Improvements in Refrigerators.
Year: 1895

page_text: Improvements in Refrigerators.
I THEOPHILE MOLINARD, of 15 Rue des Halles, Paris, in the Republic of France,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention for improvements in refrigerators has for its object to construct a
refrigerator in which a dry cold is produced in the compartment for receiving the
edibles to be preserved, this coldness being obtained from refrigerating materials
completely separated from the products to be preserved in such manner as to avoid
any contact with the vapour arising from the melting of the ice.
This refrigerator consists of a quadruplicate envelope designed to insure as complete
an insulation as possible.
The external box of wood is provided at the front with an opening closed by two
doors separated by a movable cross bar and at the top part with an opening closed by
a plug serving for the introduction of the ice. A second envelope is formed by a
thick matting known as cork matting. The third envelope is formed of any insulating
material such as cork parings carbon dust silk wool or flax waste or the like which is
placed between the external box and the cork matting. Finally the fourth envelope
is a sheet of metal marble glass or wood fitted against the cork matting.
Within this quadruplicate envelope is at the top a metal case screwed at the upper
edge on to the wooden frame. Bands of tallowed cloth, or of india rubber, insure
complete adhesion between the wood and the metal. At the bottom is a single
reservoir or one with two compartments to receive the water and utilise as long as
possible its low temperature, the outflow of this water is effected in proper time by a
cock.
Metal tubes traverse the metal case and are wide enough to take ice and presenting
a large refrigerating surface.
These tubes may be riveted and soldered at their extremities to the case reservoir
and to the metal case or they may be independent and in this case a hermetic joint is
formed at each end by rubber washers or washers of any other elastic and impervious
material.
i
Below the metal case is arranged a box with inclined bottom, called liquifaction
box one side open and the other side bored with holes at the centre of the height from
which descend small tubes from 0.25 m. to 0.50 m. in length. Into this liquifaction
box the conduits lead designed to supply the apparatus with external air for its
ventilation the vitiated air passing out through conduits placed towards the bottom.
The openings are fitted with a disc which may be screwed up more or less in such
manner as to regulate the introduction of the air. Each tube carries on its inner
surface, by means of hooks a wide band of inetal semi cylindrical and bored with
holes which can be removed or replaced at will. These bands are called protectors...
An ordinary cock is fitted to the metal case.
To obtain a tight joint for the doors they are provided with an elastic lining of felt
or rubber which is compressed owing to the pressure exerted. Two metal plates are
fixed one on the jamb, the other on the door. The jamb plate carries a catch the
inner vertical face of which is an inclined plane. The door plate carries a bolt
operated by a small wheel held in place by a nut and having its spokes inclined so
that the rim is outside the boss. This wheel owing to its special shape replaces with
advantage the ordinary buttons and allows any resistance to be overcome by hand
without difficulty. The hinges are constructed from two wings similar to the jamb
I

page_text: and joor plates each carrying two trunnions into which an ordinary pivot is
introduced.
Finally in the interior are arranged triangles for the suspension of the edibles and
some open work trays which can be fitted at any suitable height.
The following is the action of the apparatus:
The ice is introduced into the metal case and if necessary into the tubes if it is
desired to obtain the lowest possible temperature. The melted water flows into the
reservoir and when this is full it can remain in the tubes until it is thought desirable
to empty it by opening the cock. The ice and resulting water being thus completely
isolated from the edibles are not the cause of any humidity. Furthermore by virtue
of the novel arrangement of the apparatus it may be made to act with cold water
if no other refrigerating medium is available. In this case and according to
circumstances the water may be supplied from the top or the bottom by means of
two cocks.
The air introduced into the aliinentary compartiment at each opening of the doors
contains moisture to a greater or less extent depending upon the state of the
atmosphere. This moisture is immediately condensed on the surface of the tubes
which are very cold in drops which cannot again evaporate and which are dried by
means of linen or a sponge once or twice a day as thought desirable. The protectors
fitted in front of the tubes prevent the edibles from coming into contact with the
tubes thus made moist. The inner surface of the metal case being very cold also
condenses moisture which might fall in drops on the edibles and damage them. To
avoid this inconvenience is the object of the liquifaction box. The humid air comes
into contact with the metal case through the free surface of the liquifaction box or
through the conduits of the ventilators. Its humidity is at once condensed under the
action of the cold falls on the inclined bottom of the liquifaction and collects at its
lower part from whence it empties into the reservoir by a special tube whilst the
dried air descends into the refrigerator through the tubes.
Finally the aqueous matter in the edibles are largely absorbed by the dry air which
deposits this fresh moisture on the cold surfaces of the tubes and of the metal case.
These results justified in principle by the physical theory of the tension of vapours
have been exactly verified by long experiment.
Dated this 13th day of July 1895.
I THEOPHILE MOLINARD, of 15 Rue des Halles, Paris, in the Republic of France
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is t
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention for improvements in refrigerators has for its object to construct a
refrigerator in which a dry cold is produced in the compartment for receiving the
edibles to be preserved, this coldness being obtained from refrigerating material
completely separated from the products to be preserved in such manner as to avoid
any contact with the vapour arising from the melting of the ice.
This refrigerator is shown on the sheet of drawings annexed in which :-
Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through 1-1.
Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through 2-2.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal transverse section through 3-3.
Fig. 4 is a detailed elevation of the method of closing the doors.
Fig. 5 is a view of detail of ventilating orifice.

page_text: This refrigerator consists of a quadruplicate envelope designed to ensure as complete-
an insulation as possible.
The external box B of wood is provided at the front with an opening closed by
two doors A, A separated by a movable crossbar C and at the top part with an
opening closed by a plug E serving for the introduction of the ice. A second
envelope I-I is formed by a thick matting known as cork matting. The third
envelope is formed of any insulating material such as cork parings carbon dust silk
wool or flax waste or the like which is placed between the external box B and the
cork matting. Finally the fourth envelope H is a sheet of metal, marble, glass or
wood fitted against the cork matting.
Within this quadruplicate envelope is, at the top a metal case G screwed at the
upper edge on to the wooden frame. Bands of tallowed cloth, or of india rubber,
insure complete adhesion between the wood and the metal. At the bottom is a single.
reservoir R or one with two compartments to receive the water and utilise as long as.
possible its low temperature, the outflow of this water is effected by a cock L.
Metal tubes T, T traverse the metal case and are wide enough to take ice, and
presenting a large refrigerating surface.
These tubes may be riveted and soldered at their extremities to the reservoir R and
to the metal case G, or they may be independent and in this case a hermetic joint is
formed at each end by rubber washers, or washers of any other elastic and impervious.
material.
Below the metal case G is arranged a box K with inclined bottom, called liquifaction
box, one side open and the other side bored with holes at the centre of the height,
from which descend small tubes t from 0.25 m. to 0.50 m. in length. Into this
liquifaction box the conduits o lead, designed to supply the apparatus with external
air for its ventilation the vitiated air passing out through conduits placed towards
the bottom. These openings, shown in detail in Fig. 5, are fitted with a disc Z which
may be screwed up more or less in such manner as to regulate the introduction of the
air. Each tube T carries on its inner surface, by means of hooks, a wide band of
metal PP semi-cylindrical and bored with holes, which can be removed or replaced
at will. These bands are called protectors. An ordinary cock N is fitted to the
metal case G. To obtain a tight joint for the doors they are provided with an elastic
lining gg of felt or rubber which is compressed owing to the pressure exerted by the
locks shown in detail in Fig. 4. Two metal plates are fixed, one b on the jamb, the
other d on the door. The jamb plate carries a catch e e the inner vertical face of
which is an inclined plane. The door plate d carries a bolt h operated by a small
wheel ii held in place by a nut. This wheel owing to its special shape replaces with
advantage the ordinary buttons, and allows any resistance to be overcome by hand
without difficulty. The hinges are constructed from two wings similar to the jamb b
and door plates d each carrying two trunnions, into which an ordinary pivot is.
introduced.
Finally in the interior are arranged triangles for the suspension of the edibles and
some openwork trays which can be fitte at any suitable height.
The following is the action of the apparatus:
The ice is introduced into the metal case G and if necessary into the tubes T T if
it is desired to obtain the lowest possible temperature. The melted water flows into
the reservoir R and when this is full it can reinain in the tubes until it is thought
desirable to empty it by opening the cock L. The ice and resulting water being thus
completely isolated from the edibles are not the cause of any humidity. Furthermore
by virtue of the novel arrangement of the apparatus it may be made to act with cold
water if no other refrigerating medium is available. In this case and according to
circumstances the water may be supplied from the top or the bottom by means of the
two cocks L and N.
The air introduced into the alimentary compartment at each opening of the doors
contains moisture to a greater or less extent depending upon the state of the
atmosphere. This moisture is immediately condensed on the surface of the tubes,
which are very cold, in drops, which cannot again evaporate and which are dried by

page_text: means of linen or a sponge once or twice a day as thought desirable. The
protectors P P fitted in front of the tubes prevent the edibles from coming into
contact with the tubes thus made moist. The inner surface of the metal case G being
very cold also condenses moisture which might fall in drops on the edibles and
damage them. To avoid this inconvenience is the object of the liquifaction box K.
The humid air comes into contact with the metal case G through the free surface of
the liquifaction box or through the conduits o o of the ventilators. Its humidity is at
once condensed under the action of the cold, falls on the inclined bottom of the
liquifaction box and collects at its lower part from whence it empties into the
reservoir R by a special tube whilst the dried air descends into the refrigerator
through the tubes t.
Finally the aqueous matter in the edibles are largely absorbed by the dry air
which deposits this fresh moisture on the cold surfaces of the tubes and of the inetal
case G.
These results justified in principle by the physical theory of the tension of vapours.
have been exactly verified by long experiments.
In the drawings annexed to the present description only one type of refrigerator is
shown, but the form and positions of the parts may be modified and also the
arrangement of the tubes which may be of any shape or dimensions and be replaced
if necessary by coils trays or partitions according to the particular cases.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. A refrigerator in which one or more series of tubes are arranged so as to receive
refrigerating materials to prevent the direct contact of the refrigerating materials
with the articles to be preserved and to offer a considerable cooling surface, sub-
stantially as described.
2. A refrigerator in which the humidity of the surrounding air is absorbed by the
simple effect of the difference of temperature between the cold metal surfaces and the
interior air, and the articles to be preserved are isolated from the cold surfaces by
protectors P and the use of a liquifaction box K.
3. In a refrigerator the combination of tubes with a refrigerating case and a
reservoir enabling the system to be maintained full of water as long as the flow is not
caused voluntarily and without any interior humidity substantially as described.
4. A refrigerator in which the said combination enables without further modification
particularly cold water to be utilised either to economise the employment of the
refrigerating material or when no other means are available.
5. A refrigerator the doors of which are hermetically closed by the system of strong
pressure locks substantially as described.
6. The improvements in refrigerators substantially as described with reference to
the drawings.
Dated this 13th day of April 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Jane, London, W.C., Agents..