US108606A - Ximprovement i in the method of cooling beer-worts - Google Patents

Description

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0. P. LEWIS.

A Beer Cooler.

No. 108,606. Patented Oct. 25, 1870.

Beer Cooler.

No. 108,606. Patented Oct. 25, 1870.

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OSCAR P. LEWIS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE METHOD OF COOLING BEERl-WORTS, 80C,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 108,606, dated October 25, 1870.

I, OSCAR l?. Lnwrs, of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio,have discovered and invented new and useful Processes 'orEifectin g all the Cooling Required in the Art of Brewing, which will enable the brewer to do what he has hitherto been unable to do in warm seasons or warm climates-n amely, to dispense entirely with the use of ice 5 and the following is a specication of said processes.

Specification.

My discovery and invention consists in the direct application of natural laws and mechanical effort, through appropriate devices, to the cooling of beer and beer-worts, and the lling of beer-cellars with cool, dry, pure air, displacing the air formerly therein without the production or use of ice in any part of the processes.

In the practical application of this discovery and invention the means and apparatus may consist of the following` devices, namely: A cool ship-stack, so arranged with other devices shown as to readily cool the beer or worts to the temperature of the normal air; a steamengine or other appropriate motor; a doubleacting pump, so constructed as to be capable of compressing air each stroke efficiently, or of condensing` vapor each stroke efficiently, and to do either separately, at the will of the operator 5. bisulphide of carbon, deodorized and rendered non-corrosive, or any other suitable volatile Huid, for absorbing the heat in the beer and beer-worts by being vaporized thereby in a partial Vacuum; an abundant supply of normally-cool running water, to absorb and carry off the heat in the vapor and air when condensed or compressed; vessels, chambers, or pipes surrounded by normally-cool running water, in which the vapor of said volatile fluid is to be condensed, under pressure, by means ot' the pump aforesaid, driven by the engine aforesaid, and through which it is to be returned in liquid form to the vessel wherein it was vaporized; vessels, chambers, or pipes in which the volatile liquid is vaporized in a partial vacuum, caused by said pump and engine, by being surrounded by the beer or beerworts to be cooled vessels, chambers, or pipes surrounded by normally-cool running water, in which the air, is compressed by means of said engine and pump under a loaded valve,

have discovered, invented, and applied; but

I prefer such special mechanical devices as are illustrated by the drawing accompanying this specification.

Either in compressing air or condensing vaporsunder pressure in the manner herein described, if there is much clearance to the piston of the pump performing the work, or much space between the faces of the valves set facing the pistons, the compressed air or vapor will ll those spaces without being ejected from the pump-chamber, and onv the return-stroke of the piston they will expand in the pump-chamber, and prevent, in some considerable degree, the inflow of fresh air or vapor again.

If there is no provision made for carrying away the heat evolved by compression, as well as the artificial heat in the air and the vapor, the pump-cylinder will get hot, and the inflowing fresh airV will absorb some ot' said heat and expand in the pum p-chamber, diminishing the volume of normal air thrown by said pump, and rendering it more difficult to condense vapor.

I am aware that various devices have been used to obviate these difficulties, among them, surrounding the cylinder with a jacket, so that running water might 4occupy the space between the cylinder and the jacket; ejectin g cool water in jets or spray into the pumpchamber; wrapping the pump with fibrous materials wet with water or volatile liquids; but the device marked Figs. 4t and 5 on Sheet No. 2 ofthe accompanying drawing, which is substantiallyacopy of drawings of a compound engine and pump, (so far as the pump part is concerned, namely, the cylinder-head with ports, chambers, or passages, and the condensing-chamber beneath, so combined and arranged with disk-valves, as represented, for which I applied for Letters Patent to the Hon. Commissioner of Patent of the United States of America on even date herewith,) is well adapted to my purposes, herein set forth, for the reason that the disk-valves t t, having a greater surface on that side opposite to the pump-chamber than is exposed to the pressure withinv said pump-chamber, which disparity of surface may, by said construction, be carried to a considerable degree, so by that means the compression within the pumpchamber may be carried to a degree greatly exceeding the pressure in the chamber q, and hence the heat due to compression be concentrated at the valve-openings before the valves t t open, and when they do open, by the p cculiar construction of the piston, (it having projections which t in and fill the valveopenings,) all the contents of the pump-chamber are ejected into q, and against the copper wall or diaphragm dividing q from c, c being iilled with normally cool running water.

Thus, the heat due to compression is coucentrated on the copper wall or diaphragm aforesaid, so cooled, as aforesaid, and the contents of the pump-chamber are still further cooled while passing the check-valves a a in the lower channel-way q to the outlet-pipe m.

rlhe pump-chamber in this device might be set in a tank of water, in same manner as is shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

I also illustrate another device by drawing on Sheet 2, Figs. G and 7, which embodies the same principle, but in different inechanical arrangement, and is well adapted to my purposes, herein set forth, and which obviates, in a great degree, the difculties aforesaid.

Such a pump, constructed in accordance with said drawing, (marked Figs. G and 7,) might be driven by any known motive power, communicated to it by any known method; but I should prefer to use such va pump coliiiected appropriately and directly to a steamengine and balance-wheel, as shown on the drawing on Sheet No. l, Fig. 2; or in lieu thereofI might prefer to use sometimes the compound engine and pump aforesaid, because it might be worked at a much lower pressure than an ordinary steam-engine, for the reason that there would he always two surfaces for steam to act on instead of one, and hence it could be worked in some situations and under some conditions more safely than the ordinary steam-engine.

I prefer to connect any pump which I may choose to use to performthe process herein set forth directly an d appropriately to a motor, as herein suggested and shown, for the reason that scarcely any brewer who might choose to adopt my method of cooling would find the motive power in his brewery sufficient for the purpose, and, if he were furnished a pump of suitable size to perform the work of cooling suspension of his business would be necessary while the work of fitting his brewery up to perform the processes herein set forth was going on. Most every brewer who bought an ice-machine would also find his motor in use inadequate to drive it. It is very doubtful if any brewer has surplus power enough, or even one-fourth enough, to make what ice he must necessarily consume in the present method of carrying on the cooling processes of a brewery. I would, therefore, prefer a pump and motor combined, so as to cause the brewer the least inconvenience and expense in adopting vmy method, system, or process for cooling in breweries.

Although the process of filling cellars with cool, dry, pure air herein set forth can be performed without a reservoir to receive the compressed air, as shown in Fig. 2 by letters P, S, and M', I should sometimes prefer to use one or more of such reservoirs, because the metal surfaces at top and bottom serve to convey away a portion of the heat evolved in the air by compression, and if they are of sufiicientsize and proper shape, as shown by said letters in said Fig. 2 on Sheet No. 1, there is quite a little interval in which each increment of air furnished to the reservoir by each stroke ofthe pump may give off its heat through the metal cover to the surrounding air, thus lessening the quantity of water needed to cool the air; besides, during stoppage of pump the compressed air in the reservoir will speedily acquire the temperature of the surrounding air at least by conduction through and radiation from the cover aforesaid.

I am aware that various processes of cooling have been before devised, among which may be enumerated, first, cooling the air before compressin it, and then compressing it by' falling weighted pistons in cylinders buried in the earth; second, circulating the same volume of air through a machine continually, compressing it on one side of a piston, and allowingit to expand on the other side of the same piston, or operating on different volumes of air in the same way, the pump in such case taking air only on each alternate stroke 5 third, combining the refrigerating effects of compressed air cooled and expanded with the vapors of volatile fluids, at the same time forcing the said air to bubble up or rise through volatile fluids, and also passing it over surfaces cooled with ruiming water; fourth, by devices called expansion-chainbers,7 in which the expansion of the air audits consequent cooling takes place; fifth, by allowing compressed air to expand gradually in an engine, thus rendering available for pur- Acellar to be cooled.

poses of power thel mechanical force withA which the air tends to dilate sixth, by forcing the normal air,by means of fan-blowers or blowing-engines, through small pipes surrounded by methylic ether or other volatile fluids, the air giving off its heat to the said fluids and becoming cooled thereby; seventh, by forcing the normal airv through pipesy buried from tenV to forty feet under the surface of earth.

But these processes do not resemble mine. I employ no expansion-chamber except the I abstract` the heat evolved from the compressed air in and about the pump-chamber, and in the coiled pipe between the `pump and loaded valve. .I do not use anyvapor for-the purpose of cooling air.v I arrange my pump for the double purpose ofl compressing air for cooling` cellars and for condensing vapor by pressure for cooling beer-worts. I regulate the degree of compression to be given to the air, and, by consequence, the temperature to be produced, by a loaded valve, which is simple, eicient, and

automatic, and requires no constant attendi with screens on top and two sides, combined with a tube or shaft, for carrying oft' the air heated bythe hot worts, and with apertures through the outer partition or wa-ll to admit fresh cool air to supply the place of the hot air rising naturally through the tube, these apertures to be made between the floor and the screens.

This is an application of the natural law that heated air will rise through a tube with a velocity dependent upon its'height, and cool air will come in and supply its place through proper apertures.

This process, by being performed before the worts are further cooled by means of the volatile fluid-evaporator and the pump and engine aforesaid, saves the work of the pumpin that proportion which the amount of cooling so performed by this process bears to the whole amount of cooling to be performed in the worts. The balance of which work of cooling after the worts have been brought to the temperature of the normal air must be performed by the said pump and appurtenances aforesaid, for there is nothing more certain than that all the heat in the worts in excess of its proper fermenting temperature must be absorbed and carried oli' in some-way, and the mechanism aforesaid performs that work, transferring the heat in the worts to the water aforesaid.

I am aware that various processes and device's for doing the work performed by cool ship-stack, screens, tube, and apertures, as

aforesaid, have beforebeen devised, among which may be named, first, the ordinary method now inuse in breweries, of exposing the hot worts in one'cool ship without screens to currents of air coming in through apertures in the outer partitions or walls, the cooler air coming in at the bottom of the aperture and issuing, after being heated, at the top thereof, or exposing said worts in some way to currents of air entering and issuing in same manner, but driven over the surface of the worts by fanv blowers; second, of the same method as the first, in combination with a short tube or shaft; third, of leading the air heated by the worts to a chimney or ue artificially heated by gasjets or fire, though the chimney-or iiue was not combined with any cool ship or cool shipstack or screens.

The full description of the cool ship-stack and appurtenances aforesaid may be found in my application for Letters Patent for improvement in cooling beer-worts, Src., made on even date herewith.

I am also aware that various processes for 'cooling liquids have been before devised, among which may beV named, first, surrounding the vessel containing-a volatile fluid with someother liquid not easily frozen, such as 'glycerine, alcohol, rum, whisky, solutions of chloride, such as soda, calcium, &c., salt water or brine, and dipping or setting therein vessels containing the liquids to be cooled,

`causing a circulation of these slow-con gealin g vessel from whence it came, thus 'transferring the heatin the vapor to cool running water; second, by passing the fluids to be cooled through pipes or channels surrounded by cool air; third, by causing an unfreezable vliquid to circulate around vessels containing the liquids to be cooled, absorbing the heat thereof, and giving it ott' again, through suitablyarranged mechanism, to cool expanding air; fourth, by passing the liquid to be cooled over a surface impinged on by cool air, or by allowing the liquid to be cooled to stand in a vessel, or run through channels in a vessel, whose bottom was impinged on by a current of cool air on its under side; fifth, by surrounding, or nearly surrounding, the vessel containing the liquid to be cooled with the combined refrigerating effects of compressed air cooled and expanded, and the vapors of volatile fluids; sixth, by forcing the liquids to be cooled through pipes buried from ten to forty feet under the surface of the earth; seventh, by buryingthe vessel containing the liquid to be cooled in the earth; eighth, by surrounding the vessel containing the liquid to be cooled with a relrigeritic mixture; ninth., by producing and maintaining a partial-vacuum over the surface ofthe liquid to be cooled; tenth, by first boiling the liquids to be cooled, and allowing them to stand and cool down to the temperature of the normal air and earth in the shade, then placing them at sunset in shallow unglazed earthen pans resting on straw in pitholes but these processes do not resemble mine.

I first allow the normal air separately to cool the hot worts by a natural draft, induced by such mechanical means as I have described in combination with the cool ship-stack and screens. l then further cool them mechanically by means of a volatile-fluidevaporator, in combination with a pump, a condensingcoil, normally cool running water, and a loaded valve.

I evaporate my volatile fluid in 4the upper chamber of my evaporator, the beer or worts to be cooled directly surrounding it, and, as they cool, they follow the law of gravity in liquids, which assigns the coolest and most dense portions the lowest strata,.coming in contact as they descend with still cooler surfaces, and becoming; cooler themselves.

I use a volatile liquid, to deodorize which and make non-corrosive I take especial pains to better adapt it to`the purposes herein described-viz., bisulphide ot carbon-which, by the process of deodorizing and rendering noncorrosive, is made more volatile.

In my process of cooling beer `and beerworts its rapidity depends upon the speed of the pump and its capacity.

I regulate the pressure under which the Volatile tluid shall be compressed by a loaded valve.

I regulate the speed or How of the worts or beer to be cooled over the surfaces of the evaporator and the vaporchamber thereof by valves.

The beer and worts to be cooled are in motion during the process ot',` cooling, and not stationary.

The full description of the volatile fluid evaporator and appurtenances may be found in my application for Letters Patent for improvement in cooling beer-worts, 85e., before rei'erred to.

Description of thc Accompanying Drawing.

Figure l shows one story or door in a brewery, suitable for the location of the cool shipstack D E F, the screens C G (one screen similar to G' being left oif of the right-hand end of said cool ship-stack, and not shown in the drawing,) the pipe I, strainer H, communicating with pipe 1, well-hole B of tube or shaft A", situated on the roof formed by joists K K, the sides of the room R R', the apertures G G, the whole combined and arranged substantially as herein set forth.

Fi 2 shows another story or floor in a brewery, suitable for the location of the engine N, pump O, bed Y, pillow-blocks b, balance-wheel l", steam-pipe M, volatile-fluid evaporator and cooler, consisting of parts d Q C U V `W T, worts-pipe I, reservoir for compressing the air, consisting of parts M P S c, Walls of room It It', pit-man m, pressure and temperature regulator, consisting of parts u x q 1f t',

pipe az for compressing` air leading from pump O to top of reservoir M.

Fig. 3 showsanother story or floor of a brewery, suitable to receive the worts after it is cooled to fermentiug-temperature, and requiring the air therein to be gradually supplied at the proper temperature, pure and dry, and to displace and drive out the air before therein contained. In this room are the ferment-tuus Z Z', the forts-pipe g g, with suitable cocks', Sto.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the pump part of my compound engine and pump aforesaid through the line d. j'. Fig. 5 is an end view of the same. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of another form of pump, adapted to the purposes herein set forth, through the line d f. Fig. 7 is an elevation of the same, in which the Valve-chambers are set in a double cylinder-head, and surrounded by water, the valves acting automatically, and being kept to their seats by springs of light tension, the whole pump-cylinder being set in a tank ot' water.

General Description, in 'which Like Letters refer to Like Parts.

A A are the pump chambers or cylinders. lo is the piston, and r the piston-rod. s is the stuffing-box, with its follower. h h are cylinder-heads. 'v1 v2 fc3 fc4 are ordinary valves. c c in Figs. 4 and 5 are chambers or chests for the induction of air or vapor. c c in Figs. 4 and 5 are valves moved by cams or dogs, for the induction of air or vapor. a a in Fig. 4 are automatic clack or check valves, to prevent the return of air or vapor after it has been forced by the piston into the chamber q between them. o in Fig. 4is a iilling of Wood or other non-conducting material. t t in Fig. 4 are such disk-valves as are herein described, acting automatically, as described, and for the purposes set forth. q q in Fig. 4 are channels or passages for air or vapor. z' i in Fig. 7 are automatic puppet inlet-valves, kept to their seats by springs of light tension. a n in Figs. 6 and 7 are automatic puppet outlet-valves, kept to their seats by springs of light tension. c c are water chambers or passages. c" c are Water-tanks. w w are pipes supplying the water with either air or vapor, at the will of the operator. a." is the discharge pipe or chamber for both air and vapor. au" is the dischargepipe for air. m is the discharge-pipe for vapor.4 y y are pipes conducting, normally, coolrunning water into c. z z are pipes discharging Water from c after it has passed through c c. 'Io compress the normal air, close valves c2, open valves c1 in pipe w, chest c', and pipe w, and open valves v3 in pipes w, closing valves t4 in pipes x'".

To exhaust the volatile-fluid evaporator, or

nearly exhaust it, of vapor, condense it by pressure, and return it in liquid form to the said evaporator. Reverse the process for com pressing normal air.

It is obvious that this discovery can be applied to the cooling of whisky-mashes, and anything requiring a speedy reduction of temperature, or the maintenance of a temperature lower than that ofthe normal air, and I intend to so apply it.

Claims.

Having described the nature of my discovery and invention, as Well as the means Whereby the processes discovered and invented can be performed, what I claim as my discovery and invention is 1. The process of cooling beer and beerworts, in the manner hereiny described, by means of the cool ship-stack D E F, tube or shaft A B, apertures Gr Gr', and screens C C.

2. The process of cooling` beer and beerworts, in the manner herein described, by`

Y OSCAR P. LEWIS.

Witnesses: i

GEO. S. RIcHARDsoN, HENRY C. BARNETT.'

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