Improvements in the Mode of Applying Mechanical Refrigeration for the Preservation of Alimentary and other Substances and in Apparatus or Means Employed therein.
Year: 1887

page_text: Improvements in the Mode of Applying Mechanical Refrigeration
for the Preservation of Alimentary and other Substances and in
Apparatus or Means Employed therein.
We WILLIAM LAWRENCE WILLIAMS of 3 Victoria Street, in the City of
Westminster Civil Engineer, and SAMUEL PUPLETT, of Westmoors, Knowle, in the
County of Warwick, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Our invention is chiefly intended to overcome the difficulties experienced in the
conveyance of meat between the chill rooms either on land or on board the import
vessels and the stores or markets from whence the meat is distributed and to prevent
the loss and deterioration which results from the partial thawing of the meat in
transit.
We effect these objects by the use of refrigerated chambers or chill rooms apart or
capable of being separated from the source of refrigeration and of being carried about
on wheels, in barges or in any other convenient way.
We establish the refrigerating machinery on land or on board a vessel or lighter
as is most convenient. Any suitable system of mechanical refrigeration may be
adopted in carrying out our Invention but by preference we employ what is known
as the Ammonia compression apparatus described in the specifications to patents
granted to one of us the said Samuel Puplett and numbered 12,541, 12,542, 12,543
of 1884. This apparatus is fitted with suitable connections as hereinafter described.
The portable or floating chambers (railway trucks, vans, lighters and the like) which
are also fitted with suitable connections as hereinafter explained, are brought up
alongside as required, and are connected with the refrigerating machinery, with which
we reduce to a low temperature a non-congealable liquid (generally brine) which we
cause to circulate by means of pumps or other suitable apparatus through coils of
pipes fixed at the top of insulated compartments in the said portable or floating
chambers, in the manner hereinafter described, and when the portable chambers and
their contents are reduced to the desired temperature, they are conveyed or moved to
their destination, and their places taken by other similar chambers and so on in
succession as often as required.

page_text: The connections may be arranged in the following manner, viz.:-
To the inlet of the refrigerator of the ammonia compression machine we attach a
pipe or receptacle having two or more branches to which we attach by means of swivel
unions, flexible pipes fitted with union joints, these pipes we throughly insulate with
felt or other well known substance being a bad conductor of heat; the union joints
engage with suitable connections fixed on to the outlet ends of the coils of pipes in
the portable chambers. To the inlet ends of the same coils we attach similar flexible
pipes with swivel unions, these pipes are connected with the refrigerator tank of the
ammonia compression apparatus below the level of the brine therein. To the outlet
of the refrigerator we attach the suction pipe of the circulating pumps-The upward
movement of the buckets in the circulating pumps creates a vacuum in the refrigerator
and in the coils of pipes in the portable chambers which can only be filled by the
brine from the refrigerator tank, and owing to this vacuum the pressure of the atmo-
sphere upon the brine in the refrigerator tank forces the brine up the last described
flexible inlet pipe and through the coils of pipe in the portable chambers from whence
it passes by means of the first described Hexible pipe into the refrigerator and is
discharged from thence by the circulating pumps into the refrigerator tank again.
This cycle of operations is repeated until the desired temperature is obtained in the
portable chambers.
It will be seen that by means of the flexible pipes and connections the portable
chambers can be speedily connected and detached, without requiring any nice adjust-
ment, and that provision is thereby made for any difference of motion between two or
more vessels moored together and that by means of one set of refrigerating apparatus
any number of portable or floating chambers may be refrigerated.
In some cases in lieu of the portable chambers being moved to the refrigerating
machinery, the. latter may be placed on board a vessel or lighter and moved to such
places as the portable chambers may be situate at, for the time being, or both methods
may be employed if desired.
TLC Daraha 1907
THOS. J. HANDFORD,
50, Bedford Row, London, W.C.,
Agent.

page_text: Improvements in the Mode of Applying Mechanical Refrigeration
for the Preservation of Alimentary and other Substances and in
Apparatus or Means Employed therein.
We WILLIAM LAWRENCE WILLIAMS of 3 Victoria Street in the City of
Westminster, Civil Engineer and SAMUEL PUPLETT of Westmoors, Knowle in the
County of Warwick, 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 :-
Our invention is chiefly intended to overcome the difficulties experienced in the
conveyance of meat and other perishable provisions, between the chill rooms, either
on land or on board the import vessels, and the stores or markets, whence the meat
and provisions are distributed; and to prevent the loss and deterioration, which
result from the partial thawing of the meat and provisions in transit-We effect these
objects by the use of refrigerated chambers or chill rooms, (hereinafter termed
portable or floating refrigerated chambers") apart, or capable of being separated
from the source of refrigeration, and capable of being carried about on wheels, in
barges, or in any other convenient manner.
In order that the said Invention may be perfectly understood, we shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the accompanying sheets of drawings, the same letters of reference,
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) of the accompanying drawings is a general plan (partly in
section) representing a refrigerating apparatus and portable or floating refrigerated
chambers connected therewith-Figure 2 (Sheet 2) is a sectional elevation of the
same corresponding to Figure 1-Figures 3 and 3ª are enlarged views illustrating in
elevation two modifications of swivel connections with insulated flexible pipes which
may be employed.
In carrying out our invention, we establish the refrigerating apparatus on land
(in a building), or on board a lighter, barge or other vessel, or on a railway truck or
other conveyance as is most convenient-Any suitable system of mechanical
refrigeration may be adopted, but by preference we employ what is known as the
Ammonia Compression Apparatus, described in the specifications to patents granted
to one of us the said Samuel Puplett, and numbered respectively 12541, 12542.
and 12543. of the year 1884-A represents an example of this apparatus with its
Refrigerator B, Motor C, Compressor D and Condenser E. This apparatus, in
carrying the presont invention into effect, is fitted with suitable connections as herein
after described-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, represent portable or floating refrigerated chambers,
which may consist of railway trucks, or vans, (for example) carrying refrigerated
chambers or chill rooms, as shewn at 1, 2, 3, or lighters or other vessels, fitted un
with refrigerated chambers or chill rooms, as indicated at 4, 5, or any other suitable
conveyance provided with refrigerated chambers, or chill. rooms. . These portable or..

page_text: floating refrigerated chambers are also fitted with suitable connections as hereinafter
explained.
In the operation of the invention, the portable or floating refrigerated chambers,
are brought up alongside as required, and are connected with the refrigerating
apparatus A, which we employ to reduce to a low temperature a non-congealable
liquid (generally brine) which we cause to circulate, by means of pumps or other
suitable apparatus, through coils or series of pipes, fixed at the top or on the sides of
insulated compartments in the said portable or floating refrigerated chambers, in the
manner hereinafter described, and when the portable or floating refrigerated chambers,
or any of them, and their contents, are reduced to the desired temperature, they are
disconnected from the refrigerating apparatus, and are conveyed or removed to their
destination, and their places taken by other similar chambers, and so on in succession
as often as required.
The connections may be arranged in the following manner viz :-
To the inlet a of the refrigerator B, of the apparatus A, we attach a pipe or
receptacle, having two or more branches c, c, c, to which we attach by means of
swivel connections d, d, d, (with or without a stop valvo h, see details Figures 3
and 3) flexible pipes e, e, e, fitted with union joints or flanges-These pipes we
thoroughly insulate with felt, or other well known substance, which is a bad conductor
of heat-The union joints or flanges engage with similar swivel connections d', d', d',
fixed on to the outlet ends of the coils or series of pipes fff in the portable or
floating refrigerated chambers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-To the inlet ends of the coils or series of
pipes we attach similar swivel connections d², d², d², and insulated flexible
pipes e, e¹, e¹. Communicating with the refrigerator tank 11 of the apparatus A,
below the level of the brine therein, is a pipe or receptacle, having two or more
branches, c, c, to which we attach by means of swivel connections ³, d³, d³, the
free ends of the insulated flexible pipes e, e, e¹. To the outlet g. of the refrigerator B,
we attach the suction pipe of the circulating pumps F, F, F-The movement of the
buckets of the circulating pumps, creates a vacuum in the refrigerator B, in the insu-
lated flexible pipes, and in the coils, or series of pipes f, ff, in the portable or floating
refrigerated chambers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, which can only be filled by the brine from the
refrigerator tank, and owing to this vacuum, the pressure of the atmosphere upon the
brine in the refrigerator tank, forces the brine up the insulated flexible inlet
pipes e, el, e, and through the coils or series of pipes f, ff, in the portable or floating
refrigerated chambers, whence it passes by means of the insulated flexible pipes e, e, e,
through the pipe or receptacle b, into the refrigerator B, and is thence discharged by
the circulating pumps F, F, F, into the refrigerator tank B, again-This cycle of
operations, is repeated until the desired temperature is obtained in the portable or
floating refrigerated chambers.
It is sometimes couvenient to attach the delivery pipe of the circulating pumps to
the inlet of the refrigerator, and the outlet of the refrigerator to the coils, or series of
pipes, in the portable or floating refrigerated chambers, and to force the brine
through the coils, or series of pipes, instead of drawing it through as before
described.
It will be seen, that by means of the insulated flexible pipes and connections, the
portable or floating refrigerated chambers can be speedily connected and detached,
without requiring any nice adjustment; and that provision is thereby made, for any
difference of motion between two or more vessels moored together, or between one
or more vessels and an apparatus situate on land; and that by means of one set of
refrigerating apparatus, any number of portable or floating refrigerated chambers
may he cooled.
In some cases, in lieu of the portable or floating refrigerated chambers being moved
to the refrigerating apparatus, the latter when placed on board a lighter or other
vessel, or other suitable conveyance, as herein before described may be moved to such
places, as the portable or floating refrigerated chambers may be situate at for the time
being, or both methods may be employed if desired, the same arrangement of the
apparatus being maintained.: ..

page_text: In the event of what is known as a cold air machine being employed as the means
of refrigeration, swivel connections and insulated flexible pipes, similar to those
already described, are attached to the outlet and the inlet air trunks of the cold air
machine, and to corresponding swivel connections fixed direct on to the roofs or sides
of the portable or floating refrigerated chambers, and the cold air is circulated through
the same directly from the cold air machine.
It is obvious that the details of the swivel connections and insulated flexible pipes
may be varied, and that when difference of motion between the refrigerating apparatus
and the portable or floating refrigerated chambers has not to be compensated for,
other suitable pipes and connections may be substituted for flexible pipes and swivel
connections.
It should be understood that by the term "mechanical refrigeration
as used in
this our specification is intended, any system of refrigeration in which cold is
artificially produced and applied by means of suitable apparatus, and it includes the
production of cold by the use of any of the well known freezing mixtures or agents,
or by the circulation of a non-congealable liquid, or of air, through ice.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
The employment in combination with refrigerating apparatus, carried on board a
lighter or other suitable vessel or conveyance or situate on land, of portable or floating
refrigerated chambers, that is to say, refrigerated chambers or chill rooms, apart or
capable of being separated from the said refrigerating apparatus and capable of being
carried about on wheels or in barges or other vessels or in any other convenient
manner, for the conveyance of alimentary or other substances from the primary chill
rooms to the stores or markets or places of distribution, such refrigerating apparatus
and portable or floating refrigerated chambers being provided with suitable con-
nections for their attachment and detachment to and from each other, all substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
Dated th: 941 d... of Canto 1000
THOS. J. HANDFORD,
50, Bedford Row, London, W.C.,
Agent.