IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR, APPLICABLE TO RAISING OR ELEVATING WATER AND TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, WILLIAM RAPSON of Bigbury in the County of Devon, do hereby declare
the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING
AIR, APPLICABLE TO RAISING OR ELEVATING WATER AND TO OTHER PURPOSES,"
to be as follows:-
This invention consists in the employment of a compressing vessel or chamber
placed at any desired distance below a tank or other reservoir of water, a throttle
valve being placed in the pipe connecting the tank or reservoir and the compressing
vessel. The throttle valve is connected to a piston rod extending upwards from a
piston enclosed within a cylinder from the bottom of which a pipe, fitted with a
regulating cock, leads to the supply pipe.
The piston rod is extended below the piston and is connected at its lower end
to an escape valve fitted in the waste pipe of the air compressing vessel. The
supply pipe opens into the said waste pipe."
The throttle valve of the supply pipe being open, the water from the reservoir
passes into the compressing vessel and compresses the air therein.
The water also flows into the cylinder aforesaid, the regulating valve governing
admission thereto being open to the required extent. As the piston is raised by
the water, the throttle valve becomes closed and the supply to the compressing
vessel and cylinder is cut off. By the rising of the piston the escape valve is
opened and the water escapes accordingly. The piston now falls, the throttle
valve is opened and water is again admitted to the vessel and the cylinder. An
intermittent compressing action of the water is thus obtained.
In the application of this invention to the purpose of raising water, the water
to be raised is led, by a pipe or pipes, from the supply tank or reservoir to a
receiver placed at a proper level. A valve intervenes between the supply tank
and the receiver, which valve is arranged to admit the water intermittently to the
receiver. Extending from the receiver is the delivery pipe provided also with a
valve.

page_text: The compressed'air passes from the compressing vessel, by a pipe, into the
receiver aforesaid from which the water is thereby ejected into the delivery pipe
and raised as desired. The valve in the delivery pipe is arranged to prevent the
return of the ejected water, and the valve intervening between the receiver and
the supply tank or reservoir closes as the water is being ejected from the
receiver.
The compressed air may be utilised in other ways than for the purpose of
raising or elevating water.
Dated this thirty-first day of January 1884.

page_text: I, WILLIAM RAPSON, of Bigbury, in the County of Devon, Mechanic, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
COMPRESSING AIR, APPLICABLE TO RAISING OR ELEVATING WATER AND TO OTHER
PURPOSES," and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the statement and the drawings therein
referred to
This invention consists in the employment of a compressing vessel or chamber
placed at any desired distance below a tank or reservoir of water, a throttle-valve
being placed in the pipe connecting the tank or reservoir and the compressing
vessel.
The throttle-valve is connected to a piston-rod extending upwards from a piston
enclosed within a cylinder from the bottom of which a pipe, fitted with a regulating
cock, leads to the supply pipe. The piston rod is extended below the piston and is
connected at its lower end to an escape valve fitted in the waste pipe of the air
compressing vessel. The supply pipe opens into the said waste pipe.
The throttle valve of the supply pipe being open, the water from the reservoir
passes into the compressing vessel and compresses the air therein.
The water also flows into the cylinder aforesaid, the regulating valve governing
admission thereto being open to the required extent.
As the piston is raised by the water, the throttle valve becomes closed and the
supply to the compressing vessel and cylinder cut off.
By the raising of the piston, the escape valve is opened and the water escapes
accordingly.
The piston now falls, the throttle valve is opened and water is again admitted
to the vessel and the cylinder.
An intermittent compressing action of the water is thus obtained.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood, I now
proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings
and the figures and letters marked thereon.
At Fig 1, on the accompanying sheet of drawings is represented an arrangement
of apparatus by which my said invention may be practically carried into effect.
The vessel A, in which the compression of air is effected is situated at any
desired point below the source of water supply represented by the tank or
reservoir B, to which it is connected by the supply pipe C, the communication
being governed by the throttle valve or cock D.
The spindle of the throttle valve or cock D is linked to the piston rod E
extending upwards from the piston F enclosed within the cylinder G from the
bottom of which the pipe H, fitted with a regulating cock h, leads to the supply
pipe C.
The piston rod E is extended below the piston and is connected at its lower
end. to the escape valve I in the waste pipe J into which the supply pipe C opens.
The throttle valve D of the supply pipe C being open, the water from the
reservoir B passes into the vessel A. and compresses the air contained therein.
Water also flows into the cylinder G by the pipe H,, the regulating valve h of
which is opened to the required extent. As the piston F is forced upwards by the
pressure of the inflowing water the throttle valve D is operated through contact of
the piston F with the tappet a to close the communication between the reservoir B
and the vessel A, and the escape valve I is operated to open and allow the water
in the vessel A to escape therent.

page_text: The piston F now falls as the water below it recedes, the throttle valve or cock D
is operated by contact of the piston F with the tappet a to open, and water is
readmitted to the compressing vessel A and the cylinder G. An intermittent
compressing action by the water supply is thus obtained.
At Fig. 2, is represented a modified arrangement of mechanism by which the
supply valve D and outlet valve I are operated. The action of the tappets a
and a, carried on the outside rod E, is substantially the same as that herein
before described with reference to Fig. 1.
The drawing also shows an arrangement of apparatus whereby my invention
may be applied to the raising of water. The water to be raised is led by the pipe L
from the supply tank or reservoir B or from any other suitably situated source to
the receiver M placed at a proper level.
Between the supply tank B and the receiver M intervenes the ball valve m
opening upwards only.
The compressed air which is conducted from the compressing vessel A by the
pipe O is intermittently brought to bear upon the water in the receiver M.
The ball valve m now closes and the water in the vessel M is ejected therefrom
and passes out through the pipe N in which is the ball valve n opening
upwards.
After passage of the ejected water the ball valve n returns to its seat and closes
the waterway.
The compressed air may be utilised in other ways than for the purpose of raising
water. By closing the stop-valve b in the pipe O and opening the stop-valve i in
the pipe R the air may be conducted by the latter to any desired point for any
desired purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,
1 The compressing of air in the vessel A. or its equivalent by means of water
alternately admitted to and escaping from the said vessel as described, the
admission and escape of the water being effected by the means described and.
illustrated, or by any mere modification thereof.
2nd, The application of the compressed air to raising water by the alternate
admission of these elements to the receiver M or its equivalent, substantially as
described and illustrated.
1001