IMPROVEMENTS IN DIRECT-ACTING VACUUM CHAMBER STEAM LIFT AND FORCE PUMPS
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Richard Middlemore Thomson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd December 1877.
A communication from abroad by Joseph Lynn Berry, of Sprottau, Schlesien,
in the Empire of Germany.
WILLIAM RICHARD MIDDLEMORE THOMSON, of 96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, in
the County of Lanark, North Britain, Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DIRECT-ACTING VACUUM CHAMBER STEAM LIFT AND FORCE PUMPS." A communi-
cation from abroad by Joseph Lynn Berry, of Sprottau, Schlesien, in the Empire of
Germany.
This Invention has reference to improvements in the general construction and in
many of the individual parts of what has long been known as the vacuum pump,
worked by the direct action of steam on the water or other liquids or fluids to be
raised within a close alternately vacuum and pressure vessel or vessels, into which
the steam is admitted intermittently by a controlling valve and inlet branches
above from the steam generator, while the water is admitted by a branch pipe
from the lower part of the vessel from the rising main or lift pipe, fitted with an
inlet valve, which opens by and when the vacuum is present in the vessel, and
draws in the water and shuts when that ceases and the steam pressure is present,
which forces out the water drawn in by an outlet branch pipe, also near the lower
part of the vessel, and which is fitted with an outlet valve which will not allow the
water to pass back in again, and opens into a discharge chamber and forcing pipe
or column, all so as to alternately and successively lift and draw in the water or
other liquid to be raised and force it from or above it all by the functional action
of the parts inducing the intermittent vacuum and direct force of the steam on the
upper surface of the water, either with or without loose floating non-conducting
pistons, which improvements will make these pumps more simple in construction
(especially in the airangement of their chambers and valves, and modes of getting
at these for cleaning and repair), and more durable and uniform in their action,
than such pumps have been heretofore, and with a less consumpt of steam.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention consist, first, in the general
arrangement of three vacuum vessels, preferably cylindrical, and equally divided
Price Ad?

page_text: and vertically ranged round a common centre, having the discharge chamber in the
centre line between them, preferably all cast in one, with the vacuum vessels or
cylinders each connected at the lower part by discharge branches fitted with
discharge valves over them, equally divided round the lower part and inside the
discharge chamber, and which close on the vacuum being formed in the cylinder, 5
the water being discharged through them up the discharge pipe at the top in the
centre or axial line of the whole of the cylinders.
The water is drawn up the rising or lifting main pipe in the same axial line,
with an inlet branch at the top leading in through the bottom centre of each of the
three vacuum cylinders fitted with inlet valves over each, the valves each closing
when the pressure of steam is acting within its cylinder, and opening when the
vacuum is formed therein to fill it from the rising main or column, which for long
lifts may be fitted with a check valve below. The whole is preferably formed
portable, and attached or jointed by a single neck branch and flange closo below
the three inlet branch chambers of the lifting column and cylinders, and by a
corresponding single branch and flange at the top of the discharge water chamber
to the lower end or column of the discharging or forcing pipes, where a check valve
may be fitted.
"The lower part of each cylinder in front or towards one side is formed with a
lateral door and closing lid for inserting and removing the valves and their seats 2
and guards, as also the lower part of the discharge chamber on a plane a little above
those of the vacuum cylinders on each side of the front cylinder, so that easy
access may be had to either quite clear of each other, to screw off and on the covers
and inspect their valves, while for long suction lifts there may be fitted in the
space between the two cylinders on the front side and behind the central discharge
chamber a vertical air chamber or chest close at the top end, and opening at the
lower end by a branch and flange jointed to the union chamber of the lifting pipe
between the branches leading to the back cylinders.
The upper end of each vacuum cylinder is contracted conoidally to a narrow
branch with a flange, while all are connected by further contracting branches, or a 3
three-branch casting, converging to three small ports in the flat angléd or conical
sides of a small inlet three-way steam valve chest, common to all the three cylinders
with its inlet pipe direct from the steam boiler or generator, controlled by a usual
stopping and starting valve. This steam valve chest is preferably placed over the
front and largest or longest, and consequently slowest-acting cylinder, say, number 2,
and has equally long and anglod branches leading to the two side equal-sized
cylinders 1 and 3, much shorter and consequently quicker in their action, so as
both to act in the alternate times with the front or larger cylinder 2, and so keep
up a nearly uniform discharge stream of the water or other liquid. And an
important feature of this Invention is the new or improved construction and
automatic action of the said common (either duplex or single) three-way opening
and closing steam valve within the said steam chest, to effect the said alternate
opening and closing of the ports of the three cylinders in nearly regular succession
of time, so as to give or produce the nearly regular or equal stream of discharge,
and which give the most economical results with least steam and knocking or
friction from the greater regularity of force exerted in the cylinders, chambers, and
pipes, never more than two cylinders having yet been automatically controlled
from within by their own functional action without outside mechanism.
One construction of the steam chest and new or improved valves, when duplex,
consists in making the former nearly rectangular at an angle with the major part
of the valve (for controlling the two opposite end porta, say, 1 and 3, of the two
equal-sized side cylinders), and of a similar open nearly rectangular shape, but a
little shorter than the chamber on the faces closing the said ports 1 and 3, and left
free to slide endways to close and open these ports alternately and successively,
according to whichever end the valve is shifted to on a round smooth-edged setting
guide fitted in the under angled side of the casing, all carrying the guiding socket
of the stem of a single-faced or independent valve, working freely up through an

page_text: oblong slot in the centre of the upper and lower faces of the double end faced valve
so as to open and close the port, say, number 2, and entering the casing in the
centre of the upper angled face to the other or largest cylinder, small steel round
side or other equivalent guides being fitted above the lower valve to guide it and
the lifting valve working up through it. Both parts of these valves (which act as
slides and do not roll or oscillate on a pivot) would be made as light as possible,
and nearly equilibrious or balanced in their action, especially the independent or
single one, with only a slight preponderance by their weight or gravity, according
to the angle they are set to work at in the steam chest, to fall and leave the ports
of cylinders 1 and 2 open when there is no vacuum present in these, and when
the steam is shut off from the steam chest, and the pump is stopped, leaving port
and cylinder number 3 closed
The starting and actuating or working of the valve and cylinders are as
follows Shut the air taps and open the stop valve, so that the steam enters the
valve casing and the ports 1 and 2 (left open by the gravitation of the valves);
shut the steain off quickly again after letting enough into the two cylinders to form
a vacuum in them, so that they will both fill up from the suction lift pipe, at the
same moment the vacuum draws up the valves and closes their ports and opens that
of the third cylinder; on repeating the operation of opening the steam valve this
cylinder will now fill up from the lift pipe; then open the air taps to the degree
found best for working, and also leave the steam stop valve open, and the pump
will be ready and go on if all is properly adjusted to work automatically by
forming its own vacuum alternately, as described, the height of the ejection tube in
each cylinder regulating the alternate time of their lifting and forcing to produce
the regular stream, as before stated.
A new or improved single theo-faced lift steam inlet valve might also be used to
control the action of the three ports and cylinders, as just described, by making the
valve open and light and of a balanced construction, and it and its steam chest in
the form of an obtuse triangle or cone in sectional elevation, with the base face of
the valve covering the port of the larger cylinder, and the two angled upper side
faces made so that when the valve lifted (by the vacuum formed at about the same
time in the two smaller nearly equal-sized cylinders 1 and 3 which work together)
would shut the steam off from their ports 1 and 3, and let the steam in and force
the liquid out of number 2 cylinder, while the vacuum in the other two would fill
them and destroy the vacuum, which would then allow the valve to fall by its own
weight and the power of the vacuum beginning to form in the larger cylinder 2,
which would then fill it, and so on alternately and successively to give the nearly
regular lift and discharge of liquid before described. These steam metal valves
have all vulcanised or hard india-rubber faces, or sunk strips of same, fitted on or
in them or in the faces of the casing, on which they act to insure closing and give a
softness of action which will prevent knocking.
Other equivalent acting three-way controlling steam slide valves, or balanced lift
valves with three faces might be used instead of those herein-before described,
acting in the same automatic manner and in the same common steam chest leading
direct to the three vacuum chambers.
To give the vacuum at the proper time in each acting cylinder successively, to
shift and close its steam valve, and commence the lifting of its full of liquid, and
discharging and forcing that raised in the other cylinders, all as herein-before
described, a small injection U shaped open-ended tube, with regulating tap, is fitted
in the lower part of each cylinder, with its inlet end led either up into the discharge
chamber or under its discharge valve and open part of its seat, and its other end
projecting up to the proper height, so that when the water is discharged by the
direct action of the steam to below the level of this open end (near where the air is
discharged when in excess to prevent the vacuum being formed) a jet of the colder
water from the discharge chamber or its open seat is forced up in a spray through
the steam now filling the upper part of the cylinder (instead of from the other
acting cylinder, as heretofore), so as to instantly form a vacuum which first closes

page_text: the inlet steam valve and then closes the outlet liquid discharge valve, and opens
the inlet valve and refills the cylinder with the water or liquid from the lift pipe,
after stopping the injection, and slowly opening a very small air inlet and vacuum-
destroying valve, fitted in the inner open end of a small air tube fitted with a
regulating tap outside at the neck flange or throat of each cylinder above the high-
water level, which air mixes with the steam at the top and serves the double
purpose of destroying the vacuum and acting at the proper time to form a cushion
to prevent the water striking or knocking on the top of the cylinder, and also of
assisting the opening of the steam valve; the air then mixing with the entering
steam prevents its rapid condensation, or the absorption of the heat by the surface
of the water, while that is being forced steadily out into the discharge chamber by
the direct force of the steam from the boiler, all as before stated.
The new or improved construction of inlet and discharge liquid valves to and
from the cylinders are of the simplest construction. For the inlet valves, when
pure water or other liquid is to be raised, an open face ring seat is formed in the
bottom of each cylinder, with radial or star grating seat cast in, or it might bo
fitted portable and adjustable on the seat, or on a central carrying stem over each
inlet branch, and fitted with ordinary vulcanised sheet or disc india-rubber valve
lids on a central stud or stem with convex guards above. But for sewage, or sandy
or muddy water, or thick or viscous liquids, hollow chilled smooth surface ball
valves are employed fitted over deep narrow annular ring seats of vulcanised india-
rubber, inserted or "cured" with moulds over them in deep dovetail ring grooves
in the brass or iron ring flange seat jointed by screw bolts and a thin layer of
india-rubber canvas, and red or white lead, or other equivalent, to face the seat
round and over each inlet branch, and fitted with a similar india-rubber and metal
stop ring guard above each, carried on a stem from the seat below, or by flanges
secured to the inner sides of the cylinders, or to the side doors opposite the valve
seats.
The discharge valves, whether made of india-rubber discs or of chilled balls, the
seats of these would be similar to the inlet valves, except that the seats being all
on the level bottom of the same discharge chamber can all be formed on one disc
seat and secured by the same bolts and jointing, and for the three ring guards over
the three valves (and discharge branches ranged concentric to the centre of the
discharge chamber), these could all be carried by a single hollow stem and bolt or
other equivalent stud in the centre of the chamber, which when screwed from the
outside below could also secure the seat; and the seating of the pump chambers and
the portable seats of the valves could be faced or bored and turned for making
nearly close metal to metal jointing when preferred.
The liquid inlet and discharge valves and their fittings are as applicable to single
and double vacuum lift pumps as to the combined three-cylinder arrangement
herein described.
Another arrangement consists in using a steam three-way set of valves, each
with a separate steam chest to which the three necks respectively lead out from the
respective vacuum cylinders, with common "poppet" or "mushroom" valves lifting
up and down, the tops of the valves closing the ports above them when drawn up
by the vacuum, each steam chest having a separate steam pipe with a globe or stop-
steam valve outside to control the movement at starting; and each working
cylinder would be fitted with the improved construction of inlet and discharge
valves and injection tubes, with controlling or regulating tops, and a simple air
inlet vacuum-destroying valve with tap outside, all substantially as described in
reference to the first arrangement of combined self-contained and portable three-
cylinder vacuum steam pump, which constitutes the main part of this Invention.
The improvements of this Invention are,―
1. The new or improved general construction or combination of the parts of a
successful automatic three-cylinder or chambered direct-acting vacuum steam pump,
and its internal functionally acting valves, all as described, without requiring any
of the levers or outside mechanism heretofore used.

page_text: 2. The new or improved construction and arrangement or combination of a three-
way single or duplex automatically acting steam valve, in one common steam chest,
to control the regular automatic direct-acting three-cylinder vacuum steam pump,
all as described, without the use of levers or other external mechanism.
3. The arrangement of a three-cylinder vacuum direct-acting steam pump, with
a three-valved discharge chamber in the centre; also making the lift and discharge
pipe central.
4. The new or improved construction and mode of fitting the india-rubber disc
inlet and discharge liquid valves and metal ball valves with india-rubber ring seats
and guards, substantially as described, either for three-cylinder or other vacuum
direct-acting steam pumps.