US607321A - Refrigerating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

No. 607,32l. Patented luly l2, I898. H. W. ABBOTT. v BEFBIGEBATING APPARATUS.

A lication filed Sept. 13, 1897.)

(No Model.)

FIG 3 mi m 3 M2 M WITNESSES Mag.

UNTTED STATES PATENT FFICEQ HENRY \VILLIAMS ABBOTT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO IVILLIAM L. REED, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

REFRIGERATIN'G APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,321, dated July 12, 1898.

Application filed September 13,1897. Serial No. 651,538. iNo model.)

T0 (0% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY WILLIAMS AB- BOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of saidinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it most nearly appertains to make, use, and practice the same.

My invention relates to an improved refrigerating apparatus for supplying cold air to storage-rooms and other places; and it consists of the mechanism and combination of v devices hereinafter described and pointed out.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal section on line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view, the car-body being in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sec tion of the ice-chamber and cone-shaped vessel, showing the spiral passage. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the ice-box and cones.

Let A represent the body of a refrigeratorcar or other storage room or structure which it is desired to supply with cold air. At some point within this roomor structure, preferably at one end, I construct a separate compartment or chamber B, which may or may not extend across the full width of the room. Usually, however, for the conservation of space it will be a simple square box-shaped structure, which may be circular, square, or polygonal, in the neighborhood of two or three feet in diameter. In the case of a refrigerator-car I make it extend to the roof of the car and I make an opening in the roof directly over it in the usual way of making icehole openings in the roofs of refrigerator-cars, so that ice may be introduced into the chamber from the roof through this opening. Inside of this chamber and resting upon the bottom or floor of the chamber I place an open truncated cone 0, with its largest end downward. This vessel may be of any desired height, but ordinarily it should not extend above the middle height of the chamber. This open truncated cone I construct preferably with double concentric walls 0 e, so as to leave a space of from one to three inches B connects with the tube 9, so as to draw the warm air at the ceiling through the tube 9 and force it through the refrigerating-coils and into the storage or cooling room through the pipe j at or near thefi'oor.

The fan-blower Il may be driven by any suitable power. I shall usually use a storage battery K, located inside the structure. I11 the case of a refrigerator-car, however, I shall use a small wind-wheel L on the top of the car and surmount it with a hood M, so that when the car is in motion the air gathered by the hood will act upon the wheel and drive it. This wind-wheel may be connected with the blower by any suitable means, such as the shaft O shown in Fig. 1, which is connected by bevel-gearing with the wind-wheel and blower-shafts, respectively. In connection with this wind-wheel I also employ an ordi: nary ball-governor P, mounted on the upper end of the shaft 0. This governoris provided with a circuit in which is the storage battery -Kand motor K, the latter being belted or otherwise geared to the shaft of the blower.

When the wind-wheel is in operation, the gov ernor acts through the device 0 to keep the said circuit open; but as soon as the car stops and the wind-wheel ceases to operate the governor acts upon the switch-controlling device 0 to close said circuit, and thereby set in operation the motor. I for a continuous operation of the blower and air-circulation. I do not, however, limit myself to this described arrangement, since any suitable motor or motors with connecting devices may be used to maintain the operation 5 of the blower.

In the operation of my refrigerator ice is filled into the chamber B through its open upper end until the space inside of and surrounding the vessel 0 and above it are filled roe The upper end of this fiat 55 In this manner I provide with ice. The fan-blower is then set in motion, so that the warm air is drawn from the receiver at the ceiling and caused to pass from the top to the bottom of the vessel 0 through the spiral tube or passage and be discharged into the room A from the pipe j. The air is thus circulated from the refrigerating-room through the ice-surrounded coil and back into the refrigerating-room until any required reduction of temperature is obtained.

The truncated-cone form of the vessel 0 is an important feature of the apparatus for the reason that as the ice melts around the same the remaining ice clings or adheres more closely to the outer wall of said vessel, its descent being opposed by the sloping surface of said wall instead of falling away from it, as would be the case with a vessel having a straight wall. By keeping the ice in this manner in close contact with the said wall the requisite low temperature of the air-passage is maintained with a very material savin g in ice. An almost equally advantageous efiect is derived from the form of the inner wall of said vessel, since the ice contained therein being buoyed up by the water therein (the vessel being always partly filled) is caused to wedge or pack more closely in the upwardly-tapering space and is held in closer contact with the inner surface of the wall than in a straight-walled space,where the ice floats more or less loosely in the water.

As the ice in the chamber B melts new ice can be supplied through the open top, and an overflow-pipe 'r is arranged to carry away the surplus water from the chamber after a certain depth is obtained, which will be regulated by the location of the overflow-pipe.

U is a ventilator-pipe, which is located at some point in the roof or upper part of the storage-room to exhaust or supply air, as required.

If it is desired to medicate or sterilize the air, a wash-bottle containing the necessary medicament can be connected with the extremity of the discharge-pipej, as represented at Fig. 1, orjars containing absorbent cotton or sponges saturated with any substance adapted to destroy germs can be substituted for it. The air from the discharge-pipej is caused to pass through this vessel or jar when desired and through or over its contents and to the point of distribution through any suitable duct or conduit.

By this apparatus I can utilize the refrigeratin g effect of the ice to the highest degree. The conical refrigerating vessel will give a large tube-surface for the air to pass over, and the cold water which results from the melting ice is utilized by the superior diameter of the lower end of the vessel to aid in cooling the air.

This apparatus is intended for providing cold purified air for preserving perishable substances.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an air refrigerating apparatus, the combination of the ice-chamber, the open truncated cone therein of less diameter than the chamber and the spiral air-flue formed about the outer surface of said cone, substantially as described.

2. In' an air refrigerating apparatus, the combination of the ice-chamber, the open truncated cone therein of less diameter than the chamber and the spiral air-flue formed about the outer surface of said cone, means for forcing air through said flue, and an overfiow-pipe communicating with said chamber considerably above the bottom thereof,whereby the lower portion of the cone is kept submerged in the meltage, substantially as described.

3. In an air refrigerating apparatus, the combination of the icechamber, the open truncated cone therein of less diameter than the chamber, a second cone surrounding and spaced from the first-named cone,and a spiral air-fine formed between said cones, as described.

In testimony whereof I' have hereunto signed my name, in the presence of two witnesses, this 7th day of August, A. D. 15597.

HENRY \VILLIAMS ABBOTT.

Witnesses:

W. M. BRINKMAN, EDWARD BRINKMAN.

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