Year: 1886

page_text: We, JOHN CONACHER, a citizen of Great Britain residing at Windsor, in England
gentleman, and OWEN LLOYD WILLIAMS, a citizen of Great Britain, residing at
Athens, in the County of Clarke, and State of Georgia, in the United States of
America, but now of 61 Grosvenor Road Pimlico London gentleman 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:
This invention relates to a machine for producing artificial ice or cold air by
means of sulphuric acid or other analogous liquid having great affinity for water or
its vapor; and its objects are to improve the construction and operation of the
machine; and to these ends it consists in certain novel features which will be
hereinafter described and then specifically pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings:-
-
Figure, 1, represents a side view of a refrigerating machine constructed in
accordance with this invention, with some of the parts in longitudinal vertical
section.
Figure, 2, is a longitudinal vertical section of the pump.
Figure, 3, is a horizontal section of the pump.
Figure, 4, is a side view of the tripping rod.
The apparatus consists of a double acting pump, A.
The piston of this pump, A, is operated by the crank, a, upon the shaft, a¹,
carrying the fly wheel, a². Into the body of the pump there is introduced through
the trap cylinder, A¹, a charge of mercury, of petroleum oil or of any other liquid,
that will not throw off any material amount of vapor under a vacuum at ordinary
atmospheric temperature. The lower end of the trap cylinder A¹ is by a small pipe
fitted with a tap n connected with the barrel of the pump A.
The suction pipes of the pump are connected by means of pipes, b, b, with a large
horizontal iron pipe or cylinder, B, that is lined with lead and charged about two
thirds full with sulphuric acid of, 60°, density. A pipe, C, leads from the top of
the cylinder, B, into the upper end of a sheet iron tank, D, and a branch of said
pipe has a series of spouts entering the next of a series of water bottles or
caraffes, E, and communication with either one or all of which, is effected by
means of cocks, e, upon the above stated spouts or upon the pipes connecting them
with the cylinder, B.
This cylinder, B, is enclosed in an iron cylinder, F, of sufficient diameter and
length to enclose the cylinder, B, and leave space for water to surround the last
named cylinder, and said cylinder has caps, F¹, secured on both ends, and the latter
are provided with pipes, f, and, f¹, controlled by cocks through which, water is
conducted in, or removed from the cylinder, F. The top of this cylinder is also

page_text: provided with a steam safety valve, fs, to regulate the temperature of the water
therein. A furnace, G, preferably of sheet iron extends the whole length of the
pipe, F, and is provided with a smoke pipe, H, at the rear end.
The side walls of this furnace extend along the side of the pipe, F, and enclose
fully two thirds of its surface, leaving only one third on top uncovered. Connected
by means of a rubber or other pipe to the section pipe, b, of the pump is a glass
tube, i, secured vertically to a board, I.
The lower end of the tube, i, stands in a bottle of mercury and upon the board
are marked the inches above the mercury in the bottle, from, 25, to, 30, and sub-
divisions, to indicate the vacuum made in the apparatus. The section pipe, b, is
enclosed the most of its length in a pipe, K, through which water is made to
circulate to cool its contents. The apparatus can be made to operate intermittently
as follows:-
The valve, d, controlling the inlet pipes leading to the tank, D, and the valves, e,
to the bottles, E, being closed, the 'pump is started, and a vacuum is produced in
the pipes, b, B, C, and tank D. When a high vacuum is produced, as will be
indicated by the mercury gauge, the inlet, valve, d, upon the pipe leading from a
reservoir of water to the tank, D, is partially opened; ; the water flows in under
the influence of the vacuum, and its vapor being rapidly absorbed by the sulphuric
acid in the cylinder B, the water rapidly freezes in the tank, D.
In like manner if the water bottles, E, are partially filled with water and
attached to the pipe, C, as shown and their connecting valves opened, the water
contained therein will be quickly congealed. During this operation water is
introduced and made to circulate into the space between the cylinders, B, and, F,
by means of the inlet pipes, f, and is discharged by the outlet pipe, f¹, so as to
keep the sulphuric acid cool.
When the acid has absorbed so much of the watery vapor that it requires to be
reconcentrated, the valves on the water pipes, f¹, f, connecting with the cylinder, F,
are closed after about one fourth of the water contained in said cylinder has been
drained off. Fire is then started in the furnace, G, under said cylinder, and when
the safety valve, f³, or any other pressure indicator on top of the cylinder shows a
pressure of about, 50, lbs. of steam per square inch, the pump, A, is operated and
under the vacuum formed thereby and the temperature due to the above stated
pressure of steam, the watery vapor becomes separated from the acid, and passes
through the pipe, b. During this part of the operation water is allowed to flow
through the sleeve, K, surrounding the pipe, b, and nearly all the distilled vapor or
steam is condensed before reaching the pump.
The condensed steam discharged into the trap cylinder, A, of the pump can be
drawn off by pet cock, m, and the quantity drawn off measured or ascertained, and
when it is found that as much water has been drawn off as was absorbed by the
acid in the freezing process, it is known that the acid is again concentrated suffi-
ciently for again commencing the freezing operation. If the liquid employed in the
pump is mercury, the condensed steam discharged into the trap cylinder is drawn
off by the pet cock, m, on the side of said cylinder.
If petroleum or other liquid lighter than water is used the condensed steam is
drained from the lower end of the trap cylinder by means of a pipe inside of the
trap cylinder attached to pet cock, m, the lower end of the pipe reaching to near
the bottom of trap cylinder. In the latter case the upper end of the pipe, n,
forming the communication between the trap cylinder and the pump is lengthened
inside of said cylinder so as to rise above the water in the bottom of that vessel,
and a return bend can be attached on said upper end so as to prevent water from
being drawn into the pump.
The suction valves, P, in the top of the cylinders, A, of the pump are opened at
the beginning of each stroke by being pressed down by the rods, p, operated by
the walking beam, M, carrying a pendant lever, M¹, to which motion is conveyed
by means of the horizontal rod, M³, through the trippers, m², pivoted to said
rod, and pressed down by the spring, m³, so that a pin, n², attached to the cross

page_text: head, N³, of the piston rod, N, pushes them and the rod, M³, a certain distance
(in practice, about 4, of an inch) at the beginning of each stroke, and until the
trippers pass over the stationary blocks, q, which elevate their outer end above the
cross head pin and stops the motion of the rod, M², the trippers remaining elevated
in that position until the cross head pin reaches the end of its stroke and begins
to move back, when a similar motion is imparted in the opposite direction, the
rod, M³, being retained parallel with the piston rod by the guide, Q.
By thus opening the suction valves the air in the vessels to be exhausted is
rarified to the same degree as the air inside the pump and thus a higher vacuum is
attained than if the valves were opened only by the difference in pressure on each
side of these valves. At each stroke of the pump piston a minute quantity of oil
is passed into the pump barrel through the tap n and up through the delivery
valves which are thereby liquid sealed thus ensuring absolute discharge of all
vapours or air.
The walking beam is supported on bearings, A³, secured to the trap cylinder, A¹.
The ends of the walking beam have slots to receive the pins that support the
vertical rods, p, and enable the latter to maintain a perpendicular position at any
part of the stroke and while operating upon the stems of the valves, P. The
rods, p, pass through the stuffing boxes r, on top of which are oil cups, R, which
are kept supplied with oil to prevent air being drawn into the pump.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The combination of a pump having two vertical cylinders and between them a
trap cylinder connected therewith, and a lead lined cylinder having inlet and outlet
pipes, with a pipe uniting the latter cylinder to the pump, substantially as and for
the purpose described.
2. The combination of a pump, a lead lined cylinder connected by a pipe with
said pump, a water holding jacket for said pipe, and a water holding jacket for the
lead lined cylinder, with a furnace under the latter jacket, substantially as and for
the purpose described.
3. The combination of a pump, a lead lined cylinder connected by a pipe with
said
pump, a water holding cylinder enclosing the lead lined cylinder and a furnace
under said water cylinder with a pipe leading from the top of the lead lined cylinder
and a tank or water holding vessel, substantially as described.
4. The combination of the two vertical cylinders, A, of a pump and the spring
valves in the top thereof with the walking beam, M, and the pendent rods, p,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
5. The combination of the two vertical cylinders, A, of a pump and the spring
valves in the top thereof, with the walking beam, M, having the pendent rod, M',
in its centre, the rod M2, parallel with the piston rod, trippers, m², pivoted to the
rod, M, and the piston rod carrying the pin, n², substantially as and for the purpose
described.