IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY PUMPS WHICH WILL ALSO SERVE AS MOTORS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, EUGENE SCHERGEN, Officer in the Belgian Army, of Lacken near Brussels, in
the Kingdom of Belgium, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY PUMPS WHICH WILL ALSO SERVE AS MOTORS" to be
as follows:-
The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for raising or com-
pressing gases or fluids, especially applicable for utilizing the force of wind, tide,
and the like sources of energy and for transmitting motion. It consists essentially
(1) in the arrangement of a spiral tube upon a horizontal axis, said tube being
either coiled upon itself and supported directly by the axis, or else coiled upon a
cylindrical or conical drum fixed on the axis.
(2) in connecting each end of the said spiral tube by means of conduits passing
through the axis, with a hollow in the supports of the same.
(3) in connecting the hollow portions of the supports with each other by means
of a bent tube with two arms, of a length of at least one metre, or by two tubes
each connected with a chamber provided with a float which regulates a cock
opening or closing the communication with these tubes and consequently with the
extremities of the spiral tube, or by means of a second spiral tube coiled the reverse
way to the principal one, or by pipes connecting with the hollows of two other
supports of a second axis also bearing a spiral tube, said tube being coiled the
reverse way to that of the principal tube, and its axis being rotated by power from
the principal axis, preferably by toothed wheels and a flat chain, or finally by pipeś
forming syphons in alternately reversed directions.
(4) in enclosing in the coils, connecting pipes, reservoirs etcetera of the apparatos,
a fluid of a density equal to or greater than that which it is desired to pump.
(5) in placing a certain quantity of the said heavy fluid in each turn of the coil
so that when the same is rotated a short column of the said fluid is formed in each
turn of the coil, separated the one from the other by the substances air, water or
the like, which are being pumped, and thus intercalated, so that all these short
columns act like a single column of a height equal to the sum of their heights; the
pump thus becomes both a suction and force pump and the pressures attainable by
it are only limited by the resistance of the matters employed in its construction: it
being only requisite to increase the coils and the short columns of mercury, or other
beavy fluid to attain any given pressure,
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page_text: (6) the arrangement by the means set forth in paragraph 3 of returning the
mercury or other fluid, after passing out of the last coil automatically back to the
first, where it re-commences its effect.
(7) in the obtaining of a continuous rotary movement by the means set forth in
paragraphs 3 and 6.
(8) in giving to the spiral tube as also to the other parts such dimensions as will
cause the heavy fluid to be discharged at a given speed.
(9) in giving an inclination to one of the arms of the connecting tube specified
in paragraph 3, (first modification) to prevent air, when such is pumped, from being
carried along it.
(10) in gradually diminishing the diameter of the coils when it is desired to
compress air or other compressible fluid, so that the reduction in capacity corre-
sponds to the diminution in bulk. When the apparatus is in use the movement of
the columns of mercury or other heavy propelling liquid is effected by pressure of
steam or the like, or by rotating the spiral, or by a combination of methods.
To diminish as far as possible the amount of heavy liquid requisite, such as
mercury or the like, balls of inert material of equal specific gravity may be used,
and the interstices between these only filled up with mercury: or fluid amalgam
may be made use of,
Th
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1007

page_text: 5 is a piece of cast iron or other metal forming a pulley at the periphery of the
apparatus, and having on the right hand side a spiral channel, the convolutions of
which increase in capacity towards the circumference, and on the left hand another
spiral channel the convolutions of which diminish in capacity towards the circum-
ference.
The first or innermost convolution on the right hand communicates with the
compartment 1 through the pipe 6, and the outermost convolution with the com-
partment 3 through the pipe 7. The innermost convolution on the left band
communicates with the compartment 3 through the pipe 8 and the outermost
convolution with the compartiment 1 through the pipe 9.
10, 10. are bearings upon which the apparatus is supported, and 11, 11 are
stuffing-boxes for preventing the escape of fluid through the said bearing.
Each convolution of the spirals contains a quantity of a very heavy alloy composed
of lead, tin and bismuth, a small quantity of mercury.being added to render the
alloy fusible at a low temperature. This alloy can be replaced by an amalgam.
When the apparatus is at rest, the alloy is in a solidified state and is level in the
two sides of each convolution. For setting the apparatus in motion, when it is
used as a motor the admission valve is opened; the steam then passes through the
conduit 2 into the compartment 1, whence it passes on the one hand into the inner-
most convolution of the spiral channel on the right hand through the pipe 6; and
on the other hand into the outermost convolution of the channel on the left hand
through the pipe 9. In these spiral channels the steam, after having melted the
alloy in the convolutions which it first enters, presses the alloy forward as shown
in the drawing, and as the weight of the column, of the alloy thus raised does not
equilibrate the pressure of the steam, the latter traverses this column in the form
of bubbles. The steam afterwards presses forward the alloy enclosed in the second
convolutions of the spiral channels and traverses them and so on until it has raised
a series of columns which equilibrate its pressure in such a manner that as each
column weighs upon that which precedes it owing to the steam imprisoned
between them, all these columns act as a single column the pressure of which is
equal to the sum of their pressures. The pressure of the steam enclosed in the first
convolution of the channels is equal to the initial pressure less the pressure of the
column of alloy raised in this convolution; in the second convolution it is equal to
the initial pressure less the pressure of the columns of alloy raised in the first and
second convolutions and so on.
The alloy contained in the convolutions of the channel on the left acts by its
weight upon the rear part of the apparatus whilst the weight of that contained
in the convolution of the channel the right acts upon the front part; but as the
latter channel contains a greater quantity of alloy than the first the weight acting
upon the front part is greater than that acting upon the rear portion. By reason
of this difference of weight the apparatus will turn in the direction of the arrow.
The motion is accordingly produced by the weight of the pistons themselves.
At each rotation the alloy contained in the last or outermost convolution of the
right hand channel is driven back with the steam through the pipe 7 into the
compartment 3, the steam thence escapes either into the atmosphere or into a
condenser through the conduit 4, whilst the alloy is collected with a certain
quantity of discharge steam by the first convolution of the left hand channel to
which it flows through the tube 8. The outermost convolution on the left hand
discharges. the alloy and some steam through the pipe 9 into the compartment 1.
the alloy thence flows through the pipe 6 into the innermost convolution of the
right hand channel and thus imprisons a quantity of steam equal to the capacity
of this convolution less the volume of the alloy.
As the steam taken at each rotation supports, in passing from convolution to
convolution less and less weight, it expands gradually. It is for this reason that
the capacity of the convolutions is gradually increased. This augmentation of the
capacity corresponds to the augmentation of volume of the steam. In short, each
convolution constitutes a cylinder in which the mercury acts as a piston.

page_text: The convolutions of the right hand channel form, with the alloy, the motor
proper, whilst the convolutions of the left band channel constitute a force pump
having among other functions that of forcing the alloy to its starting point. The
convolution of the left hand channel may be replaced by an ordinary force pump.
In order that the improved apparatus can be employed as a pump, the alloy is
replaced by mercury; whilst if the apparatus is designed to pump water, all the
convolutions of the spiral channels must have the same capacity.
The operation in this case is the same as that which has been described :-the
apparatus is set in motion by means of a pulley mounted upon the axis; the gases
or liquids are sucked into the convolution of the right hand channel through the
conduit 4 and pass from convolution to convolution imprisoned between the
columns of mercury, being finally forced through the conduit 2, whilst the mercury
comes back to its starting point through the convolution of the left hand channel
with a certain quantity of gas or liquid.
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
The improved apparatus composed of two spiral channels mounted upon an axis,
each convolution of the said channels being partially filled with a very fusible
alloy or an amalgam, or with mercury; the two extremities of each spiral channel
terminating respectively in two chambers provided in the hub of the apparatus
and in communication with the admission and discharge pipes, all the said parts
operating as, and for the purposes, set forth.