>> 3. You could try "my" 'Pistonless Piston Pump. I invented this as a
>> rocket propellant pump some years ago and only subsequently found 
>> out
>> that Lockheed Martin had patented the idea about 4 years before 
>> that.
>> A version of this was independently invented by and being developed 
>> in
>> secret by Flometrics (see it at
>> http://www.flometrics.com/rockets/rocket_pump/rocketpump.htm) when 
>> I
>> caused them some consternation by publishing my design. They now 
>> have
>> numerous patents on various aspects. An idea which I have public
>> domained and which is *NOT* covered by the LM patent is to use a
>> single chamber pump. The LM patent is based on 3 or more chambers 
>> with
>> 2 being mentioned as a throw away at the very end. 2 chambers is 
>> fine.
>> If you wish, you can use 2 or more of public domain single chamber
>> pumps with a common controller running them in appropriate phase
>> relationship, when they look suspiciously like the patented 
>> version.
>> It so happens that one of the very first British patents (1750s?) 
>> was
>> for a mine pump that worked on the same principle - there is little
>> new under the sun.
>
> Why is this good ? Here is the Savery engine:
>
> http://www.egr.msu.edu/~lira/supp/steam/savery.htm


James and others who are interested in alternative and reduced energy 
lifestyles and related issues should have a look at the Flometrics 
site. The PPP has various applications quite unrelated to rocketry. 
With it you can build extremely simple pumps using gas pressure. While 
other means will often be superior there are instances where this may 
do the job better than alternatives. I haven't tried it but you could 
build a plastic (or wood, probably :-)) air-powered down-hole PPP to 
lift water over large heads. Just as Savery did.



        RM
 

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