A Method and Apparatus for Elevating Liquids by Means of Compressed Air.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1890-Accepted, 20th Sept., 1890
A Method and Apparatus for Elevating Liquids by Means of
Compressed Air.
1, Plácido Tardá of Barcelona in the Kingdom of Spain, 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 :-
The method of raising liquids by means of compressed air consists essentially in the
arrangement of a pneumatic pump for compressing the air in combination with
reservoirs for the water or other liquid to be raised by the compression of the air, and
with a distributing cock for directing the air compressed by the pump towards the
corresponding reservoir.
The movements necessary for changing the direction of the current of air, are
transmitted to the cock from the main shaft or by means of a vibrating reservoir
operating under the action of the water elevated.
The pump may be single or double acting in the first case, air is drawn in by one
of the movements of the piston and compressed by the movement of the piston in the
reverse direction, lifting the valve and driving the air into the delivery pipe; if the
pump is a double acting one, the air is drawn in on the one side during the same move-
ment that compresses the air on the other side.
The reservoirs are closed airtight and watertight, being provided with pipes with
valves for carrying off the water driven from the reservoir and for carrying the com-
pressed air thereto.
The distributing cock is a valve or faucet in communication with the pump and with
the atmosphere, and according to the direction of the channel directs the air com-
pressed by the pump to the various reservoirs in the manner required. After the
compressed air has lifted the liquid, it is allowed to escape.
The mechanism for operating this cock automatically is one of two kinds, one being
a sprocket wheel or the like driven from the main shaft, said wheel being provided
with several arms striking against a lever with which the valve or faucet is provided,
thus moving the latter for a certain amount previously determined and sufficient for
altering the direction of the compressed air, this mechanism is placed near the
pump.
Or, another mechanism may be used for the same purpose, it consists of a pivoted
tank or receiver divided into two compartments and so arranged that a stream of
water falls into the one or other compartment until said compartment being full, the
tank is tipped on its axis,bringing the other compartment under the stream of water,
while the former compartment is emptied when the second compartment is full, the
tank is again tipped and so on.
This latter mechanism is placed in the reservoir etc. destined to receive the water
elevated, and it is connected with the distributing cock so that the movements of the
tank are transmitted to the cock for altering the direction of the air current.
If two reservoirs for water are combined so that when one is emptied the air from
its interior operates to drive the water from the other to permit the first to refill, the action
of elevating the water will be continuous.
For properly operating this apparatus it is best that the height to which the water
is raised by the compressed air should not exceed fifteen meters or thereabouts, other-
wise the air compressed to a greater tension would become heated, heating also the
mechanism of the pump. If the height to which the water is to be raised is greater
han above mentioned distance, there may be arranged as many intermediate reservoirs
as may be necessary, the water being raised by compressed air from the one to the
other to any height.
Reference being made to the annexed drawings; Fig. 1 shows the arrangement
employed when the height to which the water is to be raised does not exceed fifteen

page_text: meters, the pump being placed near the edge of the well. Fig. 2 illustrates the
arrangement used when the pump is situated at a distance from the well. Fig. 3 is
an elevation of the apparatus for distributing the compressed air employed in the
latter case. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the pump. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the dis-
tributing cock. Fig. 6 shows a wind engine adapted for operating the pump, the
apparatus being also shown as intended for raising the water to the height of thirty
meters. Fig. 7 indicates the arrangement of the apparatus for lifting the water to a
height of sixty meters.
'
In the first arrangement (Fig. 1), two reservoirs A and B are placed at the bottom
of the well. When the air is not driven therein the water in the well will enter these
reservoirs on the one side through filter C, valve C' and pipe C into reservoir A and
on the other side through filter D² valve D¹ and pipe D into the reservoir B.
The reservoirs A and B are in respective communication with the cock R by means
of the pipes QQ, the cock R is a four way cock (Fig. 5), one of the ways leading to
pipe Q, one to pipe Q', one to pipe R' leading to the pump and the fourth open to the air
and serving for discharging the air from the reservoirs. A single acting pump is shown
in section on an enlarged scale in Fig. 4, the piston carries a leather for packing and
the lower end of the cylinder is provided with two ports K³ and K, K³ opening to
the atmosphere and provided with a valve K³ opening during the period of suction,
K* communicating with the pipe R' and provided with the valve K' opening only
during the period of compression.
The pitman is connected direct to the piston and a loose plate is provided as the
cylinder cover, said plate giving freely to the movement of the pitman, to prevent
dust etc. falling into the cylinder.
The pitman is connected to a crank wrist on the shaft L the latter also carrying
the two pawls O one of which only is shown in Fig. 1, these pawls revolve and
hold the wheel P which is furnished with two projecting arins P1, P2 striking against
the lever of the cock R when the wheel P is revolved, and thus changing the direction
of the current of compressed air from one reservoir to the other. The pump etc. is
fixed on the frame N connected to the wall of the well by the bars N', N³.
The apparatus operates as follows;—
Supposing the cock R to be set so that the air compressed by the pump passes into
the reservoir A, filled with water, the air being compressed drives the water through
the pipe C lifting the valve E and lifts the water in the pipe G and delivers it into the
reservoir H, during this time, the pipe Q of the reservoir B is in communication
with the free opening in the cock R and the water in the well by its own weight lifts
the valve D filling the reservoir B and driving out the air therein.
Just before the reservoir A is empty, the arm P² on the wheel P strikes the cock R
and changes the direction of the latter so that the pipes Q¹ and R¹ are brought into
communication and Q is opened to the atmosphere. The compressed air then passes
to the reservoir B lifting the water therein to the reservoir H, and the reservoir A
being released from interior pressure, fills with water again.
The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 differs only from that shown in Fig. 1 in the
situation of the pump and the manner of controlling the cock R. The pump I is
supposed to be at a considerable distance from the well, and the cock R in place of
being located near the pump to receive its movement from the shaft of the latter, is
arranged above the reservoir H for receiving the water elevated and it is operated by
the tilting of a tank or receiver into which the said water falls before entering the
reservoir H. This receiver S S' vibrates on the shaft S³ and is separated into two
compartments by an interior partition and it rests on either side on the cushions H' in
the bottom of the reservoir H.
The pump operates as before explained supposing the air compressed thereby passes
by pipe R', cock R and pipe Q to the reservoir A, lifting the water by pipe G, this
water falls into the compartment S, the latter being uppermost, while the water in S
runs out. When the compartment S is full, the weight of water therein will tilt the
receiver and the partition will move the arm of the cock R so that the change in the
direction of the air is effected and the reservoir B is emptied. The water will then

page_text: fall into the compartment S¹. A counter weight S2 is arranged on the partition to
balance the weight of the water which fills the compartments, so that the receiver is
not tilted until the respective compartment is quite filled with water.
In the apparatus shown in Fig. 6, the motive power is supplied from a wind
engine supported on the roof of a building or on an elevated platform, the well being
at a distance therefrom.
The pump I is located near the wind engine to avoid undue length of the connecting
rods etc. necessary to operate the pump by means of the wind engine. The pump
shown is a double acting one, the cylinder being enclosed at both ends and provided
at its upper end also with the same connections and valves as are shown in Fig. 4 on
the lower end only of the cylinder.
Over the well is an iron frame supporting the vibrating receiver and the tank H for
receiving the water elevated situated as a convenient height for supply of water to. the
house or locality where it is to be used by natural pressure, for instanco to the
cistern by means of, pipe T. In this case as illustrated in Fig. 6 the water is
supposed to be raised to a total height exceeding fifteen meters, it is therefore neces-
sary, or at least advisable to arrange the two intermediate reservoirs A¹, B', at a
height from the bottom rather less than half of the total height to receive the water in
the first instance from the reservoirs A and B. The pipes etc. are arranged so that the
air driven by the pump I through pipe R' to cock R where, when the openings to
pipes and Q are open, it passes to the reservoirs A and A' respectively. It
first drives the water from A by reason of the smaller height to which this water
is to be raised, and thereafter it raises the water from A¹. The water from A
passes into the reservoir B by pipe G and valve D³. The valve C³ remains closed
by reason of the pressure of air thereon. When the reservoir B' is full the column
of water which it represents being superior to that acting on the reservoir A'; it gives
greater resistance to the air than that of the reservoir. A', and therefore the air acts
upon the latter and drives it by the pipe G' until it flows into the compartment S; the
reservoir B in the meantime becomes filled with water. When the compartment S is
full, the receiver is tilted to the side, changing the direction of the cock R so that the
air passes by pipe Q' to reservoir B and pipe Q³ to reservoir B', the water in B fills
the reservoir A and that in B₁ flows into the compartment St and so on.
Fig. 7 illustrates an arrangement for lifting water to a height of sixty meters.
The reservoir A is at the bottom of the well and at equal distances up the sides of the
well are arranged the reservoirs B, A, B. The reservoirs A A' communicate with
the cock R by pipe Q, while the reservoirs B B' communicate therewith by pipe Q¹.
Pipe G carries the water from reservoir A into reservoir B, and pipe G carries the
water from B to A', the pipe G2-extends to reservoir B¹ and the pipe G³ empties into
the tank H.
Supposing that the air driven by the pump I passes to the pipe Qleading to the
reservoirs A and A', the water in the reservoir A passes into the reservoir B and that
in A passes to B', the pipe Q¹ being at this time open to the atmosphere allows the
air in B and B¹ to escape.
When the wheel P moves the cock R the air is driven into the pipe Q₁ and the
reservoirs B and B and the pipe is brought into communication with the atmospheric
air. The water in B is lifted into A' and that in B' passes up the pipe G³ into the
tank or equivalent receiver H.
By this arrangement the water is lifted to a total height of sixty meters, it is
evident that by increasing the number of reservoirs in the series and connecting
them in a similar manner the water may be lifted to a considerable height.
The apparatus herein before described may be used for raising water from any
source or for raising any other liquid.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is;-
1. The combination of a pump or apparatus for supplying compressed air with two

page_text: reservoirs located in the water or liquid to be raised, and a cock whereby the current
of compressed air is directed to said reservoirs alternately and the latter are also
alternately opened to the outer air, for the purpose set forth.
2. The combination with the pneumatic pump or its equivalent and the directing
cock for controlling the direction of the compressed air, of two series or groups of
reservoirs, the lower located in the liquid to be raised and connections whereby the
liquid is raised alternately from the one or other of the lower group to the one or
other of the upper group and from the one or other of the upper group to the tank or
equivalent destined to receive the liquid, substantially as herein described and
illustrated.
3. The combination with the pneumatic pump or its equivalent and the directing
cock for controlling the direction of the compressed air, of a series of reservoirs one
above the other at suitable distances apart, the lowest adapted to be filled naturally by
the liquid to be raised, and connections whereby the liquid is simultaneously raised
from the lowest to the next and from the third to the fourth, etc., and also simul-
taneously and alternately with the former from the second to third, and from the
fourth to the fifth (if there be more than four, etc.) or to the tank or equivalent destined
to receive it.
4. In an apparatus designed to raise liquid by compressed air in the manner sub-
stantially as set forth the combination of the cock R with a ratchet wheel with
projecting arms adapted to move the cock for the purpose described.
5. In an apparatus designed to raise liquid by compressed air in the manner
substantially as set forth, the combination of the cock R with the rocking tank with
two compartments adapted by its tilting to move the said cock for the purpose
described.
Dated: DALL .1... CTL 1000
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., England,
Agents to Applicant.