Rider-Ericsson “Improved” 4 Hot Air Water Pumping Engine

The Rider air engine has been a very popular engine in America that came to Europe, and also Australia. It is one of the most widespread engines for little power. It was found especially serviceable on railroads for filling water tanks; in public buildings, hotels, universities, asylums, city and country residences, and all descriptions of manufactories; for irrigation purposes; in short, wherever a small, neat, compact motor is required.

This engine is of the class of the closed cycle engine in which the working fluid -in this case the atmospheric air – never comes in touch with the combustible of the furnace and is heated externally. The same air is used continuously, as there is neither influx nor escape, the air being merely shifted from one cylinder to the other is alternately compressed, heated, expanded, and cooled. The engine is symmetrical in appearance, has two separate and parallel cylinders one on the cold side and the other on the hot side where the furnace is also to be found. This strict separation of the two sides is of much advantage as heat and cold do not mix together like other engines.