Year: 1888

page_text: We, JOHN MCNAUGHT and WILLIAM MCNAUGHT of St. Georges Foundry
Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and Machinists do hereby declare
the nature of the said invention, to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to the air pumps of steam Engines for withdrawing the water
and air from the steam condensers.
In the ordinary arrangement of air pumps, the barrel of the pump has what is
termed the "hot well above it, with a valve or valves opening from the pump barrel
working on orifices or gratings in the cover of the air pump barrel, which cover
forms the bottom or a part of the bottom of the "hot well," with this arrangement
and especially at the high speeds at which condensing steam Engines are now worked,
there is an objectionable shock or concussion, and consequent severe strains brought
upon various working parts from the suddenness at which the water is expelled
through the outlet orifices or gratings of the delivery valve or valves, into the hot
well. The object of our invention is to remedy this defect, or mitigate the shock
caused by the sudden exit of the liquid from the air pump barrel, and our invention
consists in arranging one or more air chambers, or spaces in connection, or com-
municating with the upper part of the air pump barrel; The liquid, lifted by each
stroke of the pump bucket can partly enter these air chambers, or spaces, and compress
the air therein (which has no outlet therefrom) this air in the said chambers, or
spaces, thus operating as a cushion, to take the shock, and give time for the liquid to
pass quietly from the pump barrel through the outlet of the delivery valve or valves
without shock.
These air chambers, or spaces, are or may be arranged in a variety of forms and
we do not confine ourselves to any particular arrangement.
}
Dated this Tenth day of March 1888.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.

page_text: We JOHN MCNAUGHT and WILLIAM MCNAUGHT, of St. Georges Foundry,
Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and Machinists, 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:-
.
Our invention relates to air pumps of steam Engines for withdrawing the water
and air from the steam condensers.
In the ordinary arrangement of air pumps the barrel of the pump has what is
termed the "hot well" above it with a valve or valves opening from the pump
barrel working on orifices or gratings in the cover of the air pump barrel which
cover forms the bottom or a part of the bottom of the hot well, with this arrange-
ment and especially at the high speed at which condensing steam Engines are now
worked, there is an objectionable shock or concussion and consequent severe strains
brought upon various working parts from the suddenness at which the water is
expelled through the outlet orifices or gratings of the delivery valve or valves, into
the hot well. The object of our invention is to remedy this defect, or mitigate the
shock, caused by the sudden exit of the liquid from the air pump barrel, and our
invention consists in arranging one or more air chambers or spaces in connection, or
communicating with the upper part of the air pump barrel. The liquid lifted by each
stroke of the pump bucket can partly enter these air chambers or spaces, and compress
the air therein, (which has no outlet therefrom) this air in the said chambers or
spaces, thus operating as a cushion to tako the shock and give time for the liquid
to pass quietly from the pump barrel through the outlet of the delivery valve or valves
without shock.
These air chambers or spaces, are or may be arranged in a variety of forms and
we do not confine ourselves to any particular arrangement.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the pump barrel and hot well and the grating
or seating or seatings for the outlet valve or valves illustrating one modification of
our invention, and figs: 2, 3 and 5 are views similar to fig. 1 of other modifications. of
our invention, and fig. 4 is a plan view of the modification shown by fig. 3.
In each fig. 1, 2, 3 and 5; a, is the pump barrel; b, the "hot well" and ', the
outlet from the "hot well."
In figs. 1 and 5, c', is part of the stuffing box for the pump rod which is not shown
in figs. 2, 3 and 4.
In figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5, c, is the delivery valve plate or grid separating the chamber
at the upper part of the pump barrel from the hot well.
In the plate c, the outlets from the pump barrel are formed, these outlets being,
covered by a suitable valve or valves opening into the hot well.
In fig. 1 there is a cylindrical part c², descending from the plate c leaving an
annular space c', outside it and between the casing above the pump barrel.

page_text: The fluid delivered by the pump bucket will partly enter this annular space c', and
will compress the air therein, and thus form the cushion to prevent or mitigate the
excessive concussion.
In fig. 2 the annular air space c, is formed outside and round the pump barrel
and hot well.
In fig. 3 there are several air spaces formed by separate vessels c*, closed except by
a branch e, communicating with the upper part of the chamber above the pump
barrel and below the hot well,
Each of these air chambers c, is secured by a flange and bolts or screws to the
sido of the chamber above the pump barrel a, as shown, but they may be cast with it
if desired.
In fig. 5 there is a separate tubular part c², descending from the plate c, from each
separate outlet valve, and the chamber above pump barrel a, and around these
tubes c², forms the air cushion chamber ct.
From the examples given, it will be seen that these air chambers e may be arranged
to carry out the object of our invention in a variety of ways.
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.
1. The arrangement of an air cushion space or chamber, or of air cushion spaces
or chambers communicating with the space or chamber between the pump barrel and
the hot well, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The several combinations and arrangements of pump barrel, air chamber or
chambers and hot well" substantially as and for the purpose herein before described
and illustrated by fig. 1, fig. 2, figs. 3 and 4 and fig. 5 of the drawings.
Dated the Fourth day of December 1888.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.