US91676A - Improvement in steam-pumps - Google Patents

Description

an-ma ema HENRY SERGEANT, O'FNEWYORK, N. Y.l

Letters Patent No.'91,676, dated .Tune 22, 1869; mandated June 17, 18,69. n

IMPRQIEMENT IN STEAM-PUMPS.

The Schedulereferred to in these Letters P atent and "making part of the same.

To all wlwntit may concern:

Bc it known that 1, HENRY C. SnnGnANr, of the city, county, and State v of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus` for Elevating Water and other Fluids, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, form ing a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical' section of ya waterraising apparatus, constructed in accordance with my invention; v

Figure 2, a horizontal section, taken as denoted by the irregular line a: a: in fig. l, but with the pistons, which work in -the cylinders of the apparatus, re-` moved; and

Figure 3,a `transverse section of the apparatus, in` part, under a modified construction of certain of its details.

Similar letters of reference indicate .corresponding parts.

This invention consists in a novel apparatus for raising water or other linids, in which two or more pistons, reciprocating in separate cylinders, but connected to operate in unison, are used, in combination with a valve or valves, set in` motion by the movement of the pistons, and so arranged to control ports or passages, as that the iiuid is raised by the condensation ofthe exhaust steam in or from the one cylinder, while live steam on back of the other piston, combined with the discharge of fluid in the cylinder thereof, serves to effect the movement of both pistons.

Also, the invention consists in a combination with such devices, of eondensers, in communication with said cylinders at their-one end, and interposed between the outlets or discharge-pipes, for operation in connection vwith valvescontrollingsaid outlets and entry, or receiving-pipe or pipes.

Referring to the accompanying drawing- A A' represent two, or there Vmay be more, cylin` ders, which are* here shown to occupy a horizontal position.

These cylinders have fitted within them, pistons B B', connected by a rod, C, or otherwise, so as to work in concert, or form a double piston, as it were.

D is a steam-pipe, which is supplied, from any suitably-located boiler,- with steam of a low pressure, say, for instance, with steam of from one to three ponnds, or thereabouts, pressure, above that of the atmosphere.

E E' are valve-boxes, or cases, into which such lowpressure steam is admitted by the pipe D, and which contain valves F F', that may be of any suitable character, but are here shown as of a curvilinear-ly reciprocating description, being rocked by levers a a, through or by an arm, b, carried by the rod C, acting alternately against collars c c', on a rod, d, connecting said levers, or the valves may be, otherwise operated,

iu an automatic manner, by or through the motion of `the pistons, so asto control passagesc f and ef, leading to the front and backends of the cylinders A A', in such way as that either one valve, or in the place of two valves it may be a single long slide-valve, alternately' establishes, and, foracertain interval during the pistons stroke, keeps open communication between the passages e and f or c f', while 'the other valve simply admits steam lby the passage e or c' to either cylinder.f

Arranged between the cylinders A A', are condensers,k G G', preferably of a surface character or descriptiori, being made up for the most part oflplates g.

H is a suction or entry-pipe, arrangedbelow the eondensers, and extending toa depth somewhat less than the .height to which a column of water would rise in a vacuum.'- f" A This pipe carries, on its top, valves I I', opening upwards. l

J J are delivery-branches or outlets,l arranged helow the eondensers, and fitted with valves K K', opening outwards.

,The operation is as follows:

supposing the parts to be in the position represented in fig. 1, then thevalve F is open to admit steam to the back of the piston B, while the steam, which', in the previous stroke of the apparatus, has filled the cylinder A', has, by the position ofthe valve F', passed off by the passages c' f' to the condenser G', .where it.is condensed, causing the water, by the vacuum produced, to rise in the pipe H and into the said condenser by or through the opening of the valve I', and, as the pistons move'in direction of the arrows z, to enter the cylinder A in front of the piston B.

While this is going on, the water, which, in the reversestroke of the pistons, had been previously drawn or forced through the valvell into the cylinder A, is being delivered by4 its gravity through the outlet J and valve K, which action, combined with the action of the steam on the back of the piston B, gives, for at least the greater portion of the stroke, the necessaryy-movementto the two pistons in direction of the arrows z.v The piston B', during such movement, being balanced by the. open communicationV through the passages c' f,'between the oppositeends of the cylinder A', the water is forced and drawn up into said cylinder and the condenser G', by atmospheric pressure from below, acting on the column in thev pipe H, as opposed to the vacuum produced by the condensation of the steam in the condenser G'.

Prior to the pistons reaching the endrof their stroke in the direction indicated by the arrows z, the position of the valves F F', by the action of the arm b on the collar c is reversed, so as to effecta cushioning of the advance piston, and, by the valve F, establishing communication between the passages e and f, while the other valve It" has broken the connection between the passages e f', only leaving the passagee open to steam from the valve-chestE, which acts as a check to the momentum of the rising column oi' water in its action on the piston B', but not suiciently so as to prevent said momentum from aiding the pistons to complete their stroke. The exhaust steam passing from the back portion of the cylinder A, at rst temporarily -acts upon the surface of the water in said cylinder A, to expel it, or to keep up its expulsion by gravity through the valve AK; and in the return-stroke of the pistons, or until the valves are again reversed, said exhaust steam, by its condensation, produces a vacuum, which causes a fresh supply of water to rise in the cylinder A. This action is repeated alternately v in each cylinder as the pistons are reciprocated, and

thus a frequent or almost constant discharge of'water from the outlets J J', alternately, is maintained.

yThe surtaee-condensers G- G add materially to the eiciency of this apparatus, not only at starting, but during the continued action of the same, by the large plate or surface-presentation which is oii'cred to t-he steam and water in the rising and failing ofthe latter through the condensers, aud change constantly taking place, as regards fresh supply of water to the condensers.

In some'cases it is preferred to make a somewhat different arrangement of the condensers, relatively to 'the water-inlet opening to the cylinders and dischargeoutlets J J', with their valves K K', as, for instance, by locating the coudensers, with their plates g, above said water-inlets and outlets, as represented in fic. 3, and whereby a more efficient action of' the condenser is obtained, and the tendency to collection or lodgment of air, requiring expulsion by thepistons, is reduced, but the action ot' the apparatus generally is the same. f A

By reason of the economy which results in thus raising water, the apparatus may be very advantageously employed in lifting water to work a wheel or other motor, using, in such case, the same wat-er over and over again; or said water-elevating apparatus may be used for a variety of purposes.

When referring to the employment of low-pressure steam in working the apparatus, it should be understood that high-pressure steam, worked expansively,

may be Aused 'so as to reduce it to the necessary pressure at or towards the termination of either pistons` stroke; and thus, under appropriate arrangements `or modifications of details, the exhaust steam ot a highpressure engine may be employed for the purpose.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

l. The cylinders A A', in combination with the vcondensers G;G and outlets J J', substantially as de-

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