Improvements in and connected with Ice Tanks.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Ice Tanks.
1 JOHN SIDDELEY of 30 Gordon Road Seaforth in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to tanks, cells, and their connections used in the production
of clear block ice, and the main objects are to increase the efficiency of the
agitating mechanism; to simplify and cheapen the construction of the cells; to
allow of blocks of ice of varied length being made; and to improve the connections
for regulating the flow of brine through the cells.
Ice tanks under my invention are made with a double bottom having apertures
between the cells and with pistons or plungers for giving motion to the water in
the space beneath and between the cells, such pistons or plungers having valves or
equivalent devices to allow of flow of water past the said pistons or plungers in
increasing ratio as the ice formed on the cells and the water between the cells
becomes less.
Cells under my invention are made in hollow lengths divided horizontally into
compartments, and are connected by end pieces having vertical channels divided
into lengths by stops. Division plates fit vertically over, or between projections
from, the faces of the cells.
Connections for brine to and from the cells consist of horizontal upper and lower
pipes having branches opening into the top and bottom divisions of the channels
hereinbefore mentioned. The upper pipe opens to a threeway cock or valve by
means of which the brine leaving the cells may be caused to flow to another series
of cells or to a tank. The lower pipe opens to a fourway cock or valve by means
of which cold or warm brine may be directed into the cells or from the cells to
a tank.
Dated the 4th day of February 1895
J. JOHNSON,
Agent.
Improvements in and connected with Ice Tanks.
I JOHN SIDDELEY of 30 Gordon Road, Seaforth in the County of Lancaster,
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 :-
The invention relates to tanks, cells, and their connections used in the production
of clear block ice, and the main objects are to increase the efficiency of the
agitating mechanism; to simplify and cheapen the construction of the cells; to
allow of solid blocks of ice of varied length being made; and to improve the
connections for regulating the flow of brine through the cells.
Ice tanks under my invention are made with a double bottom having apertures
between the cells and with pistons or plungers for giving motion to the water in
the space beneath and between the cells; such pistons or plungers having valves
or equivalent devices to allow of flow of water past the said pistons or plungers in

page_text: increasing ratio as the ice is formed on the cells, and the water between the cells
becomes less.
Cells under my invention are made in hollow lengths divided horizontally into
compartments and are connected by end pieces having vertical channels divided
into lengths by stops. Division plates fit vertically over or between projections
from the faces of the cells.
Connections for brine to and from the cells consist of horizontal upper and
lower pipes having branches opening into the top and bottom divisions of the
channels herein before mentioned. The upper pipe opens to a threeway cock or
valve by means of which the brine leaving the cells may be caused to flow to
another series of cells or to a tank. The lower pipe opens to a fiveway cock or
valve by means of which cold or warm brine may be directed into the cells or
from the cells to a tank.
is an end view; Fig. 2 a transverse section; Fig. 3 a longitudinal section;
and Fig. 4 a plan, each, of one of a series of ice tanks constructed and fitted in
accordance with my invention.
a is the ice tank constructed of timber with a double bottom a' and double end a².
The double bottom a¹ is supported by bearers a³ resting on the main bottom of the
tank. The said bearers a run lengthwise beneath the double bottom a¹ so as to
form a series of channels a leading into the space a between the main frame of
the tank and the double end a². a are openings leading from the channels a* into
the interior of the tank. 6 is a plunger fitting in the end space a³, and moved up
and down by rods 6'. The plunger b is fitted with two valves, one c opening
upwards and the other c¹ opening downwards. The extent to which each valve
can open is regulated by adjusting screws c², c³, carried by bows c², c³, secured to
the plunger b. The adjusting screw e² abuts against the stem of the valve e whilst
a rod from the screw e passes through the valve c¹ and is provided with a head c
against which the valve abuts when it is open as shown by the detail view Fig. 5.
As the plunger b is moved to and fro, water rises and falls through the openings a
so as to produce the agitation necessary for obtaining clear ice, but in order that
the agitation may not become too violent as the spaces between the cells decrease
owing to the formation of ice, the adjusting screw c² of the valve c is turned from
time to time so as to allow the said valve to open more and more on the down
stroke for the passage of water to the upper side of the plunger b instead of through
the openings a. On the upstroke the water flows back through the valve c¹ which
is allowed to open to the required extent by turning the screw e3³. The screws c²
and might be coupled so as to turn simultaneously. The cells d are formed of
two plates of wrought iron rivetted along the top and bottom to bars d', the bottom
bar being wider than the top so as to give sufficient vertical taper to the cell to
allow of the ice being easily withdrawn. are division pieces of wood extending
from end to end of the cells and dividing them into compartments through which
the brine or cooling liquid is caused to flow. Rivets and stiffening pieces are used
where required to prevent buckling. e are end pieces having vertical channels e¹
divided into lengths by stops e². The division pieces dabut against the stops e²
and the end pieces and cells are held together by longitudinal bolts e passing
through the end pieces and cells as shown inore particularly in the detail views 6
and 7. Any suitable packing fis placed between the cells and end-pieces to enable
the joints to be made tight. The end pieces e are cast with solid slabs e* on each
side tapered like the cells and of such width that when the two cells are placed
together there is a sufficient space between them to produce blocks of ice of the
required thickness. e inlets to the end pieces. e outlets. g are strips of tee iron
secured vertically to the cells at distances apart corresponding to the length of the
blocks of ice required. are thick taper slabs or division pieces of cast iron which
fit between the cells and are grooved at the ends to fit the projections of the

page_text: cee iron g. Instead of the division pieces fitting between the cells they may nu over
one cell as shown by and be met by the division pieces of the next cell. For
use in cells not provided with guide strips, the division pieces as shown
at h³ may be made with lugs h³ at the top to rest on the cells and with pins h*
below to fit into the double bottom a¹. The necessity for the above con-
struction will be understood from the following explanation:-When ice is frozen
between cells eight or ten feet long with hollow end pieces it forms on the sides and
ends but does not adhere in the centre as shown at i Fig. 4, so that when the slab is
cut into blocks the ice divides down the centre into pieces half the thickness and
only brings an inferior price in the market. This difficulty has hitherto been over-
come by the use of hollow dividing pieces forming part of the cells, but such cells
are too expensive for general use. Thin plates or sheets of metal have also been
inserted or attached to cells to enable the ice to be easily divided into blocks, but
such means did not cause the ice to unite centrally so as to form solid blocks.
Now my division pieces are made of such thickness and with such bearing surface
in contact with the cells that sufficient substance and area for the conveyance of
heat from the surface of the division pieces to the cells is provided to cause the
water between such division pieces to freeze around the ends as shown at i¹ Fig. 4,
thus making firm blocks when thawed off. Owing to the conductivity of the
dividing pieces due to their construction and arrangement, heat is rapidly conveyed
from the cells to the ends of the blocks of ice which are thawed off as readily as
when hollow dividing pieces are used. For cells say twelve inches apart, the
division pieces if of cast iron should be not less than an average of from one to one
and a half inches in thickness. Each tank is provided with an upper horizontal
pipe connecting all the outlets e and with a lower horizontal pipe k connecting all
the inlets . The upper pipe j of each tank is fitted with a threeway cock or
valve by which the brine leaving the cells may be directed down the pipe m to
the cold brine inlet main n or down the pipe o through another threeway cock p to
the cold brine overflow main g or to the warm brine overflow main r. These
mains q and lead to the cold and warm brine tanks respectively. The pipe k is
connected to the open bottom of a cock s having four branches. The plug of
this cock has an opening at the bottom and another at the side. The top branch
of the cock s opens to the cold brine supply main n from the refrigerating machine.
One side branch opens to the warm brine supply main t, the other side branch
opens to the warm brine overflow pipe r, and the bottom branch to the rotation
The rotation main u is connected to the cold brine supply main n by a
w are straightway cocks in the main n between the down pipes m and
the cocks s. a is a byepass cock and pipe in the supply pipe main n by which
communication may be opened in the supply main from before the first to after the
second cock s. This byepass is shown in the diagram Fig. 8 which is used to
illustrate the working of three tanks in series.
main u.
branch v.
j
The process of working a set of three tanks is as follows:-Commencing at the
right hand tank and calling it No. 1; the middle tank No. 2; and the left hand
tank No. 3;-the top branch of the fiveway cocks of No. tank is opened to the
cold brine supply n the straightway cock w in the main n being closed to the next
tank. The threeway cock of the first tank is opened from the pipe to the down
The cocks s¹, wo and of the
pipe m leading to the cold brine supply main n.
second tank, and the cocks 2 and 3 of the third tank are similarly set. The
cocks and 2 of the third tank are set so that communication is opened between
the pipe j and the cold brine overflow pipe q. The byepass cock is shut. The
cold brine will then enter the cocks and pass by the pipe k through the cells in the
first tank which it will leave by the pipe j pass down the pipe m to the cock sl
thence by the pipe into the cells in the second tank, thence by the pipes j¹ and m³
through the cock and pipe 2 into the cells in the third tank, and thence by the
pipe, cock, pipe o³, and cock p² through the overflow main q to the cold brine
tank and refrigerating machine.
When the first tank is frozen up, the cocks
and are shut, and the cock w

page_text: The cold brine
turned so as to
and p are also
opened so that the cold brine enters the cells of the second tank.
is then run off from the cells in the first tank and the cock
communicate with the warm brine supply pipe t. The cocks
turned so that the warm brine can flow through the cells in the first tank and into
the warm brine overflow r. When the ice has been thawed off and removed, and
the tank refilled with water, cock p² is closed and cock 12 turned so that the cold
brine passing from 2 flows down the pipe m² and by the branch into the rotation
main u, and the cocks is turned so that the cold brine passes by that cock from
the rotation main to the pipe k, and thence into the cells in the first tank. The
cocks and p are turned so that the cold brine leaving the cells in the first tank
passes down the pipe o to the cold brine overflow g. The second tank is shut off
and brine caused to circulate through the third and first tanks in a similar manner
to that in which the first tank was shut off, but when the second tank has been
refilled it is necessary to shut the straightway cocks w and w¹ and carry the brine
direct by the byepass cock and pipe from before cock w to the main n behind
cock w and thence through the cock s² to the third tank cells. When water in the
third tank is frozen the bye-pass cock is closed and the first tank again becomes the
leading tank. The thawing off is the same in each case. A small cock y is fixed
in each pipe at the top of each tank to allow of air escaping from the cells,
and to admit air when drawing the cold or warm brine from the cells which is done
by turning the cocks s to the warm brine overflows.
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 :-
First. The improvements in and connected with ice tanks, substantially as herein
set forth.
Second. Ice tanks with double bottom a, apertures a double end a' and plunger b
with valves c and c¹ constructed, combined, and operating substantially as and for
the
purpose set forth.
Third. Cells for ice tanks constructed of side-plates top and bottom bars,
divisions d² and end pieces e substantially as set forth.
Fourth. End pieces for cells constructed with channels, stops, solid slabs, and
connections substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The combination of cells with tee irons g, and division pieces h, substan-
tially as and for the purpose set forth.
Sixth. The combination of pipes and cocks for working tanks in series substan-
tially as set forth.
Dated the 23rd day of October 1895.
J. JOHNSON,
4 Clayton Square, Liverpool, Agent.