Improvements in or relating to Ice-making or Refrigerating Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1894-Accepted, 7th July, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Ice-making or Refrigerating
Apparatus.
A communication from POUL SCHOU, of Hotel Dagmar, Copenhagen, in the
Kingdom of Denmark, Engineer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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:-
This invention relates to that class of ice-making or refrigerating apparatus
wherein the lowering of the temperature is produced by the evaporation of liquid
ammonia (anhydrous ammonia) and will be best understood by reference to the
accompanying drawings in which
Figs. 1 and 2 are diagrams the former showing an elevation and the latter a plan
of a refrigerating plant constructed according to my invention.
Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sections of two of the oil separators, that shown in
Fig. 4 being also represented in Fig. 5 in horizontal section taken on the line 5-5
of Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a view of the oil filtering apparatus which in the example indicated
comprises two connected filters the left hand one of which is shown in vertical section
and the right hand one in elevation.
Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the gas separator and liquid ammonia accumulator
arranged between the condenser and refrigerator and
Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the pressure reducing valve.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
In Figs. 1 and 2, A is the refrigerator, B the compressor and C the condenser all
of which may be of ordinary construction and which serve in the usual manner,
A for producing cold by the evaporation of liquid ammonia (anhydrous ammonia),
B for compressing the gas and C for condensing the gas into liquid ammonia.
The refrigerator A, as shown, may be in the form of a coil located in a cylindrical
vessel or tank A' and is connected by the pipe and branches D with the suction
valves B' of the compressor B the discharge or delivery valves B2 of which are
connected by branches and pipe D₁ with the first oil separator E. This separator
is constructed substantially as illustrated in Fig. 3 wherein it is shown to consist of
a cylindrical vessel E permanently closed at its lower end E' and at its upper end
provided with a tightly fitted cover E² to which are connected the outlet pipe D'
and the downwardly extending pipe E³ the lower end of which is preferably plugged
or otherwise closed and slightly above the plug or closure is perforated as at E.
The branched pipe D' leading from the delivery valves B2 of the compressor B is
connected to the branch or inlet Es of the oil separator E, and the lower part of E
is connected by pipe D³ to the oil filters as hereinafter described. The vessel E
is preferably surrounded by a casing E6 (not shown in Fig. 1) constituting a
water jacket for keeping E and its contents cool and through which water or other
cooling liquid is passed, entering by way of the inlet E' and leaving by way of the
outlet E8.
The outlet pipe D' of the oil separator E is connected to the inlet F1 of the oil
separator F the construction of which is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 wherein it is
shown to consist of an inner chamber F and outer chamber F2. The inner chamber
is cylindrical and its bottom F³ inclines towards its centre which has a perforation
into which is screwed a short pipe F which extends down into a cup F³ formed

page_text: integral with the bottom of the outer chamber F2, or the pipe F may be otherwise
secured to or formed integral with F3. The upper ends of the inner and outer
chambers F F are preferably tightly closed by the same cover F and the inlet
of the chamber F forms a continuation of that with which the chamber F2 is
provided so that the two may connect directly with each other as shown. The
chamber F is formed with a lateral outlet opening F' for allowing the compressed
ammonia gas to pass, out of said chamber into the chamber F2 whence it escapes
through the outlet F³. F is the outlet to which is connected the pipe D* leading
to the oil filters.
The chamber F is preferably provided internally with vertical vanes or ribs F10 to
increase the surface upon which the oil may be deposited and the outer chamber F³
with annular vanes F" for a similar purpose.
The outlet F8 of oil separator F is connected by the pipe D' Figs. 1 and 2 with
the condenser C which in the usual manner may, as shown in the drawings, consist
of a coil contained in a tank C'. The lower end of the coil is connected by pipe D°
with the gas separating and liquid-ammonia storing apparatus G the construction of
which is illustrated in Fig. 7 wherein it is shown to consist of an inner chamber G
and outer chamber G' both preferably closed by the same cover G³ and the flange
on the upper part of the inner chamber G of which apparatus may, as shown, be
supported by the outer chamber G¹.
The inlet and outlet pipes D and D7 of chamber G are connected to the cover G'
and forming continuations of these and extending down to near the bottom of G are
pipes G³ G respectively which may conveniently be screwed into the cover G² as
shown.
The inlet G and outlet G of the chamber G' may be suitably connected so as
to ensure the circulation through said chamber of ammonia gas or brine of say
4° Fahrenheit so as to prevent the production of gas in the chamber G and reduce
the pressure of the liquid therein.
The pipe D³ from the oil separator E is connected to the pipe D* from the oil
separator F and as before described both these pipes are connected with the oil
filters, which connection is effected by means of the breeches pipe D8 as shown in
Figs. 1, 2 and 6. Each of these filters, of which two are shown in the accompanying
drawings, but of which there may be one or other desired number is constructed
preferably in the manner illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein it is shown to consist of a
chamber H with a closed bottom and the upper open end or mouth of which is
closed by a rigidly secured cover H' having say three preferably cylindrical
steps H2 H3 H' on each of which is fitted the upper end of a cylindrical sieve H
which may be formed of woven wire-cloth or other suitable material and the
lower end of each such sieve is similarly mounted on the appropriate step of
the block H which is supported by the sieves H near the lower part of the
chamber H. The sieves H³ are preferably graduated as to the size of mesh or
interstices.
Each filter H is provided with a gauge glass H' for indicating the quantity of
oil contained in it and at its lower part with an outlet H8 connected by a pipe D³
with the stuffing box B³ (Fig. 2) of the compressor B and at its upper part with an
outlet H connected by a pipe Do with the pressure-reducing valve I; in
the accompanying drawings the outlets H8 of the two filters H as also the
outlets H thereof are connected together in pairs and the pipes D' and D
are respectively connected to the pipes connecting these outlets as shown in
Figs. 1 and 6.
The pressure-reducing valve I as shown in Fig. 8 preferably consists of an
outer casing I provided with a valve seat I¹ upon which the valve 12 is pressed
by a spring 13 with a pressure which may be adjusted by screwing the bolt I
more or less through the cover 15 of the casing I the lower end of the bolt I
acting upon the flanged sleeve I against the underside of which the spring I³
abuts and in which is guided the upper end of the spindle of the valve I the
sleeve 16 being itself guided in the cover 1³. The inlet 17 of the pressure-reducing

page_text: valve as before described is connected by pipe D with the upper part of the
filters H and the outlet 18 is connected by pipe D" with the before mentioned
pipe D leading to the compressor suction valves B'.
The pipes marked from D to D" connecting the various parts of the apparatus
are provided with cocks or valves D₁ for regulating the working.
The operation of the before described apparatus is as follows:-
causes the liquid
The compressor B being operated in any suitable manner
ammonia (anhydrous ammonia), gas, compressed gas and oil to flow through the
appropriate pipes in the directions indicated by the various arrows adjacent to
said pipes. Starting say from the refrigerator A the gas converted therein
from the liquid ammonia is drawn by the compressor B and in its compressed
form is forced through the inlet Es of and into the first oil-separator E. Here,
the vessel E having an area greater than the pipe D' E' the compressed ammonia
gas to a sufficient extent expands and allows the oil which has unavoidably
become mixed with the gas in the compressor B to separate from it by falling
to the bottom of the vessel E the compressed gas still with a slight (and up to
this point unavoidable) admixture of oil being forced through the openings E
of pipe E3 and through pipe D² and inlet F¹ into the second oil-separator F
wherein the compressed gas as in the first oil-separator E is again allowed
sufficiently to expand and liberate the oil which falls to the bottom of chamber F
and passes through pipe F into cup F on overflowing from which it passes to the
bottom of chamber from which it flows through pipe D' as hereinafter described.
The oil in cup F5 forms a liquid seal around the pipe F and prevents the passing
through said pipe of the compressed ammonia gas which however passes into the
upper part of the vessel F through the opening F' and from the vessel F2 it
passes under pressure through outlet F to the condenser C whence in its liquid
form it passes to the gas-separator G by which any gas which may have escaped
condensation in C is prevented from passing to the refrigerator A said gas rising
to above the surface of the liquid J (Fig. 7) directly it leaves the pipe G³ the
liquid only being forced through the outlet pipe G'.
The separator G also serves another important purpose in storing up a quantity
of liquid ammonia to compensate for any loss by leakage or otherwise.
The oil separated from the compressed ammonia gas in E and F is forced through
the pipes D³ D and D into the filter or filters H wherein it passes through the
three cylindrical sieves H by which it is sufficiently purified for again using for
lubricating the compressor B to the stuffing box B³ of which it passes through the
pipe D. Here the oil is introduced into a chamber surrounding the piston rod
and from which chamber at each stroke of the apparatus a suitable quantity of oil
From the compressor
passes into the compressor to lubricate the piston thereof.
the oil again passes out mixed with the ammonia gas from which it is separated
in E and F as before described.
The ammonia gas which is still mixed with the oil after leaving E and F enters
the filters H along with the oil and after the oil has been a short time in these
separates itself from the oil and rises to the upper part of the filters and leaves by
way of the outlets H2 and passes through pipe Die to the reducing valve I which
is so adjusted by means of the bolt I as to admit of the passage only of such
quantity of the gas then under comparatively great pressure at the compression
side of the compressor as will upon expanding be but slightly above the pressure
of the gas at the suction side of the compressor so that it may enter the pipe D
and become mixed with the gas passing from the refrigerator to the compressor
suction valves B. The pressure at the suction side of the compressor may for
example be 1 atmospheres at the compressing side, 8 to 14 atmospheres and the
reducing valve I may conveniently be loaded at 2 atmospheres.
By the before described apparatus it will be seen that the oil and gas although
5 unavoidably becoming mixed in the compressor are subsequently separated from
each other and each is used over and over again to perform its required function
without appreciable loss.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,―
°
1. In an ice making or refrigerating plant an oil separator consisting essentially
of a chamber such as E having its inlet E at the upper part an oil outlet at its
lower part and gas outlet such as E3 E the chamber E being surrounded by a
vessel provided with an inlet and outlet for the circulation of a cooling liquid
through it substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying
-drawings.
2. In an ice-making or refrigerating plant an oil separator consisting essentially
--of-two chambers such as F F2 one within the other and both provided with vanes
-or ribs the inner one having a lateral gas outlet such as F' and an oil outlet pipe
or branch such as F and the outer one a cup such as F5 for receiving F and a gas
outlet F8 and oil outlet F substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 4
and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In an ice-making or refrigerating plant an oil filter consisting essentially of a
chamber such as H a stepped cover such as H₁ H2 H3 H4 cylindrical sieves
such as H a stepped block such as H and separate outlets for the oil and gas
substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 6 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. In an ice-making or refrigerating plant a gas-separating and liquid storing
apparatus consisting essentially of two chambers such as G Goue inside the other
a cover such as G2 pipes such as G3 G4 and inlet and outlet G Go to and from the
outer chamber substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 7 of the
accompanying drawings.
5. In an ice-making or refrigerating plant the combination with the compressor B
and condenser C of one or more oil separators such as E or F connected to and
arranged between them in the pipe circuit for separating the oil from the gas
passing to the condenser and one or more filters such as H directly connected to
and arranged in the pipe circuit between the oil separators and compressor stuffing
box substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. In an ice-making or refrigerating plant the combination with the compressor B
of one or more oil-separators connected with the compression side of the compressor
and a gas separating oil filter directly connected with the oil separators and with
the compressor stuffing box and through a reducing valve with the suction side of
the compressor substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
7. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete ice
making or refrigerating plant substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1
and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.