Improvements in Centrifugal Pumps and Motors.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Centrifugal Pumps and Motors.
I, JOHN EBENEZER BOUSFIELD, of the Firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., The
General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of London,
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to
me by La Société des Procédés Desgoffe et de Georges, of Paris, in the Republic
of France) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in centrifugal pumps and motors.
The principle of the invention consists in the combination of a series of inclined
planes or their derivatives, the geometrical elements of which are arranged so as to
create by their respective movements a reaction or impulse in the direction of the
said planes and so as to impart to any liquid in or on which they act a movement.
of translation in the desired direction.
In applying the above principle to the construction of my pump I provide a
casing in which a disc or plate rotates, the said disc or plate having on each of its
faces spiral or spiroidal grooves and being adapted to rotate with a slight amount.
of play between two fixed discs provided with spiral or spiroidal projections the
inclination of which is in the opposite direction to that of the spiral grooves on the
rotating disc. This latter is keyed to a shaft mounted on suitable supports and
passing through stuffing boxes in the casing. A pulley is provided for actuating
the said rotating disc. With this arrangement the pressure of a column of water
acting simultaneously on the two lateral faces of the rotating disc is counter-
balanced so that all friction arising from the weight of the head of water on the
pivot is obviated whereby the pivot only has to support the weight of the rotating
disc.
The pump above described can be arranged so that the water acts by pressure,
by its weight, by its live force or by these different methods together. To this
end I form the spiral portions of the rotating and fixed discs alternately solid and
hollow by means of concentrically arranged grooves in such a manner that the
projecting portions of the rotating disc fit with a slight amount of play into the
hollow portions of the fixed disc and vice versa.
Instead of continuing the recesses to the surface of the discs a fraction of the
height of the spiral projections may be left in the bottom of the same so that
the effects of reaction may be employed concurrently with pressure.
The action of my improved apparatus can be reversed, that is to say, if in order
to raise a quantity Q of water to a height h it is necessary that the pump make
N revolutions and perform an amount of work denoted by T so as to produce a
useful effect denoted by Tu, the same apparatus when used as a turbine with a
head of water h would make N revolutions whilst using a quantity of water and
would do an amount of work equal to Tu.
My improvements are also applicable to steam, gas and petroleum motors or
turbines in which the progressive expansion of the fluid is directly utilized along
the whole length of the vane proportionally to the increase in the size of the

page_text: diverging spiral projections or recesses, from its introduction at the centre to its
escape at the circumference.
Dated the 2nd day of April 1896.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Centrifugal Pumps and Motors.
I, JOHN EBENEZER BOUSFIELD, of the Firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., The
General, Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of London,
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
to me by La Société des Procédés Desgoffe et de Georges, of Paris, in the Republic
of France,) 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 improvements in centrifugal pumps and motors.
The principle of the invention consists in the combination of a series of inclined
planes or their derivatives, the geometrical elements of which are arranged so as to
create by their respective movements a reaction or impulse in the direction of the
said planes and so as to impart to any liquid in or upon which they act a movement
of translation in the desired direction.
The considerations discussed in the following paragraphs will enable the principle
which I desire to define, to be clearly understood.
Given as shewn in full lines in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings two
curvilinear triangles a m d and m bf having their bases a m and m b equal to one
another and their two oppositely directed projecting curves m d and mf each of
which forms the portion of a spiral of 80° in circumference, arranged to rotate
around a common axis C. If, whilst maintaining m bf rigid, a rotary motion from
left to right (in the direction of the arrow y) be imparted to a m d so as to bring
it into the position m b d a body O placed at the point of contact m of the two
curves m d and m f will, under the reaction of the projecting portion of the
plane mf (the inclination of which is opposite to that of m d) roll upon the latter
and will assume the position O', that is to say, the middle point in the height of
the triangles.
lf, now, the two triangles have imparted to them simultaneously a uniform equal
motion but in opposite directions, that is to say, if m bf be pushed towards a m d'
whilst ma d is pushed towards m b d', the body O under the reaction or impulse
of the spiroidal planes, having oppositely directed traces mf and m d and forming
the two sides of a parallelogram of forces, will move diagonally to the position O
that is to say, through a distance equal to the height of the triangles. From this
it will be seen that, in arranging a series of successive projecting spiroidals upon
the annular plane of breadth bf one revolution of the movable disc or plate
around its axis will correspond to the translation parallel to the radius of all
bodies placed between the two homocentric spirals of oppositely directed traces,
for a distance equal to bfx360°
80°
for the first case and for the second case

page_text: isplacement repass the point considered so as to pursue without stop the same
irection whereby the movement of a body subjected to the action of the two
rojecting homocentric spiroidals follows an uninterrupted and constant path
arallel to the radius, the amplitude of the movement depending upon the angle of
aclination of the curves under consideration.
(a) By applying the above principles to a radial reaction pump I obtain the
ollowing relations, assuming that the speed W (in metres per second) to be
mparted to the outer circumference of the movable disc for raising water (at full
ischarge to height & corresponds theoretically to the formula W =
2gh

page_text: S the section acting, at the mean circumference of radius Rm, upon the two
faces of the movable disc. S=2π Rm x 2f (from which the metallic thicknesses
of the projections are deduced)
Qthe volume in cubic metres of water discharged per second to a height h..
OS

page_text: radii of curvature of each division from the equation ẞ
=
(P³ + V³)
2 P+ V
(where
V indicates the sector radius) and by taking the mean of two consecutive radii ;
the curve will consequently be more accurate the greater the number n of
divisions.
With the aid of the above data the spiral line a, b, c, d, e, f, (Figure 3) is.
described in the same manner as that shewn in Figure 2.
My radial reaction pump, the construction of which is based upon the principles:
described and of which Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are respectively a front view of the
interior, an elevation, a horizontal section and a plan, comprises a jacket or
envelope a in which a disc or plate b can rotate and upon each of the faces of
which disc there are formed spiroidal grooves b. The disc rotates with a slight
amount of play between two fixed discs C, C each of which is provided with two
projecting spirals C¹ inclined oppositely to the spirals on the movable plate b. The
latter plate or disc is keyed upon the shaft d resting in suitable supports and
passing through the jacket or envelope through stuffing-boxes. A pulley d¹ serves.
to communicate motion to the disc b."
The jacket or envelope a may have a spiroidal shape, as shewn in Figure 4bs,
and the suction pipe may be arranged at any suitable angle with that of the
discharge pipe or it may be parallel to the same.
With this arrangement it follows that the pressure of the column of water which
is exerted simultaneously upon the two lateral faces of the movable disc is
counterbalanced so that all friction arising from the weight of the head of water
on the pivot is obviated whereby the pivot has to support only the weight of the.
rotating disc.
The radial reaction pump above described can be arranged so that the water
acts by pressure, by its weight, by its live force, or by these different methods
together. To this end I form the spiral portions or threads of the rotating and
fixed discs alternately full and recessed around their peripheries (Figures 8, 9, 10)
so that the projecting portions of the rotating disc fit with a slight amount of
play into the recessed portions of the fixed disc and vice versa.
Instead of continuing the recess to the surface of the discs a fraction of the
height of the spiral projections can be left in the bottom of the same so that
the effects of reaction may be employed concurrently with pressure.
The action of my improved apparatus can be reversed, that is to say, if in order
to raise a quantity Q of water to a height it is necessary that the pump make
N revolutions and perform an amount of work denoted by T to produce a useful
effect denoted by Tu the same apparatus when used as a hydraulic motor with
a head of water will use a quantity of water Q, make N revolutions and perform
an amount of work equal to Tu.
The equations and formule relating to radial reaction pumps can also be
applied to fans by substituting hy for h, (y being the ratio of the heights of
columns of air and water which produce the same pressure at a given temperature)..

page_text: For y=815.5 and for a pressure in milli.netres of water the speed at the
outer circumference in metres per second thus corresponds for
to W16 h and for the case (b) to W =
16 h
(a)
My invention can also be applied to the construction of steam, gas, petroleum
and other engines or motors in which the progressive expansion of the fluid is
directly utilized over the whole length of the radius proportionally to the
increase of the distance between the diverging spiroidal projections from its
introduction through the central orifice to its escape or discharge at the outer
circumference.
My radial reaction pump can also be usefully employed for the propulsion of
vessels for the system, whilst representing the plaue development of the cylindrical
helix from which it is derived by the substitution of the function of the axes,
also utilizes a powerful factor viz.-the reactive counter-spiral which performs the
rôle of a kind of constant fulcrum of a continuous lever which thoroughly modifies
the action of a simple helix.
The output of my radial reaction pump, being very much greater than that of
ordinary pumps, it is obvious that by arranging the suction at the front of the
vessel and the discharge at the rear of the same, propulsion by the reaction of
the latter in conjunction with the relative depression produced by the former at
the front will particularly aid the speed of the vessel by diminishing the resistances
resulting from the rise of the liquid level during the movement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A radial reaction pump consisting of a rotating disc or plate upon the lateral
faces of which are arranged spiroidal projections and which rotates with slight
play between two fixed discs also provided with spiroidal projections extending in
the opposite direction to the projections of the rotating plate, the said projections
being according to the purpose for which they are to be used, either continuous or
formed alternately full and recessed in such a manner as to enter into one another
with a slight amount of play (as represented in Figures 8, 9 and 10) the whole
being arranged within a suitable jacket or envelope and connected in any
suitable manner with suitable means for driving the disc, substantially as
described.
2. The manufacture and use of the radial reaction pumps hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 and 4ba respectively of the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 4th dor of To 1907
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.