Improvements connected with the use of Compressed Air for Producing Electric Light and Cold.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMIDELE STOLNICATION.
Improvements connected with the use of Compressed Air for
Producing Electric Light and Cold.
I, ERNEST BAZIN, of Rue Guillaume Tell, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying three sheets
of drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The object of my invention is to combine certain mechanical appliances and other
objects in special ways for the purpose of obtaining simultaneously electric light
and cold, or, in some cases, cold, that is to say reduction of temperature or
refrigerating effect only, by the use of compressed air; it being understood that in
both cases the available cold is obtained by the expansion of the air after it has
performed mechanical work, and by successive exhaust pulsations or puffs. Two
methods of applying compressed air complete between them a system of day and
night service, as for example the supply, to the premises of users of electric light
and cold at night, and of cold only by day.
The arrangements for producing electric light and cold simultaneously consist of
a compressed air engine driving a dynamo for supplying current to electric lamps
and the exhaust from which produces, by reason of the expansion of the air, the
cold to be utilized in safes, cold store-rooms, concentrators of cold and other places
where it is desired to obtain a low temperature.
For producing cold without light, I employ an automatic distribution or delivery
cylinder of the Pilon" kind which may be of vertical or horizontál construction,
the object of which is to distribute or deliver, by its alternating mechanical motion,
the compressed air not as a continuous jet of air but in a regular intermittent
manner the expansion of the air that produces the cold always taking place by and
after escape or exhaust from the working cylinder.
In the first case above described, the compressed air produces electric light and
cold simultaneously by the use of a compressed air engine, and in the second case
cold only by the use of a simple automatic distributor or delivering apparatus of
special construction to be used more particularly in the day time or when the electric
light is not required.
In the drawings hereto annexed,
Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through the centre of a compressed air
engine.
Figure 2 is a vertical section taken through the centre of the automatic distributor
or delivering apparatus, and
Figures 3 and 4 form together a general plan of the apparatus.
The apparatus and other appliances that I employ consist essentially of a vertical
or other suitable compressed air engine A furnished with the usual accessories
including a Damey or other suitable governor V V to ensure regular motion.
This compressed air engine gives motion to the dynamo 13 by means of the shaft C
and two strap pullies D E. F is a refrigerating safe or other cold store formed of
sheet iron, or wood, and consisting of three cases placed inside one another and
closed at top. Between the two first or outer cases is placed ground charcoal or
other insulating material to prevent radiation as much as possible. The innermost
case, in which are placed the articles to be preserved or frozen, is placed and
supported so as to leave between it and the insulating material a space in which the
pulsations or puffs of air escaping or exhausting from the engine expand and circulate.
This cold air may then be allowed to escape into the atmosphere by the cock G, or
it may be conveyed by the pipes H I J to the concentrators of cold K, or to rooms

page_text: where pipes and concentrators are placed as may be required. If preferred the
cold air may be delivered direct to the concentrators and rooms by the exhaust
pipe L without passing through the refrigerating safes. M represents the pipe
conducting the compressed air from the compressing station where it is preferably
made as dry as possible. N the supply cock. O the meter for measuring the
quantity of compressed air expended. the admission cock for compressed air to
the engine A. (see Figures 3 and 4) is the air admission cock for the automatic
distributor R employed when the electric light is not required.
A pipe S leads the exhaust from this distributor into a second refrigerating safe
or directly to other rooms or places where it may be required. This second safe is
constructed, and has its pipes and other accessories arranged, in the same manner
as that indicated by the letter F in Figure 1.
A pipe T may be arranged if desired to lead the exhaust air from the automatic
distributor R to the interior of a third refrigerating safe U intended for the manu-
facture of ices and sherbets and for general freezing purposes, the expansion of
the air taking place directly upon or in contact with the objects to be cooled
therein.
The exhaust cones A¹ terminates in indiarubber cylinders A² in order to avoid
vibration and to neutralize the noise of the exhaust, and by the use of a sheet of
indiarubber A³ placed on the inner case and in front of the cone the shock and
noise of the air exhausting from the engine A or from the automatic distributor R
is still further reduced.
The delivery of the exhaust air into the space between the casings of the safes
prevents the contact of the compressed air, which sometimes contains moisture, with
the articles to be preserved, and effects the deposit of such moisture, if any, on the
sides of the space between the safe casings before it can reach other rooms or places
where a cooling effect is required.
Figure 2 of the drawings is a sectional elevation of the automatic distributor R
which is shown placed horizontally but it may be placed vertically. This apparatus
consists of a cylinder W in which is a working piston W with a prolonged piston
rod W2 to secure efficient guidance. At one end of the piston rod is fixed an
arm W³ carrying a slide-block or a friction roller which takes into the curved
slot Win one arm of a lever W which turns on a fulcrum at W. The other arm
of the lever W³ is connected to the slide valve rod by links as shown so that as the
· piston W moves to and fro in its cylinder W, the slide-block or roller on the
arm W³ traverses the curved slot W, causing the lever W' to oscillate and to move
the slide valve so as to govern the admission and exhaust of air to and from the
cylinder W.
A starting lever arm R¹ serves to set this automatic compressed air distributing
or delivery apparatus in motion. This compressed air has to expand to produce
the cold, but after performing mechanical work, and by successive pulsations or
puffs of the escaping air. The air on escaping goes to the refrigerating safes or
directly to the other rooms to be cooled in the manner before described, 'and
illustrated in Figure 1 in respect of the compressed air engine.
The refrigerating safes should be thoroughly well insulated and be closed by
means of closely-fitting covers to prevent radiation as much as possible. The con-
centrators Kare sheet iron receivers of cylindrical or other suitable form teriminating
in a dome or otherwise with grated or other openings. In the interior of these
receivers are placed perforated discs or plates in the form of gratings to collect and
concentrate the cold which the air in its passage communicates to them. On these
discs or plates inay be placed sawdust or any other matter having a 'final drying
action on the air.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The supply and admission cocks N and P being opened, the air engine A is set
in motion and drives the dynamo B3 which supplies the current necessary for feeding
the electric lamps. The meter O registers the quantity of compressed air used.
The exhaust takes place from the engine by successive pulsations or puff's in the

page_text: usual way and the expansion of the air reduces the temperature of the same,
producing cold which is available for cooling other bodies with which the air may
be brought in contact. By this arrangement therefore both electric light and cold
are produced simultaneously. The action of the automatic distributor R is simpler,
as it only produces cold. By means of the lever R' the apparatus R is set in
motion and the speed is regulated by means of the cock Q. The slide valve admits
air to and exhausts it from the cylinder regularly and the exhaust takes place from
the apparatus by successive pulsations or puffs of the compressed air which then
expands completely, producing cold in the safes and other places to which it may
be admitted, acting in fact in a manner similar to that explained with reference to
the exhaust from the air engine A.
It will be understood that a direct exhaust from the air engine A. into the safe U
may also be provided, by means of a branch from the exhaust pipe of the said
engine as well as the exhaust from the automatic distributor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the game is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
First The arrangement of apparatus whereby electric light and a cooling effect
can be produced simultaneously, consisting of a compressed air engine arranged,
firstly, to drive a dynamo which supplies current to one or more electric lamps, and
secondly, to deliver its exhaust air into refrigerating safes or other places where
the expansion of the said exhaust air produces a cooling effect as hereinbefore
described, and illustrated in the drawings.
Second The employment, instead of a compressed air engine, of a simple
automatic distributing cylinder of the "Pilon" kind for the purpose of delivering
economically, regularly, and by successive pulsations or puffs, the exhaust compressed
air intended to produce, by its expansion in refrigerating safes and other places, a
reduction of temperature for the preservation of food, freezing and other similar
purposes, as herein before described, and illustrated in the drawings.
Third The use of a conical exhaust passage with indiarubber cylinder and plate
for the purpose of conducting compressed air, without noise or shock, into the space
between the casings of refrigerating safes as herein before described, and illustrated
in the drawings.
Fourth The general arrangement and combination of the compressed air engine,
the automatic air delivering cylinder or distributor, the refrigerating safes and the
concentrators, substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the
drawings.