Improvements in Hydraulic Apparatus for Compressing Gas.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVIDIONAL
Improvements in Hydraulic Apparatus for Compressing Gas.
I, PAUL GREYSON DE SCHODT, of 144, Boulevard du Nord, Brussels, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
In the specifications of former applications for Letters Patent No. 8509
April 26th 1896 and No. 1252 January 16th 1897, I have described and claimed
compressors adapted to impart a slight over-pressure to the gas so that high
temperatures may be produced by means of burners which I have specially
devised for the purpose.
Practice has enabled me to observe certain movements of the apparatus
employed, which it is the object of this invention to avoid.
The present compressor consists of a motor or driving cylinder wherein is
adapted to move a piston connected by a rod to the compressor piston moving
within the compressor cylinder. Valves fitted with india rubber washers serve
to connect the two compartments of the compressor cylinder successively with the
gas inlet and with the outlet through suitable ports and channels or passages.
The driving fluid, viz., water under pressure, admitted through a suitable
orifice fills the water reservoir and after imparting motion to the piston in the
motor cylinder passes through the outlet orifice.
In describing the process of distribution I will suppose that the compressor
piston has arrived at the end of its stroke to the left.
Towards the end of the piston rod and within the water reservoir is a tappet
which serves to impart motion to a slide valve guided by a sliding rod carrying
a stop the said sliding rod being adapted to slide a fixed support in the reservoir.
When the tappet has operated the said slide valve and opened the port of a
small cylinder arranged in the reservoir the water under pressure
in this reservoir passes into the said small cylinder and acts upon
its piston and operates the distributing slide valve through the mediun
of the piston rod connecting the small piston and the said dis-
tributing slide valve so as to open the port leading to the motor cylinder.
The water or driving fluid then flows into the space behind the motor piston
which it drives from left to right. On reaching the end of its stroke the tappet
on the motor piston rod strikes the stop on the sliding rod and through the
medium of the said rod restores the slide valve to its initial position by opening
the opposite port.
The piston in the small cylinder is driven from left to right, takes the distri-
bution side valve along with it and opens the distributing port and therefore
enables the water to enter the channel so that the piston moves from the right
to the left.
The slide valve of the small cylinder and the distributing slide valve at the

page_text: The pistons A and C are both mounted on the same piston rod C* which
works in stuffing boxes ab and c provided on the compression cylinder, the water
reservoir and the hydraulic cylinder, respectively,
The aforesaid piston rod has at the end that works in the water reservoir, a
finger or tappet c which is adapted to operate a sliding rod c² carried by a fixed
support within the said water reservoir. This rod is provided with a slide
valve for controlling the entrance and exit of the motive water to and from an
auxiliary cylinder E through passages or ports e¹ e² and e³. Within this
auxiliary cylinder is a piston e connected with a slide valve e4 controlling the
entrance and exit of the motive water to and from the hydraulic cylinder C
through passages or ports cc and c. The last mentioned port c³ communicates
with the exhaust outlet 8. The aforesaid port 3 leads to a passage c² by a con-
duite, so that the exhaust water can escape through the aforesaid exhaust
outlet 8.
a is the inlet for the gas to the compression cylinder and a³ is the outlet
therefor after it has been compressed, suitable valves a³ a¹ and a³ a6 being pro-
vided for regulating the inlet and outlet at each stroke of the piston A.
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-The motive water enters the
reservoir B through the inlet B' and in accordance with the position of the
valve centers either the port e¹ or 2 thereby gaining access to the auxiliary
cylinder E and actuating its piston to the right or left as the case may be. The
movement of the auxiliary piston shifts the valve and opens one or other of
the ports of the cylinder C, so that the motive water can enter the said
cylinder C and drive its piston to the right or the left according to the position
of the said valve et. In the position the parts occupy in Figure 2, the piston A¹
is at half stroke and is supposed to be moving toward the right, the inlet pas-
sage to the cylinder C being open to the motive water.
As the piston A¹ completes its stroke the aforesaid finger or tappet e strikes
against a projection c on the rod 2, which latter will therefore be moved toward
the right and the valve c be shifted into a position to open the port e² to the
motive water in the reservoir B, while the port e' will be placed in communication
with the exhaust 3. The piston e of the auxiliary cylinder E will therefore be
caused to shift the valve et into a position to open the port c5 to the motive water
and place the port e in communication with the exhaust, consequently the stroke
of the pistons C and A¹ will be reversed and they will move toward the right.
Then, as they complete their stroke in this direction, the said finger or tappet
strikes the valve c carried by the rod and therefore again reverses the position
of the valves and causes the stroke of the pistons to be likewise reversed. In
this manner as the piston A¹ moves toward the right the gas is drawn into the
cylinder A on the left of the piston, through the opening a¹ and the valve a³;
the gas on the right of said piston being forced from the cylinder past the
valve a through the opening a² to the burners. When said piston moves in the
opposite direction gas is drawn into the space on the right of the piston through
the passage a¹ and the valve a, while the gas on the left of the piston is driven
out through the valve a and passage a² to the burners. A continuous supply
of the gas to the burners at the required pressure is thus obtained. If found
necessary a reservoir for the gas may be interposed between the apparatus and
the burners for the purpose of equalizing the pressure of the gas as it flows to
the burners, and of rendering it independent of the pulsations arising at the ter-
mination of the stroke of the piston, thus preventing flickering of the flame at
the burners. a is an opening in the cylinder A to receive a pressure gauge for
indicating the internal pressure within the said cylinder. a8 is another opening
in said cylinder for the escape of any moisture which may collect in the
cylinder.
The water reservoir B is also provided with openings 6162, the former serving