IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING ICE
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Edwards, of 40, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Edwards at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th July 1881.
"
EDMUND EDWARDS, of 40, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent. IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING ICE."
My Invention relates to that form of ice making machinery in which water to
be frozen is contained in vessels or receptacles in contact with chambers or passages,
through which suitable liquid, vapour, or gas of sufficiently low temperature is
made to pass, the water being frozen by the absorbtion and conduction of its
heat through the walls of the chambers or passages to such cooling liquid or other
medium.
In the process of freezing water, the air contained in greater or less quantity in
it becomes disengaged, and when the process is conducted rapidly the air so
disengaged becomes entangled in the form of bubbles in the crystallizing ice, and
disfigures and injures the value of the blocks of solid and transparent ice which it
is ordinarily desired to produce.
Different methods have been proposed for freeing the ice from bubbles of air as
well as from other impurities, the method most ordinarily in use being the
mechanical agitation of the water by means of paddles, beaters, or agitators of
different forms operated by steam or other power, or by means of pumps or
their equivalents, which keep the water in motion whilst being frozen.
The object of my present Invention is to prevent to a great extent the formation
of air bubbles in the ice during the process of freezing, and to remove any such
bubbles which may form by means of simple and inexpensive apparatus, so that the
blocks of ice produced are transparent, colourless, and pure.
I prefer first to filter and then to boil the water of which the ice is to be made,

page_text: and in this way to remove a large part of the air which it contains in solution,
and at the same time to precipitate any solid impurities with which it may be
contaminated.
After allowing the water to cool naturally or by artificial means, I allow it to
run into the cells or chambers in which it is to be frozen, preferably through a
flexible or other pipe dipping nearly to the bottom of the cells, so as to cause as
little agitation and absorbtion of air as possible.
These chambers as ordinarily constructed in ice making machinery consist of
tanks separated into several compartments by hollow divisions, through which
brine or other liquid at a sufficiently low temperature is made to circulate, and the
chambers usually communicate with each other, so that the water to be frozen may
if desired also be made to circulate through them.
In one form of my improved method of construction I make cach chamber
distinct from the others, its sides and ends, as well as preferably the bottom, being
formed by the hollow divisions, through which the freezing brine or other liquid is
passing.
I arrange the top of each such chamber so formed so that it receives a
moveable cover of metal, glass, or other sufficiently strong material, which can be
fitted upon it so as to make an air tight joint between them by means of india
rubber or other material, upon which the cover is forced down by means of one or
more screws or bolts.
In connection with the upper part of each chamber provide a pipe com-
municating with one or more exhausting air pumps of any suitable construction, or
with a vessel from which the air is more or less exhausted, each pipe being fitted
with a regulating cock or valve, by which the chambers, may be made to
communicate either with the air pumps or exhausted vessel, or with the air, as may
be desired.
By this arrangement when one or more chambers have been filled with water,
preferably purified and boiled as above described, the covers are fitted upon them
and screwed down, and a vacuum of greater or less degree is formed above the
water during the process of freezing.
When therefore any bubbles of air are eliminated from the water by the
formation of ice crystals they expand and rise to the surface, whence they pass
away to the pump or the exhausted vessel, and the resulting ice is pure and
transparent, and free from air bubbles or impurities.
Instead of the method of construction and arrangement described, the moveable
cover may be made to cover and close in the whole of the tank in which the ice
chambers are contained, facilities being provided for readily removing or fixing it
in its position as required; and each of the ice chambers may consist of a
separate moveable vessel, preferably of thin metal, either provided each with a
moveable airtight cover as described, or all plunged into the freezing tank, which is
itself provided with the air tight cover.
Instead of bolts or screws for the purpose of holding down the air tight cover by
which the tank is covered, a narrow recess may be formed all round is outer walls,
into which corresponding plates formed round the lower edges of the cover dips, the
lower part of the recess being filled with mercury, and being of such depth
that when a sufficient vacuum is formed in the tank the column of mercury forms a
"seal" of sufficient height to prevent the entrance of air..
In this method of arrangement the cover can be instantaneously raised from the
tank and lowered into its place, the joint being made airtight by the act of so
lowering it. The pipe or pipes by which the air is exhausted as above described
are preferably arranged inside the moveable cover, or they may be connected to
the cover itself by flexible or jointed pipes.
In the different arrangements of apparatus described, mechanical agitators of
any convenient kind may be used if desired in combination and simultaneously
with the apparatus for withdrawing the air bubbles from the ice as it is formed.
In order to facilitate the escape and discharge of the bubbles of air eliminated

page_text: from the water during the process of freezing, I sometimes shake the water which
is being frozen by agitating the vessels in which it is contained.
For this purpose each of the vessels or moulds containing the water is suspended
upon pivots or supported upon rollers or guides, so that it can be made to oscillate
or vibrate backward and forward or from side to side, or up and down by means
of levers or connecting rods actuated by steam or other convenient power. The
vessels or moulds so made to vibrate or oscillate may have fixed paddles or arms
adjusted within them to facilitate the agitation of the water, and arranged so that
they can be readily removed or replaced.
The method of causing the vessels or moulds containing the water which is to be
frozen to vibrate upon pivots or upon wheels or guides may be used either with or
without the methods already first described of withdrawing the air from the vessels
whilst the water in them is being frozen.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edmund Edwards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th January 1882.
EDMUND EDWARDS, of 40, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING ICE."
This Invention relates to that form of icemaking machinery or apparatus in
which water to be frozen is contained in suitable vessels or receptacles, the outer
sides of which are surrounded by chambers or passages through which a suitable
liquid, vapour, or gas of sufficiently low temperature is made to pass, the water
being frozen by the absorbtion and conduction of its heat through the walls of the
vessels or of the chambers or passages to such cooling liquid or other medium.
During the process of freezing water the air which it contains in greater or less
quantity becomes disengaged, and if the process of congelation is conducted too
rapidly the air so disengaged becomes entangled in the form of bubbles in the
crystallizing ice, and disfigures and injures the value of the blocks of solid and
transparent ice which it is ordinarily desired to produce.
Different methods have been proposed for freeing the ice from bubbles of air, as
well as from other impurities, the method most ordinarily in use being the
mechanical agitation of the congealing water by means of paddles, beaters, or
agitators of various forms actuated by steam or other power, or by means of pumps
or their equivalents, which keep the water in motion whilst being frozen.
The object of my present Invention is to prevent to a great extent the formation
and disengagement of air bubbles in the ice during the freezing process, and to
remove any such bubbles which may form, by means of simple and inexpensive
apparatus, so that the blocks of ice produced are transparent, colourless, and pura
For this purpose I prefer that the water from which the ice is to be made should

page_text: be first filtered to remove solid impurities, and then boiled so as to de-aërate it or
remove a large part of the air which it contains in solution, and at the same time
to precipitate any remaining impurities with which it may be contaminated; and
in order more perfectly to remove the air the boiling may be conducted in vacuo
or under a reduced atmospheric pressure. The water is then allowed to cool
naturally or by artificial means, and is then admitted into the cells or receptacles
in which it is to be frozen, preferably through a flexible or other pipe dipping
nearly to the bottom of the cells, so as to cause as little agitation and consequent
absorbtion of air as possible.
The freezing cells as ordinarily constructed in ice making machinery consist of
tanks separated into several compartments by hollow or other divisions, through
which brine or other liquid reduced to a sufficiently low temperature is made to
circulate, and they are usually made to communicate, so that the water to be frozen
may also be made to circulate through them. In one form of my improved method
of construction I make each chamber or cell distinct from the others, its sides and
ends, as well as preferably the bottom, being formed by hollow divisions, through
which the cold brine or other freezing liquid is passing. I arrange the top of each
such chamber or cell so that it receives a moveable cover of metal, glass, or other
sufficiently strong material, which can be fitted upon it so as to make an air tight
joint between them by means of india rubber, leather, or other suitable material,
upon which the cover is forced down by means of one or more screws or bolts. In
connection with the upper part of each chamber I provide a pipe communicating
with one or more exhausting air pumps of any suitable construction, or with a
vessel from which the air is more or less completely exhausted, such pipe being
fitted with a regulating cock or valve, by which the chamber may be made to
communicate either with the air pump or with the exhausted vessel or with the air
as may be desired.
By this method of arrangement, when one or more of the cells have been filled
with water, preferably boiled and purified as above described, the cover or covers
re fitted upon them and fixed down, and a vacuum of greater or less degree is
rmed above the water during the process of freezing When therefore any
bubbles of air are eliminated from the water by the formation of ice crystals, they
expand and rise to the surface, whence they pass away to the pump or to the
exhausted vessel, and the resulting ice is pure, transparent, and free from air bubbles
or impurities.
Instead of the method of construction and arrangement described, the moveable
cover may be made to cover and close in the whole of the tank in which the ice
cells or receptacles are contained, facilities being provided for readily removing or
fixing it in its position as required; and each of the ice cells may consist of a separate
vessel, preferably in the case last described of thin metal, either provided each with
a separate moveable airtight cover, as described, or all plunged into the freezing
tank, which is itself provided with the air-tight cover. Instead of bolts or screws
for the purpose of holding the airtight cover in contact with the tank which it
covers, I sometimes form a narrow recess all round its outer walls, into which
corresponding plates formed round the lower edge of the cover dip, the lower part
of the recess being filled with mercury, and the recess being of such depth that
when a sufficient vacuum is formed in the tank the column of mercury forms a
"seal" of sufficient height to prevent the entrance of air. In this method of
arrangement the cover can be instantly raised from the tank or lowered into its
place, the airtight joint being made by the act of so lowering it. The pipe 'or
pipes by which the air is exhausted, as above described, are preferably arranged
inside the moveable cover, or they may be connected to the cover itself, and made
flexible or jointed.
In the different arrangements described mechanical agitators of any convenient
kind may be used if desired, in combination and simultaneously with the apparatus
for withdrawing the air bubbles from the water as the ice is formed. Or in order
to facilitate the escape and withdrawal of the bubbles of air eliminated.from the

page_text: water during the process of freezing, I sometimes shake the water which is being
frozen by agitating the cells or vessels in which it is contained.
For this purpose each of the cells or vessels is suspended upon pivots or supported
upon rollers or guides, so that it can be made to oscillate or vibrate backward and
forward, or from side to side, or up and down, by means of levers or connecting
rods actuated by steam or other convenient power. The vessels may be struck by
hammers actuated in a similar manner in order to shake and vibrate the water.
The cells or vessels so made to vibrate or oscillate may have arms or paddles fixed
to any convenient support adjusted within them to facilitate the agitation of the
water and the escape of the air, such arms or paddles being arranged so that they
can be readily removed or replaced.
The methods of causing the cells or vessels containing the water to be frozen to
vibrate or oscillate, or of striking them with hammers, as above described, may be
used either with or without the methods, already herein before described, of
withdrawing the air from the vessels whilst the water in them is being frozen. In
the accompanying Drawings, which are in illustration of my Invention, Figures 1, 2,
and 3 represent one of the separate vessels in which the purified water is to be
frozen; a is the vessel of sufficient strength containing the water, as shewn, and b
is a cover fitted upon it with the intervention of an india rubber joint at c, and
held down by one or more screw clamps, as shewn at d. A cock is shewn at e,
communicating by the flexible pipe f with the air pump or exhausted receiver, as
above described.
The vessel a, arranged as shewn, being plunged in the freezing liquid, the air
bubbles as formed during the process of congelation are withdrawn through the
pipe f, and the resulting block of ice is perfectly pure, clean, and transparent.
In Figures
and 5 a similar vessel is shewn arranged in a similar way, but
having its cover b fitted with a moveable arm g, which is set in motion backward
and forward by any convenient power actuating the lever h upon the spindle i,
which passes through a stuffing box at k. The arm g can be withdrawn into the
cover when required, as shewn in dotted lines at Figure 4.
In Figures 6 and 7 a cover b is shewn covering the whole of the cells or
chambers and freezing vessels a of thin metal in the tank b, through which the
freezing liquid is made to circulate in the usual way.
The cover b is shewn held down by bolts m, and it can be readily removed and
replaced ; or if sufficiently heavy, it is not necessary to hold it down, the
withdrawal of the air from within it being sufficient to retain it firmly in contact
with the joint at c.
In Figures 8 and 9 the tank is shewn, having hollow sides and divisions,
through which the freezing medium circulates, the purified water to be frozen
being contained in the cells or chambers so formed or in separate vessels plunged
into them, as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 8.
The passage n, through which the air is withdrawn, is shewn passing down
through the bottom of the tank, where it communicates with the exhausting pipef,
so that the cover is entirely independent. Instead of a joint, as shewn at c in the
previous arrangements, a deep narrow recesso is shewn round the tank. This
recess contains mercury, into which dips a flange p at the bottom of the cover b,
an air tight joint being thus made; 7 and 8 indicate the pipes through which brine
or other liquid of sufficiently low temperature is made to circulate.
In Sheet 3 are illustrated some of the novel methods, herein before described, for
shaking or agitating the water whilst being frozen. In Figures 10 and 11, 7 is the
freezing tank, into which the water vessels a are plunged. These vessels are shewn
supported upon wheels or friction rollers b, b, so that they can be moved backward
and forward for a short distance by means of the connecting rods c, which are
made to reciprocate at the desired speeds by means of cranks, excentrics, or cams
driven by any convenient power. The connecting rods care shewn arranged so
that they can be readily connected or disconnected from the vessels a when it is
required to remove or replace the latter.
.

page_text: In Figures 12 and 13, a modified arrangement is shewn, in which a frame d is
kept continuously moving backward and forward upon the friction rollers or
wheels b, b, by means of the connecting rod c, notches or bearings e being
provided in the frame d, into which corresponding lugs upon the vessels a
drop, so that the latter can be readily removed or replaced whilst the frame d is in
motion.
By the different methods of construction and arrangement described, the ice
produced is pure, transparent, and free from air bubbles.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner in which it is to be
performed, I claim,—
The methods of closing the vessels or cells in which ice is to be produced by
means of covers forming an airtight joint upon them in combination.with regulating
cocks or valves and flexible or other pipes, by means of which the air can be
withdrawn from the vessels during the process of freezing, substantially as described
and shewn.
'
Also, the method of making such air tight joint between the covers and the
vessels or cells by means of a recess containing mercury, into which dips a
corresponding flange upon the cover, substantially as described and shewn. Also,
in combination with the said methods of construction by which air can be withdrawn
from the water which is being frozen, the previous extraction of part of such air by
boiling.
Also, the methods of construction and arrangement of the apparatus for
agitating the vessels in which the water which is to be frozen is contained, by
causing them to oscillate backward and forward, or from side, or up and down,
substantially as and for the purpose described and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Edwards, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 18th day of January, in the year of our Lord 1882.