Apparatus for Regulating the Flow of Liquids.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 13th Jan., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Apparatus for Regulating the Flow of Liquids.
I HAROLD COLLET of 7 Coleridge Road, Finsbury Park, in the County of
Middlesex, 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus by means of which the flow of water or other
liquids may be so regulated as to give the best and most uniform results according
to the purposes for which they are employed, and more particularly in the process
of softening, neutralising and clarifying water, or of clarifying liquids holding solids
in suspension.
Fig. 1 and Fig. 1 show ordinary distributing cisterns with two outlets on the
same central level, furnished with nozzles or cocks allowing the water falling into
the cistern to be drawn off in two streams, the nozzles or cocks being so adjusted as
regards orifice as to determine the proportions of the two streams (say one to ten)
and these proportions will remain practically constant even with considerable
variations in the depth of water in the cistern, provided there be enough water to
completely cover both outlets and not to allow air to pass into either, by suction or
otherwise. But if the supply of water be smaller than the outlets can easily pass,
air will pass or enter the larger outlet while the smaller is still covered with water,
and therefore the smaller outlet will pass too great a proportion of water (say one
to five), while if the supply of water become very small, the smaller outlet may be
completely dry while water is still passing through the larger outlet. . My improved
distributing cistern is devised to prevent this cause of disproportion.
.
Fig. 2 is a side sectional view and Fig. 2 is an end view of my improved
distributing cistern. A is the containing cistern and B is a small light cistern
placed inside A. B is fitted with a guide rod passing through the holder D, so as...
to keep B in place; the rod and holder may be replaced by a chain long enough
to allow B to sink but too short to let it float far from its place. B is fitted also
with a pipe (or airtight compartment) E reaching down to near the bottom and
passing through the side of B and connected to a flexible pipe F which is also
connected to the three-way pipe G the other ends of which are fitted with nozzles
or cocks C C. The pipe E may be replaced by a compartment open at the bottom
but closed airtight at the top, formed by a partition in the cistern B; the pipe F
then communicates with such compartment at or near the top. The action of the
cistern is as follows:-Supposing the tank A to be empty and a supply of water to.
be allowed to fall into it (but not into B, which must be kept away from the
incoming water), the small cistern B will float and rise until prevented from further.
rising by the stop S or equivalent means. The water will continue to rise in A.
until it overflows into B. When sufficient water is in B its weight will cause it to
sink, and the pipe E F G will then become a syphon which will draw off the water
in the tank A until it falls to the level of the top of the cistern B, which will then
be syphoned empty and will float and rise again, and this operation will be repeated
again and again. Of course if the supply of water is as much as the outlets can.
pass out, the cistern B will remain sunk, but will rise again when the supply
diminishes. It is important that B shall sink before the water in it rises to the
level of overflow through the pipe E, otherwise there might be a simple overflow
through it, and the syphoning action might not take place.
The novelty in the above arrangement lies in the employment of the sinking
cistern to ensure the proper starting of the syphon. Another method of ensuring
the starting of the syphon is shewn in Fig. 3 in side section an' in end view in .

page_text: Fig. 3. The supply of water falls into the tipping vessel R, which is so poised
that when empty or nearly empty its centre of gravity is to the right of the pivot Q
so that it hangs horizontal, the stop X preventing it from falling backwards. The
front end of the vessel R slopes forward so that as it fills with water the centre of
gravity is gradually thrown forward until it is to the front or left of the pivot Q,
when the vessel R will tip forward and discharge its contents into the tank A.
When the water in A is high enough a discharge from R will suddenly start the
syphon E F and the water will be sucked into the compartment B which is provided
with outlets C C₁. The compartment B in Fig. 3 may be replaced by the pipe G
shewn in Fig. 2 and vice versa.
Instead of the tipping vessel R a bucket waterwheel W may be used, as in
Fig. 3B, the intermittent emptying of the buckets serving to ensure the starting of
the syphon.
In the process of clarifying water or other liquids by decantation, that is to say
by drawing off the cleared liquid from the top of a containing vessel in which the
impurities settle below, it is sometimes advantageous to allow the water a period of
repose before drawing it off, as settlement proceeds more rapidly and is more
complete when the water is motionless. The periods of drawing off the clarified
water and supplying more of the unclarified must then alternate with the periods of
rest, and by my invention I provide means for effecting the alternations automati-
cally without manual attention. The distributing cisterns already described may
be used as regulating cisterns to effect this purpose if the large cistern A shewn in
Figs. 2, 3 and 3B be of sufficient size to contain as much water as corresponds to
the time of rest required and the rate per hour also required, thus if the rate per
hour is one thousand gallons and the time of rest is to be half an hour, the tank A
must hold and syphon out at one operation five hundred gallons. In this case the
syphon and outlet will be made large enough to empty the tank in a time so short
as not to materially interfere with the length of resting time.
There are disadvantages attached to the sudden filling and emptying of tanks,
and the devices described have the drawback of not giving a continuous outflow of
clarified water, and to overcome these drawbacks I employ several arrangements
which I will now describe. They all depend for their action upon the rocking of
troughs or tubes by means of a regulated supply of water which governs the
niechanism, and while they are shewn in the description and in the drawings as
governing the inlets or outlets of two vessels so as to produce a continuous outflow,
it will be evident, that they can be applied to govern a single vessel without
'alteration in principle.
Fig. 4 shews a very simple device consisting of a pivotted tube Q which receives
in the middle the flow of water to be clarified. A water wheel B receives a constant
dribble of water from the hard water cistern A through the cock C which is
adjusted so as to turn the wheel at a constant slow rate. The wheel and the tube Q
are coupled by the rod L, the coupling pin M not being on the axis of B. The
tube Q is so balanced or weighted as not to throw its weight on the wheel at any
part of its rotation. As the wheel B rotates, the coupling rod L will alternately
lift and lower the end V of the tube Q, and the water flowing into Qwill flow out
at the end which is for the time lowest. The outlet V empties into the downpipe P
leading to the clarifying tank T, while the outlet V₁ empties into the downpipe Pi
of the tank T'. As one or other of the tanks is always receiving water, there will
constantly be a flow through one of the outlets into the pipe F which carries away
the clarified water.
Fig. 5 shews another device for periodically altering the direction of flow of the
water to be clarified, from the inlet of one tank to the inlet of the other. B B is
a double rocking trough or cradle, which I refer to as a bascule, so constructed that
the flow of water from the cock C falls into the upper division B', until the accumu-
lation of water causes it to fall over, when the water in B' is emptied out and the
water from C falls into the division B. Attached to the bascule and therefore
rocking with it is a trough or tube Q, into which flows the water to be clarified. It

page_text: is evident that such water must flow out through the end V (which is for the time
depressed) into P until the overbalancing of the bascule raises V and depresses V',
when the water will pass through V₁ into P¹. The tube Q with two outlets may
be replaced by a flexible or jointed tube with one outlet, as in Fig. 6, the flexible
tube S being moved by the bascule by means of the rod R or other equivalent
connection so as to direct the water into P and P' alternately.
Instead of the rocking tube or trough Q being attached to the bascule it may be
governed by it as in Fig. 7. Q is here a centrally pivotted or balanced trough
divided into three parts. The central division receives the water to be clarified and.
allows it to pass through V into the pipe P or through V' into the pipe P',
according to which outlet is lowest. The two end divisions W and W' receive the
water suddenly flowing out from B and B respectively, the weight of which is
sufficient to tip the trough Q. The divisions W and W₁ are each furnished with a
small outlet Z and Z' to allow the water to leak away, but the trough Q is so
balanced that it will not become level or rock over until a fresh discharge is received
from the bascule.
Instead of making the trough or pipe Q movable, as in Figs. 4, 5 and 7, it may
be made fixed as in Fig. 8, with movable valves or outlets. In Fig. 8 the bascule
is connected at its two extremities by chains or rods to the two valves V V₁ in the
fixed trough Q. When the compartment B is depressed the valve V¹ is opened,
and when B' is depressed V is opened and V₁ closed. Instead of valves Q may be
furnished with two flexible outlet tubes which are depressed and raised in turn, the
water flowing through the depressed one.
It will be apparent that both the water-wheel and the bascule may be made to
govern the outlets of the two clarifying tanks instead of the inlets, and with this
advantage that only one downpipe is required, which leads into both tanks. Such
an arrangement is shewn in Fig. 9 where the bascule B B is connected to the two
flexible outlet pipes V V' so as to alternately raise and depress them, the outflow
taking place through the lower one. The flexible tubes may be replaced by valves,
one being opened when the other is shut. Fig. 10 shew's a water wheel B with
cranks alternately lifting and depressing the outlet tubes (or valves). Or the
wheel may be made to rock a pivotted lever to the ends of which the outlet tubes
or valves are connected, this being practically the same arrangement.
Another arrangement for the same purpose, not so simple in design as those
already described but which has advantages of its own, is shewn in Fig. 11. The
apparatus consists of two clarifying tanks T T', with separate down-pipes P PL
over which is balanced a rocking trough Q into which flows the water to be
clarified. Qhas two outlet pipes V V projecting above the bottom, so that the
trough is never empty but contains enough water to ensure its complete over-
balancing to either side. These outlets lead into the tops of the downpipes P P'.
B B are two cisterns fixed below the outlets X X¹ respectively, and a small cock
or pipe C or C allows a small stream of water to flow from each outlet pipe into
the cistern below, provided that any water is flowing through such outlet pipe.
Each small cistern contains a float (F F¹), and is furnished with an outlet
valve (K K¹) connected by means of a chain or rod with one end of the trough Q.
Each float has an upright central rod R which is long enough to reach, as the float
rises, up to the trough Q or to a lug L.attached thereto. The action of the
moving parts is as follows:-The water supply flows through the outlet V into the
downpipe P and the tank T and overflows through the pipe X. Part of the over-
flow is drawn off through the cock C into the cistern B, of which the valve K is
closed. The water in B gradually lifts the float F and thereby the rod R until the
latter comes in contact with the trough lug L which is thereby gradually raised
until the trough becomes first level and then inclined in the opposite direction;
the water in of course flows to the lower end and causes the trough to tip
thoroughly over. In consequence the outlet V is raised out of the water while the
outlet Vis lowered and the water flows through it into the pipe P¹. At the same
time the valve K is opened, allowing the water in B to escape and the float F to

page_text: :
fall, while the valve K' becomes closed, water begins to overflow through X' and
through C¹ into the cistern B' until the float F¹ and rod R' rise and reverse the
rocking trough Q, and so on indefinitely.
T
Another arrangement for the same purpose is that shewn in Fig. 12 where
the floats F F are placed in the cisterns B B₁ (or in the same cistern) kept
partly full of water. The floats are open and receive the small streams of
overflow water from C and C', but the water from C falls into the float F¹
and the water from C¹ falls into F. The effect is that at last the float receiving
water (F) suddenly sinks and drags down the end of the rocking trough Q to
which it is connected by a chain or rod, and so reverses the flow of water.
Each float is furnished with a syphon which begins to empty it as soon as it
sinks, but the balancing of the trough prevents it from reversing until pulled over
by the opposite float sinking.
The mechanism shewn in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12 can of course be utilised so as to
govern the outlets instead of the inlets of the clarifying tanks, as shewn in
Fig. 13, the moving parts being otherwise the same as in Fig. 12. It is not
necessary to set forth in detail all the various movements to which the rocker
and floats may be applied, these simply entailing slight alterations in the guide
chains or bars.
The next part of my invention consists of a device for dividing a stream of water
into two parts so that one part shall pass through a vessel containing any desired
easily soluble substance, such as soda, which it is desired to dissolve and shall then
meet the second part and mingle with it, the two streams being automatically
varied in proportion so that the liquid resulting from their subsequent mixture
shall have a practically constant density. This device is shewn in Fig. 14. It
consists of a balanced or pivotted tube B which receives the water in its middle
by means of a flexible or jointed tube, and allows it to pass out in two streams at
the ends G G¹, the proportion of the two streams being partially regulated by
means of the cock C. The stream from G flows into the tank D and the stream
from Ginto the vessel or pipe F. D and F have outlets leading to the bottom or
middle of a third vessel E, which contains a large hydrometer H of suitable
material, the upper end of which terminates in a rod or chain with a ring or hook
at the end, such ring or hook being attached to the tube 13 between the middle and
the outlet G. The vessel E has an outlet near the top. The action of the device
is as follows: The substance to be dissolved is placed in the tank D and the
solution passes thence into the vessel E where it meets the water from G¹ and F.
The density of the mixture causes the hydrometer H to float at a certain
corresponding depth and thereby determines the position of the balanced tube B.
The greater the density of the mixture the higher will the hydrometer raise the
outlet G, thereby decreasing the outflow from G and increasing that from G'.
The vessel E will then receive a greater proportion of water until the lighter
density of the mixture allows the hydrometer to sink and so lower G. It will be
found in practice that if the hydrometer be weighted for a certain specific gravity,
the oscillations of the tube B will so balance the two streams as to keep the density
of the mixture sensibly constant, no matter how much of the soluble substance may
be contained in D.
Another part of my invention is a device, shewn in Fig. 15, for obtaining, when
required, a reliable flow of solution (either of soda or of lime or other substance),
and for stopping such flow automatically when no longer required. This device is
independent of the density or clearness of the solution. It is well known that such
solutions almost invariably contain certain matters which tend to choke up any
orifices, cocks or tubes through which they flow, especially if the latter are small.
It also frequently happens that in processes such as softening or neutralising water,
the supply of water varies or even ceases altogether. In such cases it is of
importance that the supply of reagent should also vary proportionally or cease.
By my device I have a solution of the required strength made in a tank A (Fig. 15)
with a pipe at the bottom reaching into the cistern E and fitted there with a ball

page_text: valve. The cistern E communicates also with another vessel D which contains a
cistern G, open at the top, suspended by means of a cord and counterbalance H,
Water
and containing a syphon K reaching through the side of the vessel D.
flows into G from the distributing cistern B through the cock C, which is adjusted
to allow water to pass through it in certain proportion (say 1 to 100) to that
which is to be softened or neutralised and which passes through the cock J.
The action is as follows:-The solution in A passes through the ball valve
into E and thence into D. The ball valve is adjusted so as to close just before the
solution can overflow through the outlet F. The water from the cock C falls into
the vessel G and makes it gradually sink in D, causing an equal weight of solution
to rise and overflow through F. When G is nearly full of water it is suddenly
discharged by means of the syphon K, and G will at once rise. The level of
liquid in D and E will then fall, thus opening the ball valve, when the solution
from A will again fill both E and D, and the operation described will be repented.
Should the supply of water to the distributing cistern B cease, the flow through C
will also cease, and no solution will overflow until the supply of water is renewed.
The two vessels E and D may be made in one, containing both ball valve.and
floating cistern, as the level of liquid is always the same in both. If the vessel G
be not unduly thick or heavy, the counterbalance H may be dispensed with without
appreciable disadvantage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :-
1. An improved distributing and regulating device consisting of a cistern
containing a syphon outlet connected at one end to a floating and sinking vessel
substantially as described and shewn in Figs. 2 and 2^ and for the purpose set.
forth.
2. An improved distributing and regulating device consisting of a cistern
containing a syphon outlet and a rocking or rotating vessel or series of vessels
substantially as described and shewn in Figs. 3, 3ª and 3³, and for the purpose set
forth.
3. The automatic regulating device consisting of a waterwheel and rocking tube
or trough connected together substantially as described and shewn in Fig. 4 and
for the purpose set forth.
4. The automatic regulating device consisting of a bascule or double tipping
trough and a rocking tube or trough connected therewith or controlled thereby,
substantially as described and shewn in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, and for the purpose set
forth.
-
5. The automatic regulating device consisting of a bascule or double tipping
trough connected to and controlling one or more inlet or outlet valves or tubes
substantially as described and shewn in Figs. 8 and 9 and for the purpose set
forth.
6. The automatic regulating device consisting of a waterwheel connected to and
controlling one or more valves or tubes substantially as described and shewn in
Fig. 10 and for the purpose set forth.
.
7. The automatic regulating device consisting of two cisterns supplied from
different overflow pipes and containing floats which by their rise control a rocking
trough with one or more outlets, said rocking trough alternately opening and closing
outlets in the said cisterns substantially as described and shewn in Fig. 11 and for
the purpose set forth.
8. The automatic regulating device consisting of either one or two cisterns,
containing two open floats or vessels receiving water from different overflow pipes
and furnished with emptying syphons, the said floats being connected to and
controlling by their sinking a rocking trough, said rocking trough containing two
outlets or connected to and moving two valves or tubes alternately, substantially as
described and shewn in Figs. 12 and 13 and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 9. The method of obtaining continuous decantation from two vessels or from two
series of vessels which do and do not overflow alternately, by means of an automatic
alternator or regulator, substantially as described...
10. The automatic regulating device consisting of a tube with two outlets.rocked
or controlled by a hydrometer immersed in a vessel receiving the liquids resulting
from the outflow from the said tube so as to produce an effluent mixture or solution
of sensibly constant density, substantially as described.
11. The automatic regulating device consisting of a vessel provided with a syphon
outlet and capable of floating and sinking in an enclosing vessel containing solution
kept at a constant level by means of a reservoir and a ballcock, the rate of sinking
of the floating vessel being controlled by a flow of water thereinto, so as to produce
a corresponding outflow of solution from the enclosing vessel, substantially as
described.
Dated the 20th day of November 1893
HAROLD COLLET.