CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS OR MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND FORCING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Aimé Antoine Joseph Legentil, Gentleman, of the
Town of Arras, in the French Empire, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS OR MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND FORCING WATER
AND OTHER FLUIDS."
Sealed, the 23rd March 1855, and dated the 4th October 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Aimé Antoine Joseph
Legentil at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 4th October 1854.
I, AIMÉ ANTOINE JOSEPH LEGENTIL, Gentleman, of the Town of Arras, in
the French Empire, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS OR MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND FORCING
WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the employment of compressed air or gas for
raising and forcing water and other fluids. The compressed air is applied
by means of a blower, bellows, or air pump on the surface of the liquid,
introduced into a receiver or vessel through a valve in the bottom thereof
opening inwards. A pipe passes through the upper part of this vessel and
extends to near the bottom thereof, and is intended to convey the water
away from the vessel as hereafter explained. It is fitted at bottom with a
valve opening inwards. The compressed air or gas is forced into the vessel

page_text: follows: On water flowing in through the valve in the bottom of the vessel
to any desired height, compressed air is forced by any convenient means into
the vessel, whereupon the valve at the bottom becomes closed, while at the
same time that in the bottom of the pipe before mentioned is opened, and the
air continuing to press on the liquid forces it up the pipe. The air is dis-
charged by any convenient means, and the operation may be repcated. By
combining two or more such vessels or receivers, liquid may be raised in a
continuous stream.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Aimé Antoine Joseph Legentil in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th March 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,, AIME
ANTOINE JOSEPH LEGENTIL, Gentleman, of the Town of Arras, in the French
Empire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Aimé
Antoine Joseph Legentil, Her special licence that I, the said Aimé Antoine
Joseph Legentil, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as J,
the said Aimé Antoine Joseph Legentil, 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
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMP3 OR MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND FORCING
WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Aimé Antoine Joseph Legentil, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 Aimé Antoine Joseph Legentil, 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

page_text: by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed (that is to say):-
My Invention consists in the employment of compressed air or gas for
raising and forcing water and other liquids, applied through a blower or air
pump on the surface of the liquid, introduced into a vessel hermetically closed,
through a valve in the bottom thereof opening inwards.
A pipe passes
through the upper part of this vessel and extends to near the bottom thereof,
and is intended to convey the water away from the vessel as hereafter explained.
The pipe is fitted at bottom with a valve opening inwards, and the vessel is
furnished at top with a tube and stop-cock, by means of which a passage
can be opened from the interior of the vessel to the external atmosphere.
Supposing water be required to be raised from a well, I place the hermetically
closed vessel under the level of the water, when it becomes full by the water
entering through the valve in the bottom of the vessel, the stop-cock in the
air tube being opened to allow the air to escape; the vessel being full of
water, air is forced into it and upon its surface, when the pressure of the air
will drive the water up the ascending water pipe, and by its weight will close
the valve in the bottom of the pipe as soon as the air has forced into it the
whole or nearly the whole of the liquid contents of the vessel. The com-
pressed air which has taken the place of the liquid in the vessel escapes
through the air vent pipe, which is allowed to remain open as before, until tho
vessel has again become full by water flowing in through the valve in the
bottom thereof, and the whole operation, as before explained, is repeated. A
continuous ascent of liquid can be obtained by employing two pumping
machines constructed and working in the manner herein-before described.
In order to raise or force up liquids in houses, manufactories, &ª, a suitable
basin or reservoir must be substituted for the well.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will now describe the
manner in which I carry the same into effect.
Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents upon a small scale the machinery employed
to work the improved pumping apparatus. B is the frame; V, the fly wheel;
HI, the axis; M, the handle; E, eccentric, which works the ratchet wheel
r, small crank which communicates motion to the piston of the pump.
;
Figures 2 and 3 are vertical sections of the liquid-raising and air-forcing
apparatus. The piston a is moved by an intermediate connecting rod worked by
hand, steam, hydraulic, or other power. This piston moves in a cylinder b, and
draws in air through the valve c, to force it through the valve d into the tube e,
which leads into a four-way cock f; it proceeds in the direction of the arrow
nto the reservoir g, through the tube h. The compressed air, which has done

page_text: its work in the reservoir g, re-enters the cymder 0, and by its expansion
returns part of the power it had previously absorbed. The position of the
valves may be altered, and they may be placed outside of the cylinder so as to
be readily taken off and replaced.
The reservoir g is made of copper, or cast or wrought iron galvanized, or
rendered otherwise capable of resisting the action of oxygen. It is divided
into two compartments g, g', with two valves i, i, at bottom, for the intro-
duction of water from the well or basin. j, j', are two pipes for the ascent of
the liquid, having at their lower extremity valves k, k, of smaller diameter
than the valves i, 2. The working of this machinery for raising liquid is so
arranged, that when the piston of the air pump descends to compress the air,
its power is encreased by the air which escapes from the second liquid reservoir,
and which, in expanding, exerts a pressure upon the surface of the piston.
The operation of the four-way cock disturbs the introduction and passage of
the air, and completes the effect caused by its opening or shutting.. The
opening and shutting are performed by the action of the ratchet e, moved by
an eccentric acting constantly upon a ratchet wheel which a single paul retains
in the place to which the ratchet has brought it.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of the apparatus just described, sup-
posing it to be worked by an ordinary blowing apparatus constructed
as follows:-m is a fixed side piece supported in any convenient manner,
and fitted with a valve opening inwards at n; o is a moveable side piece
opposite the fixed side piece m, and worked by an arm p. The side o
works upon a hinge at q, and is connected at the top to the fixed side m,
by a flexible joint 7. The bottom of the blower is provided with a valve
t, opening into a chamber s. The air drawn in by the working of the
blowing apparatus through the valve n is forced out through the valve t
into the chamber s, down the pipe s¹, into the reservoir g. The pipe s' is
furnished with an air vent and stop-cock v, through which the air is allowed
to escape from the reservoir when necessary. On commencing to raise
water by this apparatus, the stop-cock v is opened to allow the air to escape
from and the water to enter into the reservoir g, through the valve i, the
reservoir having been placed below the level of the source from which water is
to be raised; when full, the stop-cock v is closed, and air is compressed in the
reservoir g, by the action of the blowing apparatus. The air thus compressed
presses upon the surface of the liquid, which having no other issue lifts the
valve k³, and enters the ascension pipe. The continued action of the blowing
apparatus compresses the air in the reservoir more and more, and thus drives
up the water in the ascension pipe to any required height.

page_text: In Figure 2, I have represented the compression of the air as effected by a
blowing cylinder, and in Figure 3 by an ordinary bellows. Double-acting
blowing machines, or fans, or any other air-compressing engine, may be used.
In order to give motion to the four-way cock r, I employ the apparatus shewn
at Figure 5. When a fly wheel is used, motion may be given to the ratchet
wheel, by placing an eccentric upon the fly wheel shaft, the surface of which
will come in contact with the paul o, which will thus receive a to and fro
movement, and will move the ratchet wheel one tooth at every stroke. The
four-way cock r receives the compressed air through the pipe t; the pipe p
re-conveys the air into the cylinder; the pipes g and g' open into the left and
right hand reservoirs. On the key c making a quarter of a rotation, it opens
up communication between the pipes t, g, and p, g', or t, g', and p, g; this
quarter turn of the key is effected by means of a rod fixed to the key, heavy
enough to fall by its own weight when not held up or supported. This rod
assumes alternately the positions represented by the lines C, D, and C, D', and
I work it by means of an iron compound rod Y, E, F, which is free to oscillate
at the point E, upon the axis of the ratchet wheel. This rod is formed of two
parts Y, E, and E, F. The heavy disc Y is made so as to pass between the
branch g of the pipe and the key C, D, while E, F, is free to pass over this
key, and acts upon a roller D, projecting from its end.. A pin h on the ratchet
wheel as it rises carries up with it the piece Y, E, while a projection v bends
down the spring H, which maintains the piece Y, E, F, in the position shewn
in the Drawing. In bending down, the spring H allows the disc Y to escape;
the rod Y, E, turns then from right to left; the piece E, F, allows the roller I)
to escape, and the key of the cock falls by its own weight into the position C, D,
where it is stopped by a small spring, but the disc Y, continuing to rise through
half a rotation of the ratchet, reaches the height of its course, and then falls
down to the right, and fixes itself in the stop on the spring H. In this action
the bow comes against and raises the roller D, while causing the key of the
cock to return to the position C, D¹.
A
Figures 6 and 7 shew different arrangements of single-action pumps.
piston kept tight by screwing down the upper ring B, B, compresses the air
in the cylinder M; this air passes through a passage c, into a valve box D,
serewed to the bottom of the cylinder, and after lifting up the valve E, enters
the water reservoir through the pipe F. The bottom valve G is for the
admission of air when the piston rises.
Figure 8 shews an arrangement for pumps with two cylinders. One piston f
rises, assisted by the air returning from one reservoir, while the other 9 descends,
and forces air into the other reservoir. The valve boxes of each cylinder unite

page_text: at top and bottom; air escapes through the pipe A, and enters through the
pipe B.
A coiled spring keeps the valve Copen-when-there-is-no-pressure to
close it. This valve allows of the escape of air when one reservoir is to be
filled with liquid, a four-way cock regulating the distribution of the air. As
it is advisable to work at a low pressure, I have designed for this purpose the
apparatus shewn at Figures 9 and 10.
If water has to be raised, say, for example, 160 feet, it would be neces-
sary to compress the air to a point equal to five atmospheres; but if I
divide the lift into five equal steps or parts, and discharge the contents of
the reservoir A into a basin placed in the open air at 32 feet, feeding the
box B, and so on successively from step to step, one single pipe, with air at one
atmosphere only, will be sufficient for the whole arrangement. To provide
against one of the intermediate boxes becoming empty before the others, when
the air would escape by the water pipe without producing any effect, I fit
cocks G to the branches of the air pipe, which open and close by a float in the
basins. Should there be no water in them the float falls and the cock closes,
and remains so until sufficient water is forced into the boxes to raise it and
open passage for the air.
In Figure 10 I have shewn a series of cylinders hermetically. closed, with
the exception of the cylinder A, placed at the bottom of the well, and provided
with a valve for the admission of water. A pipe G¹ descends to near the
bottom of the cylinder A, and is carried up to near the top of the cylinder B.
The pipe H is placed in the same way between the cylinders B and C, and
so on. One air pipe only is employed, and that opens into the bottom
cylinder A. The air forced down through this pipe raises the water into B,
through the pipe G', when the air following it forces it up through the pipe II
into the cylinder C, and so on in succession, until the water eventually escapes
through the top discharge pipe. The cylinders once empty, an air cock, fitted
to the compressed air pipe F, must be opened to allow of the reservoir A
filling itself again with water. This arrangement of apparatus should be
completely empty before another charge of water is allowed to enter, otherwise
the entire working of the apparatus might be stopped.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what.
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim as my improve-
ment in pumps and machinery for raising and forcing water and other
liquids,―
First, the employment of compressed air for the raising and forcing of water
and other liquids, in the manner herein-before described and represented in the
Drawings annexed.

page_text: Second, the general arrangement and combination of apparatuses for effecting
the raising and forcing of water by compressed air, as herein-before described
and represented in the Drawings annexed.
Third, the means herein-before described of regulating the working of parts
of the apparatuses.
And, fourth, the raising and forcing of water and other liquids to great
heights by the employment of air at a low pressure by the means herein-before
described and represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Aimé Antoine Joseph Legentil, have
'hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
A. A. J. LEGENTIL. (L.S.)
Witness,
CH. ARMENGAUD, Ing* Civil,
Rue des Filles du Calvaire, No. 6,
á Paris.