Improvements in Pumps.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 15th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 11th Nov., 1899
Improvements in Pumps.
I, WILLIAM REID, of 4, Ashville, Skegoneill Avenue, in the City of Belfast,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An improved steam pump for ships.
This invention is mainly applicable to reciprocating steam pumps as used in
steam vessels for discharging water ballast overboard, emptying the bilges and
feeding the boilers-and my improvement is more specially directed to the
attainment of a more uniform flow of water through the pipes connecting such
pump to the supply and discharge, and to a simplification of arrangement, com-
bined with ready accessibility for cleaning and repairing the buckets, valves
and other parts, which are immediately within the pumping portion of the
apparatus. My invention relates entirely to such pumping portion, and not
to the steam cylinders or other means which may be used to actuate it.
Whereas, it has been customary to construct the pumping portion of such
apparatus hereinafter called the pump or pumps, either with one cylinder hav-
ing in it a solid piston or the equivalent, and a set of inlet and discharge valves
for each end of such cylinder, or a combination of two or more cylinders simi-
larly constructed.--Or, of a pump consisting of a ram working in a cylinder
or its equivalent, having inlet and outlet valves to admit and discharge the
water which has passed through the space, displaced by the ram or a combina-
tion of two or more of such rams.-Or, of a cylinder having a piston therein,
in which are formed valves through which the water flows, as the piston is
moved, the water being retained by valves on one or both sides of said piston,
such description of piston, that is to say, one through which the water passes,
and part of the construction of which is one or more retaining valves is herein-
after called a bucket. And, whereas, pumps constructed with two or more buckets
working in the same cylinder in opposite directions, in which the water flows in
effect continuously through such buckets, and is impelled by their alternate
motion, have been commonly used for ship work, mines and elsewhere.-And,
whereas, in pumps so constructed, it is necessary to have a complicated arrange-
ment of levers, or equivalent device to produce an alternate motion in the
buckets, that is to say, one bucket ascending while the other descends, and the
reverse. And, whereas, owing to such difficulties of construction, the buckets,
and especially the lower ones cannot be readily examined or repaired. Now, in
my invention, I obtain the same result with respect to the continuous flow of
water as is obtained by buckets working alternately within the same cylinder,
and in which the valves of such buckets open in the same direction, by the use
of two cylinders placed by preference side by side, in each of which is a bucket,
and which buckets are connected together so that they move simultaneously.
For example, connect such cylinders together by a water passage at one
end, and at the other end of each cylinder I provide water passage openings
for connection to the suction and discharge pipes respectively, and I so con-
struct the buckets that the valves of one bucket open downwards,
and of the other open upwards in such a manner, that when the
buckets leave one end the valve opening downwards will admit the
water into the space and connecting passage between the cylinders, the
closed valve of the other bucket impelling the water through the discharge

page_text: :
passage, and on the return stroke, when the buckets descend, that which has
the downward opening valve has its valve closed and the upward opening valve
is open to allow the water entrapped between the buckets to be driven out
through the discharge pipe.-I so construct the cylinder covers, bucket and
bucket rods that they may each be conveniently removed from the cylinders
for examination or repair, and the particular feature of my invention, there-
fore, is the combination for the aforesaid purposes of two cylinders connected
at one end by a passage, one connected at the other end to the suction, the other
connected to the discharge pipe, such cylinders containing each one a bucket
having valves opening in opposite directions and moving in the aforesaid
cylinders simultaneously.
Doted L
1000
Improvements in Pumps.
I, WILLIAM REID, Engineer, of 4, Ashville, Skegoneill Avenue, Belfast, Ire-
land, 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:-
This invention is mainly applicable to the uses for which reciprocating or
centrifugal steam pumps are applied in steam vessels, either for discharging
water ballast overboard, emptying the bilges, feeding the boilers or other pur-
poses, and my improvements are more especially directed to the attainment
of a more uniform flow of water through the body of the pump, and to a simpli-
fication of arrangement of parts combined with the accessibility for cleaning
and repairing the working or other parts which are likely to become worn or
clogged.
My invention relates entirely to the pumping portion of such apparatus,
and not to the steam cylinder or cylinders or other means which may be employed
to actuate it. Whereas, it has been customary to construct the pumping por-
tion of such apparatus hereinafter called the pump or pumps, either with one
cylinder having in it a solid piston or the equivalent, and a set of inlet and
discharge valves for each end of such cylinder, or a combination of two or more
cylinders similarly constructed, or of a pump consisting of a ram working in
a cylinder or its equivalent, having inlet and outlet valves to admit and dis-
charge the water which has passed through the space displaced by the ram, or,
a combination of two or more of such rams, or, of a cylinder having a piston
therein in which are formed valves, through which the water flows, as the piston
is moved, the water being retained by valves on one or both sides of said piston,
such description of piston, (that is to say, one through which the water passes,
and part of the construction of which is one or more retaining valves) is herein-
after called a bucket.
And, whereas, pumps constructed with two or more buckets working in the
same cylinder in opposite directions in which the water flows in effect con-
tinuously through such buckets, and is impelled by their alternate motion, have
been commonly used for ship work, mines and elsewhere.
And, whereas, in pumps so constructed it is necessary to have a complicated
arrangement of levers, or equivalent device to produce an alternate motion in.
the buckets that is to say, one bucket ascending while the other descends and
the reverse.
And, whereas, owing to such difficulties of construction the buckets and
especially the lower ones, cannot be readily examined or repaired.
Now, in my invention, I obtain the same result with respect to the continuous

page_text: flow of water as is obtained by buckets working alternately within the same
cylinder, and in which the valves of such buckets open in the same direction;
by the use of two cylinders placed by preference side by side, in each of which
is a bucket, and which buckets are connected so that they move simultaneously.
For example, I connect such cylinders by a water passage at one end, and at
the other end of each cylinder I provide water passage openings for connection
to the suction and discharge pipes respectively, and I so construct the buckets
that the valves of one bucket open downwards and of the other open upwards,
or in such a manner, that when the buckets leave one end the valve opening
downwards will admit the water into the space and connecting passage between
the cylinders, the closed valve of the other bucket impelling the water through
the discharge passage, and on the return stroke when the buckets descend, that
one which has the downward opening valve has its valve closed, and the upward
opening valve is open to allow the water entrapped between the buckets to be
driven out through the discharge pipe.
I so construct the cylinder covers, bucket and bucket rods that they may each
be conveniently removed from the cylinders for examination or repair, and
the particular feature of my invention, therefore, is, the combination for the
aforesaid purposes of two cylinders connected at one end by a passage, one con-
nected at the other end to the suction pipe, the other connected to the discharge
pipe, such cylinders containing each one bucket having valves opening in oppo-
site directions and moving in the aforesaid cylinders simultaneously.
One manner of carrying out my invention is fully described by reference to
the accompanying drawing, in which is shown the pump portion of such an
apparatus partly in section.
In this drawing A is the inlet for the fluid,-B the outlet,-C one of the
cylinders. D the other cylinder.-E a bucket having valve opening down-
wards.-G a bucket having valve H opening upwards.-J the connecting pipe
between the cylinders.-L, L the piston rods which actuate the buckets, which
are connected by crosshead M to steam piston rod N.
During the down stroke of E and G the valve F is closed, and the fluid con-
tained in J is thereby driven through valve H in bucket G and out through
the discharge pipe B.-During the descent of the buckets, fluid flows through A
to fill up the space left by the motion of bucket E.-On the rising stroke valve H
in bucket G is closed, and discharges the fluid contained in cylinder 1 through
pipe B at the same time the space below the buckets being increased in volume
by the simultaneous ascent of E and G fluid passes in through A and through
valve F to fill up such space, the discharge through B and the suction through A
varying in quantity and speed directly as the motion and speed of the two
buckets.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
First The use of two cylinders connected at one end by a passage, one con-
nected at the other end to the suction pipe, the other connected at the other end
to the discharge pipe, each cylinder containing one bucket with valves, the
valves in one bucket opening in the opposite direction to the valves in the
other, the two buckets being moved simultaneously, as aforesaid, all substan-
tially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dad 11.
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