An Automatic Water Lift or Elevator.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Water Lift or Elevator.
I, PLÁCIDO TARDA, of Barcelona, in the Kingdom of Spain, 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 consists in an automatic water-lift, by means of which a certain
quantity of water is raised automatically by using the air compressed by part of said
water, which descends from some optional height."
My apparatus consists principally:
1. Of a swinging reservoir divided into two by, a partition, forming thus two
perfectly water-tighi chambers, within which the air becomes compressed in proportion
to their becoming filled with water descending from an optional height. I employ a
reservoir divided into two and swinging so that the water which enters into one of the
chambers thereof, by filling the same, operates by its weight to swing the reservoir,
whilst it compresses the air at the same time. In this manner. each chamber isi filled
automatically and alternately, and a continuous column of water elevated.
2. Of two reservoirs within which is located the water to be raised, communicating
with the two chambers of the swinging reservoir and intended to receive the compressed
air, to raise the water therein to a height in proportion to the degree of pressure of
said air.
3. Of the necessary pipes to carry to the swinging reservoir the water to compress
the air of those intended to conduct the air coming from the swinging reservoir
where it has been compressed towards the upper reservoirs, and lastly of those which
carry the raised water to its destination.
In the accompanying drawings I represent three different applications of my
apparatus.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the lower swinging reservoir where the air becomes compressed.
Fig. 2 indicates the arrangement adapted to elevate a portion of the water up to.a
height somewhat less than that of the fall.
Fig. 3 indicates the arrangement adapted to raise the water to a.height double that
of the fall.
Fig. 4 indicates the arrangement to elevate to a height three times that of the fall.
Supposing that the water arrives by the cock A and that it falls into the receiver B
located at the 1st floor of a house and that it is desired to raise a portion of this
water as far as the receiver L located on the second floor, as shown in Fig. 2; one
places two reservoirs M and N at a lower level than B.and communicating with the
latter by means of the pipe B³. Said pipe is provided with a branch having the
valve-box B³ establishing the communication with the reservoir M and with another
valve-box branch B entering the reservoir N.
On the ground-floor is arranged a reservoir provided with a partition in transverse
direction, which divides it into two chambers of the same size C and C. The
reservoir may swing by means of the pivots D' rotating on the supports D, placed at
each side.
The supports D connect with the base and are fastened to a cross-piece J, which
serves also to limit the swinging motion of the reservoir by means of the projections F¹
and F on which the latter is supported.
In order to avoid the noise, which is occasioned by the shock, I place upon the
cross-piece J the rubber-rings K and K'.
The two chambers C and C of the reservoir are provided at the lower part with a
three-way-cock, of which the spigot G or G¹ is provided with a long arm G²or. G³.
The displacement of the spigot. takes place. only when its..arm strikes against the

page_text: projections E and E2 or E' and E³ of the frames fastened to the ends of the cross
piece J.
The swinging reservoir C (with its connection is placed upon a receiver H
receiving the water which flows out of the cocks G and G
The reservoir B is provided with a pipe B which goes down as far as the
reservoirs CC dividing into two branches B and B (Fig. 1). The pipe B' is fastened
with its branches to a plate D fastened to the post D by means of the cross-piece D³.
The end of the branch B' receives a rubber-tube B7 which connects it with the leaden
pipe B soldered to the reservoir and ending at the cock G.
The branch B is also provided with a rubber-tube B connected to the leaden
pipe B ending at the cock G'
The chamber C is provided with a small pipe M connected to the rubber-tube Ms
attached to the leaden pipe M in connection with the plate D². The tube M² ends at
the reservoir M at the union M'.
The chamber C¹ carries also a tube Nattached to the rubber-tube N³, the latter is
connected with the leaden-pipe N2 ending at the reservoir N at the union N¹.
From the bottom of the reservoir M starts a pipe M³ provided with a valve M.
The other pipe No with valve-Ne starts also from the bottom of the reservoir N. These
two pipes meet at M7 which discharges into the receiver L.
The working of the elevator according to the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 is as
follows:
The water arriving at the cock A flows through the tube B' it raises the valves B³
and B and fills the reservoirs M and N. When these reservoirs are full, the water
will fill the receiver B and it will descend then by the pipe B', and flows through the
pipes B, B7 and B2, B6, B and B10 Fig. 1.
With the position of the reservoir C₁ which is the same as shown by Fig. 4, the
cock G connects the pipe B with the chamber C and the water will fill it, whilst the
cock G¹ closes the entry to the pipe B but it opens at the same time the outlet of
the reservoir C¹ and the latter empties itself.
The air contained in the reservoir C will be compressed by the water which enters
therein and will drive the water up through the pipe M which takes it up into the
reservoir M whilst compressing the water contained in the latter and forcing it to rise
by the pipe M M², lifting the valve M to empty into the receiver L.
In proportion as the chamber C becomes filled with water, it increases the weight
of this part of the apparatus, which would cause it to swing towards this side, but the
counter-weight P prevents it from doing so. This counter-weight is screwed upon
the rod Pfastened to the upper part of the reservoir, and it is threaded in all its
length or only part thereof to receive the counter-weight P which is secured by means
of two nuts at the proper position, so that the reservoir only swings when the
chamber C is completely full of water. At this moment the reservoir falls towards
the side C until the arm F rests upon the stop K, Fig. 4.
During this motion, the arm G of the cock G strikes against the projection E*
changing the position of the cock shutting the entry of the pipe B and opening the
outlet of the chamber C. The arm G³ of the cock G'in rising touches the projection E
changing the position of this cock, opening the entry of the pipe B10, and placing
it in communication with the chamber C¹.
The
At this moment the water, which filled the chamber C, flows out at the cock G into
the receiver H. The air which was lifted to the reservoir M retreats through the
pipe M2 and returns to the chamber (assisting in the outflow of the water.
water which descends from the receiver B through the pipe B finding the cock G
open, traverses the pipes B6, B8 and B10 and arrives in the chamber compressing
the air therein. This air rises then through the pipe N lifting the water from the
reservoir N, which raises the valve N and passes up through the pipe Nº N' into the
receiver L.
When the chamber is full the weight of the water contained therein overcomes
the force of the counter-weight P and the reservoir swings over taking up the

page_text: position shown by the figure, continuing these various oscillations by which the water
is elevated into the reservoirs M or N.
When the water is to be raised to a height almost double that of the fall the
apparatus is arranged as shown by Fig. 3. This arrangement is similar to that shown
in Fig. 2. from which it differs only by the addition of a reservoir N replacing the
receiver L of the Fig. 2, and the water which rises from the reservoir M will fill the
reservoir N whilst the water which filled the latter is driven from it and rises to
the receiver L.
This arrangement works as follows:―
The water arriving at A descends through the pipe B2 whilst filling the reservoir M;
it travels through the pipe B1 filling the chamber and driving off the air, which is
compelled then to rise through the pipe M2, this compressed air acts on the water of
the reservoir M driving it off through the pipe M', it raises the valve B" and fills the
reservoir N.
When the chamber C is full of water the reservoir will swing changing the direction
of the cocks, which open the outlet of the water and the entry into
arriving through the pipe B10.
.
of the water
The chamber will in consequence empty itself whilst will fill.. The air of the
latter chamber rises through the pipe N2 driving the water of the reservoir N, which
passes through the pipe N¹ and flows into the receiver L. The air of the reservoir M
returns into the chamber C and the water of the receiver B fills the reservoir M
again.
When the chamber C₁ is full, the weight of the water causes the reservoir to swing,
as has been described, and it takes up the position shown in the drawing and
the swinging motions and the elevation of the water are repeated without
interruption.
Fig. 4 shows the arrangement used when the water is to be raised to a height three
times as much as that of the fall.
This device differs from those above described in that the two chambers C C¹ are of
unequal size. The larger one serves to compress the air, which causes the water of
the reservoir M to rise as far as the first third of the height, and the smaller chamber
serves to compress the air which is intended to raise the water of the reservoir N up
to the full height.
Besides the water which fills the small chamber C' does not come from the receiver B
as before, but it comes from the receiver Q, i.e., that it is a portion of the same water
which has been raised from the reservoir M so that whilst falling from a greater height
it compresses the air with more power and one obtains a more powerful elevation of
the water of the reservoir N.
The pipe B instead of being divided into two branches B and B for the descent
of the water flowing towards the chambers C or C Figs. 2 and 3 connects (Fig. 4)
direct with the rubber tube B' communicating with the chamber C by means of the
tube B.
Besides the pipe Q₁ of the receiver Q connects with the pipes B³ of rubber and B10
in connection with the chamber ('.
The cocks G and G¹ operate as described.
The elevating action of the water operates in the following manner:
The water arrives at A fills the receiver B and the reservoir M travelling through
the pipe B, it rises through B¹ and fills the chamber C. The air of this chamber
leaves by the pipe M2, it arrives at the reservoir M, drives the water out raising the
valve M and raises the water through the pipe M7 into the basin Q.
The water, which arrives at the basin Q, travels through the pipe B", raises the
valve B' and fills the reservoir N; the overflow descends by the pipe Q¹.
When the chamber C is full the reservoir will swing, as before, the motion having
the effect to operate the cock G which opens the outlet of the chamber C, whilst G
places in communication the tube 130 with the chamber C. Upon the arrival of the
water into this latter chamber, the air leaves by the pipe N' joining N³, pipe N³, it

page_text: -enters into the reservoir N from where the water will be driven and rise through the
pipe N to the receiver L.
At the same time the water of will flow out by the cock G and air enters from the
reservoir M, in order to help the new filling of this chamber...
When the chamber C is full the reservoir swings on its side, taking up again the
position shown by the figure and the operation described commences again.
The use of the automatic and continuous elevator is various, especially when
having a fall of water and it is necessary to raise another body of water to a less
height than that of the fall, for the water could not be raised to an equal
height.
It is evident that with the apparatus of my invention, one may not only make
the combinations shown on the drawing, but many others, by adhering always to
the special device and the manner of working of the apparatus, as described and
illustrated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is
1. An automatic water elevator by means of which the fall of a body of water
from a certain height, compresses air in a reservoir, the tension of which raises a
portion of the water therein to a height in proportion to that of the fall.
2. An oscillating reservoir divided into two chambers, each provided with a three-
way-cock, which by the action of a projection opens to allow a passage to the
descending water when the chamber in connection therewith swings upwards, and
when this chamber swings downwards, it shuts the inlet orifice, opening at the same
time the outlet orifice of the water. Each of the above chambers being provided with
a pipe for the escape of the compressed air.
3. The combination of the oscillating reservoir with two other reservoirs to be filled
with water, which is driven by the air, which is compressed in the chambers of the
oscillating reservoir substantially as shown and described.
4. The combination of one of the two chambers of the above named oscillating
reservoir, with a reservoir which is filled with water to be raised to an upper reservoir,
this water rising to an equal height by the action of the compressed air within the
second chamber of the oscillating reservoir.
5. The combination of one of the chambers of the oscillating reservoir, with a
reservoir which is filled with water to be elevated by means of compressed air into an
upper reservoir, this water dividing into two portions, one of which fails into the second
chamber of the oscillating reservoir to compress the air therein, which causes the other
portion of said water to rise to a height in proportion to the tension to which said air
has been compressed.
DL: 20th JC T.... 190n
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents for the. Applicant.