Shred...
Bless you for the most timely post. I've been attempting to work from the old wood cut print, which has been a bit of a chore to decipher at times. That top drawing on the page gave me some confirmation that I was needing before locating and cutting the ports in the valve and cylinder bodies. I was actually taking tonight away from the shop to think through and confirm the process I will be beginning tomorrow.
The water enters the engine from the side pipe and exits to the rearward pipe. The domed column was used to cushion against any water hammer created by varying water pressure or sudden speed changes.
The little I'd been able to find on this engine indicated it was a Schmid design, but it was very vague as to what the engine did. It appears that it functions both as a pump and an engine at the same time. There was some mention of the engine using "waste water from the treatment process" in what I'd previously seen. This lead me to think I might be building the world's smallest "Poop Pump"....LOL. I'm rather pleased to learn it had a far more civil purpose.
Apparently Schmid was quite on top of his game. He designed this engine to run on pressurized air, steam or water. The dome is said to have had a hand valve which was used to shut off access when using steam, to prevent excess condensation which could have created a water lock.
It's been a long while since I visited that site. It has grown tremendously and the information is getting much more detailed and useful. The animation of the Tower Spherical engine finally solved quite a long standing mystery.
Many thanks
Steve
