Improvements in or connected with Cooling Air in Refrigerating Apparatus or Machinery.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Mar, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 28th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 26th Mar., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Cooling Air in Refrigerating
Apparatus or Machinery.
I, ALEXANDER JOHN ADAMSON, of 10, Rice Hey Road, Egremont, in the County
of Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention has reference to refrigerating machinery or apparatus for cool-
ing air, to be used for refrigerative purposes, as the preservation of meat, fish, and
other perishable substances; and it has primarily for its object to provide a
simple and inexpensive, and yet efficient apparatus, for effecting the cooling of
such air.
The type or kind of apparatus to which the invention belongs is that in which
the cooling of the air is effected by passing it over cold brine, that is extended
free surfaces of cold brine; and according to this invention, these cold brine
surfaces are afforded by films or sheets of brine falling over the surfaces of hori-
zontal pipes arranged one upon the other, the cold brine films being supplied from
the uppermost pipes of the walls of pipes, while the low temperature of the falling
brine in its travel over the pipes is maintained by passing some of the cooling
brine through the pipes.
A number of these cold brine walls are arranged and exist side by side, with
spaces for the air between them, and at either end of each wall there is a vertical
header, to which the pipe ends are connected, and by which they are supported.
The connection of the pipes with the headers is effected by tie-rods passed through
the headers and some of the tubes, at required distances apart down the wall.
When these tie-rods are drawn up by nuts, the ends of the tubes coming against
the headers, or fitting over nipples or the like, a sufficient support for the tubes is
provided, and a sufficiently good joint is so effected. In one convenient form
the headers are flat on their inside faces, and pointed-say of triangular form, or
rounded at their outer edges. A space exists between each of the headers of each
wall for the entrance and discharge of air.
The brine, circulated through the pipes, is passed through sets of such pipes to
and fro, or from one header to the other direct, through all the pipes of each
wall; and the headers are supplied with cold brine from a common main, say at
their upper ends; and some of this brine passes through the tubes below the
uppermost, while the other passes into and is discharged from the upper side of
the uppermost tube of each wall. The discharge takes place through a longi-
tudinal slot therein, or holes; the supply to them being regulated by a cock on
each, through which the brine passes to them from the headers.
The above parts are conveniently disposed upon and above a cold brine tank,
from which the brine supply is taken, and to which the discharge, both from
within the pipes, and that from outside them, is returned; the outlet from the
tubes being regulated by taps on the headers of the several walls at the point of
discharge. This cold brine is kept in the cold state either by cooling pipes immersed
in it, or by some artificial cooling means outside it, by which it is cooled.

page_text: The cooling surfaces and parts are enclosed in a suitable case; and at the front
end a suitable fan or other forcing means is' provided to introduce and force the air
to be cooled through the apparatus.
To cause the deposit of any brine taken up and carried by the air, a dry cold
surface is provided as usual; this being provided by arranging the latter end of
the tubes as dry walls, i.e. without the external fall of brine over them.
Dated this 26th day of March
1807
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Applicant's Patent Agents, 15, Water Street, Liverpool.
Improvements in or connected with Cooling Air in Refrigerating
Apparatus or Machinery.
I, ALEXANDER JOHN ADAMSON, of 10, Rice Hey Road, Egremont, in the County
of Chester, 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:-
This invention, has reference to refrigeration machinery or apparatus for cool-
ing air, to be used for refrigerative purposes, as the preservation of meat, fish, and
other perishable substances; and it has, primarily, for its object to provide a
simple and inexpensive, and yet efficient apparatus, for effecting the cooling of
such air.
The type or kind of apparatus to which the invention belongs is that in which
the cooling of the air is effected by passing it over cold brine, that is extended
free surfaces of cold brine; and, according to this invention, these cold brine
surfaces are afforded by films or sheets of brine falling over the surfaces of hori-
zontal pipes arranged one upon the other, the cold brine films being supplied from
the uppermost pipes of the walls of pipes, while the low temperature of the falling
brine, in its travel over the pipes, is maintained by passing some of the cooling
brine through the pipes.
A number of these cold brine walls are arranged and exist side by side, with
spaces for the air between them, and, at either end of each wall, there is a. vertical
header, to which the pipe ends are connected, and by which they are supported.
The connection of the pipes with the headers is effected by tie-rods passed through
the headers, and some of the tubes, at required distances apart down the wall.
When these tie-rods are drawn up by nuts, the ends of the tubes coming against
the headers, or fitting over nipples or the like, a sufficient support for the tubes is
provided, and a sufficiently good joint is so effected. In one convenient form,
the headers are flat on their inside faces, and pointed-say of triangular form, or
rounded at their outer edges. A space exists between each of the headers of each
wall for the entrance and discharge of air.
The brine, circulated through the pipes, is passed through sets of such pipes to
and fro, or from one header to the other direct, through all the pipes of each
wall; and the headers are supplied with cold brine from a common main, say at
their upper side; and some of this brine passes through the tubes below the
uppermost, while the other passes into and is discharged from the upper side of
the uppermost tube of each wall.. The discharge takes place through a longi-
tudinal slot therein, or holes; the supply to them being regulated by a cock on
each, through which the brine passes to them from the headers.
The above parts are conveniently disposed upon and above a cold brine tank,
from which the brine supply is taken, and to which the discharge, both from
within the pipes, and that from outside them, is returned; the outlet from the

page_text: tubes being regulated by taps on the headers of the several walls at the point of
discharge. This cold brine is kept in the cold state either by cooling pipes immersed
in it, or by some artificial cooling means outside it, by which it is cooled.
The cooling surfaces and parts are enclosed in a suitable case; and at the front
end a suitable fan or other forcing means is provided to introduce and force the air
to be cooled through the apparatus.
To cause the deposit of any brine taken up and carried by the air, a dry cold
surface is provided as usual; and this may be provided by arranging the latter end
of the tubes as dry walls, i.e. without the external fall of brine over them.
The drawings hereto annexed illustrate the invention, the nature of which is
above described. In these drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional eleva-
tion, and Figure 2 is a cross section; while Figures 3 and 4 are sectional elevation,
and back elevation, respectively, of one of the headers.
Referring to the drawings, a are the tubes, a being the uppermost, which is
provided with a slot opening all along its upper surface, and through which cold
brine or liquid is discharged. bb' are the vertical headers, to which the pipes a
are connected. As shewn by the drawings, there are a series of the headers
arranged side by side, with an air space between them. Connected with the upper
ends of the headers b, there is a brine supply main e, common to all of them, and
through which they are all supplied with liquor. Below the tubes a, and
headers bb, the cold brine tank is disposed, and on which they are supported.
This tank may be open at the top; and has within it, tubes e, through which the
cooling fluidas expanded ammonia or other fluid-is circulated; and by which
it is maintained at the required temperature. This tank has a branch d', through
which the brine is drawn, and forced into the upper common main distributing
main c; this being effected by a suitable pump.
The whole apparatus is enclosed in a suitable casing f, at one end of which a
fan gis provided, and by means of which the air to be cooled is introduced, and
forced through the several air spaces between the headers and walls of tubes.
One form of header is shewn in Figures 3 and 4; and this consists of a
narrow hollow casting, provided in its inner face with holes 2, and sockets b³
round them, in which the ends of the tubes a sit; a rubber or other suitable
washer being provided in such sockets, against which the ends of the tubes
come, and by which water tight joints, between the headers and the tubes, are
made. These headers are also provided with horizontal partitions 65, dividing the
headers into a plurality of separate chambers, and so arranged that the cold brine
or liquor is first caused to flow through a certain number of tubes from the
header b, to the header b', then back against b, and so on to and fro through sets
of tubes to the bottom of the outlet header b, where it is discharged into the tank d
below, through the opening 66; which has upon it a tap for controlling the flow,
thereby enabling the amount of liquid flowing through the tubes to be controlled,
and equalized throughout.
The upper tube a, having the slot in its upper part is shewn in Figure 3, and
the entrance hole to this tube is shewn provided with a screwed plug b, which
projects through the back of the headers. By means of this screwed plug the
amount of cold brine distributed to the tubes al is controlled, and consequently the
amount showered over the tube walls regulated.
The backs of the headers bb are provided with holes 68, opposite some of the
holes 2; and through these holes, and the tubes opposite them, tie rods are passed;
and by nuts on their ends, the two sets of headers are drawn up towards each
other, and pressed onto the ends of the tubes a, thereby bringing about a water
tight joint between these two parts, through the washers 4.
The headers band ', at the opposite ends of the apparatus are held laterally
together by bolts passed through holes in the upper bosses 69, and the lower
portions 60; and these parts are made of such a width that, when the adjacent heads
are drawn up and touch each other, the air spaces of the required width, between
the several tube walls, are provided.

page_text: The general action is, that the cold brine from the tank d is forced into the
common main c, and from this main it is distributed to the upper compartments of
the several headers b. A part of this brine is distributed to the uppermost slotted
tubes a, and the rest passed through the other tubes a communicating with this
header compartment, to the upper compartment of the other headers 61, and thence
back through a lower set of tubes a, to b; and so on, backwards and forwards, to
the lowermost compartment of the headers; from whence it passes by the regulating
cocks on the discharge openings 66. The brine which is supplied to the upper
tubes a, discharges through the slot in the upper part of these tubes, and flows
down on either side, producing a wall of falling brine, which eventually falls into
the tank d.
The air moved by the fan g, in passing through the narrow spaces between the
cold brine walls, flows in contact with this falling brine, and so transfers some of
its heat to the colder brine, and is cooled ; and this heat, in turn,
is transferred to the cold brine in the pipes a, and so the falling and active cooling
brine is maintained at the required low temperature, throughout its flow from the
uppermost, to the bottom, of the tubes «; and a uniform cooling effect upon the
air is produced at all parts of the apparatus.
The brine which falls into the tank d, is re-cooled by the pipes e containing the
cooling fluid, to which its heat is transferred.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
--
1. In refrigerating apparatus, an air cooling apparatus, comprising a series of walls
of falling cooling liquid, and spaces between them, through which the air to be
cooled is passed; and pipes within said walls of falling liquid, through which
cold liquid is passed, and by which said falling liquid is maintained at a low
temperature substantially as set forth.
2. Apparatus for cooling air for refrigeration, comprising a series of vertical
headers at each end, and vertical rows of tubes extending between said headers,
and communicating with them; the upper tubes of the rows being open, or
having openings, through which some of the cooling liquid supplied to the headers
is discharged, and falls down said tubes and the other portion of the cooling
liquid supplied being circulated through the tubes below; substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
3. In apparatus for cooling air, the headers, and pipes a, fitted to, and held
in said headers; substantially as set forth.
4. The refrigerating apparatus, having parts arranged, combined, and adapted
to operate, as set forth with reference to and shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of the
drawings.
5. The refrigeration headers, constructed and adapted particularly as set forth
with reference to and shewn in Figures 3, and 4, of the drawings.
Dated this 24th day of December 1897.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Applicant's Patent Agents, 15, Water Street, Liverpool.