Improvements in Cold Producing Machinery.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cold Producing Machinery.
I, LEON PETIT, of 12, Rue Sur les Murs, La Rochelle Department of Loire
Inferieure, France, 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:-
This invention has reference to improvements in cold producing machinery
and my invention consists in the employment of ammonia gas and water and the
improved machinery all substantially as hereinafter described and illustrated.
Ammonia gas has affinity for water and other liquids and the evaporation of
the ammonia gas from the water or other compound has the effect of producing
more or less intense cold and the machinery or apparatus hereinafter described
and illustrated has been especially designed in order that good or
results for freezing purposes may be obtained.
In the accompanying drawings-
even best
Fig. 1, is a vertical longitudinal sectional elevation of an absorbing apparatus.
Fig. 2, is a transverse section thereof.
Fig. 3, is a horizontal section of an evaporating apparatus.
Fig. 4, is a transverse section thereof.
Fig. 5, is a longitudinal sectional view of the double acting compression
pump.
Fig. 6, is a vertical section of one of the alkali pumps.
Fig. 7, is a side elevation of a receiver.
Figs. 8 and 9 are details thereof.
Fig. 10 is a plan view of the complete apparatus, and Fig. 11 is a side elevation
thereof.
In carrying my invention into practice I put equal quantities of alkali at 26
or 27 degrees Baumé in four closed vessels two of which are connected by the
gas pump which draws the gas from the vessel, thereby forming a partial vacuum
therein, and forces said contents into the second vessel. The effect of this is
that comparatively rapid evaporation takes place in the first vessel thereby pro-
ducing more or less intense cold said first vessel thus forming a refrigerator.
The ammonia forced into the second vessel dissolves and thus further saturates
or strengthens the solution already therein without unduly increasing the pressure
if the liquid is at about 18° to 25° Centigrade above zero which temperature may
be ensured by surrounding the second vessel with water. After the above action
there will be alkali at about 18 to 19 degrees Baumé in the first vessel and alkalı
at about 34 to 35 degrees Baumé in the second vessel.
The alkali in the first and second vessels is next passed into the fourth and
third vessels respectively which latter vessels have previously had a partial vacuum
created therein, so that the stronger solution at 34° or 35° enters the third
vessel and further evaporation takes place thus again producing cold so that said

page_text: two
third vessel forms another refrigerator and as some of the ammonia gas from the
third vesel enters and is absorbed in the fourth vessel. heat
produced which
however may be readily kept down or absorbed by a water jacket or equivalent.
The improved machine, broadly, consists of two absorbers A, A',
evaporators B, B1; a double acting pump P, and four alkali pumps P1 P2 P3 P4.
The absorbers A, A' shown in Figs. 1 and 2 consist of a preferably sheet-iron
case having a series of longitudinally disposed water circulating tubes which
project through the case E so that water may be forced through at the lower end
of a jacket or the like D which water after passing to and fro along the tubes
escapes at the top of said jacket as indicated by the arrows Fig. 1. The water thus
absorbing any heat which is given off by the absorption of the ammonia. If
desired I may provide a water gauge i.
At the top of vessel A is a pipe r which leads to the pump P and the vessel A¹
is provided with a pipe c connecting said vessel with the evaporator B¹ and
the vessels A and A¹ are respectively also connected by pipes r and to the
alkali pumps P and P which pipes are provided with suitable stop cocks
below and in communication with which I provide a bent pipe F ending in a rose
so that the liquid will be sprayed into the gas supply pipe r.
Below said pipe I provide a slightly convex and perforated plate M upon which
the alkali from the pipe F falls the perforations and convex shape serving to
distribute or spread the alkali fairly evenly over the water circulating pipes.
The vessels A, A' are also respectively connected to the alkali pumps P2 PA
by pipes a² at.
The evaporators B, B' Figs. 3.and 4 also consist of sheet iron cases having
pipes J running longitudinally therethrough which evaporators are placed in tanks
or the like L having a partition such as K which latter is provided with sluices
or valves through which the water around the evaporator may be withdrawn.
Circulation of the water through the pipes J is caused by a turbine or other
suitable means T which may be driven by a pulley.
The evaporators B, B¹ are connected to the alkali pumps P4 P2 respectively by
pipes and said evaporators are provided with perforated trays or the like M
by means of which the liquid from said pumps is divided so as to fall in the form
almost of a spray over the pipes J whereby the evaporation is considerably
increased. The evaporator B is connected by a pipe a to the pump P and B¹
is connected by a pipe C to the absorber A and the pumps P¹ P³ extract alkali
from the evaporators B and B respectively through valves N, and N.
The pump Pas already stated is double acting and its piston is hollow and
provided with any usual piston rings o, o Fig. 5. R and R' are the suction
valves having spindles S¹ which pass through cross bars U and are provided with
springs within the tube T, and Q, Q' are the delivery valves and the stuffing box
contains a cast iron ring W.
The alkali pumps may be single acting the piston having preferably three
rings Fig. 6 and the three-way cock Y enables the supply to be regulated so
that the level in the absorbers is constant.
The pipe C is connected with the pipe a by a pipe c¹ having a cock h.
For the manufacture of blocks of artificial ice and referring to Figs. 7, 8 and 9
and 11, I provide a suitable vessel or bath, a mould or moulds J¹ a mechanically
actuated turn mould Z and an automatic refiller.
The automatic refiller is actuated by a cam D', Fig. 9, which operates a valve E¹
by means of which, the water to be frozen is caused to flow into the vessel H,
the turning movement of the cam D¹ being caused by the pawl and ratchets
mounted on a suitable shaft as shewn in Figs. 7, 8, and 11, the arrangements
being such that when the moulds J are full their weight raises the counter-
poise K and the supply of water is shut off.
A suitable travelling or other crane having gripping claws L may be cm-
ployed for lifting or removing the moulds Ji with their contents.

page_text: For charging and operating the apparatus, a partial vacuum is first created in
the absorbers and evaporators by means of the pump P, the exhaust pipe a and
the clearing cock of the delivery-valves of the latter being only opened, the
delivery piper on the contrary being closed. The cock h of the pipe c is also
opened. The vacuum which is easily produced in the three vessels B, B' and A',
is only partially obtained in the absorber A, the air of this being forced to pass
through the pipe a², the pump P2, and the delivery pipe 2.
The vacuum being created, the pumps P2 and P3 are put in communication
with the alkali to be supplied, by means of the three-way cock Y, the suction
pipes a² and a being closed. The alkali enters the vessels A¹ and 13 forced by
the pressure of the atmosphere. When the level of the alkali reaches in the
vessel A', a third of the height of the latter, the cock h of the pipe c¹ is closed
and the affluence of alkali is cut off. In the same manner, alkali is introduced
into the vessels A and B by introducing it through the three-way cocks y of the
pumps P and P, by closing the pipes a¹, and a³, and starting the pump P, after
having closed the clearing cock of the delivery valves and opened the delivery
pipe of the latter.
The
This starts the action within A and B, and it is necessary to start the turbine
or equivalent T, in the tank L, so as to cause circulation of the water.
alkali at 26° or 27° Baumé entering the vessel B in which there is a partial
vacuum, evaporates the ammonia, and the latter, by means of the pump P will
be exhausted into the vessel A where the alkali from the pump P will absorb it.
The result being that the alkali remaining in the vessel B will be comparatively
very weak whereas in the vessel A it will be very strong, and the quantities
pumped by the pumps P1 and P into A and B will be equal to those pumped
into A and B¹, iz., in B, the alkali will be at 18° or 190 Baumé and in A it
will be 34° or 35° Baumé, the pumps P¹ and P4, being so regulated that sufficient
gas is supplied to the pump P in order to reduce the alkali from 26°-27° to
180 or 19 Baumé,
When the apparatus is provided with the necessary quantity of alkali the
affluence of the latter is cut off, and the said cocks Y establish the communication
of the pumps P1, P2, P3, P4, respectively with the absorbers and evaporators.
The second turbine T in the tank L' is also started, and the cock his opened for
a short time in order to exhaust the air from A¹ and B and to facilitate the
flow of gas from B to A¹.
If desired, the alkali of the different strength may at once be put into the
vessels but it is then necessary to produce different temperatures, and divide the
liquid in equal portions before putting it into the vessels.
When the apparatus is at work the valves are regulated so that the level of
the liquid in A and A¹ are the same, and when the apparatus is stopped the
different cocks should be shut off, otherwise the absorbers will empty into the
evaporators and it would be necessary to recharge them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The employment of ammonia gas and water together with the means herein-
before described for producing more or less intense cold substantially as set
forth.
2. In cold producing machinery absorbers such as A, A¹ having circulating
tubes, the said absorbers being in communication with evaporators B, B¹, all
for the purposes, and substantially as set forth.
3. In cold producing machinery, evaporators such as B, BI situated in a tank L
or the like and having tubes such as J, the vessel L having a partition with
sluices and a turbine or equivalent means T, all for the purposes, and substantially
as set forth.

page_text: 4 The improved cold producing machine or apparatus constructed, combined
and operating for the purposes and substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 12th day of August 1898.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
Patent Agent, 171, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.