A Meter for Measuring Compressed Air or any other Gas, also Water or any other Fluid.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th May, 1891-Accepted, 20th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Meter for Measuring Compressed Air or any other Gas, also
Water or any other Fluid.
I, GEORGE EDWARD ABRAHAMS Engineer of Argyll House, Green Lane,
Small Heath Birmingham, in the County of Warwick do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The meter is constructed entirely of metal. The casing consists of two parts
an outer casing on which are provided the inlet & outlet, and an inner casing
which is cast in one with the cover & fits accurately inside the outer casing. The
cover is fitted with the necessary clockwork for indicating in cubic feet the
amount of air, gas or liquid passing the meter. The lower part of the inner
casing is fitted with a light casting formed so as to leave an annular space for the
air gas or fluid to pass through & this space is intersected by a number of thin
curved plates. Immediately above this is the revolving wheel which has on its
periphery a number of thin blades curved in the opposite direction to those above
named. The revolving wheel is fixed on a spindle on the upper part of which is a
worm communicating with the clockwork and on this spindle is also fitted a self
adjusting resistance governor for regulating the speed at which the wheel
revolves.
Dated this 28th August 1890.
GEORGE EDWARD ABRAHAMS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Meter for Measuring Compressed Air or any other Gas, also
Water or any other Fluid.
I GEORGE EDWARD ABRAHAMS, Engineer, of Argyll House, Green Lane,
Small Heath, Birmingham in the County of Warwick do hereby declare the
nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists of a meter especially adapted for measuring compressed
air or other gas or vapour, the parts of which are constructed and combined in the
manner hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing; but
the said meter is also applicable to the measuring of water or other inelastic fluids
or liquids.
I construct the meter entirely or mainly of metal. The casing consists of two
parts, an outer part which carries the inlet and outlet passages and an inner casing
which is cast in one piece with the cover which inner part fits accurately inside the
outer part. The cover carries the mechanism for indicating in cubic feet
or other units the amount of air gas or liquid passing through the meter.
The lower portion of the inner part of the casing is fitted with a light
hollow cylinder formed so as to leave an annular space for the air, gas or liquid
to pass through and this space is intersected by a number of thin fixed curved
plates. Immediately above this is the rotating wheel which has on its periphery a
series of thin blades curved in a direction opposite to that in which the series of
curved plates situated in the annular space above described. The rotating wheel is
fixed on a spindle on the upper part of which is a worm communicating with the
indicating mechanism and on this spindle is also fixed a self adjusting resistance
governor for regulating the speed at which the wheel rotates.

page_text: I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawing the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in vertical section a meter constructed according to my
invention, the said section being taken through the axis of the meter;
Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same;
Figure 3 is a plan of the meter showing the indicating mechanism;
Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line C. D Figure 1 ;
Figure 4 illustrates the construction of the fixed curved plates and the curved
rotating plates situated above them and attached to the rotating spindle of the
meter;
and
Figure 5 illustrates the automatic resistance governor which I prefer to employ
Figure 6 represents an alternative arrangement of automatic resistance
governor.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
The casing of the meter consists of two parts a and b, the outer part a carrying
the inlet and outlet pipes or passages marked respectively c and d. The inner
part of the casing is cast in one piece with the cover 2 the inner part 6 of the
casing fitting accurately inside the outer part a. The mechanism for indicating
the quantity of compressed air or liquid passing through the meter is situated in
the case e carried by the cover 2. This mechanism differs in no essential
respect from mechanisms commonly used for like purposes and constitutes no part
of my invention. I therefore do not consider it necessary to describe the same.
In the lower cylindrical portion of the inner part 6 of the casing, a light hollow
cylinder fis concentrically fixed. The compressed air or liquid to be measured
entering by the inlet pipe c and pursuing the path indicated by the lower arrows in
Figure 1 ascends through the annular space between the cylinder and the inner
part of the casing. In the said annular space marked 7 in Figure 1, is a series
of fixed equi-distant inclined thin plates h. The number of these fixed plates h
varies according to the size of the ineter. In practice I have found from eight to
twelve of the said plates to answer well but I do not limit myself to any particular
number. In the axis of the meter is a vertical spindle i the lower end of which
takes a bearing in the bottom of the hollow cylinder f and the top turns on the
fixed pin or pivot k. At the top of the spindle i is a worm for the purpose
hereinafter explained. The lower part of the spindle i carries a light hollow
cylinder or wheel m of the same size as the light fixed hollow cylinder f and
situated immediately above the said fixed cylinder f. The cylinder m carries on its
periphery a series of thin curved blades p preferably equal in number to the fixed
blades but curved in an opposite direction as seen in Figure 4, which represents
the shapes and relative positions of the fixed blades h and the movable blades p.
at e.
The action of the parts is as follows:-The compressed air or liquid entering
the inlet pipe c and pursuing the path indicated by the lower arrows in Figure I
ascends through the annular space g being deflected obliquely by the thin fixed
curved plates. The deflected current of compressed air or liquid impinges upon
the curved plates p fixed on the periphery of the cylinder m carried by the
spindle i. Rotary motion is thereby communicated to the said cylinder and spindle
and through the worm at the top of the spindle to the indicating mechanism
The worm gears with a worm wheel which transmits its rotary motion
in the ordinary way. The rate of rotation of the cylinder m and spindle i
corresponds with the quantity of compressed air or liquid passing through the
meter, which quantity is indicated by the fingers traversing the dials of the
indicating mechanism. The compressed air or liquid which has ascended into
the upper part of the casing passes through openings g into the annular space at
the top of the said part 6 and from thence to the outlet pipe d, the path of the
compressed air or liquid on its way to the outlet pipe being indicated by the upper
arrows in Figure 1,

page_text: When the quantity of compressed air or liquid passing through the meter gives
to the spindle and parts carried by it a high velocity the momentum given to the
said spindle and parts may cause them to rotate for a time on the sudden cutting
off or diminution of the compressed air or liquid at a higher velocity than is due
to the compressed air or liquid passing through the meter. In order to prevent
this irregularity and to make the meter indicate with approximate exactness I
combine with the mechanism described an automatic resistance governor of the
kind represented in plan in Figure 5. The said governor consists of two (or
more) thin curved elastic plates r. s. These plates are fixed to and rotate with the
spindle in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 5 that is, they present
their concave sides to the resisting compressed air or liquid. At high velocities
the said plates r, s open out or their curvature becomes of greater radius and they
hence present a virtually larger surface to the resisting medium and thereby
check the tendency of the spindle and moving parts to overrun and indicate
inaccurately.
Instead of the automatic resistance governor represented in Figure 5, the
arrangement represented in Figure 6 may be employed. This arrangement
resembles essentially the governor of a steam or motive power engine the weights
or balls being replaced by hemispherical cups which present their concave sides
to the resisting medium on the rotation of the spindle carrying them. In
Figure 6, is the spindle of the meter; and the cup ended levers are marked t.
As the rate of the spindle increases, the cupped levers t by centrifugal force open
by turning on their joints and the cups of the said levers by receding from the
axis of motion acquire a higher velocity and check the tendency to overrun in the
spindle of the meter.
Although I prefer to arrange the meter with the spindle i situated vertically yet
the same may be arranged to work horizontally or at any required angle.
By constructing and arranging the parts in the manner described and repre-
sented any repairs may be effected without the removal of the meter as a whole,
the removal of the part or cover 2 of the casing effecting the withdrawal of the
whole of the working parts of the meter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as
my invention of "A meter for measuring compressed air or any other gas, also
water or any other fluid":-
First Combining with a rotary spindle carrying oblique plates or vanes made
to rotate by the deflected current of compressed air or liquid passing through
the meter, with an automatic resistance governor substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, whereby the tendency of
the rotating parts to overrun and indicate inaccurately is wholly or in great part
prevented.
:
Secondly The general construction and arrangement of the parts of the
meter hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing
whereby the moving parts can be withdrawn by the removal of the cover and
inner casing carried by it and repairs effected without the removal of the meter as
a whole.
Dated the 12th day of May 1891.
GEORGE EDWARD ABRAHAMS.