The Pulsometer steam pump is a

pistonless pump A pistonless pump is a type of pump designed to move fluids without any moving parts other than three chamber valves. The pump contains a chamber which has a valved inlet from the fluid to be pumped, a valved outlet – both of these at the botto ...

which was patented in 1872 by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Charles Henry Hall. In 1875 a British engineer bought the patent rights of the Pulsometer and it was introduced to the market soon thereafter. The invention was inspired by the Savery

steam pump A pump is a device that moves fluids ( liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they ...

invented by

Thomas Savery Thomas Savery (; c. 1650 – 15 May 1715) was an English inventor and engineer. He invented the first commercially used steam-powered device, a steam pump which is often referred to as the "Savery engine". Savery's steam pump was a revolutiona ...

. Around the turn of the century, it was a popular and effective pump for

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...

pumping.

Construction and operation

This extremely simple pump was made of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

, and had no

piston A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas-tig ...

s, rods,

cylinders A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infini ...

, cranks, or

flywheel A flywheel is a mechanical device which uses the conservation of angular momentum to store rotational energy; a form of kinetic energy proportional to the product of its moment of inertia and the square of its rotational speed. In particular, ass ...

s. It operated by the direct action of

steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

. The mechanism consisted of two chambers. As the steam condensed in one chamber, it acted as a

suction Suction is the colloquial term to describe the air pressure differential between areas. Removing air from a space results in a pressure differential. Suction pressure is therefore limited by external air pressure. Even a perfect vacuum cannot ...

pump, while in the other chamber, steam was introduced under pressure and so it acted as a force pump. At the end of every stroke, a

ball valve A ball valve is a flow control device which uses a hollow, perforated and pivoting ball to control fluid flowing through it. It is open when the ball's hole is in line with the flow inlet and closed when it is pivoted 90-degrees by the valve ...

consisting of a small

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

ball moved slightly, causing the two chambers to swap functions from suction-pump to force-pump and vice versa. The result was that the water was first suction pumped and then force pumped. A good explanation can be found in the 1901 article referenced below:

The operation of the pulsometer is as follows: The ball being at the entrance of the left-hand chamber, and the right-hand being full of water, steam enters, pressing on the surface of the water, and forcing it out through the discharge passage. A rapid condensation of steam occurs from contact with the water and with the walls of the chamber, previously cooled by the water. When the water level has reached the horizontal edge of the discharge passage, a large volume of steam suddenly escapes and is at once condensed by the relatively cold water between the chamber and the discharge valve. The pressure in the chamber quickly decreases; it cannot be sustained by steam from the boiler, for, in accordance with the inventor's first specifications, the steam pipe is small. If now the pressure in the left chamber is equal, or nearly equal, to that in the right, friction caused by the rapid flow of steam past the ball will draw the ball over and close the right-hand chamber. Cut off from further supply, the steam, in contact with water, begins to condense; a jet of cold water from the discharge pipe spurts up through the injection tube, and by breaking into spray against the side of the steam space, completes the condensation. The partial vacuum produced brings water through the suction valve to fill the chamber; but at the same time the air valve admits a little air, which passes up ahead of the water and forms an elastic cushion to prevent the water from striking violently against the steam ball. The air chamber is for the purpose of preventing water-hammer in the suction pipe.

Advantages

The pump ran automatically without attendance. It was praised for its "extreme simplicity of construction, operation, compact form, high efficiency, economy, durability, and adaptability". Later designs were improved upon to enhance efficiency and to make the machine more accessible for inspection and repairs, thus reducing maintenance costs.

Detailed analysis

In the January 1901 issue of ''Technology Quarterly and Proceedings of the Society of Arts'', an article appeared by Joseph C. Riley describing key operational details and technical evaluation of the pulsometer pump's performance. Riley noted that although somewhat inefficient, the pulsometer's simplicity and robust construction made it well suited to pumping "thick liquids or semi-fluids, such as heavy syrups, or even liquid mud".

Pulsometer Engineering Company Limited

Pulsometer Engineering Company Limited was founded in Britain in 1875 after a British engineer bought the patent rights of the pulsometer pump from Thomas Hall. In 1901 the company moved from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...

. In 1961 Pulsometer merged with

Sigmund Pumps In Norse mythology, Sigmund ( non, Sigmundr , ang, Sigemund) is a hero whose story is told in the Völsunga saga. He and his sister, Signý, are the children of Völsung and his wife Hljod. Sigmund is best known as the father of Sigurð the d ...

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

to form Sigmund Pulsometer Pumps. SPP Pumps Ltd became one of the largest pump companies in Europe. SPP Pumps Ltd is now part of

Kirloskar Brothers Ltd Kirloskar Brothers Limited (KBL) ( ) is a pump manufacturing company involved in engineering and manufacture of systems for fluid management. Established in 1888 and incorporated in 1920, KBL is the flagship company of the $2.5 billion Kirlosk ...

References

{{reflist
Kirloskar Brothers Limited
Pumps Steam power