A New or Improved Method and Apparatus for Economising the Consumption of High Pressure Water Used in Hydraulic Lifts and other Motors.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 9th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 14th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method and Apparatus for Economising the
Consumption of High Pressure Water Used in Hydraulic Lifts
and other Motors.
I ERNEST SAMUEL PRENTICE of "Greystoke" Christ Church Road Surbiton in the
County of Surrey Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to a new or improved method and means or apparatus for
effecting considerable economy in the consumption of high pressure water used to
actuate hydraulic lifts and other hydraulic motors or mechanism when such motors
are working at much less than their maximum load without diminishing in any way
their full efficiency when it is required.
To effect this economy to the consumer and so attain the object of my present
invention (which will be found very advantageous with high pressure water such as
is now supplied by the well known "London Hydraulic Power Company") I proceed
as follows:-
A water injector or injectors of any suitable construction is or are arranged in a
chamber at the outlet of the high pressure water main controlled by a suitable cock or
valve. To this chamber a low pressure or independant water supply is connected and
a back pressure valve or valves suitably arranged to prevent the high pressure water
forcing back along the low pressure or independent water supply pipe or connec-
tions.
Now in the case of a hydraulic "lift" the same volume of water approximately has
hitherto usually been required to move such lift from the bottom to the top (or any
other given distance) whether under its maximum load or if empty; now according
to my improvements the high pressure valve is opened as usual. whatever the load be;
if the load be a light one the injector will draw in a considerable volume of low
pressure water and so the lift will travel the required distance-i.e. the motor will do
the required work-with considerably less consumption of the high pressure water than
would otherwise be the case, on the other hand if the load be a heavy one or the
maximum load then the force of the high pressure water will close the back pressure
valve aforesaid and the high pressure water will do its work as if my "economiser "
were not applied-thus the action of the apparatus is automatic.
A governor of any suitable form or construction may be used either inserted at
any convenient point between the injector and the lift or motor and actuated by
the varying velocity of the water or actuated by the motor itself.
Dated this 9th day of October 1888.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method and Apparatus for Economising the
Consumption of High Pressure Water Used in Hydraulic Lifts
and other Motors.
1 ERNEST SAMUEL PRENTICE of "Greystoke" Christ Church Road Surbiton in
the County of Surrey Civil 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 relates to a new or improved method and means or apparatus for
effecting considerable economy in the consumption of high pressure water used to

page_text: actuate hydraulic lifts and other hydraulic motors or mechanism when such motors
are working at less than their maximum load without diminishing in any way their
full efficiency when it is required.
To effect this economy to the consumer and so attain the object of my present
invention (which will be found very advantageous with high pressure water such as is
now supplied by the well known London Hydraulic Power Company") .I proceed
as follows:-
A water injector or injectors of any suitable construction is or are arranged in a
chamber at the outlet of the high pressure water main controlled by a suitable cock
or valve. To this chamber a low pressure and independent-water supply is connected
and a back pressure valve suitably arranged to prevent the high pressure water forcing
back along the low pressure and independent water supply pipe or connections.
Now in the case of a hydraulic "lift" the same volume of high pressure water
approximately has hitherto usually been required to move such lift from the bottom
to the top (or any other given distance) whether under its maximum load or if empty;
now according to my improvements the valve is opened as usual whatever the load
be; if the load be a light one the injector will draw in a considerable volume of low
pressure water and so the lift will travel the required distance-i.e. the motor will
do the required work-with considerably less consumption of the high pressure water
than would otherwise be the case, on the other hand if the load be a heavy one or
the maximum load then the force of the high pressure water will close the back
pressure valve aforesaid and the high pressure water will do its work as if my
"economiser were not applied-thus the action of the apparatus is automatic.
"
A governor or regulator of any suitable form or construction may be used either
inserted at any convenient point between the injector and the lift or motor and
actuated by the varying velocity of the water or actuated by the motor itself.
And in order that my present invention may be easily understood and readily
carried into practice I will proceed to further describe same with reference.to the
drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the injector and automatic regulator
*complete.
Figure 2 is an exterior longitudinal view of the apparatus between the lines 1-1
and 2-2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrow y.
Figure 3 is diagram of a lift apparatus with my "economiser" applied thereto.
Figure 4 is a diagram of a hydraulic motor with my economiser applied thereto.
a is the high pressure water supply pipe (coming from the high pressure water
main a see Figures 3 and 4) joining the movable pipe or tube b by means of the
union c through a stuffing box in which the tube slides. To the other end of this
tube is fixed by means of "feathers" or by other suitable means the conical plug d
which when pushed forward (as hereinafter explained) fits the female cone e but is
normally kept pressed back by the spring.
fis the low pressure or ordinary water supply having a back pressure valve or inlet
valve conveniently arranged in its passage.
The low pressure water coming through can only enter the pipe g-which is
movable through the stuffing boxes h and 7-when said pipe g is moved towards and
into the pipe as hereinafter explained upon which the low pressure water from fis
drawn in by the flow of the high pressure water from a and combined they flow along
pipes and and pass out at to the lift or motor cylinder.
The part g* of the pipe g is within a hydraulic cylinder m and forms a kind of
piston therein by having a part n arranged thereon so as to act as a piston.
This piston n is actuated by means of high pressure water supplied thereto through
a small feed pipe o from the pipe a such high pressure water being delivered into the
spaco p and from thence down one of the passages p' or p² to one side or the other of
the said piston n the exhaust taking place through the other of said passages and thence
through the centre of the circular slide valve g to the exhaust pipe p³.

page_text: The circular slide valve q is kept in its normal central position as shown in the
drawings by the spring on the rod upon which rod the said valve g is mounted
the other end of said rod q' being also rigidly mounted and attached to the piston s
in the cylinder t the flow of water at the point marked * acting as will be casily
understood on reference to this part of Figure 1-as either an "interceptor" (to force
the water into the cylinder t through the pipe t¹) or as an ejector to draw the water
from the other side of the pistons in the cylinder t through the pipe 2.
On the part is mounted and rigidly secured a collar g₁ to which is pivoted at g³
one end of the rod g³ the other end thereof being pivoted at g' to the cam g' which
again is double pivoted at g. A slot g' is formed in said cam or segment of a cam g³
and a stud is mounted on the pipe the said slot 97 engaging and actuating the
said stud to move the pipe backwards and forwards as hereinafter explained.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
-
The several movable parts of the apparatus are all in the positions as represented in
Figure 1 of the drawings when the full load is on the motor, but when the motor is
at rest and there being no flow of water the pressure of the water will be equal on
both sides of the pistons and consequently the spring will draw said piston towards
it to the end of the cylinder t thus allowing the water from 2 to pass through p₁ to
force the piston and pipe g along to the position shown in Figure 1 and so close
the low pressure water supply and open the high pressure fully ready for use.
If now the load is the full one for which any such apparatus is designed then the
flow or velocity of said water at the point marked in Figure 1 will be slow and
the pressure through the pipes t¹t will be just so much greater on the side t' of the
pistons than on the side to that said piston's will thereby be moved into and retained
in the central position shown in Figure 1 of the drawings thus still cutting off the
low
pressure water and leaving the full high pressure supply open.
If on the other hand the load be not the full load the velocity of high pressure water
past the point will be greatly increased consequently the pressure through the
interceptor pipe t will be greater on the side t¹ of the piston also the ejector will draw
off the water from the side and the piston will therefore travel in the direction of
the arrow marked and so will move the piston valve q carried on the same shaft q'—
This valve will then allow high pressure water from the pipe o to pass to the left
side of piston n which moves said piston and the pipe g to which it is attached in the
direction of the arrow and consequently immediately allows the low pressure water
from to be drawn in while at the same time by means of the collar rod g³ cam g³
and stud on pipe b cause the pipe b to be moved along in the direction also of
arrow and so more or less cut off the high pressure water.
Thus the admission or exclusion of the low pressure water from fand the cutting
off of the high pressure water from pipe a is automatically regulated exactly in
accordance with the amount of work or load which is for the time being put upon
the motor to which my "economiser " is applied.
It will be obvious that other arrangements of automatic apparatus for regulating the
admission and exclusion of the low pressure water and the cutting off of the high
pressure water may be designed and used with my improved economiser as I have
only described and illustrated such regulating apparatus for the sake of example.
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 :-
1. The method of economising high pressure water used to actuate hydraulic lifts
or other like hydraulic motors when such motors are working at less than their
maximum load consisting of having two separate and independent water supplies one
of which is high pressure and the other low pressure or any ordinary pressure which
latter low pressure water is drawn in by the high pressure water coming through an
injector of any suitable form and construction substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore set forth.

page_text: 2. The improved apparatus for economising high pressure water used to actuate
hydraulic lifts or other like hydraulic motors substantially in the manner and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 9th day of August 1889.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Patentee.