US85719A - Improvement in the manufacture of ice and the refrigerating of air, liquids - Google Patents

Description

3 Ismaniasheet 2.

C. TBLLIER.

10E MACHINE.

No. 85,719. Patented Jan. 5, 1869.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3. C. TBLLIER.

ICE MACHINE.

PatentedJam 5, 1869.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'CHARLES TELLIER, oF PASSY, NEAR PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO LEOPOLD BOUVIER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

'AIMPROVEMENT lN THE MANUFACTURE 0F ICE AND THE REFR-lGERATlNG 0F All?. LIQUIDS. te.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No', 85,719, dated January 5, 1869.

To all whom 'it may conce-rn:

Be it known that l, CHARLES TELLIER, of Passy,11ear Paris, in the Empire ot' France, chemist, have invented Improvements in the Manufacture ot' lce and the Refrigerating of Air, Liquids, 85e.; and that the following` is a full, clear, and exact description ot' the principle or character which distinguishes it from all other things before known, and ot' the usual manner of making, modifying, and using the Same.

These improvements relate to the manufacture ot' ice, the cooling or refrigerating of air, liquids, Snc., by the vaporization and subsequent liquefaction by mechanical pressure of Inetllylic ethepwhich I am the tirst to have manufactured commercially and applied to this branch of trade.

The accompanyingdrawing represents, Figure l, a longitudinal section ot' the apparatus, according to AB; Fig. 2, a transverse section ot the same, according to C D; Fig. 3, aplan.

The apparatus may be divided in three pri-ncipal parts-the congealer h, the compressingpnmpd, the condenser a b.

l will rst describe the congcaler h. It is tilled with methylic ether, by what means I will indicatehereafter. This congeale-r is composed of tive receivers, in the form of hollow Slabs, as seen in longitudinal section, Fig. l, and in transverse section, Fig. 2.A Each otl these receivers is made ot' t'wo pieces ot' stout sheet-iron, slightly bent in above and below,

.and stron gl y riveted together. Gross-slats r 1' 'r 1' give to this arrangement the required solidity. Four strong nuts, two ot which may be- Seen, s s, Fig. 2, unite strongly these tive receivers, which are, nevertheless, kept regularly apart from each other by the tubnlures e'e 6 e, which may be drawn tight by tightening the nuts s s. Thus is obtained a strong watertight chamber, divided in compartments, and presenting very largevsurt'aces. It is in this chamber that themethylic eth'er is brought. The apparatus thus formed is lodged in'- a wooden tank, properly isolated by the usual means, and it', then, water is introduced into this tank, it is quite evident that this water "will lill all the spaces lett free by this chamberr and its compartments, and that it will come in immediate contact with the exterior faces ot' these compartments or hollow slabs. Further, if the ether is now made to evaporate, congelation will take place, the more rapid that nothing will intervene between the congealing-Snrt'aces and the water. This point deserves Special attention. In other icc-machines it is usual to. take an uncongealable liquid-such as glycerine, alcohol, a solution ot' chloride of calcium, &;c.-to refrigerate this liquid, andl to plunge therein vessels or molds tilled with water. This proces oters many inconveniences, and at sea would be utterly impracticable, as the motions of the'ship' would soon scatter about the non-congealing liquid during the handling of the ice-|nolds. Moreover, a certain quantity of` this liquid adheres to the molds as they are being removed, and are apt to drop into the adjoining ones, thus injuring theV purity-of the ice. Finally', they must be wiped, washed in fresh water to detach the blocks otl ice-all or' which is tedious at all times, useless, and inipracticnble at sea. The congealer above .described obviates all these inconveniences. Being closed 'during the freezing process by the lid N N, nothing, ot' course, can be projected outwardly.` Sutticient time having been allowed for the congelation to take place,- the cock w is opened, and any water remaining liquid will at. once escape, leaving in the congealer nothing but solid ice,lwh,ich can be easily removed.

Another application` hitherto vainly attempted, and which may be realized by this congealer, is the preparation ot' fresh water at sen. by means ot congelation.` lt is a wellknown fact that the water of the sea, when congcalcd, casts ott' the salts which it holds in solution,-and that water is thus Obtained quite as fresh as that produced b v distillation, with this dil'erence, however, in favor ot' the 'congealing process, that while a glass otl distilled water can hardly be swallowed, there is no Vpleasanter drin k than melted ice. The practical accomplishment of this object has remained hitherto a problem, the solution of which is now found in the abovcde scribed congenler, as l will now show.

Let the congcaler be filled with sca-outer, allow suticieut time for congelation to take tion ot' liquid particles.

place, and then open the cock a2'. At once the mother waters, (or liquor,) laden with salts, will escape,"while, ontheeontrary, the fresh water, inthe shape of ice, will remain in the apparatus. This ice, being allowed to melt, will furnish, either alone or mixed with distilled or other water, excellent drinking water, lit for any purpose.

Iy will now proceed with the description of the apparatus. Under .the inuenee of the vabsorption of the caloric an active vaporization of the methylic ether takes place. These vapors, under ordinary circumstances, would carry with them but an insignificant propor- At sea, however, the motions of the vessel would soon project the liquid itself through the pipes, and thus the congealer would be emptied of its contents, While the required frigoritic action would not be attained.' To obviate these diculties, and the better to adapt my congealer for use at sea, I take two precautions: First, I provide four different outlets for the vapors, one at each angle of the congealer, as seen, t t, Fig, 1, t t t t., Fig. 3, one ot which, at least, must necessarily remain always unobstructed, and allow the passage 'ot' the vapors without; any oi' the liquid; but should any of the liquid find its way into the pipes notwithstanding this precaution I provide for its return by bringing the four tubulares t t t t into the drainingtrap K, whence such liquid iinds its way easily back to the congealer through one or more of the apertures. This contrivance is, of course, unnecessary on land. The congelation will then take place Aeasily and regula'rly.

In order to attain proper conditions of econ omy it is indispensable that the vapors formed in the congealer should not be lost. To accomplisirthis object I make use ot' the pump d, which may be moved by any machinery, and, it' on shipboard, by the ships engine. This pump, by means of valves working in ordinary conditions, exhausts constantly the vapors which are formed in the congea-ler, and drives them into the condensiugeoil b. This coil is immersed in a current 0f cold water, which enters the lower part ot' the tank c, and rises through it, completing and constantly enyeloping this coil. Under the combined intluence of the relatively cold temperature picduced by this current, and ofthe pressure which the pump d gives to the vapors, the methylic ether becomes liquid again, and flows into the lower part of the coil. It' it were only necessary now to produce constant frigoriiic action without .any ice to remove, (as is the case in the apparatus described hereafter for the refrigeration ot air or liquids,) I would cause the ether thus condensed to returnat once from the condenser to the congealer; but the necessity of removing the' ice formed in the congealer compels us to allow" the ether produced by condensation to remain stationary during agiven time in the receiver a., and for the following reason: We have seen that the iceformed directly upon the ten faces of the congealer. The blocks thus formed are subdivided in cakes by the cross-slats r r r r, Fig. 1. These cakes, however divided, adhere to the sides ot' the congealer, and it is indispensable to detach them in order that they be removed. At this instant the conge-.iler is empty, the receiver a having received all theether produced by the condensation. The congealer being empty, it' I bring into it vapors at ahigher pressure than that corresponding to 20 Fahrenheit, condensation must necessarily take place, and, as a natural colisequence, production of caloric, the action of which willat once loosen the blocks of ice-'a result which I obtain by opening the cock u, Fig. 3. This cock, through the pipe o, connects with the tube m m, which leads to the condenser. The latter containsvapors at a temperature ot' 70O to 750 Fahrenheit, and possesses a tension corresponding to this temperature. The cock it being opened, these vapors rush toward the congealer, Where a temperature of 50 to 100 Fahrenheit prevails. There they condense, and this condensation, raising' the temperature of the sides to 330 Fahrenheit, loosens the cakes at once. This operation requires but a moment, the amount of ice which it is necessary to melt being scarcely appreciable, the only inconvenience being that the temperature of the congealer rises 250 'to 300 Fahren'heitT-an inconvenience'which is partly mitigated by the fact that the latter is made ot iron, the specitic caloric of which is to that ot' water as 0.1137 is to l.

To further facilitate the removing ot' the ice from the congealer, I use iron clamps, which titA in between the ether-chambers at the points Where the .two sides ot' said chambers are drawn together by rivets, as shown in Fig. 2. The water, when admitted into the cong aler, covers these clamps, and when the ccngelation` has taken place they are thus perfectly tast into the ice, offering a convenient and easy mode of removing the cakes.

This operation concluded, the cock a: is opened and the Water-compartments of the congealeragain filled with water. The cock y-s then openediand the ether held in the ref ceiver @allowed to return through the pipes l l to the congea-ler. and the apparatus ready -for a second opera'- tion.

The capacity of the receiver is so calculat ed as to hold exactly the quantity of ether required to till the congealer, and to give a stated .result 5 consequently neither gages, levels, tubes, &c., have to be consulted, all that is required being the simple openingandshutting ot' a cock. It is important. that the apparatus. should be thoroughly purged of atmospheric air, as the presence ot this body interferes notably with the condensation ot' vapors. To that eifect a purge-cock, t, is placed in front The cock 1/ is then closed,

' betray its presence,

of the cock y, which admits the ether into the congealer. By opening slightly this cock o, all the air in the apparatus may be swept out.

The quantity ot' ether required, say, for a -machine making fty kilograms, or one hundred-"and ten pounds'per hour, is about -ive gallons. The possible loss of ether in the workin g of thisv apparatus is not appreciable. It could only occur through the stung-box of the pump d. Its smell would then at once so that it is easy to watch this stuffing-box, the screws of which should be tightened from time to time.

The apparatus is charged by connecting the purge-cock o with a vessel containing the required quantity of ether, and then permitting it to iiow into the congealer.

. The ice produced by this machine is perfectly hard and compact, being formed atv a temperature 'ot'.about 100 Fahrenheit above 0;

whereas the greater part of the ice gathered from ponds and .rivers is formed at 250 to 31o-Fahrenheit.' Regarding the question of economy, there are few localities where natural ice rcould compete with thecost-price of ice 'made -by this machine, which may be fixed at the maximum figure ot two dollars per ton throughout the United States. The machines may be constructed of any capacity up to one and two tons per hour.

It is not necessary that the respective parts of the apparatus be disposed precisely as shown in the drawing; but they may be placed nearer to or farther from each other, above or below, as the requirements of space, power, &c., may demand.

When, instead of producing ice, it is only required to cool or refrigerate air or liquids to temperatures no lower than 320 Fahrenheit, l substitute for the congealer hereinbefore described tlie apparatus shown on Sheet No. 2. The refrgerating-tube A is made of an iron cylinder, forming a strong outer jacket, within which are lodged a number of smaller tubes, one-half to three-eighths to g) of an inch in diameter, part of which may be seen at. All open freely into the atmosphere at the. two extremities of the cylinder A. 'lhe latter is closed at each end with a metallic disk, through which pass the tubes x x m, so that while the. interior of the latter is left perfectly free the space circuniscribed by the tube A and these disks forms, nevertheless, a chamber strong and perfectly tight. That this result may be the more perfectly obtained, a strong iron band is welded over each extremity ot' the cylinder, and gives it additional strength.

The wholearrangement,being then carefully tinned and soldered, is heated. and covered with a coating of solder one-fourth to one-half inch thick, so that the whole forms one solid mass. without the possibility of -any leak, as there are neither rivets, joints, nor nuts, saveI the two tubes of the cocks E and F, which are themselves set so as to form integral part of the tube A. This tube or cylinder is filled with a sufficient quantity of methylic ether to bathe all the small tubes a: The air, which is made to pass through these tubes by means of the ventilator B. causes the liquid' to vaporize, while the pump C removes the vapors thus formed.

It is necessary not to allow the temperature of the air to descend below freezing-point, as, in this case, the abundant condensation which takes place in the tubes would soon freeze and clog the apparatus. By keeping close to, and just above, freezing-point, the only result will be an abunda-nt condensation, the product of which is allowed to escape through the tube M. .The refrigerated air escapes through the conduit N N, and may be distributed wherever it is needed.

As in this application there is no necessity of suspending the working of`the machine to remove ice, instead of gathering the condensed ether in a receiver, it is allowed to tlow directly back into the cylinder A, the doat L regulating such flow, and the glass level, connecting the tubes E and F, permits the ascertainment at all times ot' the quantity ot' ether in the cylinder, which quant-ity must always be sufficient to bathe all the tubes :v www. i

When it ismore especially desired to cool or refrigerate liquids, such as beer, Svc.. I recommend the. use of the same cylinder, Iin connection with a cooling-table, as shown in Sheet No. 3.

I will no w brieiy describe my process for preparing niethylic ether. The usual means consist i-n forming a mixture in equal parts ot' sul'phuric acid and wood alcohol. The mixture is introduced in a retort, and slightly heated. The ether disengages itself, carrying with it carbonio acid, sulphurous acid, andl divers ein pyieumatic vapors,which are produced, specially, at the beginning of the operation, and proceed from the nature ot' the alcohol used. To get` rid ot' these vapors, the first parts of eth'er must be throw-n away. As to 'carbonio acid, sulphurous acid, they'must be absorbed by potash, which dries the ether at the same tiine,'and thus permits of its being collected properly purified. Some precautions are required to conduct successfully the operation without danger. The mixture of acid and alcohol must be made in a vessel having a large aperture. The acid is poured first; then the alcohol is added in small quantities, stirring all the while, so that the combination may be made gradually,and as fast as the alcohol is being introduced; otherwise, however great is the a-tiinity ot' the two bodies, the sulphuric acid, by reason of its greater weight, might reach-the lower part of the vessel, and cause an explosion, when the ebullitiou ot' the mass produces the combination. The tire must be well controlled. The reaction at a certain moment becoming very lively, it would become difficult to check the operation, and a portion of the mixture would pass through the neck of the retort. The temperature must not exceed 2550 to 2600 Fahrenheit. Over 2650 there is' decomposition of the alcohol, formation of carbon, consequently abundant production of sulphurous Iacid, carbonio acid7 While,.on the contrary, the formation of ether would almost entirely' cease.

This process is only applicable to the production of ether in small quantities. To manufacture on a large scale, l have contrived the following special dispositions: First of all, I discovered that the mixture formed of equal parts of acid and methylic alcohol is not the most favorable to an abundant yield ot' ether. It is necessary to increase thel proportion of alcohol.

The introduction of the latter in'the mixture must cease, however, when the areometer plunged in this mixture indicates 3&0 Baume. Methylic alcohol must 'be employed as pure as possible. The ordinary article of commerce contains a considerable proportion of essential oils. It may be roughlytested by mixing with an equal volume of Water. The oils separate and collect on the surface ot' the liquid, while the alcohol remains in solution in` the water. Any -alcohol indicating the presence of' such oils should be rejected. I use it at as high' a degree as possible, ninety per cent. at least.

When the mixture of alcohol and acid has been made, at a certain moment of the combination, much ether is produced. It Aisimportant, therefore, to so combine the apparatus that while the mixture may be going on this ether may be saved. In using an excess of alcohol, a certain quantity of it vaporizes at the beginning of the operation. These vapors should be condensed through 'a coil and the alcohol thus saved. As to the vapors which are not condensed, they pass through a solution of pot-ash, then over chloride ot' calcium to dry them, and finally into sulphuric ether, which collects them by dissolution.

The vapors of ether might be liqueied directly in the apparatus; but with a body of so irregular a nature as the methylic alcohol of commerce, abundant deposits ot' bitumen sometimes take place, and it is more convenient to proceed as I have just indicated. The mode of absorption permits not only the storing of the ether, but also its easyextraction Vwhen it is necessary to make use ot' it.

The operation, limited to these features alone, would come to a stand-still Whenever the temperature would reach. 2050 to- 2600 Fahrenheit. It Would be necessary to draw oii' the exhausted mixture and replace it by a fresh quantity ot' new mixture, which would cause at once a loss ot' time and a considerable production of residunm. In orderto obviatc these inconveniences, I had at iirst rendered constant the supply of alcohol; but after a certain lapse ot' time the operation ceased to work, the reaction seemed paralyzed, the apparatus had to be taken apart. and the mixture completely renewed. l had to abandon this process. I new proceed differently. When the. operation has reached 2600, I leave `it for a few moments between 2600 and 2650 Fahrenheit, in order to allow all the ether which might still disengage itself to escape. In order not to exceed this point, I use, by preference, heating by steam. I now shut off the heat. I introduce anew, and as rapidly as possible, by means ot" a pump, a sufficient quantity of alcohol to bring back the mixture to 34.0 Baume. I apply the heat anew, and so on, the same solution being thus used a number of times Without inconvenience. In these conditions it may be reckoned that four volumes of alcohol Will give one volume of ether, a quantity of residuum being left.

The fact must not be overlooked that the formation of ether is almost always accompanied with production ot' bitumen. men, in cooling, solidiiies, and covers the surface of the acid-bath.

In 'constructing the apparatus, it is important to contrive an armhole, through which, every morning, the bitumen formed the day before maybe extracted, and the apparatus kept in best Working order.

I have stated that the residuum could be used. Suiciently iiltered on a close metallic Wirecloth, it forms a brown liquid, the density of which is 450 Baume. This liquid, formed of sulphuric acid and snlpho-methylic ether, is eminent-ly proper to labsorb the methylic ether formed. Thus, it takes, with ad\'antage, the place of' sulphuric acid to collect the ether produced by the apparatus.

I say with advantage for this reason When methylic ether has been dissolved i; acid at 660 Baume, the compound remains in the liquor, and the proportion which may be produced from it is so great that this mixture may fall to 300 or 380 Baume; but when the operation is attempted a second time the decomposition ot' the sulpho-methyliff4 ether commences at 900 Fahrenheit; but as the vmixture becomes poorer vthe temperature increases, and when it reaches 2600 or 2650 Fahrenheit (which cannot be exceeded without producing carbon) the mixture still weighs only 450 Bauln. Thus only the ether has been saved, which reduces the density from 360 to 450. The much greater proportion between 450 and 60'@ remains in the liquor at the risk of decomposition. This quantity is thus lost, and constitute's a notable loss in the production. Since I have thoughtofpurii'yiug the residuum, and of using it as an absorbent, this source of loss has disappeared.

' The absorbentis taken at 450 Baume. It reaches 360 to 350 by absorption; but, as it returns to 450 by decomposition, all that has been produced may thusbe withdrawn from the mixture. The absorbent thus has no ntluence on the production. This result leads to the utilization, as complete as possible, of the methylic alcohol. Thus, except the water produced by the decomposition ot' the alcohol,

This bitu- Y v 85,719 i s (02131402: C2H3O+HOJ there is only formation of.bitnnieu, and ot' a few volatile products having no importance as to the fina-l yield.

The combination formed by sulphuric acid and lnethylic alcohol has no laction upon ordinary metals. It only aects them in contact with water. The experience of several years has enabled me to ascertain the perfect preservation ofthe apparatus containing this liquid.

Having now fully set forth andldescribed my invention, I wish to state that I do not claim as new the pump and coil used forvaporizintr and condensingthe ether, the same being aiready in general use for the purposes aforesaid; but

what I. do claim as new, and'for which I desire to secure Letters Patent, is-

1. rlhe congealer or refrigerator, formed of metallic plates, so as to freeze by immediate Contact, substantially as describedin the above specification.

2. The combination of refrigerator, pump,

and condenser with pipes, cocks, and direct connections, so as to draw ol the vapors when formed, and at the saule time prevent the drawing oli'of any liquid from the refrigerator, substantially as described.

3. The condenser, formed of a coil or pipe, b, and a reservoir, a, so as to contain a'speciilc charge of vaporizable fluid, substantially as described.

4. Arran Qing the. connecting-pipes and cocks so that the vapor maybe forced backinto the refrigerator' or 4congrenler to loosen or detach the ice, substantially'v as described.

5. rlhe use of methylic ether-in machines for freezing, cooling", and refrigerating, substantially as described.

6. The process herein described for manufacturing, collecting, and applying methylic ether, substantially as described.

7. -The refrigerating or cooling cylinder shown on Sheet- 2, together with the tubes running through it, for the purpose of refrigerating or cooling` air, liquids, &c., substantially as described. ,y

8. The float L, or its equivalent, for the purpose of regulating.;` the return'of the liquid to the refrigerating-cylinder, substantially as described.

9. The application of the said refrigeratingcylinder t o the cooling of liquids, as shown on Sheet 3.

10. The production of ice, the generation-of cold for the purpose of cooling air, liquids, Snc., in a simple, practical, and economical manner, by the means and apparatussubstantially as described in the above specification.

CH. TELLIER. [1.. s] Witnesses:

E. CAss, H.'DUFREN.

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