MAKING AND RELIEVING ARTIFICIAL ICE BY MEANS OF OSCILLATING AND MOVABLE ICE BOXES
Year: 1885

page_text: ALFRED INGRAM 18 Cambridge Terrace Crystal Palace Road East Dulwich.
London S.E. Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention for MAKING
AND RELIEVING ARTIFICIAL ICE BY MEANS OF OSCILLATING AND MOVABLE ICE
BOXES to be as follows:-
Into a tank or box, made of wood or iron, of the required shape and size is
fitted one or more tanks, made of galvanized iron or copper, with sufficient space
between for the freezing liquor to circulate. The water to be frozen is placed in
the inner tank. The whole is mounted on trunnion bearings and oscillated by.
means of a crank or eccentric thus producing the agitation necessary to make the
ice transparent. After the freezing operation is completed warm liquor is supplied
through the trunnion bearings, until the block or blocks of ice are relieved from
the inner tank or tanks. Then the entire box is inverted and the ice falls ont, thus
saving the ordinary labor of lifting it out by hand or crane.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Ice Making.
ALFRED INGRAM of No. 18 Cambridge Terrace, Crystal Palace Road, East
Dulwich, London S.E. 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:—
The object of my invention is to make blocks of ice of any required size or
shape, solid and transparent; equal to natural ice in quality and durability, more
convenient for storage purposes, being of regular shape size and weight; can be
packed closely, a cheaper and quicker method of manufacture than any method at
present, in the market, and an arrangement that can be applied to any refrigerating
or ice making machines.
The above mentioned essential points in making artificial ice I accomplish by
means of a box or tank made of wood or iron of any required shape or size.—Into
this is fitted one or more tanks made of galvanized iron or copper, tinned inside,
with a space or chamber between the two sufficient for the circulation of the brine or
freezing liquor of any ordinary ice machine.-The inner tank or can holds the water
which is to be frozen and has a flange on the top all around by which it is fixed
into and closes up the outside tank by a water tight joint, so as to prevent the
water coming into contact with the brine under any circumstances.
Now as water frozen artificially becomes very opaque unless it is kept in
constant motion, one great difficulty in making artificial ice has, been to agitate
the water whilst the process is going on, and to continue this to the end-It is a
very customary thing to agitate it at the commencement of the operation by an
agitator working in the water but as the ice forms in any ordinary mould you
must gradually withdraw the agitator or it will become frozen in; the remaining
water then being frozen without agitation becomes white, and the block of ice
porous and hollow which easily melts and the softest part, the centre, melting first
the hollow block parts in two. My invention overcomes this difficulty by an
arrangement dispensing with all ordinary agitators, the power for working them
and the expensive repairs they occasion, by mounting the whole box on trunnion
bearings, and oscillating the same by means of a small crank or eccentric motion,
which as the movement commences, drives the water in the tank or can from end
to end producing a rapid to and fro motion which expels the air from the water
whilst freezing and makes it clear.-This motion is continued till the process is
complete by which means I agitate the last drop of water left in the box until it
is frozen.
The solidity of a block of ice is the most important thing to attain as upon this
depends to a very great extent the length of time which it will keep and conse-
quently its marketable value.-It is a well know fact that two pieces of ice cannot
be frozen together so as to make a solid block, and yet all the different processes

page_text: for making artificial block ice at present in use adopt this plan in some form or
other. Water placed in a tank or can under ordinary circumstances and frozen up,
gradually freezes all over the sides and bottom; till the two sides meet and the
centre not being united although the surfaces are in contact, the block with a
slight touch falls in two.-In my ice box this is entirely obviated by freezing from
the bottom of the tank or can upwards--in this way-the cold brine is fed into
the space or chamber between the box and tank through suitable channels to the
bottom of the space or chamber between the box and tank, where it imparts its
freezing power to the bottom of the tank or can containing the water to be frozen
and circulates upwards and so the freezing operation commencing at the bottom
gradually ascends until the block is complete-the brine or freezing liquor after
having done its work passing out on the top at the opposite side of the box from
which it entered and returning to the refrigerator to be cooled and re-circulated.―
a. a. a. on drawing are valves by which the cold brine can be fed into any part of
the chamber to complete the process-and give the block extra hardness.
After ice has been made in any way it has been found in practice that a great
deal of time and labour is required to get it out of the boxes in which it is frozen
and cut up into suitable pieces for handling-For this purpose most ice factories
have travelling cranes erected, worked by steam or hand power, and saws, prickers,
cutters &c which necessarily waste a great deal of the ice after it is made, and in
some cases it is found to be just as expensive to remove the ice as it is to make it
at first My method of doing this is as follows and speaks for itself.-When the
block of ice is frozen shut off the cold brine by closing valve b and open valve c
which allows brine of a temperature of 40° to pass into the chamber; immediately
the ice is relieved by the application of the increased temperature to the tank-As
soon as this is done, the box being balanced on its centre, the rod which communi-
cates the oscillating motion is disconnected (which is provided for by a suitable
arrangement) and the box and tank is turned round or over till the block of ice
slips out on the floor or trolley provided for the purpose and is then taken away-
The box is then again coupled up, water let in and started afresh-thus one man
can with ease work fifty boxes without cranes or any other assistance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The method of making solid blocks of ice by oscillating or moveable boxes
the advantages of which are, I get proper agitation of the water, without the
ordinary agitators thus saving their cost in the first place-time in fixing them
in the boxes and taking them out again-all the anxiety of watching them during
the process, and freeze the blocks solid instead of hollow or soft in the centre, and
the making of blocks of ice of uniform shape size and weight.
2. A quicker and better method of relieving-that is getting the ice out of the
boxes after it is made-as by revolving the box a quarter of a revolution the ice
comes out without any lifting thus dispensing with all lifting gear and the power
to work the same.
3. Greater economy in manufacture one man being able to work a plant on my
principle which in other cases usually takes four men.
4. Another great advantage in using ny boxes is the great saving in first cost-
the ease with which they can be erected being sent to any part of the world in
complete working order, they require no expensive foundations can scarcely get out
of repair as there being no lifting out there is no slipping of the blocks out of the
tongs and dropping on and breaking the boxes underneath and an inexperienced
man may erect or work them without trouble or difficulty.
5. A great saving of water as all the water put into the boxes becoming frozen
there is no waste and as the boxes are turned up or over to allow the ice to come
out any sediment left in the box falls out, consequently they require no washing.

page_text: 6. A saving in steam power to work the whole plant, the boxes being balanced
on a centre require but little power to work them, compared with the usual
agitation blades which may be likened to as many oars propelling a boat and
which I dispense with altogether.
7. The facility for regulating the supply according to the demand by being able 5
to work a greater or less number of boxes as may be required from time to time.
Dated thin Ath day of Ontaban 1996