IMPROVEMENTS IN FREEZING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, HENRY ALBERT FLEUSS of New Town Isle of Wight, Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FREEZING MACHINES"
to be as follows:-
· r
This Invention has for its object improvements in freezing machines and relates
to that class of freezing machine in which a volatile liquid is evaporated in a
vacuum. According to my invention I employ in such machines a light volatile
liquid that is insoluble in water such for example as Amyl-hydride or Rhigolene-
and I so arrange the pump that its piston is covered and lubricated with water (or
it might be other liquid not readily vaporizable and not soluble in the readily
vaporizable liquid) so that only a liquid tight and not a gas tight fitting of the
piston has to be maintained.
The pump cylinder I place vertically in a cistern or tank in which the supply of
vaporizable liquid is stored. The greater part of the cistern I fill with water-the
supply of the light and readily vaporizable liquid floats on the top of the water.
The lower end of the cylinder may be carried through the bottom of the cistern
but the top of the cylinder I leave open to the liquid. The piston rod I carry out
through the top of the cistern through a tube fitted with hydraulic collars one
facing upwards and the other downwards-this tube I carry down below the level
of the water in the cistern so that if any leakage takes place through the tube it
can only be a leakage of water.
The piston is made concave on its under side whilst the cylinder is made with a
convex bottom to fit into the concave under surface of the piston. The vapour
inlet valve is fitted to an opening at the summit of the convex bottom and the
outlet valve at the summit of the conical piston.
An opening is formed through the side of the cylinder a short distance below the
piston when at the top of its stroke-from this opening a pipe is carried down
nearly to the bottom of the cistern so that nothing but water can enter the
cylinder through it.
The piston at each upward stroke is carried above the side opening so that a
certain amount of water may then pass into the cylinder below the piston and
cover the inlet valve.
On the downward stroke the vapour enclosed in the cylinder will become
condensed and towards the completion of the stroke when the piston commences to
dip into the water at the bottom of the cylinder the condensed vapor will be
enclosed in the hollow of the piston.

page_text: The vapour as it condenses will therefore float on the top of the water within
the hollow of the piston and so soon as the piston valve opens this condensed liquid
will pass through the valve into the cistern which thus serves as a condenser as
well as a receptacle for holding the vaporizable liquid.
Also by making the underside of the piston concave as above described any
small amount of liquid which may be left below the piston at the bottom of the
stroke must of necessity be water-this enables me readily to obtain a better
vacuum than is ordinarily obtained in freezing machines of this class.
-
The piston I form with a tube extending upwards a distance above the piston
valve so that the mixed water and liquid which passes up through this valve may
be delivered into the cistern at about the water level.
The passage to the inlet valve is connected by a pipe with the closed vessel in
which evaporation is to be effected and which is preferably formed as heretofore
with pockets or recesses into which liquids to be frozen can be placed. The
closed vessel in which evaporation is effected is also connected by a pipe with the
upper part of the closed cistern-opening into the cistern a little below the level of
the vaporizable liquid contained therein.
A stop valve is placed in this pipe so that whenever necessary a small quantity
of vaporizable liquid can by opening the valve be allowed to pass from the cistern
to the vessel in which evaporation is carried on.
This valve I by preference form of a thin metal diaphragm which by a screw
can be allowed to approach or move away from and close an opening in a partition
formed across the valve shell or casing.
.

page_text: "
I, HENRY ALBERT FLEUSS of Newtown, Isle of Wight, Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FREEZING MACHINES
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This Invention has for its object improvements in freezing machines and relates
to that class of freezing machine in which a volatile liquid is evaporated in a
vacuum. According to my invention I employ in such machines a light volatile
liquid that is insoluble in water such for example as Amyl-hydride Rhigolene or
gasolene the more highly refined the better and I so arrange the pump that its
piston is covered and lubricated with water (or it might be other liquid not readily
vaporizable and not soluble in the readily vaporizable liquid) so that only a liquid-
tight and not a gas-tight fitting of the piston has to be maintained.
The pump cylinder I place vertically in a closed cistern or tank in which the
supply of vaporizable liquid is stored. The greater part of the cistern I fill with
water-the supply of the light and readily vaporizable liquid floats on the top of
the water. The lower end of the cylinder may be carried through the bottom of
the cistern but the upper part of the cylinder I leave open to the water in the
cistern. The piston rod I carry out through the top of the cistern through a
stuffing box kept filled with water and fitted with hydraulic collars one facing
upwards and the other downwards so that if any leakage takes place into the
cylinder it can only be a leakage of water.
The piston is made concave on its under side whilst the cylinder is made with a
convex bottom to fit into the concave under surface of the piston. The vapour
inlet valve is fitted to an opening at the summit of the convex bottom and the
outlet valve at the summit of the conical piston.
:
An opening is formed through the side of the cylinder a short distance below the
piston when at the top of its stroke so that at the end of each upward stroke a
certain amount of water may pass into the cylinder below the piston and cover the
inlet valve.
The passage to the inlet valve is connected by a pipe with the closed vessel in
which evaporation is to be effected and which is preferably formed as heretofore
with pockets or recesses into which liquids to be frozen can be placed. The closed
vessel in which evaporation is effected is also connected by a pipe with the upper
part of the closed cistern opening into the cistern a little below the level of the
vaporizable liquid contained therein. A stop valve is placed in this pipe so that
whenever necessary a small quantity of vaporizable liquid can by opening the
valve be allowed to pass from the cistern to the vessel in which evaporation is
carried on.
This valve I by preference form of a thin metal diaphragm which by a screw can
be allowed to approach or move away from and close an opening in a partition
formed across the valve shell or casing.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn various views of a freezing
machine constructed as above described.
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section Figure 2 is a transverse section
and Figure 3 a plan view of the machine. Figure 4 is a vertical section on a larger
scale of the upper part of one of the pump cylinders.

page_text: In these figures A is the framing of the machine B B are pump cylinders secured
to the bottom of this frame. I prefer to use two pump cylinders as shewn so as to
render the action of the apparatus approximately uniform. C is a closed tank or
vessel of copper through which the upper part of the cylinders B pass. The tank
is at one side carried up considerably above the level of the pump cylinders so that
volatile liquid may collect in the upper part of this upward extension of the tank
whilst the lower part may contain water. B₁ B₁, are openings through. the sides of
the upper part of the pump cylinders to allow water to pass into them above the
pistons or pump buckets from the closed tank C. B2 B2 are other small openings
by which water can enter the cylinders below the pistons or pump buckets when
they are at the top of their stroke. D D are stuffing boxes through which the
-piston rods pass out through the cylinder covers which are above the top of the
lower portion of the tank C. Each stuffing box is as shewn provided with two cup
packings one facing upwards and the other downwards and made preferably of.
vulcanized fibre as this material is not acted upon by gasolene or such like volatile
liquid. D¹ are cups at the top of the stuffing boxes which are to be kept filled with
water so that if any leakage takes place into the pump cylinder it may be a leakage
of water and not of air. In Figure 1 the two cup leathers are shewn to be facing
in opposite directions away from one another but they might if preferred be made
to face towards one another as shewn at Figure 5 The packing rings of the pump
buckets I also by preference form of vulcanized fibre instead of leather.
E is the outlet valve of each pump bucket with its seat at the top of the concave
bottom of the bucket. F is the corresponding convex bottom of the pump cylinder-
G is the inlet valve at the summit of this convex bottom H is the inlet pipe-to
the hollow inlet chamber below the valve G--This pipe as shown at Figures 2 and 3
is made to communicate with the upper part of a closed vessel I containing the
readily vaporizable liquid. It is led into a closed vessel J.and nearly to the, bottom
of this chamber whilst the upper part of the vessel J is put into connection with
the upper part of the vessel I by another pipe.-The vessel J serves as a vacuum
chamber of large capacity to maintain a comparatively uniform vacuum in the upper
part of the vessel I when the pumps are in action and so ensures a steady and
.continuous boiling of the vaporizable liquid.
I
In Figures 2 and 3 the central part of the vessel I is shown to be occupied by a
mould K in which any liquid required to be frozen is to be placed.
In machines of larger size the vessel I might be immersed in brine or other
uncongeable liquid and the brine be made to circulate by means of a circulating
pump or other arrangement around the exterior of moulds or vessels containing the
liquids to be frozen. In this case the vessel I might be formed with numerous
tubes passing through it or be otherwise formed in such manner as to give a large
contact surface between its exterior, and the brine. L is a small pipe passing from
the upper part of the tank C to the top of the vessel. I. It descends into the tank
to a level at some distance above the level of the water contained therein. L' is a
stop valve by which the passage through the pipe L can be opened or closed at
pleasure The way in which I prefer to form this valve is shewn separately at
Figures 6 and 7. M is a crank axis from which motion is given to the piston rods
of the pumps. N is a fly wheel fixed thereon and provided with a crank handle
by which it can be revolved.
O is a wooden box in which the apparatus is placed. When the apparatus is to
be used it should be filled with water to a level above the top of the pump cylinders
or a slight stream of water might be arranged to flow through it.
To charge the apparatus the tank C is first filled with water 'through an
opening C to a level some distance above the top of the pump cylinders but
not up to the level of the end of, the pipe L. The tank C is provided with an
overflow opening at the water level. When the tank has been filled with water up
to this level the opening is closed by screwing into it a screw plug C*. When this
has been done the valve L' is closed and the pump is worked until as good a

page_text: vacuum is obtained in the vessel I as is practicable. The tank C is then filled up
with the readily vaporizable liquid until there is sufficient liquid above the end of
the pipe L to fill or nearly fill the vessel I. The opening C¹ through which the
tank was filled is then closed by a screw plug and the valve L' is opened-the
liquid which is above the end of the pipe L then at once passes along the pipe L.
and into the vessel I and the apparatus is ready to be used,
When the mould or moulds K have been filled with liquid to be frozen and the
pump is worked, each pump cylinder will during each upward stroke of its piston
have vapour drawn into it from the vessel I and even if the piston did not fit the
cylinder tightly nothing but water could leak past it.
At the end of each up stroke when the piston passes above the small opening B³
a small quantity of water enters the lower part of the cylinder and covers over the
top of the inlet valve G. Any leakage backwards past the valve must then be a
leakage of water and not of vapour.
During the downward stroke of the piston the vapour is compressed or condenses
and when the bottom of the piston descends onto the water at the bottom of the
cylinder the condensed vapour becomes enclosed in the hollow in the bottom of the
piston and when sufficiently condensed lifts the valve E and as the piston completes
its descent passes through the open top of the pump bucket or piston into the upper
part of the cylinder and floats upwards from the top of the cylinder to above the
surface of the water in the closed tank C-the water at the bottom of the cylinder
also passes upwards through the valve after the whole of the condensed vapour has
escaped past it. In this way any small amount of liquid left below the piston at
the bottom of the stroke must of necessity be water and not the readily vaporizable
liquid. This enables me readily to obtain a better vacuum than is ordinarily
obtained in freezing machines of this class. This advantage can also be obtained
if other means than those just described are adopted for causing a small amount of
water to be injected into the cylinder at the completion of each up-stroke but those
described are well adapted for the purpose.
Other means might also be adopted for cooling the tank C. and the pump
cylinders.
After the apparatus has been used for some time and a large portion of the
readily vaporizable liquid has been withdrawn from the vessel I and discharged
into the closed tank C it is only necessary to again open the cock I to allow the
vaporizable liquid which has collected in the closed tank O to pass back again
into the vessel I the working of the apparatus can then again be continued at any
time.
In the case of large machines which are to be kept at work for a considerable
time it will be better to keep the valve L¹ partly open so that there is a continuous
supply of vaporizable liquid in the vessel I. the opening of the valve L¹ to be
regulated by the height of the vacuum gauge upon the vessel I.
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. The combination of a closed vessel containing a light volatile liquid such
as Amyl-hydride which is insoluble in water a pipe leading from the upper part of
such vessel to an inlet valve or valves at the bottom of a pump cylinder or cylinders
the upper parts of which cylinders are open to the interior of a closed tank con-
taining water or other liquid which is not readily vaporizable and not soluble in
the readily vaporizable liquid and a return pipe from the upper part of the closed
tank to the vessel containing the light volatile liquid substantially as described.
Second. In freezing machines in which a volatile liquid is evaporated in a
vacuum obtained by a vacuum pump the injection of water (or other liquid not
soluble in the volatile liquid) into the pump cylinders at the end of each outward
stroke for the purpose of displacing at the end of each inward stroke all the vapour
that has been drawn into the cylinder during the out stroke.

page_text: Third. In freezing machines in which a volatile liquid is evaporated in a vacuum
obtained by a vacuum pump the use of hydraulic collars one facing upwards and
the other downwards, and with liquid between the two for packing the pump.
piston rods.
1
11:
1
Fourth. The construction of freezing machines substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in the drawings annexed.