IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS CONTROLLING THE DISCHARGE OF LIQUIDS
Year: 1885

page_text: :
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane
in the county of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
CONTROLLING THE DISCHARGE OF LIQUIDS" to be as follows:-
FOR
This invention.relates to improved apparatus for controlling the discharge. of
liquids, more particularly of water from supply pipes, so that only a predetermined
quantity of liquid can be drawn off at one time, the apparatus effecting automa-
tically the cutting off of the supply when the said quantity has been discharged,
and thus preventing waste. In employing this apparatus for controlling the
water supply for domestic purposes the advantage is gained that houses can be
furnished with a direct constant supply, without the use of cisterns, with a minimum
risk of waste or fraud, as the consumer will be supplied with an apparatus' that
will admit of the withdrawal at one time of a quantity from the main proportionate
to the amount of the rate paid by him, and thus in order to withdraw a larger
quantity he will be caused the inconvenience of repeatedly opening and closing the
cocks or valves of the apparatus which will induce him to apply for an apparatus
of larger capacity and to pay a corresponding higher rate for the same.
The said apparatus consists of a closed chamber of definite capacity divided by a
Hexible diaphragm into two compartments; the one compartment has an aperture
communicating with a second chamber containing a valve which is connected to
the diaphragm by a rod, the valve chamber being in communication with the
supply pipe. The said compartment also communicates with the service pipe or
pipe through which the liquid is drawn off. The other compartment of the main
chamber also communicates with the discharge or service pipe through a very
small aperture, the area of which bears a certain proportion to the sectional area
of the service pipe. For the sake of clearness, I will call the first named com-
partment of the chamber the lower compartment, and that last named the upper
compartment.

page_text: If now the
Assuming both compartments to be full of liquid, and the discharge or service
pipe closed, the weight of the valve and the diaphragm will cause the former to
descend in its chamber and thus to leave the supply aperture open.
discharge pipe be opened for the withdrawal of liquid, the pressure from the supply
pipe acting on the underside of the diapragm being greater than the pressure
acting on the upper side thereof the diaphragm will be moved slowly upward
forcing a quantity of liquid out of the upper compartment which discharge will
bear the same proportion of the total discharge as the proportion of the before
mentioned small escape opening to the area of the discharge pipe. The diaphragm
and with it the valve will continue to rise as long as the discharge takes place and
if this be stopped before the diaphragin and valve have reached their highest
position then they will gradually descend again, so that on again opening the
discharge pipe more liquid can be withdrawn. If however the discharge be
continued until the diaphragm and valve have reached their highest position, the
valve will close the supply opening in the lower compartment and as the valve will
now be kept closed by the pressure from the supply pipe, the apparatus will be
put out of action, and although the discharge pipe be closed and then opened
again, no more liquid can be withdrawn. Thus it will be seen that when the
maximum.quantity of liquid to be withdrawn at one time is exceeded, the supply
is entirely cut off. In order to bring the apparatus into action again it is necessary
to turn a two way cock on the supply pipe so as to cut off the supply and put the
valve chamber and lower compartment of the diaphragm chamber in communi-
cation with an escape pipe whereupon the pressure in these chambers will decrease
sufficiently to allow the valve and diaphragm to descend again and thus open the
supply aperture.
This having been done the two way cock is again turned so as put the supply
in communication with the apparatus. In some cases, where a comparatively small
constant escape or waste of liquid would not signify, the two way cock may be
dispensed with and a small hole be made in the valve so that when this is closed a
small quantity of liquid can pass through the hole into the apparatus. Thus if
the maximum withdrawal of liquid has been exceeded and the apparatus is put out
of action as described, then on closing the discharge pipe the liquid pressure will
leak through the hole in the valve until the pressures on both sides thereof are
equalised, when it will again sink and open the supply aperture.
It is preferred to fit in the discharge pipe a removeable diaphragm having an
opening of determined size for the passage of liquid, so that one and the same
apparatus may be adjusted to afford different degrees of maximum supplies by
fitting in the discharge pipe diaphragms having correspondingly different sized
openings.

page_text: of Liquids.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane
in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to improved apparatus for controlling the discharge of
liquids, more particularly of water from supply pipes, so that only a predetermined
quantity of liquid can be drawn off at one time, the apparatus effecting auto-
matically the cutting off of the supply when the said quantity has been discharged,
and thus preventing waste. In employing this apparatus for controlling the water
supply for domestic purposes, the advantage is gained that houses can be furnished-
with a direct constant supply, without the use of cisterns, with a minimum risk of
waste or fraud, as the consumer will be supplied with an apparatus that will admit
of the withdrawal at one time of a quantity from the main proportionate to the
amount of the rate paid by him, and thus in order to withdraw a larger quantity,
he will be caused the inconvenience of repeatedly opening and closing the cocks or
valves of the apparatus which will induce him to apply for an apparatus of larger
capacity and to pay a corresponding higher rate for the same.
The apparatus is however so proportioned as to allow of the filling of receptacles
of average moderate capacity such as ordinary house utensils (with the exception
of baths or similar large receptacles) without any such repeated manipulation of
the cocks, the discharge being only made to cease when such average moderate
quantity is exceeded.
The supply pipe leading from the said apparatus into the house may be provided
with any number of desired discharge cocks at different localities.
The construction of the apparatus will be readily understood on reference to the
accompanying drawing, in which Figs. 1 and 2 shew vertical sections thereof with
the moving parts in the two opposite positions. The principal parts of the
apparatus are first, the chamber A which is made of a capacity proportionate to
the rate paid by the consumer; second, the flexible diaphragm B; third, the closing
valve C, connected to the diaphragm B by a rod a and closing the inlet opening I;
fourth, the calibrated discharge nozzle D from the chamber A.; fifth, the regulating.
disc E in the discharge pipe K; sixth, the inlet F; seventh, the outlet G; and
eighth, the manipulating cock H... Assuming the chamber A to be filled with liquid
above and below the diaphragm, and the cock H to be closed so as to cut off the
supply, then as the upper and lower part of the chamber A will be subject to the
eaine liquid pressure, inasmuch as the nozzle D with which the upper compartment
communicates, also communicates with the discharge pipe K with which the lower
compartment communicates, the loaded valve C in sinking down in its chamber
will draw the diaphragm B down into the position shewn in full lines at Fig. 1, .
expelling thereby a certain quantity of liquid from below the diaphragm through K
and causing a corresponding quantity of liquid to enter above the diaphragın

page_text: through the opening D. If now the supply cock H be opened so as to cause liquid
to flow through the valve chamber, opening I, space below the diaphragm and
pipe K, the difference between the pressure p above the diaphragm and that p°
below the same, will cause the diaphragm B to rise slowly by the excess of pressure
below, and thus to expel the liquid above the diaphragm through the small
orifice D, until the diaphragm assumes the position shewn in full lines in Fig. 2
when it will have drawn up the valve C so as to close the inlet opening I, where-
upon the supply of liquid will cease, as its pressure below the valve will keep this
closed so long as the cock H is open. The area of the opening D being made a
definite small fraction of that of the opening E of the pipe K, it will be seen that
the duration of the discharge from the pipe K reckoned from the moment of
opening the cock H till the moment of the closing of the valve C, and, consequently,
the quantity of liquid that can be drawn off at one time will be in approximately
the same proportion to the capacity of the space above the diaphragm as the pro-
portion between the areas of D and E. The said quantity of liquid will constitute
the maximum allowance of liquid for a certain rate of payment; if the quantity
drawn off at one time is under the maximum, then, on closing the discharge cock,
the diaphragm B and valve C will sink back into the position at Fig. 1 as an
equilibrium of pressure will then be established above and below the diaphragm so
that the apparatus will cause no further trouble in the ordinary use of the supply;
but if the maximum be exceeded so that the valve C is closed as described, then it
will be necessary, in order to obtain a further supply, to first close the cock H, in
order to effect the reopening of the valve C, and then to open the cock H again,
and as the cock H may be placed at some distant, or not easily accessible, locality,
the trouble occasioned by such opening and closing thereof may be made so great
as to render it preferable to pay the higher rate in order to obtain an increased
maximum supply.
It will be seen that one and the same apparatus may be employed for affording
different maximum supplies by merely employing discs E in the pipe K having
openings of different areas, so as to vary the proportion between the area of this
opening and that of D. The cock H is constructed as a three-way cock, as shewn
in section at Figs. 3 and 4, so that when turned from the position shewn at Fig. 3,
in which it establishes a communication between the main L and the control
apparatus, into the position at Fig. 4, in which the communication with the main is
closed and a communication is established between the valve chamber of the
apparatus and an escape branch, the liquid can escape from the valve chamber and
thus facilitate the reopening of the valve.
:
In order to render the apparatus as sensitive as possible, the weight of the valve C
and rod a is made as small as possible, while the difference of the pressures and p°
is controlled by the size of the openings E and D.
In cases where a small continuous supply of the liquid through the apparatus is
allowable, the cock H may be dispensed with and the valve C be provided with a
small aperture c, as at Fig. 5, so that the liquid can leak through from the valve
ohamber into the chamber A when the valve is closed. In this case it will be
sufficient, when the supply has been stopped by exceeding the minimum, to close
the discharge cock for a short time, to enable the valve C to open again, owing to
an equilibrium of pressure above and below it being established by the hole c.
It will be readily understood that, instead of the diaphragm B, a piston or any
other known equivalent therefor may be used; although the above described
apparatus is mainly applicable for the water supply of houses &c, yet it may with
equal advantage be adopted for controlling the supply of other liquids.
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
.
1. The use, for controlling the supply of liquids, of apparatus wherein a flexible
diaphragm or its equivalent is contained in a chamber communicating both above

page_text: and below the diaphragm with the discharge pipe and also below the same with
the supply pipe, the diaphragm being connected to a valve that closes the com-
munication with the supply pipe, whenever by the withdrawing of a certain
quantity of liquid from the discharge pipe, the diaphragm is moved from its one
extreme position to the other by the difference of pressures above and below it
produced by the discharge, substantially as herein described.
2. The construction of apparatus for controlling the supply of liquids consisting
mainly of the chamber A with the flexible diaphragm B or its equivalent, operating
in combination with the valve C, the discharge aperture 1), opening into the
discharge pipe K and the supply cock H or the valve passage c substantially as
herein described.