improvements in stop Valves for Regulating the Admission of Gas or other Inflammable Fluid to the Burners of Illuminating Apparatus.
Year: 1886

page_text: improvements in stop Valves for Regulating the Admission
of Gas or other Inflammable Fluid to the Burners of
Illuminating Apparatus.
I HENRY FOURNESS of the firm of H. Fourness and Company of 116 Princess
Street, Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Gas Lamp Manufacturers do
hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My said Invention relates to means for facilitating the admission of gas or other
inflammable vapour or fluid to lamps and is particularly applicable to pendant
lamps similar for example to the type of lamp for certain improvements in which
I have made application for Her Majesty's Letters Patent No. 7289 dated
16th June 1885. My present improved arrangement of stop valve is however
capable of application to all illuminating apparatus in which the supply of gas is
led from above to be consumed in an argand or other similar burner and in which
the isolation of the lamp or the presence of an enclosing glass shield or globe and
the arrangements above for heating the inflowing gas and air and for removing
and utilizing the products of combustion, render access to a tap or valve on the
supply pipe close to the lamp, difficult or impossible. To obviate this defect
I provide a valve which can be applied at the foot of the lamp so that the gas can
be admitted and the lighting effected simultaneously. In applying such a valve
for example to a pendant lamp having a hollow burner with horizontal efflux
openings, instead of admitting the gas directly from the supply pipe to the
chamber in the burner as described in my former application I lead the gas into an
independent valve chamber beneath the burner and screwed or secured thereto the
gas supply orifice into this chamber being formed as a conical valve seating.
A spindle passes up from the bottom of the lamp through the centre of the lighting
orifice and is made of a conical shape at the end so as to fit the valve seating.
The spindle is screwed near its upper end where it passes through a nut forming
the bottom of the valve chamber beneath the burner or the bottom of the said
chamber may be bored and tapped to fit the screw on the spindle. A packing
gland is also applied at the foot of the chamber to prevent leakage past the valve
spindle. The spindle is provided at its lower end with a thumb piece or handle
for turning the spindle made preferably of some material which will not readily
conduct heat. By turning the spindle so as to open the valve gas is admitted to
the chamber beneath the burner and has access therefrom to the burner through
Prine 71

page_text: apertures formed in the bottom of the burner and which place the burner and the
chamber beneath, in communication. Air is supplied to the upper and under sides
of the flame as usual or as indicated in my aforesaid prior application. When the
lamp is provided with a nut or stop for regulating the admission of air to the
flame as described in my aforesaid application for Letters Patent the said nut or
stop is screwed or slides on a fixed sleeve which encloses the valve spindle or if
desired the said regulating nut or stop might screw or slide on the valve spindle
itself.
Although I have described the auxilliary valve chamber as situated beneath the
burner it might in some instances be placed above the burner in which case the
valve spindle would pass through the centre of the burner. I consider however
that the arrangement first described is preferable as the gas in its passage through
the supply pipe in the centre of the burner and through the valve chamber beneath
to the interior of the burner is more thoroughly subjected to the regenerating
influence of the heat in the lamp and is consequently in a more fit state for efficient
combustion as an illuminant. A valve arrangement similar to that described
might be used in conjunction with a pendant sunlight to regulate the admission of
gas to a number of burners.

page_text: improvements in stop Valves Ior Regulating
де AⱭm188ION
of Gas or other Inflammable Fluid to the Burners of
Illuminating Apparatus.
I HENRY FOURNESS of the firm of H. Fourness & Co, of 116 Princess Street,
Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Gas Lamp Manufacturers do hereby
declare the nature of this 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 drawings:—
My said Invention relates to means for facilitating the admission of gas or other
inflammable vapour or fluid to lamps and is particularly applicable to pendant
lamps similar for example to the type of lamp for certain improvements in which
I have made application for Her Majesty's Letters Patent No. 7289 dated 16th
June 1885. My present improved arrangement of stop valve is however capable
of application to all illuminating apparatus in which the supply of gas is led from
above to be consumed in an argand or other similar burner and in which the
isolation of the lamp or the presence of an enclosing glass shield or globe and the
arrangements above for heating the inflowing gas and air and for removing and
utilizing the products of combustion, render access to a tap or valve on the supply
pipe close to the lamp, difficult or impossible. To obviate this defect I provide a
valve which can be applied at the foot of the lamp so that the gas can be admitted
and the lighting effected simultaneously.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I will now
proceed more particularly to describe the same with reference to the annexed sheet
of drawings in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of a burner and attached parts together
with the tube for supplying air from beneath to the under side of a disc shaped
flame, such burner and air tube being similar to those employed in the construction
of the now well known Fourness Regenerative Gas Lamp. Fig. 2 is a vertical
section of Fig. 1. In the example selected for illustration the gas is led from
above through the tube a into the interior of the hollow burner b. 6¹ the arrows
marked a representing the flow of gas. The delivery end of the pipe a is reduced
in diameter as shown and carries a screwed ruff or collar a' which is screwed into
the top of the lower half b¹ of the burner. The interior of the burner is thus
divided by the collar a¹ into an upper and lower chamber the lower chamber
communicating with the upper by means of the ports or passages a' which are cut
in the collar a¹ and which appear blackened in Fig. 3 which is a plan view of the
lower half 6 of the burner. A valve spindle c passes up through the centre of the
bottom air supply pipe d, the said spindle being formed with a conical point which
enters the reduced gas efflux opening at the bottom of the tube a, a small conical
seat being formed at the foot of the said opening so that when the spindle c is
screwed up, the conical point advances and shuts off the supply of gas issuing
through the opening. When the conical point is retracted from the opening, gas
is admitted to the lower chamber beneath the collar a¹ and thence to the upper
chamber via the ports a³ from whence it issues through the ring of horizontal
efflux openings so as to form a disc shaped flame. I do not however confine
myself to the use of these ports a³ in all cases as the gas pipe might simply lead
or project into the burner or into a chamber connected therewith the collar a¹ and
ports being then dispensed with. The bottom of the lower half of the burner b' is

page_text: screwed to receive the nose of the spindle c and a packing gland e is formed in the
said lower half of the burner as shown so as to prevent leakage of gas past the
spindle. The packing may however be dispensed with. The bottom of the air
supply pipe is closed by a plug through which the spindle c passes. The air
regulating nut g is carried on the screwed spindle c as shown or it may be screwed
or caused to slide on a fixed sleeve surrounding the spindle. The nut g. is
preferably made of a material which will not readily conduct heat so as to render
the nut more easily handled. The air is admitted to the tube d through oval
orifices h cut in the circumference of the tube. By adjusting the regulating nut
towards or away from the upper part of the orifices h the supply of air to the flame
is increased or diminished. The passage of the air into the tube d and through the
enlarged upper part d¹ to the lower side of the flame is indicated by the arrows
marked y. The position of the flame is indicated by the arrows marked z. The
knob or handle i at the foot of the spindle is made of wood or other non-conducting
material so as not readily to become too hot for handling. Fig. 4 is a sectional
view of a slight modification in the method of admitting air past the regulating
nut g to the interior of the tube d. In this instance a series of holes ; is formed
near the lower end of the tube d, and the nut g is raised or lowered so as more or
less to cover or uncover the holes and thus govern the supply of air. A jamb nut k
may be employed in conjunction with the nut g, so as to secure the nut g in position
in situations in which the lamp is subject to oscillation or jars, as for example when
the lamp is used in workshops and factories or to light a railway or other carriage
or travelling saloon. Although I have described the valve chamber as situated
beneath the burner it might in some instances be placed above the burner in which
case the valve spindle would pass through the centre of the burner. I consider
however that the arrangement herein before described is preferable, as the gas in
its passage through the supply pipe in the centre of the burner and through the
interior of the burner is more thoroughly subjected to the regenerative influence of
the heat in the lamp and is consequently in a more fit state for efficient combustion
as an illuminant. A valve arrangement similar to that described might be used in
conjunction with a pendant sunlight to regulate the admission of gas to a number
of burners. The herein before described stop valve may be used for the admission
of gas to lamps other than the "Fourness" type. For example it is particularly
applicable to the well known Bower and Thorp Lamp or it might be used in
conjunction with lamps constructed in accordance with the patents of Siemens,
Clark, the Wenham Company and others.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
In regenerative gas lamps and lighting apparatus of the indicated types the
employment of a stop valve for governing the admission of gas to the burner or
burners and consisting of a screwed spindle passing through the bottom of the lamp
and formed or furnished with a conical end which enters an orifice formed in the
gas supply pipe the said pipe leading either directly into the interior of the burner
or into a chamber formed in or communicating with the burner or burners and
arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
Dated this 16th day of November 1886
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Sq., Manchester,
Agents.