US2749721A - Ice machine - Google Patents

Description

June 12, 1956 Filed May 13. 1952 G. TREPAUD ICE MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet l G. TREPAUD ICE MACHINE June 12, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 13. 1952 INSUL/l Tl/VG CASING i 1 \Lllll'L G. TREPAUD ICE MACHINE June 12, 1956 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 13, 1952 ICE MACHINE Georges Trpaud, Paris, France Application May 13, 1952, Serial No. 287,483

Claims priority, application Netherlands May 23, 1951 Claims. (Cl. 62-106) The present invention relates to an apparatus intended to freeze a liquid circulating in a nest of tubular pipes, the outer surface of which is in contact, alternatively, with a refrigerating fluid during the congelation process and with a reheating fluid during the ice removal process. The invention aims at giving a fairly continuous output.

The apparatus is characterized in that the tubular nest is divided in several groups of freezing pipes and includes self acting means intended to separate successively each group of pipes from the flow of liquid to be congealed and of the refrigerating fluid, to bring the pipes of said isolated group into contact with the reheating fluid and to remove the ice bars from the pipes or" said group.

By way of example, an embodiment of the invention, applied to the making of ice by means of the direct expansion of a cold producing fluid, will be described hereafter and illustrated in the annexed drawing.

The Figure 1 is a vertical section along the axis of the apparatus.

The Figure 2 is a horizontal section along the line 11-11 of Figure 1.

The Figure 3 is a horizontal section along the line III--Ill of Figure 1.

The Figures 4, 5, 6 are views in perspective, partly in section of the various elements of the lower part of the apparatus.

The apparatus includes a cylindrical body 1 (Figure l) in which is vertically set a central tube 2; round this tube 2, six cylindrical watertight casings 3 are arranged symmetrically, each casing containing a group of seven freezing pipes 4 (Fig. 2). The pipes 4 are mounted in pipe holding plates 5 and 6 and open, at their upper and lower ends, in the cylindrical ducts 7 of the two thawing chambers, the upper chamber 8, the lower chamber 9. The central tube 2 is mounted in the bore 10 bored out in the two thawing chambers 8, 9. These chambers are shaped to allow the circulation of a fluid round the cylindrical ducts 7. Sleeves 11, with slots 12, form eXtensions for the ducts 7 of the lower thawing chamber 9. The Figure 6 shows in detail the setting of these sleeves 11 in the lower thawing chamber 9.

The whole of the apparatus is topped by a circular cover 13, set on the upper thawing chamber 8 and having a central bore 14 in which is mounted the stand 15 of a motor 16. The cover 13 may have holes communicating with the atmosphere and an overflow pipe to allow the free expansion of the water. The stand 15 consists of a tube 17 surrounding the shaft 18 of the motor 16 and of blades 19 extending in the central tube 2. The shaft 18 bears a propeller 20.

in the upper compartment 21, a disc-valve 22 is arranged over each group of freezing pipes 4, said discvalve bearing a stem 23 sliding in a bore 24 in the cover 13. The stems 23 and the disc-valves 22 are axially bored and these channels 25 open at both ends. The stems 23 are actuated by tippers 26, hinged at 27 on the ited States Patent 2 cover 13. Vertical rods 28 are linked to the outer ends 29 of the tippers 26.

At the base of the apparatus, a lower compartment 30, closed by a bottom 31, is fixed on the lower thawing chamber 9. This bottom 31 is divided in six identical cells 32 by means of six radial partitions 33 (Figs. 3 and 4). Each cell 32 corresponds to a group of pipes 4. The radial partitions 33 are limited in the center by a cylindrical central socket 34, corresponding with the base of the central tube 2 and provided with lateral apertures 35 to connect each cell 32 with the central tube 2. The base of the bottom 31 is bored with holes 36 corresponding to the pipes 4 and in which are inserted the split sleeves 11.

A revolving table 37 (Fig. 5) is applied on the bottom 31: it includes a central opened socket 38, mounted with an easy fit in the fixed socket 34 and provided with lateral apertures 39 corresponding to the apertures 35, the number of said apertures 39 being one unit smaller than the number of the apertures 35; a solid portion 40 interrupts the connection of one of the cells 32 with the central tube 2. In addition, holes 41 are bored in the revolving table in such a way that they correspond to the tubes 4 of a single group.

The revolving table 37 is mounted on a vertical shaft 42 on which is keyed a bevel pinion 43.

A cutting plate 44 is coupled to the revolving table 37, underneath said table, to turn with it: the cutting plate is bored with holes 45 corresponding to the holes 41 of the table 37. The cutting plate 44 is controlled by means of a cam 46 and a spring 47. The cam 46 is mounted on a vertical hollow shaft 48 surrounding the shaft 42. A bevel pinion 49 is keyed on the hollow shaft 48. The shaft 42 is rotated discontinuously, one sixth of a turn at a time, by means of a Maltese cross device, or the like, whilst the shaft 48 turns in an unintermitting way.

The lower face of the revolving table 37 has at its edge the shape of a cam 50, cooperating with rollers 51 mounted on the lower ends of the rods 28. The cam 50 is notched at 52 in the sector corresponding to the bores 41. A trough 53 having a sloping bottom is arranged under the apparatus.

The thawing chambers 8 and 9 include pipes 54 connected with the high pressure portion of the refrigerant circuit of a refrigerator preferably operated with dichlorofluorinemethane and having a compressor 59, a condenser 60 and a supply tank 57.

Figure 1 shows schematically the connection of one group of freezing pipes 3 with the refrigerant circuit.

The watertight casings 3 are equipped with pipes 55, connected with the high pressure portion of the circuit of the refrigerator and with pipes 56 connected with the low-pressure portion of said circuit. A supply chamber 57'(Fig. 2), in which open the pipes 55, 56, is placed between the apparatus and the refrigerator.

Baflles 58 are fitted in each watertight casing 3: these bafiles are, for instance, of the type described in the French Patent No. 797,552 of the same applicant.

Thermostatic gates (not shown) are preferably placed between each freezing group and the supply chamber 57 on the inlet pipe 56 for the cold producing fluid.

The apparatus works as follows:

The apparatus is filled with water by means of a constant level device, and the motor 16 driving the propellor 2t) circulates this water so that it flows down through the central tube 2 and flows up through the freezing pipes 4. The water discharges under a very small head in the upper compartment 21; a stuffing box is not necessary for the shaft 18 of the propeller 20, and the tube 17 secures a sufficient tightness.

At each moment, one group of freezing tubes is in the Patented June 12, 1956 ice removal state, Whilst the five others are in the freezing state. The cold producing fluid flows through the pipes 56 in the groups in the freezing state: the disc-valves 22 are lifted whilst, for the cells 32 corresponding to these five groups the apertures 39 are opposite the apertures 35. The water may thereby flow in the pipes 4 of these five groups and freeze gradually, yielding its calories to the cold producing fluid which circulates round the pipes 4 along a course which is lengthened by the baffles 58. On the contrary, the group in the ice removal state receives, through the pipes 55', the reheating fluid. The corresponding disc-valve 22 is lowered, whilst the solid portion 40 of the socket 34 closes the aperture 35 of the cell 22 corresponding to the group in the ice removal state. The pipes 4 of said group are thereby put out of the circulation of water. The reheating fluid guided by the baffles 58, yields calories the ice-bars formed and these bars slide down on account of there own weight, as, for this group, the holes 41 are opposite the holes 36 of the bottom 31. The ice-bars are guided, during their fall, by the sleeves 11, the slots 12 of which allow the outlet of the water. The channel 25 of the disc-valve 22 of this group allows the free entrance of the air above the ice-bars.

The reheating fluid flows permanently through the thawing chambers, thus preventing the formation, at the ends of the ice-bars, of plugs which could hinder the downfall of these bars.

As they fall down, the ice-bars are cut into sections by the plate 44 in its linear reciprocating motion. The principle of this cutting device has been stated in the French patent application of the same inventor, dated December 1950, for a Device for the Cutting Into Sections of the Ice-Bars Produced in Tubular Ice-Machines.

When all the ice-bars of the group which is in the state of ice removal have been cut into sections, the Maltese cross device rotates the table 37 of one sixth of a turn. The cam 50 lifts the lowered disc-valve 22, whilst the disc-valve of a neighbouring group is lowered in turn. The solid portion 40 obturates the aperture 35 of the cell 22 corresponding to this neighbouring group. The circulation of water is thereby stopped in the neighbouring group but restored in the preceding group.

Simultaneously, the supply chamber 57 sends reheating fluid in the group which is cut from the circulation of water and sends cold producing fluid, instead of the reheating fluid, in the group from which ice has been removed.

At regular intervals and in a circular permutation, the ice is removed in succession from the groups, thus securing a fairly continuous output of ice.

The above described apparatus offers in addition the advantage that the temperature intervals are reduced in the whole apparatus. It must be noted that the temperature of the mass of water contained in the apparatus remains always very close to and that only a small addition of frigories is necessary at each phase to congeal the ice-bars.

What I claim is:

1. Tubular vertical ice-machine, including several identical groups of freezing pipes, an insulating casing arranged round each group, a cold producing source, a heat producing source, means to connect said sources with each of said casings, an upper compartment and a lower compartment into which open respectively the two ends of the freezing pipes, disc-valves in the upper compartment above each of said groups of freezing pipes respectively, the lower compartment including cells, the number of which is the same as the number of groups, a central and cylindrical return tube, connecting the upper compartment and the lower compartment, means to produce a forced circ lation of the liquid to be congealed set on the axis of said return tube, a driving motor outside the ice-machine, a shaft connecting said means to said motor, a revolving distributor constituted by a table having bores in prolongation of the freezing pipes of a group, a cam adapted to actuate the means controlling the disc-valves, a central shaft bearing said plate, a cylindrical central socket provided with apertures, the number of which is equal, but one, to the number of the groups on the other face of the table, a cylindrical recess in the lower compartment in the prolongation of the central tube, an aperture for each cell in the wall of this recess, the socket of the distributor being set with an easy fit in said recess and their apertures being superposable, a pinion on the central shaft to impart to the distributor a discontinuous motion so that each group successively passes opposite the holes of the lower compartment.

2. Tubular vertical ice-machine, including several identical groups of freezing pipes, an insulating casing arranged round each group, a cold producing source, a heat producing source, means to connect said sources with each of said casings, an upper compartment and a lower compartment into which open respectively the two ends of the freezing pipes, disc-valves in the upper compartment above each of said groups of freezing pipes respectively, the lower compartment including cells, the number of which is the same as the number of groups, a return tube, connecting the upper compartment and the lower compartment, means to produce a forced circulation of the liquid to be congealed set on the axis of said return tube, a driving motor outside the ice-machine, a shaft connecting said means to said motor, a distributor, means connecting at any time the lower part of the return tube with all the cells but one of the lower compartment, said distributor comprising a table, holes provided in this table in the prolongation of the freezing pipes of a group, a cutting plate for the ice-bars, bores having partly chamfered edges in said plate, the number of said bores being equal to the number of the bores in the table of the distributor, a hollow shaft, a cam set on said shaft, a spring between the cutting plate and the distributor, said cutting plate being connected with the table of the distributor and being into contact with the cam, said shaft being able to receive a uniform rotational motion.

3. In a tubular freezing machine a cold and a heat producing source, a plurality of identical operating units each comprising a plurality of freezing pipes and each provided with an insulating casing and with means whereby each of said casings is individually connectable to said cold and heat producing sources, an upper compartment into which lead the upper ends of the freezing pipes of all said units, means for feeding the liquid to be frozen into said compartment, valve means adapted to selectively control the communication of the groups of said freezing pipes with said upper compartment, a lower compartment provided with several cells into which open the lower ends of said freezing pipes belonging to said groups respectively, a common return tube having its upper and lower ends opening into said upper and lower compartments respectively, means arranged inside said return tube to produce a forced circulation of the liquid to be frozen and to completely fill the freezing pipes with the liquid flowing therethrough, a driving motor arranged outside said common return tube and a shaft connecting said circulating means with said motor, rotatable distributing means arranged in said lower compartment and adapted to always connect the lower part of the return tube with all the cells but one of the lower .compartment, and linking members actuated by said distributing means and controlling said upper valve means to simultaneously connect all but one of the freezing groups with the upper compartment.

4. A tubular freezing machine comprising a cold and a heat producing source, a plurality of identical operating units each comprising a plurality of vertical freezing pipes and each provided with a cylindrical insulating casing, the axis of said casing being located on a circle, means whereby each of said casing is individually connectable with said cold and heat producing sources, a common insulating cylindrical casing surrounding with its central part said insulated freezing units, said common casing being provided with an upper and lower transversal partition into which are fitted the open upper and lower ends of all the freezing pipes respectively, an upper compartment arranged above said upper partition and provided with means for feeding the liquid to be frozen thereto and with valve means selectively controlling the communication of the freezing groups with said compartment, a divided lower compartment arranged below said lower partition and provided with several cells into which open the lower ends of the freezing pipes belonging to said groups respectively, a large common return tube centrally and coaxially arranged inside the outer casing and having its ends opening in said upper and lower compartments respectively a rotatable shaft arranged along the axis of said return tube, a helical propeller arranged on said shaft inside said tube and driving means to rotate said propeller shaft whereby a forced turbulent fiow of'the liquid to be frozen is produced in the circuit consisting of the upper compartment, the freezing pipes, the lower compartment and the common return tube, rotatable distributing means arranged in said lower compartment and adapted to connect at any time the lower part of the return tube with all the cells except one of the lower compartment, and linking members actuated by said distributing means and controlling said upper valve means to simultaneously connect all except one of the freezing groups with the upper compartment.

5. A tubular freezing machine comprising a cold producing source and a heat producing source, a plurality of identical operative units each comprising a plurality of vertical freezing pipes and provided with a cylindrical insulating casing, the axis of said casing being located on a circle, means whereby each of said casings is individually connectable with said cold and said heat producing sources, a common insulating cylindrical casing surrounding with its central part said insulated freezing groups, said common casing being provided with an upper and lower transversal partition into which are fitted the open upper and lower ends of all the freezing pipes respectively, a common upper compartment arranged above said upper partition and provided with means for feeding the liquid to be frozen thereto and with disc-shaped valves arranged above each of said groups of the freezing tubes respectively to selectively control the communication of said groups with said upper compartment, a divided lower compartment arranged below said lower partition and provided with a plurality of cells into which open the lower ends of the freezing pipes belonging to said groups respectively, a large common return tube centrally and coaxially arranged inside the outer casing and having its ends opening in said upper and lower compartments respectively, a rotatable shaft arranged along the axis of said return table, a helical propeller arranged on said shaft inside said tube and driving means to rotate said propeller shaft whereby a forced turbulent flow of the liquid to be frozen is produced in the circuit consisting of the upper compartment, the freezing pipes, the lower compartment and the common return tube, a rotatable distributor arranged in the lower compartment and adapted to connect at any time the lower part of the return tube with all the cells but one of the lower compartment, said distributor comprising a rotating table, a cam mounted on one face of said table, push rods actuated by said cam and rockers actuated by said push rods and controlling the disc-valves of the upper compartment to simultaneously connect all but one of the freezing groups to the upper compartment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,107,053 Coons Feb. 1, 1938 2,239,234 Kubaugh Apr. 22, 1941 2,522,507 Field Sept. 19, 1950 2,546,092 Field Mar. 20, 1951 2,572,328 Field Oct. 23, 1951 2,585,498 Rear Feb. 12, 1952 2,590,499 Braswell Nov. 25, 1952 2,663,162 Trepaud Dec. 22, 1953 2,700,280 Heuser Ian, 25, 1955

Images