such block, and then the projecting block of ice can be sawed off as the piston
rises or returns for a fresh charge of ice grains or scales.
Dated this 11th dow of December 1894
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeda, Agents for Applicants.
improved method of an Apparatus for manufacturing 100
We, DANIEL LIVINGSTON HOLDEN, residing at No. 2142 Seventh Avenue, in
the City, County and State of New York, Manufacturer, and LEMUEL WRIGHT
SERRELL, residing at No. 625 West Front Street, Plainfield, in the County of
Union and State of New Jersey, Solicitor of Patents, both in the United States
of America, 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:-
In the manufacture of ice according to this invention ammonia or other suitable
material is employed as a source of cold as heretofore well known in the manufacture
of ice artificially.
.
One feature of the present invention relates to means for scaling or cutting off
the ice as the water is congealed upon a cold surface so that the operation may be
more rapid than in those devices where ice is allowed to accumulate, because the
thicker the layer of ice may become the more slowly is the water frozen upon that
layer, hence by constantly removing the layer of ice as frozen a larger quantity
of ice can be obtained from the same surface during a given period.
In apparatus that has heretofore been made use of great difficulty has been
experienced in obtaining perfectly clear ice free from bubbles of air or gas. By-
the present improvement the scales or pieces of ice are kept below the surface of
the water until after they are consolidated into a block, thereby effectually
preventing bubbles of air becoming mixed with the ice during the manufacturing
operation.
The scales of ice are received into a suitable trunk or holder and subjected to a
sufficient pressure to consolidate the scales and cause them to form one homogeneous
or nearly homogeneous block or cake, and it is advantageous to deliver the ice in
the form of a continuous cake or strip of suitable dimensions from the delivery
end of the press and to cut up the same into blocks or cakes of the desired length
by the action of a saw or similar device moved across such continuous cake while
the same is at rest.

page_text: removing the ice in chips or scales from the surfaces of the hollow cylinders G.
We have represented the scrapers E as adapted to this object.
In any apparatus that may be employed for the purpose of freezing the water
upon the refrigerating surfaces and removing the ice in scales or chips, the ice
making devices are entirely below the surface of the water and the ice floats and
accumulates in the upper portion of the apparatus, and any suitable cover may be
provided for the vessel A.
In Figs. 1 and 2 the perforated incline I is represented so that the particles of
ice will accumulate at or near one side of the vessel A, and such particles of
ice will pass through the outlet K into the press L, which press is represented as
vertical.
In this apparatus the scales or particles of ice always remain below the water
level, and the tendency of such ice being to float, causes it to accumulate in the
upper part of the water holding vessel and pass up from time to time into the
trunk L of the press so that the piston or plunger N as it is reciprocated will not
only press upon the particles of ice that float up into the trunk L for consolidating
the same and moving the block of ice down progressively in such trunk, but any
particles of air or gas that may remain between the particles of ice will rise up in
the water holding vessel and the water which may remain between the particles of
ice as pressed will pass out through the perforated plunger N so that the ice will
be free from bubbles and will be clear and transparent throughout.
In the apparatus represented the parts are arranged in a convenient manner for
use, but this method of forming ice artificially may be carried out in any suitable
apparatus. We find it advantageous to place the horizontal cylinders G in ranges
sufficiently far apart to give access between them for repairs and to rotate the
cylinders in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows, and the scrapers E are
represented in Figs. 1 and 2 as supported upon cross shafts 4 that have eyes at their
ends sliding upon the stationary bars 5, and these cross shafts 4 and scrapers E are
moved progressively from end to end upon the cylinders G by any suitable means,
such for instance as the endless chains 6 which pass around sprocket wheels 7 upon
shafts 8 that project through packing boxes or bearings upon the vessel A and
they are driven by suitable power applied to pulleys 9 upon their outer ends; and
it is advantageous to employ the reversing devices such as common in planing
machines and presses, for changing the direction of rotation of the pulleys 9 and
with this object in view the fingers 10 projecting from the shafts 4 act upon arms 11
projecting from the rock shafts 12 when the scrapers reach the respective ends of
their movements, so that by these rock shafts 12 any suitable mechanism may be
actuated for reversing the direction of rotation of the pulleys 9 and thereby
moving the scrapers E first in one direction and then in the other.
By placing the scrapers E in pairs, as shown, the strain upon each scraper as it
is held in position will be taken in the opposite direction by the other scraper to
hold that in position, thus lessening the lateral thrust upon the bars 5. In Fig. 1
the positions of the gears H are represented by dotted lines and the direction of
rotation indicated by the arrows.
The incline I may be of sheet metal perforated with long and narrow openings,
or slots close together may be employed, the object being to allow the escape of
any air or fixed gases and at the same time to direct the particles of ice towards
the opening K, and conveyor screws P may be made use of, standing at opposite
directions and rotated by suitable power, so as to tend to move the particles of ice
towards the opening K to the press.
The piston N of the press is advantageously perforated on the end for the
escape of water or any fixed gases upwardly as the piston is pressed down upon the
particles of ice to consolidate the same, and the piston is hollow and provided with
openings for the lateral discharge of water as the piston rises, and by connecting
the trunk. L of the press upon one side of the water vessel. A, as shown, and
prolonging, the three sides of the press trunk L above the top of the vessel A,
leaving the fourth side open at 13, the water which may be raised in the hollow

page_text: piston can run out through the openings 14 and pass along the side channels 15 and
run at the open side 13 into the water holding vessel A.
We also find it advantageous to make use of the detaining clips 16 bolted to the
lower end of the press trunk L and set up by screws 17 so that the clips are
slightly closer together than the width of the press trunk L, thereby said detaining
clips 16 apply sufficient detaining force to the ice as it is pressed to firmly
consolidate the same and to prevent the block of ice falling away by gravity
out of the trunk when the lower end is unsupported; and by providing a saw
the ice can be sawed off in blocks of the desired length and allowed to slide away
upon a suitable chute to the storage room.
We also find it advantageous to make use of hydraulic power for moving the
piston N, because such piston N can remain stationary at any point after the given
pressure has been exerted upon the ice, and as the piston is drawn up the ice which
has accumulated adjacent to the opening K will pass into the press trunk L and be
in a position to be forced downwardly by the action of the piston N, and should
it be desired, a gate can be applied, as illustrated by the dotted lines at 18, the
same being moved down to close the opening K before the piston N is actuated,
thereby retaining the particles of ice within the press trunk, and under all
circumstances the freezing of the water, the scaling off of the ice in chips and
the pressing of the chips into blocks of ice takes place below the surface of the
water, so that the presence of bubbles in the ice is almost wholly avoided and
the ice can be manufactured with great rapidity because only a thin layer of
ice intervenes between the water and the frigerific surface, and there is no loss
of water, the same being returned into the vessel from the press and the supply
of water coming in at the bottom becomes gradually cooled so that the water
at the top of the vessel A and the floating ice can be below the freezing
temperature.
We find great advantage in only freezing a comparatively thin layer of ice
upon the surfaces of the cylinders G, because the thicker the layer of ice is the
less efficient is the refrigerating operation because the layer of ice intervening
between the cold surface and the water causes the ice to form more slowly as the
thickness of the layer increases.
The modification in the scrapers represented in Figs. 6 and 7 consists in moving
the scrapers by a continuous progressive movement instead of a reciprocating
movement. In this instance the scrapers E' are upon the chains 46 that travel
along upon ways or supports 47, and such scrapers or cutters E' are connected
with the chains and pass at the ends around the pulleys or sprocket wheels 48 and
travel in the opposite direction and act upon the lower cylinders G, as indicated by
the arrows, and the shape of the cutters or scrapers E' and the angle at which they
stand to the surfaces of the cylinders are to be such that the cutting edges will
run in close proximity to the surfaces of the cylinders without injury to the metal
of such cylinders.
If the top of the water holding vessel A is arched or made as a double incline,
the particles of ice may be taken off at the end of the vessel instead of at the
side, and the trunk or press may be placed either vertically, as shown, or in any
other desired position so long as the pressing operation is performed beneath the
surface of the water.
In running this apparatus it is desirable to proportion the speed of the pressing
device so as to act upon the particles of ice before there is time for the intervening
water to congeal; or in other words, it is advantageous to supply sufficient water
at an ordinary temperature at the bottom of the apparatus for such water to
become cool and to congeal upon the frigerific surfaces and for the ice to be scaled
1 off and ascend with the water which expands as it becomes cooler and hence rises
with the ice, and the mass of ice particles and intervening water should be taken
off by the press with such rapidity that the mass cannot congeal in the water
holding vessel but will congeal in the press under the action of the plunger.

page_text: When the apparatus is in the form shown in Fig. 8, the water is supplied into
the vessel A' by a pipe and cock E, and such vessel A' is cylindrical and of sheet
metal and surrounded by frigerific devices such as the coil B¹ in which is caused
to circulate cold brine, and the coil being protected by a non-conducting casing C³,
and there are scrapers or cutters F' connected to the shaft G₁ so as to be rotated
and scale off the ice as it is frozen on the surface of the vessel A', and this floats and
is delivered over the edge of the stand pipe D' and falls into the hopper K and
pressing trunk H', and there may be a slide valve L to regulate the passage of
the charge. The piston I' is used to press the block of ice in the trunk H. The
saw S on the frame T is used to cut off the block of ice and the abutment or
stop R arrests the movement of the ice as the pressure is applied.
Holes at 3 in the piston I allow water to escape. The case or jacket N' may
contain frigerific brine or other liquid. The clamps O¹ and springs P' apply
pressure to the block of ice as it is forced out of the press to prevent the same
moving too fast.
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 :
First. The method herein specified of making ice, consisting in exposing water
to a refrigerating surface upon which ice is formed, scaling or cutting off such ice,
allowing the particles of ice to rise in the water, receiving such particles of ice
into a suitable tank or press below the surface of the water, and consolidating the
particles of ice by pressure and discharging the surplus water from between the
particles of ice, substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination in an ice making apparatus of a water holding vessel,
refrigerating surfaces upon which the water is frozen, mechanism for cutting or
scaling the ice from said surfaces, a trunk or receiving vessel below the water line
into which the particles of ice are passed, and a piston for consolidating the
particles of ice, there being openings for the escape of surplus water in consolidating
the ice, substantially as set forth.
Third. The method herein specified of making blocks of ice, consisting in
freezing water, passing the scales or particles of ice into a trunk or holder
beneath the surface of the water, and pressing such particles of ice while excluded
from the atmosphere to consolidate the same and form blocks, substantially as
.set forth.
Fourth. The method herein specified of making blocks of ice, consisting in
freezing water, passing the scales or particles of ice into a trunk or holder with the
interstices between the ice filled with water to exclude atmosphere and pressing
the mass to consolidate the ice and discharge the surplus water, substantially as
set forth.
Fifth. The combination in an ice making machine, of a frigerific surface upon
which the water is frozen, cutters for cutting or scaling the ice from such surface,
a press for consolidating the particles of ice, and an opening from the refrigerating
vessel into the press below the surface of the water for the particles of ice to pass
into the press, substantially as set forth.
Sixth. The method herein specified of manufacturing ice, consisting in supplying
water gradually into the lower part of a vessel, freezing the water upon a cold
surface of the vessel, cutting off the layer of ice progressively and allowing the
chips or flakes to float, accumulate and deliver gradually over one of the edges
of the vessel with only the adhering water, substantially as specified.
Seventh. The combination in an ice making apparatus of a solidifying trunk, a
piston within the same, means for the supplying of ice crystals and means for
giving motion to the piston for consolidating the ice and forcing it along in the
trunk, and a stop for arresting the movement of the column of ice and a saw for
separating the ice into blocks, substantially as set forth.

page_text: Eighth. The combination with the refrigerating device, of a water holding
vessel on the surface of which ice is formed, a gradual water supply to said
vessel, and means for cutting or scaling off the ice progressively so that it floats.
and is discharged by the accumulation, substantially as specified."
Dated this 17th day of July 1895.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicants.