Improvements in Cold Air Producing Machines, applicable for the Manufacture of Ice, the Preservation of Meat or other Substances, and the like purposes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Sept., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cold Air Producing Machines, applicable for
the Manufacture of Ice, the Preservation of Meat or other
Substances, and the like purposes.
We PAUL GIFFARD of 7 Rue Delaborde, LEON JEAN MARIE BONCAY of
2ter Boulevard Saint Martin and EMILE FOUCHER of 25 Rue du Petit-Musc,
all of Paris in the Republic of France, Engineer and Manufacturers, respectively,
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 consumption of ice assumes every day greater proportions. It is
incontestably admitted that the ice collected in lakes or rivers during winter,
contains microbes and ferments of a kind liable to produce numerous maladies.
On the other hand, the ice made by means of the refrigerating machines at present
employed, is difficult to keep when exposed to the air, because it is obtained at a
temperature too near zero, and further it is not generally at all translucent.
The improved cold air machine which forms the object of this invention, allows
air to be cooled to 100° below zero, and by congelation by means of this air, ice
can be produced which is perfectly translucent and which keeps perfectly well
because it is produced at a very low temperature. For making this ice, we only
employ river water previously filtered and purified, consequently the ice made in
our machine is absolutely pure and free from any microbe or fernent capable of
causing illness. The air cooled by our machine is sent into refrigerating or
freezing chambers as will be hereinafter explained; it may also be utilised for
the preservation of meat and other food products as well as for the conservation
of any chemical or industrial product.
The essential part of our invention consists in the economical production of cold
air, the temperature of which may if desired be lowered to 100° Centigrade below
zero. It is even possible by utilising this air in a second and a third apparatus to
reach a final temperature approximating to absolute cold, that is to say capable of
attaining the enormous figure of 273° Centigrade below zero.
Our improved machine is shown in detail in the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a vertical section on the line 1-2 of Figure 3;
Figure 2 is a side elevation with the air reservoir in section;
Figure 3 is a plan view ;
Figure 4 is a section on a larger scale of the details of the piston of the pump.
The whole of our machine rests on a cast metal frame A placed on a bed of
masonry to which it is firmly bolted. In this frame or base A the air compressing
cylinder B (Figure 1) is bolted, in the interior of which cylinder the compressing
piston C moves. This piston, which is shown in detail in Figure 4, is formed of a
cast metal plate having a circumferential groove D in which is inserted a
semi-hardened indiarubber ring E allowing a certain play. This joint is absolutely
hermetic. It must be noted that the piston is not imprisoned in the cylinder B
which is open in its upper part. It may easily be inspected when it is at the top
of its course and it is equally easy to withdraw it when necessary for repairs. The
compressing piston C is connected with a rod F mounted on the crank shaft G.
Below the piston C a metallic box H is arranged bolted on to the bottom of the
compression cylinder and formed of a sheet of copper, in the interior of which box
an air retaining valve I is placed and kept to its seat by a metallic spring J. At
each stroke of the piston C the valve I sends a certain quantity of air into the
efrigerator of which we shall speak later on.

page_text: By the side of the box H an air suction valve K is placed. This valve is formed
of a disc of bronze or steel and is provided with a rod passing through a guide
piece L perforated with holes to allow of the air being drawn through. A helical
spring M tends to keep the valve constantly pressed on its seat.
Above the shaft G a cast metal cylinder N is placed fixed directly on the
frame A by means of four columns P (Figures 2 and 3). The air which is
conveyed into the interior of this cylinder expands therein and consequently is
cooled to a considerable extent. A piston Q resembling the compressing piston,
Figure 4, (of which mention has already been made) travels in this cylinder N; it
is operated by four iron rods R fixed on the respective pistons of the two cylinders.
The upper end of the expansion cylinder has boxes S and 6 for the admission of
the cold air to, and the escape of the same from, the cylinder respectively.
The compressed air arriving at the expansion cylinder is distributed by two
metallic valves operated by eccentrics fixed on the motor shaft G of the machine.
On the upper end of the expansion cylinder N a metallic box S is bolted, in
which box a conical steel valve T is placed which is constantly returned to its seat
by means of a helical spring U. The spindle of this valve is connected to a lever V
oscillating on a support X, the other end of this lever being connected to a bar Y
attached to the eccentric Z mounted on the shaft of the machine. By means of
this eccentric the movement of the valve, and consequently the introduction of air
into the cylinder, may be regulated at will. The compressed air is brought into
the admission box by the pipe a.
A second metallic box b, bolted on the expansion cylinder N, contains the cold
air escape valve c, which is made of steel, and is constantly returned to its rounded
bronze seat by a helical spring d. The spindle of this valve passes through the
metallic box by means of a long guide piece and is connected to a lever e oscillating
on a support and connected to a bar y attached to the eccentric / keyed on the
shaft G. The movement of this eccentric, and consequently that of the valve,
may be regulated at will. The cold air is expelled from the cylinder by the pipe m
which conveys it into the refrigerating or freezing chambers.
The cooling reservoir is formed by a concentric external cylinder n in which
cold water, supplied by a pipe o circulates. In the interior of this cylinder a
concentric cylinder p is arranged, also containing cold water in circulation. The
air under pressure and which is also warm brought from the compressing cylinder
by the piper is cooled in passing between the cylinders p and 9, the walls of which
are constantly cooled by the current of water.
The second double internal cylinder forms a reservoirs for the compressed air.
The compressed air is conveyed directly from the reservoirs into the expansion
cylinder by the pipe a. The expulsion of the air cooled by the expansion, takes
place by means of the pipe m.
A fly wheelt keyed on the motor shaft G conduces to the regularity of the
movement. The machine is driven by any suitable motor by means of the fixed
pulley u. vis a loose pulley serving for throwing the machine out of gear and
thus stopping it.
Our improved machine works in the following manner-
Supposing that the piston C is at the bottom of its course, when it is raised a
vacuum is produced under it and the valve K rises, the effect of which is to allow
atmospheric air to pass under the piston C. When the latter has reached the
summit of its course, it assumes a movement in an opposite direction, and
re-descends; the valve K closes, the air which is beneath the piston is compressed
and is expelled through the valve I, which opens. During this movement, the air
passes into the pipe which conveys it into the cooling reservoir s from whence
it passes into the expansion cylinder N. When the air arrives in the expansion
cylinder N, it expands, whilst the piston Q descends, and consequently it is
considerably cooled. When the piston Q rises, the very cold air which is then
above it is driven out at atmospheric pressure through the valve e into the tube m.
The tube m conveys the very cold air into the refrigerating or freezing chambers,

page_text: in which chambers vessels containing water are placed, which water freezes on
contact with the cold air. If these vessels be withdrawn at the end of a certain
time, the water which they contain is transformed into a block of. ice. In order to
cool the compressing cylinder B the water flowing from the air refrigerator is
caused to circulate around the cylinder B in the casing x.
Our improved machine may be employed for the manufacture of ice and the
preservation of meat or other alimentary products for the manufacture of beer,
soap, oil, chocolate, or any suitable chemical product. In other words the cold air
obtained by our process and with our machine may be employed for any suitable
industrial purpose.
By feeding a second machine with air from the tube m, the degree of cold
obtained may be considerably increased.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is-
1. A machine for producing cold air, consisting of a compressing cylinder B
into which atmospheric air is admitted by means of a valve K and in which the air
is compressed by means of a piston C (the upper surface of which is free and not
closed within the cylinder B) and then discharged through a valve I, a reservoir s
receiving the compressed air from the discharge valve I and an expansion
cylinder N into which the air from the reservoir is admitted by means of a
valve T, from whence after expansion, which produces a considerable refrigeration,
it escapes through a valve c into a pipe m which conveys it into the refrigerating
or freezing chambers substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated.
2. A machine for producing cold air for refrigerating or freezing purposes
constructed and combined as a whole substantially as hereinbefore described and
as shown on the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21at day of
1901
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.