Improvements-in-Apparatus-for-Maintaining Circulation of Liquids, Washing Machines, Percolators, and other Applicable to Appliances.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements-in-Apparatus-for-Maintaining Circulation of Liquids,
Washing Machines, Percolators, and other
Applicable to
Appliances.
1, JOHN GAMGEE of 6 Lingfield Road, Wimbledon in the County of Surrey
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide for active convection within a vessel so
that objects placed in a central cylinder or cone are subjected to active streams
of boiling water or other liquid, upward circulation of which in the space between
the vessel and central cylinder and the downward circulation through the central
cylinder and the objects placed therein are maintained so long as the requisite
heat is applied to the outer vessel. The invention is applicable to various appliances
in which a circulation and percolation of liquids through the objects or materials
under treatment are required or desirable, such for instance as washing machines,
percolators, cooking apparatus and appliances for making infusions or decoctions.
"
My apparatus consists of an outer vessel or copper and a central cylinder or
The
cone forming a sort of liner to the said vessel, a space being left between them.
liner is preferably entirely open at bottom but it may be provided with a bottom
having openings therein and in either of these cases it should be kept some little
distance from the bottom of the outer vessel; or it may rest on the bottom of the
vessel in which case it must have holes near the lower edge. Around its upper part
the liner is formed with holes. It should fit the outer vessel at the upper edge, but
it is not necessary to employ packing or to make a hermetic joint if the liner has, as I
prefer, a deflecting ring or curtain guarding the upper holes and directing the flow
centrally.
The objects to be acted upon, as for instance clothes, when the invention is applied
to a washing machine, are placed in the liner and kept from falling through by suit-
able openwork supports. A comparatively small quantity of liquid (soap water or

page_text: lye) is placed in the vessel, sufficient to fill the jacket or space between the vessel and
liner and to maintain a steady stream. As soon as the liquid is made to boil by
means of fire applied to the outer vessel or by means of a steam coil or otherwise, it
rises up the jacket, is directed by the deflecting ring to the upper holes of the liner
through which, it flows in continuous streams, and falling into the liner passes
through the clothes or objects therein and again reaches the outer vessel to again
ascend the jacket, the circulation being maintained so long as the requisite heat is
applied to the liquid.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Maintaining Circulation of Liquids,
Applicable to Washing Machines, Percolators, and other
Appliances.
I JOHN GAMGEE, of Lingfield Road, Wimbledon, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to provide for active convection within a vessel so
that objects placed in a central cylinder or cone are. subjected to active streams of
boiling water or other liquid, upward circulation of which in the space between the
vessel and central cylinder and the downward circulation through the central cylinder
and the objects placed therein are maintained so long as the requisite heat is applied
to the outer vessel. The invention is applicable to various appliances in which a
circulation, and percolation of liquids through the objects or materials under-treat-
ment are required or desirable, such for instance as washing machines, percolators,
cooking apparatus and appliances for making infusions or decoctions.
My apparatus consists of an outer vessel or copper "and a bottomless central
cylinder or cone forming a sort of liner to the said vessel, a space being left between
them. Around its upper part the liner is formed with holes. It should fit the outer
vessel at the upper edge, but not hermetically, and it has a deflecting ring or curtain
guarding the holes and directing the flow centrally.
The objects to be acted upon, as for instance clothes, when the invention is applied
to a washing machine, are placed in the liner and kept from falling through by suitable
open work supports. A comparatively small quantity of liquid (soap water or lye) is
placed in the vessel, sufficient to fill the jacket or space between the vessel and liner
and to maintain a steady stream. As soon as the liquid is made to boil by means of
fire applied to the outer vessel or by means of a steam coil or otherwise, it rises up
the jacket, is directed by the deflecting ring to the holes of the liner through which
it flows in continuous streams, and falling into the liner passes through the clothes or
objects therein and again roaches the outer vessel to again ascend the jacket, the
circulation being maintained so long as the requisite heat is applied to the liquid.
::
Figure 1 of the annexed drawings is a vertical section of a washing machine
constructed according to my invention. a is a furnace or fire-place. is a vessel or
copper" which may be of any suitable shape, set therein. c is the bottomless liner
placed concentrically within the vessel b, the respective diameters being such that a
space or jacket d is left between them. e, e are the holes around the upper part of the
liner. is the deflecting curtain guarding the holes e, e and directing the flow of the
liquid centrally. The outer edge of the curtain f fits the vessel b but not hermetically.
Figure 2 is a separate view of the cover g to the vessel; this cover is formed with
holes so that while confining the heat it admits air. Figure 3 is a separate view of
a metallic basket or openwork support i for holding the clothes when in the machine;
this basket has handles by which it can be lifted together with the clothes. Soap
water or lye having been placed in the vessel b and the clothes introduced into the
liner e the liquid as soon as it boils rises up the jacket d, is directed by the curtain f

page_text: to the holes e of the liner through which it flows in continuous streams as indicated
in Figure 1 and, falling into the liner, passes through the clothes therein and again
reaches the vessel b to again ascend the jacket d and so on.
с
Figure 4 shows a vessel band liner c the latter having at its upper edge a ring of
wire in place of the curtain Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a part sectional view showing the application of the invention to a coffee
percolator the coffee is placed in a receptacle or bag which is represented as suspended
from the lid, the upper part of this receptacle being made of open wire-work. Figure 6
shows the invention applied to a cooking kettle or vessel. In employing my apparatus for
cooking purposes the food cannot be burned and a uniform action is secured better
than with the ordinary Bain Marie..
The abundant volume and high velocity of the mass of liquid and steam maintained
in circulation, as described, is in striking contrast to the result obtained by the many
devices which have hitherto been designed for percolation in washing machines and
other industrial apparatus. Experiment proved that this was due to the central air
pressure on the central mass of liquid securing a true, syphon action in which the
acceleration depends on the loss of head from the formation of steam in the annular
space between the outer vessel and the inner cylinder or liner. If the liner is
obstructed by a bottom of any kind the action is less active and becomes more and
more intermittent the smaller the aperture through which the liquid falls.
The circulation occurs with a low liquid level sufficient to submerge the lower
edge of the liner an inch or two if soap and water or other viscid solution is used.
When pure water is boiled a much higher level must be maintained and usually
within 2 or 3 inches of the holes e, e. The flushing of the apparatus with pure
water in this way is the best method of cleansing it after or before putting it into
operation for washing or other purposes.
The double surface for adhesion of liquid boiling in the annular space d ensures
adequate surface tension for effective circulation and this is at its maximum when
the breadth of the annular space is small and usually less than half an inch.
The water seal which is formed above the outer or free edge of the curtain or
ring by the condensation of the steam which escapes between it and the outer vessel
is important and most effective with a somewhat heavy metallic ring to the liner so
as to condense the steam.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An apparatus for maintaining circulation of liquids, consisting of an outer
vessel or copper with means for heating same, and of a bottomless inner sheath or
liner having holes below its upper edge guarded above by a deflecting ring or curtain,
substantially as set forth, whereby the liquid when sufficiently heated rises up between
the outer vessel and the liner, is directed by the ring or curtain to the holes, through
which it flows in continuous streams, and falling into the liner passes through the
objects placed therein and again reaches the outer vessel to again ascend as before,
and so on.
2. The curtain or ring fixed to the outside of the upper part of an inner sheath
or liner to control the flow of a circulating liquid and to form a water seal as set
forth.