IMPROVE- MENTS IN REFRIGERATORS FOR COOLING WORTS OR OTHER LIQUORS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Pontifex, of St. Paul's Road, Islington, in
the County of Middlesex, and of Shoe Lane, in the City of London,
Coppersmith and Vat Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Pontifex at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
December 1861.
I, CHARLES PONTIFEX, of St. Paul's Road, Islington, in the County of
Middlesex, and of Shoe Lane, in the City of London, Coppersmith and
Vat Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REFRIGERATORS FOR COOLING WORTS OR OTHER LIQUORS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in refrigerators for cooling
worts or other liquors used by brewers or distillers, or for other purposes;
and my improvements consist, first, of the arrangement of refrigerators having
a number of pipes layed side by side, and over each other in each of the
troughs or channels through which the wort or other liquor travels. The
ends of each set of pipes in each trough are fixed into a metal box so arranged
that by removing a cover on the box the inside of the pipes may be easily
got at to be cleaned or repaired and the liquor to be cooled gets thoroughly
mixed in these boxes after passing out of one set of pipes and before entering

page_text: another set; or, if preferred, the intermediate boxes may be done away with,
and the pipes may be made continuous through their entire length, a proper
number being placed in the box where the wort or other liquor enters and
continued backwards and forwards through the whole length of the troughs
of the back, ending in a similar box where the wort or other liquor is delivered.
The pipes are carried by a frame in the usual manner, and the frame has
hinges on one side and is lifted by pullies and a crab or windlass of the
ordinary construction.
Another part of my Invention consists in bringing the cold liquor into more
active contact with the pipes containing the wort or other liquor to be cooled.
For this purpose I prefer to construct the hinge used for lifting the frame
with slots in the plates forming one portion of the hinge, and on the side
of the refrigerator back I place rollers so arranged that the frame carrying
the pipes is free to move sideways on these rollers to any extent desired.
I actuate this frame by means of connecting rods working from eccentrics
or cranks, which excentrics or cranks I prefer to place on the shaft which
carries the drum employed to lift the frame when out of use. This shaft
can be worked by steam or other motive power. The apparatus may be used
without causing the frame and pipes to oscillate, and the wort or other liquor
to be cooled may be passed through the pipes above described, or along
the trough in the back as preferred.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Pontifex in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th June 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I; CHARLES
PONTIFEX, of St. Paul's Road, Islington, in the County of Middlesex, and of
Shoe Lane, in the City of London, Coppersmith and Vat Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Pontifex, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
Pontifex, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Charles Pontifex, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times

page_text: 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS FOR COOLING WORTS OR OTHER LIQUORS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Pontifex, 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 per-
formed, 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 Charles Pontifex, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in refrigerators for cooling
worts or other liquors used by brewers or distillers, or for other purposes; and
my improvements consist, first, of the arrangement of refrigerators having a
number of pipes laid side by side and over each other in each of the troughs
or channels through which the wort or other liquor travels. The ends of
each set of pipes in each trough are fixed into a metal box so arranged that
by removing a cover on the box the inside of the pipes may be easily got at
to be cleaned or repaired, and any one or more of the pipes can thus be
readily removed or exchanged if desired. The cooling liquid or the liquor to be
cooled, as the case may be, gets thoroughly mixed in these boxes after passing
out of one set of pipes, and before entering another set; or, if preferred, the
intermediate boxes may be dispensed with and the pipes may be made con-
tinuous through their entire length, a proper number being placed in the
box where the wort or other liquor enters and continued backwards and
forwards through the whole length of the troughs of the "back" ending in
a similar box were the wort or other liquor is delivered. The pipes are
carried by a frame in the usual manner, and the frame has hinges on one
side, and is, if required, lifted by pullies and a crab or windlass of the ordinary
construction.
Another part of my Invention consists in bringing the cold liquor into more
active contact with the pipes containing the wort or other liquor to be cooled
when the apparatus is thus arranged to act; but this may be reversed, the
cold liquid being passed through the pipes. For this purpose I prefer to
construct the hinge used for lifting the frame with slots in the plates forming

page_text: one portion of the hinge, and on the side of the refrigerator "back" I place
rollers so arranged that the frame carrying the pipes is free to move sideways
on these rollers to any extent desired. I actuate this frame by means of con-
necting rods working from excentrics or cranks, which excentrics or cranks I
prefer to place on the shaft which carries the drum employed to lift the frame
when out of use. This shaft can be worked by steam or other motive power.
The apparatus may be used without causing the frame and pipes to oscillate,
and the wort or other liquor to be cooled may be passed through the pipes
above described, or along the troughs in the "back," as may be preferred.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into practice, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annaved
pran, and
transverse section of a refrigerator, constructed and arranged according to my
improvements; the other Figures show some of the parts on a larger scale.
a, a, is a "back" or vessel formed into a series of longitudinal troughs a¹, a',
by the divisions a*, a*, and it is generally preferred to pass the wort or other
liquor to be cooled through the series of troughs, but for some purposes it
may be more convenient to reverse this arrangement; b, b, are a series of
pipes carried by the frame c, as is well understood. The ends of the pipes b, b,
in each trough are fixed into metal boxes 6, 61, in the manner shown at
Figures 4 and 5. In one arrangement the end of each pipe 6 has a screw
and collar formed thereon, and is fixed by a screw nut 62 within the box. In
the other arrangement the ends of the pipes b are quite plain, and are passed
through corresponding holes in the side of the box, in which screw studs or
pins are fixed; india-rubber rings or other elastic washers are then placed
over the ends of the pipes, and the plate or plates 6', having holes correspond-
ing with the position of the series of pipes b, and screw studs 63 is placed over
the whole, and screwed up tight by screw nuts 65, so as to compress the elastic
rings or washers between the plate 6' and the inner side of the box 6', thus form-
ing a perfectly tight joint; 6 is the cover of the box, which is fixed by screws,
as shown, and it will thus be seen that the pipes 6 can be readily got at to be
cleaned or repaired when required. The boxes b₁ are fixed to the frame c by
the arms 7, and in the arrangement shown, the series of pipes 6 are supported
about the middle, or at other parts of their length by the open metal or other
frame 68 (two forms of which are shown separately at Figures 6 and 7), fixed
by arms to the frame c. The frame c has hinges or joints c¹, which rest on
b

page_text: bearings at a³, a³, fixed on the vessel a, and the frame c is capable of being
raised by pullies or otherwise into the position shown by the dotted lines in
Figure 3, so as to lift the series of pipes 6 out of the troughs a', a', for the
purpose of cleaning the apparatus when required. The hinges or joints c¹, and
bearings a are so formed that the frame c, together with the pipes b and
boxes 6 can, if desired, be moved to and fro in the troughs a¹, a¹, and thus
bring the cooling medium into more active contact with the liquid to be
cooled. For this purpose the hinges or joints c' are furnished with small
wheels or rollers, which rest on the bearings a³, a², which may, if preferred,
be formed with slotted openings, as shown at Figure 3*. Motion is given to
the frame c by attaching the link to the lever or rod c³, which may be
actuated so as to impart a to-and-fro motion to the frame c by a crank or
excentric worked by steam power, or in any other convenient manner.
to-and-fro motion given to the frame c and pipes b may be advantageously
applied to cleansing the exterior of the pipes by moving them quickly to and
fro in the vessel a, which is then filled with water for that purpose.
The
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Pontifex, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
CHARLES PONTIFEX. (L.S.)
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE, Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildgs. W.C.