IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESSES OF AND APPARATUS FOR DYNAMIC COOLING
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton of the Office for Patents.
66 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESSES OF AND APPARATUS FOR
DYNAMIC COOLING" A communication from abroad by Leicester Allen of
the City and State of New York United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st January 1882.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents 66 Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESSES OF AND
APPARATUS FOR DYNAMIC COOLING." [A communication from abroad by Leicester
Allen of the City and State of New York United States of America]
This Invention relates to that class of refrigerating processes and apparatus in
which a volume of gas is first compressed, the temperature of the so compressed
gas is then reduced to or toward that of the gas before its compression, the gaseous
body is next expanded in the performance of outer work, and lastly the air so
expanded and which has become cooled in the performance of work during the
process of expansion is restored to its original volume, or approximately toward such
volume by absorption of heat from some substance or enclosure which is thereby
refrigerated.
For various reasons air is the most desirable gas for effecting this kind of
cooling, but in the simple method of alternately compressing and expanding it,
described above, and commonly known as the Carnot cycle it has the disadvantage
that a large volume must be operated upon to gain a notable effect, thus necessi-
tating a large machine. The total losses of effect, commonly called passive
resistance, are therefore much larger than would be the case, could a gas of greater
specific heat per volume be employed.
The purpose of this Invention is to reduce the proportion of these passive
resistances, as compared with the total cooling effect, produced or as compared with
the mechanical power expended in gaining a stated cooling effect; and also to

page_text: enable machines, designed to carry out the Carnot cycle to be made much lighter
and smaller in proportion to their cooling capacity than has hitherto been the case.
The first part of the Invention consists in first compressing a gaseous body from
ordinary atmospheric pressure, to a stated higher pressure, in any suitable reservoir
or receptacle where it is allowed to assume the ordinary temperature of the
surrounding medium, next compressing this already compressed gas to a higher
pressure, cooling it at such higher pressure to extract the heat-equivalent of the
work expended in such compression, and then expanding it in the performance of
outer work down to the aforesaid stated pressure in said reservoir, then restoring
to it as nearly as practicable the temperature at which it was taken from the
reservoir by heat taken from the enclosure or substance to be cooled, repeating this
process till the required refrigeration is attained, the gas operated upon not being
allowed to resume its ordinary atmospheric pressure but being only expanded down
to the stated pressure in said reservoir, or as nearly to such pressure more or less,
as it is practicable to maintain it.
The leakage from the system is supplied by a small auxiliary air pump in order
to maintain the pressure of the gas in said reservoir at its stated maximum, or as
near thereto as practicable and the difference between the amount of power
required to perform the compression and overcome the passive resistances, and the
power derivable from the expansion of the air is supplied by a steam engine or
other motor; and the combination of the steam engine or other motor, air engine,
air compressor, intermediate cooler and auxiliary pump for supplying amount of
air lost by leakages, all arranged and operating as hereinabove mentioned also
constitutes a part of this Invention. Both the work of compression and the outer
work performed by the expansion will be greater in proportion as the weight of
air or other gas passed through the cycle is greater and this weight will be greater
for any given volume when the air or other gas is compressed to and not permitted
to fall below, a stated pressure-higher than-ordinary.
Thus a cubic foot of air which has been compressed to four atmospheres, will
weigh as much as four feet of air at the same temperature, and at a pressure of
only one atmosphere; and if this foot of air be compressed from four to eight
atmospheres, as much work will be required to perform the compression as would
be required to compress four cubic feet having the same initial temperature from a
pressure of one atmosphere to two atmospheres. Conversely, in expanding the air
again from eight atmospheres to four atmospheres pressure the cubic foot of air
would develop by its expansion as much mechanical power as would be attainable
from the expansion of four cubic feet of air having the same initial temperature
from two atmospheres, drawn to one atmosphere.
As the cooling effect is exactly proportional to the outer work performed by the
expansion of the air, it follows that the expansion of one cubic foot of air from
eight down to four atmospheres will produce the same cooling effect as the
expansion of four cubic feet from two atmospheres down to one atinosphere. But
to expand the one cubic foot of air froin eight atmospheres down to four
atmospheres in an engine, will require a cylinder only about one fourth as large as
would be requisite to expand four cubic feet of air from two atmospheres down to
one atmosphere; the final volume reached after the initial temperatures are restored
in the two cases, being respectively two cubic feet and eight cubic feet.
A similar reduction of size is also rendered possible in the compressor
cylinders.
The apparatus consists of (1,) a steam-engine; (2) an air compressor; (3,) a cooler;
(4) an air-engine; (5) a surface cooler for the reception of the expanded air and the
substance to be cooled (in this example a liquid). These parts are connected
together by pipes which are provided with stop cocks for controlling the flow of
the gns in charging and working the machine. A smaller auxiliary air pump takes
its air from the outside atmosphere and injects the same into the inachine (say into
.the surface cooler No. 5) to compensate for the leakages. The pump may be
driven by direct connection with the piston of the air compressor, or in any other

page_text: suitable manner.
The whole forms (as nearly as practicable) a closed cycle. The
compressor (No. 2) takes its air from the surface cooler, No. 5 the cooler, No. 3
takes its air from the compressor, No. 2 the air engine, No. 4 takes its air from
the cooler, No. 3, and the surface cooler No. 5 receives the air from the air
engine. The cooler No. 5 is tho representative of any refrigerating enclosure,
whether it be used to cool liquids or not, the cold air passing through a tube, box,
passage or other device for taking heat from the outside air, or other substance
surrounding it.
The two engines and the compressor may be connected to a single crank shaft
and work synchronously but other arrangements of the engines and compressor
are possible.
It is hardly necessary to mention that any other motor may be substituted for
the steam engine, or that the arrangement of the apparatus is capable of various
modifications according to circumstances.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
31st July 1882.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents 66 Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex Civil Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESSES OF AND
APPARATUS FOR DYNAMIC COOLING "-A communication from abroad by Leicester
Allen of the City and State of New York United States of America.
This Invention relates to that class of refrigerating processes and apparatus in
which a volume of gas is first compressed, the temperature of the so compressed gas
is then reduced to or toward that of the gas before its compression, the gaseous
body is next expanded in the performance of outer work and lastly the air so
expanded and which has become cooled in the performance of work during the
process of expansion is restored to its original volume or approximately toward
such volume by absorption of heat from some substance or enclosure which is
thereby refrigerated.
For various reasons air is the most desirable gas for effecting this kind of cooling,
but in the simple method of alternately compressing and expanding it described
above and commonly known as the "Carnot cycle" it has this disadvantage vist. that
a large volume must be operated upon to gain a notable effect, thus necessitating a
Jarge machine. The total losses of effect commonly called passive resistance are
therefore much larger than would be the case could a gas of greater specific heat
per volume be employed.
-
The purpose of this Invention is to reduce the proportion of these passive
resistances as compared with the total cooling effect produced, or as compared with
the mechanical power expended in gaining a stated cooling effect, and also to enable
machines designed to carry out the Carnot cycle to be made much lighter
and smaller in proportion to their cooling capacity than has hitherto been
the case.
The first part of the Invention consists in first compressing a gaseous body from
ordinary atmospheric pressure to a stated higher pressure in any suitable reservoir
or receptacle where it is allowed to assume the ordinary temperature of the
surrounding medium; next compressing this already compressed gas to a higher
pressure cooling it at such higher pressure to extract the heat-equivalent of the
work expended in such compression and then expanding it in the performance of
outer work down to the aforesaid stated pressure in said reservoir, then restoring
to it as nearly as practicable the temperature at which it was taken from the
reservoir by heat taken from the enclosure or substance to be cooled repeating this
process till the required refrigeration is attained; the gas operated upon not being
allowed to resume its ordinary atmospheric pressure but being only expanded
down to the stated pressure in said reservoir or as nearly to such pressure more
or less as it is practicable to maintain it.
The leakage from the system is supplied by a small auxiliary air-pump in order
to maintain the pressure of the gas in said reservoir at its stated maximum or as
near thereto as practicable, and the difference between the amount of power
required to perform the compression and overcome the passive resistances and the
power derivable from the expansion of the air is supplied by a steam engine or
other motor; and the combination of the steam engine or other motor, air engine,
air compressor intermediate cooler and auxiliary pump for supplying amount of
air lost by leakages all arranged and operating as herein above mentioned also
constitutes a part of this Invention.
Loth the work of compression and the outer work performed by the expansion

page_text: will be greater in proportion as the weight of air or other gas passed through the
cycle is greater and this weight will be greater and this given volume when the
air or other gas is compressed to and not permitted to fall below a stated pressure
higher than ordinary.
Thus a cubic foot of air which has beeu compressed to four atmospheres will
weigh as much as four feet of air at the same temperature and at a pressure of
only one atmosphere, and if this foot of air be compressed from four to eight
atmospheres as much work will be required to perform the compression as would
be required to compress four cubic feet having the same initial temperature from a
pressure of one atmosphere to two atmospheres. Conversely in expanding the air
again from eight atmospheres to four atmospheres pressure the cubic foot of air
would develope by its expansion as much mechanical power as would be attainable
from the expansion of four cubic feet of air having the same initial temperature
from two atmospheres down to one atmosphere.
As the cooling effect is exactly proportional to the outer work performed by the
expansion of the air it follows that the expansion of one cubic foot of air from
eight down to four atmospheres will produce the same cooling effect as the
expansion of four cubic feet from two atmospheres down to one atmosphere.-But
to expand the one cubic foot of air from eight atmospheres down to four atmno-
spheres in an engine will require a cylinder only about one fourth as large as would
Le requisite to expand four cubic feet of air from two atmospheres down to one
atmosphere the final volumes reached after the initial temperatures are restored in
the two cases being respectively two cubic feet and eight cubic feet.
A similar reduction of size is also rendered possible in the compressor cylinders
To carry out this Invention the apparatus shown in the Drawing or an equivalent
apparatus is employed.
Referring to the Drawing, A represents a steam engine, B an air compressor, C a
cooler, D an air engine E a surface cooler for the reception of the expanded air and
the substance to be cooled (in this example a liquid is to be cooled). F F' F³ F³ F*
are pipes for connecting the elements of the system. HHHH³ H' are stop cocks
in the said pipes for controlling the flow of the gas in charging and working the
machine and I is a smaller auxiliary air pump which takes its air from the outside
atmosphere and injects the same into the machine (shown as delivering into the
surface cooler E) to compensate for the leakages. The pump I may be driven by
direct connection with the piston of the air compressor B or in any other suitable
manner. The whole forms (as nearly as practicable) a closed cycle. The com-
pressor B takes its air from the surface cooler E, the cooler C takes its air from
the compressor B, the air engine D takes its air from the cooler C and the
surface cooler E receives the air from the air engine D.-The cooler E is the
representative of any refrigerating enclosure whether it be used to cool liquids or
not, the cold air passing through a tube box passage or other device for taking
heat from the outside air or other substance surrounding it.
The two engines and the compressor are represented as connected to a single
crank shaft and working synchronously but other arrangements of the engines
and compressor are possible.
It is hardly necessary to mention that any other motor may be substituted for
the steam engine H.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention for "Improvements in
the Processes of and Apparatus for Dynamic Cooling as communicated to me from
abroad and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect I wish it to be
understood that I claim :-
First: In a process for dynamic cooling wherein air or other gas is first
compressed then cooled then expanded to perform outer work, the mode of
increasing the cooling effect of a stated bulk or volume of air or other gas which
consists in condensing the gas to and maintaining it above a stated limit materially
higher than the normal atmospheric pressure substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.

page_text: Second: In a process for dynamic cooling wherein air or other gas is first
compressed then cooled and then expanded in the performance of outer work the
mode of beginning and ending the cycle at a stated pressure materially above the
normal atmospheric pressure substantially as herein described.
Third: In a dynamic cooling apparatus in which air or other gas is first
compressed then cooled, then expanded in the performance of outer work in a
closed cycle to compress air above and expand it again to a minimum limit of
pressure materially higher than the normal atmospheric pressure, the combination
with a steam engine or other prime motor, air engine air compressor and inter-
mediate coolers, of an auxiliary pump for taking air from the exterior atmosphere
and injecting it into the system in sufficient quantities to compensate for leakages,
substantially as herein described and specified.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Edward Newton have hereunto set my
hand and seal the Thirty-first day of July in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.