Process of Replacing by Air the Steam Contained in the Interstices of Articles after Treatment in a Steam Disinfecting or Cooking Apparatus.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Process of Replacing by Air the Steam Contained in the Interstices
of Articles after Treatment in a Steam Disinfecting or Cooking
Apparatus.
I, ANDERS BORCH RECK, of Hellerup, Copenhagen, in the Kingdom of
Denmark, Heating & Ventilating Engineer, Captain of the Royal Engineers, 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 :-
It is very desirable to be able quickly to remove the steam from the interstices
of such articles as have been treated in steam disinfecting apparatus or such
apparatus where the articles are temporarily exposed to the action of steam in a
closed vessel, and to fill them with air, in order to be able to empty the apparatus
without filling the room with the generated vapours and in order to avoid getting
the articles too humid.
The endeavour has hitherto been to seek to attain this by providing the vessel
with a ventilating contrivance, arranged to act at the completion of the steam
operation, by letting air, which gradually expels the steam, pass through the vessel
from an inlet to an outlet.
But this method takes a long time as large quantities of air are required to
expel the steam.
On the other hand the result can be obtained much quicker by-on the comple-
tion of the treatment of the articles by the steam-employing a water condenser
for immediate condensation of the light steam in the upper portion of the vessel,
while at the same time air, which is much heavier than steam, is freely admitted
into the vessel from below, thus filling it gradually from the bottom to the top.
The condenser may be of various constructions, either tubular with circulating
cooling water, or an apparatus where a spray of water is applied to the outside
of the vessel, or simply an injection of water into the interior of the vessel, in such
a manner that the articles contained therein are protected from the injection water,
or in any other way.
The apertures for the admission of the air may be permanently open, or they
may be provided with valves opening automatically, allowing the air to enter the
vessel as soon as the condenser commences to act.
By employing the process above described the air will almost instantly replace
the condensed steam in the vessel and the reduction of the pressure in the interior
of the vessel, below that of the exterior air, is almost completely avoided.
As the weight of steam filling the interstices in such a vessel is very small a very
inconsiderable amount of cooling water will always suffice to condense this steam and
produce the desired effect, namely to fill the interstices in the vessel in a very short
time with comparatively dry air, in such a manner, that it can be opened and the
articles removed therefrom.
It is true that others have employed water condensers in connection with
disinfecting apparatus. But they have made use of a process totally different to
mine, in that they have kept the apparatus perfectly closed during the action of
the condenser in such a manner, that the internal pressure of the apparatus was
reduced considerably below that of the exterior air and the apparatus had con-
sequently to be very strongly made and hence became very expensive. Their aim
was also totally different to mine, in that they allowed the air contained in the
articles to be disinfected to expand in such a manner, that it more easily could be
expelled, when the articles were subjected to a renewed action of steaming.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
A process for rapidly replacing by air from below upwards the steam enclosed in
the interstices of articles contained in vessels used for disinfecting or cooking by
the direct action of steam-which process consists in condensing by means of a
water condenser the steam contained in the upper portion of the vessel while at
the same time free access is given to the external air to enter the interior of the
vessel through one or more apertures.
Dated this 14th day of June 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.