Improvements in Machinery for Compressing Atmospheric Air and Compressing and Condensing Gases.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 27th Nov., 1391-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Compressing Atmospheric Air and
Compressing and Condensing Gases.
We GEORGE EDWARD BELLISS and ALFRED MORCOм of Ledsam Street
Works Birmingham in the County of Warwick Engineers and Boiler Makers do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention has reference to machinery for compressing atmospheric air for use
as a motive power as well as to machinery for compressing oxygen and other gases
and for condensing gases such for example as carbonic acid gas and for compressing
and condensing gases generally.
We will describe our improvements in connection with the compressing of
atmospheric air.
The object of our invention is to compress atmospheric air by one or more
stages; that is to take atmospheric air at ordinary pressure and by means of pumps
constructed and worked as hereinafter described to compress it either directly that
is at one operation or by two or more operations to compress it to the required
degree.
The pumps we employ which are preferably arranged in the direction of
radii to a rotating shaft and when four in number are used at right angles to one
another. The said shaft carries an eccentric on which eccentric sleeve i
situated the said sleeve having a square figure externally. Each or either face of
the said sleeve is connected with the bottom of an air cylinder. These cylinders
work in stuffing boxes in the casing in which the pumps are fixed. The fixed
plunger of the air cylinder is carried by the outer side or wall of the casing and
is in line with the stuffing box referred to. For a two stage compression which
we prefer for high pressures we place the second or small plunger by which the
second compression is effected on the bottom of the moving cylinder and in line
with it and we work the said second plunger in a tubular chamber formed in the
fixed large plunger. The said small plunger consists of a tube fitted with a valve
at each end to separate it from and form communication between it and the small
and large cylinders respectively. The pressure of air in the small plunger will
assist the outward motion of the air cylinder but a spring may be employed to
assist this action in any of the compressors; or the cylinder may be withdrawn by
the action of the eccentric or a combination of these means may be employed.
The air is admitted by suitable ports in the bottom face of the air cylinder and the
corresponding face of the square sleeve the ports being opened and shut by the
motion of the face of the sleeve across the face of the cylinder caused by the motion
of the eccentric. The annular casing in which the pumps are fixed is filled with
circulating cooling water. This water surrounds the air chambers and the air on
its exit through the top of the fixed plunger can be further cooled by passing it
through a pipe or pipes surrounded by water in the usual manner.
Instead of employing a sleeve working on the eccentric the plane sides of which
sleeve bear against the bottoms of the air cylinders the eccentric may bear directly
against the said air cylinders. In this case the bottom face of the moving air
cylinders is made concave so as to fit the convexity of the eccentric the plungers or
barrels being hinged round the annular casing so as to meet the angling of the
eccentric.
Or the hinged plungers or barrels may be rotated with the disc round a fixed
eccentric.
In either of these last two cases any number of pumps for which room can be

page_text: found may be placed around the shaft and in all cases parallel series of such sets of
pumps may be worked off the same shaft.
In each of these cases the air may if preferred be admitted by an annular valve
concentric with the driving shaft and driven by it or by means of ordinary non-
return valves though we prefer the inlet to be by ports between the air cylinder
face and the eccentric or sleeve surrounding it.
The application of our improvements to machinery for compressing oxygen
and other gases and for condensing gases differs in no essential respect from
their application to machinery for compressing atmospheric air as hereinbefore
described.
Dal het do. of Mouch 1001
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Machinery for Compressing Atmospheric Air and
Compressing and Condensing Gases.
We, GEORGE EDWARD BELLISS and ALFRED MORCOM, both of Ledsam
Street Works, Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Engmeers and Boiler
Makers, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 has reference to machinery for compressing atmospheric air for
use as a motive power, as well as to machinery for compressing oxygen and other
gases and for condensing gases such for example as carbonic acid gas and for com-
pressing and condensing gases generally.
We will describe our improvements in connection with the compressing of
atmospheric air.
The object of our invention is to compress atmospheric air by one or more
stages; that is, to take atmospheric air at ordinary pressure and by means of pumps
constructed and worked as hereinafter described to compress it either directly, that
1s, at one operation or by two or more operations to compress it to the required
degree.
The pumps we employ are arranged in the direction of radii to a rotating shaft
and when four in number are used at right angles to one another. A less number
of pumps than four may however be used. The said shaft carries an eccentric
on which eccentric a sleeve is situated, the said sleeve having a square figure
externally when four pumps are to be worked. Each or either face of the
said sleeve is connected with the bottom of an air cylinder. These cylinders
work in stuffing boxes in the casing in which the pumps are fixed. The fixed
plunger of the air cylinder is carried by the outer side or wall of the casing and is
concentric with the stuffing box referred to. For a two stage compression which
we prefer for high pressures, we place the second or small plunger by which the
second compression is effected on the bottom of the moving cylinder and concentric
with it and we work the said second plunger in a tubular chamber formed in the
fixed large plunger. The said small plunger consists of a tube fitted with a valve
at each end to separate it from and form communication between it and the small
and large cylinders respectively.
The air is admitted by suitable ports in the bottom face of the air cylinder and
the corresponding face of the square sleeve, the ports being opened and shut by
the motion of the face of the sleeve across the face of the cylinder caused by the
motion of the eccentric. The annular casing in which the pumps are fixed is filled
with circulating cooling water. This water surrounds the air chambers and the
air on its exit through the top of the fixed plunger or second compressing chamber

page_text: can be further cooled by passing it through a pipe or pipes surrounded by water in
the usual manner.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawing
the manner in which our invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation and
Figure 2 in cross section, machinery for compressing atinospheric air by a two
stage compression, the parts of the said air compressing machinery being constructed
and combined and worked according to our invention.
The section Figure 2 is taken on the line A and D Figure 1 and the sectional
part of Figure 1 is taken on the line B and C Figure 2.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both figures.
a is the annular casing in which the several pumps or compressors are fixed,
which casing is filled with circulating cooling water for keeping cool the com-
pressing chambers of the pumps; is the driving shaft of the compressing
machinery situated in the axis of the casing a. On the said shaft is an eccentric c
on which a sleeve d works, the said sleeve having a square figure externally (sec
Figure 1). Between the circular and square parts of the sleeve d is a chamber e
through which the atmospheric air to be compressed is supplied to the pumps
as hereinafter described. Each of the pumps or compressors of the machinery is
arranged opposite a flat face of the square sleeve d of the eccentric as represented
in Figure and each pump or compressor is constructed and its moving parts
actuated in the following manner.
Engaged with each of the flat faces of the sleeve d, in the manner shown in
Figure 2, is an air cylinder, the said sleeve being capable of a cross sliding
motion upon it, as hereinafter described. The air cylinder f works in the stuffing
box g on the hollow casing a which casing carries the fixed parts of the pump or
compressor. The air cylinder of the pump or compressor works upon the fixed
plunger and compresses the air delivered into it between its temporarily closed
bottom and the said fixed plunger h. The fixed plunger his screwed to the outer
side or wall of the casing a in the manner seen in Figure 1. The said plunger h has
valves, v in it for pumping the circulating cooling water. Air is admitted to the
air cylinder through the ports i, i in its bottom and through the ports k, k in the
face of the square sleeve and opening into the air delivery chamber e. The said
ports i, are opened and closed by the cross motion of the face of the square
sleeve d acted upon by the eccentric c. The ports in the bottom of the air
cylinder of the lower left hand pump or compressor in Figure 1 are represented
open to the air delivery chamber e in the hollow sleeve d and the corresponding
ports in the air cylinder of the higher left hand pump or compressor are repre-
sented closed. By the motion of the eccentric and its sleeve, a to and fro motion
in the direction of radii is given to the air cylinder upon the fixed plunger h and
the air in the said cylinder is compressed between its temporarily closed bottom
and the said fixed plunger.
In order to effect a second compression of the air and to deliver the air of high
pressure from the pump or compressor we combine with the parts already described,
the parts which we will next describe.
In the axis of the moving air cylinder and resting on its bottom and working
with it, is a second or small hollow or tubular plunger working in a chamber
or cylinder m made in the fixed larger plunger and in a tubular prolongation of
the walls of the annular casing a as seen in Figure 1. Through this second
hollow movable plunger the air compressed in the air cylinder passes and is
further compressed between the top of the moving plunger 1 and the top of the
inner fixed air cylinder or chamber m as the said plunger / makes its stroke
simultaneously with that of the air cylinder f. In the bottom of the moving or
second plunger is a spring valve », opening upwards, and at the top of the said
plunger l, is a spring valve also opening upwards. The valve n effects a com-
munication between the moving air cylinder and the tubular moving plunger l
and the top valve p, effects a communication between the said tubular moving

page_text: The com-
plunger and the top of the small compressing chamber or cylinder m.
pressed air escapes from the top of the chamber or cylinder in through the valve g
opening upwards into the exit pipe r.
It will be understood from the accompanying drawing that the several compound
pumps or compressors are operated in succession by the action of the eccentric
and sleeve, each pump or compressor making one complete inward and outward
stroke at each rotation of the driving shaft.
The inward or back stroke of the air cylinder f and moving plunger 7 may
be effected by a spring assisted by the pressure of the air within the small air
cylinder m. It is preferred however to ensure or assist the return or back stroke
of the air cylinder and plunger by the action of the eccentric and sleeve.
The air may if preferred be admitted by an annular valve concentric with the
driving shaft and driven by it; or by means of ordinary non-return valves, though
we prefer the inlet to be by ports between the air cylinder face and the eccentric
or sleeve surrounding it as represented.
The water pump action of the compressor is as follows: The moving plunger
is enlarged and fits in a corresponding cylinder formed in the fixed plunger h, the
pumping action produced being used to circulate the water required for cooling
purposes. The pump suction and delivery valves are placed on the fixed plunger h
and are marked the inlet water being brought by the pipes w, w to the suction
passage and the discharge being driven into the water casing a.
The application of our improvements to machinery for compressing oxygen and
other gases and for condensing gases differs in no essential respect from their
application to machinery for compressing atmospheric air as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as our invention of "Improvements in machinery for compressing atmospheric an
and compressing and condensing gases" :--
First Driving the moving parts of the compressor pumps by means of a
sleeve working on a rotating eccentric, or directly by the said eccentric, sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing,
whether the air or gas be compressed at one operation or at two or more operations
or stages.
:-
Secondly Admitting the air or gas to be compressed or condensed, to pump
compressors of the kind referred to in the first claim by the motion of the eccentric
and its sleeve substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Thirdly A two stage compressor pump the parts of which are constructed
and arranged and operate substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawing, whether the working parts of the two stage com-
pressor pump be operated by the mechanism described and represented, or by other
mechanism giving a to and fro motion.
Lastly-The combination of a series of compressor pumps of the kind described,
arranged in the direction of radii to a rotating shaft and operated in succession
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
Dated the 25th day of November 1801
GEORGE EDWARD BELLISS.
ALFRED MORCOM.