IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS
Year: 1884

page_text: We, WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN, and RICHARD WRIGHT, both of York Street in
the County of Surrey do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS" to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to ordinary centrifugal pumps of any of the well known
kinds, and it has for its object novel methods of constructing such pumps so that
the water or other fluid pumped may be divided and delivered in separate streams
instead of in one stream only as is ordinarily the case.
Centrifugal pumps as heretofore ordinarily made are constructed with an outer
casing surrounding an internal revolving wheel or disc and provided with a single
suction pipe and a single delivery pipe through which the whole of the water passes
in its way to and from the pump.
In cases where it is desired to divide the stream of water, the method which has
hitherto been adopted has been to divide it in the suction or delivery pipes
themselves, nozzles or T-pieces being arranged at or near the pump. This method
of construction and arrangement has the disadvantage, however, that an unequal
quantity of water is brought or discharged by the pump through the several pipes,
and any difference in the area of the latter caused either in their manufacture.
or by the accidental presence of any foreign substance in one or other of them
causes by the reduced area so produced an unequal velocity of water in the pipes,
and unsatisfactory working results.
In order to put our Invention in operation we divide the pump or casing within
which the disc or wheel revolves into two parts, by means of a narrow central
diaphragm round the disc in the plane in which the latter revolves, the disc or
wheel itself being also similarly divided into two parts by a similar diaphragm
corresponding with that in the pump, the diaphragm in the disc fitting within that
in the pump and revolving closely but freely within it, so that whilst there is only
one suction pipe to the pump casing bringing half the water at one side of the
pump and the remainder at the other side to the central inlet openings of the disc
at each side of the diaphragm in the latter, the discharge or delivery of the water
is divided into two distinct and separate parts, one upon each side of the central
diaphragm in the casing of the pump. The discharge from each side of the pump

page_text: can be taken away by a separate pipe, the two pipes being arranged wherever may
be most convenient on the pump casing, and their collective area being equal to
that of the suction pipe, or greater or less as may be desired.
Our Invention is especially applicable to cases where the quantity of water has
to be divided either before or after leaving the centrifugal pump; as for instance
in the case of engines driving twin screws, or other engines of a similar character
where two condensers are used for which only one circulating pumping engine is
employed, as by the novel arrangement described two streams of water of exactly
the same quantity are delivered by a single pump into two separate condensers.
The method of construction and arrangement described may be. modified more
or less to suit varying circumstances..

page_text: We, WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN and RICHARD WRIGHT, both of York Street in the
County of Surrey, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS " and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawing:-
Our Invention relates to ordinary centrifugal pumps of any of the wellknown
kinds, and it has for its object novel methods of constructing such pumps so that
the water or other fluid pumped may be divided and delivered without difficulty
in separate streams instead of in one stream only as is ordinarily the case.
Centrifugal pumps as heretofore ordinarily made are constructed with an outer
casing surrounding an internal revolving wheel or disc and provided with a single
suction pipe and a single delivery pipe, through which pipes the whole of the water
passes in its way to and from the pump. In cases where it is necessary or
desirable to divide the stream of water the method heretofore adopted has been to
divide it in the suction or delivery pipes themselves, suitable nozzles or T-pieces
being arranged for the purpose at or near the pump. This method of construction
and arrangement has the disadvantage, however, that an unequal quantity of water
is brought to or discharged by the pump through the several pipes, and any
difference in the area of the latter caused either in their manufacture or by the
accidental presence of any foreign substance in one or other of them causes, on
account of the reduced area so produced, an unequal velocity of water in the pipes
and consequently unsatisfactory working is the result.
In order to put our present Invention in operation we divide into two parts the
centrifugal pump or casing within which the disc or wheel revolves in the usual
way, by means of a narrow central diaphragm fitted round the disc in the plane in
which the latter revolves, the disc or wheel itself being also similarly divided into
two parts by a diaphragm of a similar kind corresponding in position with that of
the pump casing, the diaphragm in the disc fitting inside that in the casing and
revolving closely but freely within it, so that whilst there need only be one suction
pipe to the pump casing divided so as to bring half the water on one side and the
remainder on the other side to the central openings of the disc at each side of the
diaphragm in the latter, the discharge or delivery of the water at the edge of
the disc is divided into two distinct and separate parts one upon each side of the
central diaphragm in the pump casing.
The water thus discharged upon each side of the pump is taken away through
two separate pipes, these two pipes being arranged wherever may be most
convenient upon the pump casing, and their collective area being equal to that of
the suction pipe, or greater or less as may be desired.
The accompanying Drawing is in illustration of our Invention. Figure 1 is a
longitudinal section of the pump casing. Figure 2 is a transverse section of the
pump. Figure 3 is a plan with the upper part of the casing removed, and Figure 4
a section through the two delivery or discharge pipes. The same letters of
reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures. a is the casing of the.
centrifugal pump the parts of which are connected together by flanges and bolts
at b in the usual way. c is the suction pipe divided into two parts c¹, c², one of
which conducts the water to an opening at the centre of each side of the wheel or
disc d which is driven by the shaft e revolving in bearings f, f¹, in the ordinary
way. The hollow disc or wheel d is divided into two parts by a central

page_text: diaphragm g the outer periphery of which revolves freely but close within the
corresponding diaphragm h in the pump casing a, and from the casing upon each
side of the diaphragm the two delivery pipes i, i, deliver the water in two
separate streams. kis the bracket or attachment by which the pump is fixed.
When the improved pump is in operation, water is drawn through the suction
pipe c, and delivered through the branches c¹, c², into the disc or wheel d upon each
side of the diaphragm g, whence it is delivered upon each side of the diaphragm h
of the casing and through the discharge pipes i, i, in two separate streams. The
suction pipes c', c², may be continued separate instead of being united in the pipe ċ
as shewn.
Centrifugal pumps constructed according to our Invention are especially
.applicable to cases where the water has to be divided either before or after leaving
the pump, such for instance as engines driving twin screws, or other engines of a
similar character, where two condensers are used for which only one circulating
pumping engine is employed, since by the novel arrangement described two streams
of water of exactly the same quantity are delivered by a single pump to the two
separate condensers.
We do not confine ourselves to the precise details and proportions of the
improved pump, which may be varied more or less according to the circumstances
in which it is to be used, but having now particularly described and ascertained
the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
we declare that what we claim is :-
1. The combination of the pump casing a the disc or wheel b and the
diaphragms g and h, substantially as and for the purpose described and shewn in
the Drawing.
2. The combination of the pump casing a, disc or wheel b, and diaphragms g
and, with the pipes c', c³, and i, i, substantially as and for the purpose described
and shewn in the Drawing.