IMPROVEMENTS IN DIRECT-ACTING STEAM-PUMPS
Year: 1885

page_text: DRECIATION.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of
Middlesex Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DIRECT-ACTING STEAM-PUMPS," and in what manner the same
is to be performed, as communicated to me from abroad by Ernst Körting,
residing in Hannover, one of the firm of Körting Brothers in London Engineer,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to steam-pumps in which the steam acts directly on the
surface of the water or other liquid to be raised, and the improvements consist,
firstly, in the means employed with pumps of this kind of the single chamber
system for causing the steam-valves to open and close more readily, secondly, in
means for accelerating the condensation of the steam at the end of the discharge-
period, and thirdly, in a device for regulating the area of the opening of the
suction-pipe by the variations in the level of the water from which the pump
draws.
On the annexed sheet of drawings Fig. 1 shows in vertical section a pump
provided with the said improvements. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 represent modifications of
the improved steam-valve.
In Fig. 1, d is the chamber of the pump, c the steam-valve, a the steam-valve-
box, h the discharge-valve, the suction-valve, i the discharge-pipe and the
suction-pipe. f is a perforated injection-pipe communicating with an air-vessel g,
which in its turn is in communication by a small aperture o with the discharge-
valve-box or the discharge-pipe i. p is a valve by which air is drawn into the air-
vessel when the pressure within the same sinks below the atmospheric pressure.
With the steam-valve c is combined a hollow piston b working in a sleeve or
cylinder j closed at the top. The said piston is somewhat larger in diameter than
the valve c, so that it presents an annular surface w for the steam to act against.
In the valve c there is a small hole e putting into communication the inside of the
piston b with the space below the valve c. This communication may, however,
70.... All

page_text: also be established by means of a pipe or a channel connecting the top of the
cylinder j with the neck of the chamber d; and in this pipe or channel a regulating-
cock may be inserted.
Supposing that in an apparatus thus arranged, the chamber d, the suction-valve-
box and the suction-pipe be filled with water, and that steam be admitted into
the valve-chamber a. The steam then acting against the annular surface w, lifts
the piston with the valve c, and thereupon entering into the chamber d, presses
the water from the same into the discharge-pipe i. At the same time steam passes
through the hole e into the piston b, so that the pressure bearing upon the valve o
from above, will gradually increase and finally become equal to the pressure acting
thereon from below. Besides, the air in the vessel g is compressed by the water
entering into the same through the pipe f and the aperture o.
When the contents of the chamber d have been discharged and condensation of
the steam sets in, the compressed air contained in g will force water through the
pipe fand its perforations into the chamber d, so as to promote the condensation.
The decreased pressure resulting therefrom, will also be transmitted through the
hole e to the space within and above the piston b; but on account of the smallness
of the said hole, the pressure in b decreases but slowly, so that transitorily it will
overbalance the pressure on the bottom of b, or of the valve c, in consequenco
whereof the piston will be depressed and the valve closed. Wliile now water is
drawn into the.chamber d, the pressure in b gradually becomes equal to that in d.
At the end of the suction period, there will therefore be a vacuum within and
above the piston. When the chamber d has nearly filled, the mass of water in
motion operates by its force of inertia to compress in the neck of the chamber d
the remaining air and steam, so as to produce for an instant below the valve ca
pressure, which, in addition to the steam-pressure acting on the annular surface w,
is sufficient to lift the valve while there is a vacuum above the same. After the
valve has been opened, steam again enters into d and the described operation is
repeated.
For the purpose of accelerating the condensation of steam at the end of the
discharge-period, the walls of the chamber d are provided on the inside near their
lower edge with a plurality of ribs s or of transverse bars. These ribs or bars
after having been cooled by their contact with the water, form surfaces for
promoting the condensation of the steam when the chamber has become empty.
In case the pump is to be used for drainage purposes, and if it is capable of
raising more water than what flows towards the suction-pipe, it is in many cases
desirable to have means for automatically regulating the working of the pump in
accordance with the quantity of water to be removed, so that the pump may not
be stopped by drawing air. In view hereof the suction pipe is provided with a.
valve adapted to 'controll the passage of water into or through the same, and this
valve is so connected with a float carried by the water that, when the water-level
is at a sufficient height above the suction-orifice or orifices of the pipe, the valve
will be in a position as not to impede the flow of water into or through the pipe,.
whereas when, on account of a deficiency in the afflux, the water becomes so low.
as that there is danger of the pump drawing air, the float in sinking with the
water-level, will cause the valve to close more or less the pipe or its orifices, and
thereby to reduce the speed with which the pump works.
The arrangement for this purpose shown in connection with the pump
represented by Fig. 1, consists in a circular slidé adapted to move length wise on
the lower end of the suction-pipe l, and to control the area of the slits n through
which the water enters into the said pipe, which is closed at the bottom. The
float m, which regulates the position of the slide 7, is made in one piece there-
with. It will, however, be readily understood that other kinds of valves and
floats of different arrangement may be made serviceable for the same purpose,
In the modified steam-valve shown by Fig. 2, the space above the piston b
communicates with the atmosphere by a small 'channel 't, arranged to be closed by

page_text: the piston when in its top position; whereas, when the piston is depressed, it
leaves the channel open so as to allow the steam being above the piston, to escape
through the same. But, in order to prevent the steam from issuing before the
valve o has nearly closed, it is advantageous to provide the piston with a
projection x, fitting into the vertical branch of the channel t, and having a length
somewhat less than the lift of the valve. By means of this arrangement any
leakage of steam between the surfaces of the piston and the cylinder j is rendered
innocuous.
In the modifications of the valve-arrangement represonted by Figs. 3 and 4, the
valve is balanced by a piston b working in a cylinder j that is separated from the
steam-valve-box by a partition-wall z, the valve and the piston being connected
together by a rod y passing through the wall s. In both cases a channel or
channels are provided, by which the valve-box a communicates with the
cylinder when the valve c is down on its seat, whereas this communication is
intercepted when the valve is raised. According to Fig. 3 the said channels consist
in grooves cut into the wall of the hole through which the rod y passes, and adapted
to be closed from below by an offset on the said rod constituting a valve v. In the
arrangement Fig. 4, a channel u is formed in, the rod y in such a manner that,
when the valve c is raised, the lower outlet of the channel will be drawn into the
partition-wall z and thereby closed, whereas when the valve c is on its seat, one
outlet of the channel will be above, the other below the partition z. Besides, it has
been found preferable to provide the valve v, Fig. 3, with a cylindrical part fitting
into a short socket z' on the underside of the partition z, so that the channels w
will not be opened before the valve 'c is about to close. By a suitable disposition
of the lower outlet of the channel u, Fig. 4, a like effect may be attained with this
modification. The cylinder communicates by a small aperture with the atmo-
sphere. As shown by the drawing this aperture may consist in a groove b¹ cut into
the side of the piston b; but it may also be formed by a hole drilled through the
wall of the cylinder j or the piston,. and it may be provided with means for
regulating its area.
With these arrangements steam will slowly pass through the channel or channels u
into the cylinder j when the valve c is closed, so as to produce, by its action on
the piston b, a force operating to assist in opening the valve at the end of the
suction-period. On the other hand, the steam will, during the discharge-period,
escape from j by the aperture 6¹, and, at the end of this period, leave the valve
free to be depressed by the combined effect of the vacuum acting on its lower face
and the steam pressing on its top.
The main point in all the different valve-arrangements described is, that the
equilibration of the valve by means of the piston is variable, and that the same
changes during either period of operation of the pump in such a manner as to be
favorable for the change in position of the valve required for the following period,
so that the valve then needs but a slight additional impulsion to open or
close it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
1. In direct acting steam pumps, the combination, with the chamber d, steam-
valve-box a, and steam-valve c, of the piston b working in the cylinder j, and
means for producing upon the piston a variable pressure adapted to promote
the opening and the closing of the valve c, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination, with the pump-chamber d, steam-valve-box a, steam-
valve c, cylinder j closed at the top, and piston b, of an orifice e, or its described
equivalent, establishing communication between the spaces above the piston b and
below the valve c, substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. The combination, with the pump-chamber d, valve-box a, valve c, cylinder j
closed at the top, piston b and orifice c or its equivalent, of an aperture ț in the

page_text: cover of the cylinder and a valve-surface on the piston 6 for closing the same when
the piston is raised, substantially as herein before described.
4. The combination, with the pump-chamber d, valve-box a, valve c, cylinder j
separated from the box a by the partition-wall z and open at the top, of the
piston b connected to c by a rod y, a channel u adapted to produce communication
between the cylinder j and the valve-box a when the valve c is closed, means for
breaking this communication when c is open, and an aperture 6¹ serving as outlet
from the cylinder j into the atmosphere, substantially as and for the purposo
described.
5. The combination, with the pump-chamber d, of the condensing-surfaces s,
substantially as specified and for the purpose set forth.
6. In a direct-acting steam pump the combination, with the suction-pipe l, of a
valve adapted to control the How of water through the pipe, and a float m
connected with the valve, substantially as specified.