IMPROVEMENTS. IN SELF-ACTING VALVES BY THE USE OF COMPRESSED.. AIR
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Bochkoltz, Inspector-General of Railways,
of the City of Vienna, in the Empire of Austria, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS. IN SELF-ACTING VALVES BY THE USE OF COMPRESSED..
AIR."
Sealed the 3rd November 1868, and dated the 24th July 1868..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Bochkoltz at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,.on
the 24th July 1868..
I, AUGUSTE BOCHкOLTZ, Inspector-General of Railways, of the City of
Vienna, in the Empire of Austria, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN. SELF-ACTING VALVES. BY THE USE OF
COMPRESSED AIR," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is the saving or prevention of the waste
of motive power in self-acting valves of pumps and such like machinery,
the means employed being compressed air, and the apparatus acting as a
regenerator of motive power.

page_text: It it well known that in lifting and forcing pumps the effective weight
of the main pump rod should, at the commencement of its descending
stroke, be equal, first, to the column of water to be acted upon; secondly,
to the friction of the rod in the guides, and that in the various parts of
the motive engine (in the case of a single-acting engine); and, thirdly, to
the supplementary force which, regard being had to the relation of the
upper surface to the under one of the piston valves, must be exerted by
the piston of the pump on the liquid under the valve. It is requisite,
therefore, to produce this last-mentioned supplementary force without
exerting any additional power by causing the compressed air to act in
such a manner that its initial pressure added to the average pressure
exerted by the motive power employed, or by the main pump rod,
becomes sufficient to open the suckers, but without any useless
expenditure and consequent loss of power. These two supplementary
forces are produced not only with sufficient intensity and acting in the
required direction, but without any useless expenditure of power, by the
regenerative apparatus actuated by compressed air, which is the subject
of this Invention.
The apparatus may be variously arranged to meet the circumstances
under which it is applied. Taking a normal case in which the main
pump rod is of exactly the weight corresponding with the average power
necessary for working the pumps and the initial pressure of the air
above and below the piston is required to be equal, à cylinder, the
interior of which is smoothly bored, is provided, the same being closed
by covers at its two ends. In this cylinder, which is securely attached
to a solid foundation, is placed a piston, the same being well packed.so
as to fit tightly against the sides of the cylinder, but at the same time
capable of working freely therein. The piston is furnished with a piston
rod which passes through stuffing boxes in the two covers, and is firmly
attached at one or both ends to. the main pump rod. When only one
cylinder is used it is preferable to place it longitudinally in an axial
line with the main pump rod. Each end of the cylinder communicates
with an air chest, each of which is furnished with an air cock and with
.a safety valve suitably loaded and opening outwards. The cylinder
being first filled both above and below the piston with atmospheric air
and the pump rod commencing to move upwards, by opening the lower
air cock the outer air will enter under the piston, so that on the latter
reaching the highest point of its course all the lower portion of the

page_text: cylinder will be filled with atmospheric air; on the other hand, the air
contained in the upper part of the cylinder becomes more and more
compressed from its inability to escape either by the upper air cock
which is closed, or by the safety valve which is kept closed by the
weight thereon, and it acquires a density in the inverse ratio of its
original to its final volume. When the main pump rod and with it the
piston of the power regenerator descends, the air above the piston dilates
gradually, and finally assumes its original density when the piston has.
reached the lower limit of its stroke, whilst the air under the piston
being unable to escape becomes in its turn compressed, and its density:
increases more and more. In the normal case above-mentioned. it.
becomes equal to that of the air above the piston during its upward:
stroke, and if the respective volumes of air are equal on each side the
main rod will be greatly relieved, and the object of employing the
regenerator accomplished, that is to say, of furnishing the supplementary;
force required for the spontaneous lifting of the valves without any
useless expenditure of power. In the event of any inconvenience or
prejudicial effect arising from any latent heat being evolved by the
compression of the air, the same may be avoided by causing a current
of cold water to circulate round the cylinder. In the air chests are
placed high-pressure air guages of metal in order to ascertain and
regulate, in case of need, the final degree of pressure at either end of.
the cylinder. On the chests are placed safety valves so weighted as to
open when the pressure exceeds the maximum it may be advisable to
adopt. If, on the other hand, owing to defective packing or other cause...
a portion of compressed air should escape and the initial pressure. fall.
under one atmosphere, air can be admitted by the air cocks until the.
equilibrium with the atmosphere is restored.. In cases in which it. may.
be decided that the pressure shall never be less than that of the -
atmosphere suction valves opening inwards may be substituted for the
air cocks. Various means of regulating the pressure of air and the
consequent increase or decrease of supplementary force produced may
be adopted and be used, either singly or combined, so as to meet any
case which may present itself. Should the initial pressure of the air
be equal to that of the outer atmosphere, and there being no escape,
and still the compressed air should not be sufficiently dense, its density.
may be inereased. by reducing the volume, which is effected by the
introduction of a liquid (by preference oil) through funnels attached to
three-way cocks placed in the lower part of the air chests. The internal

page_text: pressure on one side of the piston having become equal to that of the
outer atmosphere the corresponding cock is opened and the liquid enters
without difficulty. Should too much liquid be introduced, and the
volume of air be so far diminished as to produce too great a final
pressure, it can be reduced by opening the three-way cock to let off the
excess of liquid.
Although the foregoing mode of regulating the regenerator will suffice
in many cases, yet others may arise in which it may be requisite to
increase or decrease the supplementary force to an extent which could
not be effected by the arrangement described. Supposing, for instance, it
is required to increase the supplementary force, the initial density of the
air must be increased to the same proportion; for this purpose the two
air chests are connected by a tube of small diameter having in the
middle a cock; compressed air can therefore be passed at pleasure from
one side to the other, by preference from the lower to the upper side of
the cylinder, whereby the quantity of air above the piston will be
increased, and that beneath it diminished. The piston having reached
the top of its stroke the final pressure above it will be greater than
before, whilst that on the under side will be less than the required
initial pressure, so that on the lower air cock being opened atmospheric
air will enter, the quantity being known and regulated by the guage.
If, subsequently, the main pump rod is brought down exactly one-half
of its stroke, and if then the cock which is placed in the tube con-
necting the air chests is opened, the pressure of the air above and below
the piston will be equalised, and the final pressures at the end of each
stroke will be again equal, but greater than those previously obtained.
If, on the other hand, it is required to diminish the supplementary force,
it is done in a similar way by allowing a certain quantity of compressed
air to escape by one of the air cocks. The piston being next moved
through one-half of its stroke and the communication opened, the
pressure above and below the piston is equalised, and the supplementary
force produced at the end of each stroke will be again equal, but less
intense than before.
In all other cases in which the conditions differ from the normal one,
for instance in the case where the effective weight of the main pump
rod is greater or less than the average weight required, or, again, in the
case where the initial pressures of the air above and below the piston
are purposely made to differ, these pressures may be regulated in any

page_text: other way and consequently the volumes of air above and below the
piston.
Instead of connecting the piston rod with the main pump rod and
fixing the cylinder on a solid foundation, the contrary may be done; for
example, the piston rod may be permanently fixed and the cylinder
made the moveable part connected with the main rod of the pump.
Two or more regenerators may be used where the supplementary
power is required to be very great; they should in such cases be placed
at equal distances round the main pump rod, and their construction
may be simplified by causing all the cylinders to communicate with a
single or common air chest placed at the bottom and another one at
the top.
Cylinders not turned in the interior or roughly finished may be used
with plungers, but in that case, instead of one, two must be employed,
and be entirely separate, the plunger entering one cylinder at the top
and the other at the bottom. Each cylinder must be connected with an
air chest and appliances for regulating the pressure, such as have been
already described, but where one of the two cylinders is open at one
end it may be dispensed with, and the work performed by one cylinder
and one plunger and its accessories.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Auguste Bochkoltz in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTE
BOCHкOLTZ, Inspector-General of Railways, of the City of Vienna, in the
Empire of Austria, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Auguste Bochkoltz, Her special licence that
I, the said Auguste Bochkoltz, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Auguste Bochkoltz, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agrce with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,

page_text: 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 SELF-ACTING VALVES BY
THE USE OF COMPRESSED AIR," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Auguste Bochkoltz, 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 Auguste Bochkoltz, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
..in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
The object of my said Invention is the saving or prevention of the
waste of motive power in self-acting valves of pumps and such like
machinery, the means employed being compressed air, and the apparatus
acting as a regenerator of motive power.
It is well known that in lifting and forcing pumps the effective weight
of the main pump rod should at the commencement of its descending
stroke be equal, first, to the column of water to be acted upon; secondly,
to the resistance arising from friction in the pumps to the friction of
the main pump rod in the guides, and that in the various parts of the
motive engine (in the case of a single-acting engine); and, thirdly, to
the supplementary force which, regard being had to the relation of the
upper surface to the under one of the piston valve, must be exerted by
the piston of the pump on the liquid under the valve. It is requisite,
therefore, to produce this last-mentioned supplementary force without
.exerting any additional power by causing the compressed air to act in
such a manner that its initial pressure added to the average pressure
exerted by the motive power employed by the main pump rod becomes
sufficient to open the suckers, but without any useless expenditure and
consequent loss of power. These two supplementary forces are produced
not only with sufficient intensity and acting in the required direction,
but without any useless expenditure of power, by the regenerative

page_text: apparatus actuated by compressed air, which is the subject of my said
Invention.
The apparatus may be variously arranged to meet the circumstances
under which it is applied. Taking a normal case in which the main
pump rod is of exactly the weight corresponding with the average power
necessary for working the pumps, and in which the initial pressure of
the air above and below the piston is required to be equal, a cylinder,
the interior of which is smoothly bored, is provided, the same being
closed by covers at its two ends. In this cylinder, which is securely
attached to a solid foundation, is placed a piston, the same being well
packed so as to fit tightly against the sides of the cylinder, but at the
same time capable of working freely therein. The piston is furnished
with a piston rod which passes through stuffing boxes in the two covers,
and is firmly attached at one or both ends to the main pump rod. When
only one cylinder is used it is preferable to place it longitudinally in an
axial line with the main pump rod. Each end of the cylinder com-
municates with an air chest, each of which air chests is furnished with
an air cock and with a safety valve suitably loaded and opening out-
wards. The cylinder being first filled both above and below the piston with
atmospheric air and the pump rod commencing to move upwards, by
opening the lower air cock the outer air will enter under the piston, so
that on the latter reaching the highest point of its course all the lower
portion of the cylinder will be filled with atmospheric air; on the other
hand, the air contained in the upper part of the cylinder becomes moro
and more compressed from its inability to escape either by the upper air
cock which is closed, or by the safety valve which is kept closed by the
weight thereon, and it acquires a density in the inverse ratio of its
original to its final volume. When the main pump rod and with it the
piston of the power generator descends, the air above the piston dilates
gradually, and finally assumes its original density when the piston has
reached the lower limit of its stroke, whilst the air under the piston
being unable to escape becomes in its turn compressed, and its density
increases more and more. In the normal case above mentioned it
becomes equal to that of the air above the piston during its upward
stroke, and if the respective volumes of air are equal on each side the
main rod will be greatly relieved at the commencement of its ascending
motion, whilst the maximum density attained by the air above the piston
is productive at the commencement of the descending movement of a

page_text: supplementary force tending downwards in addition to the effective
weight of the main pump rod, and the object of employing the re-
generator accomplished, that is to say, of furnishing the supplementary
force required for the spontaneous lifting of the valves without any
useless expenditure of power. In the event of any inconvenience or
prejudicial effect arising from any latent heat being evolved by the
compression of the air, the same may be avoided by causing a current of
cold water to circulate round the cylinder. In the air chests are placed
high-pressure air guages of metal in order to ascertain and regulate, in
case of need, the final degree of pressure at either end of the cylinder.
On the chests are placed safety valves so weighted as to open when the
pressure exceeds the maximum it may be advisable to adopt. If, on the
other hand, owing to defective packing or other cause, a portion of
compressed air should escape and the initial pressure fall under one
atmosphere, air can be admitted by the air cocks until the equilibrium
with the atmosphere is restored. In cases in which it may be decided
that the pressure shall never be less than that of the atmosphere suction
valves opening inwards may be substituted for the air cocks. Various
means of regulating the pressure of air and the consequent increase or
decrease of supplementary force produced may be adopted and be used,
either singly or combined, so as to meet any case which may present
itself. Should the initial pressure of the air be equal to that of the outer
atmosphere and there being no escape, and still the compressed air
should not be sufficiently dense, its density may be increased by reducing
the volume, which is effected by the introduction of a liquid (by
preference oil) through funnels attached to three-way cocks placed in
the lower part of the air chests. The internal pressure on one side of
the piston having become equal to that of the outer atmosphere the
corresponding cock is opened and the liquid enters without difficulty.
Should too much liquid be introduced, and the volume of air be so far
diminished as to produce too great a final pressure, it can be reduced by
opening the three-way cock to let off the excess of liquid.
Although the foregoing mode of regulating the regenerator will suffice
in many cases, yet others may arise in which it may be requisite to
increase or decrease the supplementary force to an extent which could
not be effected by the arrangement described. Supposing, for instance,
it is required to increase the supplementary force, the initial density of
the air must be increased in the same proportion. For this purpose the

page_text: two air chests are connected by a tube of small diameter having in
the middle a cock; compressed air can therefore be passed at pleasure
from one side to the other, by preference from the lower to the upper
side of the cylinder, whereby the quantity of air above the piston will
be increased and that beneath it diminished. The piston having
reached the top of its stroke the final pressure above it will be greater
than before, whilst that on the under side will be less than the required.
initial pressure, so that on the lower air cock being opened atmospheric
air will enter, the quantity being known and regulated by the guage. If
subsequently the main pump rod is brought down exactly one-half of its
stroke, and if then the cock which is placed in the tube connecting the
air chests is opened, the pressure of the air above and below the piston
will be equalised, and the final pressure at the end of each stroke will
be again equal, but greater than those previously obtained. If, on the
other hand, it is required to diminish the supplementary force, it is done
in a similar way by allowing a certain quantity of compressed air to
escape by one of the air cocks. The piston being next moved through
one-half of its stroke and the communication opened, the pressure above
and below the piston is equivalent, and the supplementary force
produced at the end of each stroke will be again equal, but less intense
than before.
The foregoing relates to a normal case, in which the weight of the
main pump rod corresponds exactly with the average power required to
work the pumps, and in which the initial pressure of the air above and
below the piston should be equal.
In all other cases in which the conditions differ from the normal one,
for instance in the case where the effective weight of the main pump
rod is greater or less than the average weight required, or, again, in
cases where the initial pressures of the air above and below the
piston are different, these pressures may be regulated in any other way
without in any manner interfering with the equality of the volume of air
above and below the piston. It will also be easy to calculate the
diameter of the cylinder and the two volumes of air required to obtain
the supplementary power necessary to open the valves of the pump and
to avoid any waste of power. If in place of the initial pressure of the air
on each side of the air piston being given, the size and relative effect of
the volumes of air before and after compression both above and below
the piston be given, a simple calculation will give the diameter of the

page_text: cylinder and the initial pressure the air should exert on each side of the
piston in order to obtain the additional power necessary to open the
valves of the pump, and to prevent any waste of power. In the latter
case, in which unequal volumes of air being given, one of the volumes
may be taken as infinite, which is equivalent to having one end of the
cylinder open, at which end the auxiliary apparatus for regulating the
volume and pressure of the air above described may be dispensed with,
maintaining it only on the opposite side for those purposes:
Instead of connecting the piston rod' with the main pump rod and
fixing the cylinder on a solid foundation, the contrary may be done; for
example, the piston rod may be permanently fixed, and the cylinder
made the moveable part connected with the main rod of the pump.
Two or more regenerators may be used where the supplementary power
is required to be very great; they should in such cases be placed at
equal distances round the main pump rod, and their construction may be
simplified by causing all the cylinders to communicate with a single or
common air chest placed at the bottom and another one at the top.
Cylinders not turned in the interior or roughly finished may be used
with plungers, but in that case, instead of one, two must be employed and
be entirely separate, the plunger entering one cylinder at the top and
the other at the bottom. Each cylinder must be connected with an air
chest and appliances for regulating the pressure, such as have been
already described, but where one of the two cylinders is open at one end
these last may be dispensed with, and the work performed by one
cylinder and one plunger and its accessories.
I will now proceed to refer to the annexed Drawing, from which the
nature of my said Invention will be more clearly understood.
In the annexed Drawing a, b, c, d, is a cylinder, the interior of which
is carefully turned. The two ends are closed by covers. In this
cylinder, which is fixed on a firm foundation by claws or feet cast
with it, but not shewn in the Drawing, is placed a piston e, f, suitably
packed, so that it works air-tight against the side of the cylinder. The
piston is furnished with a rod m, n, which passes in stuffing boxes g, g',
through the top and bottom covers of the cylinder, and of which either
one or both ends are firmly connected with the main pump rod. When
only one cylinder is employed it is better to place it in the longitudinal
axial line with the main pump rod. e, f, represent the position of the
piston when the main pump rod is at the lowest point of its course;

page_text: e', f, its position at the top of its upward course. The cylinder is
connected by a tube at the points b, d, with two air chests A and B,
each one having an air cock 1, 1, and a safety valve o and o¹ suitably
weighted and opening outwards. As has been already mentioned the
cylinder being first filled both above and below the piston with atmo-
spheric air, and the pump rod commencing to move upwards, by opening
the lower air cock the outer air will enter under the piston, so that on
the latter reaching the highest point of its course all the lower portion
of the cylinder will be filled with atmospheric air; on the other hand
the air contained in the upper part of the cylinder becomes more and
more compressed from its inability to escape either by the upper air
cock which is closed, or by the safety valve which is kept closed by the
weight thereon, and it acquires a density in the inverse ratio of its
original to its final volume.
Having thus declared and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which it is to be performed, I would observe, in
conclusion, that what I consider novel and original and therefore claim
as constituting the Invention secured to me by the said herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is, the combination and arrangement of parts
and mechanism as and for the purposes herein-before described and set
forth, or any mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Bochkoltz, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
E. P. H. VAUGHAN,
54, Chancery Lane.
AUGUSTE BOCHKOLTZ. (L.S.)