IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATING, AND APPARATUS THEREFor
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Kennard Knott, of 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATING,
AND APPARATUS THEREFor."
Sealed the 25th July 1879, and dated the 12th May '1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Kennard Knott at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th May 1879.
KENNARD KNOTT, of 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATING, AND APPARATUS THEREFor."
The object of this Invention is to obtain in a simple, cheap, and effective manner,
any desired low temperature for refrigerating purposes, such as for the preservation
of meat and other perishable articles, for the cooling down of wort in breweries, for
distillery purposes, and also for cooling buildings of all classes.
My Invention has also for object the effecting a circulation of such cooled air in
an air tight or nearly air tight chamber, and also for condensing and absorbing any
dampness in such air, and for purifying the said air.
In carrying out my Invention, I employ a tank provided or not with air passages
passing through the said tank, either horizontally or vertically, or both, and also
provided with a coil or a number of passages forming a coil or its equivalent, such
coil or its equivalent being connected with any suitable cold producing machine.
The said tank is filled or partially filled with any suitable incongealable liquid,
such as solutions of glycerine or various salts, and the sulphurous acid vapour or
other agent being forced through the said coil or its equivalent, will reduce the
glycerine or other solution in the tank to a very low temperature, and the air in the
room in which the tank is placed passing around and over the said tank, and
through the air passages therein (if it contain any), will be reduced to a very low
temperature.
But when employing a tank from which a coil of pipes is led into the provision
chamber to be cooled, and the liquid pumped through such coil to return to the tank,
then the air in the provision chamber is cooled by contact with the coil, instead of
by contact with the herein before described tank.
To effect the circulation of the cooled air in the provision chamber, I employ a

page_text: blower delivering its air either with or without a pipe, the air from the provision
chamber being conveyed to the blower, preferably from perforated collecting pipes
in the chamber, or these pipes may be dispensed with.
For absorbing any dampness which may remain uncondensed by the pipes and on
the tank in the chamber, and for purifying the air, I cause the air before entering
the blower to pass over or through a chamber provided with chloride of calcium or
other suitable agent, and through or over a chamber containing charcoal, the former
absorbing the dampness, and the latter purifying the air.
To absorb the dampness from and purify the air in a refrigerating provision
chamber where no blower is used, I provide in the chamber a tray or trays con-
taining chloride of calcium, and a tray or trays containing charcoal, and place such
trays in the position best adapted to the peculiar shape or size of such chamber.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Kennard Knott in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th November
1879.
_KENNARD KNOTT, of 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATING, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR."
This Invention relates to improvements in refrigerating and apparatus therefor,
and the object of the improvements is to obtain in a more simple, cheap, and effective
manner than hitherto any desired low temperature for refrigerating purposes, such
as for the preservation of meat, fish, poultry, game, and other perishable articles
during transportation, or when stored for the cooling down of wort in breweries,
for distilling purposes, and also for cooling buildings of all classes, and to effect a
circulation of such cooled air in an air tight or nearly air tight chamber, and also to
condense and absorb any dampness in such air, and to purify the said air.
In carrying out my Invention, I employ an air tight or nearly air tight and non-
conducting refrigerating or preserving chamber, and I provide an arrangement
hereinafter described, whereby a constant circulation of cooled, dried, and purified
air is kept up in the refrigerating chamber.
But to make my Invention better understood, I will proceed to describe the same
by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1 is a sectional
elevation of a stationary refrigerator constructed according to my Invention;
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the tubular tank I prefer to employ in a
stationary refrigerator; Figure 3 is a section of a refrigerator car; Figure 4 is an
end view of the same. I will first describe the stationary refrigerator shewn in
Figure 1. A, A, is the refrigerating provision chamber rendered non-conducting
and air tight in any suitable manner, and provided with ventilators and the usual
air tight closing doors; B, B, is a tubular tank standing in a pan or tray. j for
receiving the condensed moisture dropping from the said tank.
The tank is sup-
ported on a table or scantling a¹, and provided with tubular air passages a, a,
passing through it horizontally, and preferably in a slightly oblique direction as
shewn. I prefer to make this tank with inclined sides as shewn, so as to allow the
moisture condensed thereon to more easily drain into the collecting pan or tray in
which it is placed.
In the tubular tank shewn in Figure 1, and particularly in Figure 2, which is a
detached sectional view of the tubular tank is a coil 6 (or a number of passages
forming a coil or its equivalent). This coil is connected to any suitable ice
making or cold producing machine C, by the delivery pipe c and return pipe d; D
is an air tight non-conducting chamber, in which is fitted a fan or blower E, also a
chamber F provided with shelves or trays e carrying charcoal, and a chamber G
provided with shelves or trays f carrying any suitable absorbent of moisture, such
as chloride of calcium; this chamber G is connected by means of the pipe g, with
the inlet to the blower E; his a delivery pipe from the blower into the refrigerating
chamber A; i, collecting pipe perforated at one end, the other end opening into the
purifying chamber F; &, syphon pipe through which the water collected in the pan
or tray is discharged outside the chamber; a pipe having a cock is provided,
through which the exhausted refrigerating agents from the tank may be discharged
outside the chamber.
The action of this construction of refrigerator is as follows:-
The tubular tank B is charged or filled with a solution of glycerine or brine, or
other uncongeable liquid. The freezing agent from the ice making or cold pro-
ducing machine C is forced through the, coil b, and will reduce the glycerine or
other solution in the tubular tank B to a very low temperature, and the air in the
chainber A passing around and over the tank B, and through the air passages a
therein, will be reduced to a very low temperature, the degree of which may be

page_text: press
IT
will be collected in the pan or tray j, and will be discharged outside the chamber
through the syphon pipe k, as herein before described.
To effect a circulation of the cooled air in the chamber A, the fan or blower E is
set in motion, and the air will be thereby drawn into the purifying chamber F
through the collecting pipe i, and will pass over the charcoal on the shelves or
trays e, as shewn by the arrows, by which means the air will be purified; the air
will then pass into the chamber G, and any dampness which it may contain will be
absorbed by the chloride of calcium or other absorbing agent on the shelves or
trays f, over which it passes, as shewn by the arrows. The air thus purified and
dried will then pass into the blower through the pipe q, and will be forced into the
refrigerating chamber A through the delivery pipe h behind the tank B, and will
become cooled by passing around and over the tank, and through the air passages
a, a, therein, and will be again distributed through the chamber. By this arrange-
ment, it will thus be seen that a constant circulation of the same cooled, dried, and
purified air is kept up in the refrigerating chamber A, and the articles stored
therein will be kept sweet and fresh for any desired length of time, and at a
comparatively small cost.
Suitable means are provided for charging and emptying the tank B, and the
chambers F and G.
I would here remark that although I have shewn the cooling tank placed in the
end of the refrigerating chamber, it will be understood that it may be placed in any
other suitable position, as also may the purifying and absorbing chambers, the
blower and the ice making or cold producing machine, particularly on board ships,
where economy of space is an object, provided the various pipes connecting them
to the chamber be rendered air tight and non conducting.
I can also employ an ice making or cold producing machine, fan, or blower, and
purifying and absorbing chambers with that class of refrigerators which are cooled
by means of a tank and pump connected with pipes coiling round a provision
chamber, or in a chamber cooled in any other manner; in this case, the air in the
provision chamber is cooled by coming in contact with the pipe coiling round the
provision chamber, instead of by contact with the hereinbefore described tank,
which in this arrangement would not be required.
For cooling wort in breweries for distillery uses, and for cooling buildings, I drive
cold air through a non-conducted main pipe running through the building, then
from the main branch pipe to the place or places required to be cooled, and returning
it to the cold producing chamber by a return main to be again cooled. For houses
and buildings, from the main pipe pass branch supply pipes for supplying cold air to
the required places or rooms to be cooled, the supply being turned on or off by
means of suitable cocks. The air required over that which returns to the refrige-
rating room through the main by a safety valve, is supplied from the atmosphere
by any suitable means, such as a pressure valve.
Figure 3 shews a section of a railway refrigerator car constructed according to my
Invention, the arrangement of which is substantially the same as that of the
stationary refrigerator shewn in Figure 1, except that I dispense with the ice
making or cold producing machine and the coil, the required cold being produced
in the tubular tanks B, B, by means of suitable agents, such as fined ice, or ice and
salt, and in addition to the purifying chamber F, charcoal, or other purifying agent
is placed or packed in spaces n; in the ends of the car, the inner sides of such
spaces being formed of finely perforated zinc or other suitable metal, the said spaces
n having ventilators or valves H at top and H at bottom, by which the said
spaces and consequently the interior of the car may be put in communication with
the outside air when the car is stationary. The car A is made air tight and non-
conducting, and provided with air tight closing doors; E is the fan or blower
driven from one of the axles of the car; F, the purifying chamber; G, the absorbing
chamber; h, delivery pipe; i, perforated collecting pipe; j,j, are the pans or trays
on which the tabular tanks B, B, are placed; k, l, syphon pipes for discharging the

page_text: condensed moisture outside the car; l, l, discharge pipes for the tanks. The action
of the car when in motion is substantially the same as that described for the
stationary refrigerator, and therefore needs no further description. The tanks are
charged and emptied through the air tight closing doors I, I, at the top of the car,
and suitable means are provided for charging and emptying the chambers F and G,
and for oiling the blower E. When the car is stationary, the top ventilators H of
one end of the car are opened, and the lower ventilators H' of the other end of the
car also opened, the other ventilators are closed. By this arrangement, the air
entering through the upper ventilators and passing over the charcoal in the space n
will be purified, and will enter the car through the perforated zinc forming the
inner lining of the space n, the air will be cooled by passing over and through the
tanks, the moisture will be collected and discharged as herein before described, and
the air will pass out through the lower ventilators at the other end of the car.
Stationary refrigerators may also be constructed similarly to the car shewn in
Figure 3, and with or without a blower.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means with
which I am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein laid down and shewn in
the Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the peculiar
character of my Invention, but what I do claim is,―
Firstly. The improved mode or method of refrigerating hereinbefore described for
cooling breweries, houses, buildings, and for other cooling purposes.
Secondly. The apparatus for refrigerating or producing cold herein before
described and shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawing hereunto annexed, or any
mere modification therereof, that is to say, the combination with an air tight and
nonconducting storing or refrigerating chamber of a tubular cooling tank (and con-
densed moisture pan or tray), in communication with any suitable ice making or
cold producing machine, an air tight chamber containing purifying and absorbing
chambers charged with charcoal, chloride of calcium, or other like purifying and
absorbing agents, and a fan, blower or pump having collecting and distributing
pipes, the whole arranged and operating, substantially in the manner and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and represented in Figures 1 and 2 of the accom-
panying Drawing, or any mere modification thereof.
Thirdly. The apparatus represented in Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawing hereunto
annexed, or any mere modification thereof, that is to say, a refrigerator car or
chamber, having tubular cooling tanks (with any form of and arrangement of
tubes) and condensed moisture pans, and having purifying chambers or spaces in
communication with the atmosphere by means of suitable ventilators (with or
without a fan or blower), and purifying and absorbing chambers or vessels or trays
containing any suitable purifying and absorbing agents, such as charcoal and
chloride of calcium, the whole arranged and operating, substantially as hereinbefore
described and represented in Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Kennard Knott, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirtieth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
KENNARD KNOTT. (L.S.)