Improvements in Apparatus for Refrigerating Air, also applicable to the Evaporation of Liquids.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1890'
Complete Specification Left, 16th July, 1891-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Refrigerating Air, also applicable to
the Evaporation of Liquids.
I, WILLIAM HENRY LE MESURIER, of No. 36 Slatey Road, Birkenhead, in
the County of Cheshire, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus mainly applicable to the refrigeration or
cooling of air to be used for refrigerating chambers, wherein such air is brought
into intimate contact with cold brine or other liquid. According to my present
invention I construct such apparatus as follows. In the upper part of an enclosed
tank of any desired length through which the cold brine is made to circulate from
any suitable refrigerating apparatus, are mounted one or more horizontal shafts
carrying discs or wheels dipping with their lower parts into the brine. On the
periphery of such wheels are mounted horizontal troughs scoops or buckets
extending across the tank from the one disc or wheel to the other.
These troughs scoops or buckets have perforated bottoms and sides, so that as
by the rotation of the discs they are first immersed in the brine so as to become
filled, and then rise up out of the same, the brine falls down in a fine shower back
into the tank again.
The air to be refrigerated being forced in at one end of the enclosed space over
the tank, and escaping at the other end, is caused to pass through fine showers of
descending brine and in being thus brought into intimate contact therewith as well
as with the metal of which the troughs scoops or buckets are made is effectually
refrigerated thereby. The said perforated troughs, scoops or buckets may be
constructed and arranged in a variety of ways for the purpose of my invention but
the construction which I prefer to employ is as follows.
I take a number of metal tubes of a length corresponding to the width of the
tank which tubes have their ends closed and have a longitudinal slot formed at
one point of their circumference, while the other part thereof is finely perforated..
These tubes are held in annular loop formed on the periphery of the before
mentioned discs or wheels, the said loops being by preference formed in halves
secured together by screw bolts in order to facilitate the removal and replacing of
the tubes should they become defective. The discs or wheels may also be made
in halves for the same purpose.
The tubes are so adjusted in position on their wheels that when dipping into
the liquid, their slots are presented vertically downwards, or nearly so, so that on
emerging from the liquid on the other side of the wheel the slot will be in such a
position that the tube remains nearly full. The perforations are made of such fine-
ness that at an average speed of rotation the tubes retain some of the liquid during
the greater part of the revolution. The top of the chamber may in some cases be
curved to fit round the top parts of the wheels and tubes so as to prevent as
much as possible the passage of air otherwise than in contact with the descending
liquid.
It will be evident that the above described apparatus may also be used for
effecting the evaporation of liquids by means of the air passing through the
same.
Dated this 20th day of October 1890
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Refrigerating Air, also applicable to
the Evaporation of Liquids.
I, WILLIAM HENRY LE MESURIER, of No. 36 Slatey Road, Birkenhead, in
the County of Cheshire, Civil Engineer, 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:-
My invention relates to apparatus mainly applicable to the refrigeration or
cooling of air to be used for refrigerating chambers, wherein such air is brought
into intimate contact with cold brine or other liquid. I construct such apparatus
as I shall describe with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a vertical
section. In the upper part of an enclosed tank A of any desired length through
which the cold brine is made to circulate from any suitable refrigerating apparatus,
is mounted a horizontal shaft B carrying wheels C the lower parts of which dip
into the brine. On the peripheries of these wheels are fixed horizontal scoops D
of tubular form extending the whole length of the tank. The scoops D may be
made in various forms as troughs or buckets.
As shewn in the drawing they are in the form of metal tubes of a length corre-
sponding to that of the tank, each having both its ends closed and a longitudinal
slot with an inwardly turned lip formed at one point of its circumference, while
the rest of the circumference except about one fourth is finely perforated. These
tubes D are held by loops bolted on the peripheries of the wheels C, and are so
adjusted in position that when dipping into the liquid, their slots are presented
vertically downwards or nearly so to admit liquid freely into them and on
emerging from the liquid the slots are in such a position as to keep the tubes
nearly full.
The perforations of the tubes are made of such fineness that at an average
speed of rotation the tubes retain some of the liquid during the greater part of the
revolution.
The operation is as follows: The shaft B being caused to rotate in the direction
of the arrow, the scoops D are successively immersed in the brine so as to become
filled, and then, as they rise, the brine descends in fine showers from each, back
into the tank. The air to be refrigerated being forced in at one part of the
enclosed space over the tank, and escaping at another part is caused to pass
through the fine showers of descending brine and in being thus brought into intimate
contact therewith as well as with the metal of which the scoops are made is effectually
refrigerated.
There may be several sets of shafts B with wheels and perforated scoops arranged
within one casing over a brine tank, each operating as described.
The apparatus may obviously be used for effecting evaporation of a liquid
ccntained in the tank by means of the air which may be heated passing through
the showers of it, and carrying off vapour from the descending drops.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
Apparatus for refrigerating air or for evaporating liquids by causing air to pass
through showers produced by the revolution of perforated scoops which dip into
liquid, substantially as described.
Dated this 16th dow of 1001
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.