US938078A - Apparatus for elevating water. - Google Patents

Description

0. A. ROED. APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING WATER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15,1908.

938,078. I Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

is placed an air-suction device, which, under OLA? A. BQED, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING WATER.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Oct. 26,1909.

Application filed February '15 1908. Serial No. 416,043.

To all 1177mm it may concern: I Be it known that'l, ()Lar A. Reno, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Elevating \Vater; and I do hereby declare the l following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 7

My invention has for its object to provide an apparatus which will utilize the force of the running stream or power developed by the flow of water from a normal or relatively high elevation to the lower elevation, and which, while highly eflicient for the purposes had in View, may be maintained at very small running cost.

To the above ends, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of de vices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

Generally stated, my invention consists in the employment of two or more siphons (simple or complex). While, as just indicated, more than two siphons may be employed in this system, the greater number would, nevertheless, include at least two siphons; and, hence, for the purposes of this descri tion, the invention will be hereinafter descri ed as consisting of two siphons, the one designated as a primary siphon and the other designated as a secondary siphon. The so-called primary siphon is arranged to receive water from a normal elevation or suply, such as the foreba of a dam, and to deiver the water to a ower elevation. The so-called secondary siphon has arelatively long receiving leg and is arrangedto receive water from a normal elevation or water supply, such as the forebay of a dam, and to deliver the same to a higher elevation. In its lower fportion, the relatively long receiving leg 0 this secondary siphon is provided with an air inlet. Both siphons are pro vided with vacuum chambers in their summits, and these two vacuum chambers are connected by an air duct. Vvithin the summit or upper portion of the primary siphon the force of the water running throu h the said primary siphon, ejects air, and, ence, produces a partial vacuum in the vacuum chamber of the two siplrons. The partial vacuum produced in the vacuum chambers or sunm'iits of the two siphons will raise the water to a point of overflow'in the primary siphon and will raise the water to'an equal altitude in the relatively long receiving leg of the secondary siphon. Furthermore, the

reduction in the pressure, or the partial vacuum produced in the vacuum chamber or summit of'the secondary siphon will cause air totiow through the air inlet of said leg; and air thus introduced into the water in said long receiving leg will [low rapidly upward, thereby decreasing the ell'cctive weight of the column of water in said long leg, and thus producing a forced upward flow of the water in said long receiving leg.

One embodiment of my invention is illus: trated in the accompanying drawings,wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a view chiefly in vertical section, but with some parts left in full, showing the said apparatus. Fig. 2 is a detail taken in section on the line a .22 of Fig. 1; and F ig.'3 is a plan view of the so-called. suction air pum which is arranged to work within the primary siphon.

The primary siphon is arranged to receive water from the forebay A of a dam and to discharge the same at a lower elevation B. This primary siphon may take various forms, but it is preferably constructed as shown in the drawm s, which constructionis as follows: The s ort or receiving leg of this primary siphon is in the form of an upright shell or cylinder 1', the upper end of which is closed by a head 2 having, as shown, a manhole normally closed by a man-hole cover 3 detachably but rigidly secured with an all; tight joint by any suitable well-known means. The lower end of this leg 1 is submerged more or less in the water of the forebay A, The ion or discharging leg of the said primary sip 1011 is made up ofa multiplicit of telescopically v connected sections 4 having flanged ends '4, shown only in Fig. 2, that prevent the said sections from being drawn-completed apart. This long leg 4 is centrally or' axia ly disposed with respect to tlie leg 1, and thelower section thereof is arranged to discharge at the lower level B: Surrounding the upper section of this telescopic leg 4 and secured thereto is a float, shown as in the form of an annular air can 5, and to the top of this air can, or to the upper end of theuppr. section of the said leg 1, is secured upwardly extended air inlet tubes 7 and a very much larger number of relatively small inwardly radiating air discharge nipples 8. The head, made up of the ring U, tubes 7 and nipples 8, constitutes an air suction device or head-piece of the character hitherto a tubular ring which has a multiplicity of tee-t. the proportion of air to Water must be small as compared to that possible in bydraulic air com pressors working under high. heads. Sitter the headpiece has once 'been i adjusted. the proportion oi? air to Water will employed in hydraulic air compressors. The i lower the pressure 1n the vacuum chambers amount of water overfiowingvfrom the leg 1 into the leg l may be regulated by an invertspondmgly and the head-piece Wlll continue ed gate 5) shown as secured to an adjusting rod 10. This adjusting rod works through a stalling box in the head 2, and the lower end thereof has threaded engagementwith an arm ll secured to the interior of the upper section of the siphon leg 4. A hand-piece 12 f .short discharge leg 16 and a vacuum chamber l5 which connects the said two legs and 1(3. The vacuum chambers l and l5 of the primary and secondary siphons are connected by a pipe 17 that constitutes an air duct. The discharge leg 16 of said second ary siphon is preferably provided with a check valve 18 that permits free downward flow of the Water, but prevents backward 'flow thereof. The said discharge leg 16 is ar angled to deliver ate at an elevation, indicated at C. Opening from the atmosphere into the lower portion of the relatively long receiving'lcg 15 is an air port, shown as in the form of a short pipe 1.) having a funnel-shaped upper end 20 adapted to be opened'and closed by a valve 21. This valve is connected, by an adjustable stem. 22-22, to one of the corrugated plates of a steel vacuum box 23'; such used in the aneroid barometer. This vacuum box is connected, by'a. small pipe 2 1-, to the air pipe 17, so that saidjhox is-subject to the same pressure as that in the vacuum chambers of the two siphons. In the air pipe 17, below its junction witirthe pipe 24, is a valve 25, by means of which the lower portion of the said pipe 1? may be opened and closed. When the apparatus is in action, however. this valve-Q5 must be open.

Operation: Before starting the apparatus into action, the head-piece will float on the level of the forebay, and the Water will. run dowrncarrying with it a certain amount of atmmsphcric air, for instance, .500 cubic feet of free air per minute. its the system intended low heads, usually less than 20 .adjustably secured to the upwardly ex- 1 '1-l5, and the waterslcvel will rise correto float on the new water level, with the air tube 7 projecting above the Water and with the nipples 8 submerged in the water. This rise we will assume to be 15. feet, so that theprcssure in the system, that is, in the vacuum chambers and connections, Wlll be approximately one-half atmosphere, or 7% pounds per square inch. The Water which continues to run over the head-piece in the primary siphon passes downward over the multiplicity of m ples 8 and draws in air through the tubes at the rate of 500 cubic feet per minute, by volume ofrarcfied air,

which volume of air is equal only to 25.0 cubic feet or free or atmospheric air per minute; and this air is carried downward by the Water flowing through the lon leg of the primary siphon and "is discharged to the atmosphere at the lower end of. said leg. Hence, there can be added 250 cubic feet of free air per minute to the system Without causing any change in the vacuum, 5. 6.,- the pressure in the vacuum chambers and .conncctions. Inasmhch as the secondary siphon is subject to the same vacuum or reduced pressure as the primary siphon, it is evident that all water 1n-thc long receiving leg 15 of said secondary siphon will, by its reduced pressure alone, be caused to rise to the level of the water in the prime siphon. By means of the reversely threa ed nut 22*, the valve stem 22 should be so adjusted that the valve 21 will open the an" admission or inlet 19 whenever the air pressure in the system is reduced below 7'} pounds,fbut will. move said valve into a posit-ion to close said air inlet whenever the air pressure in the system is raised above 7% pounds. It-is, of course, understood that atmospheric pressure on the exterior 01 die vacuum box 23 tends to move the valve 21 into an open position,- while the pressure Within said vacuum'hox, assisted b gravity of the parts, tends to move said va ve into a closed position. Otherwise stated,.under the action of the automatic controller 23, the valve 21 ad mits air to the leg 15 only when vacuum exceeds the pressure of the head or column .of water in. the short leg of the primary siphon. The air thus admitted into the leg 15 of the secondary siphon, through the air inlet 19, will rush upward through the said leg at an increasing speed, expanding in its course in accordance with Marriottes law, 1

and the air bubbles so reduce the specific gravity of the water in the said leg that the,

nmn of pure water to the altitude 3 3 will no v supportand accelerate upward a columnof water and air to the altitude or level of the water in the vacuum chamber 15 of the said secondary siphon. It will, of course, be understood that the effective weight of the column of water and air in the relatively long receiving leg 15 of the secondary siphon is always less than thel effective'wcight of the solid column of water in the discharge eg 1.6 of said siphon. An increase of air in the leg 15 will lower the specific gravity of the fluid therein, and, hence, the water will rush upward through the lower end of said leg at agreater velocity; and conversely, a decrease'of the supply of water to saidleg will increase the specific gravity of the fluid or mixture of air and water in the said leg, and thus decrease the intake of water. It will thus be seen that neither siphon can ever overload itself as to the intake of Water; and the system requires no attention, inasmuch as the working of the system is dependent on the supply of air to the receiving leg of the secondary siphon, and this supply of air is re ulated by the automatic controller aliorded, in the illustration given, by the vacuum box 23.

When more than one secondary siphons are employed, all thereof may be arranged to deliver water a t the same altitude, or they may be arranged to successively deliver water to higher and higher altitudes.

' a many instances the long or discharge leg of the primary siphon would not be made extensible, in which case it will be necessary, in the first instance, to produce a partial vacuum in the summit of said primary siphon in order to start the flow of water through the said siphon. The check valve '18 in thelower end of the discharge leg 16 of the Se 30lidflly siphon would be required only when rutting the system into action.

It will, of' course, be understood that the air inlet must enter the long leg of the socalled secondary siphon at a point within the suction effect of the vacuum produced, so that the internal pressure at that point is less than atmospheric. I

in this specification and in. the claims, the expression long and short siphon legs has reference only. to the vertical ext mt thereof, andentirely ignores the horizontal extension that may, in many instances, be

involved in the siphon legs.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for elevating water, the combination with a primary siphon arranged to deliver water from a normal to a lower elevation, of a secondary siphon arranged to deliver water from a normal to a higher elevation and having an air inlet in the lower portion of its receiving leg, and means actuated by the how of water through said primary siphon and operating to eject air from the summits of said two siphons, whereby the partial vacuum produced in the summits of said siphons will cause air to enter and flow upva rd with the water through the receiving leg of said secondary siphon,

' subst ntially as described.

:2. in an apparatus for elevating water, the combination with ,a prin'iary siphon arranged to deliver water from a normal to a lower elevation, of a secondary siphon having a relatively long receiving leg and arranged to' deliver water from a normal to'a higher elevationl'the said receiving leg having an air inlet in its lower portion, and means actuated by the flow of water through said primary siphon and operating to eject air from the summits of said two siphons, whereby the partial vacuum produced in the summits of said siphons will cause air to enter and flow upward with the Water in the relatively lon receiving leg of said secondary siphon, sulistantially described.

3. In an apparatus for elevating water, the combination with a primary siphon arranged to deliver water from a normal to a lower elevation, of a secondary siphon having a relatively long receiving leg and arranged to deliver water from a normal to :r

higher elevation, the said long receiving leg having an air inlet in its lower portion, a-

valve controlling said air inlet, means actuated by the flow of water through said primary siphon and operating to eject air from the summits of said two siphons, and an automatic controller for said valve actuated by a difierence between the atmospheric prcssure and the partial vacuum pressure produced in said siphons, substantially as described.

'4. In a. Water elevating apparatus the arranged to deliver water from a normal to a higher elevation, said long receiving leg having an air inlet in its lower portion, an air conduit connecting the vacuum chambers of said two siphons, and an air suction device located in the summit of said pri-.-

mary siphon and operating to produce partial vacuum in said vacuum chambers and thereby cause air ta) enter through said air inlet and to with the water upward "through the receiving leg of said secondary siphon substantially as described.

5. In a. water elevating apparatus, the combination with a primary siphon having a delivery leg extending downwar'il through its receiving leg and arranged to deliver Water from a normal to a lower elevation, said primary siphon, having .a vacuum chamher in its summit/10f 'a secondary siphon having a vacuum chamber in its summit and. having a relatively long receiving leg and arranged to deliver Water from a normal to a higher elevation, said long receiving leg having an air inlet in its lower port-ion, an air conduit connecting the vacuum chamber of said two siphons, an air suction device located in the summit of said primary siphon and operating, under the flow of water throughsaid primary siphon, to produce a partial vacuum in the vacuum chambers of said two siphons, a valve controlling'said air inlet, and an automatic controller for said valve, actuated by a difference between the atmospheric pressure and the pressure of the partial vacuumr produced in the vacuum chambers of said siphons, substan tially as described.

6. In an apparatus. for elevating water,

asaova the combination with a rimary siphon arranged to deliver Water mm a normal to a lower elevation, of a secondary siphon ar ranged to deliver Water from a normal to a higher elevation and having an-air inlet in the lower portion of its receivin leg, a valve for opening and closin said air inlet, means actuated by the flow 0 water through said primary siphon and operating to eject air from the summits of the said two si- OLAF A ROED.

Witnesses:

H D. KILGORE, F. D. MERCHANT,

phons, and an automatic controller for s aid air inlet valve actuated by a difle'rence

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