Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct.; 1890-Accepted, 24th Jan., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus.
1, LEONARD CURTISS RIGGS of 187 La Salle Street Chicago, United States of
America, 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 :-
My invention relates to an improved arrangement of that class of refrigerating
apparatus wherein cold is produced by the successive operations of compressing
volatile fluids, refrigerating or condensing the same, and then expanding them
again, and the object of my improvements is to obviate the difficulty that has
heretofore been experienced with such apparatus, more particularly when used in
sea going vessels, owing to the fact that the apparatus is generally thrown out of
action if any one or more of the principal parts thereof are not in proper working
condition, whereas it is of vital importance that an effective refrigerating action
should be continuously maintained and should be under constant effective control.
My invention consists in arranging all parts of the apparatus in duplicate and
interconnected in such manner, as will be presently explained, that any one part
of the one apparatus can be made to operate in combination with either any other
part of the same apparatus or with any part of the other apparatus, or with parts
of both apparatus, or both apparatus may be worked separately from each other,
.or one apparatus may be worked alone. Thus should any one or more member
of either apparatus become defective it or they can be at once put out of con-
nection, without interfering with the continuous action of the other parts of the
apparatus.
I will proceed to describe my said invention in connection with the accompanying
drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus with parts removed,
Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view,
Fig. 3 is a detail of the refrigerating coils.
Like parts are indicated by the same letter in each figure.
A and A' are compressors or pumps for gases, fluids etc.
B and B are pipes leading therefrom controlled by the valves C and C₁ and con-
nected by the cross pipe D with its controlling valve D¹. The pipes B and B lead
respectively to the valves E and E', and thus to the condensing coils or chambers F
and F, which are enclosed within the cylinder G. These coils terminate below
respectively in the valves J and J¹ from which lead the pipes K and K' connected by
the pipe K2 in which is the valve K³ and terminating respectively in the valves L L¹
for the receivers M M¹ which are provided at their opposite ends with valves N N'
both connected by pipes 02 03 with the pipes 0 0¹ which open into the heads P P¹
being controlled by the valves R R¹.
Each of these heads is provided with a series of expansion chambers or coils one of
which for each head is shewn in Fig. 2 and marked respectively S S'. These open
into the head T centrally divided by the valve T¹ and provided at each side with the
valves U and U₁ to control the connection of the divided ends of such head with the
pipes V and V which lead to the valves W and W₁ of the compressors, and are
connected by the short pipe. X having the valve X¹ therein.
The expansion chambers or coils are in the present instance shewn in Fig. 1 as
surrounded by the brine tank Y. I do not, of course, limit myself to the specific
forms and arrangements of parts shewn, as great variations may be made with
reference to the size and structure of the several parts and some of the sets of parts
and some of the members of the respective sets might be dispensed with in certain
cases. The connections between the several sets and between two members of each

page_text: set might also be greatly varied as well as their location with reference to each other.
The expansion chambers or coils may be used directly in the brine tank or in a
refrigerating chamber of any desired character.
In Fig. 3 I have shewn a detail of the refrigerating coils as they would be preferably
employed for the last named purpose; they might however be connected as shewn in
Fig. 2.
a is a lower head, 6 the upper head. Now into the lower head should open
the pipes 00', if these coils c c are to be used for refrigeration by direct application.
In this event, the pipes V V¹ would open from the head band lead back to the com-
pressors. If, as is the case when the brine tank Y is used, the refrigeration is done
by passing cool brine through coils disposed in the refrigerating chamber, then the
pipe y should lead back from the head a to the brine tank, and the pipe
head to the tank. The refrigerating coils are indicated in Fig. 3 by letter c.
from the
It will be observed that each is controlled by the valve d at each end, so that either
coil may be disconnected from its head. These valves are preferably three way valves,
though any similar device may be employed whereby a coil, when cut out, can be
opened into the exterior air through the hose piece e. It is understood of course, that
these coils will lead to the refrigerating chamber, usually and preferably a considerable
distance from the reinainder of the apparatus. The heads however, will be associated
with the rest of the apparatus, so that the entire operation may be conducted from the
engineers room and the coils cut out or in as desired. The connection and relative
location of the various devices and valves can be varied at will.
From the above description it will be seen that it is possible to employ either the
whole of the apparatus connected or to drop out of use any member of any or all of
the sets of members. For example, the compressor A may be made to operate upon
the coil F¹ by closing the valve E and opening the valve D', or it may operate upon the
coil F.
In like manner the coil F may be made to connect with the receiver M¹ or with the
receiver M and so on throughout the system. Moreover, the two members of each set
as, for example, the two compressors A. and A¹ may be made to operate at the same
time upon either of the coils F or F1 and the same is true of all the other sets of
elements. Again, any element or any set may be cut out by closing the two valves
which control its opposite ends. Again, by closing the valves X', D₁, K³, 0³ and T
the entire apparatus may be divided into two distinct systems each of which is capable
of independent operation to any degree desired. Thus it will be seen that with this
apparatus the breakages or obstructions in any part of either system can be repaired
without interfering with the remaining elements of the systems and all of the work of
both systems may be carried on through the surviving member of the injured set, and
by balancing the two systems operate independently, and practically constant control
of the temperature in the refrigerating chamber may be obtained.
This arrangement is the result of practical experience in the manufacture of
refrigerators for sea going vessels and is highly important to the successful working
of such devices. The general mode of operation of such refrigerating apparatus is
sufficiently well known to obviate the necessity of extended description. The com-
pressors A and A¹ exhaust the gases from the expansion chambers or coils and
condense them in the coils F and F whence they passed in a condensed manner into
the receiver M, M', whence they are discharged into the expansion coils or chambers.
These expansion coils are used for refrigeration or they may be surrounded by a brine,
which when cool is itself used for refrigerating purposes.
The apparatus shewn in Fig. 3 is employed with the brine tank or without it as
hereinbefore suggested with equal facility. The operation of the apparatus, as
indicated in Figures 1 and 2, is substantially the same as that of Figure 3, except that
with Figure 3 a series of refrigerating coils is employed.
These refrigerating coils as shewn, may be either connected with the pipes 0 0¹
and V V¹ in which case they serve to refrigerate the apartment in which they are
located without intervention of the coils S S₁, which in that case would be cut out, or
they may be cut out of connection with such device and be placed in connection with
the pipes y and x, while the coils S S¹ are in the relation shewn in Figure 2. In this

page_text: arrangement, the coils S and S¹ cool the brine in the tank Y and this brine then
circulates through the coils c c and refrigerates the apartment. The coils c c may be
independent, like all the other operative parts of the machinery the cut out being well
controlled by the valve at each end, and when any one is cut out, it may be opened
to the exterior air through the hose connection c so as to discharge its contents.
This is designed to avoid all danger incident to bursting or leaking of the coils in the
refrigerating chamber or room.
The coils ce are thus to be considered either as expansion coils or chamber, or
refrigerating coils, as the case may be.
The apparatus shewn is applicable as a whole or in part, to any refrigerating
purpose, and is designed especially for places where perfect control of the various
parts of the machinery is essential, and where it is desirable to use the smallest
possible space.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In refrigerating apparatus the combination of two complete sets of members,
that is to say, two compressors such as A A¹, two condensers such as F F¹, two
receivers such as M M', and two expansion chambers, such as S S', the said members
being respectively interconnected by pipes such as B'B' D with cocks or valves such
as CC DE E', pipes such as K Ki K² with cocks or valves such as J J' K³ L L',
pipes such as O0102 with cocks or valves such as N, N¹, 03, R, R¹, and head such
as P P1, head such as T with valves such as U U T', pipes such as V V₁ X with cocks
or valves such as W W' X', so that by the said interconnections any one member
of one set can be worked together with any other member of either the same set or
of the second set, or of both sets, or can be entirely put out of connection with
either set, substantially as described.
2. In combination with the expansion chamber and brine tank of a refrigerating
machine, the use of a set or sets of refrigerating pipes connected both to the expansion
chamber and to the brine tank by pipes with valves in such manner that the said
refrigerating pipes can either have refrigerating. fluid circulated separately through
then from the receivers or can have cooled brine circulated through them from the
brine tank, or can be cut off from either connection, substantially as described.
3. In a refrigerating apparatus, the use, in combination with a series of refrigerating
coils, of two heads connected respectively with the supply of cooling fluid and with
the compressors, the said coils being each connected independently to each head
through valves or cocks whereby their connections can be separately closed, and being
each provided with a discharge branch, substantially as described.
4. A refrigerating apparatus consisting of the combination of duplicate compressors,
condensers and expansion chambers all interconnected and each separately controlled
at each end by valves, a brine tank containing the expansion chamber or coils, and
a series of refrigerating coils each capable of independent connection at each end with
either the brine tank or with the receivers, substantially as described.
Dated this 23rd day of October 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.