Improvements in Steam-vacuum Pumps.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 25th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam-vacuum Pumps.
We, PHILIP ELIOT HODGKIN, of 61. and 63 Queen Victoria Street Mechanical
Engineer, and HENRY JOHN Fox, 25 Home Road Battersea, Engineer, both in
the County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in the means or apparatus employed
for automatically controlling the supply of steam to single acting steam pumps of
the kind in which water or other liquid is forced by the direct pressure of steam
thereon from one or more vessels (hereinafter called pump cylinders) into which it.
has been caused to enter by the production of a partial vacuum therein, and it has
for object to increase steam economy of such apparatus, and also to enable the
delivery of pumps of the kind referred to, to be varied within wide limits without
necessarily varying the pressure of the steam employed.
In one arrangement of apparatus for this purpose according to this invention, the
pump cylinder, or each such cylinder when more than one is employed, is provided.
with a valve chamber constructed with main steam ports and with auxiliary steam
ports arranged to be controlled by a steam valve, which may advantageously be
made in the form of a ball though other forms of valves may be used.
One of the main ports is in direct connection with the steam supply pipe whilst
the other is in direct communication with a steam chamber (hereinafter called the
main steam chamber) that communicates by a hole or passage with the upper part
of the pump cylinder. This hole or passage may advantageously be provided with
a valve to control the cross sectional area thereof. One of the auxiliary ports also
communicates with the main steam supply pipe but through an auxiliary steam
chamber and a pipe or passage that is either contracted at some part thereof or is
provided with a valve so that the quantity of steam that can flow therethrough into
the auxiliary steam chamber is small compared with the quantity that can flow
through the main steam ports. The other auxiliary port is in communication with
the said main-steam chamber through a pipe or passage that may contain a
non-return valve and is either contracted at some part thereof, or as we prefer, is
provided with a steam regulating valve so that the rate of flow of steam from the
auxiliary steam chamber and valve chamber to the main steam chamber can be
controlled. The arrangement is such that assuming the pump cylinder to be
charged with water and that steam is turned on, the steam valve will, by the direct
pressure of steam thereon, be so moved as to open the main ports and close the
auxiliary ports thereby allowing steam to flow into the main steam chamber and!
thence into the upper part of the pump cylinder where it will act to force the water
therefrom.
At the same time a small quantity of steam will flow from the steam pipe through
the first mentioned auxiliary pipe or passage into the auxiliary chamber wherein
its pressure will gradually increase until the main valve is caused to move and open
the auxiliary ports and close the main port thereby cutting off the main supply of
steam to the pump cylinder, the auxiliary supply of steam meanwhile escaping
slowly through the secondly mentioned steam pipe or passage into the main steam
chamber and thence to the pump cylinder. The main valve will be held in its new
position by reason of the auxiliary steam pressure then acting upon a larger area of

page_text: the valve than it does when the valve closes the auxiliary ports. The said valve
will be thus held in its closed position until the pressure of the auxiliary steam is
considerably reduced by reason of the condensation of the steam remaining in the
main steam chamber and pump cylinder after the water has been forced from the
latter the point of reduction of such pressure depending upon the size of the con-
tracted portion of the steam passage in the secondly mentioned pipe or passage or
upon the position of the valve therein. When this reduction of pressure takes place,
the main valve will be again opened by the pressure of the main steam supply and
the foregoing operations will be repeated. Thus it will be understood that by
suitably regulating the flow of steam through the pipes or passages the main supply
of steam of the pump cylinder can be cut off earlnd the period between successive
thereby enabling the steam to be
used expansively and in an economical
movements of the main valve to open the main steam ports can be varied thereby
enabling the rate of delivery of the pump to be varied without necessarily varying
the pressure of the steam employed.
In another construction of valve apparatus according to this invention, the supply of
steam to the pump cylinder, or to each such cylinder, is controlled by a valve that is so
connected with a pistou that each is free to move to a predetermined extent without
moving the other. The piston is fitted to work in a cylinder that communicates at.
one end with the external atmosphere and at the other end with the water space of the
pump cylinder through one or more suitable pipes or passages. The arrangement.
is such that when steam is admitted to the valve chamber, the valve will be in or
will be automatically moved into a position to open communication with the pump.
chamber into which the steam will then flow and exert pressure upon the water
therein until such pressure acting through the said pipe or passage or through one
of them when two are used upon the said piston, moves the latter to such an extent
as to close the valve and shut off the further supply of steam and permit that already
admitted to work expansively; and when the expanded steam is condensed in the
ordinary manner after expelling the water from the pump cylinder, the piston will
be returned to its normal position by atmospheric pressure and again open the
steam valve, at the required time. By suitably adjusting the connection between.
the steam valve and piston and suitably regulating the flow of water to and from
the one end of the piston cylinder the points of admission and cut off and the rate
of working of the pump can be varied.
In one arrangement the steam valve is connected to a rod that passes through a
stuffing box and is provided at its outer end with a stirrup shaped extension through
one end of which works a rod connected to the controlling piston and provided with
collars or tappets adapted to come in contact at the required times with the end of
the extension. The collars or tappets may be made longitudinally adjustable on the
rod carrying them. The pipe or passage between the pump cylinder and one end
of the cylinder in which the aforesaid piston works, or each of such pipes or
passages when two are used, may advantageously be provided with a check valve.
and with a regulating valve for the purpose of controlling the flow of liquid from
one to the other and consequently the rate of working of the pump.
As will be obvious valve apparatus adapted to work in the manner hereinbefore
described can be constructed in various forms.
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1 2000
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: We, PHILIP ELIOT HODGKIN, of 61 and 63 Queen Victoria Street, Mechanical
Engineer, and HENRY JOHN Fox, of 25 Home Road, Battersea, Engineer, both in
the County of London, 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 has reference to improvements in the means or apparatus employed
for automatically controlling the supply of steam to single acting steam pumps of
the kind in which water or other liquid is forced by the direct pressure of steam
thereon from one or more vessels (hereinafter called pump cylinders) into which it
has been caused to enter by the production therein of a partial vacuum, and it has
for object to increase the steam economy of such apparatus, and also to enable the
delivery of pumps of the kind referred to, to be varied within moderate limits
without necessarily varying the pressure of the steam employed.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 shows partly in vertical section, and partly in elevation, one arrangement
of apparatus for the purpose mentioned, constructed according to this invention.
In this arrangement, the upper part 1 of the pump cylinder, or of each such
cylinder when more than one is employed, is provided with a valve case or
chamber 2 constructed with main steam ports 3, 3* and with auxiliary steam
ports 4, 4 arranged to be controlled by a steam valve 5, which is preferably made
in the form of a ball as shown.
The main port 3 is in direct connection with the steam supply pipe 6, whilst the
other port 3 which is of annular form, is in direct communication with a steam
chamber 7 (hereinafter called the main steam chamber) that communicates by a
hole or passage 8 with the upper part of the pump cylinder 1.
This hole or
passage may be provided with a valve to control the cross sectional area thereof.
7 are wings or guides. One of the auxiliary ports, viz. 4, also communicates with
the main steam supply pipe 6 but through an auxiliary steam chamber 9 and a pipe
or passage 10 that is either contracted at some part thereof, or is provided with a
valve 11, so that the quantity of steam that can flow therethrough into the
auxiliary steam chamber is small compared with the quantity that can flow through
the main steam ports 3 3. The other auxiliary port viz. 4 is in communication
with the said main steam chamber through a pipe or passage 12, and is either
contracted at some part thereof, or as we prefer, is provided with a steam
regulating valve 13 so that the rate of flow of steam from the auxiliary steam
chamber 9 and valve chamber 2 to the main steam chamber 7 can be controlled.
By the arrangement described, assuming the pump cylinder to be charged with
water and that steam is turned on, the steam valve 5 will, by the direct pressure of
steam thereon, be so moved as to open the main ports 3 and 3* and close the
auxiliary ports 4, 4* thereby allowing steam to flow into the main steam chamber 7
and thence into the upper part of the pump cylinder where it will act to force the
water therefrom. At the same time part of this steam will pass through the
passage 12 and fill the annular port 4* and thus tend to close the main valve. At
the same time a small quantity of steam will flow from the steam pipe 6 through
the auxiliary pipe or passage 10 into the auxiliary chamber 9 wherein its pressure
will gradually increase until, in conjunction with the pressure of the steam in the
port 4, it overcomes the steam pressure on the underside of the valve, thereby
causing the said valve to move and open the auxiliary ports 4 4* and sharply close
the main port 3 3* thereby cutting off the main supply of steam to the pump
cylinder, the auxiliary supply of steam meanwhile escaping slowly through. the

page_text: :
steam pipe or passage 12 into the main steam chamber 7 and thence to the pump
cylinder through the passage 8. The main valve will then be held in its new and
closed position by reason of the auxiliary steam pressure then acting upon a larger
area of the main valve than it does when the valve closes the auxiliary ports. The
said valve will be thus held in its closed position until the pressure of the auxiliary
steam is considerably reduced by reason of the condensation, effected in the usual
manner, of the steam remaining in the main steam chamber and pump cylinder
after the water has been forced from the latter, the moment of reduction of such
pressure depending upon the relative sizes of the contracted portions of the steam
passage 10 and 12, or upon the positions of the valves 11 and 13 therein as the case
may be. When this reduction of pressure takes place, the main valve will be again
opened by the pressure upon it of the main steam supply and the foregoing
operations will be repeated. Thus it will be understood that by suitably regulating
the flow of steam through the pipes or passages 10 and 12, the main supply of
steam to the pump cylinder can be cut off early, thereby enabling the steam to be
used expansively and in an economical manner in such pump cylinder, and the
period between successive movements of the main valve 5 to open the main steam
ports, can be varied, thereby enabling the rate of delivery of the pump to be varied
without necessarily varying the pressure of the steam employed.
Fig. 2 shows partly in longitudinal section and partly in side elevation, another
construction of valve apparatus according to this invention.
In this case the supply of steam to the pump cylinder 1, or to each such cylinder,
is controlled by a valve 5 that is so connected with a piston 14 that each is free to
move to a predetermined extent without moving the other. In the arrangement
shown, the steam valve 5 is for this purpose connected to a rod 15 that passes
through a stuffing box 16 and works through a cross bar 17 that is connected by
rods 18 to the piston and is adapted to come in contact, at the required times, with
collars or tappets 19 fixed on the rod 15. These collars or tappets may be made
longitudinally adjustable on the rod carrying them.
The piston 14 is fitted to work in a cylinder 20 that communicates at one end
with the external atmosphere as shown, and at the other end with the water space
of the pump cylinder I through one or more suitable pipes 21. The arrangement
as will be seen is such that when steam is admitted to the valve chamber 2", the
valve 5 therein will, if not already in the open position, be automatically moved
into such position and open communication with the pump chamber in consequence
of one of its sides exposed to steam pressure being of greater area than the other
owing to its connection with the rod 15; the steam will then flow into the pump..
chamber and exert pressure upon the water therein until such pressure, acting
through the said pipe 20, or through one of them when two are used, upon
the inner side of the piston 14, moves the latter to such an extent as to close the
valve 5 through the cross bar 17, left hand tappet 19 and rod 15, and shut off the
further supply of steam and permit that already admitted to work expansively;
and when the expanded steam is condensed in the ordinary manner after expelling
the water from the pump cylinder, the piston will be returned to its normal position
by atmospheric pressure and again open the steam valve, at the required time. By
suitably adjusting the connection between the steam valve and piston and suitably
regulating the flow of water to and from the one end of the piston cylinder 20 the
points of admission and cut off, and the rate of working of the pump can be varied
within moderate limits. The pipe 21, or each of such pipes when two are used,
may advantageously be provided with a check valve and with a regulating valve 22
for the purpose of controlling the flow of liquid from the pump cylinder to the
piston cylinder, and consequently the rate of working of the pump.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
In a steam pump of the kind herein referred to, valve apparatus constructed

page_text: arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
respectively to and shown in Fig. 1, and in Fig. 2 of the drawings annexed for the
purposes set forth.
Dated this 25th day of January 1894.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.