IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND FORCING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS
Year: 1884

page_text: and other Fluids.
.
I WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, and
323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING
AND FORCING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS (a communication from abroad by
Monsieur Hector Thiery of Paris in the Republic of France Mechanical Engineer)
to be as follows:-
The invention which is the subject of the present, application for Letters Patent
consists essentially in a new or improved construction of elevator composed of one
or more tubes of given section, coiled spirally a certain number of times around
a cylinder of horizontal axis closed at one end by a plane surface and at the
opposite end by a conical surface corresponding to the exit for the liquid and
around which the tubes are also coiled. Both ends of the tubes arranged spirally
as above described are open, and the entrance ends are adjusted to the circumference
of the cylinder, and at the exit end, where the tubes are adjusted to the conical
surface they converge to the axis of the apparatus where they are placed in
communication with a common exit pipe rising vertically and discharging into
a cistern.
The apparatus is immersed in water to half its diameter, and set in motion by
a belt and pulley or other suitable mechanism which rotates it in the required
direction, it is obvious that at each revolution equal volumes of water and of air
will be forced into the spirals and that by reason of the continuous flow of water
and of air into the mechanism, the air enclosed being compressed and forced
onwards, will act in turn upon the liquid towards the exit, where they both escape
into the exit pipe.
On observing carefully the flow of the fluids in the apparatus, it is obvious that
in the conical portion, the length of the spirals being reduced, the volume of
water which each contains only leaves a reduced space for the air and thus
entails a further compression. On the other band the water contained in the
cylindrical portion of the spiral allows no escape of the air in this direction,
•

page_text: except that the levels of each separate portion of water tend to equalise themselves
progressively so that the maximum pressure obtainable is dependent upon both the
diameter of the apparatus and the number of spirals it contains.
If it be desired to elevate the fluid to a higher level than that to which the
apparatus described can raise it, a series of machines may be arranged to act upon
the same portion of liquid successively, or a spiral screw may be adjusted in the
vertical exit pipe actuated by a motor to raise the liquid to the given height, and
in this case the air being delivered into the bottom of this column in a compressed
condition, will give up in expanding to the atmospheric density, the force employed
to compress it in the spirals of the apparatus.
If it be desired to utilize this compressed air for any other purpose a receiver
may be placed at the base of the exit pipe, and upon its horizontal portion, into
which the air will rise and collect by reason of its lesser density: from the top of
this receiver a pipe conducts the air to the point desired. By changing the
direction of rotation, the apparatus may be adapted to act by aspiration.
and other Fluids.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel Inst P.A. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster and
323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declaro
the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING
AND FORCING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS (a communication from abroad by
Monsieur Hector Thiery of Paris in the Republic of France, Mechanical Engineer)
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
"
The invention which is the subject of the present application for Letters Patent
consists essentially in a new or improved construction of elevator composed of one
or more tubes of given section, coiled spirally a certain number of times around
a cylinder of horizontal axis closed at one end by a plane surface and at the
opposite end by a conical surface corresponding to the exit for the liquid, and
around which the tubes are also coiled. Both ends of the tubes arranged spirally

page_text: as above described are open, and the entrance ends are adjusted to the circum-
ference of the cylinder, and at the exit end, where the tubes are adjusted to the
conical surface they converge to the axis of the apparatus where they are placed
in communication with a common exit pipe rising vertically and discharging into
a cistern.
The apparatus is immersed in water to half its diameter and set in motion by
a belt and pulley, or other suitable mechanism which rotates it in the required
direction, it is obvious that at each revolution equal volumes of water and of air
will be forced into the spirals and that by reason of the continuous flow of water
and of air into the mechanism, the air enclosed being compressed and forced
onwards, will act in turn upon the liquid towards the exit, where they both escape
into the exit pipe.
On observing carefully the flow of the fluids in the apparatus, it is obvious that
in the conical portion, the length of the spirals being reduced, the volume of water
which each contains only leaves a reduced space for the air and thus entails a
further compression. On the other hand the water contained in the cylindrical
portion of the spiral allows no escape of the air in this direction, except that the
levels of each separate portion of water tend to equalise themselves progressively
so that the maximum pressure obtainable is dependent upon both the diameter of
the apparatus and the number of spirals it contains.
If it be desired to elevate the fluid to a higher level than that to which the
apparatus described can raise it, a series of machines may be arranged to act upon
the same portion of liquid successively, or a spiral screw may be adjusted in the
vertical exit pipe actuated by a motor to raise the liquid to the given height and
in this case the air being delivered into the bottom of this column in a compressed
condition will give up in expanding to the atmospheric density, the force employed
to compress it in the spirals of the apparatus.
If it be desired to utilize this compressed air for any other purpose a receiver
may be placed at the base of the exit pipe, and upon its horizontal portion, into
which the air will rise and collect by reason of its lesser density: from the top of
this receiver a pipe conducts the air to the point desired. By changing the direction
of rotation the apparatus may be adapted to act by aspiration.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, which represent one modification of
the apparatus, having four sets of spirals arranged as described: A is a cylinder
mounted on an axle B. This cylinder is closed at the front end by a metallic
plate C and terminates at the rear in a conical piece D: upon the surfaces of A
and of D four spirals are coiled a bed of rectangular or cylindrical section as may
be deemed most suitable; the mouths of these 4 coils are at the front part of the
apparatus a' b c d¹ and their other end coiled on the conical piece D discharges
into a cylindrical conduit E supported by a bearing K of suitable dimensions, and
preferably furnished with roller bearings to diminish friction. Finally the piece E
is connected by means of a collar F with a curved pipe G prolonged upwards to
the requisite height.
The apparatus thus constructed is immersed longitudinally to about half its
diameter in a cistern H into which flows the liquid to be raised. This cistern bears
at its front end a cast iron bracket I which supports the bearing of the central
shaft B, and at its hinder end a support J upon which rests the bearing K above
described.
In the modification shewn in the drawings the axle B carries a spur wheel L
driven by a pinion M which may be actuated either by the handle N or by the aid
of a belt passing over the pulley P. By this arrangement, the liquid and the air
are caused to penetrate at each turn in approximately equal quantities into the
coils a, b, c d and the contents are pressed together towards the side of the outlet
in the ascending tube G from which the air escapes freely whilst the water
discharges into the upper cistern O.
As has been already stated, in order to utilise the air compressed in the apparatus,
a receiver may be attached to the horizontal part of the elbow G of dimensions

page_text: sufficient to collect it, the liquid alone then passing up the discharge pipe. In the
interior of the discharge pipe G a screw R is shewn which may be actuated by the
motor and by means of which the liquid may be raised to any desired height:
the screw may be so arranged that a portion of the motive power required by it is
derived from the ascending air, which will be thus utilised advantageously.
In place of continuing the spiral coils on the conical part D which closes the end
of the apparatus in the direction in which the liquid is discharged, four straight
pipes may be attached to the coils a bed as shewn in dotted lines on the drawing.
From the above description it will be seen that the apparatus works without the
use of any valve piston or such like organ, the raising of the liquid being produced
by the effect of the compression of air in the apparatus by the rotation of the
same as above described.
Finally, if it be desired to place the apparatus above the level of the liquid and
to operate by aspiration, it suffices to turn downwards the pipe G which then
becomes the aspiration column, the apparatus turning in the opposite direction to
that before described, and the liquid raised issuing at a¹ b c d by the openings
which in the arrangement first described served as inlets.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my Foreign Correspondent I declare that what I claim is
1st. The combination of parts forming the apparatus for raising fluids by
propulsion or by aspiration consisting essentially of one or more coils of tube of
round, square, or other suitable section rolled round a cylindrical horizontal shaft
capable of being rotated, the tubes forming a certain number of joined whorls of
which the extremities which form the inlet apertures for the liquid are situated at
the circumference of the cylinder, whilst their other ends forming the outlets
communicate with a central conduit ending in a collar attached to the discharge
pipe, substantially as described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
2nd. In a mechanism for raising fluid, the combination with the discharge pipe
of a screw set in motion by a suitable motor for the purpose of effecting the
elevation of the liquid to a height above that to which it would have been forced
by the elevating apparatus alone.
3rd. The combination with an apparatus for the purpose of raising fluid con-
structed substantially as described and set forth in claim 1, of a closed vessel
suitably connected with the discharge pipe for the purpose of collecting and storing
the air compressed by the working of the apparatus.