IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, AND IN MACHINERY OR Apparatus for THE SAME.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Singleton Hill, of the Town and County
of Derby, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE
POWER, AND IN MACHINERY OR Apparatus for THE SAME.'
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Singleton Hill
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 25th September 1872.
I, GEORGE SINGLETON HILL, of the Town and County of Derby, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, AND IN MACHINERY OR Apparatus FOR THE SAME,” to
be as follows :—
My Invention relates to a method of obtaining or increasing motive
power by raising water by the combined action of pumps driven by a
steam engine, and of the condensation of the exhaust steam therefrom ;
the water so raised being utilized for driving a turbine or other water
wheel or apparatus by which machinery may be operated.

page_text: For the purposes of my Invention I prefer that the power of the
engine should be employed solely for raising water in the following
manner :-
The engine is placed preferably at a distance of not less than 30 feet
above the level of a cistern constantly supplied with cold water from an
adjacent watercourse. Below the level of the engine cylinder is placed
a closed chamber or receiver, into the upper part of which the exhaust
steam from the engine is discharged, and is there condensed by a stream
of water drawn up from the cistern below through a pipe leading into
the upper part of the receiver or condenser.
Pumping apparatus driven by the engine is connected with the con-
denser at the lower part, and works on about the same level therewith
for raising the water from the condenser into a reservoir placed preferably
at about 24 feet above the level of the water in the lower cistern,
suitable valves and stop cocks being provided where required. From
this reservoir the water is led to work a turbine or other water wheel,
whence it is discharged at about a level with the water in the lower
cistern. At starting the receiver with its pumping apparatus and
suction pipe is filled with cold water, and the exhaust steam is then
discharged into it as into the condenser of an ordinary condensing steam
engine. In this manner a vacuum is produced which assists in raising
water into the receiver or condenser, whence it is pumped into the upper
reservoir as described, the external pressure developed by the vacuum
being thus retained in the form of a column of water, and utilized for
driving a turbine or other apparatus as described, instead of being wasted
as in ordinary condensing engines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Singleton Hill in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 25th March 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, George 30
SINGLETON HILL, of the Town and County of Derby, send greeting.
WHEREAS IIer most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-

page_text: sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said George Singleton Hill, Her special licence
that I, the said George Singleton Hill, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Singleton Hill, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during tho
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
OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE SAME,”
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Singleton
Hill, 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
5 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 George Singleton Hill, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
O is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing, and to the letters marked thereon (that is to say) :—
My Invention relates to a method of obtaining or increasing motive
power by the agency of water raised by atmospheric pressure through
5 the combined action of the air pump or pumps of a steam engine, and
by the condensation of the exhaust steam, the head of water so obtained
being utilized for driving a water wheel or other apparatus by which
machinery may be operated.
Any ordinary form of steam engine may be employed, and I prefer
0 that the power of the engine should be employed solely for the purpose
of raising water in the manner hereafter described, as in that case the
greatest amount of power is obtained, the loss of power consequent on
converting the reciprocating motion of the piston into the circular
motion of the crank being in great part avoided, but if preferred power
5 may be taken from the crank shaft for any purpose desired. In the
former case I merely use the crank shaft and fly wheel to work the slide
valve.

page_text: According to my Invention I place the condenser of the engine and a
pair of air pumps at a height of about 24 feet from the level of the water
in the cistern or other source from which the condenser and air pumps
are supplied, the steam engine itself being placed in any convenient situa-
tion. I adopt the height of 24 feet as the height at which water will flow
freely under the pressure of the atmosphere. In most cases the engine
would be at the same or a lower level than the condenser, and I then
prefer to carry a bend of the exhaust pipe up to a height of at least
33 feet above the level of the said water supply to prevent any possibility
of the water getting into the steam cylinder. The exhaust steam from
the engine is discharged into the upper part of the condenser where it is
condensed by a stream of water drawn up through a suction pipe leading
from the cistern or other source into the upper part of the condenser.
The water raised as above-mentioned is delivered by the pumps from
the condenser into an adjacent cistern or reservoir at about the same
level, whence it is conveyed to and drives a water wheel placed at such a
distance below the reservoir as will enable me to obtain the greatest head
of water available, after which the water may be returned to its original
level in the source of supply. By the arrangement of my Invention
nearly all the power consumed in working the air pumps is stored up in
the form of a column of water instead of being wasted as in ordinary
condensing engines.
The accompanying Drawing illustrates the method of carrying my
Invention into practical effect, but I would here observe that the
arrangement may be modified without departing from the principle of a
my Invention.
Moreover I do not claim as new any of the parts or
apparatus when taken separately, as such may be of any ordinary
construction.
A is a steam engine supplied with steam from a suitable boiler; B is
the condenser which is placed at an altitude of about 24 feet above the 3
level C in a water supply cistern, and is separated from the engine as
shown, unless the latter be also placed on that level, in which case the
air pumps can be worked from the engine beam D. E, E, are two air
pumps worked alternately so as to maintain a constant flow of water by
beam F, which is operated by beam D through connecting rod G. H is 3
the suction pipe of the same diameter as the pump barrels E, which pipe
Icads into the upper part of condenser B. The area of the pump buckets

page_text: must of course be dependent on the available power of the engine for
working them. I is the reservoir into which the water raised through
pipe H is delivered from the pumps. K is the pipe by which it is
conveyed to drive the vertical water wheel L, from whose shaft the power
so obtained may be applied as required. M is the exhaust pipe from the
steam cylinder N of the engine. h is a valve at foot of the suction
pipe H to prevent the return of the water, and H' is a regulator valve
to control the flow of water raised through the suction pipe. b, b, arc
the foot valves of the condenser through which the water passes to the
pumps E. e, pump bucket valves; i, waste water pipe from reservoir I,
and & valve to govern the supply of water to the water wheel L. For
the purposes of this Invention I find that a direct acting wheel arranged
as shown in the Drawing gives the best results, the whole weight of the
column of water acting directly on the blades of the wheel at one point
and in a direction tangential to their line of motion.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as my Invention
to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
applying the condenser of a steam engine in combination with one or
more air
pumps to raise a column of water to such a height as to give a
head of water available as motive power for driving machinery or other
purpose, all substantially in the manner herein described and shown in
the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Singleton Hill, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of March in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.