IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Levi Alfred Wainman. of Leeds, in the County
of York, Engineer. for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
RAISING WATER."
Sealed the 12th May 1868. and dated the 14th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Levi Alfred Wainman at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th November 1867.
I, LEVI ALFRED WAINMAN, of Leeds, in the County of York. Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR RAISING WATER," to be as follows;---
The chief objects of this Invention are to raise water from mines or wells.
and to force water to a great height from a reservoir or water race for driving
a water wheel.
The apparatus can either be worked immersed in the water at the bottom
of a mine or well to the depth of the receiver or out of the water, as may be
most convenient; in the latter case the receiver will be fixed as near down to
the water as convenient, and the suction pipe carried down into the water.
The apparatus is intended to be used in combination with an atmosphere of
steam or of air admitted to the receiver at any required pressure. On the
top of a closed receiver is mounted a supply valve and an exhaust valve; this
latter is for the purpose of discharging the steam from the receiver (when
that is used for expelling the water from the receiver), and returning the steam
to a boiler of lower pressure to be again used; where this is not required the
supply valve only is used. When the apparatus is used for forcing water
from the bottom of a mine or well the discharge pipe will have to be carried
Price 81

page_text: out to the top of the mine or well; the pressure of the steam or air required
of course depends entirely upon the distance the water is to be forced.
The suction pipe is fitted with a valve having a balance lever attached, and
the discharge pipe is also fitted with a valve. The supply valve has a steam
belt, the ports of which can be opened or closed as may be required by giving
the spindle of the valve an axial motion; for this purpose there is affixed to
this spindle a lever which is connected by a link to a similar lever on the
spindle of the discharge valve, both spindles being in a line with each other.
Steam being admitted to the receiver through the supply valve, all the air is
thereby driven out of the receiver; steam is then cut off, and as soon as it is
condensed a vacuum is formed in the receiver; the water then rushes up the
suction pipe, and as the receiver fills a float placed therein is carried upwards.
Affixed to this float is a rod which (by means of a chain passing over a guide
pulley at a convenient height above the receiver) is connected to a long slotted
bar, into which projects a stud carried by one of the valve levers. A balance
weight gives the slotted bar a tendency to fall when the water has reached its
full height in the receiver; the bar will have reached its lowest position; one
end of the slot then comes in contact with the stud and moves the levers to
which the valve spindles are made fast; at this point the ports are opened,
and consequently the steam rushes into the receiver and forces the water up the
discharge pipe. As the water is forced out of the receiver the float descends,
and by the time all the water is forced out the float will be at its lowest
position and the slotted bar at its highest position; the bottom of the slot
then comes in contact with the stud, thereby reversing the supply valve lever,
and again entting off the steam, and so on alternately.
To assist the condensation of the steam in the receiver, a junction pipe may
be connected with the discharge pipe and the top of the receiver, and have a
rose on its end to discharge spray into the receiver. Just above this rose is a
conical valve opening inwards, the pressure of the steam in the receiver
being sufficient to keep it shut up to a certain pressure, but as soon as the
steam has got below this pressure the weight of the water still retained in
the discharge pipe above its valve will suffice to open the spray valve and
discharge a minutely divided stream of water into the receiver.
When compressed air is used for forcing up the water vacuum apparatus
must be connected with the receiver to perform the part allotted to the con-
densed steam. To prevent the sudden cooling of the steam when admitted
to the presence of water, it may be desirable to use a floating piston made of
some indifferent heat conductor.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, led
by the said Levi Alfred Wainman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, LEVI ALFRED
WAINMAN, of Leeds, in the County of York. Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Levi Alfred Wainman, Her special licence that I, the said Levi Alfred Wain-
man, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Levi Alfred Wainman, my executors, administrators, and 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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR RAISING WATER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Levi Alfred Wainman. my executors or administrators by an instrument in
writing under my, 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 immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Levi Alfred Wainman. do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon that is to say
The chief objects of this Invention are to raise water from mines or wells.
or to force water to a great height from a reservoir or water race for driving
a water wheel or other purposes.
The apparatus can either he worked immersed in the water at the bottom
of a mine or well to the depth of the receivers or out of the water, as may
be most convenient in the latter case the receivers will be fixed as near
down to the water as convenient, and the suction pipes carried down into the
water. The apparatus is intended to be used with an atmosphere of steam or
air admitted to the receivers at any required pressure. which will of course
entirely depend upon the distance the water has to be forced.

page_text: Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawings is a front view of the apparatus :
Fig. 2 is an end view, and Fig. 3 is a plan of the same: Figures 4 and 5 are
enlarged views of the improved compound valve to be used in connection
therewith.
A, A. are the closed receivers: B is the compound valve placed upon the
top of the receivers and communicating therewith. This valve will be better
understood by referring to the enlarged views, Figures 4 and 5. « is the
supply port; b is the exhaust port, and c and d are the ports communicating
with the receivers. The piston e has an axial motion given to it, as will be
hereafter described, and is so arranged that when the port e is open for the
passage of the steam into the receiver the port d will be open to the exhaust
port, and vice versa. Care the suction pipes. having valves D with balance
levers fitted therein; E are branches of the discharge pipe E', having valves F
attached thereto; this pipe E' will be carried out to the top of the mine or
well; G are small branch pipes connected with the top of the receivers and
the discharge pipe for the purpose of assisting condensation, as will be here-
after described. H is a lever loose upon the spindle I of the compound
valve B, having two projecting lugs upon it: J is a weighted lever also loose
upon the spindle 1: K is a bell-cranked lever having two projecting lugs
upon it; this lever K is fast upon the spindle I; L is the supply pipe from
the boiler, &c. M. M, are floating pistons which will be made of some
indifferent heat conductor so as to prevent the sudden cooling of the steam.
when admitted to the presence of the water in the receivers; N, N, are rods
attached to the floating pistons; 0, 0, are pullies for the chain to run over
which connects the rods N; P is a bracket for supporting the pullies; these
pullies can be placed at any convenient height from the
receivers.
top of the
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Steam having been admitted
into the receiver through the steam pipe L and valve B, it is then to be cut
off, and as soon as it has condensed a vacuum will be formed in the receiver;
the water then rushes up the suction pipe C and fills the receiver. As the
receiver fills it carries up the floating piston M, to which is attached the
rod N. having a chain which passes over the guide pullies O. and connecting
with the other rod attached to the other floating piston. On the rods N are
fastened small tappets and (as will be readily understood) as one rises the
other lowers, one being at its highest position when the other is at its lowest
position. As these tappets lower they come in contact with the lever H. and
as this lever oscillates upon the spindle I and is raised, the projecting lug
upon it comes in contact with the weighted lever J and lifts that lever. As

page_text: soon as the lever is forced beyond the perpendicular it will fall over by its own
weight, and as it descends it comes in contact with a lug upon the lever K,
which is fast upon the spindle I, and thus gives the necessary axial motion to
the pistone of the valve B. thereby reversing the action of the steam. The
steam now has full force upon the surface of the water in the receiver, and
thereby forces it up the discharge pipe E. The steam in the discharged
receiver has now free escape through the exhaust port b. and is either con-
ducted to the top of the mine or well and allowed to escape. or it can be
conducted into other receivers and used over again where a less pressure is
required for raising water a shorter distance, and so ou alternately.
To assist the condensation of the steam in the discharged receiver a branch
pipe G may be connected with the discharge pipe E and the top of the
receiver, and have a rose on its end to discharge spray into the receivers.
Just above this rose a conical valve can be placed opening inwards, the
pressure of the steam in the receiver being sufficient to keep it shut up to a
certain pressure, but as soon as the steam has got below this pressure the
weight of the water still retained in the discharge pipe above its valve will be
sufficient to open the conical valve. and thus a minutely divided stream of
water will be discharged into the receiver.
When compressed air is used for forcing up the water the receivers must
be immersed in the water. or vacuum apparatus must be connected with the
receivers to perform the part allotted to the condensed steam.
I do not confine myself to the exact arrangement herein described, nor to
the number of receivers to be used, as the same may be varied according to
circumstances; but what I claim is forcing water with the aid of steam or
compressed air by the improved apparatus constructed and operating sub-
stantially as herein described.
In witness whereof. 1. the said Levi Alfred Wainman, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness.
T. W. GEORGE.
of Leeds.
L. A. WAINMAN. (L.S.)