AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR STEAM GAS AND HYDRAULIC ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR STEAM GAS AND HYDRAULIC ENGINES to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to a novel form of governor by which in engines of all
kinds uniform velocity may be maintained with a varying resistance. The
improved governor essentially consists of a pump driven by the engine itself and
raising a certain quantity of water at each stroke. By a valve, which is more or
less opened according to the speed of the engine desired the water which is raised
flows back to its reservoir; but as soon as, in consequence of an increased speed of
the engine, more water is raised than is allowed to flow back in the same time
through the exit, the pressure thereby generated causes a piston to rise in a small
cylinder communicating with the valve chamber. The said piston then displaces
in one direction the D-slide of a small piston-cylinder intended to be filled with
steam, water, compressed air etc. This D-slide is, normally forced in the other
direction by a spring, and in this position covers one port in the steam chest
whilst the other is uncovered; this latter port now being covered and the other
port uncovered, the steam or water or compressed air etc. is caused to act upon the
other side of the piston and to lift or displace the same. By this movement of the
piston, a throttle valve, or similar device, connected therewith by means of
connecting rods and levers is partly closed, so that a smaller quantity of steam,
water or gas is allowed to enter the power engine.
The exit valve of the pump is provided with an indicator whose positions
corresponding to the speed required can be empirically determined.
Dated this 20th day of March 1884.
J. C. MEWBURN.

page_text: "
I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR STEAM, GAS AND HYDRAULIC ENGINES and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The improved governor which forms the subject of this invention is especially
intended to maintain steam engines at uniform speed, but it is also applicable to
other power engines if a gas, or liquid under pressure, or steam is at disposal. In
steam engines this governor controls a throttle-valve, the position of which is
regulated by the same in such a manner that the section of the free steam-way
always answers to the desired number of revolutions per minute. In other engines
the governor may be adapted to control check-valves, sluices, inlets of turbines &c.
and regulate the position of said parts according to circumstances, and in every
case it will bring about an automatic, sensitive, regulating action.
The operation of the governor is essentially based on the combination with a
pump or other suitable water-raising machine driven by the engine, of a
controllable discharge-valve, the whole quantity of water raised by the pump
escaping through the controllable valve, as long as the main shaft of the engine
makes the desired number of revolutions per minute. As soon however, as the
speed at which the engine runs, increases for any reason, the quantity of water
raised by the pump increases in a proportionate rate and cannot all escape through
the aforesaid controllable valve, because this valve has been adjusted for the
discharge of a quantity of water corresponding to another speed of the engine. In
this way, a certain hydrostatic pressure is created in the valve-chamber, and this
pressure is utilized in such a manner for the regulation of the speed of the engine,
that by the said pressure a small piston, movable in a cylinder communicating
with the valve-chamber is raised; the piston-rod of this small piston being
connected to the slide-valve rod of another cylinder, the piston of which is adapted
to be acted upon by steam or by a gas or liquid under pressure. While the engine
runs at normal speed the distributing-valve of this cylinder constantly occupies
such a position that one inlet-port of the cylinder is in communication with the
slide-chest and that therefore the piston is held at the end of the cylinder opposite
to the said inlet-port. As soon, however, as the slide-valve rod is displaced by the
aforesaid small piston, movable in the cylinder communicating with the valve-
chamber of the adjustable controlling-valve, the slide-valve covers the open inlet-
port and uncovers the other port, thus allowing the steam, or liquid or gas under
pressure to act upon the other surface of the piston, which consequently is
displaced. The piston-rod of this piston is connected-by means of a suitable rod
and lever mechanism-to the throttle-valve or other check-device, which is closed
far enough to cause the engine to slacken its speed to the normal number of
revolutions.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention:-Figure 1 is a sectional
elevation of one form of the improved governor; Figure 2 is a side elevation of
the same, the slide-chest cover being removed; Figure 3 is a plan view of the
governor.
The apparatus is of small size and is mounted on a small water-reservoir A,
which supplies the aforesaid pump with the necessary water and receives this
water again. In the drawing is shown a double-acting pump B, the barrel of
which is screwed to the cover A¹ of the reservoir A, while the piston-rod of the

page_text: same carries a cross-head a movable by means of a projecting guide-block along
guides fixed to the cylinder H hereinafter described; the connecting-rod b connects.
the cross-head a with any revolving part of the engine. The two suction and
force-pipes c, c of the pump connect the ends of the barrel with either of the two.
compartments of the valve-chamber C each compartment containing a suction-
valve d and a force-valve d¹ in the double valve-seat D. The valve-chamber C:
carries a cylindrical hollow projection C', laterally provided with the escape-valve E
and containing a piston F. By a rode the said piston is connected with the
slide-valve of the steam cylinder H, mounted on a standard G. The slide-chest H¹
of this cylinder H is so arranged that the axis of the slide-rod exactly lies in the
extension of the axis of cylinder C', and the slide-rod e is extended beyond the.
slide-valve, two stuffing-boxes for the said rod being provided in the sides of
the slide-chest. A coiled spring I held between two plates g', g¹ which are guided
by the uprights gg, constantly forces down the slide-valve, a screw h affording
possibility of adjusting the pressure exerted by the said spring. In consequence of
this arrangement the slide-valve f leaves free, in its normal position, the upper
inlet-port f¹ of the cylinder H, while the lower port f' is in communication with
the exhaust, and the steam passing from the valve-chest H³, through the port f¹
into the cylinder H exerts its pressure upon the upper surface of the piston K,
thus holding the said piston in its lowermost position. By the guiding rods k,
secured to the cylinder-head, the cross-head k¹ rigidly connected with the piston-
rod K¹, is guided in a rectilinear direction; rods L and angular levers L¹, combined
in any suitable manner, connect the cross-head k¹ with the throttle-valve M which,
while the piston K is in its lowermost position as described, is full open.
When the speed of the engine increases, the pump B works more rapidly in the
same proportion and consequently lifts a larger quantity of water from the
reservoir A into the valve-chamber C and its cylindrical extension C¹. This
larger quantity of water cannot escape as quickly through the exit E as it is forced
into the said hollow spaces; its pressure overcomes the force of the spring I and lifts
the piston F. In consequence thereof the rod e lifts the slide-valve f, which covers
the upper inlet-port f¹ and uncovers the lower port f³, so that the steam is
allowed to enter the space below the piston K. This piston is lifted and by means
of the rod and lever mechanism L, L, partly closes the throttle-valve M, thus
causing the engine to slacken its speed to the desired number of revolutions per
minute. In order to secure a more rapid escape of the water raised by the pump,
in cases of irregularities in the operation of the apparatus, or in cases of a sudden
change in the speed of the engine, when the water could not flow back quickly
enough through the valve E to the reservoir A, a safety-valve N is arranged at the
lower part of the pump barrel B; in the cases referred to a portion of the water
escapes through this safety-valve and thus all danger of breakage is prevented.
Obviously, the steam operating the piston K in the cylinder H may be replaced
by a gas or liquid under pressure as will be the case when the governor is used to
control and adjust sluices, inlets of turbines and the like.
The cover A¹ of the reservoir A is provided with a short funnel shaped pipe l,
through which the reservoir is supplied with water, and which allows the air to
escape from the reservoir and to enter the same while the level of the water.
therein changes. From the escape-valve E runs a pipe c¹, to the reservoir A, and
this valve is provided with an indicator or hand e¹ to which corresponds a fixed
indicator e fastened to the standard G, these two indicators affording facility for
adjusting the valve according to the desired speed of the engine, the respective
positions being empirically determined.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
A governor for steam, gas or hydraulic engines consisting of a pump mounted
upon a closed water-reservoir and worked by the engine so as to raise water, this

page_text: water flowing back to the reservoir through an adjustable exit, and when owing to
increased speed of the engine and pump the water is raised more quickly than it
can escape, the water-pressure thereby produced lifting a piston by which a spring-
controlled slide-valve is caused to cover one inlet-port of a cylinder and to uncover
the other port so that the normally stationary piston of this cylinder is displaced
and acts upon a check-device in the supply-passage of the engine, substantially as
described.
Dathi 70th d... of Desemba 1001