Improvements in Mechanism for Raising Sewage and other Liquids.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 15th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for Raising Sewage and other
Liquids.
I, WILLIAM Horace Hope, of 10, St. James' Road, Kingston-on-Thames, in
the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the raising of sewage or other liquid matter
from a low level, to obviate the necessity for deep sewers and rising mains, and to
decrease the number of direct lifting stations.
By this invention also, sewage or other liquid matter may be elevated without
agitation, as in pumping, and without aëration as when compressed air is used to
eject it.
The sewage or other liquid is raised in a bucket suspended by one or more ropes
or chains from one cr more wheels or drums, which when caused to revolve, draw
up the bucket and its contents from the well of the low level, to the invert of the
high level sewer, where a projection on the rising bucket meets a stationary
projection which causes the said bucket to tip over gradually and so deliver its
contents into the said invert.
The wheels or drums may be actuated by a hydraulic motor consisting of a
cylinder in which works a piston or ram carrying at its outer end a rack in gear
with a pinion fast on the shaft carrying the wheels or drums from which the bucket
is suspended.
The water, or other motive fluid, is admitted from the main supply to, and
released from the cylinder by any suitable valve or valves, which, for automatically
reversing the motion of the bucket at the required times, is, or are opened and
closed by a moving part of the mechanism.
The stopping and starting of the machinery is effected by a float on the surface
of the liquid in the low level sewer or well, which float in rising and falling with
the liquid level, opens or closes a valve on the pipe supplying water to the
motor.
The weight of the bucket is preferably counterbalanced by a weight hung from
a wheel or drum fast on the same shaft as the wheels or drums from which depend
the ropes or chains carrying the bucket.
The bucket, which may be provided with rollers, is guided in its descent into, and
ascent from the well by suitable rails or guides, which may be curved at the bottom
to cause the bucket to enter the liquid in such a manner as to displace as little of it
as possible, or the sinking may be effected by a valve, or by valves at the bottom
of the bucket which open inwardly and allow the liquid to enter, and which close
as soon as the bucket commences to rise, or other means may be used for the
purpose.
Preferably the bucket does not hang directly beneath the winding wheels or
drums, the ropes or chains from which it is suspended passing over other smaller
wheels or pulleys, the object of this arrangement being to economise vertical space,
and so to get the machine as near the surface level as possible when used for sewage
raising.
The mode of operation is as follows:-
The liquid matter in the low level sewer or well having reached a height sufficient
to raise the float, and so to open the valve on the supply pipe, water is admitted to
the cylinder, the ram or piston is forced outward by the pressure, and with it the
dancewing with the ninion keved to the shaft on which are mounted the wheels

page_text: to which the ropes or chains carrying the bucket are attached, and the wheel
carrying the counterbalance, all of which being thereby revolved about their
common axis, the bucket and its contents are drawn up-the descending counter-
balance assisting in the work-to the invert of the high level sewer or other
conduit, where a lug or other fixed projection engages with the projection attached to
the bucket, which continuing in its upward motion is thereby tilted over and so
caused to deliver its contents into the said invert. At this time the automatic
reversing valves suddenly cut off the water supply to the motor, and open the exhaust
from the cylinder, whereupon the weight of the bucket causes it to descend, to turn
the wheels and drive the ram or piston into the cylinder. The weight of the
bucket being greater than is necessary for this purpose, instead of giving pressure
to the exhaust water, or doing other wasteful work, is employed to draw up the
counterbalance weight which gives back the work so done when the bucket is next
drawn up. On reaching the surface of the liquid in the well the bucket is caused
by the curved guides, or by the valves in its bottom to enter or sink, and so to
obtain a load.
Arriving at the bottom of the well the automatic valves are reversed, water
admitted to the motor cylinder as before described, and the whole operation is
repeated until the level of the liquid in the well allows the float upon it to close
the supply valve and so as to stop the machine.
I do not limit myself to the precise construction or arrangement just described.
I may use one or more pairs of buckets, one of each pair being suspended from
one side of its wheel or drum and one from the other, or I may substitute a
counterbalance weight for one of the buckets in a pair. Again, instead of the
motor described I may substitute one using compressed air, electricity or other
suitable motive force, any of which motors may impart motion to the wheels ropes
and buckets by the means above described, or by multiplying pulleys and chains,
friction wheels, cranks and connecting rods or other devices.
Dated this Eleventh day of March 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for Raising Sewage and other
Liquids.
1, WILLIAM HORACE HOPE, formerly of 10 St. James' Road, but now of Cate
House, Portsmouth Road, Kingston-on-Thames, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
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 for its object the raising of sewage or other liquid matter
from a low level to obviate the necessity for deep sewers and rising mains, and to
decrease the number of direct lifting stations.
By this invention also, sewage or other liquid matter may be elevated without
agitation, as in pumping, and without aëration as when compressed air is used to
eject it.
Referring now to the accompanying drawings of which
Fig. 1 is a section through the sewer well and chamber containing the lifting
mechanism, Fig. 2. a sectional plan thereof.
Fig. 3. an elevation partly in section of the lifting mechanism drawn to a larger
scale, and Fig. 4 is a plan of the same.
The sewage or other liquid is raised in a bucket A suspended by, and attached
to one or more ropes or chains B from one or more wheels or drums C which when
caused to revolve, draw up the bucket A and its contents from the well D of the

page_text: low level to the invert E of the high level sewer where rollers a. on the bucket A
enter curved recesses p in the upper ends of guides F when rising, which, or
equivalent means cause the said bucket to tip over gradually and so deliver its
contents into the said invert E. The wheels or drums C may be actuated by a
hydraulic motor consisting of a cylinder G in which works a piston or ram H
carrying at its outer end a rack I in gear with a pinion K fast on the shaft L
carrying the wheels or drums C from which the bucket A is suspended. The
rack I is supported beneath the pinion K by a roller R carried by a shaft S.
The water, or other motive fluid, is admitted from the main supply to, and released
from the cylinder G by any suitable valve or valves M which, for automatically
reversing the motion of the bucket at the required times, is, or are opened and
closed by a moving part of the mechanism. I use for this purpose an arm b carried
on the ram H, and when the bucket A has risen nearly to the required height, or
descended nearly to the bottom of the well D the arm b, approaches the dog c, or
the dog d, both secured on the rod fand pushes it in the direction of travel until
the arm d' on the rock shaft e is moved sufficiently far by the rod f to which the
other arm g, of the rock shaft e, is attached, to raise or depress the lever h of the
valve M, whereby the motion of the ram H is reversed, and the bucket A which
has by that time reached its maximum height or depth commences its journey in
the opposite direction. The rod f is carried by roller or other bearings n.
The stopping and starting of the machinery is effected by a float on the surface
of the liquid in the low level sewer or well, which float in rising and falling with
the liquid level, opens or closes a valve on the pipe supplying water to the motor.
The weight of the bucket is preferably counterbalanced by a weight N hung from
a wheel or drum O fast on the same shaft as the wheels or drums from which
depend the ropes or chains carrying the bucket.
The bucket, preferably provided with rollers, is guided in its descent into, and
ascent from the well by suitable rails or guides F, which may be curved at the
bottom to cause the bucket to enter the liquid in such a manner as to displace as
little of it as possible, or the sinking may be effected by a valve, or by valves at
the bottom of the bucket which open inwardly and allow the liquid to enter,
and which close as soon as the bucket commences to rise, or other means may be
used for the purpose.
I have shown in Figure 1 an arrangement by which the
operation of filling the bucket may be readily effected. The bail or yoke i of
the bucket A is fitted at its extremities with pins k free to slide in quadrants
fast on the sides of the bucket. These quadrants are so placed that when the
descending bucket A reaches the liquid, and because of its momentum sinks
deeper therein than it would by its weight alone, its buoyancy causes it to rise;
then, as the greater part of the weight of the bucket above the pins k and
the bottom partly circular, the bucket falls over so that its front side lies nearly
parallel with the surface of the liquid and the quadrants 1, rise on the pins k
until the said pins are at the opposite ends of the slots m, in which position a still
greater proportion of the weight of the bucket is forward of the pins k, so that it
more readily and quickly enters the liquid and sinks. The bucket is prevented
from turning upside down by a short chain g attached at one end to the top of the
bail, and at the other end to the top of the back wall.
When the bucket has become immersed it descends into the liquid in the position
last mentioned until the small roller a* upon it catches on a hook p* placed on the
guide rail F, then the body of the bucket descending still further in a circular
path about the small roller a*, regains its upright position as shown in Fig. 1.
Preferably the bucket does not hang directly beneath the winding wheels or drums,
the ropes or chains from which it is suspended passing over other smaller wheels or
pulleys P, carried on brackets Q, the object of this arrangement being to
economise vertical space, and so to get the machine as near the ground surface
level as possible when used for sewage raising. These wheels or pulleys P are so
placed that the ropes or chains B do not hang vertically from them, but are

page_text: •
inclined in such a manner as to cause the rollers a of the bucket A to press toward
and run in the guides F.
The mode of operation is as follows:-The liquid matter in the well D of the
low level sewer having reached a height sufficient to raise the float, and so to open
the valve on the supply pipe, water is admitted to the cylinder G, through the
reversing valves M, the ram or piston is forced outward by the pressure and with
it the rack I engaging with the pinion K keyed to the shaft Lon which are
mounted the wheels C to which the ropes or chains B carrying the bucket are
attached, and the wheel O carrying the counterbalance N, all of which wheels
being thereby revolved about their common axis L, the bucket A and its contents
are drawn up-the descending counterbalance N assisting in the work-to the
invert E of the high level sewer or other conduit, where the recesses p in the guide
rails F receive the rollers a attached to the bucket A which continuing in its
upward motion is thereby tilted over and so caused to deliver its contents into the
said invert E. Just before the bucket is quite emptied the arm b, on the ram H
reaches the dog cand pushes the rod thereby oscillating the levers 9 and d' on
the rock shaft e, thus depressing the lever of the reversing valves M, so that by
the time the bucket has tilted far enough to discharge all its contents the supply
water is shut off, the exhaust opens and the ram H commences its inward stroke,
forced by the weight of the now descending bucket. The weight of the bucket
being greater than is necessary for this purpose, instead of giving pressure to the
exhaust water, or doing other wasteful work, is employed to draw up the counter-
balance weight N which gives back the work so done when the bucket is next
drawn up. On reaching the surface of the liquid in the well the bucket rises, and
the quadrants travelling on the pins of the bail i cause the bucket to roll on
its circular bottom and fill with liquid in the manner herein before described, then
sinking further until the roller a* reaches the hook p*, it again assumes its upright
position in the meantime having forced the ram H into the cylinder G until the
arm has pushed the dog d and rod f, so oscillating the arms d' and 9 and raising
the arm h of the reversing valves M which then close the exhaust and admit the
pressure water to the cylinder G, the ram H recommences its outward stroke
and the whole operation just described is repeated until the level of the liquid
in the well allows the float upon it to close the supply valve and so to stop the
machine.
I do not limit myself to the precise construction or arrangement just described.
I may use one or more pairs of buckets, one of each pair being suspended from
one side of its wheel or drum and one from the other in conjunction with a double
acting ram or two single acting rams or I may substitute a counterbalance weight
for one of the buckets in a pair. Again, instead of the motor described I may
substitute one using compressed air, electricity, or other suitable motive force, any
of which motors may impart motion to the wheels ropes and buckets by the means
above described, or by multiplying pulleys and chains friction wheels cranks and
connecting rods or other devices.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. In a machine for raising sewage or other liquids the combination of a
bucket arranged to be suspended by a chain or rope or by chains or ropes wound
on a wheel or drum or on wheels or drums actuated by a hydraulic motor adapted to
automatically effect the raising and lowering of the said bucket, and the said
bucket to be automatically filled and emptied, all substantially as and for the
purpose described.
2nd. In a machine for raising sewage or other liquids, a bucket arranged to be
suspended by a chain or rope or by chains or ropes wound on a wheel or drum or
on wheels or drums, in combination with a hydraulic or other motor adapted to

page_text: automatically effect the raising and lowering of the said bucket the said bucket
to be automatically filled and emptied, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
Dated this 19th day of January 1894.