Improvements in or Connected with Apparatus for Controlling or Regulating the Supply of Illuminating and other Gases to Mains, Pipes, Lamps, Burners, or other Apparatus.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Oct., 1889-Accepted, 9th Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Connected with Apparatus for Controlling or
Regulating the Supply of Illuminating and other Gases to Mains,
Pipes, Lamps, Burners, or other Apparatus.
I, WILLIAM GORDON, of 2 Church Terrace Seacombe, in the County of Chester,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to that kind of gas governing or controlling device in which
the pressure of the gas passing through the device is employed and acts in such a
manner as to regulate the volume admitted to it.
In apparatus embodying my invention, gas is admitted by valves controlled by a
spindle on or in connection with which a floater is employed. The floater is arranged
in a vessel or chamber containing glycerine, mercury or other suitable liquid, and
outside or near this chamber is another vessel or chaniber containing fluid, both
chambers being in communication with each other. The chamber last specified is
in communication with the surface of the gas passage or chamber on the outlet or
low pressure side of the apparatus, and thus the pressure of the low pressure gas acts
upon the surface of the liquid in that chamber and causes the liquid in both vessels
or chambers to rise and fall respectively or to stand at certain heights; and as the
liquid falls or rises in the floater chamber so the float rises or falls, and by its
movement the valve or valves controlling the gas inlet to the apparatus is moved and
opens or closes the gas inlet passage to the apparatus.
A convenient and simple arrangement of these liquid vessels is a concentric one,
and they may be placed above the valve and the chamber in which it works.
The valve which controlls the gas inlet apertures may be of a double equalebrum
type, and it may be conveniently connected to the floater aforesaid directly by a
spindle, which spindle may rise to the top of the floater through a tube. The
arrangement of liquid vessels above described causes the gas to be kept out of
contact with the floater or liquid in the floater vessel and the pressure of the gas
is caused to act indirectly upon the liquid in the floater vessel or chamber.
The gas may enter the apparatus by the side or bottom or at any convenient point,
and it may also leave the apparatus at any convenient spot.
If the apparatus be made of metal such as iron or brass or their equivalent, the
inside or other surfaces may be provided with enamel of any suitable kind, such as
that used on various sorts of metal goods now in use, this is especially useful in
connection with those surfaces which come into contact with liquid. Or these parts
may be made of earthenware, ebonite or other not easily corroded material. The
apparatus may also be provided with a glazed part or parts, or some of the parts
may be of glass, by which more or less of the interior and its operation may be
observed from outside. And it may also be provided with a moveable cap or lid
adapted to be locked or screwed down in its norinal position.
Dated this 18th day of February 1889.
WILLIAM GORDON.
By Cheesbrough & Royston,
Agents.

page_text: h
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Connected with Apparatus for Controlling or
Regulating the Supply of Illuminating and other Gases to Mains,
Pipes, Lamps, Burners, or other Apparatus.
I, WILLIAM GORDON, of 2, Church Terrace, Seacombe, in the County of Chester,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
+
This Invention relates to that kind of gas governing or controlling device in which
the pressure of the gas passing through the device is employed and acts in such a
manner as to regulate the volume admitted to it.
In apparatus embodying my Invention, gas is admitted by a valve or valves
controlled by a spindle on, or in connection with which a floater is employed. The
flonter is arranged in a vessel or chamber containing glycerine, mercury, or other
suitable liquid, and outside or near this chamber is another vessel or chamber
containing fluid, both chambers being in communication with each other. The
chamber last specified is in communication with the surface of the gas passage or
chamber on the outlet or low pressure side of the apparatus, and thus the pressure
of the low pressure gas acts upon the surface of the liquid in that chamber and
causes the liquid in both vessels or chambers to rise and fall respectively, or to stand
at certain heights; and as the liquid falls or rises in the floater chamber so the float
rises and falls, and by its movement the valve or valves controlling the gas inlet
to the apparatus is or are moved and opens or closes the gas inlet passage to the
apparatus.
A convenient and simple arrangement of the liquid vessel is a concentric one, and
they may be placed above the valve and the chamber in which it works.
The valve which controls the gas inlet apparatus may be conveniently connected
to the floater aforesaid directly by a spindle, which spindle may rise to the top of the
floater through a tube. The arrangement of liquid vessels above described cause the
gas to be kept out of contact with the floater or liquid in the floater vessel, and
the pressure of the gas is caused to act indirectly upon the liquid in the floater vessel
or chamber.
The gas may enter the apparatus by the side or bottom or at any convenient
point, and it may also leave the apparatus at any convenient spot.
If the apparatus be made of metal such as iron or brass or their equivalent, the
inside or other surfaces may be provided with enamel of any suitable kind, such as
that used on cooking utensils, this is especially useful in connection with those
surfaces which come into contact with the liquid. Or these parts may be made of
earthenware, ebonite or other not easily corroded material. The apparatus may also
be provided with a glazed part or parts or some of the parts may be of glass by
which more or less of the interior and its operation may he observed from outside.
And it may also be provided with a movable cap or lid adapted to be locked or
screwed down in its normal position.
In the drawings which serve to illustrate my invention,
Figure 1 shows an apparatus in sectional elevation; and
Figure 2 is a plan of same, in section, at the line X X Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation showing a modified form of apparatus; and
Figure 4 is a longitudinal-sectional elevation thereof.
Figure 5 shows in sectional elevation another modified construction of apparatus
according to the invention.
With reference to the drawings, a designates the governing valve case in which
are located and work ordinary valves ; c is the outer case within which the floater
and liquid are located; d is a wall or walls, as the case may be, having a bottom d
which together constitute a vessel, and within which the liquid is contained; and e
is a curtain dropping down into the liquid in d and closed at the top and connected
to the outer casing e; f is the floater which floats in the liquid contained in the

page_text: vessel d; g is a passage (or passages, as the case may be) communicating between
the exit or low pressure side of the valve case a and the space between the wall or
walls d. is the valve spindle which is connected to the upper part of a tube f1 fixed
in and springing from the bottom of the floater f; and i is a tube fixed in the
bottom of the vessel and arranged within the tube f¹ the valve spindle / is
adjustable with relation to the floater by a nut ' adapted to screw and be adjusted
on the upper part of said spindle, or by nuts 2 adapted to screw and be adjusted
on the screwed lower end of the spindle; or the adjustment may be effected by both
these moans. The surface of the liquid in the vessol and around the float is shown
on the Figures.
In all
It will be seen by the drawings that the floater and the gas are isolated by the
liquid in the vessel d and the curtain e, and that the gas in the low pressure or exit
side of the valve a has easy access to and is free to act upon the surface of the liquid
between the curtain and the wall d, connection between the two being by way of the
passage and the space or spaces, as the case may be, between the wall or walls d
(or as in the example shown in Figure 5 by the pipes c¹) and the case c.
cases these passages are made of large capacity in order to cause the fluctuations of
pressure, occurring in the low pressure side of the valve, to be transmitted, practically
instantaneously, to the liquid, and so to the floater supported thereby. By these
means the fluctuations of pressure of the gas are caused to act instantly upon the
liquid and the floater, and so to the valves b, and consequently cause the apertures
controlled by the valves to be more or less filled thereby; thus the governing of the
flow of gas is rendered very sensitive. This is of the greatest importance in cases in
which governing or regulating apparatus are used in connection with the supply of
illuminating gas to burners, especially so where the burners and flame are enclosed
in by glass chimneys, or the like, as, in such cases, sudden fluctuations of pressure
at the burner frequently cause the destruction or cracking of the glass: by my
invention losses due to such causes are entirely obviated.
In Figures and 2 an annular arrangement of the upper gear of the apparatus is
shown, and the top portion is enclosed by a crown & having a screwed plug k
therein. This crown may be made to form part of the case c, or it may be made a
loose cover; or even in some cases not employed at all if so desired. Air in all.
cases may have access to the upper part above the floater by a suitable aperture.
In these Figures (1 and 2) the plug & serves as the means of gaining access to the
interior of the case, and through its aperture the liquid may be supplied to the
vessel d, and also to the interior of the floater; this latter being for the purpose of
regulating the floatative power and balancing the floater.
It will be seen the curtain e in Figures 1 and 2 is formed on the casing c; and the
vessel is supported by feet on the base c', which forms part of or may be
fastened to the valve case a.
The apparatus shown in Figures 3 and 4 is a rectangular form in plan, the curtains e
running from back to front, which in this case is formed of glass, c. The float also
in this case is of rectangular form as is also the vessel d, and the gas passages.
between the case c and the liquid vessel walls d are two in number, and lie parallel.
with each other. This form or construction, if made of cast iron, enables the
apparatus to be very cheaply produced. The joint between the glass front plate c
and the metal of the case c, vessel d, and curtains e, may be made with cement, or
other suitable substance or material; the glass being held in position by a frame c³
held to the case c by screws or bolts c.
Access from above, in this case, for the purposes such as set forth with reference.
to Figures 1 and 2, is had to the interior by the aperture ¹, which when closed is.
filled by a stopper k of glass or other suitable material, held in position by a frame **
and screws k³.
The gas supply, in this case, is controlled by one valve b, but two may be used if
desired; on the other hand one valve may be used in the apparatus shown in
Figures 1 and 2, if desired.
This type of apparatus (i.e., that shown in Figures 3 and 4) is very suitable for

page_text: smaller class of regulators for controlling the supply of gas to Offices, Shops, Houses,
Workshops and the like, that is, for purposes other than as a "Station," or a gas
main, regulator; at the same time it may be employed for these.
The modification shown in Figure 5 is an apparatus having its upper parts made
of sheet copper or other metal.
In this case the vessel d is of spherical form, and the gas for the valve chamber a
is led to the said vessel, above the level of the liquid therein, by pipes c, these being
equivalents of the case e for this purpose. These pipes are made of large capacity,
as shown, in proportion to the apparatus so that the fluctuations of pressure in the
valve box a shall be transmitted to the vessel d practically instantaneously for the
purpose of rendering the action of regulation very quick, and the apparatus sensitive,
as hereinabove specified. The pipes c may be arranged outside the vessel d as shown
in full lines, or through the side of the vessel as shown in dotted lines.
When a heavy liquid, such as mercury, is used as the fluid for transmitting the
pressure and motion to the floater, the depth of the vessel d, and other parts of
the upper structure, may be reduced, that is to say, they may be made. considerably
shallower than those shown in the Figures.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. Apparatus of the kind hereinbefore referred to, for regulating or controlling
the flow of gas, in which the fluctuations of pressure of gas existing in or passing
through the apparatus are caused to act upon a floater through a liquid interposed
between the gas and the floater, said floater being out of contact with the gas, and
the gas passage to said liquid being made of such capacity as to cause the said
fluctuations to be transmitted to the liquid and floater practically instantaneously;
substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. Apparatus of the kind referred to, for regulating or controlling the flow of
gas, having a glazed front (such as c¹), arranged substantially as set forth with
reference to Figures 3 and 4, for the purposes set forth.
3. Apparatus of the kind bereinbefore referred to, for regulating or controlling
the flow of gas, having walls d connected to front and back plates and constituting
a vessel for containing fluid, curtains, such as e, and a floater f, and in which the
pressure of gas acts upon the liquid. contained in said vessel, substantially as set forth
with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.
4. An apparatus of the kind hereinbefore referred to, for regulating or controlling
the flow of gas, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein set forth
and shown in the drawings.
5. In apparatus of the kind herein referred to, for regulating and controlling the
flow of gas, the combination of a case or outer wall or walls c, a vessel d for
containing the liquid, a curtain or curtains e, and a floater; arranged and adapted
to operate substantially as and for the purposes described; and also as set forth with
reference to the drawings.
6. The apparatus for regulating or controlling the flow of gas constructed
and adapted to operate as set forth with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the
drawings.
7. The apparatus for regulating and controlling the flow of gas constructed
and adapted to operate as set forth with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the
drawings.
8. The apparatus for regulating or controlling the flow of gas constructed
and adapted to operate as set forth with reference to Figure 5 of the drawings.
Dated this Second day of October 1889
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.