A New or Improved Air Compressing Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1394-Accepted, 3rd Mar., 1894
A New or Improved Air Compressing Apparatus.
I REGINALD HADDAN of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co., of 18 Buckingham
Street, Strand, W.C. London Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention, a communication to me from abroad by Samuel London, Merchant of
2 Brandstwiete 4 Hamburg in the Empire of Germany, 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 intended to provide an apparatus for compressing air which
shall be automatic in action and require but slight supervision and that not of
particular technical importance.
The improved or new apparatus operated by pressure of water or liquid of any
suitable nature and will operate to maintain a pressure of air in the receiver
therefor equivalent to the pressure of water to fill said receiver in the first
instance, or replace air drawn therefrom for any purpose and so maintain constant
pressure or tend to restore the pressure diminished by withdrawal of the air to the
normal pressure in the said receiver.
Such apparatus will be found suitable, amongst various uses, for the raising of
liquids such as beer and being simple in operation and construction can be attended
to so far as needed by any unskilled person.
Fig. 1 of the annexed drawings illustrates the apparatus in side elevation.
Fig. 2 in front elevation, both views being partly in section on the lines ww
Fig. 2, and Fig. 1 respectively.
Fig. 3 is a section on line y y Fig. 1, and
Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in section of a part of the apparatus.
On a suitable framework r is fixed a horizontal spigot or central stationary
shafte which is prevented from revolving and serves as a bearing for a sleeve b
surrounding it and adapted to revolve or oscillate thereon. This sleeve carries
two radially arranged receivers a, a' preferably of the form shown in the drawing
and so balancing one another so as to be in unstable equilibrium and tend to fall
and revolve the sleeve to the one side or the other as the weight of the water
entering these receivers may determine, as hereinafter shown.
In the spigot c are certain boxes or channels namely a branching into ports 1
and 7 (Fig. 3) for admission of the water under pressure into either of the
receivers a a¹ whichever may be uppermost in the one or other of the extreme
positions of these receivers. The comparatively large channel or bore e com-
municates with the lateral ports 2 and 5 respectively for outlet of the water from
either of the receivers a, a' namely that which for the time lies lower than the
other. The bore g communicates with the ports 3 and 8 (Fig. 2) and permits of
the outlet of air from that receiver a, a' which is highest, through the pipe for fl
leading to the uppermost part of the respective receiver. Other ports 4 and 6
(Fig. 4) lead to the open air for admission of air into that receiver a or a' which
at the time lies lowermost as in Fig. 2, a'.
Corresponding passage ways are made in the sleeve 6 for communication with
the receivers a,
so that the action is as follows:-
a¹
Referring to Fig. 2 the receivers are in such position that a¹ rests on the rubber
or equivalent cushioning stop p. Water enters the higher receiver a and rises.
therein displacing the air compressed by the force of the incoming water and
causing it to issue from pipe f and port 3 to outlet passage leading to the air
receiver or reservoir.

page_text: As the receiver a fills with water its gravity is increased and (the gravity of a¹
diminishing as hereinafter shown) the receiver a will at length overbalance the
system and cause it to rock so as to bring down the receiver a onto its cushion p ;
the water therein empties into port 5 (Fig 3) to outlet e and air enters at port 6
into pipe to replace the outflowing water. Meanwhile the receiver a' will have
become filled with water through port 7 and the air therein will have become
compressed and drawn out at port 8 until the system is again overbalanced and
reverts to the position shown in Fig. 2 when the water in a will flow out through
port 2 (Fig. 3) to outlet e and air to replace the water will enter through port 4.
Ball valves or equivalent devices are used as at (Fig. 2) to be floated upward
when the respective receiver is filled with water and close the pipe f, f' so as to
prevent water from entering such pipe.
The height of the cushions pp may be regulated so that the tipping of the
system may coincide as nearly as possible with the complete charge of the upper
vessel with water.
A pressure gauge m is provided in the compressed air pipe for indication of the
pressure.
Failure of action at any time is illustrated simply by the stopping of the
apparatus below the normal pressure on dial m due to the water pressure.
It may
be remedied by lubricating the shaft or spigot c and moving the system back and
forth once or twice by hand until it works easily.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is.
An apparatus for compressing air in which a pair of receivers are mounted in
unstable equilibrium by means of a sleeve on a stationary shaft the latter having
a pair of pressure water inlet ports adapted to communicate respectively with
that receiver which is raised, a pair of compressed air outlet ports adapted to
communicate respectively with pipes leading to the uppermost parts of the said
receivers, a pair of water outlet ports and a pair of air inlet ports adapted to
communicate with the lower receiver, the oscillating system of receivers being
adapted to be rocked by the weight of water in the higher receiver.
Dated this 31st day of January 1894.
R. HADDAN.