used, and the tendency of relay governors to hunt must be
overcome. In the Niagara Falls Power House No. 1, each turbine
has a very sensitive centrifugal governor acting on a ratchet
relay. The governor puts into gear one or other of two ratchets
driven by the turbine itself. According as one or the other
ratchet is in gear the sluices are raised or lowered. By a subsidiary
arrangement the ratchets are gradually put out of gear
unless the governor puts them in gear again, and this prevents the
over correction of the speed from the lag in the action of the
governor. In the Niagara Power House No. 2, the relay is an
hydraulic relay similar in principle, but rather more complicated
in arrangement, to that shown in fig. 206, which is a governor
used for the 1250 h.p. turbines at Lyons. The sensitive governor
G opens a valve and puts into action a plunger driven by oil
pressure from an oil reservoir. As the plunger moves forward
it gradually closes the oil admission valve by lowering the
fulcrum end f of the valve lever which rests on a wedge w attached
to the plunger. If the speed is still too high, the governor reopens
the valve. In the case of the Niagara turbines the oil
pressure is 1200 ℔ per sq. in. One millimetre of movement of
the governor sleeve completely opens the relay valve, and the
relay plunger exerts a force of 50 tons. The sluices can be
completely opened or shut in twelve seconds. The ordinary
variation of speed of the turbine with varying load does not
exceed 1%. If all the load is thrown off, the momentary
variation of speed is not more than 5%. To prevent hydraulic
shock in the supply pipes, a relief valve is provided which opens
if the pressure is in excess of that due to the head.
Fig. 207.
§ 205. The Hydraulic Ram.—The hydraulic ram is an arrangement by which a quantity of water falling a distance h forces a portion of the water to rise to a height h1, greater than h. It consists of a supply reservoir (A, fig. 207), into which the water enters from some natural stream. A pipe s of considerable length conducts the water to a lower level, where it is discharged intermittently through a self-acting pulsating valve at d. The supply pipe s may be fitted with a flap valve for stopping the ram, and this is attached in some cases to a float, so that the ram starts and stops itself automatically, according as the supply cistern fills or empties. The lower float is just sufficient to keep open the flap after it has been raised by the action of the upper float. The length of chain is adjusted so that the upper float opens the flap when the level in the cistern is at the desired height. If the water-level falls below the lower float the flap closes. The pipe s should be as long and as straight as possible, and as it is subjected to considerable pressure from the sudden arrest of the motion of the water, it must be strong and strongly jointed. a is an air vessel, and e the delivery pipe leading to the reservoir at a higher level than A, into which water is to be pumped. Fig. 208 shows in section the construction of the ram itself. d is the pulsating discharge valve already mentioned, which opens inwards and downwards. The stroke of the valve is regulated by the cotter through the spindle, under which are washers by which the amount of fall can be regulated. At o is a delivery valve, opening outwards, which is often a ball-valve but sometimes a flap-valve. The water which is pumped passes through this valve into the air vessel a, from which it flows by the delivery pipe in a regular stream into the cistern to which the water is to be raised. In the vertical chamber behind the outer valve a small air vessel is formed, and into this opens an aperture 14 in. in diameter, made in a brass screw plug b. The hole is reduced to 116 in. in diameter at the outer end of the plug and is closed by a small valve opening inwards. Through this, during the rebound after each stroke of the ram, a small quantity of air is sucked in which keeps the air vessel supplied with its elastic cushion of air.
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| Fig. 208. |
During the recoil after a sudden closing of the valve d, the pressure below it is diminished and the valve opens, permitting outflow. In consequence of the flow through this valve, the water in the supply pipe acquires a gradually increasing velocity. The upward flow of the water, towards the valve d, increases the pressure tending to lift the valve, and at last, if the valve is not too heavy, lifts and closes it. The forward momentum of the column in the supply pipe being destroyed by the stoppage of the flow, the water exerts a pressure at the end of the pipe sufficient to open the delivery valve o, and to cause a portion of the water to flow into the air vessel. As the water in the supply pipe comes to rest and recoils, the valve d opens again and the operation is repeated. Part of the energy of the descending column is employed in compressing the air at the end of the supply pipe and expanding the pipe itself. This causes a recoil of the water which momentarily diminishes the pressure in the pipe below the pressure due to the statical head. This assists in opening the valve d. The recoil of the water is sufficiently great to enable a pump to be attached to the ram body instead of the direct rising pipe. With this arrangement a ram working with muddy water may be employed to raise clear spring water. Instead of lifting the delivery valve as in the ordinary ram, the momentum of the column drives a sliding or elastic piston, and the recoil brings it back. This piston lifts and forces alternately the clear water through ordinary pump valves.
Pumps
§ 206. The different classes of pumps correspond almost exactly to the different classes of water motors, although the mechanical details of the construction are somewhat different. They are properly reversed water motors. Ordinary reciprocating pumps correspond to water-pressure engines. Chain and bucket pumps are in principle similar to water wheels in which the water acts by weight. Scoop wheels are similar to undershot water wheels, and centrifugal pumps to turbines.
Reciprocating Pumps are single or double acting, and differ from water-pressure engines in that the valves are moved by the water instead of by automatic machinery. They may be classed thus:—
1. Lift Pumps.—The water drawn through a foot valve on the ascent of the pump bucket is forced through the bucket valve when it descends, and lifted by the bucket when it reascends. Such pumps give an intermittent discharge.
2. Plunger or Force Pumps, in which the water drawn through the foot valve is displaced by the descent of a solid plunger, and forced through a delivery valve. They have the advantage that
