AN IMPROVED. DOUBLE OR SINGLE ACTING PUMP
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nicholas. Procter Burgh, of 78, Waterloo Road,
in the Parish of Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED. DOUBLE OR SINGLE ACTING PUMP."
Sealed the 10th June 1870, and dated the 15th December. 1869..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nicholas Procter Burgh,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,, with his Petition,
on the 15th December 1869..
I, NICHOLAS PROCTER BURGH, of 78, Waterloo Road, in the Parish
of Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention. for "AN, IMPROVED DOUBLE OR. SINGLE ACTING
Pump," to be as follows:-
By this Invention the valves are so situated in relation to the plunger
or piston that the cause of supply or admission and discharge into and.
from the barrel of the pump is equal in any case, whether the supply.
and discharge openings are above or below or on either side of the piston.
of the pump singly or together..
The mechanical arrangement of the valves in relation to the piston or
plunger is subject to the principle of hydraulics, that is to say, that

page_text: when any volume of fluid and air intermingled become compressed the
air being the lighter it ascends, and the efficiency of any pump therefore
consists chiefly in the discharge of the air before the fluid.
By this Invention I propose to arrange and obviate the difficulties
heretofore met with in the following manner:-The valves for the
purposes of admitting and permitting the supply and discharge into
and from the pump can be arranged either horizontally, vertically, or
otherwise to suit the particular purpose for which they may be intended.
It is proposed in the present case by preference to place or situate
each valve side by side as near as is convenient above and below or at
each end of the barrel of the pump. The supply valve on the top opens
towards the barrel, and that at the bottom in the opposite direction, so
that they work towards each other. The discharge valves are situated
at or near the same angle or, level as the supply valve or valves, but
work in opposite directions or from cach other.
By this arrangement this Invention will be found in practice a more
compact arrangement of the valves than heretofore used for the purpose
described, inasmuch that the air admitted with the fluid into the pump
is nearly (if not entirely) discharged at each stroke of the plunger or
piston, so that the next action of the piston or plunger is equal to that
preceding it, by which means any congregation of air in the pump is
prevented, and the efficiency of the upper and lower portions of the
pump, or above and below the piston, or at each end, are rendered
equally effective by the position of the valves as previously described.
To further ensure that the air below the piston in the case when the
pump is vertical shall be completely discharged as that at the top the
piston may be grooved in its periphery in one or more places sufficiently
to allow the said air when the piston is descending to escape to that
portion of the pump above, and on the up-stroke of the piston the air
and fluid will be effectually discharged. The piston may be solid or
fitted with rings, valves, or otherwise to suit the circumstances as the
case may be.
In this arrangement when the pump valves are of metal or other
suitable material, the top supply valve and the lower discharge valve
being inverted in the case of vertical pumps, it is proposed to fit them
with springs of any kind or material suited to the particular requirement
above or below the valves to retain them in an equilibrium position, so
as to enable them to olose at the proper time. If necessary india-rubber,

page_text: canvass, or other flexible valves may be used for the specific purpose
just described with the requisite seatings, and guards or valves of any
shape, form, or materials as a combination are also applicable if deemed
necessary.
This arrangement possesses the advantage that a single-acting pump
can also be made to perform perfect duty on account of the discharge
valve being in such a position that the air admitted by the supply valve
is perfectly discharged with the fluid.
For air pumps this arrangement is also particularly applicable, because
the contents are discharged at each stroke of the piston or plunger.
I do not confine myself to work or give motion to the piston or plunger
of this arrangement of pump or pumps either by means of steam, air,
water, or hand power separately or otherwise, but by preference employ
the agency of steam power to work the same when convenient.
In constructing pumps according to this Invention it must be under-
stood that the application of "snifting" or air valves or air chambers
may or may not be used, as may be determined on.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Nicholas Procter Burgh in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NICHOLAS
PROCTER BURGH, of No. 78, Waterloo Road, in the Parish of Lambeth,
in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
that
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Nicholas Procter Burgh, Her special licence
the said Nicholas Procter Burgh, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Nicholas Procter Burgh, 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 "Ar
i

page_text: :
IMPROVED DOUBLE OR SINGLE ACTING PUMP," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Nicholas Procter Burgh, 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 Nicholas Procter Burgh, 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 and accompanying Sheet of Drawings:-
By this Invention the valves are so situated in relation to the plunger
or piston that the cause of supply or admission and discharge into and
'from the barrel of the pump is equal in any case, whether the supply
and discharge openings are above or below or on either side of the piston
of the pump singly or together.
The mechanical arrangement of the valves in relation to the piston
or plunger is subject to the principle of hydraulics, that is to say, that
when any volume of fluid and air intermingled become compressed the
air being the lighter it ascends, and the efficiency of any ordinary
pump therefore consists chiefly in the discharge of the air before the
fluid.
By this Invention I propose to arrange and obviate the difficulties
heretofore met with in the following manner:-The valves for the
purposes of admitting and permitting the supply and discharge into and
from the pump can be arranged either horizontally, vertically, or other-
wise to suit the particular purpose for which they may be intended.
It is proposed in the present case by preference to place or situate
each valve side by side as near as is convenient above and below or at
each end of the barrel of the pump. The supply valve on the top
opens towards the barrel and that at the bottom in the opposite direction,
so that they work towards each other. The discharge valves are situated
at or near the same angle or level as the supply valve or valves, but work
in opposite directions or from each other.
By this arrangement this Invention will be found in practice a more
compact arrangement of the valves than heretofore used for the purpose

page_text: described, inasmuch that the air admitted with the fluid into the pump
is nearly if not entirely discharged at each stroke of the plunger or
piston, so that the next action of the piston or plunger is equal to that
preceding it, by which means any congregation of air in the pump is
prevented, and the efficiency of the upper and lower portions of the
pump or above and below the piston or at each end are rendered equally
effective by the position of the valves, as previously described. To
further ensure that the air below the piston in the case when the pump
is vertical shall be completely discharged as that at the top the piston
may be grooved in its periphery in one or more places sufficiently to
allow the said air when the piston is descending to escape to that portion
of the pump above, and on the up stroke of the piston the air and fluid
will be effectually discharged. The piston may be solid or fitted with
rings, valves, or otherwise to suit the circumstances, as the case may be.
In this arrangement when the pump valves are of metal or other
suitable material, the top supply valve and the lower discharge valve
being inverted in the case of vertical pumps, it is proposed to fit them
with springs of any kind or material suitable to the particular require-
ment above or below the valves to retain them in an equilibrium position,
so as to enable them to close at the proper time. If necessary india-
rubber, canvass, or other flexible valves may be used for the specific
purpose just described with the requisite seatings, and guards or valves
of any shape, form, or material as a combination are also applicable if
deemed necessary.
This arrangement possesses the advantage that a single acting pump
can be made to perform perfect duty on account of the discharge valve
being in such a position that the air admitted by the supply valve is
perfectly discharged with the fluid.
For air pumps this arrangement is also particularly applicable,
because the entire contents are discharged at each stroke of the piston
or plunger.
I do not confine myself to work or give motion to the piston or
plunger of this arrangement of pump or pumps either by means of air,
steam, or hand power, separately or otherwise, but by preference employ
the agency of steam power to work the same when convenient.
In constructing pumps according to this Invention it must be under-
stood that the application of "snifting" or air valves or air chambers
may or may not be used as may be determined upon.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 exhibits a sectional elevation
of my Invention as applied to a double-acting pump, and Fig. 2
a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a sectional view in plan taken on the line A, B, at Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is an elevation in plan of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6, a sectional plan of
Fig. 3.
In cach of the views illustrated the following letters refer to
corresponding or similar parts, in which A is the steam piston connected
to the rod B of the pump piston C working within the barrel D. On the
upper portion of the barrel two separate chambers E and F are cast
therewith, forming the suction and discharge chambers E and F, in the
bottom portions of which are secured in a suitable manner the seatings
and valves G and H for the suction and discharge. At the lower end of
the barrel D there is bolted to it a casing containing two chambers
J and K, in the bottom of which are secured similar valves L and M as
those above referred to, G and H. The four chambers just referred to have
branch pieces cast with flanges thereon connected together separately,
that is to say, the two suction and two discharge chambers are joined
together by means of two branch or coupling pipes N and O, and thus
forming a single suction opening and a single discharge opening for the
working connections.
It will be seen on reference to the sectional elevation, Fig. 1, that on
the piston C moving in either direction, that is to say, up and down
or right and left, the valves G and L open and admit water into the
barrel on each side of the piston C, or at each end of the barrel, and at the
same time the valves H and M permit of the discharge therefrom, by
which means a continuous and effective supply and discharge are
produced.
The main feature is that should any air be admitted into the barrel,
by this arrangement of the valves it is drawn out of it by the piston C
at each stroke, and thus a continuous equal action of the whole valves
and duty of the piston C are fully carried out.
Fig. 7 represents a sectional elevation of the pump portion with
chambers E, J, F, K, for the suction and discharge, as before described.
These chambers have seatings and valves secured in the bottoms thereof
in the following manner :-The seatings consist of rings of metal or any

page_text: other material secured in a suitable manner. The valves are discs of
metal or any other material having ribs formed thereon. The valves
G and K being inverted are shown as suspended by a slip or band,
which may be of india-rubber or other suitable material, so as to form
an clastic medium or spring, but any other class of spring can be
applied above or below these valves for the purpose referred to. Figs.
8 and 9 are transverse sectional views taken through the chambers
E and J showing also the method of suspending the valves. The
principles of the actions and duties of those valves in connection with
the piston C are precisely as those described for Fig. 1. Instead of the
chambers E and F being cast with the barrel of the pump, as shown in
Fig. 1, it is proposed to cast them separately and connect them by
means of studs, as shown in detail at Fig. 10. The lower chambers K and J
are also cast separate from the barrel D and connected thereto as in the
other chambers. A corresponding section is shown at Fig. 11 similar to
that shown at Fig. 10.
Fig. 12 is a sectional plan of Fig. 7 showing the chambers F and E;
Fig. 13 is a sectional plan of the lower chambers K and G; Fig. 14
illustrates the half plan of the covers of the chambers; Fig. 15 is a
sectional elevation of the barrel D taken through its centre.
Figs. 16 and 17 are complete front and side elevations of my Invention
as applied to a single acting pump having the chambers J and K, as
in the Figures preceding and before alluded to, entirely dispensed with.
The end of the barrel (shown at Fig. 17) has attached to it a solid or
"blank" flange so as to close it. The piston in this case has formed
with it one, two, or more valves fitting in its upper surface, so that any
water or air below the piston may pass through when the suction occurs,
and on the return stroke of the piston these piston valves will close, so
as to ensure a perfect discharge and perform the duty of a solid piston.
Instead of valves being placed in the piston a valve may be used in
the "blank" or solid flange, or any other suitable means for the purpose
mentioned.
Figures 18 and 19 are complete elevations of the pump portion of a
double-acting pump, in which case there is an air chamber or chambers
formed with the bed plate or separately as may be required, in which
the branches N, N, are for the suction, and those shown at O, O, for the
discharge; but if necessary these branches can be dispensed with and two
main branches or flanged openings substituted as shown by the dotted

page_text: lines. The arrangement of the valves in this case (Figs. 18 and 19) may
be similar to those shown in Figs. 1 and 7.
The arrangement and disposition of the steam cylinder and slide valve
I do not claim, nor the mode of working the slide valve, or the method
of guiding the connecting rod or cross head; but I do prefer to employ
the arrangement as shown, altho' I may employ any other class of
arrangement of steam engine for working my improved double or single
acting pump, but in some cases it may be found necessary to work the
pumps by any other suitable means.
I wish it to be clearly understood that I do not bind myself to use the
precise form or forms of chambers and valves as herein described and
shown in the Drawings, but I prefer to alter and contrive the chambers
and valves to carry out the objects of this Invention as may be found
necessary to suit particular cases or as may be preferred, that is to say,
in some cases using one or any number of valves of any shape or form in
each chamber; the valve seatings may also be formed together or
separately in each chamber; the piston likewise may be of different
shape or of any form that may be deemed necessary to carry out the
objects of the said Invention; but what I do claim is, the general
arrangement of valves and apparatus connected therewith, substantially
for the purposes as herein set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nicholas Procter Burgh, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
Witness,
NICHOLAS
DURGH. (L.S.)
FREDERIC H. ROBERTS, C.E.,
10, Adam St.,
Adelphi,
W.C.