IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR COMPRESSING ENGINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Edward Blackett Beaumont, of Westminster,
in the County of Middlesex, and David Greig, of Leeds, in the County of
York, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR COMPRESSING
ENGINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Edward Blackett
Beaumont and David Greig at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 27th December 1880.
FREDERICK EDWARD BLACKETT BEAUMONT, of Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, and DAVID GREIG, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR COMPRESSING ENGINES."
Our Invention relates to an arrangement of a steam engine and compressing
pumps in compact and convenient form so as to constitute a portable or moveable
air compressing engine which can be worked with great economy of fuel.
For this purpose we make the engine in the usual form of a portable or traction
engine having a horizontal boiler mounted on suitable travelling wheels. Under
the barrel of the boiler, at its smoke box end, we fix horizontally side by side a
pair of steam cylinders of different diameters arranged to work as a compound
engine, their piston rods being connected to cranks at right angles to each other on
a shaft mounted under the barrel of the boiler near the fire box. From the pistons
of the two cylinders rods extend through the cylinder bottoms to the pistons of
two air pumps, which are also fixed horizontally side by side, each in line with one
of the steam cylinders. The one air pump which is larger than the other draws in
atmospheric air, and compressing it to a certain degree delivers it into a cooling
reservoir arranged under the pumps, and the second or smaller air pump draws air
from the reservoir and farther compresses it, delivers it into a receptacle or into a
pipe by which it is conveyed to operate at a distance. The pumps are placed in a
tank containing water to keep them cool, the water being caused to circulate
through the tank and through tubes or passages presenting extended surface in the
cooling reservoir.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederick Edward Blackett Beaumont and David Greig in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 25th June 1881.
FREDERICK EDWARD BLACKETT BEAUMONT, of Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, and DAVID GREIG, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR COMPRESSING ENGINES."
Our Invention relates to an arrangement of a steam engine and compressing
pumps in compact and convenient form so as to constitute a portable or moveable
air compressing engine which can be worked with great economy of fuel.
For this purpose we make the engine in the usual form of a portable or traction
engine having a horizontal boiler mounted on suitable travelling wheels. Under
the barrel of the boiler, at its smoke box end, we fix horizontally side by side a
pair of steam cylinders of different diameters arranged to work as a compound
engine, their piston rods being connected to cranks at right angles to each other
on a shaft mounted under the barrel of the boiler near the fire box. From the
pistons of the two cylinders rods extend through the cylinder bottoms to the
pistons of two air pumps, which are also fixed horizontally side by side, each in
line with one of the steam cylinders. The one air pump which is larger than the
other draws in atmospheric air, and compressing it to a certain degree* delivers
it into a cooling reservoir arranged under the pumps, and the second or smaller
air pump draws air from the reservoir, and farther compressing it delivers it into a
receptacle or into a pipe, by which it is conveyed to operate at a distance. The
pumps are placed in a tank containing water to keep them cool, the water being
caused to circulate through the tank and through tubes or passagges presenting
extended surface in the cooling reservoir.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a perspective view of a moveable
compound air compressing steam engine according to our Invention, and Fig. 2 is a
transverse section to an enlarged scale through the air pumps and the intermediate
cooling reservoir. The two unequal steam cylinders A and B are situated under
the smoke box and their pistons are connected to cranks on the flywheel shaft C.
They are also directly connected to the pistons of the two unequal pump cylinders
D and E, each of which is situated with its axis in line with the axis of one of the
cylinders A and B. The pump cylinders D and E are placed in a tank F containing
water, and under them is a reservoir G through which there extend a number of
tubes H. The air partly compressed by the larger pump D is discharged into the
reservoir G, and is cooled by water circulating through the tubes H before
supplying the smaller pump E, by which its farther compression is effected. The
cylinders D and E are also kept cool by the water in the tank F.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, we claim,―
First. The construction of compound air compressing steam engine, wherein the
two steam cylinders of unequal diameters have their pistons directly connected to the
pistons of two compressing pumps of unequal diameters, substantially as herein
described.⚫
Second. The combination of the two compressing pumps with an intermediate
air reservoir cooled by circulation of water through tubes therein, substantially as
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Edward Blackett Beaumont, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty fourth day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.