Improvements in: Apparatus for Elevating Liquids by Means of Compressed Air!
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 10th Apr., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in: Apparatus for Elevating Liquids by Means of
Compressed Air!
I, WILLIAM MARTIN KIDDIE of Clifton in the County of Graham and Territory
of Arizona, United States of America, Chemical Plumber; 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':
My present invention, relates to improvements. in. apparatus, for pumping, or
elevating liquids such. as chemical solutions, oils, acids, corrosive liquids, water and.
the like. It has however been especially designed for the handling, of, copper, liquors
in a leaching plant.
+
My improvements consist, briefly, in the construction, and arrangement of a...
chamber or receiver. connected with the supply tank through a pipe controlled by a
float valve which valve operates not only, to cut off the liquid.. when the chamber is.
full, but also to turn on a supply of compressed air, by means of which the liquid..
is expelled from the chamber and elevated into the receiving vat. This operation.
is repeated automatically so long as, the supplies.of. liquid and of compressed air are..
kept up.
I will more particularly describe my said invention and in what manner..the same!
is to be carried into. practical effect, with reference to the accompanying sheet.of
drawings.in which :-
Figure 1 represents a. diagrammatic view of an apparatus, embodying my, invention..
Figure 2 is a detail of a modified air valve for supplying two pumps.
At
The liquid to be pumped is contained in any suitable tank, reservoir or vat A.
a suitable distance below said tank is the receiver B, which is a strong air tight vessel.
of any suitable shape and dimensions. It is provided with a cleaning pipe b in its
bottom, closed in any suitable manner, as by a plate 61. Just above the receiver is an
upright chamber. C, communicating at its, lower. end with the receiver.by, a pipe c,
and at its upper end with the tank A by the vertical pipe D. and the branch pipe.a.
At the point where the. pipe D enters the chamber C there is an. annular.valve seat E
preferably conical as shown. Within the chamber is a float F, which carries, at its
top a check valve G. adapted to close against the seat E.
The pipe D rises to a point considerably above the tank A. Its upper end. is closed
by a stuffing,box H to prevent any liquid from flowing up through the pipe, in case
the valve G should leak...
A valve rod G' is attached to the float and extends up through the pipe D, and the
stuffing box. It is connected with a handle I attached to the stem of a valve K which
controls the flow of compressed air, from a reservoir L or other suitable source. The
air is led to the valve by a pipe l, and in one position of the valve it can pass thence
through a pipe M to the receiver B. When the valve is reversed, the air can exhaust
from the receiver through an escape pipe-M: A trap-m-is-interposed in the pipe M
just above the level of the tank A, to prevent the liquid from rising to the valve when
exhausting. The trap is preferably a box with a vertical partition m¹ extending down
from the top, with a slight bend, to within one inch of the bottom or thereabouts.
The pipe M enters the top of one of the chambers thus formed and leaves from the
bottom of the other chamber. The valve K is shown as a rotary cock, such as a
three-way cock, but I may use a side valve instead. A turnbuckle g interpolated in

page_text: the rod G enables the relative positions of the valves G and Kto be properly
adjusted.
A delivery pipe N leads from near the bottom of the receiver B to the receiver
tank O. At its upper end there is a trap n, consisting of a box having a vertical
partition n extending down from its top to near the bottom, thus dividing the
box into two chambers. The delivery pipe N enters one of these chambers, from
the top of which an escape pipe n² conveys away any air which may come up with
the liquid, and also relieves the air pressure at the end of the discharge of a receiver
full of liquid.
Thus separated from the air the liquid. flows under the partition into the other
chamber, whence it is conducted to the tank O by a spout n³.
The operation of my apparatus is as follows: The parts being as shown in Figure 1;
the liquid flows by gravity, from the tank A into the receiver B until the latter is full.
The liquid then backs up into the valve chamber C, raising the float F and closing
the valve G against the seat E. This shuts off the supply of liquid and at the same
time opens the air cock K admitting compressed air to the receiver:
The air forces
the liquid out of the receiver through the delivery pipe N. The air pressure holds
the valve G closed until the receiver is empty, when the pressure is released by the
escape of air through the delivery pipe N. The valve and float then drop by reason
of the weight of the liquid above them in the pipe D, thereby shifting the cock K
which cuts off the air supply and opens the exhaust. The receiver now fills with
liquid again, and the operation is repeated.
1
The action of the apparatus is automatic, and is kept up so long as the supply of
liquid and compressed air is. maintained, the discharge being intermittent, and its
rapidity depending upon the size of the receiver and the pipes, and the pressure of
the air!
In case a constant discharge is required, two pumps can be set side by side and
connected with a common delivery pipe. The air cocks can be connected so as to
work alternately, or a four way cock P can be used as shown in Figure 2.
In this arrangement, the lever R for operating the cock is double, one arm being
connected with the valve rod of one pump and the other arm with the valve rod
of the other pump. When one pump is discharging the other will be filling, and
vice versa.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In apparatus for elevating liquids, the combination and arrangement of a closed
receiver, a supply pipe therefor, a delivery pipe therefrom, a trap in the delivery pipe,
a valve chamber in the supply pipe, a float therein carrying a check valve, a source
of fluid pressure, a cock controlling the flow of fluid under pressure, and a rod
operating the cock and operated by the float, substantially as hereinbefore described
and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. Apparatus for elevating liquids, constructed arranged and operating substantially
as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated thie 14th day of January A T 1807
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.