IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR AND RAISING AND FORCING FLUIDS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nicholas Demetrius Spartali, of Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Steam Ship Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR AND RAISING AND
FORCING FLUIDS."
Sealed the 7th Febuary 1871, and dated the 10th August 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nicholas Demetrius
Spartali at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 10th August 1870.
I, NICHOLAS DEMETRIUS SPARTALI, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Steam Ship Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR AND RAISING
AND FORCING FLUIDS," to be as follows:-
In order to compress air to be used as a blast or for other purposes
I employ an air pump fitted with a piston which is provided with
valves which shall close on the advance of the piston and open at the
return stroke to admit a fresh supply of air to the front of the piston.
In the cover of the cylinder valves are fitted which open inwards to

page_text: 1
admit air to the back of the piston. The discharge end of the cylinder
is fitted with a discharge pipe, which contracts in diameter and then
enlarges and contracts again to a smaller diameter (in some cases to
again increase and contract in capacity), for the purpose of increasing
the initial force of the blast of air or assisting in its compression. The
air may be conducted at once to blast furnaces, or it may be discharged
into an air receiver. Air thus compressed I employ in conjunction
with water for transmitting power to a motor engine for driving the
same. Thus I admit water into an air receiver connected to the
opposite ends of the working cylinder of a motor engine. As fresh air
is impelled into the receiver it will expel the water therefrom, driving
it into the cylinder and forcing up the piston thereof. On the return
stroke of the air pump water will enter the receiver and force com-
pressed air into the cylinder at the opposite side of the piston, thereby
driving the piston in an opposite direction and keeping a reciprocating
motion which may be converted in the usual way into a rotary motion.
For forcing water I use a double pump or two pumps combined, the
piston of the lower or supply pump works over a fixed hollow guide pendent
from the bottom of the upper or discharge pump, and it is open at its
lower end but closed by a valve at top. Through this hollow guide
rises the water that enters from the suction pipe, it being impelled
upwards by the piston of the supply pump. The supply pump piston
is fitted with two rods which pass up through the piston of the other
pump to the crank shaft and its action alternates with that of the piston
of the discharge pump which may be worked from the same crank shaft.
As the water accumulates in the cylinder of this latter pump it is forced
out by the descent of the piston of that cylinder. In this way water
may be discharged at a great elevation with considerable economy and
sneed
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Nicholas Demetrius Spartali in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 10th February 1871.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me,. the said Nicholas Demetrius. Spartali, Her special licence
that I, the said Nicholas Demetrius Spartali, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I,, the said Nicholas Demetrius
Spartali, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel, Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR AND RAISING AND FORCING
FLUIDS," upon the condition, (amongst others), that I, the said Nicholas
Demetrius Spartali, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal-Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said. Nicholas Demetrius. Spartali, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what, manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :—
This Invention relates to improved arrangements of apparatus for
creating blasts of air for blast furnaces. and other uses, and also for
impelling fluids both for raising the same and causing the impelled fluid
to act as a motive power.
In order to compress air to be used as a blast or for other purposes,
I employ an air pump fitted with a piston, which is provided with
valves to close on the advance of the piston and open at the return
stroke to admit a fresh supply of air to the front of the piston, or the
piston may be solid, inlet valves being provided in the air compressing
portion of the pump. If the valvular piston is used the cover of the
cylinder is fitted with valves which open inwards to admit air to the

page_text: back of the piston. The cylinder is fitted with a discharge pipe, which
contracts in diameter and then enlarges and contracts again to a smaller
diameter, in some cases to again increase and contract in capacity.
In the accompanying Drawings several arrangements of my improved
apparatus for forcing air or water in combination with air are shown, in
which the discharge pipe and compressing chambers employed are so
constructed as to offer greater resistance to backward pressure, at the
same time increasing the initial force of the blast of air or assisting in its
compression.
In Fig. 1, Sheet I., A is the cylinder of an air pump having a solid
piston B, which may be worked by any ordinary motive power engine;
C, C¹, air compression chambers connected together and leading from the
cylinder, and C2 is the discharge passage connected with the chamber C¹.
These compression chambers and the discharge passage 0³ are cach
formed of conical tubes joined at their bases, thus giving them variable
diameters with contracted orifices somewhat like the propelling tube,
described in the Specification of my Patent dated January Nineteenth,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, No. 174; D, D, are valves
opening inward provided in the bottom of the compression chamber C¹,
for the admission of air, but it will be obvious they may if desired be 1
placed in the piston as above stated. The cylinder cover of the air
pump A is provided with openings, which may have valves fitted thereto
for the admission of air to the back of the piston.
Fig. 2 shews a form of air forcer in which the discharge pipe is in
the axial line of the cylinder, the valves D, D, for the admission of air to
the front of the piston are in this instance fitted to the compressing
piston. The air may be conducted from the compressing apparatus at
once to blast furnaces, or it may be discharged into an air receiver.
Fig. 3, Sheet II. shews my improved apparatus for compressing air,
being a modification of the type of Fig. 2, suitably arranged and applied 3
to a blast furnace. The several condensing chambers C, C³, C³, are in
this arrangement composed of cylindrical and taper forms combined, and
they are so connected together and to the compressing cylinder A as to
have their axes in line with the axis of the cylinder and their respective
capacities are contracted as they recede from the cylinder or near the 3
point of discharge. Air compressed by the aid of the apparatus above

page_text: described I employ in conjunction with water for transmitting power
to a motor engine for driving the same.
An arrangement for this purpose is shewn at Fig. 4, Sheet II. in which
A is the air pump; B, the valvular piston; C, C₁, the compressing
chambers, and D, the motor engine. Water is admitted into the
chamber C¹ during the rising of the piston B from a passage commanded
by a valve (not shewn in the Drawing) and on the descent of the piston
the combined air and water will be forced forward into the valve
chamber c² when the water will operate the mortor engine D, it being
admitted alternately at each end of the cylinder by the action of the
sliding valves d, d.
Fig. 5, Sheet I., shews my apparatus (described with reference to Fig. 1)
arranged to operate a motor engine D. Water is admitted to the
compressing chamber C₁ through valves c, c, communicating by means
of a tube with a water chamber in which the water level is kept at the
height it is desired to have in the cylinder A of the apparatus. On the
descent of the piston B in the cylinder A; the water in the compressing
chambers C, C1, C2, will be forced against the piston d of the motive-
power cylinder D and drive it in the direction of the arrow. On the
rising of the piston B the series of spiral springs E, E, &c. will act upon
the piston rod d and give it the return stroke, at the same time driving
back the water into the compressing chambers C, C¹, C³, to be operated
on again as before.
Fig. 6, Sheet II. shews in clevation a similar arrangement of the
apparatus for transmitting the power of the engine to the wheels of a
locomotive carriage, and Fig. 7 is a plan view of the same. The
cylinders A are mounted vertically upon the side frames of the carriage,
and the cylinders D are fixed horizontally to the side frames; E, E,
are the springs placed partly together in the cylinder D and in a
prolongation D*. The compressing chambers C, C³, C³, containing
water connect the two cylinders, A and D together, and are partly
horizontal and partly vertical; e is the connecting rod pivotted to the piston
rod d and the crank of the driving wheel f. The power of the engine
which works the air pumps will by this apparatus be communicated to
the wheels of the locomotive, through the pistons of the cylinder D.
Fig. 8, Sheet I., is a modification of this adaptation of the Invention
to locomotive purposes. In this arrangement the compressing or

page_text: transmitting cylinder A is placed horizontally on its carriage and is
provided with valves d, d, at each end for the admission of air, and also
passages C leading from each end of the cylinder to compressing
chambers C¹ and C², and thence to the valve chest of the motor engine D
which is connected in the usual manner with the driving wheel of the
engine.
-
Fig. 9, Sheet I., shews a double-acting air pump for maintaining a
continuous pressure, which may be utilized after passing through the
compressing chambers C, C¹, by being admitted into the valve chest of a
motor engine or used as a blast for furnaces.
For forcing water to an elevated reservoir.I use a novel construction of
double pump or two pumps combined, as shewn at Fig. 10, Sheet I.
The piston B of the lower or supply pump A works over a fixed central
hollow guide C pendent from the bottom of the upper or discharge
pump A', and it is open at its lower end but closed by a valve at the top.
Through this hollow guide C the water rises that enters from the suction
pipe D of the pump. A, being impelled upwards by the piston B of the
supply pump. The supply pump piston B is fitted with two rods b, b,
which pass up through the piston B¹ of the pump A¹ to the crank shaft,
and the action of the piston B alternates with that of the piston B' of
the discharge pump A', and may be worked from the same crank shaft.
As the water accumulates in the cylinder A¹ it is forced out at an exit
pipe or pipes E by the descent of the piston B¹ of that cylinder. In this
way water may be discharged at a great clevation with considerable
economy and speed. Air will be admitted into the pump cylinder
through valves a, a, and will pass through the pistons by valves a*, a*,
to act upon the surface of the water in each cylinder.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of " Improvements
in Apparatus for Compressing Air and Raising and Forcing Fluids,” and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to
be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim,―
First. The improved arrangements of apparatus above described for
compressing and discharging blasts of air.
Secondly. The arrangements of apparatus above described for impelling
water or other fluids, for motive power purposes and for raising the same.
to a higher level by the aid of compressed air.

page_text: And, lastly, I claim the arrangement of double pump, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nicholas Demetrius Spartali, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Eighth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.