IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND FOR EXTRACTING LIQUIDS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Donald, Engineer, and Peter Smith, Foreman
Engineer, both of Johnstone, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND FOR
EXTRACTING LIQUIDS."
Sealed the 11th May 1860, and dated the 15th November 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Donald and Peter
Smith at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 15th November 1859.
We, JAMES DONALD, Engineer, and PETER SMITH, Foreman Engineer, both
of Johnstone, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND
FOR EXTRACTING LIQUIDS," to be as follows, that is to say :-.
This Invention relates to certain simple apparatus or means for raising
liquids, and also comprehends the application of the same for extracting liquids
from various substances.
In raising liquids, the apparatus is more particularly advantageous in the
case of corrosive liquids, such for example as are used by bleachers. For this
purpose the apparatus constructed according to one modification comprises a
condensing vessel, from which a pipe passes. down into the reservoir or vessel
containing the liquid to be raised. The condensing vessel has also an inlet
from a steam pipe which is provided with a valve, by preference of the equi-
librium class; and there is at the bottom of the vessel a discharge outlet
furnished with a simple valve, and by preference communicating with a trap
box, from which the liquid ultimately flows at a point above the valve, in order

page_text: that the valve may be always covered with liquid to assist in keeping it tight.
The apparatus is made to act by alternately filling the condensing vessel with
steam, and then allowing this steam to condense. On the condensation taking
place, the atmospheric pressure upon the liquid in the lower reservoir
causes it to rise and fill or partly fill the condensing vessel, and on the next
admission of steam; the liquid so raised, issues through the discharge valve and
trap into the higher tank or vessel, where it is required. In most cases the
steam employed may be the exhaust steam from a steam engine or other
apparatus, which steam would be otherwise wasted, so that the power by which
the apparatus is worked may be considered as costless. On the other hand,
not only is the original cost of the apparatus much less than that of the pumps
ordinarily used, but in the case of corrosive liquids, the rapid deterioration and
wear of the pumps with the expence thereby entailed is avoided. In order to
make the apparatus self-acting according to one plan, the discharge and steam
valves are both connected' to a lever carrying a tilting wheel or vessel, into which
a small stream of water flows continuously. This tilting wheel or vessel is filled
and empties itself at périods depending on the, size of the small stream of
water, which can be regulated by a tap. The parts are so balanced that the
changes of weight in the tilting wheel or vessel cause the lever to open and
shut the valves alternately.
According to another plan, a float in the condensing vessel rises as the vessel
fills and opens the steam valve, the discharge valve opening by the pressure of
the liquid, on the admission of the steam.
In applying the apparatus for extracting liquids or moisture from various
substances, a condensing vessel is, or vessels are, put in communication with an
otherwise closed space at one side of the substance, or at one side of a strainer;
upon or against which the substance is placed, the atmospheric pressure being
allowed to act upon the other side of the substance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said James Donald and Peter Smith in the Great Seal Patent. 30
Office on the 14th May 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
DONALD, Engineer, and PETER SMITH, Foreman Engineer, both of Johnstone,
in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of November, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
ús, the said James Donald and Peter Smith, Her special licence that we,
the said James Donald and Peter Smith, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said James Donald and Peter Smith, our
executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND
FOR EXTRACTING LIQUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said James Donald and Peter Smith, our executors. or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Donald and Peter Smith, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what. manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
Our said Invention relates to certain simple apparatus or means for raising
liquids, and also comprehends the application of the same for extracting liquids
from various substances. In raising liquids the apparatus. is more particu-
larly advantageous in the case of corrosive liquids, such for example as are
used by bleachers. For this purpose the apparatus, in its simplest form, com-
prises a condensing vessel, from which a pipe passes down into the reservoir
or vessel containing the liquid to be raised. The apparatus is made to act
by alternately filling the condensing vessel with steam, and then allowing .this
steam to condense. On the condensation taking place the atmospheric
pressure upon the liquid in the lower reservoir causes it to.rise and fill or
partly fill the condensing vessel, and on the next. admission of steam the liquid
so raised issues through the discharge valve into the higher tank or vessel
where it is required: A self-acting contrivance is provided for admitting and
shutting off the steam as the condensing vessel becomes filled or emptied, and
it is preferred to employ. two condensing vessels to act alternately, and thus
keep up a continuous or nearly continuous flow;. whilst for extra heights the
apparatus may be arranged to lift the liquid from one stage to another in

page_text: succession. In most cases the steam employed may be the exhaust steam
from a steam engine or other apparatus, which steam would be otherwise
wasted, so that the power by which the apparatus is worked may in such cases
be considered as costless. On the other hand, not only is the original cost of
the apparatus much less than that of the pumps ordinarily used, but in the
case of corrosive liquids the rapid deterioration and wear of the pumps, with
the expense thereby entailed, is avoided.
In applying the apparatus for extracting liquids or moisture from various
substances, a condensing vessel is, or condensing vessels are, put in communi-
cation with an otherwise closed space at one side of the substance, or at one
side of a strainer, upon or against which the substance is placed, the atmo-
spheric pressure being allowed to act upon the other side of the substance.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood and
carried into effect, we have delineated upon the accompanying Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, and shall now proceed to particularly describe several
examples or modifications of our improved apparatus, premising that the same
reference letters mark the same or like parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in vertical section, and Figure 2 is a
side elevation of one modification of elevating apparatus constructed according
to our said Invention. This apparatus comprises two condensing vessels A
communicating by separate branches B with the pipe C, which descends to
the lower vessel or reservoir from which the liquid is to be raised, each
branch B being fitted with a valve b, arranged to prevent the return of any
liquid that is raised into the vessel A. In communication with each
condensing vessel A there is a valve box D fitted with equilibrium valves to
regulate the admission of steam by the branch e from the steam pipe E. The
valve rods F pass through stuffing boxes in the valve boxes D, and are con-
nected to a lever G in such a way that when one steam way is open the other
is closed, and vice versâ. Each condensing vessel A has its outlet H placed
conveniently below and directly opposite to the inlet for steam, and the valve h
for closing the outlet is fixed upon a continuation of the steam valve rod F in
such a way that the steam is admitted and egress provided for the liquid
simultaneously. It is preferred to carry the mouth of the outlet Has near
as convenient to the bottom of the upper reservoir or vessel I, into which the
liquid is to be raised, in order that the valve h may generally be beneath the
surface of the liquid in the vessel I, which will prevent leakage of air into
the condensing vessel A. In each of the vessels A there is a float J, fixed
on the end of a. lever j, and free to move up and down the entire height
of the vessel or nearly so. By means of a pin and slotted link K the

page_text: float J acts on a lever L jointed upon a snug upon the cover of the
vessel, and having a short arm inserted in a slot in the valve rod F. In
the vessel A shown in section in Figure 1, it is supposed that the steam and
outlet valves have just been opened; the liquid already raised into the vessel A
is consequently about to descend into the reservoir I, and the float J, descend-
ing with the liquid will on this being discharged or nearly so, cause the valves
to be reversed. The vessel A will then be filled with steam which will become
rapidly condensed, and the atmospheric pressure will force the liquid up the
pipe C, so as to fill or nearly fill the vessel. The float J will rise with the
liquid in the vessel into the position in which it is shown, when the described
operations will be repeated. The other condensing vessel A is likewise
alternately filled with liquid and steam, one vessel filling when the other is
emptying, and vice versa. A float and connections in one may serve to
regulate the actions of both the valve rods F, being connected to the one
lever G, but it is preferred to have a float in each vessel. Each condensing
vessel A is furnished with an outlet in its cover, having fitted to it a light
valve M, through which outlet any air accumulating in the vessel escapes as
the steam enters.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of a modification of elevating apparatus with
a single condensing vessel A, parts being supposed to be broken away to show
internal details. In this modification the steam valve consists of a simple
throttle disc or equilibrium valve, on the borizontal spindle of which is fixed a
lever G, connected at one side to the discharge valve k, and at the other
carrying a small vessel N, which communicates by means of a flexible tube O
with a pipe P, dipping down into the condensing vessel A. The small vessel N
is also furnished with a discharge tube Q, which descends into the receiving
vessel I, and has a light valve upon its turned-up mouth. The lever G is so
weighted as to lift up the small vessel N when the latter is empty, and at the
same time stop the, admission of steam into the condensing vessel A. The
vessel A becomes filled and the liquid finally finds its way by the pipe P, O,
into the small vessel N, which last vessel then draws down the lever G, and
causes the admission of steam. When the liquid in: the vessel A gets below
the bottom of the pipe P, the steam finds its way also into the small vessel N,
which becomes empty, and thereby causes the steam valve to be again
closed, and so the operations are continually repeated. In other respects the
arrangements shown in Figure 3 are the same as those shown in Figures 1
and 2.
Figure 4 is a side elevation partly in section of a modification of tho
elevating apparatus as arranged to raise liquid to a height requiring two stages

page_text: of lift. Another modification is also shown in this Figure of self-acting
mechanism for actuating the valves. A single condensing vessel A, A', is
represented as used for each lift, and the lower one A, instead of discharging
into a receiving vessel, delivers its liquid by the pipe R directly into the upper
condensing vessel A'. The vessels A, 'A', act alternately, as in the modification
represented in Figures 1 and 2, already described, the lower one filling whilst
the upper one is discharging, and the lower one discharging whilst the upper
one is filling from the lower one. The lever G (Figure 4), by which the
steam valve rods F are worked, is connected to a hollow ball N', formed with
a tubular stem S, which passes through a stuffing box in the cover of the
upper condensing vessel A¹. The tubular stem S opens into the bottom of the
ball N', but it has within it a smaller tube T, which rises to nearly the top of
the ball, and also descends considerably below the bottom of the stem S. On
the condensing vessel A¹ becoming almost filled with liquid, the ball N also
fills, and owing to its consequently increased weight, draws down the lever G
into the position in which it is shown in Figure 4; this admits steam, and the
liquid escapes from the vessel A' until it gets below the bottom of the tube T;
when the steam has also access to the top of the ball N', and allows the liquid
to leave it also. During these actions the lower vessel A is filled, and the
ball N¹ with which it is furnished also fills, and by its weight at length reverses
the lever G.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of a modification of our apparatus as
arranged for extracting liquids or moisture. The two condensing vessels A
communicate by the branches U and pipe V with a vessel W, fitted with a
perforated or permeable diaphragm X, upon which the matters to be operated
upon are placed, the pipe V opening into the upper part of the space beneath
this diaphragm. A discharge pipe and tap Y are fitted to the bottom of the
vessel W for drawing off the extracted liquid; and the condensing vessels A
are also fitted with self-acting siphon discharge outlets Z for the escape of the
water due to the condensation of the steam.
In Figure 5 an additional modification of self-acting mechanism is shown
for actuating the steam valve rods F, being suitable for this modification of
the apparatus, as it acts independently of a rise or fall of liquid in the con-
densing vessels. The valve lever G is weighted at one end, and at the other
carries a wheel 1, formed with buckets' arranged to receive a small stream of
water from a tap 2. As the wheel 1 becomes filled, its weight draws down the
lever G, but the flow from the tap 2 causes the wheel 1 to continue turning
until a weight 3 fixed to it passes the top centre, when falling over, it empties
the wheel, and the other end of the lever being then heavier descends. The

page_text: steam valves are thus opened alternately at intervals, depending upon the flow
from the tap 2, which may be adjusted according to requirement. The water
used for the wheel 1 is caught by a species of funnel 4, and allowed to flow over
the top of one condensing vessel A, and thence by a pipe over the top of the
other condensing vessel A, these tops being shaped so as to retain the water,
which assists in effecting the condensation of the steam within the vessels.
The self-acting mechanism shown in Figure 5 is also applicable to the
modifications of apparatus arranged for elevating liquids, and gives the power
of regulating the rate of elevation or the number charges in a given time,
whilst with the other self-acting contrivances described that rate depends
entirely on the action of the apparatus itself. It will, moreover, be obvious that
the self-acting mechanism for actuating the steam and other valves may be
modified in a variety of ways.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or. carried into effect, we have to state that
we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or
delineated, and that we do not claim to have invented every separate detail
herein described and delineated; but that what we consider to be novel and
original, and claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, is,―
The elevating and extracting of liquids by means of apparatus constructed
or acting substantially as herein-before described.
And the employing and utilising of (otherwise) waste steam from steam
engines or other apparatus for elevating and extracting liquids, in the manner
substantially herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Donald and Peter Smith, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
JAMES DONALD. (L.S.)
PETER SMITH.
(L.S.)