IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO REFRIGERATING AND FREEZING APPARATUS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, &
Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO REFRIGERATING AND FREEZING
APPARATUS." A communication from abroad by Simon Benton Hunt, of the
City of New York, and Francis Effingham Pinto, of Brooklyn, both in the
State of New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th February 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO REFRIGE-
RATING AND FREEZING APPARATUS." [A communication from abroad by Simon
Benton Hunt, of the City of New York, and Francis Eflingham Pinto, of Brooklyn,
both in the State of New York, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to improvements in and connected with apparatus employed
in the manufacture of ice or for refrigerating purposes, whereby the elastic fluid
passes from the compressors and cooling coil through a suitable trap to remove the
water of condensation from the air preparatory to its passage (while in a high stato
of compression) into the expanding engine, so that the greatest possible amount of
elastic force is produced upon the piston-head in said engine to assist the working
steam engine to operate the several parts of the apparatus.
In carrying the said Invention into practice an expanding engine is arranged in
combination with a steam-engine and compressors.
In the air-chest and valve chamber forming a part of the expanding engine I
provide stem-valves which are operated by means of pedals, and a shaft provided
with pins, said shaft being operated by bevel gearing.
Connecting pipes are attached to the compressors to produce a vacuum to exhaust
the warm air from the freezing or refrigerating chamber, or for other uses.
I provide a chamber filled with coiled piping charged with compressed air to
be passed into any suitable air-trap provided with a blow-off water pipe having
the necessary valves to regulate the discharge of condensed water from said trap;
this water of condensation is precipitated to the bottom of the trap by its own
gravity, from whence it is forced out through a pipe and cock by the force of the

page_text: confined air under pressure in said trap. Tho last named pipe passes downward
inside the trap, or the blow-off cock and pipe may be at the bottom and parallel
with the same. Another pipe conveys the dry air under pressure from the trap to
the cylinder of the expanding engine.
I do not confine myself to any particular form of trap or coil-chamber or their
connections, as any form of trap may be used to suit the different applications, but
it will be seen that an air-trap is applied to draw off the water of condensation
produced in a refrigerating or freezing apparatus, by which means I produce a
dryer and better air for mercantile purposes than can be obtained by means
beretofore employed.
The power is returned to the steam-engine by connecting the piston-rod of the
expanding cylinder to a shaft which operates the piston in the steam cylinder and
air compressors, so that after the air has been compressed by the steam-engine it is
admitted into the expanding cylinder at such a position of the pistons of the com-
pressors and of the steam-cylinder as to assist in carrying out a more perfect and
thorough compression of the air.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Scal Patent Office on the
11th August 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO REFRIGE-
RATING AND FREEZING APPARATUS." A communication from abroad by Simon
Benton Hunt, of the City of New York, and Francis Effingham Pinto, of Brooklyn,
both in the State of New York, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for the manufacture of ice
or for other freezing or refrigerating purposes by dry atmospheric air under pressure,
by which apparatus the air is first compressed, cooled, and dried, and then is
employed as an economizer of power while in the expanding engine to assist the
driving motor or steam-engine to operate the compressors preparatory to its being
introduced into the freezing or refrigerating room, whence it is drawn back into the
cooling coil chamber to perform its triple function of cooling the compressed air in
the spiral coil in the said chamber.
The said Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which,―
Figure 1 is a plan of the said apparatus.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the air-chest and valve-chamber.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of part of the said apparatus.
Figure 4 is a section of one of the compressors shown in Figure 3.
Figuro 5 is a vertical longitudinal section of a cold water tank provided with a
coil of tubing, and also represents an air-trap and adjacent parts.
A is the working motor or steam-engine; B, B¹, are the compressors or pumps;
C is the expanding engine; m is the driving or crank shaft; O represents bevel
gearing to operate the shaft S that opens and closes the stem-valves 1, 2, 3, 4; Dis
the cold compressed air-chest or valve-chamber; V is a lever to adjust the valvo-
gate N"; W is the steam-engine piston-rod.
The air-chest and valve-chamber D form a part of the cylinder of the expanding
engine; the stem-valves 1, 2, 3, 4, are operated by the pedals 5, 6, 7, 8, and pins
a, b, c, d, on the shaft S, which is operated by the bevel gearing O, shewn in Figure 1,
as above described.
The compressors B, B', are provided with the connecting pipes n, n', for producing
a vacuum to extract the warm air from the refrigerating chamber, or for other
purposes.
The coil of tubing P, P¹, in the water-tank A" is charged or filled with compressed
air, that is to say, air under pressure from the compressors or pumps. T is an air-
trap with a blow-off cock N and pipe N¹; S' is a pipe which conveys the dry air
into the air-chest or valve-chamber D, from which the compressed cold dry air
passes into the expanding cylinder C, where it is first utilized as an auxiliary power
to the driving steam-engino A, after which the air passes in a very cold dry state
through the egress pipe S" into the refrigerating room R, whence it is drawn back
by the pumps into the coil-chamber A through the escape pipe E. The steam
piston rod W is connected to the fly-wheel Y, and the piston rod of the expanding
engine cylinder C is connected to the fly-wheel Y' in such a manner that the
compressed air in the expanding cylinder exerts its force to operate the main crank-
shaft which operates the compressors.
In the operation of this apparatus the air is taken from the outsido atmosphere
into the compressors or air-pumps in the usual manner; thence it is forced into the
cooling coil of tubing P, P1, in the cold water tank A" under a pressure of 150 pounds
(more or less) to the square inch; here it becomes partially cooled. The pressure
being kept up (by the pumps) the air passes through the coiled tubing P, P', into
the air-trap T, where the water of condensation (produced by the compressing and

page_text: cooling of the air in the cooling coil P, P¹) falls by its own gravity to the bottom
of the trap, whence it is forced up and out through the blow-off pipe N' and cock N
into the open atmosphere by the expanding force of the compressed air in the said
trap. The pipe N' passes downward inside of the air-trap T, or it may be arranged
in a line with the bottom of the same, if desired.
The water of condensation having been removed from the trap T, as above set
forth, the compressed air passes through the pipe S₁ under pressure in a dry state
into the expanding engine C through suitable cut off valves in the air-chest D,
where it exerts its great force to assist in operating the main crank-shaft m, by
which means the air becomes an economizer of power. After having thus assisted
the driving engine A to operate the compressing pumps and other working parts it
passes in a dry cold state while under pressure through the egress pipe S, and is
discharged broadcast into the freezing or refrigerating room R, where it fills the
entire chamber with pure dry air and robs the said room of its caloric. It is then
drawn off into the cooling coil-chamber A", where it performs its last act of assisting 1
to cool the air in the coil of piping P, P¹.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I do not confine myself to the exact form of the several parts of the apparatus
as shewn in the Drawing, as the same may be varied, and that I claim,—
First. The arrangement and use of the air-trap to remove the water of condensa-
tion from a refrigerating or freezing apparatus, which trap is provided with the
valve or cock N and pipe N1, all constructed and arranged to operate under pressuro
from a compressing engine, substantially as described.
Second. The mode of producing dry atmospheric air, and its uses in the said ?
apparatus under pressure, in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
Third. The expanding engine having the air-chest or valve-chamber D forming a
part thereof, so that the compressed air will pass from the said air-chest into the
cylinder C of the said engine, and the expansive force of the air will act upon the
piston in the said cylinder to assist the driving steam-engine A to operate the crank-
shaft and the compressors, thereby economizing the driving power, substantially as
above set forth.
Fourth. The steam piston rod connected to the fly-wheel Y, and the piston rod
of the expanding cylinder connected to the fly-wheel Y', and operating in such a
manner that the compressed air in the expanding cylinder exerts its force to operate
the main crank-shaft which operates the compressors in combination with the
gearing O, the shaft S, the pedals 5, 6, 7, 8, the valves 1, 2, 3, 4, the pins a, b, c, d,
and the lever V, all constructed, arranged, and operated substantially as above set
forth, and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty