Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1894-Accepted, 16th June, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus.
I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of London,
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been com-
municated to me from abroad by James Edmund M'Laughlin of San Francisco,
in the State of California, in the United States of America, Manufacturer) and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The refrigerating machine to which this invention is directed, while adapted to
be used, not only for refrigerating but also, for ice making, is intended more
particularly for cold storage purposes, and the object of this invention is to produce
a machine for this purpose which is simple in construction, inexpensive to make,
compact and easily worked and managed and entirely efficient in its action.
The said invention consists of the construction, arrangement and organization of
the refrigerating apparatus shewn in the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete machine.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the pump driving mechanism.
Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the pump cylinder and oil
chamber.
Figure 4 is an axial section on a still larger scale of the pump piston, or plunger.
Figure 5 is a view of a part of the condensing coil.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the receiver.
The pump and oiler, are carried by a stand A, upon which is secured, in vertical
position, the pump cylinder B, the lower head of which is formed by the top of the
stand A which latter is provided with a stuffing box a for the passage of the pump
piston rod C.
This piston rod is held at its lower end in a cross head D
journalled in the forked upper end of the connecting rod E which at its lower end
is mounted on the crank of the driving shaft F, supported in bearings in the
stand A, and having on it the fly wheel G, and driving pulley H' over which
passes a belt for driving from any suitable prime mover.
Into the lower or suction end of the pump cylinder, at a point some little
distance above the bottom, opens the inlet pipe H which leads from the pipes or
coils used for refrigerating purposes, which latter are not shewn in the drawings.
The outlet pipe I leads from the top of the pump cylinder to the top of the oil
cylinder or chamber J, and thence another pipe I leads to the condensing coil K
contained in the tank L. A pipe M leads from the other end of the condensing
coil to the receiver N, which, as shewn in Figure 6, is set in an inclined position
and has a gauge glass n on its side to indicate the height of the liquid therein;
and the pipe Ŏ leads back from the receiver to the cold storage or refrigerating
coils.
The circuit thus traced is that through which the refrigeratant passes when the
apparatus is in action. The inlet pipe H, at, or near, the point where it enters
the pump, has a check valve h (Figure 3) to prevent backflow from the pump.
In the top, or dome, of the pump cylinder is an outwardly opening check valve j,
having its stem passing through and guided by a bridge piece. On the pipe
which leads the condensed refrigerant from the receiver N, is a reducing valve o.
A pressure gauge P is connected by a pipe (having a valve ) to the inlet
pipe H, and by another pipe m (having a valve m¹) to the pipe I' which leads into
the condenser coil. By this means the pressure can be readily ascertained at either
the suction or condenser end of the apparatus.

page_text: .
The pump piston is shewn at C. Its body is made in two parts, which screw
together, and are peripherally recessed to receive the sectional packing rings c
The piston is hollow, (see Figure 4) having in its base inlets which open into
the central passage which latter is closed by the puppet, or check valve, c. The
head, or top, of the check valve when closed does not project above the head of
the piston, so that the latter in its upward movement may come close up to the
correspondingly flat head of the pump cylinder. The check valve e has the usual
guide wings below its head which fit the upper and narrower part of the central
passage e. Below these wings, and mounted, on the stem of the valve, is a cross
bar e which is situated in the lower and wider part of the central passage e, and
serves as a stop to limit the opening movement of the valve. This bar is held at
any desired height on the valve stem by a nut c, whereby the valve can be set to
open to a greater or lesser extent as desired.
A valve or cock controlled pipe leads from the lower part of the pump
cylinder B into the lower part of the oil cylinder or receptacle. J. This pipe
opens into the pump at about the level of the inlet pipe H. Oil from the oil
receptacle enters the pump cylinder; and gathers in the lower part thereof, and
the piston dipping into this oil on its down stroke, thus takes with it, on each up
stroke, a liberal supply of oil which lubricates all the parts and passages of the
pump. Oil in appreciable quantity will, under this arrangement, be forced out
from the pump cylinder along with the refrigerant, but by its passage through the
upper part of the oil cylinder the refrigerant will be rid of this oil, the latter
dropping into the body of oil in the receptacle, while the gaseous refrigerant
passes out through the pipe I on top to the condenser.
The oil cylinder is provided with a suitable fitting pipe or nozzle J¹ which of
course is closed except when the supply of oil has to be renewed.
T'o carry off the heat generated by the action of the pump, which exhibits itself
more particularly in the pipes I, I, a perforated water pipe R' is provided from
which water is sprayed upon these pipes, the water thus sprayed being caught by
a pan S and thence carried off by a pipe s to some suitable point, for example into
the condenser tank. The sprayer pipe R' is a branch from the main water pipe R
which supplies the condenser tank. The pan S is partly surrounded by a shield
or screen S¹ to prevent the spray from splashing and sprinkling the other parts of
the apparatus. The oil cylinder is firmly held in place by the pan S which is
fastened to the oil cylinder, and to the pump cylinder and also by its pipe
connections to the pump cylinder and condenser.
The receiver N, is a strong, iron, or other, metal vessel, which can be of any
suitable shape and size.
The condenser consists of a coil K contained in a tank L of galvanized iron, or
other suitable material, which is kept constantly supplied with water whilst the
apparatus is in operation.
The coil itself is made up of several pipe lengths (see Figure 5) each jointed to
the other by a tubular connection k, the bore of which stands at about right angles-
to the bores of the pipe sections which it connects, there being a drop of about
three inches between the lower end of one section and the upper end of the section
next below. In practice there may be used about five such drops in a coil whose
total length is say ninety-six feet.
This construction is material and enhances the efficiency of the condenser. The
column of refrigerant fluid, which is in gaseous state when it enters the condenser,
instead of travelling in a smooth, uniform, and unbroken, spiral path, meets at the
several points an obstruction by which it is broken, and is required to rearrange.
itself, thus insuring the bringing of all of it into contact with the condensing surface
of the coils.
The refrigerant is supplied to the apparatus through a pipe X (Figure 3) which
enters the inlet pipe H, above its check valve. This pipe is simply used to charge
the apparatus in the first instance, and to supply the loss in refrigerant which may
occur in process of time. There is however little if any loss. The point most

page_text: liable to leakage is that at which the piston rod works through the bottom of the
pump cylinder; but this point is very effectually protected by the oil bath in the
bottom of the cylinder, so that the leakage is trifling at the most.
It is
The whole apparatus is exceedingly compact and occupies but little room.
not expensive to make, and for ordinary uses requires only from one to two horse
power to run it. It is simple in construction and requires no skilled labour to
operate it, and it is most efficient for ice making and refrigerating purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The refrigerating apparatus comprising the pump, the pump supporting stand
and pump actuating mechanism; the oil chamber, the condenser provided with a
coil having interposed in its length drop sections k at or about right angles to the
spiral portions of the coil; the receiver, and the valve controlled connections between
the said pump, oil chamber, condenser and receiver the said parts being constructed
and arranged together for joint operation substantially as hereinbefore described.
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In combination, the pump cylinder, its supporting standard, the drip pan
carried by the said pump cylinder, the oil chamber fast to and supported by the
drip pan, the condenser, the pipes I I' connecting the oil cylinder on the one hand
with the pump and on the other hand with the condenser, and the spray pipe R',
all arranged substantially as, and for the purposes hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the refrigerating
apparatus as a whole as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated the 12th day of May 1904.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, Agents.