US291774A

US291774A - reynolds

Info

Publication number: US291774A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1884-01-08
Anticipated expiration: 1901-01-08

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. H. REYNOLDS & L. ALLEN; APPARATUS FOR ICE MAKING AND RBFRIGERATING.

No. 291,774. A Patented Jan. 8, 1884.

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G. H. REYNOLDS & L. ALLEN. APPARATUS FOR ICE MAKING AND REFRIGERATING,

P atented Jan.

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3 SheetsSheet 3.

G. H. REYNOLDS & L. ALLEN. APPARATUS FOR ICE-MAKING AND REFRIGERATING.

No. 291,774. Patented Jan. 8, 1884.

(No Model.)

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GEORGE H. REYNOLDS AND LEICESTER ALLEN, OE NEYV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS OF ONE-HALF TO CORNELIUS H. DELAMATER, GEORGE H. ROBINSON, AND XVILLIAM DELAMATER, AND THE ALLEN CYCLE NON- CHEMICAL REFRIGERATING COMPANY, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR ICE-MAKING AND REFRIGERATING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,774, dated January 8, 1884, Application filed September 8, 1883. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE E. REYNoLDs and LEICESTER ALLEN,both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Processes of and Apparatus for Ice-Making and Refrigerating, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The object of our invention is a more economical utilization of the negative heat or cold produced by artificial refrigerating-machines and apparatus, more particularly that class of machines which employ only air as a refrigerative medium, and still more particularly the machine known as the Allen Dense-Air Ice Machine, for which were granted Letters Patent of the United States, numbered 252, 921, and dated January 31, 1882. In this machine the air is first compressed, then cooled in a surfacecooler, to abstract the heat due to the work of compression, then expanded in an air-expanding engine to its initial pressure, then passed through a surface-cooler of some sort, which is surrounded by the substance to be cooled, or inclosed in the apartment to be cooled, then, without being allowed to escape, is carried back to the compressor to be recompressed, and again passed through the cycle of operations. In this machine the air is also maintained always at a pressure materially above the normal pressure of the surrounding atmosphere. \Vhile, however, the invention herein described is more particularly applicable to the class of machines named, it isnot intended to confine its application to such machines, and although described as used in connection with the Allen Dense-Air Ice-Machine, it is not thereby intended to limit its use. In all the socalled cycle processes used for refrigeration it is important that the refrigerating medium-that is to say, the substance operated upon to produce negative heat-should return during each cycle as nearly as possible to the temperature at which itcommences the cycle. It is evident, if it reaches the commencement of the cycle at a temperature lower than at which it began the cycle previously, that there is a certain amount of negative heat remaining unutilized in the medium. This negative heat will be neutralized by positive heat during the passage of the air through the cooler, which abstracts the heat of compression, for it is obvious that in no case can the medium leave this cooler at a temperature lower than the cooling-water contained therein.

It is the purpose of this invention to more effectually restore the cooling medium to the temperature at which it commences the cycle of operations than has hitherto been done in machines of the kind referred to, and also in ice-making to purify the water, subsequently to be frozen, by the precipitation of organic and other impurities.

To this end our invention consists in a pro cess involving, first, the passage of the cooling medium through an apparatus containing a non-congealable liquid, which abstracts the negative heat from the medium and conveys it to the substance to be finally chilled or frozen; second, the passage of the medium through a secondary apparatus, which contains a portion of the material which is to be chilled or frozen, with a view to abstract, as far as possible, the residualnegative heat or cold left in the refrigerating medium, and also in a measure to cool the water to be frozen or chilled and precipitate impurities therefrom-preliminary to its introduction into the part of the apparatus wherein it is to be finally chilled or frozen.

The invention also consists in a process involving, first, the passage of the cooling medium through an apparatus containing a noncongealable liquid for transferring the nega tive heat from the said medium to the sub stance to be chilled or frozen in such a direction that the cooling medium enters the apparatus where the non-congealable liquid is coldest, and leaves the apparatus where the said liquid is warmest; and, second, the passage of the cooling medium through a secondary apparatus containing the material which is to be subsequently chilled or frozen.

. The invention also consists in a process in f volving the passing of a cooling mediun through pipes from a point of entrance to a point of exit, the said pipes being immersed in a non-congealable liquid, the placing of cans or molds containing a substance to be chilled or frozen in the non-congealable liquid, the movement of the cans or molds, step by step, from the point of exit of the cooling me-. dium to the point of entrance thereof, and the subsequent passing of the cooling medium through an apparatus containing a portion of the substance to be chilled or frozen prior to its being placed in the cans or molds.

The invention also consists in the construc tion and arrangement of an apparatus, and parts thereof, designed to carry out the abovedescribed processes, the general construction and details of which will appear upon refer ence to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan of a system of pipes, through which the cooling medium is circulated, and which are shown detached from other parts. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of ice molds or cans, in which water is placed to be frozen, and a removable'partition, which may be introduced between them; and Fig. 5 is a face view of a removable partition, a number of which we may place in the tank between the ice cans or molds, as hereinafter described.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures.

A is a tank, which may be made of any suitable material; but it is preferably made of cast-iron. It is circular in external form, and has a central space, A, which receives the lower part of the secondary apparatus above referred to. Between the wall which incloses this central space A and the exterior walls of the tank is an annular space, A This'space, in use, receives the non-congealable'liquid employed to transfer the positive heat from the substance to be finally chilled or frozen. The cross-section of the annular space is, for about one-half its depth, made wider at the top than at the bottom to receive two ranges of pipes, b I). These are bent into circular form to correspond to the curvature of the outer and in ner walls of the annular space A'. The pipes I) lie as closely as convenient to the outer wall of A, and the pipes b lie as closely as convenient to the inner wall of A. Each of the pipes 11 is connected with or inserted into a double-header B, and passes almost entirely around the tank to another similar doubleheader, B, with which it is connected, the connection being air-tight. Each of the range of pipes b also passes almost entirely around the annular space A, and is connected with or inserted into the double-headers B and B in the same manner as described for the pipes 1). Six pipes in each range are shown; but

the number may be unlimited except by convenience.

Between the double-headers B and B is fd'tedinto the annular space A a septum or partition, C, (see Fig. 2,) made preferably of wood, which acts as a dam to prevent any circulation of the non-congealable liquid between the extremities of the pipes b and b, which are inserted into the double-headers B and B. Each of the headers consists of a single casting, preferably of brass or brazing metal, and is hollow, so that the air or other refrigerating medium may pass through it, the air entering as shown by arrows in Fig. 1, and emerging through nipples, into which are inserted the pipes b and I). The air first enters a central portion, a, of the header B, and thence passes, equally divided, through two branches, a a, in which branches are the nipples into which the ends of the pipes b b are inserted.

The tank A has formed at its upper outside and inside edges flanges c c. The flange 0 projects outwardly and the flange 0 projects inwardly. These flanges are hollowed on their upper surfaces to form a channel or trough, shown at f, Fig. 1. These channels are filled with balls g, shown in Fig. 1, which are for the carriage of the turn-table rings E E, Figs. 1 and 2. To or upon these turn-table rings are suspended or supported molds or receptacles .for the substance to be finally chilled or frozen, which will be hereinafter described.

The part of each wall of the tankA, which incloses the upper and wider part of the space A", is connected with the lower part of the wall, which incloses the same space by an inclined portion, a Fig. 1. The'purpose of this is to give the cold non-congcalableliquid, which has been cooled by passing over the ranges of pipe I) b, an easy fiowdown along the sides of the tank into the narrow portion of the space A and not abruptly to turn the direction of the current toward the center of that space. The cold current therefore flows down along the inner and outer walls of the tank to the bottom thereof. The bottom of the tank has formed therein two channels, 0 c, which pass entirely around the tank, as shown in Fig. 1. The purpose of these channels is to conduct ihe non-congealable liquid which has passed down into them upward into the central portion of the space A, and to give the said liquid a direction of flow and circulation indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. The cold air or other refrigerating medium is, through the pipe F, passed into the doubleheader B, Fig. 1, and passed through the ranges of pipes b b entirely around the tank into the double-h eader B. It thence issues from the pipe F on its way to the secondary part of the apparatus, hereinafter described.

The form of the molds 0 preferably adopted for ice-making'is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4. They gently taper from top to bottom on all their sides. They are preferably made of galvanized sheet-iron, and they differ from the Ioo iio

iio

molds ordinarily used for ice-making in the g following details: First, they are arranged and joined together in pairs, so that two cans are lifted together out of the tank for discharging sues finally from the pipe F.

their ice, and are again filled and replaced in the tank, as hereinafter described. They are of segmental or wedge shape in their transverse section, so that they economically utilize the annular space A in the tank l1ercinbefore described.

At the top of each pair of molds O is a malleablecast-iron frame, G, which is riveted to the upper border of the molds. Integrally with this frame is cast an eye, 71, placed in central position, into which a hook may be inserted for raising the molds out of the tank. The molds thus joined at the top are also joined at the bottom in the following manner: A series of rivets, h, shown in Fig. 4, are employed for this purpose, the bottoms of the molds being kept a proper distance from each other by means of thimbles h, through one of which each of the rivets passe s.

Integrally with the frame G are also cast lugs Z, Figs. 1 and 2, which, when the cans are placed in the tank, engage in properly-formed recesses m, formed in the turntable rings E and E, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When the molds are thus placed in engagement with the rings E and E said rings are caused to maintain constant relation with each other, and to move co-ordinately when either one of them is moved circumierentially.

Upon the ring E, which is the outer one of the two turn-table rings, areformed sockets 02, as shown in Fig. 2, into which a lever or handle, N, may be inserted for turning the turntable ring circumferentially, for the purpose hereinafter described.

The operation of the part of the apparatus the construction of which has been now described is as follows: The cold air or other refrigerating medium, entering at F, passes en tirely through the ranges of pipes I) b, and is- In making this passage, it cools the non-congealable liquid, which, constantly circulating, becomes cold, while the pipes and their contents are correspondinglyheated. It follows that the temperature of the refrigerating medium is constantly raised during the passage through the pipes, and that the coldest point in the tank will be at the double-header B and the warmest at the doubleheader B. At first, as many molds as can be placed upon the tn rn-table rings are so placed, projecting down into the tank and into the non-congealable liquid, which completely surrounds them, and which is put into the tank sufficiently to rise up to and cover the pipes b and I). The circulation of the noncongealable liquid then takes place down along the walls of the tank and up toward the center of the same, where it comes in contact with the sides of the molds, extracting heat from said molds and becoming heated, thus making a central upward circulation through the tank as well as the downward outside circulation already described. This circulation is constantly taking place throughout the tank; but the noncongealable liquid will be much colder header B are, by the same motion of the turntable rings, moved away from the header, leaving aspace into which is now lowered another pair of cans filled with fresh liquid to be frozen. This process is carried on continuously, so that as each pair of cans becomes colder it is moved along into a still colder portion of the bath. The non-congealable liquid circulates over warmer and warmer molds throughout the circle from the header B to the header B, and consequently is warmer the farther it is removed from the header B. The air or other cooling medium also passesthrough from the colder to the warmer portion of the bath, and consequently approximates more and more to its normal temperature prior to its commencing its cycle of operations in the refri gerati n g1nachine hereinbefore described.

In order that the non-congealable liquid, as cooled by contact with the pipes b and b in close proximity to the header B, shall not, after descending to the bottom of the tank, flow along the channel-bottom thereof around toward the header B, it may be sometimes desirable to introduce between each pairof molds a movable partition, which is shown in Fig. 4. These partitions are of shape corresponding to the shape of the cross-section of the annular space A. They are preferably formed of a piece of board, M, of cypress wood or other suitable timber, with a bottom, 0, of metal, of sufficient weight to overcome the buoyancy of the board M in the non-congealable liquid. To the top of each of these partitions, on opposite sides, are riveted hooks p, of proper shape and dimensions to reach over the frame G and en gage the adjacent edges of each pair of molds. But we do not limit ourselves to this precise construction, as other forms of construction may obviously be adopted to subserve the same purpose. The insertion of these partitions between each pair of cans divides the annular space A into a series of cells, each of which has an independent circulation of the noncongealable liquid contained therein, the general direction of the circulation being as hereinbefore described.

It may be advantageous to attach along the vertical and lower edges of these partitions a flap, 3, of leather or rubber, or other analogous material, which has sufficient rigidity to resist the circulation of liquids between the cells, and at the same time so little rigidity that it will not resist the motion of the partition are rotated, as hereinbefore described.

It remains to describe the secondary apparatus, which is centrally located in the tank A. This consists in a vertical tank, R, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This tank is about twice the height of the tank A, and the space of its upper half, or thereabout, is occupied with acoil, S. This coil is connected, by the flangejoint t, with the branch F of the header B. The air or other refrigerating medium, therefore. after having passed through the branch F of the header B, passes into and through the coil S on its way back to the compressor of the refrigerating-machine. The tank It is filled, or nearly so,with W2Lt6l',WhlCh is subsequently to be made into ice. This water, circulating over the coil S, becomes cooled to or nearly to the congealing-point by the action of the residual cold remaining in the refrigerating medium after it has passed through the coils b and b. This residual cold, which would otherwise be wasted, is therefore utilized in preparing the water for freezing. A secondary beneficial effect is also produced in water which contains organic matter, which would otherwise be found in the cakes of ice, and impart an un pleasant color thereto. This organic matter is, if the water be left free to circulate, separated from the water between the temperatures 38 and 32 Fahrenheit. \Vhen the water is confined in molds, however, the tendency is to freeze an inclosing envelope of ice, whereby the separation of the organic matter from the water is prevented, and it accumulates toward the lower end of the cake of ice, and is frozen therein and produces a color spot, the color of which depends upon the nature of the organic matter suspended. By this process of separate cooling down to or nearly to the point of congealing,the organic matter descends with the descending current into the lower part of the tank R, in its endeavor to escape from the nearly congealed water, in precisely the same manner it would descend in the ice envelope in the mold. The water for filling the cans which are to be placed in the tank A is drawn from the tank R, and from a point at or near the lower part of the coil S, and the organic matter which would settle below this point is not drawn into the mold, and the ice produced in the molds is therefore freed or in a great measure freed from the matter which imparts color to the ice. In this way, therefore, we not only utilize the residual cold above the temperature of the non-congealable liquid in the tank A", but also purify the water which is subsequently to be made into ice.

Ve do not claim, broadly, the cooling of water or other substance preparatory to its being subjected to the action of a refrigerating medium, to be thereby chilled or frozen; nor do we claim the passing of air in direct contact with a pan or other vessel containing water to be frozen, and the subsequent passage of the air through an apparatus for cooling water preparatory to the introduction of the water into the said pan or vessel to be there frozen. According to our process, we place the substance to be chilled or frozen ina body ofnon-congealableliquid. \Vethenpasstheair or other cooling medium through pipes which are immersed in the non-congealable liquid; and, after the air or other cooling medium has been so passed through the non-congealable liquid, and, through said liquid, has imparted negative heat to the substance to be chilled or frozen, we pass the air or cooling medium through an aperture containing a portion of the substance to be subsequently chilled or frozen. This process we beliey e to be novel.

\Vhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process involving, first, the placing of the substance to be chilled or frozen in a non-congealable liquid; second, the passage of the cooling medium through the non-congealable liquid for transferring the negative heat from the cooling medium to the substance to be chilled or frozen; and, third, the passage of the cooling medium through a secondary apparatus containing a portion of the substance to be subsequently chilled or frozen, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The process involving, first, the placing of the substance to be chilled or frozen in a non-congealable liquid; second, the passage of the cooling medium through the non-congealable liquid for transferring the negative heat from the cooling medium to the substance to be chilled or frozen insuch a direction that the cooling medium enters the non-congealable liquid where it is coldest and leaves the non-congealable liquid where it is warmest; and, third, the passing of the cooling medium, after leaving the non-congealable liquid, through a secondary apparatus containing the substance which is to be subsequently chilled or frozen, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. The process involving the passing of a cooling medium through pipes from a point of entrance to a point of exit, the said pipes being immersed in a non-congealable liquid, the placing of cansor molds containing a substance to be chilled or frozen in the non-congealable liquid, the movement of said cans or molds step by step from the point of exit of the cooling medium to the point of entrance thereof, and the subsequent passing of the cooling medium through an apparatus containing a portion of the substance to be chilled or frozen prior to its being placed in said cans or molds, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination, with a tank for noncongealable liquid and pipes extending through the same for the passage of a cooling medium, of a secondary tank and a pipe extending through the latter for the passage of the cooling medium, and connected with the pipes in the first-mentioned tank, whereby the cooling medium may be employed to chill the non-congealable liquid and then chill the contents of said secondary tank, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a circular tank for non-congealable liquid and means for imparting cold to said liquid, of a turn-table placed above the tank, and upon which cans or molds containing water or other substance to be chilled or frozen may be supported, substan tially as described.

6. The combination, with an annular tank for non-congealable liquid and pipes extending around the inner sides of the walls thereof for the passage of a cooling medium, the said )i es bein interru )ted or havin a ga) bes a l tween their ends, of entrance and exit pipes for the cooling medium connected with the ends of said pipes, and a septum or partition dividing the tank between the point of entrance and point of exit, substantially as described.

7 The combination, with the tank h avin g the annular space A for non-congealable liquid, of the two series of pipes b I), the supply and exhaust headers B 13, connected, respectively, with the ends of said pipes, and a turn-table arranged above the tank, and on which cans or molds containing the substance to be chilled or frozen may be placed, substantially as described.

I 8. The combination, with an annular tank for non-congealable liquid made widest at the upper portion. and having the walls of the wider upper portion joined to the lower portion by inclines, of circular series of pipes for the passage of a cooling medium, arranged in the wider upper portion of the tank, near the walls thereof, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with the annular tank A'-, having in its bottom the channels 0 c, of means for cooling the liquid in thetank adj acent to the sides thereof, whereby a downward circulation is produced adjacent to the walls of the tank, and an upward circulation at the center thereof, substantially as described.

10. The combinatiomwith an annular tank for non-congealable liquid, and a secondary tank arranged in the space surrounded by the said annular tank, of circulating-pipes arranged in both said tanks for the passage of a cooling medium, and connected together, asupply-pipe connected with the pipes in the annular tank, and an escape-pipe connected with the pipe or pipes in said secondary tank, substantially as described.

11. The combination, with an annular tank for non-congealable liquid and means for cooling the same, of a turn-table supported and adapted to turn on the upper edges of the walls of said tank and to receive through it and support ice cans or molds, substantially as described.

12. The combination, with an annular tank and means for cooling the same, of ice cans or molds, of segmental or wedge shape in horizon tal section, adapted to be supported in said tank, and an annular turn-table placed above the tank for supporting said cans or molds, substantially as described.

13. The combination, with an annular tank for non-congealable liquid and means for cooling the same, of inner and outer turn-table rings supported independently of each other on the walls of said tank, and ice cans or molds constructed to interlock or engage with said rings, so that the rings and the circular series of cans or molds supported thereby may be turned together, substantially as described.

14. The combination, with an annular tank for non-congealable liquid and means for cooling the same, of ice cans or molds of segmental or wedge shape, arranged in the tank, and removable partitions fitted to the tank between the ice cans and molds, substantially as described.

15. Thecombination,with anannular tank for non-congealable liquid and means for cooling the same, of a turn-table placed above the tank, the frames G, provided with lugs or projections Z for engaging with said turn-table, whereby said frames are caused to move with the turn-table, and two or more cans or molds secured in and depending from each of said frames, substantially as herein described.

GEO. H. REYNOLDS.

LEICESTER ALLEJ.

\Vitnesscs EREDK. HAYNES, ED. L. MORAN.