A Regulator for Diaphragm Pumps and analogous Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 31st Dec., 1894-Accepted, 9th Feb., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Regulator for Diaphragm Pumps and analogous Apparatus.
I, CHARLES CONSTANT LECLAIRE, of Paris, France, Engineer, do hereby
leclare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a regulator having for its object to prevent any excess
of pressure in diaphragm pumps or other analogous apparatus, which supply filter
presses and other apparatus serving to separate the clear liquids, semi fluids or
pasty substances from the solid constituents contained therein.
In pumps at present employed for these purposes, such excess of pressure is
inherent to the defective working of the discharge valve or safety valve for excess
of pressure arranged on the discharge pipe for the liquid treated.
Such valve operates defectively for the following reasons: Firstly, the fluid,
semi fluid, or pasty materials treated stick on its seat and stem; secondly the valve
becomes rapidly deteriorated by the grains of sand &c. contained in the liquids.
These various causes render the valve liable to become absolutely inoperative,
notwithstanding that it may be loaded with a weight or spring; that is to say, it
never acts with the desired pressure, but either at a higher or a lower pressure,
causing leakages at all the joints and often the bursting of the pump.
These defects are obviated by my regulator, which serves to automatically limit
the pressure that requires to be kept constant in the filter press apparatus and the
like which are supplied by the said diaphragm pumps, such regulation being effected
without stopping the action of the piston or plunger that actuates the diaphragm of
the pump by means of the auxiliary liquid. The action with this regulator is such,
that when the maximum pressure has been attained in the filter press, the flexible
diaphragm of the pump remains stationary, while the plunger continues its action,
forcing the auxiliary liquid to flow from and to the chamber or barrel in which it
works, to and from the chamber of the regulator.
For this purpose the apparatus is constructed as follows:
According to one arrangement, the regulator consists of a close metal receptacle
separate from the pump but communicating with the barrel of the plunger by a
pipe which is connected to a chamber of the regulator vessel having an inlet and an
outlet valve, through which the auxiliary liquid respectively enters into the vessel
from the pipe and passes from the vessel into the pipe, the said valves being kept
on their seats by springs, the tension of that controlling the inlet valve being
capable of regulation in proportion to the maximum pressure which it is desired to
exert in the filter press.
The upper part of the regulator vessel is provided, firstly with a spring valve for
the admission of air, secondly with a funnel closed by a stop cock, for the supply of
auxiliary liquid, and thirdly, with a cock for discharging liquid from the vessel.
The pump is otherwise constructed in the ordinary manner of diaphragm pumps,
that is to say, the plunger barrel is connected at its one end to a domed chamber in
which is a flexible diaphragm dividing the chamber into two compartments, one of
which communicates with the pump barrel while the other communicates through
inlet and delivery valves respectively with the supply of liquid to be filtered, and
with the filter press, so that the plunger in forcing the auxiliary liquid in the barrel
into the compartment on one side of the diaphragm, deflects this and so causes it to
force the liquid to be filtered from the other compartment into the filter press. On
the return stroke of the plunger the diaphragm recedes and draws in a fresh body

page_text: of liquid. The action of the above described regulator upon this pump is as follows.
Assuming the inlet valve of the regulating vessel to be regulated to the maximum
pressure required, then the pump will work in the ordinary manner until the
maximum pressure is reached in the filter press.
The flexible diaphragm, will then be kept by this pressure against the concave
surface of its chamber, while the plunger, in continuing its forcing stroke, will
force the auxiliary liquid from the barrel through the inlet valve into the regulator
vessel. On the return stroke of the plunger the liquid will pass from the regulator
vessel through the delivery valve back into the pump barrel, and this action will
continue so long as the pressure in the filter press remains at the maximum. When
this pressure decreases, the plunger will again begin to force the diaphragm
forward again as before, the inlet valve of the regulator vessel remaining closed.
The regulator may of course communicate with two or more pumps for regulating
their pressure, instead of having a separate one for each pump.
According to another modification, instead of constructing the regulating
apparatus separate from the pump, I form the plunger hollow so as itself to
constitute the regulator chamber, and I provide at the inner end inlet and
discharge valves operating in the same way as the valves of the regulating vessel
above described, so that when the plunger performs its instroke after the maximum
pressure has been attained in the filter press, the auxiliary liquid will pass through
the inlet valve of the plunger into the interior thereof, and on the return stroke of
the plunger it will pass through the delivery valve back into the pump barrel again.
In this case the latter is provided with the before mentioned funnel and stopcock
for introducing liquid into or discharging it therefrom, as may be required.
Dated this 3rd day of April 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, CHARLES CONSTANT LECLAIRE, of 134 Rue de Turenne Paris, France,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this 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 a regulator having for its object to prevent any excess
of pressure in diaphragm pumps or other analogous apparatus, which supply filter
presses and other apparatus serving to separate the clear liquids, semi fluid. or
pasty substances from the solid constituents contained therein.
In pumps at present employed for these purposes, such excess of pressure is
inherent to the defective working of the discharge valve or safety valve for excess
of pressure arranged on the discharge pipe for the liquid treated.
Such valve operates defectively for the following reasons: Firstly, the fluid,
semi fluid, or pasty materials treated stick on its seat and stem; secondly the
valve becomes rapidly deteriorated by the grains of sand &c. contained in the
liquids.
These various causes render the valve liable to become absolutely inoperative,
notwithstanding that it may be loaded with a weight or spring; that is to say, it
never acts with the desired pressure, but either at a higher or a lower pressure,
causing leakages at all the joiuts and often the bursting of the pump.
These defects are obviated by my regulator, which serves to automatically limit
the pressure that requires to be kept constant in the filter press apparatus, and the
Zike, which are supplied by the said diaphragm pumps, which regulator consists in

page_text: Toming WICEL the uaphragm pump, nrstly a Darrel In which is a body of
liquid interposed between the pump diaphragm and an actuating plunger, and
secondly a closed chamber communicating with the liquid in the barrel and so
arranged that when a maximum pressure has been exerted by the diaphragm,
this remains stationary and the body of liquid passes backwards and forward
from the barrel to the chamber, and vice versa, until the pressure is reduced
again, such regulation being effected without stopping the action of the piston
or plunger that actuates the diaphragm of the pump by means of the auxiliary
liquid.
I will describe the construction of the said regulating apparatus with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shews a vertical section of one construction of the regulating chamber
as applied to a single pump; it may however be arranged to act simultaneously
for several pumps.
Fig. 2 shews the same attached to the auxiliary barrel with body of liquid
and plunger, combined with an ordinary membrane pump.
Fig. 3 shews a modification in which the hollow plunger of the membrane
pump is made to serve as the regulator.
The regulating chamber consists of a close metal receptacle a of any suitable
form, which is connected to the barrel A of the pump B by a pipe b so that
the liquid from the barrel A can flow into it or can flow back into the barrel.
The pipe does not communicate directly with the receptacle a, but through an
inlet valve cand a discharge valve f that are held closed respectively by
adjustable springs d and 9.
In the barrel A is a plunger C, worked by any convenient motor, the action
of which is transmitted through the body of liquid D to the diaphragm of the
pump.
Thus, as before stated, when the pressure in the filter press or other apparatus
into which the liquid is forced by the diaphragm pump has attained its maximum,
the diaphragm of the latter remains in the raised position shewn in dotted
lines at Fig. 2, and when the plunger, in continuing to be worked, descends, it
forces the liquid in the barrel through pipe b and valve c into the receptacle a,
compressing the air therein. The said maximum pressure is regulated by
regulating the pressure of the spring d by means of the screw plug as shewn,
so that the valve c will only open when that pressure is attained.
When the plunger begins its return stroke, the pressure of the compressed
air in a forces the liquid back through the valve and pipe 6 into the pump
barrel, the spring of the valve f being made quite light so that the valve will
open freely.
For keeping the receptacle a charged with air, an air inlet valve k is provided,
which is held closed by a spring and by the pressure within the vessel, but
which opens and admits air whenever the pressure in a may sink below that of
the atmosphere.
The above action will continue as long as the pressure in the filter &c.
remains at the maximum; as soon as it sinks below this, the liquid will no
longer pass from the barrel into a but will be forced into the diaphragm
chamber again for actuating the latter.
The vessel a is in the first instance filled with liquid through the funnel m
provided with a shut-off cock n, until it has arrived at the level of the cock o,
which is then closed. At the first upstroke of the plunger, the liquid in a
passes into the pump barrel so as to fill this and on the descent of the plunger,
it is made to operate the diaphragm pump as above described.
as
In the construction shewn at Fig. 3, the action is precisely the same
described, the only difference being that the hollow plunger C itself constitutes
the receptacle a, provided at the lower end with the inlet and outlet valves c
and f, with their springs d and g. Thus when the plunger performs its instroke
after the maximum pressure has been attained, the liquid in the barrel A will

page_text: pass directly through valve c into the cavity a, and will flow back again on the
outstroke.
The upper end of the chamber a communicates with a passage closed by screw
plugs, by unscrewing which at any time, atmospheric air can be admitted to the
chamber.
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
1. In diaphragm pumps the method of regulating the maximum pressure at which
the pump acts, by actuating the pump diaphragm by means of a body of liquid
contained in a barrel and subject to the action of a plunger, in combination with a
chamber communicating with the barrel through a valve so arranged that when
the pressure exerted by the pump has attained a certain maximum, the said body
of liquid will be forced by the plunger past the said valve into the said chamber,
instead of actuating the pump diaphragm, substantially as described.
2. A regulator for diaphragm pumps consisting of the combination of a barrel
filled with a body of liquid that is acted upon by a plunger for operating the pump
diaphragm, and a chamber or receptacle communicating with the said barrel
through a valve or valves so arranged that when the pressure exercised by the
diaphragm has attained a certain maximum, the liquid will be forced from the
plunger barrel into the said chamber at the instroke of the plunger, and will flow
back into the barrel again at the outstroke, substantially as described.
3. Arranging the regulating chamber referred to in the preceding claim separate
from the pump barrel and communicating either with a single pump or with several
pumps, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.
4. Arranging the regulating chamber referred to in the second claim within the
hollow plunger of the pump, substantially as described with reference to Fig. 3 of
the drawings.
Dated this 31st day of December 1894.