Improvements in or relating to Steam. Disinfectors
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1394
.
Complete Specification Left, 28th June, 1895-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1895
Improvements in or relating to Steam. Disinfectors:
I, ANDERS BORCH RECк, of 155, Gothersgade Copenhagen in the Kingdom of
Denmark, Captain in the Royal Danish Engineers, but at, present, temporarily
staying at the Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, do bereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
This inveution, relates to steam disinfectors, and its object is to keep in the
lisinfector an even steam pressure during the treatment of the clothing or other
objects that are being disinfected.
In carrying my invention into effect, I employ in connection with the disinfecting
chamber, a closed. receptacle for water. On the surface of this. water the pressure
in the disinfector acts, The said receptacle is oonnected by a tube with another
receptacle on a higher level in such a manner that the water from the lower
receptacle is driven up into, the upper one when the steam pressure, acts on the
water in the lower receptacle. The higher receptacle, is provided with a float,
diaphragm.or the like, and when the water rises, it lifts this float or acts upon the
diaphragm, and the motion is transferred, by, a rod or lever, to a valve in the pipe
which supplies steam to the disinfector in such a manner that the valve, closes
when the pressure of the steam gets too high, and, opens again, when the pressure
gets too low, thus forming an automatic governor for keeping the steam in,the
disinfector at an even pressure.
Dated this 27th day of September 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Qf 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Steam. Disinfectors..
ANDERS BOROн RECк, Civil Engineer, Gothersgade 155, Copenhagen, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what mannen the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to automatic pressure regulators (reducing valves) that are
applied for keeping an even (reduced) ateam pressure in all such apparatus as steam
disinfectors, heating and cooking apparatus and the like, where such an even steam
pressure is of importance.
In most pressure regulators, as arranged for steam, will be. found a movable
diaphragm (piston membrane or the like) upon whose two faqes are, acting
respectively the reduced steam pressure and a weight or spring. When the,roduced
steam pressure rises or drops, the diaphragm will move a, valve in the steam, supply
pipe, respectively closing or opening it, thus always counteracting any alteration
ip the reduced steam pressure; The object. of my invention is to provide a
regulator that, will keep the steam, pressure more even that other regulators.
In carrying my invention into effect I. employ in connection with the steam
space of the apparatus to be controlled by the regulator a closed receptacle for

page_text: water. On the surface of this water the pressure in the said apparatus acts. The
said receptacle is connected by a tube with a second receptacle for water, in which
receptacle a constant air pressure (generally the atmosphere) acts on the surface of
the water. The said tube connects the water spaces of the two receptacles in
such a manner, that the water from the first named receptacle is driven into the
second one, when the steam pressure acts on the water in the first receptacle.
One of the said receptacles is provided with a float, movable membrane or the
like, that will be lifted or lowered by the water, when it goes from one receptacle
to the other. The motion of this float or membrane is transferred by connecting
rods or other known means to a valve in the steam supply pipe, that leads to the
apparatus, in such a manner that the motion of the water, when it is going from the
receptacle, in which the steam acts on the water, into the receptacle under constant
pressure, always will tend to close the valve whereas a reverse motion of the water
always will tend to open the valve.
In a suitable height is connected to one of the receptacles an outlet that
automatically will prevent, that more water from condensation or other sources
accumulates in the regulator, than necessary for it to work properly.
The action of the regulator will be as follows:
When the reduced pressure of the steam in the apparatus rises or drops, this
alteration in the pressure will cause the water in the receptacles and the connecting
tube and the float or membrane to move in one direction or the other. The float
or membrane will then immediately act on the valve in the steam supply pipe in
such a manner that the valve closes, when the pressure of the steam gets too high
and opens again, when the pressure gets too low, thus forming an automatic
governor for keeping the steam in the apparatus at an even pressure.
To enable my apparatus to be fully understood 1 will describe how it can be
carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which each of
the three figures represents a different arrangement of this regulator.
In Fig. O signifies the apparatus in which the regulator shall keep an even
steam pressure.
A is the water receptacle connected with the steam space in O through the
tube M in such a manner that the steam pressure in O constantly and freely can
act upon the surface of the water in A. B is the water receptacle in which the
surface of the water is subjected to a constant pressure, in the figure suppossed to
be that of the atmosphere, the receptacle being shown uncovered. C is the con-
necting tube between the two receptacles. This tube is constantly filled with
water. N is an open outlet tube, which does not uced to be of larger area than
will be required for the escape of the water, that might accumulate in A, so that
the surface of water in this receptacle never will come higher than the outlet tube.
In order to avoid waste of steam the tube N can be fitted with an automatic steam-
trap, which shuts off for the steam but permits the water to escape freely, when it
rises to the outlet tube. F is a float on the surface of the water in the
receptacle B; this Hoat is through a rod U moveably connected with one of the
arms of a two-armed lever L; to the other arm of the lever is fastened a rod
connected with a valve V in the steam supply tube S in such a manner that the
valve is closed when the lever L is turned on its axis by the float lifting the rod U.
The valve is reopened, when the float sinks and thus turns the lever L into the
opposite direction.
Fig. 2 shows the same apparatus as in Fig. 1 and with the same significations of
the letters, only with this modification that in the receptacle B in which the surface
of the water is subjected to the pressure of the atmosphere, the float is replaced
by an extensible membrane I to which is fastened a plate R, that is connected with
the rod U.
The membrane I will follow the movements of the water in the same manner as
the float F. T (Fig. 2) is an air tube fitted with the cock K, through which the
air in B escapes the first time there is pressure enough in A for torcing the water
up into B.

page_text: Fig. 3 shows the same apparatus as in Fig. 2 and with the same significations;
only the arrangement is here such that the connection pipe C between the recep-
tacles A and B is carried several times up and down, the tube being provided with
extensions forming the receptacles C, D, and C, D. Short tubes with the
cocks E, and E, permit. a direct connection between all the lower receptacles, so
that all these receptacles can be filled with water up to the escape tube N, when
the cocks E, and E, as well as the air cocks P, and P, on the receptacles C
and C, are opened. When these 4 cocks are shut again and the pressure in O
rises, the water from A will enter into C₁, the air in this receptacle will be com-
pressed and force the water from D₁ up in C. The air in C, will also be
compressed, and when the pressure in O becomes high enough to balance the total
height of all the three water columns shown in Fig. 3, the water will fill the
receptacle B completely and lift the membrane I, the plate R and the rod U.
If it is not wished to keep the steam pressure in O high enough to balance the
total height of all the three water columns, it will suffice to open one or both
of the cocks E, and E2. Thus either one or both of the two sets of recep
tacles C₁ D, and C, D, will be put out of action, and the pressure in O will
only need to balance either two or but one of the three in Fig. 3 showu water-
columns to lift the membrane in B.
Instead of dividing the whole water-column to be balanced by the pressure
in into three parts as shown in Fig. 3, this water-column may be divided
into any other number of parts. By thus dividing the water-column it is both
attained, that the apparatus will take less space and that it is possible in a
simple manner by opening one or more of the cocks E, and E-to vary the
pressure that the regulator keeps in O, without loading the membrane I with
weights and thus causing the whole apparatus to be less movable.
The action of the regulator upon the steam pressure in O is in just the same
manner whether it is arranged after Fig. 1, Fig. 2 or Fig. 3. As soon as the
steam pressure in O forces water enough into the receptacle B to lift the Hoat F
or membrane I, the lever L will close the valve V in the steam supply tube S.
When the pressure in O goes down and gets too low, the water will
from B to A, the float or membrano will go down and open the valve V again.
As this pressure regulator works with very little friction, it will keep a very
even steam pressure.
go
back
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. An automatic pressure regulator for regulating the pressure of steam in
which the rising and lowering of a float (F) or membrane (I) is employed to move
the valve (V) that regulates the pressure of the steam, said float or inembrane
following the motion of water coutained in two connected receptacles (A and B)
provided with an automatic acting outlet for surplus water (N) one of these recep-
tacles (13) being under a constant pressure, the other (A) under the pressure of the
steam in the apparatus (0) controlled by the regulator, substantially as herein
before described.
2. In a pressure regulator as described in Claim 1. the special arrangement of
dividing the water-column, that balances the steam pressure in the regulator into
two or more parts seperated by air spaces by bending the tube (C) between the
two main receptacles (A and B) one or more times up and down, each set of two
consecutive bends being connected by tubes with shut off valves (E, E,) in order
to make it possible to vary the steam pressure maintained by the regulator.
Dated this 96thudoz of June 1805
ANDERS BORCH RECK.