Improvements in Syphons and in the Method of Starting them.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 31st May, 1894-Accepted, 7th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Syphons and in the Method of Starting them.
I, FRANCIS MONTAGUE SIMS, of 34 Adelaide Street, Blackpool in the County
of Lancaster, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
The invention relates to improvements in syphons, and the method of starting
them by means other than exhausting the air by suction by the mouth, either with
or without an air tube or by means of a syringe, or suction pump, or similar
apparatus, or by plugging the ends of the syphon and filling it with fluid or
otherwise.
I propose to achieve the desired results by certain novel appliances acting on
pneumatic principles.
An airtight vessel containing fluid, is inverted and fixed on or near the top of
the bend of the syphon, its size, by which will be regulated the amount of fluid it
will contain, being calculated and adjusted according to the amount of air to be
exhausted from the syphon, and for room for subsequent expansion, according to
the law applicable to air and gases, "that the force with which it seeks to expand
is equal to the compressing force, and inversely as to the space which it occupies."
I will take for the purpose of illustration, the case of an equal legged syphon,
the bottom ends of the legs slightly bent and turned upwards, and an airtight
vessel of suitable form, strength, and material, containing fluid, fixed to the top of
the bend of the syphon, the action will be as follows, the fluid descending by gravity
will lodge in the bends at the ends of the syphon legs, and will thus trap the
syphon, i.e. prevent the ingress of air into either the syphon or the airtight vessel
containing fluid, hereafter called the expansion chamber, then as the fluid continues
to fall into the syphon, the air in it will ascend, and take the place in the expansion
chamber vacated by the fluid, until all the air previously in the syphon is above the
fluid in the expansion chamber.
But as the air in the expansion chamber has the elastic pressure of atmospheric
pressure, the internal pressure, and the external and supporting pressure, will not
be equal, and therefore the fluid will run out of both legs of the syphon.
Take the elastic pressure of the air above the fluid, as a force equal to
atmospheric pressure (taken, as generally accepted, as 15 lbs. on the square inch)
then 15 lbs. plus the weight of the column of fluid inside the syphon, on the square
inch, will be the total internal pressure, per square inch; whilst the external and
supporting (that is atmospheric) pressure, will be 15 lbs. only.
Thus the fluid will run out, but as it does so, the fluid level in the expansion chamber
will fall, and as it becomes lower and lower the air will expand "inversely as to
the space which it occupies" in accordance with the law of expansion quoted above,
and in so expanding will diminish in elastic force, and the fluid will continue to run
out until the air has become rarefied to such an extent that its elastic pressure
plus the weight of the column of fluid, exactly equals the external atmospheric
pressure (say as above 15 lbs.), when there will be equilibrium, and the fluid
will cease to flow, and the syphon proper will be full of fluid, provided that the
expansion chamber has been made of such size as to allow for the expansion to
take place in the chamber itself, otherwise the air will expand into the bend
and into the legs of the syphon, when the syphon not being full of fluid, no action
will ensue; otherwise if either leg of the equal legged syphon be immersed in
fluid, the fluid would run out of the other leg in the ordinary way of syphonic
action.

page_text: For example, assume the vertical height of the fluid column in the syphon given
above, to have been 15 feet, and the content of the syphon 30 cubic inches, let
the fluid be water, and the weight of a column of it 15 feet high, 7 lbs. per
square inch then the internal pressure would have been 22 lbs., and the external
& supporting pressure 15 lbs. Therefore (not taking into consideration any
diminution in the weight of the fluid column through the fall of level in the
expansion chamber), the air in the expansion chamber must expand until its
elastic pressure is 7 lbs. only, but by the law applicable to air and gases, any
quantity of air to reduce its elastic pressure from 15 to 7 lbs. must double in
bulk, therefore there must be at least 60 cubic inches of fluid space in the expansion
chamber, otherwise the air would expand more or less into the syphou, which
would then not be full of fluid, that is the air not wholly exhausted.
By the same law had the vertical beight of the fluid column been 20 fect instead
of 15 feet, 90 cubic inches of space would have been requisite for the expansion of
the said 30 inches.
If the height had been 25 feet, 180 cubic inches of space would be requisite.
By thus filling an equal legged syphon, whilst open at both ends and causing it
to work, without suction in any form (and which in fact with open ends would be
impossible) or without plugging the ends, and filling it, I illustrate the principle
of my invention so far as regards physical laws, but it is clear, that in practice
especially with a large syphon, the filling, inverting, and fixing of a vessel of the
requisite size, would be inconvenient if not at times impracticable.
But syphons for ordinary use are not generally equal legged; and moreover for
practical purposes the longer leg is provided with a tap (or its mechanical equivalent)
and therefore I provide the expansion chamber with a feed opening, placed in a
convenient position, to be closed airtight by a screw cap, or other equivalent,
through which I pour the fluid thus filling the long leg, and by so doing I get rid
of all the air it contains, the air being forced out through the feed opening by the
descending heavier fluid.
In order to prevent the fluid at the same time running into, and. out through the
short leg, thus preventing my filling the expansion chamber with fluid, I carry the
short leg up into the expansion chamber, a sufficient distance above the lower end
of the feed opening, which is made to project into the expansion chamber a
sufficient distance for the purpose, or I carry the top of the short leg into a dome
on the top of the expansion chamber, above the feed opening, whereby with either
arrangement, it would be necessary to compress the air above the bottom of the feed
opening into a smaller space, above the top of the short leg of the siphon, before
fluid could reach the top of, and run down the short leg, and such compression
without great pressure is impracticable.
Thus I fill the long leg, and the expansion chamber as far as the bottom of the
feed opening, no fluid being in the short leg, which is open at the bottom, but on
placing the short leg in the vessel to be cleared of fluid, if the feed be open, the air
in the short leg will be expelled through the feed opening, to such depth as it is
immersed in fluid (as will also be the case if the short leg is immersed in the fluid,
before the long leg and expansion chamber are filled) thus leaving only the quantity
of air in the short leg, from above the point to which it is immersed to its end in
the expansion chamber, to be exhausted, and the requisite amount of expansion to
be provided for, to effect which, and put the syphon in action, I close the feed
opening airtight, and open the tap on the long arm, when the fluid runs out by
virtue of its own weight, and the elastic pressure of the air above it, but as it
descends the level of the fluid in the expansion chamber is lowered, and the air
expands "inversely as to the space which it occupies" but when it is rarefied to a
degree of elasticity equal to atmospheric pressure less the weight of fluid in the
short leg (per square inch) supported by said atmospheric pressure the fluid runs
over the top of the short leg into the expansion chamber as it runs out of it through
the long leg, and the syphon being thus full of fluid, syphonic action is at once
established, and will continue, as long as there is any fluid in the vessel to be cleared,

page_text: "
provided there is room in the expansion chamber for the expansion of the air
without it invading the bend or legs of the syphon, and it is to be observed that
said expansion (according to the law quoted above) is continuous as the vessel
empties, because on first starting the syphon the "compressing force on the air
in the chamber, is atmospheric pressure, less the weight of water in the short leg
(per square inch), it (atmospheric pressure) has to support, and as the fluid in the
vessel to be cleared lowers, the quantity of fluid in the short leg to be supported by
atmospheric pressure gradually increases, owing to the weight of fluid in the short
leg being no longer counterbalanced by an equal weight of fluid in the vessel to be
cleared, and so the pressure "which confines" the air in the expansion chamber
diminishes, with the effect that the air expands (as per law given above), and
if through insufficient room for expansion, in the chamber, the air expanded.
sufficiently into the syphon, before the vessel was empty, syphonic action would
stop, and the fluid cease to flow.
As in the case (given above) of the equal legged syphon, if the quantity of air
to be exhausted was 30 cubic inches, if the vessels to be cleared contained depths of
15, 20, & 25 feet of fluid respectively, then the expansion chambers should be of a
capacity of at least 60, 90 and 180 cubic inches respectively.
By trapping the end of the short arm, and thus preventing the ingress of air
into the syphon, and expansion chamber, the syphon may be used again, without
the necessity of re-filling each time, the number of times it may be thus re-used
varying according to circumstances.
An inherent defect in syphons, especially when running continuously for a
lengthened period, is the tendency to air entering the syphon and impeding &
stopping the flow, by my method any air gaining access to the syphon would be
received in the expansion chamber, & would expand there and by allowing a
margin of fluid space, over & above the quantity required for the exhaustion,.
and subsequent expansion in the manner before shewn, assuming air to enter the
syphon at a uniform rate the syphon would run just so much longer, on my
system, as the number of times the quantity of fluid left as a margin, exceeded
the amount of air requisite to impede and stop the flow of the syphon.
I can also apply my method of adjusting the capacity of the expansion chamber
to the amount of air to be exhausted from the syphon, and the subsequent expansion
according to the mathematical working out of the law applicable to the expansion
of air & gases, to syringes, pumps, or compressible bags or other compressible
apparatus, in some cases, where the employment of fluid may not be desirable, or
convenient, where by accurate adjustment I can exhaust the syphon, and at the
same time prevent any of the fluid entering the apparatus to the injury of the
working parts or otherwise.
Thus, I have two separate legs to the syphon-an airtight vessel to contain fluid
called an expansion chamber (entirely distinct from said legs of the syphon) of a
capacity sufficient to receive the quantity of air to be exhausted from the syphon,
(be it smaller or greater) and also to allow of the expansion of said quantity of
air, "inversely as the space which it occupies," as the "compressing force" diminishes,
as the fluid falls in the vessel to be cleared, such capacity under varying circum-
stances to be calculated according to the mathematical working out of the said law
applicable to the expansion of air & gases.
Together with the carrying of the short leg of the syphon up into the expansion
chamber, and above the feed opening as shewn above.
And also the allowing of a margin of fluid space in the expansion chamber, for
the reception, and due expansion of any air, which may gain access into the syphon,
thus preventing for a longer period the impeding or stopping syphonic action
owing to air entering the syphon.
Also with the trapping of the short leg of the syphon for the purpose given
above.
The long leg of the syphon may be also trapped.
A tan or fans of a suitable description may be placed between the expansion

page_text: chamber and the legs or bend of the syphon and the expansion chamber in some
cases detached.
Dated this 18th day of November 1802
FRANCIS MONTAGUE SIMS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Syphons and in the Method of Starting them.
I FRANCIS MONTAGUE SIMS of 34 Adela de Street Blackpool in the County of
Lancaster, Manufacturer, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in syphons and in the method of starting
them into action by means other than exhausting the air by suction by the mouth,
either with or without an air tube, or by means of a syringe, or suction pump, or
similar apparatus as hitherto ordinarily practised, or by plugging both ends of the
syphon and filling it with fluid, or otherwise.
propose to achieve the desired results by certain novel devices or appliances
acting on pneumatic principles.
The nature of my said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed or carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference to
the sheet of illustrative drawings hereunto annexed and the following explanation
thereof.
Fig. 1 on the drawings is a side elevation and Fig. 2 a vertical section of a metal
syphon constructed according to the principles of my invention.
a is the shorter or inlet tube of the syphon and b is the longer or delivery tube
thereof.
c is an air tight vessel which is fixed on or near the top of the bend of the syphon
connecting the tubes a and b, its size (by which will be regulated the amount of
fluid which it will contain) being calculated and adjusted, according to the amount
of air to be exhausted from the syphon, and for room for subsequent expansion
according to the known law applicable to air and gases that "the force with which
it seeks to expand is equal to the compressing force and inversely as to the space
which it occupies."
I will take for the purpose of illustration the case of an equal legged syphon, the
bottom ends of the legs slightly bent and turned upwards, and an airtight vessel of
suitable form, strength, and material, containing liquid fixed to the top of the bend
of the syphon, the action will be as follows, the liquid descending by gravity, will
lodge in the bends at the ends of the syphon legs, and will thus trap the syphon,
i.e. prevent the ingress of air into either the syphon or the airtight vessel containing
liquid (hereinafter called the expansion chamber) then as the liquid continues to
fall into the syphon, the air in it will ascend and take the place in the expansion
chamber vacated by the liquid until all the air previously in the syphon is above
the liquid in the expansion chamber.
But as the air in the expansion chamber has to resist the elastic pressure of
atmosphere against the liquid, the internal pressure and the external and supporting
pressure will not be equal and therefore the liquid will run out of both legs of the
syphon.
Take the elastic pressure of the air above the liquid as a force equal to atmo-
spheric pressure (taken as generally accepted at 15 lbs. on the square inch) then 15 lbs.
plus the weight of the column.of liquid inside the syphon, on the square inch, will
be the total internal pressure per square inch, whilst the external and supporting
pressure, that is atmospheric pressure, will be 15 lbs. only. Thus the liquid will run
out, but as it does so the fluid level in the expansion chamber will fall, and as it

page_text: becomes lower and lower, the air will expand "inversely as to the space which it
occupies "in accordance with the law of expansion quoted above, and in so
expanding will diminish in elastic force, and the liquid will continue to run out
until the air has become rarefied to such an extent that its elastic pressure plus the
weight of the column of liquid exactly equals the external atinospheric pressure
(say as above 15 lbs.) when there will be equilibrium and the liquid will cease
to flow and the syphon proper will be full of liquid provided that the
expansion chamber has been made of such size, as to allow for the expansion to take
place, in the chamber itself, otherwise the air will expand into the bend and into
the legs of the syphon, when the syphon not being full of liquid no action will
ensue, otherwise if either leg of the equal legged syphon be immersed in liquid
the liquid would run out of the other leg in the ordinary way of syphonic action.
For example: assume the vertical height of the liquid column in the syphon
given above to have been 15 feet, and the content of the syphon, 30 cubic inches,
let the liquid be water and the weight of a column of it 15 feet high 7 lbs. per
square inch, then the internal pressure would have been 22 lbs., and the external
and supporting pressure 15 lbs. ouly. Therefore (not taking into consideration any
diminution in the weight of the liquid column, through the fall of level in the
expansion chamber) the air in the expansion chamber must expand, until its elastic
pressure is 7 lbs. only, but by the law applicable, to air and gases any quantity of
air to reduce its elastic pressure from 15 lbs. to 7 lbs. must double in bulk, therefore
there must be at least 60 cubic inches of fluid space in the expansion chamber,
otherwise the air would expand more or less into the syphon, which would then not
be full of liquid i.e. the air not wholly exhausted.
By the same law, had the vertical height of the liquid column been 20 feet instead
of 15 feet, 90 cubic inches of space would have been requisite for the expansion of
the said 30 cubic inches of air.
If the height had been 25 feet, 180 cubic inches of space would be requisite.
By thus filling an equal legged syphon with liquid while open at both ends, and
causing it to work, without suction in any form (and which in fact with open ends
would be impossible) or without plugging the ends and filling it, I illustrate the
principle of my invention so far as regards physical laws; but it is clear that in
practice, especially with a large syphon the filling inverting and fixing of a vessel
of the requisite size would be inconvenient if not at times impracticable.
But syphons for ordinary use are not generally equal legged but with a long leg
and a short one (see drawing) and moreover for practical purposes the longer leg b
is provided with a tap d (or its mechanical equivalent) and therefore I provide the
expansion chamber c with a feed opening e placed in a convenient position, to be
closed airtight by a screw cap, or any other equivalent, through which I pour the
water or other liquid thus filling the long leg 6 and by so doing I get rid of all the
air it contains, the air being forced out through the feed opening at e by
the descending heavier fluid.
In order to prevent the liquid from at the same time running into and out
through the short legs a thus preventing me from filling the expansion chamber
with liquid I carry the short leg a up into the expansion chamber a sufficient
distance above the lower end of the feed opening which is made to project into the
expansion chamber ca sufficient distance for the purpose see Fig. 2 or I carry the
top of the short leg a into a dome on the top of the expansion chamber c above
the feed opening, whereby, with either arrangement, it would be necessary to
compress the air above the bottom of the feed opening e into a smaller space above
the top of the short leg a of the syphon before liquid could reach the top of and
run down the short leg a and such compression without great pressure is
impracticable.
Thus I fill the long leg b and the expansion chamber c as far as the bottom of
the feed opening e no liquid being in the short leg a which is open at the bottom,
but on placing the short leg in the vessel to be cleared of liquid if the feed be open
at e the air in the short leg a will be expelled through the feed opening e to such

page_text: depth as it is immersed in liquid as will also be the case if the short leg is immersed
in the liquid before the long arm and expansion chamber are filled, thus leaving
only the quantity of air in the short leg from above the point to which it is
immersed, to its end in the expansion chamber c to be exhausted and the requisite
amount of expansion to be provided for, to effect which and put the syphon into
action I close the feed opening e airtight, and open the tap d on the long leg b
when the liquid runs out by virtue of its own weight, and the elastic pressure of
the air above it, but as it descends, the level of the liquid in the expansion
chamber c is lowered, and the air expands "inversely as to the space which it
occupies," but when it is rarefied to a degree of elasticity equal to atmospheric
pressure less the weight of fluid per square inch in the short leg a supported by the
said atmospheric pressure, the liquid runs over the top of the short leg a into the
expansion chamber c as the liquid runs out of it through the long leg and
the syphon thus being full of liquid syphonic action is at once established, and will
continue as long as there is any liquid in the vessel, to be cleared provided there is
room in the expansion chamber ce for the expansion of the air without its invading
the bend or legs of the syphon, and it is to be observed that the said expansion
(according to the law quoted above) is continuous as the vessel empties, because on
first starting the syphon into action the "compressing force on the air in the
chamber c is atmospheric pressure less the weight of water (per square inch) in the
short leg a which it has to support, and as the liquid level in the vessel to be
cleared, lowers, the quantity of liquid in the short leg a to be supported by
atmospheric pressure, gradually increases, owing to the weight of liquid in the said
short leg being no longer counter-balanced by an equal weight of liquid in the
vessel to be cleared and so the "pressure which confines" the air in the expansion
chamber c diminishes with the effect that the air expands (as by law given above)
and if through insufficient room for expansion in the chamber c the air expanded
sufficiently into the syphon before the vessel was empty, syphonic action would stop
and the liquid cease to flow.
39
As in the case given above of the equal legged syphon if the quantity of air to
be exhausted was 30 cubic inches, if the vessels to be cleared, contained 15, 20 and
25 feet depth of liquid respectively the expansion chamber c should be of a fluid'
capacity of at least 60, 90 and 180 cubic inches, respectively.
By trapping or turning upwards the end of the short leg and thus preventing the
ingress of air into the syphon and expansion chamber c the syphon may be used
again without the necessity of re-filling each time, the number of times it may thus
be re-used varying according to circumstances.
An inherent defect in syphons, especially when running continuously for a
.lengthened period, is the tendency to admit of air entering the syphon and impeding
and stopping the flow, by my method any air gaining access to the syphon would
be received in the expansion chamber c and would expand there, and by allowing a
margin of fluid space over and above the quantity required for the exhaustion and
.subsequent expansion in the manner before shewn, assuming air to enter the syphon
at a uniform rate the syphon would run just so much longer, on my system, as the
number of times the quantity of fluid left as a margin, exceeded, the amount of air
requisite to impede and stop the flow of the syphon.
can also apply my method of adjusting the capacity of the expansion chamber,
to the amount of air to be exhausted from the syphon and the subsequent expansion,
according to the mathematical working out of the law applicable to the expansion
of air and gases, to syringes pumps compressible bags or other compressible
apparatus, in some cases where the employment of liquid may not be desirable or
convenient, whereby by accurate adjustment I can exhaust the syphon, and at the
same time prevent any of the liquid from entering the apparatus to the injury of
the working parts, or otherwise.
I may here observe that for facility of storage and transport I propose sometimes
to make the short and long legs a and b of the syphon of india rubber or other
flexible tubing, in which case the airtight vessel or expansion chamber e will be

page_text: provided with short hollow spigots only onto which the elastic tubes are wired or
otherwise fitted as shown at Fig. 3.
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 :-
The combination with the upper ends of the short and long legs of a syphon of
an airtight vessel or expansion chamber made with a feed opening whereby the long
leg of the syphon can be filled with liquid the upper end of the shorter leg being
carried up into the expansion chamber above the lower end of the feed opening.
substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated this 25th day of May 1894.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.