Improvements in Apparatus for Washing, Screening, Conveying, and Elevating Sand, Shingle, and other material.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1891.
Complete: Specification. Left, 16th, June, 1892-Accepted, 16th July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Washing, Screening, Conveying,
and Elevating Sand, Shingle, and other material.
We, WALTER HUNTER of Bow, ALEXANDER FRASER of The Mount, Ealing, and
RICHARD GOODMAN of the Water Works, Brentford all in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for washing,
screening conveying and elevating sand shingle and other materials.
The apparatus is especially suitable for washing sand and materials for forming
filter beds for filtering. water. It comprises a series of hoppers and near the
bottom of each hopper there is a nozzle from which a jet of water under high.
pressure issues in an horizontal direction. In front of each nozzle and within the
hopper there is a conical mouth in connection with an ascending pipe. The sand
or material to be washed is thrown into the first hopper of the series into the
water which this hopper contains and the jet drives the sand together with water
into the conical mouth and up the ascending pipe.
This stream is delivered on to a screen which separates stones and lumps and the
rest falls into the second hopper of the series and so in this way the material is
carried forward from hopper to hopper until finally it is delivered from the last
ascending pipe on to a bank in a cleaned state. The delivery pipe is of such a
length and is so jointed that the place of delivery may be easily changed from
time to time as may be convenient. The hoppers or some of them are provided
with overflow apertures by which a portion of the washing water overflows
carrying with it the mud and dirt removed from the sand. This foul water is
conveyed away by drains. A portion of the overflow water from the second or
subsequent hoppers is led back to the first hopper to increase the overflow from
this hopper and cause the separation in this hopper of a larger proportion of the
impurities. The first hopper of the series is advantageously made of larger
dimensions than the subsequent hoppers.
The first hopper or hoppers of the series may often with great advantage be
placed at a lower level or levels than the other hoppers so that the material whilst
in process of washing may be progressively lifted.
In some cases labour may be saved by so arranging that one or more of the
hoppers may be movable from place to place in order that the sand or material
may not have to be conveyed far to bring it to the receiving hopper.
Sometimes at the lower level it may not be convenient to make drains suitable to
receive overflow water; in such cases the hopper or hoppers at the lower level or
levels may be worked without overflow, all the water and material being carried
forward by the force of the jet or jets to the higher level where suitable drains
for the escape of the foul water can be provided; or overflow may be permitted at
the lower level or levels and the foul water may be raised to the drain by the aid
of a water jet or otherwise.
The water jets may, if desired, be caused to carry air forward with them which
in some cases will aid in the purification of the material to be washed. An air
pipe is in such cases provided in connection with each nozzle and it is so arranged
that the rush of water through the nozzle causes a stream of air also to be drawn
in and forced together with the water and solid material into the ascending pipe.
Dated this 16th day of September 1891.

page_text: .COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Apparatus for Washing, Screening, Conveying,
and Elevating Sand, Shingle, and other material.
We, WALTER HUNTER, of Bow, ALEXANDER FRASER, of the Mount, Ealing,
and RICHARD GOODMAN, of the Water Works, Brentford, all in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineers, do hereby declare-the nature of this invention and im
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for washing,
screening, conveying and elevating sand, shingle and other materials.
The apparatus is especially suitable for washing sand and materials for forming
filter beds for filtering water. It comprises a series of hoppers and near the
bottom of each hopper there is a nozzle from which a jet of water under high
pressure issues. In front of each nozzle and within the hopper there is a mouth. in
connection with an ascending pipe. The sand or material to be washed is thrown
into the first hopper of the series into the water which this hopper contains and the
jet drives the sand together with water into the conical mouth and up the
ascending pipe.
This stream is delivered on to a screen which separates stones and lumps and the
rest falls into the second hopper of the series and so in this way the material is
carried forward from hopper to hopper until finally it is delivered from the last
ascending pipe on to a bank in a cleaned state. The delivery pipe is of such a
length and is so jointed that the place of delivery may be easily changed from time
to time as may be convenient. The hoppers or some of them are provided with,
overflow apertures by which a portion of the washing water overflows carrying
with it the mud and dirt removed from the sand. This foul water is conveyed
away by drains.
The first hopper of the series is advantageously made of larger
dimensions than the subsequent hoppers.
The first hopper or hoppers of the series may often with great advantage be
placed at a lower level or levels than the other hoppers so that the material whilst
in process of washing may be progressively lifted.
In some cases labour may be saved by so arranging that one or more of the
hoppers may be moveable from place to place in order that the sand or material
may not have to be conveyed far to bring it to the receiving hopper.
Sometimes at the lower level it may not be convenient to make drains suitable to
receive overflow water; in such cases the hopper or hoppers at the lower level or
levels may be worked without overflow, all the water and material being carried
forward by the force of the jet or jets to the higher level where suitable drains for
the escape of the foul water can be provided; or overflow may be permitted at the
lower level or levels and the foul water may be raised to the drain by the aid of a
water jet or otherwise.
The water jets may, if desired, be caused to carry air forward with them which
in some cases will aid in the purification of the material to be washed. An air
pipe is in such cases provided in connection with each nozzle and it is so arranged
that the rush of water through the nozzle causes a stream of air also to be drawn
in and forced together with the water and solid material into the ascending
pipe.
In order that our said invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect we will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

page_text: Figure 4 is a vertical section of one of the hoppers to a larger scale.
Figure 5 is similar to Figure 4 with the addition of parts for the supply of air
together with the water jets
abedef and g represent a series of similar hoppers, say 28 inches square at the
mouth. The hopper a is at a lower level than the others say at the level of the
filter bed and readily moveable, whilst the others of the series are upon the bank
and may be more permanently fixed. hh are the nozzles for the delivery of water
jets into the hoppers which may be horizontal as in Figure 1 or somewhat inclined
as in Figures 4 and 5. h¹¹ are valves for regulating the jets. are the pipes.
which convey the sand from hopper to hopper and finally deliver it. kk are othe
overflow passages by which water passes away from the hoppers taking impurities
with it. The hopper a is without a passage k as usually it would be inconvenient
to have water escaping at this low level. is an inclined screen applied over the
hopper c and the delivery from the hopper b is upon the surface of this screen; the
sand and water pass through but the lumps run down the screen; and fall away on.
to the bank or into a receptacle.
When desired the water jets are caused to carry air forward into the hoppers.
through passages provided for the purpose as is shown in Figure. 5; this is
desirable where the sand or material under treatment contains impurities which
require to be oxidised to render them innocuous.
m is a receptacle into which the washed sand is delivered. The receptacle as.
here shown is adapted to run upon a railway and to carry the sand to the place
where it is required to be laid down again on the filter bed. Or the delivery may
be on to a bank or into an adjoining filter bed.
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. Apparatus consisting of a hopper or vessel containing sand or like material
together with water, a jet pipe near the bottom of the hopper or vessel, providing.
a water jet driving the sand or material together with some of the water up a
delivery pipe and an overflow passage by which the remainder of the water escapes,.
taking with it impurities with which the sand or material was mixed.
2. Apparatus consisting of hoppers or vessels arranged in accordance with the
first claim and a screen interposed between one vessel and another and so arranged
as to intercept lumps.
3. Apparatus consisting of hoppers or vessels arranged in accordance with the
first claim and with the first hopper or vessel of the series at a lower level than
the others and without overflow and so arranged that all the water which it
receives is carried forward with the sand or material into the next hopper or
vessel.
4. Apparatus consisting of a hopper or vessel in accordance with the first claim
and provided with an air passage in the neighbourhood of the water jet admitting
air to be drawn in by the jet and forced amongst the sand which the hopper or
vessel contains.
Dated this 14th day of June 1800
WALTER HUNTER.
ALEXANDER FRASER.
RICHARD GOODMAN.