Wave-power Pumping Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 26th Nov., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Wave-power Pumping Apparatus.
I, JAMES PHILLIP SMITH, residing at the corner of Third Street and Pacific
Avenue, in the Town of Santa Cruz, County of Santa Cruz, State of California
U.S.A., Capitalist, 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 relates to an apparatus which is especially designed to apply the
force of rising and falling waves or swell of the sea for the operation of a pump
or pumps. It consists essentially in the employment of one or more chambers, one
of which has an open connection between the lower part and the sea to admit
the water to rise and fall therein. A float is suitably guided within the chamber
so as to rise and fall in unison with the water. This float is connected with a
pumping mechanism which may be contained in the same or in a second well
where it is protected from the direct action of the sea, said well having suitable
connections to admit water to supply the pump and other connections by which
the well may be cleansed when required.
The invention also comprises details of construction which will be more fully
explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which;-
Figure is a vertical section of a cliff shewing two independent wells with
float, pumping mechanism and connections. Figure 2 shews a modification of the
connection between the float and the pump plunger with the same arrangement
of wells. Figure 3 shews the connection between the float and the pump plunger
when both are situated in the single well.
As shewn in Figures 1 and 2 there are two wells A and A¹ which may be of
artificial construction or, as here shewn, they may be sunk in a rock or a cliff
which abuts upon the sea at a point where there is considerable swell or waves.
The bottom of the well A is connected with the sea by a passage B which is low
enough to be constantly submerged by the water at any stage of the tide, with
the bottom inclined so as to automatically discharge any sand or debris which is
carried in by the waves.
Within the chamber A a float K is loosely arranged having a rigid rod or
rods I extending upwardly from it to a point adjacent to the top of the well.
Upon the sides of the float are rollers L which are adapted to travel in contact
with guides C suitably fixed in the well A.
Across the upper end of the rod or rods I extends a yoke or cross head J which
also has rollers L' in its ends adapted to travel upon the guides C so that the float
will be caused to rise and fall in proper line and without being dashed against
the sides of the chamber.
When the second well A¹ is employed, a pump cylinder E is fixed centrally
in this chamber, the lower end being supported by a suitable step in, or fixed
to the rock at the bottom of the well and the upper end is supported by a trans-
verse bar or cross-head G which maintains it in position, the ends of the cross-
head being secured to the guides C by locking screws H.

page_text: The plunger rod M extending out through the upper end of the pump cylinder
connects with a weighted cross-head J with rollers journalled in its ends so that
as it rises and falls it is kept in position by other guides C upon which the rollers
travel.
In order to connect the float in one well with the pump in the other and thus
transmit motion caused by the movements of the float to the pump plunger, there
are intermediate connections between the cross-head J and the cross-head J¹.
In the construction shewn in Figure 1, a rope or cable I¹ has its opposite ends
connected with the cross-head J and J¹ and the central portion of the rope passes
over guide pulleys a which are journalled upon a transverse beam 6 situated
above the two wells and above the transverse beam C', in which the upper end of
all the guide rods C are fixed.
d is a tightening or regulating pulley which presses upon the bight of the
rope and this pulley is mounted in a vertically movable frame which is acted
upon by a spring e, so that any variation in the movement of the float and the
pump plunger which might cause a slack in the rope will be taken up by this
spring-pressed pulley.
In addition to this are also shewn springs f between the fixed transverse bar C¹
and the movable bar 6 which carries the pulleys a and the tightener d.
If by sudden violent inrush of water the float K should be suddenly forced
upward, the relief of its weight upon the bar will allow the springs 7 to extend
and correspondingly raise this bar, and at the same time the spring e will act upon
the pulley d to take up any slack in the rope which may be caused by this sudden
movement.
The weight upon the cross-head J₁ of the rod will be sufficient to depress the
pump piston whenever the float is raised, while the weight of the float is sufficient
to cause it to sink and thus raise the pump plunger whenever the water recedes
in the float well.
By increasing the weight upon the cross-head J¹ to more than equal that of
the float K, the latter may be raised so high as to be thrown out of reach of the
waves and the operation of the pump thus stopped.
In Figure 2 is shewn a connection between the cross-head J and the pump
rod N which consists of a lever arm 12, one end of which is fulcrumed upon a
support or standard S.
The other end, which is slotted, as shewn at i, is connected with a sleeve g
by a pin or pins h projecting from the sleeve into the slot or slots of the rod I².
The slot is sufficiently long transversely to allow the rod I of the float to
move vertically up and down, while the lever arm 12 describes an arc of a circle
about its fulcrum point.
In order to compensate for sudden movements of the float, springs f are shewn
similar to those previously described, one above and one below the sleeve G
which is slidable upon the rod I.
One of these springs abuts against the bar or cross-head J and the other against
the enlarged head of the rod I.
The lever I2 has another slot i¹ in line with the pump rod M, and the pump rod
is connected with the lever 12 by a pin or pins H¹ extending from the pump rod
into the slot I'. This slot allows the pump rod to rise and fall vertically while
the lever arm 12 moves in an arc of a circle.
Water is admitted into the well A¹ from the well A through a connecting
passage Thaving an inwardly opening valve U and a vertically movable gate
at V which may be operated by a rod from the top of the well so as to open or
close the passage T permanently.
When the gate V is opened, water flowing into the outer well A will pass
through the passage T forcing the valve U open, and the valve U will close
after each impulse to prevent any water flowing out.
This keeps the pump
supplied at all times.
The pump may either draw directly from the well A through a passage W,

page_text: or by closing a gate w in this passage, the pump will ordinarily draw through an
elbow pipe with suitable perforations or screen N.
The usual pump valves or clacks O P¹ control the passage of water through the
pump, and the water is discharged through an outlet pipe P leading up to the
surface, and thence to any desired point of discharge.
In order to relieve the column of water which may be contained in this pipe P
from the violent sudden pressure caused by sudden movements of the float and
the pump plunger, an air chamber Q is connected with the discharge pipe P and
made so large that it will practically contain the full amount thrown by any
single stroke of the pump.
Thus a violent sudden movement of the pump-plunger would force the water
temporarily into the air chamber Q by compressing the air therein, and the longer.
column beyond the air chamber Q would be set in motion more slowly by the
elastic pressure of the air.
R is a gate in the discharge pipe which may be closed at will.
In order to cleanse the pump chamber A of any sand, pieces of kelp, or other
foreign substance which may enter from time to time through the passage T, a
passage X connects with the bottom of the well A, having an outwardly opening
gate Y.
The passage X is normally closed by a gate Z, but when the gate Z is opened
a supply of water within the well A¹ will rush out through the passage X and
will carry out any sand or debris which may be contained in the well after which
the gate Z may be again closed.
When only one well is used, as shewn in Fig. 3, the float K which is guided
as before described, has a central opening which allows it to move freely about
the pump cylinder E, the latter extending through this opening from the step F
at the bottom to the cross-head G at the top.
In this case, the float rods I connect with a single cross-head J which is guided
as before described and the pump rod M connects with the same cross-head so
that the rise of the float raises the pump rod and piston to draw water into the
pump cylinder, and the weight of the float acts when the water subsides, to force
the pump plunger down and discharge the water through the conducting pipe P
as in the first instance.
If at any time it is desired to raise the parts from the well it may be done by
loosening the set screws H which hold the cross-head G in place, and by means
of a pulley block D connected with the cross-bar C¹ at the top, and ropes not
here shewn, the whole apparatus may be hoisted out of the well. The lines X¹-X¹
and Z-Z may be regarded as approximately indicating the normal levels of
"high-tide" and "low-tide" respectively.
Having now, particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A pumping apparatus operated by wave power and comprising a vertical
well within which the apparatus is contained, a second well adjacent to the first
having open connection with the sea front, a guided float adapted to rise and
fall within said well and connections between the float and the pump plunger
rod whereby the movements of the float are communicated to the plunger, and
passages through which water is admitted to supply the pump, substantially as
and for the purposes described.
2. A pumping apparatus operated by wave power and comprising one or more
vertical wells with open connection with the sea, a guided float adapted to rise
and fall in the well by the movement of the waves, a pump fixed in the well to
allow the float to rise and fall without obstruction, connections between the float
and the pump rod consisting of a common cross-head to which both are connected
and a discharge pipe and air chamber, the whole acting as and for the purposes
described and as illustrated on the annexed drawings.

page_text: 3. A pumping apparatus operated by wave power and comprising independent
wells, one of which has an open communication with the sea, a guided float
adapted to rise and fall therein by the action of the waves, a pump fixed in
the other well, connections between the float and the pump plunger, inlet passages
by which water admitted either directly to the pump or intermediately to the
pump chamber with valves by which it is prevented from returning, and a supple-
mental cleansing passage having a controlling gate and an outwardly opening
valve, substantially as described.
4. A pumping apparatus operated by wave power and comprising independent
vertical wells, one having an open connection with the sea, a guided float adapted
to rise and fall therein by the movement of the waves, a pump fixed in the other
chamber, connections between the float and the pump plunger whereby the two
act in unison, and interposed elastic springs whereby sudden movements of the
float are taken up and the strain upon the connections prevented, substantially
as described.
For the Applicant
GEDGE & FEENY,
60, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Chartered Patent Agents.
GEDGE & FEENY,
60, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Chartered Patent Agents.