US1254693A - Method of compressing an elastic fluid. - Google Patents

Description

H. A. HUMPHREY.

METHOD 0F COMPRESSING AN ELASTIC FLUID.

APPLICATION F|LEDJuNE1,19o9. ReNEv/EDJUNE19.19H.

Patented Eau, 29, i918l l SHEETS-SHEET 1`.

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APPLICATON FILE'D )UNE 1909 RENEWED NINE i9 i911- 1&5993, Mmmm@ Ja .29,19%

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METHOD OF CNIPRESSING AN ELASTIC FLUID.

APPLICATION man :um: s. 1909. HENEWED JUNE 19. 19u'.

ipatened Jan. 29, @3.8.

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MEE/z @6de H.V HUP/IPHREY. METHOD 0F COMPRESSING AN ELSTIC FLUID. APPLICAHON FILED @UNE 1. 1909. RENEwED JuNE19,191 7.

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HERBERT ALFRED HUMPHREY, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 I-IUlVIP-IREY GAS PUMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF COMPRESSING ANV ELASTIC FLUID.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 29, 1918.

Application filed .Tune 1, L1909, Serial No. 499,339. Renewed June 19, 1917. Serial No. 175,705.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT ALFRED HUMPHREY, a subject of theKing of Great Britain, residing at 38 Victoria street, Testmiuster, in the county of. London, England, consulting engineer, have invented a certain new and useful Method of Comliressing an Elastic Fluid, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to a method of compressing air or other elastic fluid by means oii' liquid descending from a higher to a lower level or pressure wherein the column of liquid which compresses the air rst attains velocity and then the energy acquired is utilized partly to deliver air under pressure and partly to sto-re energy in an elastic cushion to produce a reverse movement of liquid at each cycle and thus cause a fresh charge ot' air to be entrained.

In one of the simplest forms of apparatus, suitable for carrying out the method referred to, a high level reservoir containing water or other liquid is connected by a long pipe with an air compressor chamber fitted with inlet and outlet valves for air. In a pending application for Letters Patent Serial No. 444,061, I have described improvements in apparatus `for compressing air by means of the energy of expansion of an ignited combustible mixture, and the types of air compressor chamber and valves therein described, and such, for inst-ance, as are illustrated in Figures l to 3 of said application, are suitable for use in connection with the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate merely by way of example, apparatus .for effecting my invention- Fig. l is a vertical section of an air compressor chamber in communication with high and low level liquid reservoirs.

Figs. 2 to 6 are vertical sections of modified forms of the apparatus with the high level tank omitted. Y

Figs. 7 and 9 are vertical sections of other modified forms ot' the apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section of a part of the apparatus, and

Fig. l() iS a view Similar to Fig. l, except that the low level tank 61L is shown. as located above the horizontal. portion of pipe 2 instead of below it.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In Fig. l the air compressor chamber l communicates through a pipe 2 with a high level reservoir or tank 3 and through a pipe 4L controlled by valve 5 with a low level reservoir or tank 6. rlhe compressor chamber is iitted with an inletvalve 7 which opens inward against the action of a light spring and with an outlet-valve 8 which opens outward and may be controlled partly by a -spring and partly by the pressure of the air delivered. The pipe in which this outlet valve is situated is continued downward past the top of the air compressor chamber to form a progecting portion l0, and it may contain another4 valve 9 which is normally open under the yaction of its weight and closes by impact and pressure of water upon it. Vater valve 5 is normally kept open by,

a spring 1l or other equivalent device and is shut by the action of the water upon it due to the velocity of the water or by any known means capable of shutting the valve when the desired velocity of the water has been attained. The action of the apparatus is as follows z- Starting with valves 7 and 8 Shut and al charge of air at atmospheric pressure in chamber l water from tank 3 flows through pipe 2 and past valve 5 to the low level or waste water tank G. The difference of head between tanks 3 and 6 produces a iiow past i valve 5 the velocity of which increases until valve 5 shuts. By this time the column of water moving in pipe 2 has attained conumn brought to rest before the water in chamber 1 reaches the lower end or lip of pipe l0, or the water rises past this lip soas to cause valve 9 to shut against the seat above it, in which case the air imprisoned ico in the top of the chamber above the level of the lip of pipel is still further compressed. In either case there remains in chamber 1, when the column of liquid comes to rest, a

` quantity of air under pressure exceeding the static head due tothe height of the liquid in tank 3. This pressure causes a reverse V'iow of liquid so that the water descends in l velocity 'of the water continues te remain shut d ue to the pressure of the water upon it kduring the compression stroke and the exansion stroke in chamber l, just described, iiut at some point during the downward flow of water in chamber 1 the pressure on the top side of valve 5 will be sutciently decreased to enable spring 11 to litt the valve.

Vso that a free loutlet into tank 6 is again provided. It the column ot liquid moving.

along pipeQ to tank 3 has not then come vto restwater may flow from chamber 1 into tank 6 or 'pipe 2 thus drawing more air throughV valve 7 and then water may flow fromtank 3 to tank 6to commence a fresh cycle. As soon as the suction on inlet valve 1 water moving toward tank 3 Valve 12 is norh'ially held open by spring 13 paratus.

7 ceases this valve shuts under the action of its spring and there is again a charge of air in chamber 1 ready to be compressed when valve 5 once more shuts under the action of the velocity of the water. A

In Fig. 10 the positions ot 'the low level tank 6LnL and the water valve '521 are above pipe 2. In this case it the lreverse How toward tank 3 has not ceased when the water, descendmgm chamber 1, reaches the level of the water in tank G, water will be drawn in past valve .5:l to follow the column 'of until the column comes .te rest soV that some of the discharged water returns back into the apn Fig.V 2 there is an additional water valve 12 placed in the pipe between chamber 1 and high level tank to which pipe 2 leads.

and closes under the pressure due to velocity ofthe water. The action of theV apparatus is as follows:

It is assumed that. there is a charge of air at approximately atmospheric pressure 1n Y chamber 1 and that all the valves are in the .position shown. Viater ilows from the high level tank past valve 12 to' compress the air inchamber 1 and'to store kinetic energy in the moving column ot liquid. Then the water has a certain velocity valve l2 shuts and the kinetic energy stored in the column ot liquid between valve 19J and the chamber is utilized to compress further the air in the chamber, some of which is delivered and some of which is retained in the chamber to produce the reverse tlow. lVhen valve 12 is closed, the moving` column of liquid in pipe 2 causes valve 5 to open so that water may flow from low level tank (3 past valve to follow the moving column. Valve 5 remains open during the remainder ol the compression stroke and on the cushion expansion stroke occurring in chamber 1 a rcverse tlow causes *ater to tlow back past this valve until it is shut by the pressure thereon due to the velocity ot' the flowing liquid. As the moving water in pipe 2 cannot be suddenly arrested valve 12 is forced open so soon as valve 5 shuts, and thus communication is again established between chamber 1 and the high level tank for the. cycle or' operations to be repeated. In order to avoid shock an air vessel (l0 is vformed in pipe :2 above valve'1`2.

A simple means of altering the volume ol air compressed per cycle is illustrated in Fig. 3 where, in addition to the parte already described, chamber l has another pipe 15 connnunicating` with the atmosphere and projecting tor a considerable distance .into the chamber. rlhis pipe contains a valve 1G which is normally open but is adapted to shut bythe impact oil water upon it. lYhen the intlowing column ot' water shuts valve 5 the other valves are in the position shown in Fig. 3 and the water rising in chamber l expels air past 'alve 1G into the atmosphere until valve 1 6 is shut by impact. s the column of water has done no appreciable work between the shutting of the valve 5 and the closing ot valve 1G it has still further gained in velocity due to the head under which it lows, (except in the case where valve 12, Fig. 2, is used and this valve has shut). The available energy is therefore greater, and the quantity ol air acted upon is less, s0 that air may be delivered under greater pressure past valve 8 until valve t) is shutby impact to compress the elastic cushion, whereupon the tlow is reversed. llv varying the length ot the part of pipe 11') which extends into the chamber, the volume el air to be acted upon when valve Iii closes will be varied; the greater this length the greater may be the `volume olf air delivered and the lower the pressure of delivery, an-'l vice versa. In Fig. S pipe 15 is shown extending through a `gland 1T in the top ot the chamber casting and fitted with a nut and hand wheel 18 adapted to turn in recesses in brackets 19, 20. As nut 1S is rotated pipe 15 is raised or lowered and the aforesaid length varied.

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instances ln application No. 488,427, I havev described how a mixture of gas and air may be drawn into one chamber when the liquid in another chamber which communicates with the first chamber is driven downward, and this method of drawing ina gaseous mixture may be applied to the presentin-y vention for the purpose of drawing in a charge of air. The necessary modification 1s `shown in Fig. 4,V where there are vtwo air pressure is suiiiciently reduced to allow the liquid in the other chamber to fall by gravity and so draw in a fresh supply of air.

ln the said application No. 438,427, l have shown an interlocking valve mechanism between four valves, which secures an alte-rnate action of the valves on the two chambers, and it' a similar arrangement is adapted to Vthe present case and applied to valves 7, 8,

`7" and 8 the two chambers may be made to act as air compressor chambers or air vessels alternately. Thus when air is being compressed and delivered from chamber 33 valve 8 is locked shut so that no air can be discharged past it and all the air between valve 16a and the top of the chamber forms an air cushion. Since the air that is discharged from the two chambers may be connected to separate reservoirs it is obvious that the pressureat which the air is delivn ered from one chamber may differ from the pressure at which air is delivered from the other Vchamber and to illustrate this the pipes which project into the tops of the two chambers respectively are shown in Fig, 4 reaching to different levels.

The water valve 5 'which is shut by pressure due to velocity may be automatically .controlled by the air pressure with the ob- Iiect of limiting the fluctuations of pressure in the air discharged. One method of doing this illustrated in Fig. 5 where the stem of valve 5 passes through a gland 35 into a cylinder 36 and is attached to a piston 37. A pipe 38 conducts air under pressure from the air discharge pipe to act upon the under side of a piston 87 or other equivalent device such as a diaphragm so as to give an upward thrust which partly neutralizes the downward thrust of spring 11 which presses on collar 39 fastened to the valve stem, the effect being` to allow valve 5 to shut under the action of the `velocity f the escaping water earlier than it would votherwise do. The

moving column of water has therefore less velocity when valve 5 shuts and the available energy for compressing air is thereby reduced. lt will be seen that if the pressure of air rises sufficiently to neutralize entirely the action of spring l1 and the weight of valve 5 and its attachment, the valve may7 be maintained shut and the action of the appara-tus as a compressor' will then cease until the pressure is again sufficiently reduced to allow valve 5 to move from its seat and allow water to escape, or until theV apparatus is started again by forcibly opening valve 5 against the static head of water which will exist when the column has ceased to move.

l? ig. 7 shows a similar controlling1 device, having the like object of limiting the iiuctuations of pressure in the air disclrarged, but applied to valve12 of the apparatus described with reference to Fig. 2. The piston 40 is in this case attached to the stem of valve 12 and air from the delivery pipe of the compressor is conveyed through pipe 41 to press on the top side of the piston and so counteract the effect of the spring 13 to a greateror less degreeaccording to the pressure of the air delivered. The cylinder in which the piston moves has a second connection 42 open to the atmosphere. It is evident that, in the last case, when the prcssure of the air discharged rises, greater pressure will be exerted on the top of piston 40 and the upward thrust of spring 13 will be further neutralized so that valve 12 will shut earlier than it would otherwise do. The moving column of water has then less available energy for compressing and delivering air.

In starting the compressor, the water valve may be forcibly opened against the static head which exists when the water is at rest in the apparatus. Another way .is suddenly to release the pressure of the air Acontained in the compressor chamber by opening the communication between the chamber and 'the atmosphere. rllhis may conveniently be done by forcing down the air inlet valve. The pressure on the wat-er valve Till thus be suddenly released and this valve will then open under the action of its spring and start the usual cycle of operations.

It is not always necessary that there should be a reversal in the direction of flow of the water lbetween the chamber and the high` level tank, as the varying volume of the air space in the chamber may be brought about by al difference in the rate of inflow and outflow of water. An example of this is given in Fig. G where pipe 2 fronrthe air chamber passes to the left to the low level tank to the right to the highY level tanlr, not shown. rllhe waste water valve 5 has a stem with a bottle shaped projection 46 on it;

against the surface of which tworollers 47 and 48 are urged'by means of a spring 49 The rollers are mounted on arms and l pivoted at and respectively and are carried on a fame :it attached to the tank and serving also to act as guides to the valve stem. ln the position shown the rollers 47 and 4-8 have been torced'into theA recess on the part 46 and thus, serve te lock the valve in itsY shut position, so that it requires a VpressureV on the underside ot the valve, exceeding the pressure at which compressed air is delivered, to torce the valve upward against the action ot the rollers. Spring lt9 is adjusted so that the pressure at which valve 5 opens is the normal cushion pressure in chamber l. itis assumed that the pipe between thc chamber land the high level tank is a long one compared with the )ipe between the chamber and the low level tank, and the action ot the apparatus is as follows: After the long column trein the high level tank has compressed a charge ot air in the usual way,

kand cushioning occurs, valve 5 opens, its

first movement on opening being to torce the rollers from out of the Vrecess'and to litt the f' valve until the rollers are in contact with the approximately cylindrical portion ot'part 4G. The action etV the rollers has then no tendency to shut valve 5 and the valve re-' mains open while the cushion-expansion oC- curs and'waterescapes past valve 5 causing a 'fresh charge ot air to be taken into chamber l. column oit water between the chamber and thelow level tank has been expended the water ,level in tank G, being higherthan in the chamber, causes a How trom tank 6 to the chamber to take place, and, due to the action o' this tlow, valve 5 is shut again and held shut bythe rollers entering into the recess on part i-6and the cycle is ready to be repeated. It will be observed that in this case there is noV necessity for the column otl liquid between thev chamber and the high level tank to be reversed, since, it the tiovv is always'trom the high level tank to the chamber, the cushion energy is su'tlicient to cause a more rapid tlow between the chamber vand the low level tank when valve opens and thus allows the air spacein the chamber tc increasewhile the fresh chargent lair is drawn in. The reverse-movement of water Vbrought aboutby the cushion energy is in this case coniined tothe movement of water in the chamber and water in the pipe between the chamber and the low. level tank.-

So far, thea' inlet pipe Vhas been shown open to the atmosphere trom which the rsupply of air is taken, but it is obvious that a closed connection may be used andthe apparatus worked asan eXhauster. ln such cases'it is generally desirable to'place tank 6 at a sujtliciently lowlevel to assist in producing the required degree et suction on the air inlet. f c

In applications Serial Nos. 438,425 and lVhen the energy imparted to theY 438,426, there are descriptions ot how air vessels communicatincwith the column ot water may be used tor altering the periodicity and the amount ot energy available per cycle, and such inians are applicable to the present invention. Also. the etlective length oiA the column ot liquid between the high level tank and the compressor chamber, or ot any other column ot liquid utilized toi' the purpose ot' this invention may be altered by cross connections between dilterent pai-ts ot the pipe in which the water moves, so that by opening or shutting valves portions ot thc pipe may be cut ott' or added as desired. Thus, in Fig. Sl the pipe between the conipressor chamber l and high level tank 3 is shown fitted with three valves. lt valves til and Llei are open and valve 4-5 shut, water can pass by the shortest route trom tank 5i as far as valves 473 and 4l and to the compres sor chamber. It valves t3 and l5 are shut. and valve 44 open, water tlows around the right hand bend then as tar as valve lt through which it passes to the chamber. The longest route is toi-med when valves 42% and 14A: are sluit and valve 45 open, when the water has to traverse the whole length oi the pipe. lilith the short route the colulnn ot water will attain its velocity more quickly but the available energy per cycle will be less, while with the long column the period ot the cycle will be increased and the available energy will be also increased.

I claim- 1. The method of con'ipressing an elastic tluid by means of liquid descending trom a higher to a lower level or pressure, which consists in permitting a tiow ot said liquid until it attains velocity, then utilizing the inon'ientum of the liquid partly to compress and deliver compressed elastic fluid, and partly to store energy in an elastic cushion to produce a reverse movement ot the liquid and thus cause a fresh charge of elastic fluid to enterthe region of compression.

2., The method of compressing an elastic tluidby the movement of liquid troni a higher to a lower level, which consists in pci'- mitting a flow to waste until required velocity is secured, then intt-irrupting the flow to waste and utilizing the momentum ot thc liquid to compress and deliver compressed elastic tluid, and also to compress an elastic cushion to reverse the movement ot tlu` liquid and utilizing the momentum to cntrain vfresh elastic fluid, varying the tlow to waste and thereby controlling the velocity oli the liquid in its compression movement.

Pi. The method ot compressing an elastic tluid by the movement ot liquid from a higher to a lower level, which consists in permitting a tlow to waste until required vclocity is secured. then interrupting the flow to waste and utilizing the momentun'i ot the liquid to compress and deliver compressed llll lib

elastic fluid, and also to compress an elastic cushion to reverse the movement of the liquid and utilizing the momentum to entrain. fresh elastic fluid, varying the effective Vmass of the liquid in the compression movement.

4l. The method of compressing anf elastic fluid by the movement of liquidl from a higher to a lower level, which consists in permitting a flow to waste until required velocity is secured, then interrupting the flow to waste and utilizing the momentum of the liquid to compress and deliver compressed elastic fluid, and also to compress an elastic cushion to reverse the movement of the liquid and utilizingl the momentum to entrain fresh elastic `(luid, varying the effective mass of the liquid in the reverse movement.

5. A method of compressing air or other elastic fluid by means of liquid descending from a higher to a lower level which consists in causing a column of liquid which compresses the air to attain velocity and acquire energy, utilizing the energy partly to deliver air in part under pressure and in part at at- Y mospheric pressure, so as to vary the volume of air to be delivered under pressure, and partly to store energy in an elastic cushion, and using the energy of the elastic cushion to produce a reverse movement of liquid and tol cause a diminution of pressure and thus entrain ai fresh charge of air.

6. In a method of compressing air or other elastic fluid by means of liquid deH scending` from a higher to a lower level and which consists in causing a column of liquid which compresses the air to attain velocity and acquire energy, utilizing the energy partly to deliver air under pressure and partly to store energy in an elastic cushion, using the energy of the elastic cushion to produce a reverse movement of liquid and to cause a diminution of pressure and thus entrain a fresh charge of air, utilizing some of the air delivered under pressure to control automatically the velocity to be acquired by the column of liquid.

7. The method of Vcompressing an elastic fluid by means of liquid descending from a higher to a lower level or pressure, which consists in permitting a flow of said liquid until it attains velocity, then utilizing the momentum of the liquid, acting upon two regions of compression alternately, one of them acting as air compressor and the other as a resilient cushion, partly to compress and deliver compressed elastic fluid, and partly to store energy in an elastic cushion to produce a reverse movement of the liquid and thus cause a fresh charge of elastic fluid to enter the region of compression.

8. The method which consists in reciprocating a column of liquid with a velocity sufliciently limited to preserve the coherence of the column and having sufficient bulk and path of travel to acquire useful momentum and permitting a gravity actuated movement of the liquid in one direction of its reciprocation until it acquires sufcient momentum to compress a primary medium.

9. The method of compressing an elastic iuid by a column of liquid of sufficient volume and path of travel to enable it to attain useful momentum, which consists in permitting a gravity actuated movement of' the liquid until it attains velocity sufficient to acquire useful momentum, utilizing said momentum to compress the elastic fluid, and utilizing a portion of the energy of the compressed fluid to reverse the movement of the l liquid.

ln testimony whereof' l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT ALFRED HUMPHREY. Witnesses:

J. MILLARD, W. J. SKERTEN..

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, E. C.

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