IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTIFICIAL ICE IN BLOCKS OR SLABS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Douglas Kylo of 57 Moorgate Street in the
City of London E.C. for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR MAKING ARTIFICIAL ICE IN BLOCKS OR SLABS
נו
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Thomas Douglas Kyle at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd November 1882.
THOMAS DOUGLAs Kyle, of 57 Moorgate Street, in the City of London E.C
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTIFICIAL ICE IN BLOCKS OR
SLABS
3
The invention relates to improvements whereby the ice boxes are made to
produce a quantity of ice nearly equivalent to the heat abstracted by the freezing
or cooling machine and consists; Firstly in certain improvements in connection
with the cells on the sides of which the ice is formed and Secondly in an improved
arrangement of the pipe and valve connections with the said cells whereby the
course of the cooling medium through the same can be reversed at pleasure in
order to secure uniform thickness in the blocks or slabs of ice by one operation
and one box is made to thaw off the ice in another without employing a thawing
off pump whereby no power whatever is lost and the operation becomes a continuous
reversable process.
In the drawings hereto annexed Fig 1 is a longitudinal section of a cell or
flattened tube constructed in accordance with my invention, Fig 2 shows
transverse sections of two such cells with the ice blocks or slabs forming or formed
thereon. Fig 3 is a front elevation of a series of 4 ico boxes showing my improved
arrangements of the connections for conveying the cooling medium to and from tho
cells and Fig 4 shows a plan of one of such ice boxes with the cells in place
therein and part of the connections with the said cells.
The cells or flattened tubes shown in figures 1 and 2 are made of Iron, Copper,
Zinc or other suitable metal; they may be about 3, inch wide and divided
horizontally by strips of wood screwed on to, division plates which divide the cells
or tubes into two equal parts. These strips of wood divide the circulation of the
cooling medium. The division plate is studded with snags or pins which touch.

page_text: the plate of the cell or tube on either side and thereby cut up the current of the
cooling medium and cause fresh parts thereof to impinge continually against the
inner surfaces of the said plates or sides of the cells or flattened tubes, whereby
more heat is abstracted from such surfaces than if the snags or pins were not
employed. In order to carry out the beforementioned continuous reversible process
I prefer to employ four ice tanks or boxes as shown in figs 3 and 4 each containing
any required number of cells or flattened tubes, for example three as shown in
figure 4. By this reversible process the cooling medium can be transmitted at will
to any one of the ice boxes that may be required and the ice can thereby be made
of uniform thickness without intermission, and in the event of any derangement
taking place in any box, that box can be passed over till repairs are effected and
no stoppage of the machine is necessary. The front elevation figure 3 shows the
connections for effecting this continuous reversible process. The cocks Nos 1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6. 7 and 8 are threeway cocks, and the cocks № 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 are
through way cocks
The pipes A, B, C, D, are alternately delivery and suction pipes. The pipe E is
the delivery from the cooling machine and the pipe F is the return suction or
overflow. The pipes g², g³, g³, gʻ, 9º, gº, g², and g³, are the cell connection pipes. The
apparatus is worked as follows.
Supposing the four ice boxes No 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Fig 3) to be filled with the water
to be converted into ice and that all the cocks are shut, the entrance for the cooling
medium coming from the cooling machine being at E and the outlet for same from
the boxes at F. The cocks N° 11 N° 1 N° 2 and N° 14 are now opened the medium
now flows along the pipe A through cock No 1 it enters pipe g¹and passes from thence
into the cells or flattened tubes in Box N° 1. After traversing these cells it passes
out by the pipe g², and through the cock, No 2 to the pipe D, whence it escapes
through the cock N° 14 to the outlet pipe F to be returned to the cooling
_machine.
After the cooling machine has reduced the-temperature down in Box N° 1 the
cock N° 3 is opened full to the delivery pipe A the cock No 4 is partially opened
to the return pipe D and as the temperature continues to fall the cock N° 4 is
opened more and more until full open. The course of the medium is then changed
so as to flow continuously through No 1 and No 2 boxes by opening cock No 1 to
pipe A as before cock No 2 to pipe C, cock N° 4 to pipe C cock N° 3 to pipe B
and cock N° 9 to pipes B and D. The medium is thus caused to enter box N° 1
by pipe g' to leave same by pipe g³ to enter box N° 2 by pipe g' to leave same by
pipe and to return to the cooling machine by pipe B, cock N° 9 pipe D cock
No 14 and pipe F.
The temperature will continue to fall and another will be required the
cock No 5 is therefore opened to pipe A and the cock N° 6 partially opened to
pipe D; this is continued till the temperature again falls too low and the cock N° 6
has been fully opened to suction pipe D. The course of the medium is then changed
so as to flow continuously through Boxes N° 1, N° 2 and N° 3 by leaving cock No 1
open to pipe A cock N° 2 to pipe C cock N° 4 to pipe C cock N° 3 to pipe B
opening cock N° 5 to pipe B cock N° 6 to pipe D and shutting cock N° 9. The
medium is thus caused to pass through boxes N° 1 and 2 successively as before
then to enter box N° 3 by pipe g³ to leave same by pipe ge and to return to the
cooling machine by pipe D, cock N° 14 and pipe F. This circulation is continued
for a time and the ice in the Boxes will be tapered in form as shown at 21 in Fig 2.
The course of the medium must now be reversed so as to make the ice of uniform
thickness To effect this, cock N° 13 is opened, cock N° 2 is opened to pipe D,
cock No 1 to pipe B cock N° 3 to pipe B, cock N° 4 to pipe C cock No to pipe C,
cock No 5 to pipe A cock N° 12 to pipe A and cocks N° 14 and 11 are closed.
The medium is thus caused to enter box N° 1 by pipe g² to leave samo by pipe gl
to enter box No 2 by pipe g³ to leave same by pipe 9 to enter box N° 3 by pipe g
to leave same by pipo gaud return to cooling machine by pipe A, cock No 12 and
pipe F. This circulation is continued until the ice formed on the cells or flattened

page_text: tubes is of equal thickness as shown at Z³ in figure 2 when the ice will be ready
for removal from box N° 1.
This removal of the ice is effected without a thawing off pump in the following
way. The box No 4 contains water to be frozen into ice at say 70° Fahrenheit and
the cooling medium from the cooling machine is caused to pass through the cells of
this ice box first, it gets heated up therein and is then passed through the cells of
box N° 1 thawing the ice off from the cells before ice is formed in box N° 4. For
this purpose cock N° 8 is opened to pipe D cock N° 7 to pipe B cock N° 1 remains
open to pipe B cock N° 2 to pipe C cock N° 10 to pipes A & C cock N° 12 to
pipes A and F cock N° 13 remains open to pipe D and cocks No 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11
and 14 are closed. The medium is thus caused to enter box N° 4 by pipe g³ to
leave same by pipe g' to pass along by pipe B and to enter box N° 1 by pipe gl
to leave same by pipe g to pass along by pipe C cock 10 pipe A cock N° 12 and
pipe F back to the cooling machine. The ice being now thawed off the cells in
Box N° 1 the cooling machine is put in communication with Box N° 2 as the first
box, then Box N° 3 as second, and Box N° 4 as third as the cooling machine only
works on three boxes at one time the remaining one is always the thawing off Box
and the surplus cold in the cold box is conveyed to the hot Box. By these means
no power whatever is lost and a thawing off pump is dispensed with
Having now described the nature of the said invention and the manner in which
the same is to or may be carried into effect I would have it understood that what
I claim is
First The employment of snags or pins in the cells or flattened tubes of ice
boxes for the purpose of cutting up the flow of the cooling medium and
causing fresh parts thereof to impinge continually against the surfaces of
the said cells or flattened tubes as herein before described and illustrated in
figs 1 and 2 of the drawings hereto annexed..
Second-The arrangement of the connecting pipes and cocks for conveying the
cooling medium to and from the cells or flattened tubes of the ice boxes in
such manner that the course of the said cooling medium can be reversed so
as to make the ice of uniform thickness and also to effect the thawing off
of the ice from the cells or flattened tubes without requiring a thawing off
pump as herein before described and illustrated in figures 3 and 4 of the
drawings hereto annexed and for the purposes herein specified.
In witness whereof I the said Thomas Douglas Kyle have hereunto set my
hand and seal this thirtieth day of October in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
THOMAS D KYLE (10)