IMPROVEMENTS IN COOLING OR REFRIGERATING WATER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Schwartz, of Pelham Street, Mile End New
Town, in the County of Middlesex, Sugar Refiner, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COOLING OR REFRIGERATING WATER."
Sealed the 9th April 1868, and dated the 19th October 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Schwartz at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th October 1867.
I, JOHN SCHWARTZ, of Pelham Street, Mile End New Town, in the County
of Middlesex, Sugar Refiner, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COOLING OR REFRIGERATING WATER," to be as
follows:-
My Invention of improvements in cooling or refrigerating water has
for its object to cool the water that has been used in the operations of
brewing, sugar refining, and distilling, for cooling the worts in brewing, or
condensing the vapour from the vacuum pan in sugar refining, or the spirit in
distilling. The water used in these operations quickly becomes very hot
unless a large quantity is used, and this water forms a large item of expense.
It is therefore important to cool the water if possible in order that it may be
used over and over again. I have discovered that by finely dividing the hot
water, either by converting it into spray or by causing it to flow in thin films
over any suitable substance the heat may easily be abstracted therefrom. I
have found that simply allowing the hot water to trickle over any substance

page_text: and thus become exposed to the air will cause the heat to be abstracted from
the water and will quickly reduce its temperature to that of the surrounding
atmosphere or nearly so. This object may be effected in various ways, such
as by causing the water to flow in a thin film over metal plates, or by causing
it to pass through finely perforated metal plates or trays of wood, or wickerwork,
or other suitable material, and fall in a shower through the air.
A more inexpensive and equally effective arrangement consists in the
employment of brush wood or shavings arranged in layers of any convenient
thickness, and over which the hot water is allowed to trickle and drop through
the air from one layer to another. In so doing the water will part with its
heat to the air, and on reaching the bottom the temperature of the water will
be found to be little, if any, above that of the atmosphere. It may therefore
be used again and again for refrigerating, cooling, or condensing purposes. A
blast of cold air from a fan may, if desired, be employed to carry off the heat
from the water when the temperature of the atmosphere is high as in
summer.
It will be obvious that the mode above described of cooling water may be
adapted to other trades, processes, or operations in which large quantities of
cold water are required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Schwartz in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SCHWARTZ, of Pelham Street, Mile End New Town, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Sugar Refiner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of October, 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 me, the said
John Schwartz, Her special licence, that I, the said John Schwartz, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Schwartz, my 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 COOLING OR

page_text: REFRIGERATING WATER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Schwartz, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, 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 same 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 1, the said John Schwartz, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "Improvements in Cooling or Refrigerating Water" has
for its object to cool the water that has been used in the operations of brewing,
sugar refining, and distilling, for cooling the worts in brewing, or condensing
the vapor from the vacuum pan in sugar refining or the spirit in distilling
The water used in these operations quickly becomes very hot unless a large
quantity is used, and this water forms a large item of expense in the operations
of brewing, distilling, or evaporating. It is therefore important to cool the
water, if possible, in order to that it may be used over and over again. I
have discovered that by finely dividing the hot water either by converting it
into spray or by causing it to flow in thin films over any suitable substance,
the heat may easily be abstracted therefrom. I have found that by simply
allowing the hot water to trickle over any substance, and thus become exposed
in a finely divided state to the air, the heat will be abstracted from the water,
and the temperature of the latter will be quickly reduced to that of the
surrounding atmosphere or nearly so. This object may be effected in various
ways, such as by causing the water to flow in a thin film over metal plates or
pipes, or by causing it to pass through finely perforated metal plates or trays
of wood, or over wickerwork or other suitable material, and fall in a shower
through the air.
A more inexpensive and equally effective arrangement consists in the
employment of brush wood or shavings arranged in layers of any convenient
thickness, and over which the hot water is allowed to trickle and drop through
the air from one layer to another.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation of an apparatus
constructed on the plan just referred to; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of
the same.
a, a, is a wooden framework of considerable height and provided with any

page_text: convenient number of trays b, b, b, on each of which is placed a quantity of
brush wood c, c, c. A perforated metal plate or cover d is placed at the
upper part of the apparatus, and on to this the water to be cooled is discharged
from the pipes e, e. The plate or cover d is perforated in order that the
water may be more fairly and regularly distributed over the surface of the
apparatus, and made to descend through the perforated top plate or cover in
the form of a shower on to the brushwood c below, and from thence to the
next tray below, and so on until the water reaches the bottom and ultimately
falls into the tank f below. The hot water is pumped up to the pipes.
through a series of small tubes g, g, which should be erected in some cool place
outside the building instead of being conducted up through one large pipe of
six or eight inches in diameter. By this means the water is divided up, and
the heat therefrom will radiate from the surfaces of the small tubes during its
passage up to the pipes e above, and by this means the temperature of the
water will be much reduced. In order still further to facilitate this abstrac-
tion of beat from the water in the tubes 9 a small quantity of cold water is
discharged from a pipe h and made to trickle down the small tubes g, and
carry with it a
portion of the heat that is transmitted from the hot water
within through the thin metal of which the tubes are composed. This mode
of cooling or rather reducing the temperature of the water while it is being
pumped up to the discharge pipes e will be best understood by referring to
Fig. 3, which represents a series of small tubes terminating in a large pipe to
which the discharge pipe is adapted.
Instead of employing an arrangement of several small tubes g, g, as shewn
at Fig. 3, a similar effect may be produced by causing the hot water to pass
up through a narrow space formed by a pair of plates, as shewn at i, i, in the
sectional view, Fig. 4. It will now be understood that by causing the bot
water to pass up the small tubes g, g, Figures 1 and 3, or the narrow space
between the plates i, i, in Fig. 4, and to pass from thence through the pipe
on to the perforated metal plate d, and on to the brush wood on the trays b, b
it will part with its heat, and on reaching the bottom of the apparatus the
temperature of the water will be found to be little, if any above that of the
atmosphere. It may, therefore, be used again and again for refrigerating
cooling, or condensing purposes. A blast of cold air from a fan may, if desired
be employed to carry off the heat from the water when the temperature of the
atmosphere is high as in summer.
It will be obvious that the mode above described of cooling water may b
adapted to other trades, processes, or operations in which large quantities o
cold water are required.

page_text: Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Cooling or
Refrigerating Water," and having explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid, the mode of and apparatus above described for cooling or refrigerating
water by subdividing it or dividing it up into drops or thin films or streams,
so that the heat may more readily escape or be abstracted therefrom as herein
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Schwartz, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
JOHN SCHWARTZ. (L.B.)