IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MACHINERY FOR COOLING ATMOSPHERIC AIR FOR REFrigerating PURPOSES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Sturgeon, of Newlay, near Leeds, in the County of
York, and of 15, Water Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MACHINERY FOR COOLING
ATMOSPHERIC AIR FOR REFrigerating PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Sturgeon at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th September 1880.
JOHN STURGEON, of Newlay, near Leeds, in the County of York, and of
15, Water Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
RELATING TO MACHINERY FOR COOLING ATMOSPHERIC AIR FOR REFRIGERATING
PURPOSES."
My Invention has for its object certain improvements in and relating to
machinery for cooling atmospheric air for refrigerating purposes, and relates to that
class of machinery by which cold is produced by the compression and after
expansion of air. Heretofore in machines for producing cold, or a lowering
of temperature, by the compression and after expansion of air, it has been the
practice to connect the piston of the air expansion cylinder to that of the air
compression cylinder, so that they may work together. The expansion cylinder
returning a portion of the power employed in compressing the air by assisting to
drive the piston of the compression cylinder; but I have found that this arrange-
ment is objectionable, as it is impossible in practice to arrive at and obtain the
exact proportions and difference between the size of the compression and expansion
cylinders to allow for the reduction of volume of the air when it reaches the
expansion cylinder, so that the latter is either too large or too small, in either case
causing a loss of power and of effect, as regards the lowering of temperature.
According to this my Invention, instead of coupling the compression and
expansion cylinders together, I apply an independent air compressing cylinder for
compressing air to drive an entirely separate and independent expansion cylinder,
which is employed to drive another air compressing cylinder for supplying an extra
quantity of compressed air; thus there would be two air compressing cylinders,
one driven by a steam cylinder or cylinders and the other separately and inde-
pendently driven by the air expansion cylinder. By this arrangement of separate
Pin G21

page_text: driving the relative speeds of the compression and expansion cylinders can be varied
so as to adjust the speeds in such a manner as to obtain the best effect by regu-
lating the speed of the expansion cylinder to suit the volume of air returned from
the compression cylinder. Although I prefer to apply the expansion cylinder to
compressing additional supply of air, as before stated, it may be otherwise employed,
as, for instance, to drive a circulating pump for the water used in cooling the
cylinders, and in the tank.
My Invention further consists in a mode of regulating the proportion between
the compression and expansion cylinders, where they are coupled together so as to
adjust the latter to suit the reduced volume of the air. For this purpose I apply a
crank, lever arm, or other equivalent contrivance, to which the expansion cylinder
may be coupled by a rod or other contrivance so arranged that the stroke can be
altered by varying the throw of the crank, the piston being so arranged that it can
be lengthened or shortened to suit the stroke, or in place of lengthening or shortening
the piston the cylinder itself may be made in two parts so as to close together or
open outwards, or this may be effected by moveable covers which can be closed in
or drawn out so as to lengthen or shorten the working cylinder.
•

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Sturgeon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th March
1881.
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JOHN STURGEON, of Newlay, near Leeds, in the County of York, and of
15, Water Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
RELATING TO MACHINERY FOR COOLING ATMOSPHERIC AIR FOR REFRIGERATING
PURPOSES."
My Invention has for its object improvements in and relating to machinery
for cooling atmospheric air for refrigerating purposes, and relates to that class of
machinery by which cold is produced by the compression and after expansion
of air.
Heretofore in machines for producing cold or a lowering of temperature by the
compression and after expansion of air, it has been the practice to connect the piston
of the air expansion cylinder to that of the air compression cylinder, so that they
inay work together. The expansion cylinder returning a portion of the power
employed in compressing the air by assisting to drive the piston of the compression
cylinder, but I have found that this arrangement is objectionable, as it is impos-
sible in practice to arrive at and obtain the exact proportions and difference
between the size of the compression and expansion cylinders to allow for the
reduction of volume of the air when it reaches the expansion cylinder, so that the
latter is either too large or too small, in either case causing a loss of power and of
effect as regards the lowering of temperature.
According to this my Invention, instead of coupling the compression and
expansion cylinders together, I apply an independent air compressing cylinder for
compressing air to drive an entirely separate and independent expansion cylinder,
which is employed to drive another air compressing cylinder for supplying an extra
quantity of compressed air; thus there would be two air compressing cylinders, one
driven by a steam cylinder or cylinders, and the other separately and independently
driven by the air expansion cylinder. By this arrangement of separate driving
the relative speeds of the compression and expansion cylinders can be varied
so as to adjust the speeds in such a manner as to obtain the best effect by regu-
lating the speed of the expansion cylinder to suit the volume of air returned from
the compression cylinder. Although I prefer to apply the expansion cylinder to
compressing additional supply of air, as before stated, it may be otherwise employed,
as, for instance, to drive a circulating pump for the water used in cooling the
cylinders and in the tank.
.
My Invention further consists in a mode of regulating the proportion between
the compression and expansion cylinders, where they are coupled together so as to
adjust the latter to suit the reduced volume of air. For this purpose I apply a
crank, lever, arm, or other equivalent contrivance, to which the expansion cylinder
may be coupled by a rod or other contrivance so arranged that tho stroke can be
altered by varying the throw of the crank, the piston being so arranged that it can
be lengthened or shortened to suit the stroke, or in place of lengthening or
shortening the piston the cylinder itself may be made in two parts so as to close
together or open outwards, or this may be effected by moveable covers which can
be closed in or drawn out so as to lengthen or shorten the working cylinder.
That my Invention may be more clearly understood I have attached a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof and showing a machine constructed on the system
which constitutes my Invention.

page_text: steam cylinder driving, and C, the expansion cylinder, the whole being mounted on
a bed forming the cooling tank similar to that described in the Specification of
former Letters Patent granted to me, No. 4863, A.D. 1877, but they may be mounted
or fixed in any other convenient manner; D is the crank shaft of the compressor A
and D' the crank shaft of the compressor A¹, the two shafts being separate and
unconnected, so that each engine may run independently of the other; E is the air
inlet from the cold air chamber leading to the two compression cylinders, and
having a valve conveniently placed thereon for the admission of the necessary
quantity of external air to make up the deficiency caused by reduction of volume
and leakage; F, F, are the delivery pipes through which the compressed air
passes to the cooling tank, and G is the pipe conveying the compressed air from
the cooling tank to the expansion cylinder, and H is the pipe conveying the
expanded and cooled air back to the refrigerator or cold air chamber; I is the
steam inlet pipe to the steam cylinder B, and J is the exhaust. I have not thought
it necessary to show details of valves, as this mode of working may be applied to
cold air machines with any ordinary valve arrangement.
From this description it
will be seen that the speed of the two engines may be so regulated as to get the
maximum of work out of the expansion cylinder, and thereby produce the greatest
degree of cold with the least expenditure of power.
Figure 3-shows-one-mode. of adjusting the stroke of the expansion cylinder in
accordance with the second part of my Invention. The length of stroke-may-be-
altered by means of the screw in the slotted disc K, the pistons L, L', being at the
same time drawn inwards or outwards-so-as-to-regulate-the-working.length_of_the_
-cylinder-in-accordance with the length of stroke by means of the nuts m, m, and
n, n, on the crosshead M, by which the tube of the piston L or the rod of the
piston L' can be moved in either direction as may be required.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Sturgeon, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty-one.