AN IMPROVED COMBUSTION PUMP
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED COMBUSTION PUMP."-A communication from abroad by Thomas
John Linton, Manufacturer, of Providence, Providence County, Rhode
Island, United States of America.
Sealed the 6th July 1865, and dated the 4th February 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
February 1865.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED COMBUSTION PUMP," to be as follows:-
This Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing forming part of
this Specification, and is an improvement on that class of pumps or water
elevators in which by the combustion of a hydrocarbon liquid a vacuum is
produced, whereby the water or other liquid is caused to rise through the
suction pipe and to discharge at the desired point.
The Invention consists in the use of steam combined with the hydrocarbon
liquid in the interior of the reservoir or chamber in which the vacuum is to
be produced, in such a manner that by the condensation of the steam the
intensity of the vacuum is considerably increased, and the raising or elevating

page_text: of the water is materially facilitated. The water from which the steam is to
be formed is placed in a shallow pan over a similar pan containing the hydro-
carbon liquids, in such a manner that the heat evolved by the combustion
of the hydrocarbon liquid volatilizes the water, and a sufficient quantity of
steam is obtained to produce the desired result. The bydrocarbon liquid is
measured by means of a bell-shaped or other vessel or spout attached to the
supply tube, and it is ignited by introducing into said spout, after the pan in
the interior of the reservoir has been filled, a small quantity of hydrocarbon
liquid and lighting the same, so that it runs into the reservoir while burning
and ignites that portion of the liquid in the pan. The gaseous products of com-
bustion are allowed to escape through the ascension pipe, which is provided with
a hinged drop valve fitting into a cavity filled with liquid, in such a manner
that so soon as the gases have escaped the valve can be dropped, and an air-
tight joint is obtained, whereby the operation of the apparatus is not disturbed.
A represents a reservoir, which by preference is made in the form of a long
cylinder, with a comparatively small diameter, but which can be made in any
other desirable form or shape. The interior of this reservoir is provided with
two sets of brackets a, a¹, one situated above the other, as shown in the
Drawing, and so shaped that they are capable of supporting pans B, B.
These pans are made of sheet metal, with corrugated bottoms and quite
shallow, and they extend from one end of the reservoir to the other, as shown.
The sides of the brackets are perforated with a series of holes b, b', partly for
the sake of lightness and partly to allow the vapors or gases evolved from
the liquids in the pans to escape freely into the reservoir. The upper pan B
is intended to hold water, and the lower pan B' some hydrocarbon liquid, such
as naptha or benzine. These liquids are introduced through supply pipes c, c',
and in order to measure off the requisite quantity of liquid for each pan said
supply pipes are provided with measuring spouts d, d', and stop-cocks e, e¹,
the spaces above these cocks being just large enough to hold the requisite
quantities of liquid. A channel f forms the communication between the
reservoir A and the suction pipe C. This pipe may be made to extend down
to a depth of about twenty feet, and it is provided with a foot valve g opening
inwardly, so that the liquid which has once passed into the pipe is not
allowed to run out below. The upper end of the suction pipe connects with
the ascension pipe D, which terminates under a valve E, as shown in the
Drawing. This valve is suspended from a hinged lever F, so that it can be
readily raised or lowered, and it closes down into a well g' filled with water
or other liquid, and surrounding the mouth of the ascension pipe, so that an
air-tight joint is produced when the valve is closed; a waste faucet G

page_text: inserted into the lower part of the reservoir A serves to discharge from the
same all the water or other fluids accumulating therein. The operation is as
follows: After the pans have been adjusted in the reservoir A, the latter is
closed air-tight and the upper pan is filled with water, and the lower one
with naptha or other suitable hydrocarbon liquid, the proper quantities being
measured off by means of the spouts d, d'. The stop-cocks e, e', in the supply
pipes are closed, and a small quantity of hydrocarbon liquid is poured into
the spout d' and ignited, and then the cock e¹ is opened, so that the burning
liquid will run down into the lower pan and ignite the liquid contained in the
same. By the heat evolved from the burning bydrocarbon liquid in the lower
pan the water in the upper pan is vaporized, and if the valve E is opened the
air and gaseous products of combustion will escape from the reservoir, pro-
ducing a hissing noise. As soon as this noise ceases the valve is dropped,
and a partial vacuum is formed in the interior of the reservoir, the intensity
of which is still further increased by the condensation of the steam previously
formed by the evaporization of the water in the upper pan, and if the suction
pipe extends into water or other liquid the pressure of the atmosphere forces
such liquid up and causes the same to run out through the ascension pipe D.
A portion of the liquid thus elevated passes through the channel into the
reservoir, and is discharged through the waste faucet G. If the discharge of
liquid from the mouth of the ascension pipe ceases, the pans B, B', are again
charged respectively with water and naptha, and the same operation is
repeated. By these meaus a very large quantity of water can be elevated with
little expense, and with an apparatus which is at once simple and not liable
to get out of order. If secured on the deck of a vessel it will supersede the
use of a pump, and by its action more water can be removed from the hold
of the vessel than by the best pump. Furthermore, the action of this apparatus
is not made dependent upon steam, neither does it require much attention
while in operation. One man is able to operate it with the greatest ease
and convenience, and without being compelled to perform any tiresome labor,
and for these reasons this apparatus is considered particulary valuable for
men-of-war of all classes. When properly protected by suitable armor it
can be applied on the deck of the monitors or other iron-clads with perfect
safety. It may, however, be used in all cases where it is desirable to
elevate a considerable quantity of water or other liquid from a depth not
exceeding 20 or 25 feet at the highest.
By the use of shallow pans the combustion of the naptha and the vaporiza-
tion of the water is facilitated, and the corrugations in the bottoms of the pans
increase their strength and their heating surface. In such cases where the

page_text: water is not to be elevated more than 6 or 8 feet, the vacuum produced by
the combustion of the hydrocarbon liquid is sufficient to produce the desired
effect; but in cases where the water is to be elevated to a greater height, and
consequently a more intense vacuum is needed, the condensation of the steam
in the upper pan will produce the desired effect. The hydrocarbon liquid,
which is used by preference, consists of a mixture of tar and naptha in
various proportions according to the intensity of the vacuum to be produced,
and by using a horizontal cylindrical reservoir of a comparatively small
diameter the back pressure is reduced, and consequently the quantity of the
water elevated or the height to which it can be elevated is increased.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
August 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED COMBUSTION PUMP,"
a communication to me from abroad by Thomas John Linton, Manufacturer,
of Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument, in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal, Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said William Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings forming part of
this Specification, in which Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of
this Invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same. Similar letters
of reference indicate like parts.
This Invention is an improvement on that class of pumps or water
elevators in which by the combustion of the hydrocarbon liquid a vacuum is
produced, whereby the water or other liquid is caused to rise through the
suction pipe and to discharge at the desired point.
The Invention consists in the use of steam combined with the hydrocarbon
liquid in the interior of the reservoir or chamber in which the vacuum is to
be produced, in such a manner that by the condensation of the steam the
intensity of the vacuum is considerably increased, and the raising or elevating
of the water is materially facilitated. The water from which the steam is to
be formed is placed in a shallow pan over a similar pan containing the hydro-
carbon liquids, in such a manner that the heat evolved by the combustion of
the hydrocarbon liquid volatilizes the water, and a sufficient quantity of
steam is obtained to produce the desired result. The hydrocarbon liquid is
measured by means of a bell-shaped or other vessel or spout attached to the
supply tube, and it is ignited by introducing into said spout, after the pan in
the interior of the reservoir has been filled, a small quantity of hydrocarbon
liquid and lighting the same, so that it runs into the reservoir while burning,
and ignites that portion of the liquid in the pan. The gaseous products
of combustion are allowed to escape through the ascension pipe, which is
provided with a hinged drop valve fitting into a cavity filled with liquid, in
such a manner that so soon as the gases have escaped the valve can be
dropped and an air-tight joint is obtained whereby the operation of the
apparatus is not disturbed.
A represents a reservoir, which by preference is made in the form of a long
cylinder, with a comparatively small diameter, but which can be made in any
other desirable form or shape. The interior of this reservoir is provided with
two sets of brackets a, a', one situated above the other, as shown in the
Drawing, and so shaped that they are capable of supporting pans B, B¹. These
pans are made of sheet metal, with corrugated bottoms and quite shallow,
and they extend from one end of the reservoir to the other, as shown in

page_text: Fig. 1. The sides of the brackets are perforated with a series of holes b, b',
partly for the sake of lightness and partly to allow the vapors or gases evolved
from the liquids in the pans to escape freely into the reservoir. The upper
pan B is intended to hold water, and the lower pan B' some hydrocarbon
liquid, such as naptha or benzine. These liquids are introduced through
supply pipes c, c¹, and in order to measure off the requisite quantity of liquid
for each pan said supply pipes are provided with measuring spouts d, d', and
stop-cocks e, e', the spaces above these cocks being just large enough to hold
the requisite quantities of liquid. A channel f forms the communication
between the reservoir A and the suction pipe C. This pipe may be made to
extend down to a depth of about twenty feet, and it is provided with a foot
valve g opening inwardly, so that the liquid which has once passed into the
pipe is not allowed to run out below. The upper end of the suction pipe
connects with the ascension pipe D, which terminates under a valve E, as
shown in the Drawing. This valve is suspended from a hinged lever I', so
that it can be readily raised or lowered, and it closes down into a well g¹ filled
with water or other liquid, and surrounding the mouth of the ascension pipe,
so that an air-tight joint is produced when the valve is closed; a waste
faucet G inserted into the lower part of the reservoir A serves to discharge
from the same all the water or other fluids accumulating therein. The
operation is as follows:-After the pans have been adjusted in the reservoir A,
the latter is closed air-tight and the upper pan is filled with water, and the
lower one with naptha or other suitable hydrocarbon liquid, the proper quan-
tities being measured off by means of the spouts d, d'. The stop-cocks e, e¹,
in the supply pipes are closed, and a small quantity of hydrocarbon liquid is
poured into the spout d¹ and ignited, and then the cock e¹ is opened, so that
the burning liquid will run down into the lower pan and ignite the liquid
contained in the same. By the heat evolved from the burning hydrocarbon
liquid in the lower pan the water in the upper pan is vaporized, and if the
valve E is opened the air and gaseous products of combustion will escape
from the reservoir, producing a hissing noise. As soon as this noise ceases the
valve is dropped, and a partial vacuum is formed in the interior of the
reservoir, the intensity of which is still further increased by the condensation
of the steam previously formed by the evaporization of the water in the upper
pan, and if the suction pipe extends into water or other liquid the pressure of
the atmosphere forces sucli liquid up and causes the same to run out through
the ascension pipe D. A portion of the liquid thus elevated passes through
the channel finto the reservoir, and is discharged through the waste faucet G.
If the discharge of liquid from the mouth of the ascension pipe ceases, the

page_text: pans B, B', are again charged respectively with water and naptha, and the
same operation is repeated. By these means a very large quantity of water
can be clevated with little expense, and with an apparatus which is at once
simple and not liable to get out of order. If secured on the deck of a vessel
it will supersedo the use of a pump, and by its action more water can be
removed from the hold of the vessel than by the best pump. Furthermore,
the action of this apparatus is not made dependent upon steam, neither does
it require much attention while in operation. One man is able to operate it
with the greatest ease and convenience, and without being compelled to
perform any tiresome labor, and for these reasons this apparatus is considered
particularly valuable for men-of-war of all classes. When properly protected
by suitable armour it can be applied on the deck of the monitors or other
iron-clads with perfect safety. It may, however, be used in all cases where it
is desirable to elevate a considerable quantity of water or other liquid from a
depth not exceeding twenty or twenty-five feet at the highest.
By the use of shallow pans the combustion of the naptha and the
vaporization of the water is facilitated, and the corrugations in the bottoms
of the pans increase their strength and their heating surface. In such cases
where the water is not to be elevated more than six or eight feet, the vacuum
produced by the combustion of the hydrocarbon liquid is sufficient to produce
the desired effect; but in cases where the water is to be elevated to a greater
height, and consequently a more intense vacuum is needed, the condensation
of the steam in the upper pan will produce the desired effect. The hydro-
carbon liquid, which is used by preference, consists of a mixture of tar and
naptha in various proportions according to the intensity of the vacuum to be
produced, and by using a horizontal cylindrical reservoir of a comparatively
small diameter the back pressure is reduced, and consequently the quantity
of the water elevated or the height to which it can be elevated is increased.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the use of shallow pans B, B', in combination with the reservoir A and
suction pipe C, constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
Secondly, the method herein described of producing a vacuum in the
reservoir A by the combined action of hydrocarbon liquid and steam, sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
Thirdly, so arranging the water pan B and the hydrocarbon pan B' in relation
to each other and to the reservoir A, that by the combustion of the hydrocarbon

page_text: liquid in the pan B¹ the water in the pan B is vaporized, and a vacuum of
increased intensity is produced in the reservoir, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
Fourthly, the measuring spouts d, d', applied in combination with the pans
B, B', and closed reservoir A, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Fifthly, the method herein described of igniting the hydrocarbon liquid in
the
pan B¹ by igniting a portion of said liquid in the spout, and running such
ignited liquid into the reservoir A, substantially as set forth.
Sixthly, the drop valve E in combination with the ascension pipe D, suction
pipe C, and reservoir A, all constructed and operating substantially as and for
the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)