IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF COLD, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME, APPLICABLE FOR PRESERVING ANIMAL FOOD, ARD OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Thomas, of New Cross, in the
County of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PRODUCTION OF COLD, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME, APPLICABLE FOR
PRESERVING ANIMAL FOOD, ARD OTHER PURPOSES."- A communication
from abroad by Davy Postle, of Stanthorpe, in the Colony of Queens-
land, Australia.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry
Thomas at the Office of the Commissioners of Patonts, with his
Petition, on the 26th February 1878.
I, WILLIAM HENRY THOMAS, of New Cross, in the County of Kent,
5 do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PRODUCTION OF COLD, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME, APPLICABLE FOR
PRESERVING ANIMAL FOOD, AND OTHER PURPOSES, " to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to a method of producing a diminution of
temperature by alternate compression and expansion of a vapor or

page_text: rendered sensible by the compression or the sand vapor
when rarefied or allowed to expand abstracts heat from the matter to be
cooled; I prefer to employ hydrogen gas as the medium on account
of its conductibility for heat, but the vapor of some of the ethors might b
be employed.
The apparatus I employ is constructed of a vessel divided into two
parts, separated by a hollow metal partition or diaphragm, through
which brino or other fluid not congealable at a temperature of about
32 degrees is passed to be cooled. The two parts are identical in every
respect, but have no communication with each other. Each is fitted
with a piston, which may be conveniently constructed hollow, with
tubes running through from side to side to give passage from one to the
other side of the piston to the vapor or gas. The covers at the opposite
ends are also made hollow, and a current of water is passed through the 1
same to carry off the heat evolved by the compression of the vapor or
gas. Each cover has also a small cylinder in which a smaller part of
the piston is fitted to work, a passage for the vapor or gas being
provided in this part of the piston, fitted with valves.
The vapor or gas is forced alternately into the two parts of the vessel
by a pump. The piston is first moved towards the central partition,
and the gas or vapor then enters and is compressed in that part of the
vessel next the hollow cover containing water for carrying off the heat
resulting from such compression. The vapor or gas is then caused to
move the piston back again, and at same times passes to the other side a
of the piston through the tubes before mentioned, where it is allowed to
expand in contact with the partition containing the liquid to be cooled,
from which a quantity of heat is abstracted and absorbed by the rarefied
vapor or gas. This action is repeated alternately in each part of the
vessel at evory stroke of the pump. The fluid thus cooled may be a
employed in any suitable manner. If it is desired to preserve meat on
shipboard the hold is fitted with air-tight compartments and provided
with racks to receive the carcases, which are preferably hung up and
prevented by suitable stays from being injured by the motion of the
vessel. Atmospheric air cooled by being passed either through tubes &
in a tank containing the brine, cooled as above described (or through
the apparatus itself), is caused to circulate amongst the carcases, the

page_text: temperature of which is thus reduced to about 32 degrees, more or
less.
"
When the required temperature of the meat is obtained the action of
the apparatus may be continued only sufficiently to maintain that
temperature.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Henry Thomas in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th August 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY THOMAS, of New Cross, in the County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Henry Thomas, Her
special licence that I, the said William Henry Thomas, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Henry
Thomas, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time, and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF COLD, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE
SAME, APPLICABLE FOR PRESERVING ANIMAL FOOD, AND OTHER PURPOSES, a com-
munication to me from abroad by Davy Postle, of Stanthorpe, in the
Colony of Queensland, Australia, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Henry Thomas my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Henry Thomas, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained

page_text: in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :—
This Invention relates to improved apparatus for producing cold,
based upon the well known. property of gases to evolve heat when t
compressed and to absorb heat when rarefied. In applying this
principle means are provided for carrying off the heat rendered sensible
by the compression of the gas, which is afterwards allowed to expand
in contact with the matter to be cooled.
I prefer to employ hydrogen gas as the medium on account of its 1
conductability for, and the consequent facility with which it parts with
and absorbs heat; but atmospheric air may be used, although with less
advantage. I am aware that Letters Patent have been granted from
time to time for various arrangements of apparatus embodying this
principle, and amongst others for apparatus in which a cylinder 1
containing a piston is used, the gas being compressed on one side of
the piston in contact with a casing containing water to carry off the
heat developed, and then passing through the piston to the other side,
where it is allowed to expand in contact with a chamber containing
liquid to be cooled. I do not therefore lay any claim to this method of 2

page_text: the apparatus. B³, B', inlet and outlet to the hollow partition B. Each
part or cylinder A is fitted with a piston O constructed of metal and
made hollow for the sake of lightness, so as to be easily moved by the
expanding gas. The piston C is of considerable thickness, being in fact
almost equal to the length of the cylinder A, which it nearly fills, and
the piston has therefore a very short course, being hollow and filled with
air it serves to prevent the passage of heat from the one end of the
cylinder to the other. The piston C is traversed by a number of small
open tubes D, through which the gas passes from one side of the piston
to the other. The outer cover E of each cylinder is lined with a hollow
copper casing F, through which a current of cold water or other fluid
is kept constantly passing to carry off the heat disengaged by the
compression of the gas. E', E', inlet and outlet to the casing F. Upon
cach cover E is a smaller cylinder or trunk G, open to the cylinder A
; at one end, and in which a smaller part H of the piston C is fitted to.
work. I is a passage for the gas, through part H of the piston, leading..
as shown to the outer end of the cylinder A, or that nearest the cover E.
In this passage is fitted a double faced self-acting valve K carried on a
rod or spindle L mounted in the piston O and fitted to work freely
through the same in the direction of the axis of the cylinder A. The
spindlo L passes completely through the piston O, and being slightly
longer than the extreme length of the piston H, C, it comes alternately
in contact with the cover of G, and with partition B. The object of
this is to open and close the valve K, the spindle L being made just
long enough for the purpose, which is effected in a self-acting manner,,
as hereafter described. M is the seat against which the valve closes to
prevent the ingress of the gas to cylinder A, and to effect the traverse
of the piston O towards the partition B, and N is the other seat against
which the valve closes to prevent egress of the gas, which is thus caused
to move the piston in the opposite direction. O is a closed cylinder or
pump containing hydrogen gas, atmospheric air, or other gaseous
medium, and fitted with a piston worked through the medium of a crank
shaft and connecting rod or other suitable means (not shown) from a
steam engine or other motor. The cylinder O communicates at one end
with the one cylinder A by a pipe P leading to the trunk G, and at the
other end with the other cylinder A by a similar pipe. The compression
and expansion of the gas produced by the working to and fro of the
piston in cylinder O therefore goes on alternately in the two cylinders
A, A, and as the action in both cylinders is the same it will suffice to

page_text: describe that in one only. Each cylinder A. is surrounded at that part
in which the expansion of the gas takes place by a covering of felt, or
other non-conducting substance, to prevent the absorbsion of heat from
the surrounding atmosphere.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-During its forward stroko
the piston in cylinder O forces the gas through pipe P into G, where
acting on valve K it forces it up to its seat M. As the passage is thus
closed to the gas the pressure on the part H moves the piston C
towards the hollow diaphragm B. When within about an inch of it
the end of the valve spindle L abuts against the diaphragm B, and the
piston C continuing its course the valve K is moved from its seat M.
The passage I being thus opened the gas passes into the cylinder A
and is compressed in the space between piston O and the cover E, the
resulting heat being carried off by water flowing through E, as before
mentioned. Upon the roturn stroke of the piston in O the gas follows,
and in returning through the passage I closes the valve K against its
other seat N. As there is then no outlet for the compressed gas it
forces the piston C back towards the cover E, at same time passing
through the tubes D to the other side. When the piston O is within
about an inch of cover E the valve spindle L strikes against the cover
of trunk G, and opens the valve. An outlet for the gas now exists, and
the cooled compressed gas is thus caused or allowed to expand in the
space between the piston C and the diaphragm B containing the liquid,
from which a quantity of heat is abstracted by the gas in expanding.
This action is repeated at cach stroke of the piston in cylinder O. It
will thus be seen that there is no compression of the gas in the latter
cylinder before its admission to the vessel A except that which is
necessary to overcome the inertia of piston O. Each end of cylinder O
communicates by pipes and inlet valves, not shown in the Drawing, with
a receiver charged with gas, by which any loss by leakage in either of the
cylinders is replaced.
The fluid thus cooled may be employed in any suitable manner, and
in applying this apparatus for the preservation of meat on board ship,
the brine serves to cool atmospheric air, which is then conveyed to the
compartment in which the meat is stored. In order to cool the air it
may either be passed through a worm tube contained in the hollow
diaphragm B and surrounded by the brine therein, or the brine may be
run into a separate vessel containing tubes through which the air is

page_text: passed. The cooled air is then led by suitable pipes to compartments
fitted up in the hold of the ship for the reception of carcases.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as the
Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,―
1st. The particular construction, arrangement, and combination, of
apparatus for producing cold, as herein set forth, consisting of a pair
of cylinders separated by a hollow diaphragm containing liquid, and
each fitted with a piston and valve, and combined with a compressing
cylinder or pump, susbtantially as herein shown and described.
2ndly. The arrangement of self acting tappet valve fitted in the
piston C, constructed as shown and described, whereby the gas is caused
to operate the said piston, and all compression of the gas is made to
take place on one side of the piston, and all expansion on the other
side, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Thomas, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.