A NEW OR IMPROVED PNEUMATIC ACCUMULATOR
Year: 1881

page_text: A com-
LETTERS PATENT to Jasper Wetter, of New Wandsworth, Surrey, for an
Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED PNEUMATIC ACCUMULATOR."
munication from abroad by Mendel Scharfberg, of Lemberg, Austria-
Hungary.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Jasper Wetter at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th September 1881.
JASPER WETTER, of New Wandsworth, Surrey. "A NEW OR IMPROVED PNEU-
MATIC ACCUMULATOR." A communication from abroad by Mendel Scharfberg, of
Lemberg, Austria-Hungary.
This Invention has for its object to render the irregular motive power of the
wind more generally applicable by using it for the compression of air, and storing
the compressed air in suitable reservoirs from which one or more secondary
pneumatic engines are fed. Instead of wind a water power may be utilized for
driving the air compressor which feeds the reservoirs. In the accompanying
Drawing, which illustrates this Invention, Fig. 1 shows the air-accumulator proper,
while Fig. 2 shows its application between the air-compressor and the secondary
motor. The pneumatic accumulator consists substantially of several receptacles
connected with each other and serving for the reception and discharge of com-
pressed air. This system of receptacles formed of one or more main collectors C of
sufficient capacity, and two or more distributing receptacles D, D', is inserted
between a compressor B actuated by a primary motor W and one or more secondary
motors P. The air-conduit-pipe from the compressor B leads into the main-
reservoir or collector C which communicates through tubes 2, 3, provided with
taps or valves h', h³, with the distributing receptacles D, D', which are provided
with pistons K, K¹. For loading the pistons the weight-levers H, H¹, are applied,
which may be regulated according to the pressure to be exerted. Both the main-
reservoir C and the receptacles D, D', are furnished with safety-valves S and
pressure-gauges M. From D, D', pipes,, which join at lead the compressed
air to the secondary motor P which drives a shaft. The taps h¹, h², may be opened

page_text: and shut by hand or automatically by any suitable mechanism. As a matter
of course the pressure in the main-reservoir C must be higher than in the
distributors D, D¹, or higher than the working pressure of the secondary motor P.
The arrangement of the various receptacles depends upon local conditions.
This apparatus works in the following manner :-
The primary motor W actuates the compressor B when the wind is blowing and
presses air into the collector or reservoir C, the pipes 73, 2³, being closed.
When
the air is calm the valve v closes by itself, but opens again when the wind begins
to blow, and the motor W actuates the compressor B.
After the reservoir or collector C has been sufficiently filled with air of high
pressure, the taps h³, h², are opened and the air raising the pistons K, K³, fills the
distributing receptacles D, D¹. When the pistons are raised to their highest
position (their weights corresponding to the pressure of the working motor P) the
taps h', h, are shut and, for instance, the tap h³ opened, leaving the pipe shut
meanwhile. The piston K presses now the air with constant pressure through
pipe to the motor P, which is moved thereby.
As soon as the receptacle D is empty, the piston K being at its lowest position,
the tap h³ is shut and h opened. The piston K¹ acts now exactly as the piston K
was above described to act, and feeds the motor P with compressed air which
leaves the cylinder D¹ through the discharge pipe, and passes through the tap h*
into the pipe 6.
While cylinder D₁ is emptying the tap ¹ is again opened and the cylinder D
filled with compressed air from the main-reservoir C. In this manner the two
distributing cylinders are alternately filled and discharged, and a continuous
working of the secondary motor P is obtained, although the primary wind- or
water-motor may work irregularly.