Improvements in and Appertaining to Flushing Apparatus
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Appertaining to Flushing Apparatus.
A communication from abroad by ALBERT WILHELM MARAUN, of Berlin, in the
Empire of Germany, Captain.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil 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 :-
The known flushing apparati which have been employed for drains hitherto always
develop taults which distinguish them as the unsatisfactory part of an almost faultless
arrangement. These faults in the ordinary flushing arrangements consist either in a
defective working or in their intricate and easily damaged construction or in the too
great consumption of water.
The excessive consumption of water causes a too costly mode of working as water
from the main must almost always be employed; the intricate arrangement of the flushing
apparatus has the disadvantage that the working parts frequently fail to act and must
in consequence be subjected to constant inspection, while the simple syphon flushing
arrangements only work for a comparatively short time and then cease owing to the
accumulation of air in the bends.
These disadvantages connected with flushing apparati have caused their employment
in some cases to be done away with and the clearing of the drains to be effected at
intervals by men. However it is not always possible and in all places to employ men
for this clearing out, whilst the permanent keeping clean of the pipes is a main point
if the drains are to perform their purpose in the most effective manner, or if costly
and time consuming modifications are to be avoided.
The flushing apparatus forming the subject of this invention does not develop the
abovenamed faults. It is a syphon flushing arrangement and is distinguished by a
special arrangement of an air conducting tube (air pressure regulator) which renders
a continuous working of the syphon possible.
On the annexed drawing:
-
Figures 1 to 8 show the new flushing arrangement in different stages of working,
while Figures 9 and 10 are variations of construction.
The following parts must be noted in the new flushing apparatus (see Figure 2 on
the drawing):
1st. The collecting basin A.
2nd. The syphon arrangement a, b, c, d, e, f, and g, i, k.
3rd. The regulator of the air pressure l, m, o.
The collecting basin A receives the in-coming water and is constructed of masonry,
iron or wood and of any desired capacity.
The syphon arrangement is preferably made of cast iron and consists of two parts,
the peculiarly curved main syphon a, b, c, d, e, f, and the assistant syphon g, i, k. The
diameter of the main syphon may be as required, that of the assistant one is always
considerably smaller. The latter is attached so far down, that point g (Figure 2) lies
somewhat below a point equidistant from e and d.
The regulator of the air pressure is a curved metal tube l, m, o, which is fixed
hermetically at p and o in the main syphon. Point p is fixed advantageously 10 to 20
centimetres above point a and the rising branch 1, m has preferably a somewhat
larger diameter than the falling part m, o.
The process of working of the flushing apparatus is as follows:-
In order to set the syphon in action, if the receiving tank be empty, the arms of the

page_text: =
syphon C,
d, e, and g,, k, are in the first instance filled with water. The water
flowing into the receiver A rises equally in the same (see Figure 3) and in the syphon
arm ab up to the point p up to which stage the air compressed in the elbow a b
escapes through the regulator Im o. On the water rising above the point p the
escape of the air imprisoned in the main syphon is no longer possible; it is con-
sequently compressed and a greater pressure takes place inside the syphon than
outside. In consequence of this extra pressure in the syphon (see Figure 3) the
surface of the coluinns of water c d and gi is pressed down (see Figure 4) and the
water in the rising part a b stands lower than in the collecting basin A. In order to
balance, the heights of the pressure columns must be equal to one another (Figure 4)
thus h. On further water being added the differences of the heights hhh
become constantly greater and greater until finally, soon after the position shown in
Figure 5 is reached, the air escapes from the assistant syphon gik at i and at the
same time forces out a portion of the column of water ik. Hereupon the pressure
inside the syphon is suddenly decreased and correspondingly also the differences of
level hare diminished. This causes the water column within the part c d e of
the syphon to be driven back to c, whilst the column of water contained in the rising
part a 6 of the syphon is pressed up by the water admitted to the receiver A. The
air, compressed in consequence of the sudden respective falling and rising of the water
columns, is ejected with great force from the considerably smaller assistant syphon
armik together with the water still contained therein, so that once more a complete
equilibrium between the compressed air in the main syphon and the outer atmosphere
is established. In consequence of this, according to the principle of communicating
tubes the column of water in the rising part ab of the syphon endeavours to attain to
the height of the column of water in the receiving basin, but is prevented by the
curve of the syphon and must overflow into the descending arm bd of the syphon,
completely filling the bore of the same by reason of the pressure from above. Here-
upon the syphon commences to draw as its exit opening lies lower than the surface of
the water in the collecting basin. This continues until by reason of the emptying of
the basin A, the air enters the main syphon at a.
The water still contained in the
latter flows away whilst the syphon arms c d e to the line gk and the assistant syphon gik
entirely, remain filled as represented in Figure 3.
The point lying considerably below the point c and the water from the larger
syphon c d e flowing gradually into the narrower one gik causes the surface of the
water still left in c d e always to remain at the height of the line 9 k and in consequence
also the suction of the syphon must draw up the water in the basin as soon as the
predetermined level is reached.
In order that the above described process may be repeated without interruption the
air regulator m o, becomes necessary.
l
If this air regulator fails and a strong inrush
takes place, in most cases the opening at a of the syphon remains open for the
inrushing air only for a very short moment, and is soon closed again when the water
column in the syphon arm b d is still in the act of descending. Through this there is
formed in the main syphon a partial vacuum which has this consequence that the
falling column of water in the syphon arin b c d (see Figure 6) cannot completely
flow away and that then in the interior of the syphon the surfaces of the water
columns stand at a higher level than in the basin (that is in the syphon arms de
and ik). The incoming water in consequence of this will have reached the point bin
the syphon (see Figure 7) when the water is still considerably lower in the basin and
from this moment must flow away at b in the same proportion as it flows in, the
syphon consequently ceases to suck and the flushing arrangement no longer works.
This difficulty is avoided by the use of the air regulator in the following manner :-
As soon as the syphon commences to draw, the escaping water column rises far
above the point o in consequence of the pressure in b d (Figure 8), completely fills to
a certain height the arm om of the air regulator and thereby slightly compresses at
first the air therein. But when, in consequence of the sinking of the level of the
water in the basin, the water columns in 1 m and o m also fall, a vacuum soon replaces

page_text: the compressed air space, which causes the water in 1 m to fall more slowly than that
in the receiving basin and for instance in this case (Figure 8) to stand in the arm of
the regulator I'm still above the point p, when in the basin it has sunk to a and in
consequence the air passes into the main syphon.
As soon now as the mouth of the main syphon becomes for a short time at f quite
free (from water) owing to the cessation of the inflow, the air rushes into the
regulator at o the vacuum in the same is suddenly ended and the water column in I m
must immediately fall and at once become of the same level as the surface of the water
in the tank.
The air now presses through the regulator o m l into the main syphon by means of
the opening at p which has become clear of water and the equilibrium with the outside
air is restored.
Then the above described process is repeated afresh.
A flushing arrangement as above described with a main syphon of 20 cm. diameter
throws 1000 1. of water in 10 seconds.
It may be of importance however to draw off into one channel this quantity of
water in a considerably shorter time. For this purpose several flushing arrangements
are employed connected with one another as arranged in Figure 9, in this case the
assistant syphon arms m o are made about 4 or 5 centimetres shorter than i h.
The mode of working is as follows:-
The basin A is filled first and the water is pressed down in the assistant syphon a b c
as far as 61; water continuing to be added it runs by means of the connecting pipe r
into the basin A" filling the same and thereby forces the water in the assistant
syphon e dc and f g h to d' and g₁ respectively, then it fills basin A¹¹¹ and as before
described the water is forced out of ki and 1 m. As soon as the compressed air in ki
has reached the point ', that in 1 m has already reached the meeting point m and must
escape from m o. Now the process described in the preceding pages takes place in
the syphon III, the column of water presses back towards k, causing such a
sudden lowering of the water column g h that this latter can no longer maintain the
equilibrium against the pressure prevailing in syphon II, and consequently the air
escapes at g and ejects again a portion of the column of water gh, then the water
column c
d presses back towards e and consequently the air escapes at b, this
process is repeated in any desired number of similar coupled syphons. Through the
air escaping from the assistant syphons at m g and b the syphons III, II and I,
commence to draw almost simultaneously a flushing apparatus arranged in this
manner with five syphons of 20 centimetres diameter at the orifices, passes 1000 1.
of water within 2 seconds into the exit channel.
The working of the syphons employed in the above described flushing apparatus is
therefore an entirely new and peculiar one, in that within the same an air pressure is
brought about, the adjustment of which at a given moment with the outside air
surrounding the apparatus causes a sudden pressure on the water, in consequence of
which, not only are the syphons completely filled, but also the flushing water flows
away with a much greater force than the actual pressure height of the water in the
collecting tank A would yield.
In consequence of this peculiar action the syphon has an extremely powerful
flushing action, so that accumulations of sand or other solids deposited in the pipe,
are washed away with certainty and with a comparatively small consumption of
water.
In the employment of the new flushing apparatus it is naturally not compulsory
that it should have exactly the shapes shown in Figures 1 to 8, on the contrary
the apparatus can be made of any required one, but it must contain the distinguishing
features of the invention, namely. The creation of an air pressure and the sudden
termination of the same. Thus the apparatus can be employed in, for instance, the
form shown in Figure 10. In this Figure, the same letters are employed to
designate the corresponding parts as in Figures 1 to 9, so that the above description
will also apply to this variety of construction.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what 1 claim is :-
1. A flushing apparatus distinguished by the employment of an arrangement of a
syphon (a bede), the admission arm (a b) and discharging arm (de) of which, are
connected with each other by an air pressure regulator (m) and in the long elbow of
which, a water seal (k i g) is so arranged that on the rising of the water in the
admission bend the air in the syphon is compressed and on a given pressure being
reached, by the ejection of the water closing the orifice, the air equilibrium is restored,
in consequence of which the water accumulated in the receiver (A) suddenly rushes
into the syphon and sets it working, substantially as described.
2. The improved flushing apparatus taken as a whole substantially as described and
for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 9th day of Sentember 1889
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.