AN IMPROVED HYDRAULIC POWER COLLECTOR AND RESERVOIR OR REGULATOR
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Conradi at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 19th February 1878. A communication
from abroad by Rudolph Büttner, of Sorau, in the Empire of Germany.
HENRY CONRADI, of 8, Lower James Street, Golden Square, in the County of
Middlesex. "AN IMPROVED HYDRAULIC POWER COLLECTOR AND RESERVOIR OR
REGULATOR." [A communication from abroad by Rudolph Büttner, in Sorau, in the
Empire of Germany.]
The apparatus employed to prevent, or at least to regulate, the irregular working
of motors driving pumps has been almost exclusively an air vessel, fixed either
to the pumps or to the pipes, which has been applied in such a manner that the
air contained in it formed an elastic cushion to act against the blows or irregular
strokes in the pumps.
Such air vessels are also aften fixed to the suction pipes.
Generally those apparatus do not act effectually, as will be seen by the following
explanation. It often occurs that the pressure upon the steam piston driving a
pump during the whole of its stroke does not correspond to the pressure exercised
by the column of water to be lifted, which case occurs especially by steam engines
or steam motors with invariable expansion, as the steam in the boiler cannot always
be kept and remain in the same normal condition of expansion. In such a case
only very powerful fly wheels can be of assistance to the pump engine, and if it has
not been provided with one, great difficulties are experienced to lift the water or
other liquids always to the same given constant height in spite of the use of the
air vessels. According to the pressure of the compressed air in the air vessel the
surplus of water entering it is of course pressed into the delivery pipe, but by doing
so produces the same resisting effect or obstacle in regard to the motive power or
engine as the column of water itself. To remove this resisting effect or obstacle,
the herein-named hydraulic power collector and regulator has been designed, the
power collected by it acting aspiring or in suction, consequently discharging at the
same time the motive power from the work to be effected, while on the other hand
the collected power acts also as pressing force.
Fig. 1 & 2 of the enclosed Drawing represents such an apparatus in elevation &
section

page_text: A is the suction; B, the delivery pipe of the cylindrical reservoir or receptacle C,
provided at its top with an air vessel D. The projecting part a is hollow, and in it
is placed inside a conical ring C, Fig. 1, in such a manner that it forms a circular
tube. It is provided with mouth-pieces c, c, which are placed in a tangential
direction to it, and its number varies according to requirements. The entering
liquid flows through those mouth-pieces into c, moves in an equally revalving
motion along the sides of the reservoir C by forming, by means of the centrifugal
power, an annular ring until it flows over the flange d, and passes by B into the
delivery pipe. The depth of the so formed ring depends upon the amount of water
entering and flowing away. The liquid in the reservoir C is therefore always in a
powerful rotatory motion, which causes the momentum possessed by the liquid to
act and to assist when the pressure of the piston of the engine or motor is not
sufficient to lift the water column. The momentum acts in a regulating manner
by keeping the pressure column constant, while on the other hand the moved liquid
produces a suction, and therefore relieves the motor from effecting this work, which
would otherwise be required of it, and would increase its duty; it allows also the
piston even when near to the end of its stroke to carry out its work even by
insufficient pressure.
To make the apparatus work well, it is necessary that the cubical contents of the
power collector be in a convenient ratio to the quantity of water or liquid flowing
through, as its power depends upon the momentum of the revolving water. The
air vessel D assists to increase its powerful effect. To prevent the mixing up of the
air and the liquid, it is separated from C through a plate e, which is provided with
the tongues ff, and which can be moved up and down. They allow the liquid
to pass through in both directions. Above those is fixed another plate k, which
moves up and down with the liquid which may have entered so far, and prevents
the air partaking in the rotatory motion of the liquid.
The quantity of air in the air vessel can from time to time be regulated when the
apparatus is at a stand-still through the air tap g.
Fig. 3 & 4 represents another disposition of the apparatus, which can be modified
manifold in its form without deviating from its principle. The liquid enters by
h, h¹, and flows away by i, i. The supply pipe is provided at its bottom with
a hollow body k, k¹, which at its delivery has mouth-pieces fixed in a tangential
direction to it, producing the rotatory motion of the water. This arrangement
or disposition is convenient for small copper apparatus.
The improvements upon which the claims are principally based consists in the
arrangement of an hydraulic power collector and regulator for pumps acting by
aspiration or pressure by means of the rotatary motion of the water or liquid flowing
through it in the manner above described, and as represented in the enclosed
Drawings.