Improvements in Ice Making Machinery.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 31st Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ice Making Machinery.
I HENRY MOY THOMAS of No. 4 Canonbury Place London in the County of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of ice upon the well known principle of
freezing liquids in vacuo by means of rapid evaporation.
To produce the rapid evaporation required it has hitherto been the practice to
employ a vacuum pump in combination with both a vessel containing the liquid to be
frozen and a vessel containing some powerful absorbent liquid such as sulphuric acid
which continues to absorb the vapour at a rapid rate after the liquid to be frozen has
been caused to boil owing to the vacuum produced by the pump employed for that
purpose. The rate of evaporation from the liquid to be frozen, owing to the instanta-
neous vaporization or conversion of liquid into vapour in vacuo is only limited by the
rate at which the absorbent liquid can condense the vapour.
The object of my invention is to condense the vapour at the required rate for the
production of solid ice by mechanical means without the employment of any absorbent
liquid.
For this purpose 1 employ a freezing chamber capable of being hermetically sealed
so as to be in communication with the remainder of the apparatus but closed in all
other respects. Between the freezing chamber and the vacuum pump I employ a
centrifugal fan of the following description in the manner hereinafter described.
In close proximity to the ice chamber and connected therewith I secure a full way
main cock with passage of an area sufficient for allowing the passage of vapour
through it at the required rate for extracting the heat from the liquid to be frozen
with sufficient rapidity to procure the formation of ice. From this main cock I carry
a full way pipe and connect the same with the casing of the centrifugal fan in such
a manner that the admission of vapour to the centrifugal fan shall be at the centre.
The casing of the centrifugal fan is otherwise hermetically sealed and has no opening
excepting that at a point at or near its greatest diameter. I make connection by
means of a pipe with the vacuum pump. The axle with which the fan revolves rests

page_text: on a " centre in one side of the casing and passes through a stuffing box at the
opposite side of the casing and in order that air may not be admitted through the
said stuffing box I fix the centrifugal fan in a horizontal position with its axis of
revolution in a vertical position and the axle projecting from the upper part. By
this arrangement a small quantity of suitable oil or fatty composition may be put in a
cupped part of the stuffing box and surround the axle of the fan so as to effectually
prevent the admission of air. The protruding portion of the axle of the fan is pre-
ferably fitted with a small pulley and a small fly wheel so as to be capable of being
driven at a very great speed by means of a band from a wheel of greater diameter.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows
The vacuum pump being set in motion exhausts the air from the interior of the
whole apparatus including the casing of the centrifugal fan with which it is connected
by means of a pipe of suitable dimension (as small as is found to be most effective).
Continuing the pumping, the point at which the water boils is reached and then
instantly the whole apparatus is filled with vapour issuing from the liquid to be
frozen and this vapour has a tension equal throughout the apparatus.
At this stage while continuing the pumping the centrifugal fan is to be set in rapid
motion with the following result.
The tension of the vapour throughout the apparatus can no longer remain the same.
It remains constant throughout the apparatus from the inlet of the centrifugal fan at
its centre to the surface of the liquid to be frozen but there is a tendency to gradually
increase the tension of the vapour within the casing of the centrifugal fan towards
the periphery of the fan. This is due to the pressure exerted by centrifugal force
driving the vapour from the centre of the fan in contact with the interior of the
casing and the resulting compression of the vapour causes it to liquify and thereby
communicate its heat to the casing of the centrifugal fan.
The exhausting effect of the vacuum pump which is to he kept working during the
whole operation of freezing assists the removal of vapour from the apparatus and may
also remove the vapour either in a slightly compressed form or in the form of liquid
condensed from the vapour as described. The centrifugal fan may also if convenient
be set in motion when the apparatus is started as it will assist the vacuum pump by
delivering to it the air from within the apparatus in a somewhat compressed form.
I make the casing of the centrifugal fan by preference of copper being a good heat
conductor and the piping leading from the centrifugal fan to the freezing chamber
may be coated with any material which is a bad conductor of heat so as to avoid the
absorption of heat from the surrounding atmosphere by the vapour during its passage
from the liquid to be frozen, to the centrifugal fan.
For machines on a small scale such as will be worked by hand power I believe
that the copper casing of the centrifugal fan fitted outside with radiating plates will
be sufficient combined with the effect of the vacuum pump withdrawing the liquid or
partly condensed vapour from the centrifugal fan; to abstract the heat from the
apparatus at a rate sufficient for the production of solid ice.
For machines of greater dimensions it will be advantageous to keep a stream of
water running over the casing of the centrifugal fan outside and the centre of the fan
underneath may be found to be a more convenient point at which to attach the pipe
leading to the vacuum pump, the casing being caused to dip underneath towards the
centre and collect the condensed water there.
Or the vacuum pump may be attached as herein before described and an auxilliary
hydraulic pump may be put in connection with the casing of the fan at the centre
underneath to withdraw the condensed water as will be readily understood. Only
the hydraulic pump must be of such a construction as to make it impossible for air
to pass inwards to the apparatus during the operation of its valves.
In order not to vitiate the vacuum throughout the whole of the apparatus when
removing the vessel or chamber containing the ice produced, the main cock referred
to should be shut off and a small cock communicating with the atmosphere should be
opened, destroying, the vacuum in the freezing chamber only.
There is no novelty in this but it is very important in the case of a machine as

page_text: herein before described because the capacity of the centrifugal fan represents so great
a proportion of the capacity of the whole apparatus.
When the freezing chamber is replaced with another charge of liquid to be frozen
the main cock is to remain closed until the air contained in the freezing chamber has
been exhausted without interference with the remainder of the apparatus.
This is effected by a branch pipe leading to the vacuum pump. This branch pipe
is governed by a stop cock and another stop cock is placed in the pipe leading from
the vacuum pump to the casing of the centrifugal fan at a point nearer to the centri-
fugal fan than the junction of the branch pipe referred to.
As the power required to work a fan is proportional to the work derived from it
and as the fan deals with the compression of vapour at a tension balancing between
that of the state of vaporization and that of the state of liquefaction I anticipate that
the production of ice by the means hereinbefore described will compare favourably in
the matter of cost with any system of manufacture hitherto adopted.
Dated this 31st day of March 1887.

page_text: I HENRY MOY THOMAS of No. 4 Canonbury Place London in the County of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declared 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 :-
This invention relates to the manufacture of ice upon the well known principle of
freezing liquids in vacuo by means of rapid evaporation.
To produce the rapid evaporation required it has hitherto been the practice to
employ a vacuum pump in combination with both a vessel containing the liquid to he
frozen and a vessel containing some powerful absorbent liquid such as sulphuric acid
which continues to absorb the vapour at a rapid rate after the liquid to be frozen has
been caused to boil owing to the vacuum produced by the pump employed for that
purpose.
The rate of evaporation from the liquid to be frozen owing to the instantaneous
vaporization or conversion of liquid into vapour in vacuo is only limited by the rate
at which the absorbent liquid can condense the vapour.
The object of my invention is to condense the vapour at the required rate for the
production of solid ice by mechanical means without the employment of any absorbent
liquid.
For this purpose I employ a freezing chamber capable of being hermetically sealed
so as to be in communication with the remainder of the apparatus but closed in all
other respects. Between the freezing chamber and the vacuum pump I employ a fan
of the following description in the manner hereinafter described.
In close proximity to the ice chamber and connected there with I secure a full way
main cock with passage of an area sufficient for allowing the passage of vapour
through it at the required rate for extracting the heat from the liquid to be frozen
with sufficient rapidity to procure the formation of ice.
From this main cock I carry a full way pipe and connect the same with the casing
of the fan in such a manner that the admission of vapour to the fan shall be at or
near the centre.
The casing of the fan is otherwise hermetically sealed and has no opening excepting
that at a point at or near the centre underneath I make connection by means of a
pipe with the vacuum pump.
The axle on which the fan revolves rests on a ፡፡
centre" in the lower part of the
casing and passes through a stuffing box at the opposite end of the casing and in
order that air may not be admitted through the said stuffing box I fix the fan in a
horizontal position with its axis of revolution in a vertical position and the axle pro-
jecting from the upper part.
By this arrangement a small quantity of suitable oil or fatty composition may be
put in a cupped part of the stuffing box and surround the axle of the fan so as to
effectually prevent the admission of air.
The protruding portion of the axle of the fan is preferably fitted with a small pulley

page_text: 50 25
De Capavi of being univer toy great speed by
means of a band wheel of greater diameter.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:
The vacuum pump being set in motion exhausts the air from the interior of the
whole apparatus including the casing of the fan with which it is connected by means
of a pipe of suitable dimension.
Continuing the pumping the point at which the water boils is reached and then
instantly the whole apparatus is filled with vapour issuing from the liquid to be
frozen and this vapour has a tension equal throughout the apparatus.
At this stage while continuing or discontinuing the pumping operation the fan is to
be set in rapid motion with the following result.
The tension of the vapour throughout the apparatus can no longer remain the same.
It remains constant throughout the apparatus from the inlet to the fan at its centre
to the surface of the liquid to be frozen but there is a tendency to gradually increase
the tension of the vapour within the casing of the fan towards the lowermost part of
the casing.
This is due to the pressure exerted by centrifugal force and to the downward
pressure exerted upon the vapour by the fan driving the vapour in contact with the
interior of the casing and the resulting compression of the vapour causes it to liquefy
and thereby communicate its heat to the casing of the fan.
The exhausting effect of the vacuum pump which may be kept working during the
whole operation of freezing assists the removal of vapour from the apparatus and may
also remove the vapour either in a slightly compressed form or in the form of liquid
condensed from the vapour as described.
The fan may also if convenient be set in motion when the apparatus is started as it
will assist the vacuum pump by delivering to it the air from within the apparatus in
a somewhat compressed form.
1 make the casing of the fan by preference of copper, that being a good heat
conducting material and the piping leading from the fan to the freezing chamber
may be coated with any material which is a bad conductor of heat so as to avoid the
absorbtion of heat from the surrounding atmosphere by the vapour during its passage
from the liquid to be frozen to the fan.
For machines on a small scale such as will be worked by hand power the copper
casing of the fan fitted outside with radiating plates combined if necessary with the
effect of the pump withdrawing the liquid or partly condensed vapour from the fan
will provide for abstracting the heat from the apparatus at a rate sufficient for the
production of solid ice.
For machines of greater dimensions it will be advantageous to keep a stream of
water running over the casing of the fan outside and in case the vacuum pump em-
ployed should be of such a construction as to make the withdrawal of the condensed
liquid by the vacuum pump inadmissible an auxilliary hydraulic pump may be put in
connection with the casing of the fan at the centre underneath to withdraw the con-
densed water as will be readily understood. Only, the hydraulic pump must be of
such a construction as to make it impossible for air to pass inwards to the apparatus
during the operation of its valves and any pumping operation for withdrawing the
condensed water must be so slow in operation as not to counteract the effect of the
fan in maintaining a pressure upon the liquid condensed otherwise the vaporization
may take place at this end of the apparatus and the required evaporation from the
liquid to be frozen may cease, especially so because the condensed liquid being of a
temperature greater than the liquid frozen or partly frozen in the freezing chamber
would vaporize in a less perfect vacuum than that required to continue the evapora-
tion from the freezing chamber.
In order not to vitiate the vacuum throughout the whole of the apparatus when
removing the vessel containing the ice produced, the main cock referred to and a
cock in the pipe leading from the casing of the fan to the vacuum pump (hereinafter
referred to) should both be shut off and a small cock cominunicating with the
atmosphere should be opened destroying the vacuum in the freezing chamber only.

page_text: When the freezing chamber is replaced with another charge of liquid to be
frozen the main cock and the cock in the pipe connecting the fan casing with the
vacuum pump are to remain closed until the air contained in the freezing chamber
has been exhausted without interference with the remainder of the apparatus.
As the fan deals with the compression of vapour at a tension balancing between
that of the states of vaporization and liquefaction a very slight pressure is required to
produce a formation of dew sufficient to secure a condensation of liquid in a given
length of time sufficient in extent to provide for the absorbtion of heat from the liquid
to be frozen at a sufficient rate to procure the formation of ice.
The fan must however be capable of maintaining a constant pressure upon the
liquid thus condensed to maintain the liquid state in spite of the increase of tempera-
ture as compared with the liquid or ice contained in the freezing chamber.
If the fan constructed in the manner herein before described should prove incapable
of maintaining a sufficient pressure when employed for the manufacture of ice in
large quantities then it may be replaced by any of the known rotary blowers suitable
for maintaining a higher and constant pressure in one direction.
In order that my invention may be more fully understood I proceed to describe the
accompanying drawings in all the figures of which the same reference letter indicates
the same part.
Fig. 1 is a section Fig. 2 a side view and Fig. 3 an enlarged view of the upper
part of the fan casing in all illustrating a machine for the manufacture of ice in
accordance with the foregoing description.
The frame A is fitted with a shaft operated by the winch handle N giving motion
to the friction wheel B engaging with the friction cone C rigidly connected with the
spindle of the helical fan D. which passes through the oil cup R and the stuffing
box M.
The helical fan D rotates in the fan casing or hopper E and in order to secure a
sufficient contact of the helical fan D with the interior of the fan casing or hopper E
to ensure a sufficient downward pressure upon the vapour therein contained the edges
of the helical fan D may be tipped with leather or other suitable soft material. The
lower end of the spindle of the helical fan D rests on a centre P in a bridge piece
fixed in the lower part of the fan casing or hopper E. Below the said bridge piece is
an opening communicating with the pipe El controlled by the cock F and the pipe H
is to be conveyed and attached to the inlet of a suitable vacuum pump.
:
و"
From the upper part of the fan casing or hopper E extends a pipe L controlled by
a cock G and terminating in an enlargement capable of receiving the basin or ice
chamber J with which it is hermetically closed by means of an india rubber washer in
the usual manner so that when a partial vacuum has been created the basin or ice
chamber J remains suspended to the apparatus by virtue of the superior atmospheric
pressure without. The branch pipe K forms a passage by which the air may be
exhausted from the basin or ice chamber while the fan casing or hopper E is
separated therefrom by closing the cocks F and G.
The cock Q serves to admit air to the basin or ice chamber J when it is required to
remove the same from the apparatus or it may serve to admit liquid to be frozen.
The operation of the machine is as follows:"
With a vacuum pump connected to the pipe H the cocks F and G being closed and
the basin or ice chamber J being held in position the air is to be exhausted from the
basin or ice chamber J. Then the cocks F and G being opened the pumping is to be
continued and the interior of the whole apparatus exhausted until the required vacuum
is obtained to provide for the vaporization of sufficient liquid in the basin or ice
chamber J to charge the whole of the interior of the apparatus to saturation.
At this stage the cock F should be closed and the helical fan D be set in rapid
motion by turning the winch handle N.
It will be observed that the outlet from the fan casing or hopper E being closed the
helical fan D will exert a pressure upon the vapour contained in the fan casing or
hopper E constantly bearing in the same direction and increasing towards the lower
part of the fan casing or hopper E the result being a formation of due and collection

page_text: of condensed liquid with increase of temperature which is to be partly or wholly
dispelled into the surrounding atmosphere by means of radiating plates attached to
the outside of the casing of the fan or hopper E. Such radiating plates may be plates
of copper coated with lamp black varnish to produce a radiating surface to which the
heat communicated to the casing of the fan or hopper E by the liquid condensed within
will be readily conducted owing to the heat conducting capabilities of the metal of
which the casing of the fan or hopper E and the radiating plates are to be
constructed.
When the apparatus is to be constructed for the manufacture of ice in large quan-
tities and the quantity of heat to be absorbed cannot conveniently be dealt with by the
radiating plates referred to I provide a stop cock in the branch pipe K which being
closed the stop cock F may remain open during the operation of the helical fan D and
the condensed liquid accumulating in the base of the casing of the fan or hopper E
may be withdrawn either by the operation of the vacuum pump or by means of an
auxilliary bydraulic pump as herein before referred to and in order to reduce the tem-
perature of the condensed liquid I may provide a stream of water circulating over the
casing of the fan or hopper E outside, but any pumping operation for withdrawing
the condensed liquid must as before stated be so slow in operation as not to avoid
the maintenance of a sufficient pressure by the helical fan D or the rotary blower
employed otherwise by relieving the pressure at this end of the apparatus the con-
densed liquid will revaporize instead of the liquid to be frozen continuing the evaporation
as required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:
1. In apparatus for the production of ice by the vaporization and subsequent
evaporation of liquid in vacuo, the employment of the helical fan to produce the con-
densation of vapour substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for the production of ice by the vaporization and subsequent evapo-
ration of liquid in vacuo, the employment of any rotary blower capable of maintaining
a pressure in one direction upon the vapour derived from the liquid to be frozen for
the purpose of condensing the vapour and of maintaining the condensed form substan-
tially as herein before described.
3. In apparatus for the production of ice by the vaporization and subsequent
evaporation of liquid in vacuo the employment of the branch pipe K with or without
a stop cock for isolating the basin or ice chamber J in order to exhaust that part of
the apparatus separately from the remainder substantially as described.
4. In apparatus for the production of ice by the vaporization and subsequent
evaporation of liquid in vacuo the employment of radiating plates for the purpose of
dispelling the heat abstracted from the liquid to be frozen, into the atmosphere
substantially as described.
5. In apparatus for the production of ice by the vaporization and subsequent
evaporation of liquid in vacuo, withdrawing the condensed liquid by a slow pumping
operation for the purpose described by means of the vaccum pump or of an auxilliary
hydraulic pump substantially as described.
6. The construction of apparatus for the manufacture of ice substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.