IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING POWER BY COMPRESSED AIR
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Brunier, of 21, Norfolk Street, Strand,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Brunier at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 8th July 1858.
I, LOUIS BRUNIER, of 21, Norfolk Street, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING POWER BY COMPRESSED AIR"
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a combination of apparatus wherein
compressed air is employed in such manner that the air in passing from
one part of the apparatus to another causes air from the exterior to be
drawn in through peculiarly formed openings, and thus will keep up
the pressure on the interior of the apparatus, although quantities of
the air pass from the apparatus to work an engine. And, although the

page_text: form of the parts of the apparatus may be varied, the best construc-
tion and arrangement I believe to be as follows:-A strong cylindrical
vessel with hemispherical ends is used, having two rising pipes con-
nected by a pipe at their upper ends, a safety valve being applied to
one of the rising pipes. One of such rising pipes is connected by a
suitable branch pipe to an air condensing pump or apparatus: The
other rising pipe has a branch pipe communicating with the engine or
engines. On each of such branch pipes there is a cock or valve to
close the same. In the cylindrical vessel is placed a scries of small
vessels with valves opening outwards, and each such smaller vessel has
a rising couical pipe which passes out of the cylindrical vessel and is
open at the top, and its, opening is opposite to and at a small distance
from an opening at the bottom of a small cylindrical vessel, so that
between the upper end of the conical pipe and the bottom of the small
cylindrical vessel thero is an open space for the outer atmosphere to
pass in when the air is rushing from the small cylindrical vessel into
the conical pipe. On the interior of the opening of the small cylin-
drical vessel is a cone with curved surfaces, which passes through the
opening in the bottom of the small cylindrical vessel, and enters into
the open end of the conical pipe.. Each small cylindrical vessel is by
a pipe (with a cock or valve) in communication with the pipe which
connects the two rising pipes. By which arrangement, when the cylin-
drical vessel has been charged with compressed air, and the cocks
leading to the small cylindrical vessel are opened, the air will rush
through the small cylindrical vessels into the conical pipes, and by so
doing will draw in more air from the outer atniosphere, and thus will a
constant supply be obtained to the apparatus to make up for the quan-
tity which is allowed to pass to work the engine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance. of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Louis Brunier in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 6th January 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
LOUIS BRUNIER, of 21, Norfolk Street, Strand, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of July, in the
year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth A year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Lonis Brunier, Her special licence"
that I, the said Louis Brunier, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Louis Brunier, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OBTAINING POWER BY COMPRESSED AIR," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Louis Brunier, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Tuvention, 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 inmediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Louis Brunier, 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 thereof (that is to say):
This Invention consists of a combination of apparatus wherein com-
pressed air is employed in such manner that the air in passing from
one part of the apparatus to another causes air from the exterior to
be drawn in through peculiarly formed openings, and thus will keep
the pressure on the interior of the apparatus, although quantities of
the air pass from the apparatus to work an engine. And although the
form of the parts of the apparatus may be varied, the best construction
and arrangement I believe to be as follows:-A strong cylindrical vessel
with hemispherical ends is used, having two rising pipes connected by
a pipe at their upper ends, a safety valve being applied to one of the
rising pipes. One of such rising pipes is connected by a suitable branch
pipe to an air condensing pump or apparatus. The other rising pipe

page_text: has a branch pipe communicating with the engine or engines. On
each of such branch pipes there is a cock or valve to close the same.
In the cylindrical vessel is placed a series of small vessels with valves
opening outwards, and each such smaller vessel has a rising conical
pipe which passes out of the cylindrical vessel and is open at the top,
and its opening is opposite to and at a small distance from an opening
at the bottom of a smaller cylindrical vessel to that. Between the upper
end of the conical pipe and the bottom of the small cylindrical vessel
there is an open space for the outer atmosphere to pass in when the
air is rushing. in from the small cylindrical vessel into the conical pipe.
On the interior of the opening of the small cylindrical vessel is a conc
with curved surfaces, which passes through this opening in the bottom
of the small cylindrical vessel, and enters into the open end of the
conical pipe. Each small cylindrical vessel is by a pipe (with
a cock
or valve) in communication with the pipe which connects the two
rising pipes. By which arrangement, when the cylindrical vessel has
been charged with compressed air, and the cocks leading to the small
cylindrical vessels are opened, the air will rush through the small cylin-
drical vessels into the conical pipes, and by so doing will draw in more
air from the outer atmosphere, and thus will a constant supply be
obtained to the apparatus to make up for the quantity which is allowed
to pass to work the engine.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner of performing the same, and I would state that
the present Invention has for its objects improvements in the machi-
nery for which Letters Patent were granted to me on the Thirty-first
day of March, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, is a plan, and Figure 2, a vertical longitudinal section
(taken at the line A, B, in Figure 1) of the machinery; and Figure 3,
shows a section of a modification of the part of the machinery where
fresh supplies of air from the atmospheric air obtained by the rush
of compressed air through this part of the machinery. In each of
these Figures the sanic letters indicate the same parts.
C is a

page_text: cylindrical vessel with hemispherical ends; D, D', are two rising pipes,
which are connected together at their upper ends by the pipe E,
and they are covered by plates b. There is a safety valve F, at the
upper part of one of them, which is pressed on by a weight T, on the
lever U, according to the pressure of compressed air used in the
interior; G, is a pipe leading to an air compressing pump or apparatus ;
and H, is a cock to close the pipe G, when the apparatus is filled with
compressed air to the pressure desired; K, is a pipe leading to an
engine or engines to be worked by the compressed air flowing from the
machinery shewn by the Drawing; L, is a cock to shut off the supply
of air to the engine or engines. The construction of the engines it
will not be necessary to describe, as they may be of the ordinary kinds
used when steam is employed. On the interior of the vessel C, are
small vessels R, having openings v, and valves S, which open ontwards,
and they are constantly open by the pressure of air when the air is
flowing by the pipe K, to the engine or engines. Each of the vessels
R, has conical rising pipes Q, open at top, and the opening at top is
made somewhat larger than. the part immediately below by cutting
away the metal, as shown, so that the upper end of each pipe is made
conical, the larger diameter of the cone being outwards. d, d, are
cylindrical projections on the vessel C, to the covers of which the
rising pipes Q, 7, are fixed, as shown. To the pipe E, are affixed pipes
a, a, a, and having a cock N. To the lower end of these pipes are
fixed the cylinders O, as shewn. The lower end of each cylinder O,
has a circular opening in it, the interior surface of the bottom of the
cylinder O, being inclined towards the opening; and it will be seen that
the opening in the bottom of the cylinder (), is somewhat larger in
diameter than the opening into the conical tubes Q, 7. Each of the
cylinders O, is fixed to its conical pipe Q. q, by means of standards h,
which are fixed by screws and nuts, as shown. In each of the cylinders
O, is fixed at an opening n, a plate m, having on it a bent arm k
which at its lower end has an enlargement or conical end g, the under
surface of which is curved or concaved, which passes through the open-
ing in the bottom of the cylinder O, and enters the upper part of the
conical pipe Q, 7; and it will be seen that between the bottom of each

page_text: of the cylindrical vessels O, and the top of its pipe Q, q, there is a space
open to the outer atmosphere, through which, when the engines are at
work, the air continually rushes to keep up the supply by reason of the
rush of condensed air from the vessel O, into and down its pipe Q, 1.
This incoming of the outer air is improved and facilitated by the
peculiar form of the hollow conical surface of the cone g, and the
opening from the vessel O, and into the pipe Q, . I would state that
these parts may be modified without departing from my Invention, and
I have at Figure 3, shown some alteration in the parts. In this Figure
there is interposed between the bottom of a cylindrical vessel O, and its
conical pipe Q, a short tube, into which the cone y, enters, but it
does not descend into the pipe Q, y. I have not thought it necessary
to show the screws and nuts by which the flanches of the several parts
are fixed together. In putting this machinery to work, the cocks N,
and I, are to be closed. The cock H, in the pipe G, is to be open,
and air is to be forced into the pipe D, till the air therein and in
the apparatus generally is at the desired degree of pressure, during
which time the valves S, will be closed. The cock E, is now to be
closed, and when the engines are to be started the cocks N, are to be
opened, and also the cock L; the air under pressure will flow from the
vessel C, through the pipes D', and K, to the engines, and the rush of
air from the cylinders O, into the pipes Q, q, will cause air from the
outer atmosphere to be drawn in at the open ends of the pipes Q, ;
and this is caused by the compressed air in passing from the vessel O),
rushing against the curved surface of the cone g. The centrifugal
force of the air thus produced presses at right angles to the surface of
the cone, and thus causes the air to pass into the conical open end of
the pipe Q, 2, at an increased velocity to that at which it left the
vessel O; the compressed air will consequently carry in air from the
outer atmosphere, and thus will be supplied the air which is constantly
passing off to work the engines; and by reason of the peculiar form
and combination of the parts the pressure of the air in the interior of
the machinery will be kept up.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do

page_text: not confine myself to the details, nor do I claim any of the parts
separately, nor the combination of the parts so far as they were
described in my former Specification. But what I claim is, the
peculiar construction and combination of the parts o, h, g, and Q, q.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Brunier, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
L. BRUNIER. (1.S.)
Witness, WILLIAM TONGUE.