Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Condensing and Cooling Vapours and Liquids
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1897
Complete Specification' Left, 18th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 18th Dec., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
"Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Condensing and
Cooling Vapours and Liquids."
I, THOMAS FAIRLEY, of East Parade, Leeds, in the County of York, Analytical and
Consulting Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention, is to construct simple 'and efficient apparatus, whereby
vapours and liquids may be quickly cooled with the minimum expenditure of the
cooling agent; and apparatus constructed as hereafter described are of comparatively
small and compact form, which permits of aluminium, silver or platinum being used
in their construction without making the cost prohibitive.
According to my invention, 1 forin a double cone, composed of two metal or other
suitable cones of equal size joined together at their bases, and tubes are connected at
the lower and the upper ends of the said double cone for the purpose of forming an
inlet and an outlet for the cooling agent. Around the double cone above described, a
second double cone is provided, in such a manner as to form a jacket on the exterior
of the first cone; and an inlet is provided at the upper portion of the second cone,
and an outlet is situated at the base of same.
In condensing or cooling vapours, the vapour plays upon the apex of the inner cone,
heating up the small quantity of water just within the apex. The vapour which is
uncondensed at the apex of the inner cone, passes down between the cones meeting
an increased area of cold wet surface, till it reaches the centre of the double cones
when it passes down a diminishing surface to the outlet..
In cases where larger quantities of vapour are required to be treated, I sometimes
employ a third double cone of a more obtuse form than the cone before described, and
the said third cone covers the two first cones, thus forming another jacket. In this case
the cooling agent is supplied through the central cone and the outer jacket, and the
vapour to be condensed is passed through the intermediate jacket. This gives. a
greater cooling surface, and enables the condensing operation to be effected with
greater speed.
In digestions and extractions by means of volatile liquids, the vapours of the
liquid is frequently condensed and the liquid run back to the apparatus. In such
cases the cones may be made single, with the apex placed below, and the upper ends
of the cones are enclosed by means of curved or dome shaped plates. A tube may be
attached to the upper end of the jacket, for the purpose of allowing the escape of air
expanded or displaced by the vapour, and the lower part of the outer cone may be
dispensed with, the cone being attached to the boiler at any suitable position in its
height.
For the simple cooling or refrigeration of liquids, I make the apparatus in an
elongated form, in which case the outer cover would be of cylindrical form and the
interior cones would be tapered in opposite directions. The liquid to be cooled would
be passed through the space between the inner and the intermediate cones, and the
cooling agent would be passed in the opposite direction through the inner cone and
through the space between the intermediate cone and the cylindrical casing.
Although I have described my invention with reference to cones, it must be clearly

page_text: understood that similar forms of triangular or other polygonal pyramidal form may be
employed, and if desired the surfaces of the cones or other contact parts may be fluted,
corrugated or otherwise indented to increase the area of surface or to cause the vapour
to strike more frequently against solid surfaces and thereby promote condensation.
The inflow of vapour may be admitted at a tangent, thus causing same to take a 5
spiral course in its passage through the apparatus.
"Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Condensing and
Cooling Vapours and Liquids."
I, THOMAS FAIRLEY, of East Parade, Leeds, in the County of York, Analytical
and Consulting Chemist, 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 construct simple and efficient apparatus, whereby
vapours, gases or liquids may be quickly cooled without waste of the cooling agent;
and apparatus constructed as hereafter described are smaller and more compact
in form, in proportion to the work done, than those generally used for the purpose,
and may therefore be not only constructed of copper, tin, or other suitable cheap
materials, but also of aluminium, silver, or platinum, without prohibitive cost..
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect, I will proceed to describe same with reference to the accompanying drawing
in which similar letters refer to like parts in all the figures.
According to my invention and with special reference to Figure 1, I make a
double cone, composed preferably of two thin metallic cones A and B joined together
base to base so as to form a liquid tight vessel. The double cone A, B is provided
with inlet and outlet tubes C and D, coming from each apex, by which water or
other cooling agent can circulate through it. Around this double cone A, B is-
jacketed a second double cone E, F, which latter is provided with a tube G, for the
entrance of the vapour to be cooled or condensed between the cones, and a tube H,
for the issue of the condensed liquid. The inlet and outlet tubes C and D, when they are
attached to the cones away from the apex, must be turned up inside to nearly touch the
apex, so as to prevent the cooling agent standing stagnant in the apex.
The angle at the apex of the cones can be varied to give the best results according
to the nature of the vapour to be cooled, thus 60° answers well for the condensation
of steam into water. The cones may be made of different angles as seen in Figure 2,
and the tubes G and H may be made plain or tapered as desired.
The jacketed space between the cones should be as narrow as possible whilst
avoiding back pressure on the apparatus evolving the vapour.
Most of the condensation is done by the small quantity of cooling agent within
the apex of the cone A, just before it leaves the interior of the double cone by way
of the tube D, where its temperature varies according to the relative speed of flow
of the vapour to be cooled. Passing downward from the apex of the cone A, any
uncondensed vapour meets an increasing condensing surface till it comes to the
line of junction of the cones, thus effectually completing the cooling and condensation.
The cone F acts as a funnel for collecting the condensed vapour, or liquid, which
may be further cooled by contact with the inner cone B, and as the space contracts

page_text: towards the lower end it becomes less possible for any uncondensed vapour to exist
in close contact with the cold liquid already condensed.
For a given thickness of material, the conical form is stronger and more permanent
than most others, so that the cost for materials such as silver or platinum used in
constructing the apparatus can be made less than in other forms of condensers by
reducing the thickness of the walls, without undue weakening.
In the laboratory, a block tin apparatus of the form shown in Figure 1,
autogenously soldered, is used for the condensation of steam into distilled water.
This is three inches in diameter at the middle of the double cones having angles
of 60°, and about five inches in height, with a space between the inner and outer
cones of 1/8 inch. This small condenser easily supplies distilled water at the rate
of two or three gallons in seven hours, and could do more if required. It takes the
place of the very large block tin worm condenser, employed in most laboratories.
apparatus of silver could be made still smaller.
An
By enclosing or jacketing the apparatus before described with a third double
cone J, K wider in proportion at the middle than the other cones, as seen at
Figure 3, an extra jacket is provided for the circulation of the cooling agent, and I
thus obtain a more powerful apparatus suitable for use on a larger scale. The side
tubes C, D which supply the inner cone A, B with the cooling agent, have
openings C¹, D¹ into the jacket between the cones E, F and the cones J, K, and
the said openings are adjusted so that the liquid circulates freely through the
inner cones A, B and through the outer space within the cones J, K; or separate
tubes may be employed for the inner cones and for the outer jacket.
The double jacketed cone condenser shewn at Figure 3, may be specially modified
for the refrigeration of fluids, whether liquids or gases, or for the transfer of heat or
cold. If we take one half of this double jacketed cone and widen the annular space
which receives the vapour towards the narrow end, while this space is slightly
contracted towards the other end, we have an apparatus more or less cylindrical
externally but enclosing two concentric conical tubes which taper in opposite
directions, and an apparatus constructed according to this modification is illustrated
at Figure 4. The cooling agent and the fluid to be cooled pass in opposite directions
and the cumulative effect of the conical shape of the inner tubes at the place where
the layers of one liquid are narrowest and the layers of the other liquid are widest in
section, corresponds with the action of the apex of the cone in the other condensers.
At one end of the cooler a small volume of fluid to be cooled meets a relatively large
volume of cooling agent, and at the other end a small volume of cooling agent meets
a large volume of fluid to be cooled. Thus the conditions are the best for the transfer
of heat or of cold from one fluid to another. This effect may be increased by the
mode of connecting the supply and exit tubes of each fluid as shewn in Figure 4
which gives a very efficient application of the principle of the cone condenser at both
ends of the apparatus.
In Figure 5 I have shewn a modified form of my invention for employment where
a reversed condenser. is required, such as for extractions and for other kindred
operations. The upper tube G for the entrance of the vapours to be condensed, is
placed at right angles to the axis of the cones and connects tangentially to the
cone F, and this connection can be clearly seen in the plan at Figure 7. Figure 6
illustrates a similar apparatus to that described with reference to Figure 5 with the
exception that the obtuse cones A and E are replaced by dome surfaces A and E. F1
is a removable portion of the cone F, and C and D are the entrance and outlet for the
cooling agent. This condenser may be used as a direct condenser the vapour entering
at the top and passing spirally round the inner cone B owing to the tangential position
of the entrance tube, and this forms a very compact and convenient condenser for
extractions and other similar work. In using this form of condenser for extractions,
the portion F of the cone F is removed and the lower portion of the cone F is
connected directly with the extraction apparatus.
The various forms of my apparatus are shewn in the drawing to be made with
right cones, but oblique cones could also be used if desired. The angles of the cones

page_text: may be varied to suit varying requirements, and although the various apparatus are
shewn in vertical or horizontal positions they may be employed in any other position
without departing from the nature of my invention.
In each of these apparatus the coues may be trumpet shaped or they may have their
surfaces more or less increased by fluting, corrugating or stamping in any pattern by
mechanical means or by electro deposition. The latter gives a surface well adapted
for the condensation of vapours.
On
These modifications cause a gas or vapour to strike more frequently against solid
surfaces, thereby promoting exchange of temperature, but so far as they simply
increase the surface they are the same in effect as using slightly larger cones.
the other hand they are more difficult to construct and to keep clean, and they retain
more liquid on the uneven surface.
:
In place of round cones having a circular base, pyramids having a triangular or
other polygonal base may be used, but they do not possess any special advantage
over the circular form.
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 condensing and cooling vapours and liquids, the employment
of a cone having a supply of cooling agent passing upwards to its apex where it is
drawn off by means of a suitable tube, in combination with an inlet over the cone
for the passage of the vapour to be condensed and a jacket for confining the vapour
to the cold surface of the cone, substanțially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. The employment of cones or conical. surfaces, whereby two fluids having different
temperatures may be passed in opposite directions and exchange their temperatures
with cumulative effect, substantially as described.
3. The combination of the double cone A, B, inlet and outlet tubes C, D, outer
double cone E, F, inlet G and outlet H, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
4. The construction and arrangement of parts substantially as described with
reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawing.
5. The construction and arrangement of parts substantially as described with
reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawing.
6. The construction and arrangement of parts substantially as described with
reference to Figures 5, 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 18th day of November A.D. 1897.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds. Agents for the Applicant.