An Improved Means and System of Lifting Water, Sewage, or other Liquid.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 4th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Means and System of Lifting Water, Sewage, or
other Liquid.
SAMUEL HENRY ADAMS Sanitary & Hydraulic Engineer of 10 Little Queen
Street Westminster London S.W. 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 :—
My invention relates to an improved means of lifting water, sewage or other
liquid formerly where it has been desired to lift a fluid, a pump, ram motor,
ejector or other engine has been employed actuated by steam, water, or other
pressure, and whereas in certain systems the motive power is air compressed by
special engines, in my present invention I dispense with outside power and by the
use of the liquid itself raise a portion of it or of other liquid according to
circumstances.
Reference to my drawings will explain my system. It will be seen that I shew
closed chambers at different levels, that at the highest point receiving liquid and
discharging the air which the liquid displaces, through a pipe, to the chamber
shewn at a lower level, these two receptacles being connected by this pipe.
The lower level receptacle may receive liquid from a valley or hollow below
the level at which it is desired to make the discharge, and may be regarded as full.
By suitable arrangements the air which was contained in the first of the chambers
is now allowed to enter that at the lower level, with the result that it expels the
liquid and the chamber is again ready to receive more to be lifted in its turn by
another supply of air from the higher level chamber, the liquid contents of which
have in the meantime been allowed to flow away and gravitate to the outfall-
preparatory to refilling with water for the compression of another supply of air.
The receptacle from which the air is expelled by the liquid will remain-when
this air is expelled, filled with liquid, and this liquid is allowed to escape thro a
valve provided for the purpose and raised at the required time, thus alternately
filling and emptying.
It is not necessary that these receptacles should in every case be at different
levels, but I prefer it when this is the case-the important point however being
that the lift of liquid in the lower or other receptacle is governed entirely by the
head of liquid in the upper or other receptacle, and that provision is made either
by gravitation or other means to take off the waste liquid from the first receptacle.
To ensure continuous action I prefer to form my chambers or receptacles in
duplicate and I provide such balances or floats that the action of the liquid flowing
to the chambers operates suitable valves to regulate the flow of liquid and the
discharge of air and to feed alternately from one chamber or receptacle to the
other where provided in duplicate.
For my purpose I rely upon a column of liquid in connection with my air
chamber E and E' the height of this column regulating the height of my discharge
from the lower chamber or receptacles marked J and J¹. My system may also be
worked by the action of any rising liquid as a tide or other water expelling the air
from a receptacle as shewn at Fig. 3. in this case the receptacle is open at the
bottom the liquid B taking the place of the pressure pipe B at Fig. 1.
In my drawings
Fig. 1 shews the general principle in section of my invention.
A is the incoming sewer. B is the pressure pipe into which the liquid from A
discharges. C is a balance so arranged that when these receptacles are in duplicate
and upon the one being full the balance goes over to the other leading the liquid

page_text: with it and at the same time opening or closing the valves D' so as to shut off the
emptying and put the filling receptacle in communication with the air pipe D.
At X is also a valve, or other contrivance working in connection with this balance
or some similar plan or means, for the escape of liquid from the receptacle E when
it has become full. F is the gravitation sewer or other pipe for the escape of
this liquid. At J is the lower receptacle fed from the low lying sewer or other
conduit as H, this receptacle may also be in duplicate and fitted with the balance C.
or other similar contrivance, it has also a valve on the discharge pipe and one on
the incoming side the latter closing at the proper time and preventing the escape
of liquid when the air is admitted from D At G is the discharge pipe for the liquid
from the receptacle J, the height to which this liquid may be raised depending
entirely upon the head of water in pressure-pipe B the receptacle J may also be in
duplicate to ensure a continuous discharge.
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 I
claim is
1st. As an elevator for liquid the combination of chambers or receptacles at a
higher and lower level connected by an air pipe and so arranged that the inflow of
liquid to the higher shall lift liquid from the lower chambers or receptacles.
2nd. The combination of chambers or receptacles the one compressing air by the
weight of a column of liquid and the other containing liquid to be ejected by the
air compressed by the first.
3rd. The alternate filling of liquid into and emptying it from a closed receptacle
for the purpose of expelling air from this receptacle by the weight of a head of
water or other liquid in combination with another receptacle containing liquid and
an air pipe to couple these receptacles together for the purpose of ejecting this
liquid.
4th. A receptacle which may be open at the bottom-the compression in this
case being equal to the height at which water may rise outside this vessel-in com-
bination with the liquid in which it is placed and an air pipe leading from this
receptacle for the purpose of raising water by its pressure exerted in another
receptacle.
5th. The arrangement and general design of the different parts of my system
herein described and illustrated or their equivalents though differing in conformity
substantially as and for the same purpose.
April 8th 1892.
SAMUEL HENRY ADAMS.