IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Loos, of Mercer Street, Long Acre, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS."
Sealed the 24th May 1859, and dated the 25th November 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Loos at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th November 1858.
I, FREDERICK Loos, of Mercer Street, Long Acre, London, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGU-
LATORS," to be as follows:-
"
The object of this Invention is to render gas regulators more perfect and
effective in operation, and cheaper and more convenient in construction. The
Invention consists in the first part in making the equilibrium valves of an
angular form; secondly, the Invention consists of making the spindle hollow,
so that it may serve as a lubricator; thirdly, in making the large sized
regulators in two separate parts, the annular groove for the reception of the
mercury being attached to the chamber by screws; fourthly, of a double-
acting lever hinge joint for steadying the disc; fifthly, in making an outlet or
outlets for the gas through a spindle or tube or spindles and tubes attached to
the floating or regulating chamber, which chamber is immersed in an annular
cup containing mercury.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Loos in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
Loos, of Mercer Street, Long Acre, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Frederick Loos, Her special licence that I, the said Frederick Loos,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Frederick Loos, my 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Frederick Loos, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Loos, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of this Invention is to render gas regulators more perfect and
effective in operation, cheaper in construction, and more convenient in use.
Gas regulators, as is well known, are apparatus now extensively used for
controlling the flow of gas as it issues from the street main or supply pipe to
the burner, so that a constant and unvarying stream of gas may be supplied to
the burners notwithstanding the difference of pressure in the mains, and
without reference to the number of burners. And when the gas regulator is
constructed on scientific principles, and is not liable to get out of order easily,
the invariable result of the use of this instrument is a considerable saving of
gas and freedom from annoyance caused by smoke from the excessive height of
the flame over the burner, cracking of the shades, and danger of any com-

page_text: bustible material within reach. But in practice it has been found that by.
using many of the so-called regulators with a low pressure of gas it is difficult
to procure a sufficient supply, for they act as impediments to the free passage
of the gas, when in reality their office is only to control its excessive expendi-
ture. And in many cases they are so wrongly constructed, and are so faulty.
in principle as to bring discredit on what is undoubtedly a most useful and.
economical Invention. My improvements have for their end. the perfecting of
the apparatus, and the adapting them for use in gaseliers for drawing rooms,
&c., for street lamps, and for general purposes for which regulators are used..
And the Invention consists in the first part of placing the valves in an angular
position, so as to maintain an equilibrium; secondly, the Invention consists of
making the spindle hollow, so that it may serve as a lubricator; thirdly, in
making the larger sized regulators in two or more separate parts, the annular
groove for the reception of the mercury being attached to the chamber by
screws or otherwise; fourthly, in the lever hinge joint for steadying the disc;
and, lastly, in making an outlet or outlets for the gas through a spindle or
tube, or spindles and tubes, attached to the floating or regulating chamber,
which chamber is immersed in an annular cup containing mercury or other
suitable fluid.
;
Having thus briefly referred to the nature of my said Invention, I will now
proceed more particularly to describe and ascertain the same, referring to the
accompanying Drawings, in which the same letters refer to corresponding
parts.
Figure 1 of the Drawing represents a vertical section, and Figure 2 a plan
of one of my improved gas regulators; these Figures show a mode of
carrying out the first, second, third, and fourth heads of my Invention. A is
the regulator, formed of a vessel of iron or other suitable material, and
furnished with inlet and outlet pipes B, C; D is the valve box fitted to the
inlet pipe, which is constructed with two openings H, I, through which the
gas enters the regulator, as represented by the arrows; J, K, are equilibrium
valves, set at right angles, which close the said openings. These valves are
attached to the arms L, M, of the lever N, and are adjusted by the set
screws 0, 0, to their seats. The lever N is formed with a spindle P, which
is made hollow for containing oil or other suitable fluid or matter for lubri-
cating the steel pointed screw pivots Q, R, which screw into the lugs or
cars S, S, on the top of the box D. At the end of the lever N is the fork T,
to which is fitted the end of the vertical rod U; this rod supports the drum
or float V by the screw W and conical plate X. The float is made of thin
sheet iron or other metal, and dips into the mercury. Y contained in the annular

page_text: reservoir or cup Z, which fits upon a flange * on the side of the vessel, and
bb
The weights
may be fixed by screws or other convenient means.
are placed
on the top of the rod U to counterbalance the pressure of the gas. The guide
arm works on the hinged, and at the opposite end is a small aperture through
which the rod U passes; in this manner the float is caused to oscillate
steadily in a vertical position. is the cover of the regulator. The valves
J, K, being placed at right angles to each other and attached to the arms of
the lever N, as represented in the Drawing, the pressure of the gas opens the
valve J and shuts the valve K, and as the area of each is the same, the
pressure of the gas is exactly balanced and maintained in equilibrio. Figure 3
is an elevation; Figure 4, a plan, and Figure 5, a vertical section through
the line A, B, of one of my improved mercurial gas regulators, which is com-
posed of a cast iron (or other metal) annular cup or reservoir A for containing
mercury or quicksilver B; this cup is formed with a short tube C, which is
tapped with a screw for fixing it to a gas pipe. At the upper part of the tube
is an aperture D, through which passes the valve E screwing into the end F
of the vertical outlet tube G, formed with a notch or opening to allow the
The short tube I
gas to enter the tube G', as represented by the arrows.
(fitted with a "nib" or "burner" J) is formed slightly conical at the lower
end in order to fit tightly to the tube G, which is also slightly conical. K is
the cover of the regulator. At the lower part of the tube G and directly
above the opening H is fitted the float L, which dips into the mercury B, as
represented in Figure 5. The gas as it enters up the tube C passes through
the valve and into the float L, and thence escapes through the opening H
into the tube G, which supplies the burner with gas. As the pressure of the
gas varies, it causes the float to ascend or descend (with the tube G), so as to
close the valve more or less, thus effectually regulating the supply of gas to
the burner, and producing a steady and uniform light.
Figure 6 represents a mode of constructing the regulator so as to prevent
the escape of the mercury when the regulator is placed otherwise than in a
vertical position. The reservoir A has an inverted cup M, over which is
placed the float L; in the interior of the cover K is formed a tube M. This
arrangement will effectually prevent the escape of the mercury in whatever
position the regulator may be placed.
Figure 7 shews a modification of the improved gas regulator, in which
instead of a metallic float a disc or piece of leather N, or other suitable
material, is employed as represented in the Figures, and which may be
moistened with oil or other suitable matter to render it more impervious to the
gas at high pressures.

page_text: Figure 8 represents a vertical section of one of my improved gas regulators
adapted to an argand gas burner, and it is made similar to that shewn by
Figure 3, with the following exceptions, viz., that the tube G, which is
stationary, is soldered or otherwise fixed to the cover K, and upon the drum
or float L is placed a small tube or reservoir of mercury L, into which dips
the lower end of the tube G, thus preventing the escape of the gas into the
cover.
Figure 9 shews a section of the regulator as applied to a gaselier. In this
case the gas descends down the pipe O through the valve E, and presses upon
the float L. At the lower part of the rod P is a helical spring Q, fixed to the
regulating screw R, by which the amount of oscillation of the valve may be
regulated.
Figure 10 is a part of a modification of the same in section, in which the
counterweight S is used as a substitute of the spring Q, and for the same
purpose.
Figure 11 is a section, and Figure 12 a plan of another modification
adapted for a branch gas burner. In this regulator the valve E is formed so
as to act as a counterbalance; the gas descends down the tube U to supply
the branch burner, which is screwed to the tube V. If necessary the tube W
may be removed, and the gas made to enter from the pipe screwed into the
lower part X.
.
Figure 13 represents a modification, in which the float I is made to work
vertically by means of one or more small tubes soldered or otherwise fixed
to the top of the float. In this float a small pin venters, which is fixed to the
under side of the cover k; the lower part of the float which dips into the
mercury may be tinned, if necessary.
Having this particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and how the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood
that I make no claim to the use of mercury in gas regulators in this Patent,
Mr. Hulett having first discovered this to be the most suitable fluid for the
purpose so long ago as the year One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight,
and describing its use in his Patent for that year. Neither do I claim the
general construction of the regulators herein-before described and shewn, as
with the exception of the parts herein-after claimed, the same is not new; and
in reference to the regulator shewn and described by Figure 1, I would
remark, that it is not requisite the equilibrium valves should be set at right
angles, for any other angle would answer the same end; but what I claim is,
constructing gas regulators with equilibrium valves placed at an angle with
each other so as to equalise the pressure on them, and prevent condensation

page_text: from accumulation, so as to impede the full passage of gas, and making the
spindle or shaft hollow so as to contain oil or other suitable matter for lubri-
cating the points or centres on which it works.
Secondly, I claim forming the annular ring separately for the convenience
of attaching it, and for the more economical manufacture of the regulator; I
also claim the hinge joint attached to one side of the regulator to give the
floating drum or inverted vessel a horizontal motion, also the adjusting the
valves by the use of set screws.
cup
Thirdly, I claim the use of an annular cup or ring attached to the top of the
floating inverted cup to contain mercury or other suitable fluid, which forms
a gas or air-tight joint, by having the tube to which the burner is attached
sufficiently long to dip in the fluid, which tube is also attached gas tight to the
cover, the cover being also gas tight.
Fourthly, I claim constructing the valve attached to the lower end of the
outlet pipe, the outlet pipe passing through a guide tube to keep the floating
cup in a horizontal position. One or more outlet pipes may be used attached
to the floating cup attaching the burner immediately on the outlet or outlets,
which burner is in immediate connection with the floating cup.
Lastly, I claim the tinning or otherwise coating the rim or lower part of
the rim of the inverted floating vessel, so as to form an amalgam with the
mercury, which causes the mercury to attach itself to the floating vessel.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Loos, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of May, Ono thousand eight
hundred and fifty-nine.
FREDERICK LOOS. (L.B.)