Improveinents in direct acting steam and pumps
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th June, 1887
Complete Left, 8th Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 27th Apr., 1888
We GEORGE GORDON PICKING and WILLIAM HOPKINS both of 58 Bow Road Bow
in the County of Middlesex Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to Improveinents in direct acting steam and other pumps or
apparatus employed for raising or pumping liquids or gases and consists of a novel
arrangement of double cylinders pistons and steam ports whereby the pistons of both
cylinders are automatically reciprocated, and the steam or air distributed to tho
alternate ends of both cylinders by the movement of the pistons without employing
any slide valve to distribute the steam or other pressure as in pumps in present use.
In carrying out this Invention we place the cylinders side by side and make a set
of steam and eduction ports in or about the middle of each cylinder leading to the
respective ends of the other cylinder the pistons are hollow and made somewhat
longer than the stroke the steam or other pressure being led to the interior of each
piston is (by the movement of the pistons passing the ports in the cylinders)
conveyed to the respective ends of the other cylinder and so causes an automatic
reciprocating motion of the pistons, without using any external slide valve to
distribute the steam or other pressure.
The pumps for use in connection with these double cylinders consist of two doublo
acting pumps (by preference) cast together and the respective suctions and deliveries
of each connected.

page_text: GEORGE GORDON PICKING and WILLIAM HOPKINS both of 58 Bow Road Bow in
the County of Middlesex Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our said
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 improvements in direct acting steam or other pumps or
apparatus employed for raising or pumping liquids air and gas and consists of a
novel arrangement of double cylinders pistons and steam ports whereby the pistons
of both cylinders are automatically reciprocated and steam distributed to the alternate
ends of each other cylinder by the movement of each piston without employing any
slide or other valve to distribute the steam as in pumps in present use.
In carrying out this invention we place the cylinders side by side and make a set
of steam and eduction parts in or about the middle of each cylinder leading to the
respective ends of the other cylinder.
The pistons are hollow and made somewhat longer than the stroke. The steam or
other pressure being led to the interior of each piston is (by the movement of the
piston passing the ports in the cylinders) conveyed to the respective ends of the
other cylinder and so causes an automatic and reciprocating motion of both pistons
without using any external slide valve to distribute the steain.
The pumps preferred for use in connection with these double cylinders consists of
two double acting pumps cast together (by preference) and the respective suctions
and deliveries of each connected.
The arrangement of ports and passages in the steam cylinders may bo modified so
that the interior of (or space between) the pistons may be used for the purpose of
exhaust instead of steam as now shewn also the exhaust ports may be used for steam,
but preference is given to the arrangement of working as shown on drawings.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention we will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed and in
order that it may be clearly understood we have annexed hereto sectional drawings
illustrative thereof and have marked them with letters of reference corresponding
with same.
Figure 1. Is a sectional plan of a direct acting steam pump constructed in
accordance with our improvements.
Figure 2. Is an external plan of same.
Figure 3. Is a cross section through the cylinders of the said steam pump
constructed in accordance with our improvements.
Figure 4. Is a cross section through the valve chambers of the pumps shewing the
manner in which the suction and delivery passages of the two pumps are connected.
Figure 5. Is an external cylinder end elevation of the steam pump constructed
according to our improvements.

page_text: Figure 6. Is a part longitudinal elevation of pump according to our improvements.
Referring to Figure 1, A, A¹ are two steam cylinders by preference cast together
in line with two pumps, B, B' which are also by preference cast together. The
pistons C, C and C, C are made hollow and steam or other fluid (being constantly
admitted to the interior of both) is led (by the position of each piston opening the
ports) to act on the other piston to cause automatic continuous reciprocation of both
pistons, these pistons being connected to the buckets D, D¹ of the pumps by the
rods E, E¹.
:-
The action of a steam pump constructed according to this Invention is as follows:-
Steam, air, or other fluid being admitted at the opening F, it is directed by the
two passages G, G¹ to the interior (or between) the pistons C, C and C¹, C¹.
Supposing these pistons to be in the position shewn in Figure 1, the steam or other
fluid would pass up the port or passage H leading to the inner end of cylinder A this
would drive the piston or pistons C, C to the opposite end 1 of the cylinder A the
exhaust passing at same time up port or passage I and out at the eduction port J.
As soon as the hollow piston C, C reaches the end I of the cylinder A the opening K,
in pistons C, C, comes opposite the port L opening in the cylinder, steam passing up
this port drives the piston or pistons C₁, C₁ to the opposite end 3 of the cylinder A',
the exhaust passing at same time up the port or passage M and out at the eduction
port N. When the piston C³, C₁ reaches the end 3 of cylinder A', the port I is
uncovered and the steam from the interior of piston C" C¹ passes up and drives the
piston C, C to the end 2. of the cylinder A the exhaust escaping up port H and out
at the eduction port J.
Thus the motion is repeated and the pistons automatically reciprocate. The small
steam port S leads to the ends of both cylinders so that when starting the pump
working both pistons (by slackening the plug T) can be driven up to one end.
Figure 4. Shews a cross section through one of the valve chambers of the pump,
0,0 are the two pump barrels in which the pump buckets or plungers work.
P, P are two suction valves Q, Qare two delivery valves the passage from which
leads to the air vessel in centre of the pump at the top.
The steam cylinders may be also attached to double plunger pumps or any class of
pumps in present use, also the body of the pistons or space between the Heads, C, C
and C, C may be fitted with a loose plate with ports made in it to relieve the main
pistons of friction or pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of our
Invention and in what manner the same is to be or may be performed we declare that
what we claim is as follows:-
1. The combination and arrangement of the parts of a double direct acting steam
or fluid pump whereby the pistons of each cylinder are automatically reciprocated
and the steam or other fluid distributed to the alternate ends of each other cylinder by
the movement of each piston substantially as herein described and shewn in the
accompanying drawings.
2. In a double direct acting steam or fluid pump the use of Hollow pistons or
pistons with ports or passages made in them substantially as described.
3. In a double direct acting steam or fluid pump the use of pistons of greater length
than the stroke substantially as described.
Dated this 30th day of January 1888
GEORGE GORDON PICKING.
WILLIAM HOPKINS.