IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS FOR COOLING WORTS AND OTHER LIQUIDS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO CONDENSERS USED IN DISTILLATION
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Stirk, of Burton-on-Trent, in the County of
Stafford, Mechanical Engineer, and Horatio Bycroft, of Burton-on-Trent,
aforesaid, Plumber, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS
FOR COOLING WORTS AND OTHER LIQUIDS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO
APPLICABLE TO CONDENSERS USED IN DISTILLATION."
Sealed the 25th October 1867, and dated the 11th July 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Stirk and Horatio
Bycroft at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 11th July 1867.
We, JOSEPH STIRK, of Burton-on-Trent, in the County of Stafford,
Mechanical Engineer, and HORATIO BYCROFT, of Burton-on-Trent, aforesaid,
Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REFRIGERATORS FOR COOLING WORTS AND OTHER LIQUIDS, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO CONDENSERS USED IN DISTILLATION," to
be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of the improvements berein-after described in
refrigerators and condensers, by which improvements the repairing and cleaning

page_text: of the said refrigerators and condensers is much facilitated, and the cooling or
condensing very efficiently performed.
In order that our Invention may be the better understood we will first
describe the construction of the refrigerators commonly used for cooling worts.
The said refrigerators consist of a series of parallel flat tubes fixed in a case,
the said tubes being joined at their ends so as to form one continuous zig-zag
tube passing nearly from end to end of the said case. The wort to be cooled
is put into the said case and is in contact with the outsides of the said tubes
while the cooling water circulates in the interior of the tubes. The said tubes
are so arranged that the wort being cooled in its passage from the end of the
case at which it enters to that at which it passes out is obliged to pass over the
vertical sides of the said tubes, the said tubes forming a series of partitions in
the case, the wort being compelled to pass over every alternate tube and under
the intermediate ones.
In constructing refrigerators according to our Invention we employ a series
of flat tubes, between which the wort to be cooled passes, the said wort
pursuing a zig-zag course from side of the case, but made to pass in.
Instead of joining the said flat tubes together, as in the ordinary refrigerator,
we make each tube independent of the others. The tubes are separately fixed
in the case and communicate at one end by means of short pipes with a supply
pipe which supplies them with water, and at bottom with an exit pipe by which
the water passes out of the said tubes. In order to effectually employ the
cooling power of the water each of the flat tubes is provided with a series of
horizontal divisions by which the said tube is divided into a series of zig-zag
spaces, through which the cooling water has to make a tortuous passage, and
by which it efficiently absorbs the heat of the wort in contact with the outsides
of the tubes. In consequence of the tubes being independent of one another as
'described they may be very readily removed from the case for cleaning or repair,
and in case of repair the removal of one or more of the tubes does not interfere
with the action of the others, so that the refrigerator may be maintained in
action while it is undergoing repair. If required, the tubes may be put in
communication with one another, so as to form the whole into one continuous
tube by detaching the supply and exit pipes and connecting the ends of the
flat tubes together by flexible or other connectors. In this case the cooling
water is introduced at one end of the connected series of tubes and passes out
at the other end.
:
The arrangements described with respect to refrigerators may also be
applied to condensers used in distilling, the vapour to be condensed being

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Stirk and Horatio Bycroft in the Great Seal Patent
. Office on the 1st November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
STIRK, of Burton-on-Trent, in the County of Stafford, Mechanical Engineer,
and HORATIO BYCROFT, of Burton-on-Trent, aforesaid, Plumber, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Joseph Stirk and Horatio Bycroft, Hér special licence that we, the said
Joseph Stirk and Horatio Bycroft, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Joseph Stirk and Horatio Bycroft, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS FOR COOLING
WORTS AND OTHER LIQUIDS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO CON-
DENSERS USED IN DISTILLATION," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Joseph Stirk and Horatio Byeroft, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the saine to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Joseph Stirk and Horatio Bycroft, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing bereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
Our Invention of "Improvements in Refrigerators for Cooling Worts and
other Liquids, which Improvements are also applicable to Condensers used in

page_text: Distillation, consists of the improvements herein-after described in refrigerators
and condensers, by which improvements the repairing and cleaning of the said
refrigerators and condensers is much facilitated and the cooling or condensing
very efficiently performed.
In order. that our Invention may be the better understood we will first
describe the construction of the refrigerators commonly used for cooling worts.
The said refrigerators consist of a series of parallel flat tubes fixed in a case,
the said tubes being joined at their ends so as to form one continuous zig-zag
tube passing nearly from end to end of the said case.
The wort to be cooled
is put into the said case, and is in contact with the outsides of the said tubes
while the cooling water circulates in the interior of the tubes. The said tubes
are so arranged that the wort being cooled in its passage from the end of the
case at which it enters to that at which it passes out is caused to pass over
the vertical sides of the said tubes which form a series of partitions in the
case the wort being compelled to pass over every alternate tube and under
the intermediate ones.
In constructing refrigerators according to our Invention we employ a series
of flat tubes between which the wort to be cooled passes, the said wort
pursuing a zig-zag course from side to side of the case, or over and under
each tube alternately, but instead of joining the said flat tubes together as in
the ordinary refrigerator we make each tube independent of the others. The
tubes are separately fixed in the case and communicate at one end, by means
of short pipes with a supply pipe which supplies them with water and at
bottom with an exit pipe by which the water passes out of the said tubes.
In order to effectually employ the cooling power of the water each of the
flat tubes is provided with a series of horizontal divisions by which the said
tube is divided into a series of zig-zag spaces through which the cooling water
has to make a tortuous passage, and by which it effectually absorbs the
heat of the wort in contact with the outsides of the tubes. In consequence
of the tubes being independent of one another as described, they may be very
readily removed from the case for cleaning or repair, and in case of repair
the removal of one or more of the tubes does not interfere with the action of
the others, so that the refrigerator may be maintained in action while it is
undergoing repair. The arrangements described with respect to refrigerators
may also be applied to condensers used in distilling, the vapor to be condensed
being introduced into the interior of the tubes, and the condensing water
being contained in the case and in contact with the outsides of the said tubes.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention we will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed by

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a plan or horizontal view of the refrigerator; Fig. 2 represents
the same partly in side elevation and partly in section; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal
section, and Fig. 4 is a transverse section on an enlarged scale of one of the
tubes; in these several Figures the same letters of reference indicate corres-
ponding parts.
A is the case of the refrigerator; B, the water inlet, which consists of a bent
pipe extending round three sides of the case at the upper part thereof outside
and communicating with the upper part of each tube C, C, by means of short
pipes or branches D, D, through which cold water is supplied from the inlet B to
each tube separately; E is the water outlet of similar form to the inlet B, and
communicating with the lower part of each tube C, C, by means of short
pipes or branches, thereby admitting of the escape of water from each tube
into the general outlet at the lower part of the apparatus.
Ou reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the tubes C, C, are arranged in
the case in such a manner as to cause the wort or other liquid intended to
be cooled to pass over every alternate tube and under the intermediate ones.
In Figures 3 and 4 F, F, are partitions extending across the tube, and
arranged longitudinally in such a manner as to cause the cooling water which
enters by the inlet at the upper part of the tube to take the course indicated
by the arrows in its passage to the outlet at the lower part of the same.
From the foregoing description of the parts it will be evident that on wort
or other liquid in a heated state being admitted into the lower part of the
case A it will be caused to flow alternately over and under the several
tubes C, C, into each of which cold water is supplied by its separate short
pipe or branch D from the main inlet B, and discharged as required by its
separate short pipe or branch into the main outlet E. By this arrangement
each tube becomes a separate refrigerator for cooling the wort or other liquid
brought in contact with its outer surface.
It will be readily understood that the above described apparatus may be
used for condensing steam or other elastic fluid by admitting the steam or
elastic fluid into the tubes and supplying cold water to the case, which cold
water coming in contact with the outsides of the tubes would produce the
required condensation, and the condensed vapour would flow out of the tubes
and escape by the short pipes or branches into the main outlet.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we hereby declare that what we claim
as of our Invention is,―
First, the construction of refrigerators with the several flat tubes employed
therein separately connected with the water inlet and outlet; in the manner
and for the purpose described.
And, secondly, the adaptation and application of the same apparatus to
condensers as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Joseph Stirk and Horatio Bycroft, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, the Twenty-sixth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness to the signing, sealing,
and delivery by Joseph Stirk
and Horatio Bycroft,
JOHN RICHARDSON,
Sol.
Burton-on-Trent.
USERN
(L.B.)
HORATIO BYCROFT. (L.S.)