Improvements in the Use of Oil and Water for Internal Lubrication and Cooling in Air and Gas Compressing Pumps.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left. 28th Aug., 1893-Accepted. 21st Oct.. 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Use of Oil and Water for Internal Lubrication
and Cooling in Air and Gas Compressing Pumps.
We GEORGE EDWARD BELLISS, and ALFRED MORCOM, 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:-
In pamps employed for compressing air and gases for various purposes it is
usual to introduce into the pump cylinder both oil and water the function of the
oil being to lubricate the parts the water having for its function to absorb the
heat developed on the compression of the air or gas.
Our invention has for its object to collect the said oil and water from the
compressed air or gas before it reaches the reservoir in which it is stored and
to return the mixture to the pump cylinder. This we effect by the use of a
receptacle attached to the air discharge pipe of the compressing pump and between
the said pump and the reservoir. The cempressed air or gas with the oil and
water suspended in it in passing to the reservoir deposits the suspended oil and
water in the said separator from which they are returned to the compressing pump
cylinder. The oil and water collected in the separator is forced by the pressure
of the air or gas to pass through a pipe having a regulating attachment into
the inlet of the air or gas pump or with suitable valve arrangement into the pump
itself.
The said oil and water are this used over and over again and economy in the
consumption of oil effected.
Our invention also permits the use of a larger quantity of cooling water than can
be properly employed when no such separation and reusing is effected.
Dated this 17th day of March 1893.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Use of Oil and Water for Internal Lubrication
and Cooling in Air and Gas Compressing Pumps.
We, GEORGE EDWARD BELLISS and ALFRED MORCOM, both of Ledsam
Street Works, in the City of Birmingham, Engineers, 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 :-
In pumps employed for compressing air and gases for various purposes, it is
usual to introduce into the pump cylinder both oil and water; the function of the
oil being to lubricate the parts, and the water having for its function to absorb the
heat developed on the compression of the air or gas.
Our invention has for its object to collect the said oil and water from the
compressed air or gas before it reaches the reservoir in which it is stored and to
return the mixture to the pump cylinder. This we effect by the use of a receptacle
attached to the air discharge pipe of the compressing pump and between the said
pump and the reservoir.
The compressed air or gas with the oil and water suspended in it in passing to
the reservoir deposits the suspended oil and water in the said separator from which
they are returned to the compressing pump cylinder. The oil and water collected
D

page_text: in the separator is forced by the pressure of the air or gas to pass through a pipe
having a regulating attacliment into the inlet of the air or gas pump, or with
suitable valve arrangement into the pump itself. The said oil and water are thus
used over and over again and economy in the consumption of oil effected.
Our invention also permits the use of a larger quantity of cooling water than can
be properly employed when no such separation and reusing is effected.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings-
Figure is a vertical section through a separator and part of a compressing
pump showing the application of our system according to one arrangement.
Figure 2 is a plan of the separator showing the position of the branches.
Figure 3 is a section of a water separating attachment which may be used in the
interior of the separator.
In the drawings, we have shown our continuons system of water and oil
circulation, condensation and separation, as arranged for a two stage compressing
pump in which is a single acting low pressure piston working in a cylinder A.
The piston Bis so constructed that on the down stroke air is drawn into the cylinder
above the piston and on the following up stroke the air so drawn into the cylinder
passes through the said piston to the pace formed under it and is compressed
on the succeeding down stroke. The air discharged from the cylinder A then
passes through a cooling coil and enters the high pressure cylinder, in which it
is compressed and is discharged into another cooling coil. The high pressure
eylinder is not shown in the drawing nor are the cooling coils. From this high
pressure cooling coil it passes by the banch D into the
parator (.
וי
The separator C is a tubular vessel closel with suitable end covers which covers
carry the necessary branches for the required connections,
When starting the arrangement at first, the separator is partly filled with
mixed oil and water and the air pressure generated by the pump acting on the
surface of the liquid mixture forces it up the pipe Gf by way of the branch (
and the screw down regulating valve G³, to the pipe G², by which pipe it discharges
into the nozzle G and from the said nozzle it drops through the pipe G* into
the e's linder A. Sight holes are shown at G and by their aid the feed of water
and oil is observed and regulated by the screw down valve (
The water and oil entering the low pressure exlinder forms spray and by
absorbing a great part of the Inat improves the economy, and also serves to
lubricate the piston. The water and oil spray is carried from the low pressure
eslinder by the discharging air and part of the water which has been vapourised
by the heat is condensed again in a cooling coil between the low and high pressure
cylinders.
The water which has served to keep down the temperature of compression in
the low pressure cylinder thus enters the high pressure cylinder and performs a
similar function there and the lubricating oil also passes from one cylinder to
the other. Part of the water is again vapourized by the heat generated in the
high pressure cylinder and so the temperature of compression is kept within
convenient limits. From the high pressure cylinder the high pressure air carrying
with it water vapour, spray and oil passes into a cooling coil in which cooling is
effected and the water vapour again condensed. The air leaving the high
pressure coil this carries with it all the oil and water introduced into the pump
in a state of spray, and this mixture of air and spray enters the separator vessel C
by the branch D and pipe D'. The pipe D' is preferably turned toward the walls
of the vessel C so that the air current by impinging against the sides deposits the
water and oil spray carried by it, which water and oil spray flows down the sides
and keeps the level of liquid in the vessel G approminately constant. Sometimes
we attach to the end of the pipe D' a box D (Figure 3) having a perforated
bottom D3 and this also serves to separate the liquid from the air and collect it in
the vessel C. Any other type of dash box may be applied. The water and oil
then passes up the pipe G and again enters the cylinder A at a rate visible at the
sight holes G³ and regulated at the screw down valve G³.

page_text: The high pressure air passes by the branch E to the high pressure reservoir.
The pressure gauge F connects to the separator by the branch F.
H is an overflow pipe which is connected to a drain valve and is used in cases
where there is any possibility of mixture of the air with some of the cooling
circulating water, which circulating water is required to cool the coils and supply
the water jackets of the pump. By opening the drain valve slightly the water
level in the separator C may be kept constant at the top of the pipe H as indicated
in Figure 1.
I is a plug required for cleaning purposes.
His a branch lending from the overflow pipe H.
In the plan Figure 2 the branches D E are shown as opposing each other instead
of the branches D and Gas shown in Figure 1, but this is immaterial as the
branches may be arranged in many ways.
A' A' are the water jackets of the pump.
By our invention carried out as hereinbefore described we thus use the same oil
and water in the pump cylinder over and over again without loss, and we
alternately vapourize and condense the water introduced into the pump cylinders
and are so enabled to supply a larger quantity of water within the cylinders than
is usual, without the danger otherwise incurred of carrying over water with the
dry air. Although we have shown our system as applied to a two stage com-
pressing pump of a special type it is obvious that it is applicable to any type of air
or gas compressing pump.
The separator too with its connections may be arranged in other ways without
departing from our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In gas or air compressing pumps, the method of lubricating the pistons and
controlling the temperature of compression by the admission of oil and water to
the cylinders which oil and water is continuously extracted from the compressed
air by a separator, and returned from the said separator to the cylinder or
cylinders to be used over again substantially as herein before described.
2. In air or gas compressing pumps, a separator through which the compressed
air passes on its way to the reservoir, the said separator having suitable air inlet
and outlet connections and a water and oil outlet connection discharging by a
regulated orifice with or without an adjustable valve, substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of August 1893.
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicants.