Improved Means and Appliances for Producing and Storing Natural Ice, and for Applying the same to the Preservation of Alimentary, Substances.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means and Appliances for Producing and Storing Natural
Ice, and for Applying the same to the Preservation of Alimentary,
Substances.
.
I LOUIS MARING of Bâle Switzerland 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 :-
My Invention relates to an economic mode of and means or appliances for
producing and storing ice, and its application for the preserving of articles of food.
The invention consists essentially in effecting the natural freezing in the open air of
pure potable water, contained in metal tanks, situated on the upper part of an ice
house, the side walls of which are by preference formed of four rows of wood boarding
between which are enclosed three isolated layers of air, and which is covered in by a
hollow floor, also enclosing one or more isolated layers of air, while above this floor
are placed the freezing tanks arranged in one or more superposed stories.
The potable water is frozen in these tanks during the cold season, and the natural
ice thus produced is thrown directly into the ice house below, where it is preserved,
until required for use or sale.
By this means solid ice is obtained without the use of refrigerating apparatus and
which is free from impurities such as are necessarily contained in ice taken from ponds,
canals and other waters.
Also, this mode of producing and preserving natural ice, can be applied advan-
tageously to the preservation of alimentary substances, in establishing the above
described ice house above a chamber in which are refrigerating cells suitably isolated,
that are charged with alimentary substances, such as meat, fish, game, &c., to be
preserved. In this latter case, that is to say when the means for producing and
preserving natural ice is combined with refrigerating cells, the floor separating the
ice house from the said cells is formed of sheets of metal resting with their edges on
parallel iron bearers of inverted T section, provided with channels or gutters which
collect the moisture resulting from the melting of the ice in the ice house and that
resulting from the condensation of vapour given off in the refrigerating cells and
deposited on the underside of the corrugated sheet metal floor. The refrigerating

page_text: cells, are, in addition, provided with a sufficient number of openings and ventilating
shafts in order to remove therefrom the vitiated air.
My invention will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which Figures 1 and 2 shew respectively a vertical section, and a sectional plan of
an ice house with freezing tanks for potable water situated in the open air, according
to my invention.
Figures 3 and 4 shew respectively a vertical section and a sectional plan of a similar
ice house arranged above a chamber containing refrigerating cells.
Figures 5 and 6 shew to an enlarged scale details of the construction of the upper
floor and freezing tanks and Figure 7 shows the construction of the floor separating
the ice house from the refrigerating cells, which is provided with channels or gutters
for collecting the water resulting from the melting of the ice and the condensation of
vapour. The ice house A. Figures 1 and 2 consists essentially of a wooden building
the sides of which are formed of four wooden walls, at small distances apart so as to
enclose three layers of air which are entirely isolated from each other.
These three layers of air constitute a very effective isolating medium, and protect
the ice house perfectly from the influence of the external temperature. For obtaining
as hermetically close joints as possible, the contiguous edges of the planks are made to
overlap each other, and not with butt joints; in addition, the planks used for this
purpose should be specially selected so as not to present weak or permeable parts such
as knots and pithy parts. The outer covering of planks, in addition, is provided with
a covering of shingles coated with carbo-lineum or other similar compound both for
increasing the hermetic closure and for strengthening the structure.
The upper and lower floors B. C of the ice house are also constructed so as to enclose
one or more isolating layers of air, and the lower floor C is suitably raised so as to be
effectually isolated from the ground.
The building is not provided with any roof but the upper floor B. is covered with
tanks D. D of any desired size and number.
These tanks D D are constructed of sheet iron or other suitable metal and serve to
contain potable water to be frozen during the cold season. They may conveniently
be about 200 square feet in area with a depth of from 12 to 14 inches.
For increasing the production of ice, there may be arranged several floors with
similar tanks, one above the other. In the arrangement shewn at Figures 1
and 2 there is a second such floor with tanks D¹ D₁ supported by a staging E. The
tanks not only serve for producing ice in winter but also to protect the ice house in
summer against the influence of the external heat, the water being replenished from
time to time if necessary. during the hot season.
For preventing the rain from penetrating into the ice house through the interstices
between the tanks, the contiguous edges of these are covered with sheet metal saddle
pieces a a as shewn at Figures 5 and 6, such saddle pieces being made of a cross shape
at the points where four tanks meet, as at a¹.
The water to be frozen ss introduced in successive quantities into the freezing
tanks, so as not to have, at one time a layer of water of more than about ths inch in
them. When this layer has become frozen, a second layer of the same thickness is
introduced upon the layer of ice, and so on, until a certain thickness is obtained. The
ice is thus formed very rapidly, as the thin layer of water to be.frozen is always acted
upon by the ice below.
Instead of introducing the water in streams into the tanks D D the formation of
ice may be accelerated by causing it to fall into them in a fine shower, by means of
pipes provided with rose-heads.
The water thus finely subdivided, in falling through the cold air, becomes
refrigerated so as to freeze at once when it lies in the tank.
In order to reduce to a minimum the melting of the ice in the ice house, the blocks
of ice may be there covered over with felt coverings, and the upper floor B is made
to project beyond the building, on all sides, as shewn at Figure 1 so as to keep the
side walls as much as possible in the shade, the said projection of the floor being
supported by posts M, M. on which rest the bearers of the Hoor B.

page_text: At each side of the building is formed a projection or turret F F serving for the
following purposes.
1. They contain a staircase for gaining access to different heights of the building.
2. They contain the conduit pipes through which the water flows from the water
mains into the tanks.
3. They afford the necessary communicating passages through which the ice from
the tanks D D is thrown into the ice house.
4. They also serve for the removal of the ice from the ice house into the carts for
delivery in summer time.
The advantages of this mode of producing and preserving ice are as follows:-
a, obtaining compact and hard ice by means of pure potable water, this being effected
all the more readily and rapidly owing to the freezing tanks D D¹ being placed at a
considerable distance from the ground.
b, suppression of all cost of transport of the ice from the place of production into
the ice house and the ready filling of the latter.
c, rational manipulation of the ice, inasmuch as it never has to be lifted and as its
own weight is always utilised for moving it from place to place.
d, complete isolation of the mass of ice in the ice house both by the hollow side
walls thereof and by the water tanks D D arranged above the same.
In the arrangement at Figs. 3 and 4, the ice house A, covered with freezing
tanks D D, is arranged above a chamber containing refrigerating cells H H which are
kept at a low temperature therein. This arrangement is particularly suited for
slaughter houses, fish warehouses, breweries and all localities where the use of cold
is necessary for the preservation of alimentary substances.
On the accompanying drawing I have assumed, by way of example, the case of an
installation for slaughter houses with 50 refrigerating cells. As in this case it is not
desired to sell the ice, the ice-house A can be of a less height, but it should be of
sufficient size for containing the necessary store of ice for maintaining the required
degree of cold in the cells H during 7 years, inasmuch as there may occur winters in
which the cold would not be sufficient to afford a regular supply of ice for the ice
house. The construction of this building is similar to that shewn at Figs. 1 and 2
with the sole difference that the ground floor containing the refrigerating cells His
enclosed by an internal wall e e of bricks, concrete or slag, such wall being built
against the inner face of the wooden walls. The mass of ice is supported upon this
wall e and also by means of iron columns I I on which rest the beams of the lower
floor C of the ice house. Holes are formed in the upper floor B through which the
ice is thrown in that is produced in the tanks D. In order to obtain as uniform a
refrigerating action upon the cells H as possible, and to provide for the automatic
removal of the water resulting from the melting of the ice in the ice house A and of
the water resulting from the condensation of the vapours generated in the cells,
which water condenses on the underside of the floor C, the latter is formed by
means of corrugated sheet metal J J, Figs. 1 and 7 which rests on inverted T iron
bearers that are placed on the beams of the floor. The flanges of these bearers
have vertical rims ii so as to form channels or gutters. The corrugated form of
the sheet metal J J increases considerably the refrigerating surface, and allows the
water which condenses upon it from the vapours to flow off, such water flowing
into the channels of the bearers ff which also receive the water resulting from the
melting of the ice in the ice house A. From the channels of the bearers f, the
water is conducted away, by means of pipes, into collecting channels g g carried
by the beams of the floor C, and from these it Hows into discharge conduits h h
laid on the cement floor K of the chamber containing the refrigerating cells H H.
For suitably ventilating the cells HH, the building is provided with four ventilating
shafts L Las also with a central shaft M and with any desired number of
ventilating apertures OO of which 12 are shewn in the drawing. The openings 0 0,
which are situated at the level of the floor K, communicate with the outer atmosphere
by means of conduits formed under the floor K. As the ventilating shafts L L can
be put in communication with the refrigerating chamber both at the upper part and

page_text: the lower part thereof, it is easy to establish a strong current of air through the
chamber during several hours of the night so as to satisfy any requirements as
regards ventilation.
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, The herein described means and appliances for the production and storing of
natural ice, such means consisting in the use of a series of metal tanks serving to
freeze potable water during winter time, and arranged at the upper part of an ice
house suitably isolated from the outer atmosphere, in which ice house the ice
produced in the said tanks is directly introduced as it is formed in order to be stored
therein, substantially as herein set forth with reference to Figs. and 2 of the
drawings.
2, The adaptation of the means and appliances referred to in the preceding
claim to the preservation of meat, fish, game and other alimentary substances by
arranging the ice house; covered with the freezing tanks, above a chamber containing
refrigerating cells, which are charged with the said alimentary substances substantially
as herein described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings.
3, The construction of ice house herein described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of
the drawings, wherein the sides are formed of several wooden walls having isolated
air spaces between them, while the floors are formed hollow, the upper floor being
extended beyond the side walls, and covered with metal tanks charged with water
which serve for producing.ice in winter and for protecting the ice-house from external
heat in summer.
4, The construction of ice house with refrigerating chamber herein described with
reference to Figs. 3, 4 and 7 of the drawings, wherein an ice house constructed as set
forth in the preceding claim is placed above a chamber containing refrigerating cells,
being separated therefrom by a floor formed of corrugated sheet metal resting with
its edges upon inverted T iron bearers provided with channels or gutters, in which is
collected the water resulting from the melting of the ice in the ice house and from the
condensation of the vapours given off from the refrigerating cells.
5, For preventing the rain from penetrating through the upper floor of the ice
house, the use in combination with the water tanks of saddle-shaped plates fitted over
the contiguous edges of the tanks, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 5
and 6 of the drawings.
Doted this 21st day of W1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.