IMPROVEMENTS IN FREEZING OR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FREEZING OR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS communicated to him from
Edouard Fixary a person resident at Paris in the Republic of France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th July 1883.
a
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FREEZING OR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS"
communication to me from Edouard Fixary a person resident at Paris in the
Republic of France
This Invention relating to freezing or refrigerating apparatus consists in a novel
combination and arrangement of the parts as hereinafter described. According to
this Invention a continuous refrigeration is obtained by the employment of
compressed volatile liquids capable of absorbing a large quantity of heat abstracted
from adjacent heat yielding bodies during the process of vapourisation. The
cylinder or cylinders and valves of the compressing pump are cooled by arranging
the pump in close proximity to the refrigerating chamber or congealer. The
accumulation of the gas or vapour leaking past the piston or pistons and exerting
counter pressure thereon is collected in an intermediate chamber communicating
with the compressing cylinder or cylinders the said chamber being also cooled by
the congealer or refrigerator. The counter pressure is controlled by means of a
regulating valve placed upon the intermediate chamber the function of the said
valve being to allow the gas that has been cooled and impregnated with the
lubricating oil contained in the bottom of the said chamber to escape at a certain
pressure and return to the vessel containing the refrigerating liquid after passing
through and lubricating the suction and delivery valves of the pump or pumps
and along the condenser coil. The greater density of heavy oils as compared to
volatile liquids is utilised to enable oil contained in the lower part of the ammonia
chamber to be conveyed by a pipe directly to the cold intermediate chamber
communicating with the compressor. The stuffing boxes and piston of the
compressor are sealed and lubricated by allowing a certain quantity of oil to
accumulate at the bottom of the cylinder or cylinders into which oil a pendent
flange or ring on the underside of the piston is caused to dip at each stroke in
such a manner as to transfer a portion of the oil to the sides of the cylinder.
.
D

page_text: In carrying out this Invention the volatile liquid such as ammonia is contained -
in a closed chamber communicating on one hand with the condenser and compressing
pump and on the other hand with the pipes in the congealer or refrigerating
chamber. This liquid floats upon a quantity of oil such as heavy oil of petroleum
contained in the lower part of the said chamber. The chamber is surrounded by
water circulating in a suitable tank also containing the condenser worm. The cold
or freezing chamber is provided with concentric coils of pipe communicating" with
the chamber containing the volatile liquid as herein before described and with the.
pump and also contains suitable boxes moulds, or receptacles for the liquid or
substance that is to be refrigerated or frozen. The pump is worked from below
by a suitable arrangement of mechanism such as a crank shaft and the part of the
pump cylinder below the piston communicates with an intermediate or supple-
mentary chamber containing oil in communication with the oil in the chamber
containing the volatile liquid and also communicating through a valve with the
valve chest of the Pump
When the pump is set in motion the liquefied ammonia in the liquefying Chamber
and the heavy oil in the bottom of the said Chamber are subjected to a pressure of
several atmospheres-The Ammonia is utilized for producing cold and the oil for
lubricating the working parts of the pump-The pipe leading from the Ammonia
chamber to the refrigerating coils is provided with a valve which when open allows
the ammonia to pass into the said coils which are suitably arranged in a freezing
chamber or tank-The ammonia becomes converted into vapor in these coils thereby
abstracting heat from the adjacent bodies such as freezing moulds and is with-
drawn by the action of the pump which causes it to return through a pipe
leading to a condenser coil or worm immersed in the water circulating outside the
liquefying chamber-This water flows in an upward direction (the vapor flowing
downwards) and absorbs the heat contained in the compressed Ammoniacal vapour
The Ammonia thus liquefied returns to the chamber whence it started and is thus
maintained in constant circulation
The heavy oil of Petroleum in the same chamber with the liquid Ammonia is
conveyed by a pipe to the chamber beneath the pendent flange on the piston in the
compressing pump
At each descent of the piston a portion of this oil is taken up by the flange
(which may be provided with grooves) and lubricates the sides of the pump
Cylinder at the saine time diminishing the leakage and also becomes impregnated
with the gases resulting from any leakage that may occur-The gases or vapours
resulting from the leakage accumulate in the supplementary or intermediate
Chamber and are discharged from time to time through a valve communicating by
means of a pipe with the suction valve case of the pump-This accumulation of
leakage Gas being cooled by the proximity of the congealer carries with it a
certain quantity of oil which lubricates the suction and delivery valves before
returning through the condensing worm to the liquefying chamber where the oil
separates from the liquid Ammonia owing to its density and is returned again to
the pump as herein before described
When light oils are employed in place of the heavy oils the difference in density
between such light oil and the refrigerating Agent not being sufficient to cause
them to separate quickly it is preferable to employ two separate reservoirs that is
to say an oil chamber for the refrigerating Agent in which case the apparatus is
slightly modified The tube leading from the pump to the condensing worm is so
arranged as to allow the oil from the pump to be collected in the independent oil
chamber thereby becoming separated from the vapour which alone passes into a
pipe leading directly to the said condensing worm-The tube for conducting the
oil to the pump communicates with the oil receiver instead of with the chamber
containing the liquefied Ammonia

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
-
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Patent Office on the 18th January
1884.
"
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman "IMPROVEMENTS IN FREEZING OR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS a
communication to me from Edouard Fixary a person resident at Paris in the
Republic of France.
This Invention relating to freezing or refrigerating apparatus consists in a novel
combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described. According to the
said Invention a continuous freezing or refrigerating action is produced in a most
efficient and economical manner by the employment in the manner hereinafter
described of compressed volatile refrigerating agents capable of absorbing a large
quantity of heat abstracted from adjacent heat yielding bodies during the process of
vapourisation. The cylinder or cylinders and valves of the compressing pump are
cooled by arranging the pump in close proximity to the refrigerating chamber or
congealer. The gas or vapour leaking past the piston or pistons of the pump and
exerting counter pressure thereon is collected in an intermediate chamber communi-
cating with the pump and similarly cooled by the congealer or refrigerator thereby
preventing decomposition of the lubricant carried over with the said gas or vapour.
The counter pressure is controlled by means of a regulating valve communicating
with the said intermediate chamber the functions of the said valve being to allow
the gas that has been cooled and become impregnated with the lubricating oil
contained in the bottom of the said chamber to escape at à certain pressure and
return to the vessel containing the liquified refrigerating agent after passing
through and lubricating the suction and delivery valves of the pump or pumps and
along the condenser coil or worm. The greater density. of heavy oils as compared
to volatile liquids is utilised to enable oil contained in the lower part of the
ammonia chamber to be conveyed by a pipe directly to the cold intermediate
chamber communicating with the compressor. The stuffing boxes and piston of the
compressor are sealed and lubricated by allowing a certain quantity of oil to
accumulate in a space provided at the bottom of the compressor cylinder or
cylinders into which oil a pendent flange or ring on the underside of the piston is
caused to dip at each stroke in such a manner as to transfer a portion of the oil
to the sides of the cylinder as hereinafter described.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the corresponding figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical section and figure 2 is a
horizontal section (taken along the line 1-2 Figure 1) of an apparatus constructed
according to this Invention and arranged for working with liquified ammonia.
The volatile liquid is contained. under a pressure of several atmospheres in a,
closed chamber A Figure 1 communicating on one hand with a condenser B and a
compressing pump C and on the other hand with a coil or worm d in-a congealer
or refrigerating chamber D. The said volatile liquid (shown at a in Figure 1)
floats upon a quantity of lubricating oil such as heavy oil of petroleum contained"
in the lower part of the chamber A as indicated at b Figure 1. The chamber A is
surrounded by water circulating in a tank B¹ which also contains the condensing
worm B. The congealer or freezing chamber, D. is provided with concentric coils.
of pipe & communicating with the freezing agent in the chamber A by means of a
pipe d and with the pump C by means of a pipe e and also contains suitable

page_text: boxes moulds or receptacles h for the liquid or substance that is to be frozen or
refrigerated. The piston C¹ of the pump Cylinder C is worked from below by a
suitable arrangement of mechanism such as a crank shaft L as shown in the
drawing and the lower part of the said pump Cylinder communicates with an
intermediate or supplementary chamber E containing oil and connected by a pipe f
with the oil contained at b in the chamber A. The said chamber E also, commi-
nicates by a pipe g (provided with a valve at g¹) with the valve chest G of the
pump C.
When the pump C is set in motion the liquified ammonia a in the liquifying
chamber A and the heavy oil b in the bottom of the said, chamber are subjected to
a pressure of several atmospheres. The ammonia is utilized for producing cold and
the oil for lubricating the working parts of the pump. The pipe & leads from the
chamber A to a valve de communicating with the refrigerating coils d which valve
when open allows the refrigerating agent or ammonia to pass into the said coils d
in the freezing chamber or tank D. The ammonia being converted into vapour
in these coils d abstracts heat from the adjacent liquids or bodies contained in the
moulds and is withdrawn by the action of the compressing pump C which causes
the vapour to return through a pipe to the condensing coil or worm B immersed
in the water circulating in the tank B₁ outside the chamber A This water
preferably flows in an upward direction (the vapour flowing downwards) and
absorbs the heat contained in the compressed ammoniacal vapour and resulting
from the pressure applied by the pump and from the absorption of heat in the
congealer D. The ammonia thus liquified returns through an extension B2 of the
worm B to the bottom of the chamber A whence it started and is thus maintained
in constant circulation.
The piston C¹ of the pump C has a pendent flange or extension C² preferably
presenting annular grooves c on its periphery. The heavy oil of petroleum in the
chamber A is exposed to the same pressure as the liquid ammonia and communi-
cates through the pipe f provided with a valve at f¹ with the chamber E. This
chamber E is cooled by the congealer D and extends beneath the pendent flange C²
on the piston C as clearly shown in Figure 1
At each descent of the piston C¹ a portion of the oil indicated at 6 figure 1 is
taken up by the piston and lubricates the sides of the pump cylinder at the same
time diminishing the leakage and also becomes impregnated with the gases resulting
from any leakage that may occur between the piston and cylinder. The gases or
vapours resulting from such leakage accumulate in the upper or side portion of the
supplementary chamber E and are discharged from time to time through the valve
at g and pipe g communicating with, the suction valve of the pump C. The
accumulation of leakage of gases or vapours in the said part of the chamber E is
cooled by the proximity of the congealer D and carries with it a certain quantity.
of oil which lubricates the suction and delivery valves of the pump before returning
through the condensing worm B to the chamber A. where. the oil separates from
the liquid ammonia (owing to their different densities) and accumulates at the
bottom of the said chamber whence it returns again to the chamber E. and pump C
as hereinbefore described.
:
When light oils are employed in place of the heavy oils the difference in specific
gravity between such light oil and the refrigerating agent not being sufficient to
cause them to separate quickly it is preferable to employ two separate reservoirs
that is to say an oil chamber and a chamber for the refrigerating agent in which
case the apparatus is slightly modified as follows:-
The delivery pipe of the pump in place of leading directly to the condenser
communicates in the first place with an oil reservoir or chamber in which the oil
is separated and retained whilst the vapour passes on to the condenser and thence
proceeds in a liquid condition to a resevoir or chamber communicating with the
congealer as in the arrangement hereinbefore described. The pipe f for conducting
the oil to the pump must also evidently communicate with the oil reservoir instead
of with the chamber containing the liquified ammonia or refrigerating agent, .
·

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and the manner in whieh the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is: -
First The general combination and arrangement of parts constituting an improved
apparatus for freezing or refrigerating by the employment of volatile refrigerating
agents, in which apparatus means are provided for preventing waste or leakage at
the pump and for maintaining the lubricant at a low temperature, substantially as
herein before described.
Second-The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the freezing or
refrigerating apparatus, substantially as herein before described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
Third: The modification of the said freezing or refrigerating apparatus, as herein-
before described, for enabling light oils to be used as a lubricant.
In witness whereof I the said John Henry Johnson have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal this eighteenth day of January One thousand
eight hundred and eighty four.
J. HENRY JOHNSON (L.S.)