Improvements in Apparatus for Cooling Liquids or Gases.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 15th Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Cooling Liquids or Gases.
I JOSEPH PRICE of No. 11 Belmont Drive Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its object the cooling of volumes of heated liquids by
exposing them over large surfaces to air currents and is also applicable for the
cooling of air or other gases.
In applying my invention for the purpose of cooling liquids I use endless bands
or ropes of fibrous material for instance coir fibre-which I pass under or over
pullies rotated by suitable mechanism and so arranged, that they pass alternately
through the liquid to be cooled and through the air, certain of the pullies being
preferably arranged in a shallow trough which may be provided with diaphragms
and through which the liquid to be cooled is caused to flow.
The effect being that the bands passing from the heated liquid carry on their
surfaces adherent films of the liquid which thus exposed over large surfaces and in
small volumes to air currents give up heat to the air and returning to the original
position the process is repeated continuously.
In applying my invention for the purpose of cooling gases I enclose apparatus
similar to that above described in such manner that the gases to be cooled can be
brought into contact with the ropes or bands, by natural draught, or known
mechanical methods. In this case the liquid becomes the cooling medium and may
be maintained at low temperature by renewal or by artificially produced cold.
November 1st 1893.
JOSEPH PRICE.
Improvements in Apparatus for Cooling Liquids or Gases.
I, JOSEPH PRICE, of 11 Belmont Drive, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
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:-
A usual method of cooling a liquid is to expose portions of it in the form of thin
sheet or films, to the action of the atmosphere and to return the liquid thus cooled
to the mass from which it was extracted. Mechanical means, such as revolving
discs partly submerged in the liquid, have been employed for carrying this method
into effect, but for treating large quantities of liquid they require considerable
space and are costly. Now my invention has for object to provide apparatus for
cooling liquids according to this method which shall occupy less space, be less
expensive both to construct and to work, and more effective than those hitherto
employed.
My apparatus is applicable also, with little or no modification, to the cooling of
air and other gases.
Apparatus according to my invention for cooling liquids comprises an endless
band or bands of fibrous material arranged to pass under and over pulleys, rollers,
or drums rotated by suitable mechanism and so arranged as to pass alternately

page_text: through the liquid to be cooled and through air or some other suitable gas (herein-
aiter referred to as air) used for cooling, certain of the rollers being preferably
arranged in a shallow trough, which may be provided with diaphragms and through
which the liquid to be cooled is caused to flow; the effect being that the moving
fibrous material passing from the mass of hot liquid carries on its surfaces adherent.
films of the liquid which, being thus exposed for a considerable time to the
atmosphere or to currents of air, give up a considerable amount of heat thereto.
When employing this apparatus for the cooling of air or other gases a cooling-
liquid is contained in the trough, and the whole apparatus is enclosed in a chamber
through which the air or gas to be cooled is caused to pass.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of apparatus for cooling liquids constructed according
to this invention ;
Fig. 2 shows a semi-plan and a partial section on the line II-II of Fig. 1; and
Fig. 3 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, on the line III-III of Fig. 1.
The apparatus comprises a narrow tank A, provided with an inlet A' and an
outlet A through which the liquid to be cooled flows; the length of the tank A
varies with the quantity of liquid to be cooled and the rapidity with which it is
desired to effect the cooling. At a suitable height above the level of the liquid a
number of horizontal rollers B are mounted with their axles in suitable bearings B'
fixed to a frame B2. Below and parallel to the rollers B there is another series
of rollers C the axles of which are located between guides D in such a way that
the rollers C are capable of rising and falling to a certain extent; the rollers C
normally rest in the liquid and are of such a weight as to float therein with about
one third of their diameter submerged. The rollers B may be rotated by means
of a shaft F and bevel gear E or by any other suitable mechanism. Around the
two sets of rollers B and C there is arranged an endless band G, which passes over
guide-rollers H and is kept in a suitably stretched condition by a weighted roller J.
The band G should by preference travel in the direction indicated by the vertical
arrows in Fig. 1.
The endless band G may be made of coir or some other rough fibrous material
that is little liable to injury from the action of the liquid to be cooled. It consists
of a number of ropes or webs placed side by side and retained at proper distances
apart either by means of cross or weft pieces of similar material or by grooves or
flanges with which the rollers B and C may be provided, the distance between
consecutive ropes being sufficient to allow the air to pass between them. The
ropes or webs of which the band consists are preferably made with brush-like
surfaces so that the liquid to be cooled will readily adhere thereto.
The endless band G may, according to circumstances, be unenclosed and thus the
liquid carried thereby simply exposed to the action of the atmosphere, or it may
be enclosed within a chamber G', as shown in the drawings. In the latter case it
is provided with two air-conduits M, one on each side of the casing and communi-
cating with the interior of the chamber through a number of orifices M' that may
be arranged opposite the convolutions of the endless band G as shown. The air is
forced or drawn through the conduits M by blowers, fans, or other suitable means
and is thus caused to come into contact with the liquid adhering to the surfaces of
the endless band, passing out of the casing through an opening I.
In some cases, for instance where a comparatively small quantity of liquid is to
be cooled to a considerable extent, the tank A may be divided by means of
diaphragms K placed in the tank A so as to divide it into a number of compartments
each containing one or more of the lower rollers C, the diaphragms K being so
arranged that the liquid being cooled shall slowly overflow from one compartment
into the next. When the casing G¹ is employed, I sometimes insert therein
partitions L to prevent air that has been heated during the operation from passing
from one convolution of the endless band G to another.
When the apparatus is employed for cooling air or other gases, the air or gas is
ntroduced through the opening I, or through conduits M², M², and led off through

page_text: the conduits M; other suitable arrangements may, however, be provided for the
ingress and egress of the air or gas. The cooling is effected by means of a suitable
liquid contained in the tank A and circulated by means of the endless band G; the
liquid may be supplied to the tank at such a rate as to cause it to flow therefrom
as it becomes heated and, if desired, it may be allowed to pass from an air or gas
cooling apparatus into a liquid-cooling apparatus, such, for example, as that
hereinbefore described, so as to render it available for repeated use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for cooling liquids or air or other gases comprising a tank or
receptacle for containing liquid to be cooled (or cooling liquid as the case may be)
and a travelling band of fibrous or absorbent material arranged to dip into the
liquid in the tank or receptacle and to afterwards pass therefrom and expose the
liquid retained upon it to the action of air or other gas by which the liquid is cooled
(or which it cools as the case may be) substantially as described.
2. Apparatus for cooling liquids, comprising a tank through which the liquid can
be caused to flow and an endless band of fibrous or absorbent material arranged to
travel round rollers and to be guided thereby in such a manner that portions of the
said endless band will always be immersed in the liquid contained in the said tank
substantially as described.
3. Apparatus for cooling liquids, or air or other gases, comprising a tank through
which liquid to be cooled or used for cooling can be caused to flow, an endless
band of fibrous material arranged to travel round rollers and to be guided thereby
in such a manner that portions of the said endless band will always be immersed in
the liquid contained in the said tank, and a chamber in which the said endless band
is contained and which is provided with suitable inlets and outlets for air or other
gas used for cooling or to be cooled substantially as described.
4. My improved apparatus for cooling liquids or gases substantially as herein-
before described with reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
1
1004
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.