Cultural Landmarks of Hamilton-Wentworth

How the Pumphouse Operated

The expanding force of steam created in the boilers pushed pistons within the cylinders. The pistons were attached to the piston rods which were connected to one side of the walking beam. The main pump and pump rod were placed on the other end of the walking beam, opposite the cylinders. As steam pushed up on the piston, the walking beam forced the pump rod down (rather like a child's seesaw). When the piston reached the top, fresh steam entered the top of the cylinder and forced the piston back down. The walking beam, in turn, pulled up on the pump rod.

The up and down action of the pump rod drew water into the pump itself and forced it out under pressure through a pipe to the reservoir. The flywheel and the air vessels smoothed the pumping action: continuous flow of water being far less damaging to the fragile pipes of the day. A camshaft driven off the flywheel, turned the inlet and exhaust cams. The rotating cams lifted and dropped valves allowing steam to enter and leave the cylinders.

The smaller pumps and condenser adjacent to the steam engine improved efficiency. The condenser transformed the steam already used by the engine into hot water that was returned to the boilers by a small pump. Another pump assisted the action of the condenser by keeping it surrounded with cold water.

By condensing and re-using the steam, the engine not only saved the energy of heating cold water, but used the vacuum created by the condensing steam to increase the power of the engine.

In this "compound" engine, a single charge of steam expands twice: once in the small high pressure and again in the larger low pressure cylinder. With careful design, this arrangement is much more efficient than single cylinder engines. Finally, by supplying steam alternately to both sides of the pistons, the engine is made "double acting".

By combining condensing, compounding and double acting into one engine, the Woolf Compound Engine was one of the most efficient engines available to engineers of the day. Keefer's choice of this engine design was, in retrospect, excellent.

Acknowledgements:

The Hamilton Public Library would like to thank the Museum of Steam and Technology for graciously contributing the information for use in this webpage.