Improvements in the means or Apparatus for Transmitting Power to and Applying it at a Distance, Especially Applicable for the Purpose of Raising Water from Mines.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in the means or Apparatus for Transmitting Power
to and Applying it at a Distance, Especially Applicable for the
Purpose of Raising Water from Mines.
We CLEMENT EDWIN OWENS, of 22 Whitefriars Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, and CHARLES BUTLER, of the same place, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention has reference to means or apparatus for transmitting power to, and
applying it at a distance, and has been designed more especially for the purpose of
raising water from mines.
In the ordinary arrangements for raising water from mines by means of hydraulic
pumping engines the exhaust water from the engines is either allowed to escape into
the mine or shaft so that it has to be subsequently pumped up, or it is discharged at
the top of the shaft in which case an expenditure of power in proportion to the distance
to which it has to be lifted is necessary.
Now according to our invention we are enabled to transmit power obtained from any
available source to a distance, and then apply it for any desired purpose, without
any exhaust of water. In the case of mines, for example, the power obtained at the
surface can be transmitted to the bottom of the mine or shaft and there applied for
working pumping engines so as to raise water or so as to supply air to the mine or
for other purpose and this without any exhaust water either escaping into the mine or
shaft or being raised to the surface.
Our apparatus for transmitting power to and applying it at a distance comprises:
first, two barrels or cylinders each fitted with a plunger the two plungers being
operated by cranks at opposite sides of a shaft driven by the power which is to be
transmitted, say, from the surface of a mine; secondly, two columns of liquid carried
respectively from the two barrels or cylinders and without any intervening valves to
the respective ends of a hydraulic motor situated at or near the point where the power
is to be applied, say, for example, the bottom of a mine shaft; and, thirdly, the said
hydraulic motor which consists of a cylinder and piston fitted with a rod extending

page_text: through one or both ends of the cylinder and connected with one or more pumps
for pumping up water or for pumping in air, or with other machinery to which the
power is to be applied. The action of our apparatus will be readily understood:-
The hydraulic motor, the two columns, and the two barrels having been charged with
_ water or other liquid the revolution of the crank shaft imparts reciprocating motion
to the plungers in their respective barrels the one plunger making its instroke while
the other makes its outstroke and vice versú so that the power or pressure is exerted
upon the two columns of water alternately whereby the piston of the hydraulic motor
is caused to reciprocate in its cylinder and by means of its piston or piston rods work
the pumps or other machinery connected thereto.
As the water is caused to descend in the one column it rises to a corresponding
extent in the other column, and none of it escapes from the apparatus either as exhaust
or otherwise.
In order to compensate for variations in the volume of water in our apparatus due
to variations of temperature each of the columns or barrels may be provided with a
dead-weight or other relief valve.
J. C. MEWBURN,
169, Fleet Street, London,
Agent.

page_text: Improvements in the Means or Apparatus for Transmitting Power
to and Applying it at a Distance, Especially Applicable for the
Purpose of Raising Water from Mines.
We, CLEMENT EDWIN OWENS, of 22 Whitefriars Street, in the City of London,
Engineer and CHARLES BUTLER of the same place, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
:-
Our invention has reference to means or apparatus for transmitting power to and
applying it at a distance and has been designed more especially for the purpose of
raising water from mines.
In the ordinary arrangements for raising water from mines by means of hydraulic
pumping engines the exhaust water from the engines is either allowed to escape into
the mine or shaft so that it has to be subsequently pumped up, or it is discharged at
the top of the shaft in which case an expenditure of power in proportion to the
distance to which it has to be lifted is necessary.
Now according to our invention we are enabled to transmit power obtained from
any available source to a distance and then apply it for any desired purpose without
any exhaust of water. In the case of mines for example the power obtained at the
surface can be transmitted to the bottom of the mine or shaft and there applied for
working pumping engines so as to raise water or so as to supply air to the mine or for
other purpose and this without any exhaust water either escaping into the mine or
shaft or being raised to the surface.
Our apparatus for transmitting power to and applying it at a distance comprises
first two barrels or cylinders each fitted with a plunger the two plungers being
operated by cranks at opposite sides of a shaft driven by the power which is to be
transmitted say from the surface of a mine; secondly two columns of liquid carried
respectively from the two barrels or cylinders and without any intervening valves to
the respective ends of a hydraulic motor situated at or near the point where the power.
is to be applied, say for example the bottom of a mine shaft; and thirdly the said
hydraulic motor which consists of a cylinder and piston or pistons connected with one
or more pumps for pumping up water or for pumping in air, or with other machinery
to which the power is to be applied. The action of our apparatus will be readily
understood:-The hydraulic motor, the two columns, and the two barrels having been
charged with water or other liquid the revolution of the crank shaft imparts
reciprocating motion to the plungers in their respective barrels the one plunger
making its instroke while the other makes its outstroke and vice versú so that
the power or pressure is exerted upon the two columns of water alternately whereby
the piston or pistons of the hydraulic motor are caused to reciprocate in their
cylinder and work the pumps or other machinery connected therewith.
The annexed drawings will serve to illustrate our invention. Figure 1 is an
elevation partly sectional and Figure 2 a plan of the apparatus employed at the place
from which the power is to be transmitted say for example the surface of a mine.
Figure 3 is an elevation partly sectional and Figure 4 a plan of the hydraulic motor
situated at or near the point where the power is to be applied such for example as the
bottom of a mine shaft. a a Figures 1 and 2 are two barrels or cylinders which are

page_text: shown as placed horizontally but they can be placed in a vertical or inclined position.
Each of them is fitted with a plunger and the two plungers are operated by
cranks cat opposite sides of a shaft d driven by the power which is to be
transmitted. This power in the arrangement shewn is received by the driving pulloy e
on the shaft and transmitted, by gearing gg to the crank shaft d but any other
suitable arrangement for driving the shaft d from the power to be transmitted to a
distance can be employed. hh Figures 1-and 2 and Figures 3 and 4 are two columns
of liquid carried respectively from the two barrels a a to the rospective ends of
the hydraulic motor. The hydraulic motor shown in Figures 3 and 4 consists of a
long piston or plunger i the two ends of which work respectively in two barrels or
cylinders while at its centre it carries a piston or plunger of larger diameter
working in a corresponding cylinder m. This cylinder is in communication at each
end by means of an inlet valve n with the suction pipe p and also by means of an
outlet valve with the discharge pipe r.
The action of the apparatus is as follows: The barrels kk of the hydraulic motor,
the two columus h h and the two barrels a a having been charged with liquid the
crank shaft d is caused to rotate. This rotation imparts reciprocating motion to
the plungers b in their respective barrels a a the one plunger making its instroke
while the other makes its outstroke and vice versa so that the power or pressure
is exerted upon the two columns of liquid alternately whereby the pistons or
plungers of the hydraulic motor are caused to reciprocate, the result being that tho
piston or plunger / draws in water through the valves n alternately and discharges it
through the valves q into the pipe r.
It will be seen that as the liquid is caused to descend in the one column hit rises
to a corresponding extent in the other column and none of it escapes from the
apparatus either as exhaust or otherwise.
In order to compensate for variations in the volume of liquid in our apparatus
due to variation's of temperature each of the columns or barrels is preferably
provided with a relief valve such as the dead weight relief valves shown at ss in
Figures 1 and 2.
In cases where there is no other driving power available at the surface of the
mine or other place from which the power is to be transmitted, wo would preferably
employ a double direct.acting engine having a steam cylinder in the centre and two
plungers (corresponding with the plungers b in the figures) at each end.
h
The hydraulic motor can of course be variously constructed so long as it is
adapted to be acted upon in opposite directions by the two columns of liquid
alternately, it can be arranged either for pumping up water or for pumping in
air or for working any machinery to which the power received from a distance
is to be applied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
The arrangement or combination of parts substantially as herein before described
and represented in the annexed drawings for transmitting power to and applying it
at a distance.