Trompes or Water Bellows. A Way of Producing Wind Through the Fall of Water

Abstract

Compressed air is nowadays widely used in various industrial applications. In ancient times, it was used both for feeding fires and for wind instruments. Bellows were the usual means, such as piston bellows and leather bellows. In the European Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the progress of metallurgy required the use of large and expensive leather bellows. Some centuries ago, an ingenious and cheaper way of producing compressed air also came into use, namely water bellows or trompes. In Italy, France, Spain and other countries, these were employed for blowing forges, blast furnaces, pipe organs and recreational wind instruments. A trompe works through the action of a column of water falling through a vertical tube. The water enters the pipe mixed with air, which is carried along with the stream through the tube. In an appropriate recipient, the water runs on a hard stone to free the air it carries. From the receiver, the air is conveyed to the utilizing device in a continuous blast. This technology became obsolete with the advent of steam engines. However, for a number of centuries, water bellows represented an important means for producing compressed air and a useful aid for industrial development.