IMPROVE- MENTS IN OBTAINING POWER BY THE USE OF STEAM OR COMPRESSED AIR
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
BRUNIER, of Paris, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirty-first day of
March, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fourteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Louis Brunier, my exors, adññors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Louis Brunier, my
exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Louis Brunier, my
exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OBTAINING POWER BY THE USE OF STEAM OR COMPRESSED AIR;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Louis
Brunier, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Louis Brunier, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner of performing the same, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the

page_text: Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists of a mode of combining machinery to be worked by
compressed air so as to produce motive power; and in order that my Inven-
tion may be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will
proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows so much of the machinery as will, together with Figure 2,
which is a section taken at A, B, in Figure 1, enable me to describe my Inven-
tion. C is a vessel, which I prefer to be made with hemispherical ends. On
this vessel C are fixed, by the flanges a, a¹, two rising pipes D, D', which are
made to communicate with each other by the pipe E. Within the vessel C
are placed three vessels V, which have conical tubes ascending to and passing
through the covers of the parts h, h², h¹¹. The upper parts of these tubes
are made cylindrical, as shown, and the upper diameter of each of these tubes
is half the diameter of the lower end, and the length of these tubes is twenty
of the smaller diameters. In the vessels V are openings x, x, x, which have
valves Y, Y, Y", opening into the vessel C. On the covers are fixed
standards, which support the boxes T. On the upper part of the boxes
T are standards d, which carry the conical tubes S, the upper diameter and
lower diameter of which should be as nearly as may be in the relation to each
other, which is shewn by the Drawing. d, d, d", are connections on the pipe E,
by which the conical pipes S are connected to the pipe E by means of the cocks
Q, Q, Q. In the cocks Q, Q', Q", are passages i, ', the passages i com-
municating with the pipes R, R', which open communications at n with the
vessel G and the boxes T, when the cocks Q are open. There are short tubes
9, 9, which open passages into the boxes T, and it is important that the
internal diameter of each of the tubes q¹ should be somewhat larger than the
diameter of the tubes q, and also of the lower ends at p' of the conical tubes
S. I find that, as twenty-one to twenty is a good relation between these parts,
the diameters of p, q, are alike, and the diameters of q¹ and raro alike, and
the spaces between the open ends of the tubes should be kept in the relation
shewn at a, a, e, e, and n", n¹. The parts d', d, aro connected together,
as shewn, and such is the case with the parts e", el. On the upper part of
the upright pipe D is a cover 6 and safety valve F, with its lever and weight
y, which I prefer to be so arranged as to yield on the pressure of air in C, D,
rising beyond two and a quarter atmospheres, that is, one and a quarter atmo-
sphere over the pressure of the outer atmosphere. On the pipe D¹ thero is sim-
ply a cover b'; and e, et, are brackets on which the vessel G is supported by the

page_text: projections 9, 9, and flanges f, f, as shewn. I have not thought it necessary
to shew the several screws and nuts by which the flanges of the different parts
are fastened together. k", ", are projections on the conical tubest, where they
join with the covers. K, L, are the pipe and cock through which air is
forced by any suitable power, and M, N, are a pipe and cock through which
the compressed air passes to act on the piston or pistons of a suitably con-
structed engine or engines, as is well understood. H, I, is a pipe and cock,
by means of which, and suitable pneumatic machinery, as good a vacuum
may be obtained and maintained in the vessel G as possible. I would, how-
ever, remark that, when a vacuum has once been obtained, it will not require
a continued use of the exhausting machinery, but only an occasional use
thereof, in case of imperfection of the joints. In putting this machinery to
work, the cock N would be closed and the cock L open. The cocks Q, Q¹, Qu,
would be closed, and air would be forced in through K till the desired pressure
has been obtained. I find that a pressure of about one and a quarter atmo-
sphere over the outer atmosphere is most advantageous; but I do not confine
myself to the use of that pressure. A vacuum is to be obtained in the vessel
G. It will be found that on closing the cocks I, L, and opening the cocks
Q, Q, Q", that a constant supply of compressed air will be maintained in the
vessel C, and also to the engine or engines to which the pipe M leads; for it
should be understood that the rush of air from the pipe E down each of the
apparatus P, P, P", will cause a quantity of the outer atmosphere to be
drawn in and forced through the conical tubes into the vessels V, and
through the openings and valves x, y, such quantities of air so drawn in
making up for the quantity of compressed air used by the engine or engines
in connection with the pipe M; and if any excess of pressure is thus pro-
duced, it will go off by the safety valve. I have only shown three of the
apparatus P to the vessel C; but I do not confine myself to that number.
believe, however, for the arrangement shewn in the Drawing, that that number
is the most convenient.
I
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the details as herein given, so long as the peculiar character of my Invention
be retained. But what I claim is, the mode of combining machinery, herein
described, for obtaining motive power by the use of compressed air.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Brunier, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
L. (L.s.) BRUNIER.

page_text: Engineer, for an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING POWER
BY THE USE OF STEAM OR COMPRESSED AIR," bearing date at West-
minster, the Thirty-first day of March, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-one.
DISCLAIMER proposed to be entered by the said Louis Brunier with the
Clerk of the Patents of England, pursuant to an Act passed in the fifth
and sixth year of the reign of His late Majesty King William 4th,
intituled "An Act to amend the Law touching Letters Patent for
Inventions."
I, the said Louis Brunier, do declare, that since I obtained the said Letters
Patent, I have discovered that that part of the Invention which was intended
to have been described under that part of the title which is contained in the
following words, "Steam or," is not of such practical utility as would make it
desirable to retain it in the said Patent, for which reason I am desirous to
and do hereby disclaim all that part of the title which is contained in the
following words, "Steam or."
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Brunier, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one..

page_text: King William the Fourth, entitled "An Act to amend the Law touching
Letters Patent for Inventions."
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid Louis Brunier came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
and Disclaimer aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
specified, in form above written. And also the Specification and Disclaimer
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that
purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord