US374114A - Refrigerating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

'(N'd Model.) l s sheets-sheet 1. v A. J. CHASE.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

No. 374,114.. Patented Nov. 29.1887.)

` (No Model.)A 3 sheetsL-sheef 2;

A. J. CHASE.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

N.374,l14. o l 72973.fadzelcned Nov 29 1887 M l/fg.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

l A. J. CHASE.l

REPRIGERATING APPARATUS.

Patented Nov. 29, 1887.

N. PTRS Fhulbthogmphsf, Washnghn. D. C.

l" UNITED STATES PATENT Ormes,

ANDREW J. CHASE, OF BOSTON, MASSAClEiUSEFlS.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374.114, dated November 29, 1887.

Application filed October 23, 1886. Renewed November 1, 1887. Serial No. 254,013. (No model.)

The objects of my invention are to provide,

novel means for maintaining the ice and pickle separated from each other in the ice-tank, and to provide a novel construction of ice-tank for utilizing the refrigerating properties of the pickle.

The objects of myinvention l accomplish in the manner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectional elevation of a refrigerator-car embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a detail vertical sectional view through one of the ice-tanks and the roof of the car, andv Fig.

3 a horizontal sectional View taken on `line x a: of Fig. 1. v

In orderto enable those skilled i'n the art to make and use my invention, l will now describe the same in detail, reference being made to the drawings, where I have shown my invention embodiedin the construction of a refrigerating railway-car; but, obviously, the invention can be embodied in steamships, vessels, and other structures, whether traveling or stationary.

The numeral 1 indicates the wooden walls of the structure, having around one end a series of standards or stanchions, 2, to which is secured the rectangular or similar shaped metallic casing 3 across the car, which casing is thereby separated from the end and side walls of the car by an intervening air-circulating space, 4, in such manner that the casing is detached from the wooden walls. By this arrangement, if the external air, with its heat and moisture, should pass through the wooden Walls, the contained moisture in such air vwill be taken up by the cold metallic surface of the casing at a distance from the wooden walls, leaving the air dry, and the condensed moisture will drip fromthe casing into the drip-pan 5, keeping the wooden walls dry and preventing them from becoming saturated to such an extent as to impair their non-conducting properties where employed in air-tight freezingcompartments. The casing is open at both top and bottom, as at 6so that the air circulates between it and the wooden walls; and within the said casing are placed a series of metallic ice-tanks, 7, having imperforate walls, of oval, cylindrical, or similar shape, in cross-section, bearing against the opposite sides of the casing, while the end tanks bear against the ends as well as the'sides thereof. ln each tank is located a horizontal division-wall, 8, of Wood or other material, having perforations or passages and dividing the tank into an upper icereceiving chamber, 9, and a lower picklereceiving chamber, 10, the lower end of which is closed by a wooden or other bottom, 11, having a single orifice, 12, which can be opened and closed by a plug or valve, 13, connected with a rod, 14, extending up through the tank to or near the roof or top wall of the car or other structure.

A dividing vertical partition, 15, extends across the car from side to side between the casing and the preserving-compartment 18, and is held and supported at a slight distance away from the inner side wall of thelining or casing by interposed wooden strips to provide an airpassage between the casing and the partition, the latter terminating at a short distance from the loor and roof of the car, as at 16 and 17, to permit the automatic circulation of air from the preserving-compartment 18, around the partition, the tanks, and the detached metallic casing. The upper ends of the tanks open into an ice-supply trunk'. or hopper, 19, extending across the roof of the car and common to all the tanks, so that the latter will be maintained full of ice. The trunk or hopper is filled with ice by removing its cover 20, and acts as a feeder to the tanks, and where the invention is applied to a railway-car the vibrations thereof serve to automatically feed the ice into the tanks.

The walls comprising the casing, as well as the walls ofthe tanks, overhang the drip-pan l5, which is placed in or on the loor of the car or other structure in such manner that the drippings resulting from condensation are received by the pan, and escape therefrom by a ICO suitable outlet, 21, which may, if desired, discharge into a suitable vessel orreceiver.

A metallic or other suitable apron, 22, is suspended in each tank and forms a close joint with the horizontal division-wall 8, to which it may be secured, such apron conforming in cross-section to the form of the tank, or substantially so, but of a less diameter than the tank, so as to provide a surrounding unobstructed vertical space, 23, between the apron and the walls of the tank. The apron terminates at its lower edge a short distance above the bottom wall of the pickle-chamber to provide a space, 24C, and the walls of each tank at some suitable point beneath thev division-wall 8 are provided with lateral outlet-orifices 25. The space 23 holds a stratum or column of pickle between the apron and the wall of the tank for constantly absorbing heat` thereby raising the temperature of such stratum or column. The descending pickle, resulting from theice and salt mixturaforces the stratum or column to gradually assume a higher altitude, until finally it escapes through the outletoriices 25, but not untilsuch stratum has effected its purpose of absorbing heat, and thus enlarging the refrigerating capacity of the apparatus. As will be obvious, the descending cold pickle and ascending stratum of pickle cause a continuous but slow circulation, the stratum constantly absorbing heat and the descending pickle pressing on the stratum and forcing it upward.

The pickle can be discharged from the pickle-chamber by operating the plug or valve 13 through its rod 14, to open the orifice 12. The pickle or brine, which has a commercial value, can be drawn off and used from time to time for pickling purposes.

rlhe walls comprising the casing increase the cooling and condensing surface, induce a rapid circulation of air, and, touching the external surfaces of the imperforate walls of all the tanks, become a frost-bearing plant by conduction. The walls of the casing overhang the drip-pan and present its inner and outer surfaces to the circulating air, whereby the cooling capacity of a given size of refrigerating apparatus is largely increased.

The division-walls in the tanks maintain the ice in the upper part from contact with the pickle in the pickle-chamber, and also prevent the ice from forcing out the pickle by displacement, as occurs where the ice rests or floats directly in the brine.

The tanks are suspended and held by their upper ends being secured to or connected with the roof or top of the car or otherv structure, and the metallic casing, as well as the partition, are of less height than the tanks, so that the casing is open at its upper and lower ends; but, obviously, such open ends may be otherwise produced, so long as the construction is such that the circulating air can pass, as indicated by the arrows, along both surfaces of the casing and the external surfaces of the tanks. The tanks have a circular or oval form in crosssectiou, so that they only have contact with the casing at certain points and permit the free circulation of the air about the imperforatc walls of the tank; so that the circulating air is preserved in adry condition, as it never comes in contact with the ice in the tanks, as is the case in the construction of refri gerator for which Letters Patent No. 289, 97 7 were issued December' 11, 1883, to NV. A. Chase, which construction l do not wish to be understood as claiming.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim isv 1. In an ice-tank for refrigerating structures, the combination, with a horizonal perforated partition dividing said tank into an upper ice-chamber and a lower pickle-chamber, said pickle-chamber having a lateral outlet in its upper end, of an apron suspended in the pickle-chamber directly from the horizontal partition and extending continuously around said chamber, but not in contact therewith at its bottom or sides, whereby a space is afforded for an ascending stratum of pickle between the outer surface of the apron and the inner surface of the pickle-chamber, substantially as described.

2. rlhe combination, with an ice-tank having a horizontal perforated partition, 8, for supporting the ice, and a pickle-chamber located beneath said partition and provided with upper outlet, 12, and lower outlet, 25, of an apron, 22, suspended in said pickle-chamber, a drip-pan, 5, located beneath the pickle-chamber, and a plug-valve, 13, fitted to the lower outlet of the pickle-chamber and provided with an operating-rod, substantially as described.

]n testimony whereof I have affixed my sig- IOO

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