| Humphrey pump | |
|---|---|
 The top of a Humphrey pump at the King George V pumping station in London | |
| Classification | Gas-fueled liquid piston pump |
| Application | Water pumps for sewage, utility, irrigation and drydocks |
| Fuel source | Coal gas, Producer gas or Natural gas |
| Inventor | H. A. Humphrey |
| Invented | 1909 |
The Humphrey pump is a large internal combustion gas-fueled liquid piston pump. The pump was invented by H. A. Humphrey and first presented in paper to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on 19 November 1909.[1][2][3] A pump capable of pumping 250,000 gallons per hour to a head of 35 feet was exhibited at the 1910 Brussels Exhibition, where it was awarded two Grands Prix, for both engines and pumps.[4]
A small number of pumps were built between 1906 and 1925 for use in large-scale water supply projects.[1][2] Although only a few pumps were built, some continued in service into the 1960s.[5]
- ^ a b Wimperis, Harry Egerton (1915). "The Gas Engine". The Internal Combustion Engine (2nd ed.). New York: D. Van Nostrand Company. pp. 113–117.
- ^ a b McLaughlan, James Ivey (1931). "The Humphrey Pump and the Installation of Two Sixty-Six Inch Units at Cobdogla, River Murray" (PDF). Trans. Inst. Engineers of Australia. XII: 413–426.
- ^ Humphrey, Herbert A. (19 November 1909). "An Internal-Combustion Pump, and other applications of a new Principal". Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. 77: 1075–1200. doi:10.1243/PIME_PROC_1909_077_019_02.
- ^ "The Humphrey Pump at the Brussels Exhibition". Engineering. 22 July 1910. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ Smith, Dennis (10 February 1971). "The Humphrey Pump and its inventor". Transactions of the Newcomen Society. London, United Kingdom: Science Museum.