CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING OR GOVERNING THE SUPPLY OR PRESSURE OF GAS AS IT IS CONDUCTED FROM THE MAIN TO THE BURNERS
Year: 1854

page_text: Sealed the 2nd May 1854, and dated the 1st March 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clibran and
Joseph Clibran at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 1st March 1854.
We, WILLIAM and JOSEPH CLIBRAN, of Manchester, in the County of Lan-
caster, Machinists and Copartners, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING OR
GOVERNING THE SUPPLY OR PRESSURE OF GAS AS IT IS CONDUCTED FROM THE MAIN
TO THE BURNERS" to be as follows:-.
Our Invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of
apparatus for obtaining an even amount of gas whilst passing from the main
to the burners for consumption, and, consequently, an equality of light, what-
ever may be the variation of the pressure of the gas. The regulation of the
supply from the main to the burners is effected by means of a slide valve or
disc valve, formed of two corresponding surfaces placed together between the
branch inlet pipe from the main and the branch outlet pipe to the burners;

page_text: these slide or disc valves having suitable apertures in each for the passage of
the gas, and so arranged or opposed to each other, that when the openings or
apertures in both surfaces or discs coincide, or are opposite to each other, the
gas will pass freely; but as by shifting the position of one of the slides or discs
the apertures may be gradually closed or opened to the full extent, so the
quantity of gas allowed to pass from the main to the burners is regulated or
governed. Now, the continuous opening and closing of the gas passages in
this slide valve is effected simply.by. the variable pressure of the gas acting
within a small inverted vessel or gas holder or "gasometer," after the gas has
passed the valve, so that as the pressure increases, the gas rising within the
small gasometer will cause that to be slightly lifted, and as a small rod passes
through and is connected to the top of the gasometer at its upper end, and by
any simple arrangement of connection or gearing to one of the plates or discs
of the slide or gas valve at its other extremity, the one plate of the disc or slide
valve will be slightly shifted by the pressure of the gas, and, consequently, open
or close the apertures or passages for the flow of the gas, and thus regulate the
supply to the burners for combustion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clibran and Joseph Clibran in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st September 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
CLIBRAN and JOSEPH CLIBRAN, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinists and Copartners, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Clibran and Joseph Clibran, Her especial license that we, the said
William Clibran and Joseph Clibran, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said William Clibran and Joseph Clibran,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN

page_text: APPARATUS FOR REGULATING OR GOVERNING THE SUPPLY OR PRESSURE OF GAS AS IT
IS CONDUCTED FROM THE MAIN TO THE BURNERS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said William Clibran and Joseph Clibran, by an instru-
ment in writing under our hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Clibran and Joseph Clibran,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawing (that is to say) :-
Our Invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of
apparatus for obtaining an even amount of gas whilst passing from the main
to the burners for consumption, and consequently, an equality of light, what-
ever may be the variation of the pressure of the gas. The regulation of the
supply from the main to the burners is effected by means of a slide valve or
disc valve, (the slide valve being preferred,) formed by two corresponding
surfaces placed together between the branch inlet pipe from the main, and the
branch outlet pipe to the burners; these slide valves having suitable apertures
for the passage of the gas, and so arranged, that when the openings or apertures
in them are open, the gas will pass freely; but as by shifting the position of
the slide valve the apertures may be gradually closed or opened to the full
extent, so the quantity of gas allowed to pass from the main to the burners is
regulated or governed. Now, the continuous opening and closing of the gas
passages in this slide valve is effected simply by the variable pressure of the
gas acting within a small inverted vessel, or gas holder or "gasometer" after.
the
gas has passed the valve, so that as the pressure increases, the gas rising
within the small gasometer will cause that to be slightly lifted, and by any
simple arrangement of connection or gearing to the slide or gas valve it will be
slightly shifted by the pressure of the gas, and, consequently, open or close the
apertures or passages for the flow of the gas, and thus regulate the supply to
the burners for combustion. The peculiar construction, employment, and use
of such valves for the regulating and equalizing the pressure of gas in its
passage from the main to the burner or burners enables it to be operated upon
from the incoming current of gas by an equal amount of pressure over the
whole of the valve surface presented, whereby perfect steadiness and certainty
of action is secured. But in order that our improvements may be more per-
fectly understood and explained in detail, we have hereunto attached a Sheet

page_text: of Drawing, representing our improvements about full size, and having on the
several Figures the same letters of reference marked on similar parts of the
apparatus. The two Figures shown in the accompanying Drawing fully illus-
trate the principle of our Invention, but the same may be effected by the use
of what is commonly known as a dise valve, either used vertically or horizontally.
Fig. 1 exhibits a slide valve of peculiar construction, the upper portion of
which a forms the frustum of a cone, around this the collar 6 fits, and rises and
falls, thereby opening and closing the orifices or openings c, c, c, of the frustum
shaped slide valve. Fig. 2 represents a similar valve, and the same letters of
reference refer to corresponding parts. We will now proceed to describe the
action of our improved apparatus:-The flow of the gas from the main enters
through the tube d directly to the centre or enterior of the valve, not in its line
of direction operating on any one particular portion of the surface of the valve or
other mechanical equivalent, as heretofore has been the case, but in the interior
of the valve, distributing an equal pressure on all sides (that is, radiating from
the centre of the said valve); from the interior of the valve the gas passes
through the perforations or openings e, e, e, in the direction of the arrows into
the small gasometer ör chamber f, connected by two small pendants 9, 9, with
regulating screws at their upper ends to the collar h. The gas from the
gasometer f then passes the openings shown by dotted lines at j, and through
the pipe to the burners; in both figures the valves are shown open. Sup-
posing now the
gas to be at a higher pressure within the valve then desirable
to be consumed at the burner or burners, the gasometer f, in accordance with
its previous adjustment, will raise or elevate the collar or valve b, thereby par-
tially closing the outlet space and regulating the equal pressure at the burners;
but should the pressure within the valve, and of course in the main, become
less, then the gasometer f must fall, and the free flow of gas be allowed to such
proportionate fall; it will be evident now, upon reference to the Drawings, that
from the peculiar construction of the valve, whatever the pressure of in the
main, it must be equally diffused over the entire inner surface of the collar b, b,
or of the shutting-off part of the valve, whereby extreme regularity of action
is maintained.
gas
Having thus particularly described the nature of our Invention, it is scarcely
necessary to observe that we do not claim the cutting off of, gas in any particular
direction, as by a slight alteration in the apparatus shown in the Drawing the
same might be otherwise effected; but we claim,-
First, the peculiar construction, employment, and use of an apparatus for
regulating or governing the supply or pressure of gas as it is conducted from
the main to the burners, having a central slide valve through which the gas

page_text: and
radiates, and thereby causes an equal pressure on all parts of the slide valve
gas holder, and also produces the required perpendicular lift of the same,
in the manner and for the purposes above particularly set forth and described,
such valve being placed in the regulated gas, in contradistinction to the valves
of all other known "gas regulators," the valves of which have been invariably
placed in the current of the irregulated gas, by which means we obtain a valve
which offers no resistance either to the action of the regulating surfaces or to
the gas holder; and,
Secondly, we claim the peculiar construction or arrangement of an apparatus
for governing or regulating the passage of gas, in which the necessary regu-
lation of the gas and the supply of the same for distribution to the burners is
effected in one chamber, which causes its operation to be more sensitive to the
variations of pressure in the main, or to the shutting off of the supply of gas at
the burners.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Clibran, and Joseph Clibran,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirty-first day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
WILLIAM CLIBKAN. (L.S.)
JOSEPH CLIBRAN.
(L.S.)