Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 10th Oct., 1891

page_text: 12 designates the pistons which are arranged in the steam cylinder and which
are connected by the rods 13 with the pistons or plungers 14 in the pump
cylinders, said rods 13 passing through packing boxes 15 in the heads of the said
cylinders.
16 designates the valve which is arranged in the steam chest 4. Said valve is
provided on its upper side with an opening 17 adapted to register with the steam
inlet and surrounded by a flange 18 which is fitted tightly against the underside of
the cover 5 of the steam chest so as to prevent leakage of steam; the underside of
the valve is provided with openings 19, 20, 21, and 22, adapted to register with the
ports 7, 8, 9, and 10 respectively when either of said ports is covered by the valve.
The underside of the latter is provided with a transverse groove or recess 23 and
the front and rear sides of said valve are likewise provided with vertical grooves
or recesses 24. As will be seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings, when the valve is at
either end of its stroke the diagonally opposite ports 7 and 10 or 8 and 9, will be
opened to steam while the remaining ports are connected with or open to the
exhaust ports 11. Thus in Fig. 1, the ports 8 and 9 are connected with the steam
inlet through the hollow body of the valve. At the same time, the port 7 is
uncovered and is consequently in communication with the exhaust ports 11 while
the port 10 likewise communicates with the exhaust ports through the transverse
recess 23 in the underside of the valve. Steam is thus admitted into opposite ends
and exhausted from opposite ends of the two steam cylinders causing the pistons in
the latter to be forced in opposite directions and imparting a corresponding move-
ment to the plungers in the pump cylinders. At the end of the stroke, the
position of the valve and consequently the direction of the movement of the pistons
is reversed.
The mechanism for operating the valve may be of any suitable construction. In
the drawings a rock-shaft 25 has been shown mounted in suitable bearings 26
transversely upon the base 1; one end of said rock shaft is provided with a crank-
arm 27 having a slot 28 engaging a pin 29 which extends laterally from a collar 30
suitably secured upon one of the piston-rods 13. The rock-shaft 25 to which an
Oscillating movement is thus imparted is also provided with a crank 31 which is
connected by a link 32 with a collar 33 which is mounted slidingly upon the valve-
stem 34 which latter extends through a packing box 35 in the front side of the
steam chest. Said valve-stem is also provided with fixed collars 36, 37 adapted to
be engaged by the sliding collar 33 when the latter approaches the limits of its
movements, thus imparting a sliding movement to the valve-stem and valve as will
be readily understood.
The end of the box or casing which has the pump cylinders is provided with
horizontal partitions 38 and 39 and with a transverse partition 40 whereby the
water compartments are separated from the body or exhaust steam compartment 41
of the casing, the horizontal space below the partition 38 is provided with vertical
partitions 42, 42, arranged longitudinally parallel to each other, and separating
the said space into three compartments of which the central one is designated 43
and the outer ones by 44. The space between the partitions 38 and 39 is separated
by partitions 45 and 46 crossing each other into four separate compartments each
of which is designated by 47.
Each of these compartments communicates with one of the compartments 44 by
means of a passage 48 having an upwardly opening valve 49 and each of the
compartments 47 likewise communicates with the compartment 50 above the
partition 39 by a passage 50 having an upwardly opening valve 51. The chambers
or compartments 47 are connected by suitable ports or passages with ports 52 near
the front and rear ends of the pump cylinders.
53 designates the suction-pipe which extends downwardly from the casing and
which is connected by means of passages 54, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6 with
the chambers 44. Said suction pipe or inlet is also connected with the exhaust
chamber 41 by means of a passage 55 having a turn-cock 56 and a gravity check-
valve 57 as clearly seen in Fig. 3.

page_text: The compartments 43 and 50 are provided with exit pipes designated respec-
tively 58 and 59 each having a valve 60 by means of which the outlet of water
may be controlled. The said compartments 43 and 50 are also connected with each
other by means of pipes 61 extending through the exhaust chamber 41 in which
they are coiled as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in order that the water passing
through said pipes may be thoroughly exposed to the heat of the steam contained
in the said exhaust chamber. The latter may be provided when desired with a
valved exit pipe as 62 in order that the exhaust steam may be permitted to escape
when desired from the said casing.
The operation of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing
description taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed by those skilled
in the art to which it appertains. The pistons of the steam cylinders are
reciprocated in opposite directions as described and impart a corresponding move-
ment to the pistons in the pump cylinders Suction is thus caused to take place
alternately in the ends of the pump cylinders causing the water to rise through the
suction pipe, passages 54, chambers 44, valved passages 48 and chambers 47, passing
from thence through the ports 52 into the pump cylinders, being on the return
stroke expelled from the pump cylinders through the ports 52, chambers 47, valved
passages 50 and into the chamber 50. An air chamber 65 of ordinary construction
is arranged above and communicates with the latter.
The water that is being pumped may, when desired, be expelled directly from
the chamber 50 through the valved pipe 59; if it is desired to heat the water the
outlet pipe 59 is closed and the valve 60 of the pipe 58 is opened. The water is
thus forced through the pipes 61 and subjected to the heat of the steam surrounding
the said pipes, thus raising the temperature of the water and condensing the
exhaust steam. The latter, that is the water of condensation, may be disposed of
by opening the valve 56 thus causing said condensed water to be pumped with the
fluid passing through the suction pipe. The check-valve 57 serves to prevent the
exhaust chamber from being flooded.
The valve, it will be seen, is exposed at its entire surface to an equal steam
pressure, thus making it a balanced valve and avoiding loss of power incident to
the operation of valves that are not balanced and which thus create more or less
frictional resistance. It will be also noted that owing to the construction and
arrangement of parts as herein described there are no dead centres to prevent the
machine from being started at any point.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a steam pump, the combination of the casing, the steam cylinders, the
steam chest arranged above and between the cylinders and having ports, 7, 8, 9,
and 10, connected with the front and rear ends of said cylinders, said ports 9,
and 10 being placed farther apart than the ports 7, and 8, the ports 11 opening
into an exhaust chamber in the body of the casing and the slide-valve having
hollow body provided with a top opening registering with the steam inlet and
bottom ports or openings adapted to register with the steam ports in the bottom
of the steam chest, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination of the steam cylinders, the steam chest having passages
communicating with the front and rear ends of said cylinders and provided with
intermediate exhaust ports and the slide valve having a hollow body provided with
a steam inlet in its upper side and ports or openings in its underside at the four
corners thereof, substantially as described.
3. The combination with the cylinders and the steam chest having steam and
exhaust ports and passages as herein described, of the slide valve consisting of a
hollow body having a steam inlet in its upper side, ports or passages in its under-
side of the four corners a transverse groove or recess in its underside and vertical
grooves or recesses in its front and rear sides, substantially as described.

page_text: 4. In a steam pump the casing having a compartment adapted to receive the
exhaust steam, in combination with pipes extending through said exhaust compart-
ment for the passage of the fluid that is being pumped, said pipes being connected
with compartments having separate and independent valved outlet pipes, substantially
as described.
5. In a steam pump of the class described, the combination of the casing having
a compartment adapted to receive the exhaust steam, the pump cylinders, the
suction pipe connected by suitable passages with chambers located at the sides of
an intermediate compartment, the valved passages connecting said chambers with
the pump cylinders and the latter with an exit chamber, suitable pipes extending
through the exhaust steam compartment and connecting the said exit chamber with
the intermediate compartment arranged between the branches of the suction pipe,
and valved exit pipes extending from said intermediate compartment and from the
exit chamber, substantially as described.
6. In a steam pump, the combination of the box or casing having a compartment
adapted to receive the exhaust steam, means for conveying the liquid that is being
pumped through the exhaust steam compartment and a valved passage connecting
the latter with the suction pipe, said valved passage being provided with a gravity
check-valve opening into or towards the suction pipe.
Dated this 9th day of September 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.