US1129923A - Ice-manufacturing apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

G. W. VOLLMANN. ICH MANUFACTURING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED D110. 9, 1912.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

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CARL WILHELM VOLLMANN, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

ICE-MANUFACTURING APPARATUS.

Speccation oi' Letters IEatent.

Patented Mar.. 2, 1915.,

Application led December 9, 1912. Serial No. 735,794.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, CARL WILHELM VOLL- MANN, of the city of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice-Manufacturing Apparatus; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same` This invention relates particularly to ice making apparatus wherein a plate consisting of a plurality of tubes is immersed in a tank of water vand a freezing medium is passed through the tubes to cause a block of ice to form around the latter'.

l'leretofore it has been the practice when vertical tubes are used in the formation of the ice block, to bodily remove both the block and the tubes from the tank; or to pass the vertical tubes through the bottom of the tank and remove the block by first loosening the ice from around the tubes through the medium of a warm current passed through the latter, and then lifting the block. Horizontal tubes have also been used and the block removed by the heating of the tubes but in this case the tubes were covered with plates or the like to avoid the interference of the tubes to the removal of the ice block. All of these constructions are rather expensive in operation or have other defects and my invention was conceived for the purpose of providing an improved construction which would overcome these defects.

rlhe object of the invention is to provide an ice forming plate which is contained completely within the water tank, being normally fixed therein and adapted when necessary, to be readily removed, inspected and returned or replaced by a new plate.

For full comprehension, however, of my invention reference must be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like reference characters indicate the same parts and wherein;

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of my improved ice manufacturing apparatus; and F ig. 2 is a transverse section of a portion thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, b indicates a tank for containing the water to be frozen. As will be readily seen the ice forming plates, of which there may be any number, are completely contained in the tank and each consists preferably of a series of vertically disposed tubes c closed at the top and communicating at the bottom with a header d. rlhe tubes coeach inclose a smaller tube c which extends upwardly from a second header f to a point near the top of the tube c to the interior of which its upper end is open. rl`he headers d and may be formed as two distinct members but as shown in the drawings they are in one piece and loosely supported upon blocks g on the bottom of the tank, the header d being connected to the inlet pipe z' leading from the freezing medium supply t while the header f is connected to the outlet pipe j leading to the freezing medium return u.

As has been stated the ice plate, comprising the tubes and headers, may be bodily removed from the tank and toprovide for this removal l have formed flanged couplings 7c and Z, respectively inthe pipes z' and j at a point within the tank, so that when the couplings are disconnected the plate will be free to be removed from the tank because it rests loosely upon the blocks g and is not secured thereby. rl`he tubes pass through a horizontal plate m secured to such tubes and located at a point just above the headers while directly beneath this plate are one or more pipes n adapted to convey a current of warm gas or fluid therethrough for a purpose to be presently pointed out. These pipes n are, in the same manner as the pipes z' and y', coupled at a point inside the tank to supply and return pipes w and a respectively, of a warm or thawing medium supply so that when it is necessary these pipes may also be freedto permit of the removal of the ice plate. As seen in Fig. 1 the pipes c' and j are also connected to the supply 2 and return c@ of the warm fluid so that by means of valves s, operated inv an obvious manner, the freezing medium and the warm or thawing medium may be alternately directed through the tubes and the warm medium alternately supplied and cut off from the pipes n.

The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows: l/Vhen the tank has been filled with water to the desired height that is to say covering the tops of the tubes, a freezing medium, such as brine or the like, is passed from the supply t through pipe t to the header cl and so up through the tubes c and down the tubes e into the header f causing the water surrounding the tubes to freeze, the freezing element passing out by the pipe j to the return u. The circulation of the freezing liquid is continued until an ice block is formed around the tubes to the rev quired thickness, at which time the freezing the tank by a crane or the like.

liquid is stopped and the warm current di rected through the headers and tubes in like manner as the freezing7 medium was circulated. The warm currentthaws the ice from around the tubes and thereby loosens the block therefrom and meanwhile the bottom of the ice block is loosened by means of the pipes n which have the warm medium passing therethrough and transmit their heat to the plate mand so the block of ice is completely freed' and may then be removed from By this means the ice forming plate is constantly in position so that the formation of succeeding "blocks of ice may be commenced without any considerable delay. In the event of any tubes being damaged or developing a leak the ice forming plate can be readily removed by simply disconnecting the couplings, thus freeing the plate which can then be bodily removed and repaired or replaced by a new plate.

What I claim is as follows- 1. In an ice manufacturing apparatus, a

Ltank, a bodily removable ice forming plate contained in the tank and including a series of vertical tubes, a header in communication with the tubes and resting loosely at the bottom of the tank, a thawing plate sup- I ported above the header, secured to said tubes and having the latterV passed therethrough and a pipe located between the header and the thawing plate, and means for supplying a thawing medium to said pipe.

2. In an ice manufacturing apparatus, a tank, an ice forming plate completely contained in the tank and adapted to be removed in an upward direction therefrom, such ice forming plate including a series of tubes, a header in communication with the tubes, a thawing plate supported above the header, secured to said tubes and having the latter passed therethrough and a thawing pipe located between the header and the thawing plate, means for alternately circulating a freezing medium and a thawing medium through such tubes and for supply ing a thawing medium to said pipe, such means including pipes passed through the wall of the tank to points within the tank, free of the header and thawing pipe and out of the path of removal of the ice for1n ing plate, and couplings between the interior wall of the tank and the header and adapted to connect said pipes, respectively, to the header and to the thawing pipe.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CARL WILHELM VOLLMANN.

Vitnesses 1 STANLEY C. KING, JAMES A. FRASER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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