Improvements in Water Conductors for Turbines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th June, 1891-Accepted, 11th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Conductors for Turbines.
I, JOHN GRAHAM of No. 606 Fifth Street South, Minneapolis, in the County of
Hennepin, State of Minnesota, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a water conductor for supplying turbines and other
water wheels with the motive agent.
The improved water conductor is in the form of a syphon having its short leg
immersed in the water contained in the water head while the longer leg is connected
by a curved neck with the turbine. The end of the short leg is fitted with a
valve lined with a flexible material so as to make a tight fit on the end of the pipe
and supported on a series of vertical screw-rods free to slide in bearings and engaged
by nuts formed with worm teeth in gear with worms on a pair of shafts geared
with a hand wheel shaft common to both whereby the screw rods and the valve
supported by the said rods may be raised in order to close the short leg of the
syphon or lowered to open it. In the middle part of the bend of the syphon there
is a vent pipe provided with a valve, and with the long leg there is connected a
pipe also provided with a valve and connected with suitable pumping machinery
for filling the long leg of the syphon with water. The latter pipe opens into the
long leg a suitable distance below the bottom line of the head of water.
curved neck is provided with a gate for shutting off the water supply to the turbine
whenever desired.
The
The operation is as follows;-When the water is to be forced from the water
head through the pipe to the turbine the valve on the short leg and the gate in the
curved neck are closed and the valve in the vent pipe and also the valve in the
pipe connected with the pumping machinery open. The pump is then set in
motion, to fill the entire pipe, and when this is accomplished the valves are closed
and the valve on the short leg and the gate in the curved neck are opened so that
water from the water head will flow into the turbine. Thus the turbine is rotated
with a pressure equal to the weight of the column of water in the long leg of the
pipe or syphon.
In a modification, the short leg has an enlarged end to which the valve is fitted
the said valve having a series of smaller valves whose inlet area is slightly in
excess of the area of the cross section of the syphon. The pipe in the long leg,
instead of being connected with pumping machinery, is connected with a steam
supply and the said leg is also provided with a water supply pipe having a valve
extending up the said leg to the middle or bent portion of the siphon and a second
similar pipe having a valve which also extends to the top of the siphon and serves
as an air vent.
The operation is as follows;-The valve on the short leg and the gate on the
neck are closed, while the valves in the air vent pipe and in the steam supply pipe
are open so as to admit steam into the pipe, until it is fully charged after which the
latter valves are closed and the valve in the water supply pipe is opened so as to
inject water into the top part of the siphon. By this means a vacuum is made and
maintained in the pipe and when the valve on the short leg and the gate are opened
water will flow from the head of water through the syphon into the turbine.
DL11
د
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Conductors for Turbines.
I, JOHN GRAHAM of No. 606, Fifth Street, South, Minneapolis, in the County
of Hennepin, and State of Minnesota, United States of America, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention 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 a water conductor for supplying turbines and other
water wheels with the motive agent.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement.
Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional plan view of part of the same, on line x-x
Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a modified form of the improvement, with parts
broken out, and
Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of a valve used in connection with the
modified form.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The improved water conductor is in the form of a syphon A having a short
leg B extending into the water contained in the water head C while the longer
leg D of the said pipe A is provided with a curved neck E connected with the
turbine F. The end of the leg B of the syphon A is adapted to be closed by a
valve G lined with a flexible material so as to make a tight fit on the end of the
pipe. The valve G is supported on a series of vertical screw-rods H free to slide
in bearings on the leg 13 of the said pipe, the said screw-rods being engaged by
nuts H formed with worm teeth in gear with worms H2 secured on shafts H³
and H (see Figure 2) mounted to rotate in suitable bearings arranged on the
leg B. On the shafts H3 and H4 are keyed the bevel gear wheels H³, in gear with
the bevel gear wheels H secured on a shaft H7 mounted to turn in bearings and
carrying at one end a hand wheel H³ for turning the shaft H7 so as to turn the
shafts and H which by the worms H rotate the nuts H' in order to raise or
lower the rods H and the valve G supported by the said rods. Thus by turning
the hand wheel H in one direction the valve G is adapted to close the leg B and
when turned in the opposite direction the end of the leg B immersed in the water
contained in the head is opened. In the middle part of the bend of the syphon,
there is a vent pipe I provided with a valve I. In the leg D is arranged a pipe
provided with a valve J, and connected with suitable pumping machinery for
filling the pipe A. with water, as hereinafter more fully described.
The pipe J
opens into the leg D a suitable distance below the bottom line of the head C. In
the neck E previously mentioned is arranged a gate K for shutting-off the water
supply to the turbine F, whenever desired.
J
The operation is as follows;-When the water is to be forced from the water
head C through the pipe A. and to the turbine F, the valve G and the gate K
are closed and the valve I' in the vent pipe I and also the valve J in the pipe J
opened. The pump connected with the latter pipe is then set in motion so as to
fill the entire pipe A. When this is accomplished, the valves I' and 'are closed and
the valve G and the gate K are opened so that, now, water from the water head C
will flow through the pipe A and the neck E past the gate K into the turbine F
to operate the same. It will thus be seen that the turbine F is rotated with a
pressure equal to the weight of the column of water in the leg D of the pipe A.
In the modification shewn in Figures 3 and 4, the valve G is dispensed with
and a valve L is employed at the enlarged end of the leg B the said valve having
a series of smaller valves (see Figure 4) having an inlet area slightly in excess of

page_text: the area of the cross-section of the pipe A. The pipe J, instead of being connected
with pumping machinery, is connected with a suitable steam supply and the leg D
is also provided with a water supply pipe N having a valve N and extending up
the leg D to the middle or bent portion of the pipe A, as is plainly shewn in
Figure 3. A similar pipe O having a valve O' is also connected with the leg D
and extends to the top of the pipe A, as is shewn in the said Figure 3.
The operation of this device is as follows; The valve L as well as the gate K
is closed while the air vent pipe O has its valve O' open and the valve J' in the
pipe J is open so as to admit steam into the pipe A until the latter is fully charged
with steam, after which the valves O' and Jare closed and the valve N' in the
pipe N is opened so as to inject water into the top part of the pipe A. By this
means, a vacuum is made and maintained in the pipe A, so that, when the valve L
and the gate K are opened, water flows from the head of water C through the
pipe A into the turbine F, to operate the latter.
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 ;-
The combination, with a vertical pipe having a long and a short leg, a water-
inlet pipe connected with said long leg between its ends, and a valved vent I in
the middle of said vertical pipe at its top, of a horizontal valve G under the open
end of the short leg of said vertical pipe, vertical parallel screw-rods H mounted
in bearings on the sides of said short leg and carrying a valve G, pinions II' on
the threaded portions of said rods, parallel transverse shafts H' having worms H
meshing with the pinions H₁, bevel gears H³ on said shafts, an operating shaft H'
having bevel gears H meshing with the gears H, a gate at the lower or
discharge end of the long leg of the vertical pipe, and a turbine F into which
said long leg discharges, substantially as shewn and described, for the purpose
set forth.
Dated this IIth day of June 1891
UBIEⱭ LOIS II day of June 1891
J. GRAHAM.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.