A Method and Apparatus for Utilizing Atmospheric or Solar Heat for Raising Water and other Purposes..
Year: 1885

page_text: A Method and Apparatus for Utilizing Atmospheric or Solar
Heat for Raising Water and other Purposes..
I CHARLES TELLIER of N° 20 Rue Félicien David, Paris, in the republic of
France, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
"A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UTILIZING ATMOSPHERIC OR SOLAR HEAT FOR
RAISING WATER AND OTHER PURPOSES to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for utilizing atmospheric or
solar heat for raising water and other purposes and the invention consists in
arranging heating surfaces (forming a receiver adapted by preference to be placed
on the roof of a building) so prepared that they allow of collecting atmospheric or
solar beat for gasifying a body which boils at a low temperature, such as ammonia
in solution, certain carburets of hydrogen, ethylamine and the like. At the same
time I utilize the relative low temperature possessed by the water extracted so as
to easily condense the vapours of the volatile bodies above named in order to
bring them back either in a liquid state or in a state of solution into the receiver
having large surfaces above described. The difference between the tension of the
vapours obtained by atmospheric heat and the much lower tension determined by
the temperature of the water allows of this water rising from below the earth to
the surface thereof.
In carrying the invention into effect I provide flat receivers made of two
plates of sheet metal forming air tight vessels in which the volatile body is
enclosed and submitted to the action of atmospheric or solar heat. By means
of a motar similar to a condensing engine, or by means of a spherical apparatus
enclosing a flexible membrane which acts sometimes on the upper and sometimes
on the lower hemisphere and acted on by the fluids vaporized by the atmospheric
heat, I force the water from the soil so as to bring it to the surface. The action
above described is continued and the movement sustained by the calorific afflux
furnished by the atmosphere or by the sun and at the same time by the frigorific
condensing action of the water rising from the earth-Motive power thus produced
can be applied to other purposes.

page_text: Heat for Raising Water and other Purposes.
I CHARLES TELLIER, of N° 20, Rue Félicien David, Paris, in the republic of
France, 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 :-
Amongst the purposes for which atmospheric or solar heat or other lost heat
can be employed is that of raising water by utilizing the difference between the
temperature of the air and that of the water to be raised.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the
same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 is a sectional
elevation of an apparatus constructed according to my invention for utilizing
atmospheric or solar heat for raising water and other purposes; figure 2 is a
vertical section of the elevating apparatus properly so called; figure 3. is a face
view of one of the calorific plates; figure 4 is a detail of the said plates. Figure 1,
is drawn to a scale of about one twentieth full size, figure 2, about one tenth full
size and figure 3 about one fortieth full size and figure 4 one half full size. Similar
letters in figures 1 and 2 represent similar parts.
Figure 1 represents a shed A A A A, provided with a roof formed of calorific
plates BBB B, one of the said plates being represented in figure 3. Each plate
consists of two plates of sheet iron connected by rivets along their edges. The
lower plate extends beyond the upper plate about five to ten millimeters in order
to receive the solder which is applied all round and which covers the rivets so as
to render the whole perfectly air tight as shewn in figure 4.
Stays or cross pieces shewn along the line of rivets bb, bb, bb, bb, figure 3
serve to hold the plates apart. The distance apart is about one centimeter as
shewn by figure 4.
Instead of longitudinal stays or cross pieces three or four_strong rivets can be
arranged to hold the plates at the required distance apart To prevent the sheet
iron from cracking, malleable cast iron cross bars can be placed under the rivetting
and under the head of the rivet.
Two tubes C and D are provided for each plate the said tubes being also shewn
in figure 1. It will be readily seen that liquid introduced through the tubes C, C,
will traverse the whole of the interior of the plates B, B, and will be submitted
during their travel to the action of the solar heat or in its absence to the action
of the atmospheric heat.
In order to completely utilize this latter which is very important in hot climates
the atmospheric plates instead of being placed directly on the roof can be placed

page_text: at a distance therefrom as shewn in figure 1, so as to constantly receive the aërial
currents. The plates can be arranged so as to form an air tight roof or they can
be slightly separated so as to facilitate the entry of the air. Above the said plates
is a collector or receiver G the shape of which may vary. By means of the
tubes d, d, the said collector receives the vapour which is formed between the
plates B, B which vapour can escape through a tube a, whilst by means of a
tube g, g, the liquid which should have been ejected outside the plates is conducted
into another lower collector M. From the collector M, the arrangement of which
may be varied extend tubes n, n, which conduct to the tubes C, C, the liquid
which should have been projected into the collector G. It will be seen that the
herein before described arrangement which may comprise as large a number of
plates as may be desired constitutes a system of circulation in which the motive
liquid is constantly brought back into the calorific plates B, B, B, B, in order to
be continually acted on by the atmospheric heat. The motive liquid may be any
suitable volatile liquid, preferably an ammoniacal solution sufficiently concentrated
and it is this liquid that is utilized in the elevating apparatus hereinafter
described. This apparatus is shewn at X; the mechanism is clearly shewn in
figure 2 which represents a section of the apparatus drawn to a larger scale. The
apparatus is constructed mainly of a kind of spherical chamber o o, o o, o o, terini-
nated at its lower part by a cylindrical portion o, p, p¹ o, which is mounted on a
receiver q, q, q, q, placed or not as required in a vessel 8, 8, 8, 8, provided at the top
with an overflow basin x, x. At the upper part of the apparatus is a slide box y, y,
the slide of which is connected with two holes a, c. Under this arrangement is
placed a float N, N, through which passes a rod r, r, r, the said float having
a flexible diaphragm P P which follows the shape of the spherical chamber and
which can adapt itself sometimes under the upper half of the spherical chamber
and sometimes over the lower half.
If a relative vacuum be formed above the diaphragm P, P, the water coming
from the ground which can enter through the valve H passes into the part of the
spherical chamber o, p, p¹ o.
If any pressure be exerted on the upper part of the diaphragm P, P, between
the diaphragm and the chamber o, o, when the diaphragm is in the position shewn
in the drawing the diaphragm will be brought over the lower half of the spherical
chamber and the water will be driven through the valve H' and be poured into
the vessels, 8, 8, 8, and finally escape through the tube x. The water does not.
enter the elevating apparatus direct but passes through a coil of pipe h, h, h, h, h,
thereby producing the refrigerating action already referred to and the use of which
is hereinafter described.
In order to produce this pressure I employ the ammoniacal gas disengaged by
the action of the caloric of the sun or of the atmosphere which will have been
received and absorbed by the plates B, B, B, B. The diaphragm will be lowered as
well as the float N, N, to which it is attached. For again raising the float I employ
the following mechanism consisting of the slide y, y, which is caused to descend by
the rod of the float r, r, r, (sliding in the interior of the slide y) by means of the buffer
or stop t, when the float approaches the end of its downward travel; the admission
opening c, of the ammoniacal gas will then be closed whilst the escape opening a,
will be opened. The gas will thus be able to escape through the orifice a, and
then through the tube b, b, b, which will. conduct it to the vessel q, q, q. In this
vessel it will meet with a portion of the ammoniacal solution already drawn in by
the action of the apparatus but cooled by the current of water drawn up and
which passes through the coil of tube h, h, h, h. This cooling process causes the
gas to be dissolved thereby producing a relative vacuum which will allow the water
to again enter the apparatus through the valve H, the apparatus will be filled and
the float N, N, and diaphragm P, P, will be again raised. The rod r, r, rising with

page_text: the float and sliding in the thickness of the slide will bring the stop t¹ in contact
with the slide y, y, which again rising will close the escape opening a, and open the
admission opening c; thus producing the herein before described results and so on.
The ammoniacal solution is caused to continually enter the vessel q, q, q, q; for
the purpose of dissolving the ammoniacal gas and to leave the same by means of a
double acting pump Z. This pump is constructed of a piston operated by the
rod r, r, r, of the float, the said rod being extended to a point V in order to actuate
the slide K. by means of the catch or stop W. One of the sides of the piston is put
in communication with the tube f, (figure 1) by means of the tube d, d, d. The
liquid circulating in the atmospheric apparatus can then enter through the
opening i, in the pump Z (the slide K being raised) and thereby act on the
piston z, which it will tend to raise. The body of the pump will thus become
filled with solution which, when the piston returns will be driven through the
tube J, into the receiver q, q, q, q, which will in this manner be supplied but when
the piston z, shall have descended as described a vacuum will be produced above
the same which vacuum will be immediately filled up by the liquid from the
receiver q, q, q, which will have passed through the tube 1, 1, and through a valve v,
placed at the top thereof. The body of the pump will in this manner be filled
above the piston z, with the solution which will have exactly dissolved the ammo-
niacal gas in action. When the piston again rises the said solution passing the
valve will escape through the tube e, e, e, (figures 1 and 2) whereby it will be
led back into the collector M and is thus again submitted to the calorific action.
In cases where the movement of the float cannot be relied upon a sealed hollow
iron tube can be employed in which a certain quantity of mercury would circulate.
The action of this tube would be connected with that of the float in such a manner
that at each end of the travel of the latter the weight of the mercury added to the
action of the lever arm of this tube would be added to the power of the float.
It will be seen that the action of the apparatus may be summed up by three
operations. Firstly, the calorific circulation which takes place in the plates B, B,
whereby the motive gas is produced. Secondly the cooling circulation which is
caused by the water drawn up from the ground; this circulation carries off the
sensible heat of the solution employed as well as the latent heat of the ammoniacal
vapour utilized.
Thirdly, the circulation of the ammoniacal solution which
produces the vacuum in the cooling receiver q, q, q, q, and the pressure in the solar
plates B, B.
Instead of the herein before described elevating apparatus I sometimes employ an
ordinary motor cylinder worked by means of the disengaged vapours which would
pass to be cooled into a condenser cooled by the current of water drawn up: This
arrangement although more complicated than that already described can be utilized
for producing motive power applicable to any purpose and especially in cases where
the depth is greater than that corresponding to the suction space of ordinary pumps.
In the latter case the vapours of petroleum ether boiling at a low temperature,
ethylamine, etc, can be used; further the mercury tube already referred to could
be employed for overcoming the resistance of the slide.
The flexible diaphragm can be replaced by an inverted syphon thereby utilizing
a vapour and a transmitting liquid having no affinity for each other; for example
I can replace the said diaphragm by two vessels communicating with each other
and thereby forming an inverted syphon. Each of these vessels will be only half
filled with liquid so as to allow of a layer of air serving as a transmitting force to
the water to be raised and contained by the spherical chamber of the elevator.
This latter can in such a case be replaced by a cylindrical chamber; it would then
be necessary to employ as the motive agent a vapour which would be insoluble in
the liquid employed in the syphon; a hydrocarbon for example could be used at
the same time as water;
*

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The employment simultaneously of atmospheric heat and the relative cold
possessed water drawn from a well or other source for the purpose of producing
motive pow Jr which can be utilized for raising water or for other useful purposes
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The use in apparatus such as is herein described of hollow plates in which the
circulation of the volatile liquid is caused by the action of the apparatus itself.
G. F. REDFERN,
Agent for the Applicant.