US882224A

US882224A - Ice-making apparatus.

Info

Publication number: US882224A
Application number: US32819906A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward T Williams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1906-07-28
Filing date: 1906-07-28
Publication date: 1908-03-17
Anticipated expiration: 1925-03-17

Description

BATBNTED MAR. 17, 1908.

34 I Sw Q E. I. WILLIAMS. IGI: MAKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY R8. 1906.

C\\\\\\\\\\\ QM EDWARD T. WILLIAMS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ICE-MAKING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application md July 2s, 190s. serial No. 328,199.

Patented March 17, 1908.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWARD T. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at N ew York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Ice-Making Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism employed for the manufacture of ice, and has for its principal object to reduce the time, lab`or and expense of harvesting the ic(` made by the so called block system of ice making. This method as ordinarily practiced consists in arranging the ammonia expansion coils directly within the tank of water to be frozen, the ice forming on the pipes until a block of any desired thickness has been made. The ice must then be cut from the pipes, and several methods of accomplishing this are now in use, one consisting in the employment of a cutter mounted on a carriage and having at its lower edge a small pipe which is maintained at high temperature by passing steam therethrough. The cutting frame 1s lowered and gradually melts the ice at the sides of the pipe. This method is extremely wasteful and requires considerable time.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the ice may be very quickly harvested at minimum eX- pense.

A further object of the invention is vide an ice making machine in which are used to shape tl to proplates and to provide means for raising the temperature of such plates, so that by melting the outer surface of the block of ice, the latter will be automatically detached from ,the plates and float to the surface.

'With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists 1n certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the freezing tank of an ice making apparatus constructed in accordance with vthe invention. Fig. 2 is a lonie sides of the block of ice,

gitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 illustrates a slight modification of the invention.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondin parts throughout the several figures-of the r rawings.

The tank 10 may be of any suitable size and shape, and is filled with water to be frozen into blocks of ice.

Arranged within the tank are vertically disposed coils 11 formed of superposed hor zontal runs of tubing through which ammonia is allowed to pass, the ammonia expanding and absorbing the heat from the surrounding water. On each side of each coil is arranged a vertically dis osed plate 12 preferably formed of metal wliich will offer some resistance to the assage of an electric current.V The lower e ge and the op osite ends of each late engage with insu atin material, as in icated at 13 in order to avoid contact with the bottom and side walls of the tank and prevent the plate and coils coming into contact.

The plates are -placed within about one inch of the sides of the coil, so that the conduction of heat from the plates to the ammonia pipes will be reduced by a layer of ice between the plates and pi es, .to prevent the heat being carried off by t e ammonia faster than it is practicable Ito supply it by the electric current. The plate oflers much less resistance to the assage of heat than the ice. does, therefore 1t will not interfere with the freezing process in the slightest degree.

The adjacent plates are preferably connected in series with a source of electrical energy, and when it is desired to harvest the ice, the switch is closed in order to connect the plate in the circuit. The resistance offered by the current is sufficient to raise the temperature of these plates above the freezing oint and supply the heat fast enough to ma e up for the transmission through the ice to the ammonia expansion coils. When the temperature ofthe plates becomes suflciently high to release the ice, the buoyancy of the ice will carry it' free from the plate, where it maybe elevated from the tank by means of suitable hoisting gear in the ordinary manner.

In some cases the space between the tubes which go to form a coil may be closed, so that the tubes, with the filling material 15 will form a practically solid blockto divide plates to the passage'of the blocks off ice. After the Water has been frozen, a current of electricity may be sent through the coil itself, and the latter heated to an extent sufficient to cause the release of the blocks, as shown for instance in Fig. 3.

I claim 1. In ice making apparatus, a tank, an expansion coil arranged therein, a metal plate arranged at one side of the coil and on which the ice forms during the freezing operation, a source of electrical energy, and means for connecting the plate to the source of energy for the purpose of raising the temperature of the plate and freeing the ice Without stopping the flow of the refrigerant through the expansion coil. I

2. In ice making apparatus, a tank, a freezing member arranged therein and having means for the circulation ant, said member being provided with a solid continuous surface on which the ice forms, and means for passin a current of electricity through a portion o said member to raise the temperature of said solid continuous surface and thus free the ice Without stopping the iow of the refrigerant.

3. In ice making apparatus, a tank, an eX- pansion vcoil arranged therein, a metal plate arranged on'each side of the coil and on which the ice forms during the freezing operation, said plates being spaced apart to form an intermediate freezing chamber which communicates with the interior of the of the refrigertank, a source of electrical energy, and means for connecting the plates to the source of energy for the purpose of raising the tem erature of the plates and freeing the ice without' stopping .the flow of refrigerant through the coil.

4. In ice'making apparatus, a tank, a Vertically arranged expansion coil disposed therein, plates arranged on opposite sides of the coil and electrically insulated from the tank, said plates being spaced apart to form an intermediate freezing chamber which communicates with the interior of the tank, a source of electrical energy, and means for connecting the plates to the source of energy to raise the temperature of such plates and free the' ice Without stopping the flow of refrigerant through the coil.

5. In ice making apparatus, a freezing member including means for the circulation of a refrigerant, and means for passing an electrical current through a portionof said member to thereby heat the same and detach 'the ice without stopping the iow of the refrigerant.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

EDWARD T. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses FRANK S. Dix, MABEL O. FAnNEs'rocK