Improvements in Apparatus for Raising Water by Means of Compressed Air.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by AMOS BINNEY MERRILL, of Bound Brook, New Jersey,
United States of America, Manufacturer.]
.
Improvements in Apparatus for Raising Water by Means of
Compressed Air.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do. bereby 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 particularly to that class of water raising apparatuses in which
compressed air is used as the motive power for forcing the water, one of which
apparatuses is shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 183,742 dated
October 31st 1876 to J. A. Ayres. One of the difficulties with such an apparatus as
that shown in said patent which I propose to remedy lies in the fact that the higher
the column of water raised the greater the pressure on the valve, and consequently
the greater the force required for moving it whilst the power for moving it remains
substantially constant and thus the height of the water column raised is limited. By
means of my invention I propose that the power for moving the valve shall be
increased as required so that the power to move the valve may be commensurate with
the pressure exerted upon it due to the heighth to which the water is raised. For this
purpose, when the compressed air has forced the water partially or entirely out of one
of the buckets or one side of the bucket as the case may be, I conduct it to mechanism
whereby its pressure is brought to bear for moving the valve. Thus, by increasing
the air pressure, not only is the force upon the water increased but also the force for
moving the valve. The mechanism in which I propose to embody my invention may
be described as follows, having reference to the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of the apparatus. Figure 2, a longitudinal
section through the valve and its immediate surroundings. Figure 3 is a transverse
section through the valve and some adjacent parts, as through the line 3. 3.of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan view through the line 4. 4 of Figure 1 on a reduced
scale. Figure 5 is a horizontal section of pipe p and valvey through line 5, 5 of
Figure 1.
A is the bucket within which the pressure of the air is brought to bear upon the
water; the air acting as a piston to drive the water. This bucket may be made of
two separate vessels; but in the drawings I have shown it as a single vessel divided
into two compartments a a' by a partition b. The relative position of these compart-
ments may be varied. The bucket may be made of any material. In the bottom of
each compartment is a valve ce for the entrance of the water. An exit water way
is provided in each compartment as d d which, in the construction shown, both
communicate with a central pipe e through which the column of water is forced. In
the construction shown, this pipe extends centrally up through the bucket A and may
serve as a support upon which to fasten the valve. In each of the water ways dd
is a check valve ff by which the water, after having once entered the pipe e, is
prevented from flowing back into either compartment of the bucket A.
The air, which is to act as a piston, having been compressed by any suitable means,
as for instance a windmill, is brought to the apparatus through a pipe g. It is
delivered by said pipe into the chamber B which surrounds a valve (. In the
construction shown, this is an ordinary sliding D-valve but I do not limit myself to
any particular kind or form of valve. are the air pipes by which the compressed
air is conducted from the valve chamber to the compartments of the bucket. The
valve chamber communicates with the pipe by means of the passage and with the
pipe by the passage. These passages are alternately closed and opened as the
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page_text: "
valve is at one end or the other of its stroke. is a short oscillating shaft with suit-
able bearings running transversely of the valve in the arrangement shown. Upon
this shaft is mounted an arm k which oscillates with the shaft and is so connected with
the valve without entering the pressure chamber as to cause it to slide from one end
of its stroke to the other as the shaft oscillates. is an arm secured also to the
shaft j. This is the arm by which the shaft is oscillated and to that end on each side
of the free end of the arm is arranged a sliding pin m and m so that by the
alternate thrusts of these pins, the arm will be oscillated and consequently the valve
reciprocated. The pin m' is connected with the piston n' operated in the cylinder o'.
The pin m is connected with a similar piston operated in the cylinder o.
The pistons
within the cylinders o and o¹ are respectively and alternately forced toward the arm
by means of compressed air supplied through the pipes and as follows-a
description for one answering for both since they are alike and work alternately.
The pipe p' communicates with the compartment a¹ at a point below the high water
level in the compartment, as shown in the drawing, where it extends down well
toward the bottom of the bucket. The extremity of the pipe is provided with a valve
of any suitable construction opening outward into the compartment. In the drawing
it is shown as a check valve q¹ closing the entrance into the pipe. s is a float which
is connected with the valve; and so long as the float is buoyed up by the water in the
compartment, it will hold the valve to its seat and close the entrance to the pipe p',
but as soon as the float is relieved from the buoyancy of the water, it will drop
sufficiently to open the valve. By lengthening the stem connecting the float and the
valve, of course the end of the pipe may be placed at any convenient heighth in the
bucket.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:
The bucket is immersed in a body of water, the valve and valve gear being
preferably located sufficiently above the bucket to be above the surface of the water.
The water will rise up into the compartments forcing the air contained therein up
through the pipes and and thence out into the open air through the chamber t
beneath the valve, some of the air also being forced into the pipe g.
Suppose now the valve to be at the end of its stroke which connects pipe g with
pipe. Compressed air being admitted through the pipe g will find its way through
pipe into compartment a. This compartment being full of water, its contents will
be forced before the air into the pipe e until its level has fallen so as to release its
buoyancy on floats and open valve g. The opening of valve g permits the com-
pressed air to enter pipe p and press upon piston n so as to shove pin m forward and
slide the valve back again to the opposite end of its stroke, thus cutting the com-
pressed air off from pipe and communicating that pipe with the open air and
allowing the compressed air to enter compartiment a¹. Thereupon a similar operation
is effected in compartment a¹ to that already described in connection with compart
ment a.
A very fine hole may be drilled at the entrance of cylinders o and o' as at u which
must be so small as to not interfere with the driving of the piston by compressed air.
These holes however will allow the air behind the piston to escape as it is moved back
by force of the opposite piston.
For convenience and economy of construction, I prefer to extend the pipe e directly
upwards and secure to it the brackets upon which are supported the valve C and its
operating mechanism.
By repeating the operations above described first on one side of the valve and then
on the other, the compartments a and a' are alternately emptied into the pipe e, the
valve being shifted each time by means of the compressed air pressure.
By continuing the pipes p and p¹ well down toward the bottoms of their respective
compartments, the water being around the outside of the pipe, will prevent the com-
pressed air from the pipes and from gaining access around the valves g and g
until the water has been forced down below the level of the end of the pipe when it
will be almost time for the air to be permitted to escape through the pipe p or p' as
the case may be.

page_text: It will be noticed that the seats for the valves 9. and g₁ are arranged somewhat above
the lower ends of the pipes leaving a bell-shaped projection of the pipes below the
valve seats. As the water rises in the compartment, a body of air will be entrapped
within this bell-shaped projection, which will prevent the water rising up around the
valve seat. This body of air will thus keep the valve seat clear of any dirt or sand
which might otherwise be deposited there by the water.
In the drawing, it will be observed that in compartment a the level of the water
is shown where it would be just after the compressed air from pipe his commencing
to force it into the pipe e, the valve 9 being closed. In compartiment a¹ the level of
the water is shown where the float s has allowed the valve.ql to open and the water
from outside has opened the valve c¹ to fill the compartment.
If the D-valve was so constructed that when in the centre it would exactly cover
both the outlets i and the apparatus might not start satisfactorily. To obviate any
difficulty of this kind, I construct the D-valve of such length that the smallest prac-
ticable opening will be left in each outlet when the valve is centred. Then I also
construct the apparatus so that one of the floats s or s¹ will operate to open its
valve 9 or gl when the water in its compartment is at a slightly higher level than the
level at which the other float opens its valve. Thus, if the pump is started with
the D-valve centred the compressed air will enter both compartments and force
the water out of both equally. But as soon as the quickest operating float opens its
valve the D-valve will be forced to one end of its stroke and from that point the
operations will be regular as before described.
Having thus described an apparatus in which my invention may be usefully
'embodied, I do not limit myself to the particular mechanism described, as I am well
aware it may be varied indefinitely in form and number and relation of parts without
departing from my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion 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 :-
1. In an apparatas for raising water by means of compressed air or gas, the com-
bination with two compartments adapted to contain water and each provided with an
exit passage for the water, of a valve controlling the direction of the air or gas into
one compartment or the other and an exit passage for the compressed air or gas from
each compartment, each of said exit passages being closed by a valve connected with
a float, and one of said floats being arranged to operate its valve for a higher level of
water than the other, substantially as described.
2. In an apparatus for raising water by means of compressed air or gas, the
combination with two compartments adapted to contain water and each provided with
an exit passage for the water, of a valve controlling the direction of the air or gas
into one compartment or the other, the ports connecting the valve chamber with the
passages to the respective compartiets being arranged so that when the valve is
centred each port will be slightly opened whereby the water will be forced out of both
compartments, substantially as described.
3. In an apparatus for raising water by means of compressed air or gas, the
combination with two compartments adapted to contain water and each provided with
an exit passage for the water, of a valve controlling the direction of the air or gas into
one compartment or the other, return passages whereby the air is returned from said
compartments to operate said valve, a valve controlling each of said return passages, a
float located in each compartment, connecting mechanism between each float and one
of said last mentioned valves whereby when the compartment within which the float
is located is free from water the said float will be suspended from said valve and hold
the same open by its weight; said floats being each adapted to be raised by the
buoyancy of the water to permit its valve to close, substantially as described.
4. In an apparatus for raising water by means of compressed air or gas, the
combination with two compartments adapted to contain water and each provided with
an exit passage for the water, of a valve controlling the direction of the air or gas

page_text: into one compartment or the other and return passages whereby the compressed air
or gas is returned from each compartment to operate the valve, said return passages
connecting with their respective compartments below the level of the water therein
whereby the water within the compartments acts as a seal to assist in preventing the
escape of the air into the return passage until the level of the water within the
compartment has fallen, substantially as described.
5. In an apparatus for raising water by means of compressed air or gas, the
combination with two compartments adapted to contain water and each provided with
an exit passage for the water, of a slide valve controlling the direction of the air or
gas into one compartment or the other, return passages whereby the compressed air is
returned from each compartment to operate the valve and a cylinder and piston
actuated by the compressed air returned from each compartment, the pistons being
connected with the exhaust side of said slide valve substantially as described, whereby
the connections for moving the slide valve from the returned compressed air do not
enter the pressure chamber of the slide valve.
6. In an apparatus for raising water by means of compressed air or gas, the
combination with two compartments adapted to contain water and each provided with
an exit passage for the water, of a valve controlling the direction of the air or gas
into one compartment or the other and the pipes p and pl extending down toward the
bottom of the respective compartments and each provided with a valve, substantially
as described.
•
7. In an apparatus for raising water by means of compressed air or gas, the
combination with two compartments adapted to contain water and cach provided with
an exit passage for the water, of a valve controlling the direction of the air or gas into
one compartiment or the other and the pipes p and peach provided with a valve
having its seat located in the pipe at a distance back from the end thereof whereby
the air entrapped in the end of the pipe will prevent the entrance of the sand into the
valve seat, substantially as described.
8. In combination the passage g whereby the air is conducted to the valve, the
reciprocating slide valve, the passages into which the air is alternately directed
by the valve, the cylinders o and o¹ and their respective pistons and the lever 1
whereby the power of the compressed air or gas is applied to the movement of the
slide valve, substantially as described.
9. In an apparatus for raising water by means of compressed air or gas, the
combination with two compartments adapted to contain water and each provided with
an exit passage for the water, of a valve controlling the direction of the air or gas
into one compartment or the other, return passages whereby the compressed air is
returned from each compartment to operate the valve and a cylinder and piston
operated by the compressed air returned from each compartment; the said pistons
heing connected with the valve to move the same and the said cylinders being each
provided with an exhaust passage u of relatively small area to the area of the return
passage, substantially as described.
11 M... 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.