Improvements in or relating to Refrigerating or Ice-making Apparatus.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb., 1892-Accepted, 23rd Feb., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Refrigerating or Ice-making
Apparatus.
We, PHILIPPE MEURA and LOUIS JANSSENS, Machine Builders, of Tournai,
in the Kingdom of Belgium, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
gas
This invention is based upon the employment of a suitable such as ammoniacal
gas, sulphuric acid, ether, etc., which is drawn in by suction in its gaseous form, and
afterwards condensed, the effect of such transformation being the production of
cold.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings in which Figs. 1, 3 and 5 represent the plant employed for the purpose
stated in elevation, while Figs. 2, 4 and 6 show it in plan.
The series of apparatus
here shown form one connected whole or plant through which gas is circulated
partly in a rarefied and partly in a condensed condition.
To set the gas in motion by suction or compression, we employ the pump A
(Figs. 1 and 2). To cool the gas which becomes hot in the compressing process,
condensers B and D (Figs. 3 and 4, also Figs. 1 and 2 on the left) are employed.
For the production of cold there is provided an ice generator C in which the
compressed gas escapes through a row of nozzles, at the same time giving off the
cold produced during expansion and imparting it to the surrounding mass or body
of water (Figs. 5 and 6). For intercepting and collecting the lubricating oil which
is carried from the cylinder with the ammoniacal gas (which oil being a bad
conductor of heat is detrimental to the useful operation of the machines) collecting-
reservoirs L, J, Q and T provided with the necessary discharge orifices are
arranged in the plant.
The operation is as follows:-
Now a
As the piston or plunger of the pump A moves backwards and forwards suction
takes place through the valves 010 at one side of the pump and pressure is
exerted through the valves P¹ P' at the other side of the pump.
particularly advantageous feature consists in the horizontal lateral arrangement of
these suction and force valves. Each of them is enclosed in a separate casing a
or a' of cylindrical shape (Fig. 1) which together with the conical valve d or d',
the spiral spring & or band the guiding arms or equivalent c or c¹ attached to the
valve rod may be bodily removed from the pump, as soon as the valve-chest
cover (03 or P³ as the case may be) is removed. Thus it will be seen that the
valves may be taken out one by one without the necessity of disconnecting the
suction or force-pipes, and likewise the pump-piston may be removed without
interfering with the valves.
The construction of the valves themselves is simple and will be readily under-
stood. The suction-valves & situated in the accompanying drawings on the left of
the axis of the cylinder open to the right and in so doing elongate the spiral
spring b. When the piston starts its return stroke the spiral spring of each
valve d contracts, and the valve consequently is drawn to its seat. The force-
valves situated in the drawings on the right of the axis of the cylinder
also open to the right, and in so doing they compress their spiral springs b
while as the piston returns the spiral spring expands again and thereby carries each
valve d back on to its seat.
During the forward and backward strokes of the piston the suction takes place
on the left hand side respectively through the valves O' and O2 while the gas is
pressed out through the force valves P2 and P' mounted on the right hand side of

page_text: the pump, that is say when the piston advances gas is drawn through O' at the
back of the piston and pressed out through P2 at the front of the piston while
during the backward stroke of the piston the gas is drawn through O2 and pressed
out through "
From the force-valves P1 P2 the gas passes through the horizontally bent pipe H
which leads into a short perpendicular tube or nozzle underneath which fits a
receiver or collector J; to the latter is attached the bent pipe K which is connected
with the collector Q by a horizontal junction piece.
From this collecting reservoir the gas flows through a set of coils or
condenser B, entering below at R and escaping above at S; close to the outlet
another collecting reservoir T is provided which is connected with the collecting
reservoir situated below.
From the collecting reservoir T the gas passes through the conduit U to the
injecting valve V which is arranged above the ice-generator C. When arrived
there, the compressed gas expands and produced cold for which purpose the
ordinary well-known arrangements are employed.
After the gas has thus served for the production of cold, it is again drawn off
from the ice-generator C by the pump passing through the conduit E, whereupon it
again performs the circuit just described.
In the extension provided on the front plate or cover of the cylinder, through
which passes the piston-rod m, two stuffing-boxes are arranged, one of them f being
next to the cover and the other at the outer end of the extension. Between the
two stuffing-boxes is provided a short tube or nozzle h, by means of which the gas
escaping from the first stuffing-box during the forward stroke of the piston is
drawn off and is conducted by the conduit G into the collecting reservoir L and thence
into the coil or condenser Ď. The gas enters the condenser D at M and escapes
above at N, whence it again passes through the conduit F to the suction
valve Oor (2².
The condensers D and B consist simply.of coils of pipe and are cooled externally
by water, the bottom part of the upper annular reservoir W being provided with
small openings through which the water runs out and drops down on to all the coils
The water then runs into the reservoir W from which it is discharged
of the set.
in the ordinary way.
easy access
The consumption of cooling water in this arrangement is comparatively small and
the condensers occupy very little space in comparison to the work they perform.
As they are open, i.e. not enclosed in a vessel or casing of any kind, they are of
on all sides and any leakage or defect they may have, is easily
discoverable and may at once be attended to. Again, the arrangement which
enables the gas escaping through the space around the piston-rod, to be absorbed
by suction as it traverses the packing, and to be cooled by means of the condenser D
before it returns to the suction valves, render the operation of the whole more
even and regular than that of the old machines, and at the same time more
economical.
In conclusion there is one more point to mention in connection with this improved
plant for the production of cold, and that is the fact that the number of necessary
packings is here reduced to a minimum, also that the arrangement of the collectors
in direct connection with the force-valves and the condensers ensure perfectly
reliable action on the part of the compressed and cooled gas, as any substances of
oily consistency, which are likely to clog the tubing, the valve-seats, or the cocks,
may be removed during operation and without necessitating any stoppage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be perforined, we declare that what we
claim is,
In machines and apparatus for generating cold air.
1. The combination with a valve and valve-casing of a removable valve-casing
such as a or a' substantially as described.

page_text: 2. The separate and free erection of the condenser B in conjunction with an
upper and a lower chamber for the reception of the gas or liquid under pressure
consisting of a series of coils in which the gas or liquid is caused to circulate while
the cooling water is allowed to descend in drops or spray along the whole surface
of the said coils substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. The arrangement whereby the gas compressed between two stuffing boxes on
the piston rod is cooled before it returns to the suction valve chest substantially as
described.
Dated this 23rd dor of February 1899
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.