Improvements in and connected with Water Level Indicators for Steam Generators and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 1st Sept., 1896-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Water Level Indicators for
Steam Generators and the like.
I, GEORGE SUMNER of the Rhodes Bank Lubricator Works, Oldham in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to water gauges or liquid level indicators such as are
employed with steam generators, and its object is to construct the gauge and its
accessories in such a manner that the gauge may be freely tested at any time, and
so also that in the event of a breakage of the glass, the escape of the water, liquid,
steam or gas, will be prevented after an instant's lapse of time.
In carrying out my invention I arrange that each outlet from the steam
generator to the gauge fittings shall be closable by a ball valve. Normally
the ball lies in a position at a lower level than the outlet it is desired to close in
the event of a breakage of a glass, within a suitable tube, chamber or the like,
through which the fluid can alone communicate with the gauge. In the event of
a breakage of the gauge glass, the out-rush of fluid carries the ball up to its
seating and closes the outlet. If it be desired to test a gauge fitted with this
appliance, the cock is turned in the usual manner, when the fluid which is between
the ball and its seating will escape if the way through is clear, and the ball will
then stop any further outflow.
If it be desired to prevent the action of the ball valve, or to provide means for
removing the ball from its seating so that it may drop into its normal position,
I may employ a screwed spindle or the like for this purpose and arrange it to be
operated from the front of the fitting.
The inlet to the tube chamber or the like in which the ball is contained,
may be protected by a cage to prevent the access of dirt and other foreign
matters.
Dated this 24th day of January A.D. 1896.
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and connected with Water Level Indicators for
Steam Generators and the like.
I, GEORGE SUMNER of the Rhodes Bank Lubricator Works, Oldham in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this 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 water gauges or liquid level indicators such as are
employed with steam generators, and its object is to construct the gauge and its
accessories in such a manner that the gauge may be freely tested at any time, and
so also that in the event of breakage of the glass the escape of water, liquid, steam,
or gas will be prevented after an instant's lapse of time.

page_text: In carrying out my invention, I arrange that each outlet from the steam
generator to the gauge fittings shall be closable by a ball valve. Normally, the
ball lies within the steam generator at a lower level than the outlet it is destined
to close in the event of a breakage of a glass and is enclosed by a suitable tube,
chamber or the like, through which the fluid can alone communicate with the
gauge. In the event of a breakage of the gauge glass, the outrush of fluid carries
the ball up to its seating and closes the outlet. If it be desired to test a gauge
fitted with this. appliance, the cock is turned in the usual manner, when the fluid
which is between the ball and its seating will escape if the way through is clear,
and the ball will stop any further overflow.
If it be desired to prevent the action of the ball valve, or to provide means for
removing the ball from its seating so that it may drop into its normal position,
I may employ a screwed spindle or the like for this purpose, and arrange it to be
operated from the front of the fitting.
The inlet to the tube, chamber, or the like, in which the ball is contained, may
be protected against access of dirt and other foreign matter.
I will more particularly describe my said invention with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 illustrates a sectional side elevation of a water gauge embodying my
improvements, as fitted to a steam generator.
Figure 2-shews a cross section along the line -y, Figure 1, and
Figure 3, represents an end elevation of the cock plug, drawn to an enlarged
scale..
The fittings at the upper and lower ends of the gauge glass resemble each other,
except that the lower one communicates with the blow-off cock A, as well as with
the gauge glass B.
Each of the cocks C C through which the gauge glass is in communication with
the steam generator D, has a horizontal conical plug E, through which there
passes, axially, the spindle G. In Figure 1, the spindles G are shewn as being
broken off close to the front of the fitting, beyond which they actually extend and
are fitted with a band wheel. One of the handwheels and the end of the spindle
are separately shewn to the right of the gauge glass, Figure 1.
The base of the plug is towards the front F of the steam generator, and it may
be retained upon its seating when not acted upon by fluid pressure, by means of the
spring I. The inlet to the plug is through suitable holes, as indicated by Figure 3
which represents an end elevation of the plug, drawn to an enlarged scale. In the
centre of the base a hole is bored and tapped with a screw thread to form a nut for
a screwed part of the spindle G. The plug E has only one outlet J, in the central
chamber K, which is also shewn in cross section, Figure 2. In the lower part of
this chamber there is a mid-feather or vertical wall L, the upper edge of which
forms a portion of the seating of the plug, and serves to close the plug outlet,
when the plug is sufficiently rotated to bring the outlet over the wall. In the
upper part of the fitting, the outlet from the chamber K communicates with the
gauge glass; in the lower part it communicates with the blow-off cock A. Inside
the steam generator, each part of the fitting may be secured. by the nut N, and it
opens into a pipe, chamber or the like, having an inclined bottom. As shewn by
the figures, a narrow chamber O, having an inclined bottom, is used but in
substitution for this a pipe having a similar inclination may be employed.
Inside the pipe or chamber O, there is a ball P, which normally rests upon
the opening R. If there should be an outrush of steam or water owing to the
breakage of a gauge glass or other cause, the current carries the ball against the
seating S, and so closes the inlet to the gauge. In the event of a breakage, there-
fore, there will only be an instantaneous escape of fluid. After repairs have been
made, the plug handle T is moved through half a turn. This brings the plug
outlet over the wall L, and closes it. The hand wheel H is then turned, and by
the action of its screwed part in the plug nut, the spindle advances and pushes the
ball off its seating. The spindle is then returned and the plug is restored to the

page_text: former position. I prefer to make the inlet to that pipe or chamber which is in
the steam space, through a vertical pipe U, so as to avoid the risk of foam and
floating foreign matters entering O.
Figure 4 illustrates in what manner my improvements may be applied to an
ordinary "pillar gauge." The cocks which are usually employed in the
branches 1, 2, 3, 4, are omitted, and in their place I substitute the cocks C C₁.
both of which are constructed and operated precisely as hereinbefore described
with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3. The two chambers or pipes O with their
ball valves, and the spindles, are also constructed and arranged relatively to the
valves as shewn in Figure 1.
In Figure 4, parts similar to those represented in Figure 1, are denoted by
accented letters of reference. Instead of using an inclined tube or chamber
having an inclined bottom, to enclose the ball P, I may employ an equivalent
as illustrated by Figure 5. Here, the hall is enclosed in a U-tube, and when a
rush of fluid occurs, it is carried up to its seating as shewn by the dotted outline,
and closes the inlet to the gauge fitting. In this modification it is desirable to
construct the seating for the ball P so that the ball may sufficiently project on the
opposite side to be acted on by the end of the spindle G.
I am aware that ball valves have already been used for the same purpose in
water level indicators, but hitherto these have been external, so that in the case of
a steam generator, the fitting could not be removed until the boiler was out of use.
By the adoption of my improvements, it is possible to remove the gauge glass and
the cocks at any time, and it is also possible to construct the appliance in such
a manner that the whole part of it external to the shell of the boiler could be
removed and replaced at any time.
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. In or in connection with a water level indicator for steam generators and the like,
a pipe or chamber within the generator communicating with the indicator, and a
ball valve the seating of which is at a higher level than that normally occupied by
the ball which normally rests near to the inlet to the pipe or chamber, constructed
arranged and operated substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
2. In combination with the pipe or chamber and the ball valve described in the
preceding claim, a spindle operated from the front of the fitting and passing axially
through the plug of a cock, constructed arranged and operating substantially as
and for the purpose hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.