IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS OR APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATING OR COOLING WORT AND OTHER LIQUIDS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Picking, of Spitalfields, N.E., Coppersmith,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS OR APPARATUS FOR
REFRIGERATING OR COOLING WORT AND OTHER LIQUIDS."
Sealed the 7th October 1864, and dated the 8th April 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Picking at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
April 1864.
I, JOHN PICKING, of Spitalfields, N.E., Coppersmith, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS OR
APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATING OR COOLING WORT AND OTHER LIQUIDS," to be as
follows:-
The novel features of this Invention are combining together a series of
concentric rings upon a bottom common to the whole, and coned upwards, the
concentric rings or divisions of thin metal being each of the same depth, coned
to the centre, the smallest circular space forming the inlet or wort way up
which the hot wort or other fluid is caused to pass being highest, the next ring
or circular division forming an annular space within which the cold liquor or
water employed for cooling is received, and passed up and around and made
to circulate; this division in turn is surrounded by a still larger ring or circular
division forming an anuular space through which the wort from the central
wort way or inlet is caused to flow, being passed down from the top by means
of a tube or shoot from the top of the first to the bottom of the third
division formed by the second annular space last described. In like

page_text: manner the top of the first annular space up which the cold liquor rises,
is at its top connected by a pipe or shoot with the bottom of the third
annular space surrounding the wort in the second annular space.
In
this way any number of annular spaces may be formed, the cooling water
or liquor being caused to circulate in the one whilst in the next adjoining
annular space the hot wort or other liquid to be cooled is contained and made
to circulate. For the convenience of working and cleansing the wort spaces,
and also for the purpose of drawing off the contents of each annular space, and
for regulating or controlling the action of the apparatus, I prefer to connect
the supply pipe not only with the central space (through which the wort is
admitted) but also each of the spaces by means of junction pipes having a
tap to each. For the purpose of regulating in a similar manner the admission
and discharge of the cooling liquor from the annular spaces devoted thereto,
I similarly connect the supply pipe to the bottom of each annular space. By
forming a radial shoot or passage from the central (and highest) point of
delivery of the hot wort, and by making lateral openings in such shoot or
inclined delivery channel leading into the respective annular spaces devoted to
the wort or liquid to be cooled, and by the introduction or employment of stop
pieces, sliding or otherwise, fitted at the head of the channel and at each lateral
opening in the shoot, the action of the apparatus may be modified, and the
direction of the flow of the hot wort be changed at pleasure, or the apparatus
be wholly or in part put out of use.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Picking in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th October 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
PICKING, of Spitalfields, N.E., Coppersmith, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Picking, Her special licence that I, the said John Picking, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Picking, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and

page_text: vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS OR
APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATING OR COOLING WORT AND OTHER LIQUIDS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Picking, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Picking, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
The novel features of this Invention are combining together a series of
5 concentric rings upon a bottom common to the whole, and by preference coned
upwards, the concentric rings or divisions of thin metal being each of the
same depth, and in the case of having a coned bottom they would be coned to
the centre so that the smallest circular space forming the inlet or wort way,
up which the hot wort or other fluid is caused to pass, being highest, the next
ring or circular division forming an annular space within which the cold liquor
or water employed for cooling is received, and passed up, and around, and made
to circulate, this division in turn is surrounded by a still larger ring. or. circular
division forming an annular space through which the wort from the central
wort way or inlet is caused to flow, being passed down from. the top-by means
of a tube or shoot from the top of the first to the bottom of the third division
formed by the second annular space last described. In like manner the top
of the first annular space up which the cold liquor rises is at its top connected
by a pipe or shoot with the bottom of the third annular space surrounding the
wort contained in the second annular space. In this way any number of
annular spaces may be formed, the cooling water or liquor being caused to
circulate in the one whilst in the next adjoining annular space the hot wort or
other liquid to be cooled is contained and is made to circulate, the wort going
-in one direction and the liquor or cooling water going in the opposite direction.
For the convenience of working and cleansing the wort spaces, and also for
the purpose of drawing off the contents of each annular space, and for regu-
lating or controlling the action of the apparatus, I prefer to connect the supply
pipe not only with the central space (through which the wort is admitted) but
also each of the spaces by means of junction pipes having a tap to each, or
instead thereof a simple draw off cock may be inserted in the bottom of each

page_text: space and be worked or opened separately. For the purpose of regulating
in a similar manner the admission and discharge of the cooling liquor from
the annular spaces devoted thereto, I may similarly connect the supply pipe
to the bottom of each annular space. By forming a radial shoot or passage
or channel from the central (and highest) point of delivery of the hot wort,
and by making lateral openings in such shoot or delivery channel leading into
the respective annular spaces devoted to the wort or liquid to be treated, and
by the introduction or employment of stop pieces sliding or otherwise fitted at
the head of the channel, and at each lateral opening in the shoot, the action of
the apparatus may be modified, and the direction of the flow of the hot
wort be changed at pleasure, and the apparatus be wholly or in part put out
of use. .
In another arrangement of the apparatus according to my Invention, whilst
I still adhere to that which I consider to be the distinctive feature thereof,
namely, the disposition of a series of concentric rings of thin metal so that
circular passages or "ways" are formed around which cooling liquor and hot
wort and other liquid to be cooled are caused to circulate-in alternate passages
for the purpose of effecting the refrigerating of the latter, I prefer to place a
radial division plate or diaphragm extending from the central or smallest
concentric ring forming the first wort way to the external periphery of the
apparatus, and so dividing the refrigerator into two (right and left as it were)
portions for the purpose of facilitating the circulation of the currents of wort
and cooling liquor by division, and so aiding the refrigerating action of the
apparatus by causing the currents to be reversable vertically or horizontally
when they have travelled round to the vertical diaphragm or division plate,
the currents of cooling liquor and the wort being made to revolve in contrary
directions, thus the wort is charged into the central wort space or "way" of
the apparatus and rising up to the top through it flows therefrom through a
vertical shoot or pipe to the bottom of the next wort space or "way," up and
around which the wort circulates and flows, from thence rising by means of its
Jevity or lesser gravity to the top, and by means of the circulating connection
right to left of the vertical division plate just described, across the next sur-
rounding cooling liquor space or "way," and so on until the last or exterior
wort space or "way" is reached, the wort gradually cooling as it travels towards
-the exterior of the apparatus, whence it is discharged into a suitable reservoir.
The cooling liquor enters the liquor space or "way" furthest removed from
the centre of the apparatus, and flowing around it passes through a vertical
passage way or lateral opening or sheet space formed in the surrounding wort
way" into the next liquor "way." I prefer to make such vertical and lateral
"

page_text: passage "way" opening or sheet space of a height equal to that of the con-
centric rings and bridged or arched over at the top so as to prevent the
overflow laterally of the liquor into the wort "way" through which the liquor
circulating connection is formed. The cooling liquor flows from thence by
means of the circulating connection just described to the next liquor space, and
so on until the liquor space or "way" nearest the centre of the refrigerator is
reached, so that where the wort comes in hottest the cooling liquor or water is
warmest from having abstracted the heat from the wort during circulation, and
the cooling liquor or water at its entrance is coolest and meets with the wort
after it has been subjected to the cooling influence of the circulation of the
water proceeding by circulation in the opposite direction. The cooling liquor
may be discharged.or drawn off from the annular liquor spaces or "ways" in
the manner and by the means herein-before described.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings I have illustrated some of the modes
or methods in which I prefer to construct refrigerating apparatus according
to my Invention.
Figure 1 is a vertical section, and Figure 2 a sectional plan of one arrange,
ment of a refrigerator constructed according to my Invention, and adapted for
use in breweries for cooling or refrigerating. wort, the wort spaces or." ways."
are marked W., and the liquor spaces or "ways" marked L; the wort is
charged into the central wort space W and ascending this it overflows by
means of the shoots A from the one wort space or "way" to the other until
it is discharged into the receiver or "safe" R, the cooling liquor circulates
around the series of liquor passages or " ways" passing from one to the other
by means of the shoots B; P, Q, is the system of pipes and cocks for regu-
lating the admission and discharge of the cooling liquor and the wort; S is the
radial shoot, passage, or channel from the central and highest point. of
delivery of the hot wort, and terminating at the last wort "way" or space; or
that of the greatest diameter in the apparatus; this radial shoot or passage is
provided on each side thereof with a series of openings 0, 0, fitted with sliding
or other valves or stop pieces for each of the wort spaces or "ways" so as to
allow of only some of the series of wort spaces or "ways" being charged, and
of modifying.or altering the action of the apparatus.
Figure 3 is a vertical section, and Figure 4 a sectional plan of an arrange-
ment of refrigerating apparatus according to my Invention, in which the special
feature is, that the, currents of cooling liquor and wort circulate in contrary
directions as indicated by the arrows, the wort spaces or "ways" in this as in
the apparatus illustrated by Figures 1 and 2, are marked W, and the liquor
spaces or "ways" are marked L; the wort enters the central wort "way”

page_text: through the pipe a and rising to the top thereof it flows through the shoot A
across the surrounding liquor "way," and descends through the vertical shoot,
tube, or pipe c, and is discharged therefrom at the opening at foot thereof into
the second wort "way" from the centre of the apparatus, up and around which
it circulates, and is conducted from thence to the third wort "way" in the
manner just described, and so on, until the wort "way" furthest removed
from the centre of the apparatus is reached, and from whence the wort is
discharged into the receiver or "safe." A vertical radial division plate or
diaphragm of the height of the apparatus extends across one-half of the
diameter thereof from the first or central wort space or "way" to the last
external liquor space or'" way," and thus divides the series of annular wort
and liquor "ways" into two parts; this radial diaphragm or division plate
being introduced so as to regulate and direct the circulating currents of wort
and "liquor" so as to obtain the most rapid and useful refrigerative or cooling
effect from the liquor employed and circulated. through. the apparatus, the
passages for the transmission of the wort and cooling liquor being arranged, as
shown in Figures 3 and 4 close to the diaphragm, and arranged alternately on
each side thereof, thus the cold "liquor" entering the exterior liquor space or
way"
"L passes through the vertical passage way or lateral opening channel
or sheet space D formed in and extending the top to bottom of the sur-
rounding wort "way" into the next liquor "way," up and around which it
circulates as indicated by the arrows, and so on until the liquor "way" nearest
the centre of the apparatus is reached; P, Q, is the system of pipes and cocks
as in Figures 1 and 2 for regulating the admission and discharge of the wort
and cooling liquor.
66
Figure 5, is a detached view being a section taken on the line a, b, Figures
3 and 4, and which is added for the purpose of shewing more clearly a portion
of the length of the vertical passage way or lateral opening or sheet space D
previously referred to and which is bridged or arched over at the top so as
to prevent the overflow laterally of the liquor into the wort "way" through
which the circulating connection is made.
Instead of forming the liquor spaces or ways" in the refrigerators,
according to my Invention, open at the top as in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 they
may be closed as shewn in the detached view, Figure 6, and the liquor may be
forced therethrough under pressure, and be caused to circulate from one liquor
space or "way" to the other by means of the connection E, suitable provisions
being made in such arrangement to allow of access being had to the interior
of the liquor "ways" for the purpose of cleansing them.
Although in Figures 1 and 3 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, I

page_text: have shown the bottom of refrigerators constructed according to my Invention
as being curved or coned upwards, they may be formed with the bottom flat.
The series of pipes and cocks P and Q, Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, may also be
used when the cocks are opened for allowing of the cleansing of the concentric
series of wort and liquor "ways," the cleansing liquor being discharged there-
through, or a separate system of pipes and cocks may be provided for this
purpose.
Having now described my said Invention of "Improvements in Refrigerators
or Apparatus for Refrigerating or Cooling Wort and other Liquids," I wish
it to be understood that what I claim is,-
First, the mode or method of forming or constructing refrigerators as herein
described.
Second, the mode or method of forming or constructing refrigerators as
herein described and illustrated by the several Figures in the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings.
Third, the combination of the parts of refrigerators as herein described and
as illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Picking, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
JAMES STEVENSON,
19, Salisbury Street,
Strand, W.C.
JOHN PICKING. (L.S.)