IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melvillo Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER" A communication from abroad by Félix
Housse, of Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melvillo Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd July 1880.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER."
[A communication from abroad by Félix Housse, of Paris, France.]
This Invention relates to improvements in pumps working on Prudhomme's
system, in which columns of water oscillating in pipes are substituted for rods
pressure being applied above the columns by an upper pump, and transmitted by
the liquid to a double piston at the bottom of said columns, of which there are
generally two acting alternately upon opposite sides of the said piston.
Among other defects of these apparatus is the liability of bursting the pipes or
the lower pump barrel when from any cause one of the liquid columns becomos
diminished, and therefore no longer moves the piston its full stroke, so that at the
next stroke, when the other column comes into action, the pump barrel cannot
contain the quantity displaced by the upper or motor pump, and the water, owing
to its incompressibility, consequently bursts either the lower pump barrel or the
pipe. To avoid accidents of this kind it is proposed to provide the lower pump
with a relief passage communicating with the valve box so as to permit the escape
of the liquid in excess, and with the same object the pistons of the upper pump are
furnished with clack valves opening on their ascent to admit a small quantity of
water beneath the piston, which, added to the columus, compensates at each stroke
for any loss, and thus maintains the equilibrium of the columns and prevents the
entrance of air to the pipes. A small pipe with cock connects the two columns to
equalize the water level at starting.
The annexed Drawings illustrate the apparatus in section.
The upper pump consists of two barrels a with perforations b, b, at the upper
part, and placed in a tank c provided with an overflow pipe d; they are furnished

page_text: with pistons ff, having clacks g, g, opening downwards, piston rods p, connecting
rods i, and pump beam or handle; worked by any suitable means.
Flexible or
other pipes respectively connect the two barrels a, a, with the two ends of the
lower pump barrel Z, which is divided into two chambers by a partition m with
stuffing box p, through which works the rod n of the double piston o, o.
The pump barrel is surmounted by a box having two clack valves q opening
upwards, and it communicates at bottom with a box having inlet clack valves ?"
also opening upwards. Orifices 8, 8, connect the pump barrel with the valve boxes
and the upper clack valves open into two branch pipes t, t, leading into the pipes k
containing the liquid columns, which are thereby put in cominunication with tho
opposite chambers of the pump barrel, as shown, are relief ports or orifices which
put the two ends of the pump barrel in communication with the corresponding
parts of the valve box q for the purpose before mentioned. The bottom valve box
terminates in a flange u, which inay be placed directly upon the bottom of the well
or bed of the river, and has a central aperture or one or more lateral openings
which may be covered with a grating.
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The action is as follows:-Supposo the two pistons f to be on a level the cock x
is opened to equalize the columns and then again closed. On the descent of either
piston, the one on the left hand for example, its valve closes, and the water
contained in the lower part of the cylinder is forced into pipe, thereby moving
the double piston o, o, to the right. As the unperforated part of each cylinder is
exactly equal in capacity to the corresponding chamber of the pump barrel la
quantity of water exactly equal to that which has been displaced in the column
will be forced by the left hand piston from the chamber of the pump barrel
through opening 8, and through the pipe tinto the right hand pipe, and being
added to this column raises its level to an extent equal to half the height of the
cylinder a, whence it escapes through the openings into the tank c On the
downstroke of the right hand piston its clack valve-g-closes-when-the-piston is--
at the middle of its stroke, and the same action is repeated for the other half of the
apparatus. The relief orifices permit the escape of any water in the one column
in excess of that in the other, and consequently in excess of the quantity delivered
by the corresponding piston o. The excess escaping through joins the water
delivered from between the inner side of the piston o and the mid partition m.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd January 1881.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER."
A communication from abroad by Felix Housse, of Paris, France.
This Invention relates to improvements in pumps working on Prudhomme's
system, in which columns of water oscillating in pipes are substituted for rods,
pressure being applied above the columns by an upper pump, and transmitted by
the liquid to a double, piston at the bottom of said columns, of which there are
generally two acting alternately upon opposite sides of the said piston.
Among other defects of these apparatus is the liability of bursting the pipes or
the lower pump barrel when from any cause one of the liquid pressure columns
becomes diminishod, and therefore no longer moves the piston its full stroke, so
that at the next stroke, when the other column comes into action, the pump barrel
cannot contain the quantity displaced by the upper or motor pump, and the water,
owing to its incompressibility, consequently bursts either the lower pump barrel
or the pipe. To avoid accidents of this kind it is proposed to provide the lower
pump with relief passages communicating with the valve box so as to permit the
escape of the liquid in excess, and with the same object the liquid pressure columns
are, by means of valves opening at each upward or outward stroke of the pistons
of the upper pump, put in communication with a reservoir, whence a small quantity
of water is admitted to the columns to compensate for any loss, and thus constantly
maintain the equilibrium of the columns and prevent the entrance of air to the
pipes. A small pipe with cock connects the two pressure columus at the upper
part to equalise the water level at starting. Such means of maintaining tho
equilibrium of the columns are indispensable to the proper working of the apparatus,
and constitute distinct improvements in themselves applicable to various arrange-
ments of apparatus in which such oscillating columns of liquid are similarly
employed. The apparatus does not require any foundation, and the lower pump
may be completely sunk at the bottom of a well or river, and as it does not act by
suction the apparatus is capable of completely emptying of water any given
capacity.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood I have illustrated
in the annexed Drawings two examples which differ from one another only in
details of construction. Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a vertical section of one arrangement.
The upper pump consists of two barrels a, a, each having through slots b, b', in
the upper half and placed in a tank c provided with a delivery pipe d; they are
respectively furnished with pistons ff; having clack valves g, gl, opening down-
wards, piston rods p, p, connecting rods i, i, and pump beau or handle j worked
by any suitable means. Flexible or rigid pipes h, k, respectively connect each of
the two barrels a, a¹, with one of the two ends of the lower pump barrel, which is
divided into two chambers 1,, by a central partition m with stuffing box p,
through which works the rod n of the coupled pistons o, o¹, each of which is
provided with a double leather packing. Above the pump barrel are the delivery
valve boxes q, q', each containing a clack valve opening upwards, and beneath it
is another valve box containing two inlet valves 7, 71, also opening upwards, the
The delivery
pump barrel communicating with the valve boxes by orifices 8, 8.
valves in q, q, respectively open into branch pipes t, t, leading into the pressure
pipes k, k¹, and connecting the said pipes respectively each with the chamber of the
pump barrel opposite to that with which it is directly connected, as above
described. 2, 24, are relief ports or orifices. The lower valve box terminates in a

page_text: flange u, which may be placed directly upon the bottom of the well or bed of the
river, and has a central aperture or one or more lateral openings which may be
protected by gratings.
The action is as follows:-The two pistons ff, being both at the middle of
their stroke, the cock x is first opened to equalise the columns and then closed
again. On the descent of either piston, ƒ for example, as shown in Figure 1, its
valve g closes, and the water contained in the lower unperforated half of the
cylinder a is forced into the corresponding pressure pipe k, an equal quantity at
same time passing from the said pipe into the end of the corresponding chamber
of the lower pump barrel, and thereby moving the double piston o, o¹, to the right.
By this movement an equal quantity of water at the other side of piston o, i.e.,
between it and the partition m, is forced by said piston out through opening s
and through the corresponding valve q and pipe t¹ into the other pressure pipe k'.
This addition raises the level of this column so that it overflows to a corresponding
extent through the slots 6' into the tank c. By the same movement of the double
piston o, o³, water has been admitted through valve to the right hand half of
the barrel between the piston o¹ and tho partition m, and an equal quantity has
been returned from the other side of the same piston to the pressure column k'.
On the downstroke of the other piston f¹ its clack valve g¹ closes when the piston
enters the lower unslotted half of its cylinder, and the same action is repeated for
the other half of the apparatus, that is to say, valve r¹ closes and q' opens, and the
water contained in between piston o¹ and partition m is expelled through t into
pipe k, and overflows through the slots of cylinder a into tank c, valve q meanwhile
closing, and valve ? opening to admit more water to chamber Z between piston o
and partition m. Each chamber l, l', is provided with relief passages, ¹, which
serve to connect the outer ends of said chambers with the valve boxes q, ql, and are
indispensable to the proper working of the apparatus. For should the liquid
_column_acting on the piston o, for example, fail-to--move-the--coupled pistons-o; -o-
through a complete stroke, there will, on the return stroke, be insufficient room in
chamber for the quantity of water which piston f1 must displace in order to
complete its downstroke (this quantity being necessarily equal to the capacity of
the lower half of its cylinder a¹) and the resulting shock would burst some part of
the apparatus but for the relief ports &¹, which by permitting the water in excess
to escape into the valve box q' and pass off with the water coming from between
the piston o¹ and the partition m relieve the apparatus of all excessive pressure.
It will be seen that the arrangement of the ports 2,1, the valves g, g', and the
tubes t, t¹, is such that all conduce to the same result.
Figures 2 and 3 represent an arrangement of pumping apparatus acting ou the
same principle as that above described, but differing therefrom in the following
details of construction:-1st. The upper or motor pump is horizontal, and its
plungers are worked by an eccentric; 2nd, in the arrangement of the valves by
which the liquid pressure columns are put at each stroke in communication with
roservoir of water to compensate for any loss by leakage or otherwise; 3rd, in the
addition to the apparatus of a separate rising main through which the water is
pumped up to the reservoir instead of being added to the oscillating columns of
liquid as in the former case, an air chamber being combined with the said rising
nain to equalize the delivery; 4th, in the means of running off the water from all
the pipes in frosty weather; 5th, in the arrangement of the relief passages in the
pistons of the lower pump; Gth, in the use of spherical valves instead of clacks.
Figure 2, Sheet 2, is a vertical section of the apparatus taken on the longitudinal
axis of the pumps, and Figure 3 is a cross section of the upper pump, only at right
angles to Figure 2. a, a', are, the plungers of the upper pump working in
barrels b, b, provided with stuffing boxes c, c¹; d, d¹, is a frame by which
plungers a, a, are connected, and within which works the eccentric g... The return
ends of this frame embrace the eccentric as shown, and it has a longitudinal slot e
for the passage of the eccentric shaft f so as to permit of the reciprocating inove-
ment of the frame; & is an oil cup bolted to frame d, in which the eccentric dips

page_text: at each revolution; i is the chamber above pump, into which the water is raised
through the rising main j; k, delivery pipe from chamber i to the point where the
water is required; L, l, are the passages connecting chamber i with the pump
barrels b, b, and m, m³, are the valves in said passages. At each return stroke of
plunger a or a the corresponding valve opens and admits a small quantity of water
from chamber i to the pump barrel, where it is added to the corresponding column
in pipo 8 or s¹ to compensate for loss by leakage or otherwise, and so constantly
maintain the equilibrium of the two columns; n, pump framing; o, driving shaft;
P, gearing; and 9, By wheel; 2, ¹, couplings on pipes 8, 8, a similar one being
also provided on pipe j. They are all placed below the top of the well at a point
where the temperature is abovo 32°, and are unscrewed in frosty weather to run
off all the water contained in the upper part of the tubes.
The lower portion of the apparatus comprises the framing t, the pump barrel
a central piston y working therein for raising the water, the pistons v, v³, working
in barrels x, x', and coupled together and to the central piston y which they
operate, valves,, with their guides w, w', the air chamber 1 for equalizing the
delivery through the rising main, the suction and delivery valve boxes 2, 21, and
suction pipe 3, the relief passages 4, 41, in the pistons v, v', and the corresponding
relief passages 5, 51, in the barrels a, a, with which the passages 4, 41, communicate
at the end of each stroke.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. In a pumping apparatus operating through the agency of liquid pressure
columns, as herein described, the combination with the lower pump of relief ports
or passages, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.
2nd. The combination with pumping apparatus of the kind herein specified of
means for compensating at each stroke for any loss of water, and maintaining the
equilibrium of the pressure columns, substantially as shown and described.
3rd. The combination with the aforesaid pumping apparatus of the means for
temporarily putting the pressure columns in communication for establishing their
equilibrium at starting, substantially as shown and described.
4th. The combination with the aforesaid pumping apparatus of means for
emptying the pipes, as described.
5th. The combination with pumping apparatus of the kind herein described, in
which a rising main separate from the pressure pipes is used, of an air chamber on
the said rising main, as and for the purpose specified.
Gth. The employment in combination in the same pumping apparatus of all or
any of the aforesaid improvements, substantially as described and shown in the
Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal. this Third day of January. A.D. 1881.