Vacuum water circulation system used on Superior Oil Field Engines.

The Superior oil field engines used a vacuum system to circulate the water used in to cool their engines.  It is a rather simple system where the only moving parts are a couple of check valves.  The second and third pictures in the series below have the parts labeled. 

As a vacuum is pulled on the input stroke a check valve opens that is at the bottom of the stand pipe just after the water exits the engine block.  The check valve on the discharge line is closed.  Water is then drawn through the engine from the cooling tank up into a stand pipe. 

When the vacuum ends the check valve at the bottom of the stand pipe closes trapping the water in the stand pipe.  The check valve in the discharge line opens,  and the water exits the stand pipe through the discharge line into the cooling tank.

Adjustments are made by two valves, one locate at the input manifold and the other located at the top of the stand pipe.  The one at the top of the stand pipe lets air into the system and the one at the intake manifold controls the amount of vacuum drawn.  Too much vacuum and it will draw water into the engine.  The taller the stand pipe the more water that is circulated. 

The engine pictured here is a 25 H.P. Superior owned by
Dennis and Kena Quebberman of Corydon, Indiana.

View of complete system.	As vacuum is created durring input stroke, check valve 1 opens, check valve 2 closes and water is drawn into stand pipe.	Valve at input valve box and air valve on top of stand pipe are adjusted for proper operation.	Pipe at bottom of screen cooler is input supply line and leads to the front of engine.
Input pipe enters engine at the water cooled exhaust manafold or the bottom of the cylinder on these engines.				Once the vacuum ends the check valves reverse direction and the water flows from the stand pipe into the cooling tank or in this case over the screen.

 

Another 25 H.P. Superior using this system.

A 35 H.P. Superior set up with this system.

 

Here is an original installation still utilizing this cooling system.

The engine is a 35 H.P. Superior.	Water input on the left. Vacuum on the right. Stand pipe just behind the oiler.	The smaller pipe on the left is the vacuum line going to the engine. The insulation wrapped pipe is the water stand pipe.	The center pipe is the exhaust with a "Barker" on top.	The water in this tank is like very warm bath water.	You can see that the pipes involved were very tall and the cooling tank is large.

For more pictures of this installation look here:
http://www.herculesengines.com/FlatRock/

 

 

Here is an Evans engine set up to use this system.

Note that the vacuum line is connected to the input side of the fuel mixer.

Return to the Old Iron web page.

This site has been visited times since 12/1/03