Improvements in Gas Governors.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 9th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 15th Feb., 1896
Improvements in Gas Governors.
I, JOHN GEORGE SMITH of No. 536 Craig Street, in the City of Montreal, in
the District of Montreal and Province of Quebec Canada, Mechanical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to gas governors having invertel cup-shaped floats with
their edges dipping into sealing fluid and carried by the inlet valve stem-the
object being to secure a governor the inlet-valve of which will be balanced or
held practically in equilibrium by the gas pressure and consequently be more
responsive in its action to slight changes in the pressure or quantity of gas used.
The invention consists of a gas governor constructed and arranged to allow of
the introduction of the initial body of gas between two floits differing in area for
the purpose of controlling the inlet valve and to such end it has a main gas
chamber or passage leading to the delivery outlet and a secondary gas chamber
the latter to contain a body of gas adapted to exert upon the valve operating parts
or floats differing in area a pressure equal to the pressure of the main body of gas
beneath the valve.
D1th 7th Jan at Ma 1905
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Gas Governors.
I, JOHN GEORGE SMITH, of No. 536 Craig Street, in the City of Montreal, in
the District of Montreal and Province of Quebec Canada, Mechanical 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 gas governors having inverted cup-shaped floats with
their edges dipping into sealing fluid and carried by the inlet valve stem the object
being to secure a governor the inlet valve of which will be balanced or held
practically in equilibrium by the gas pressure and consequently be more responsive
in its action to slight changes in the pressure or quantity of gas used.
The invention consists of a gas governor constructed and arranged to allow of
the introduction of the initial body of gas between two floats differing in area for
the purpose of controlling the inlet valve and for full comprehension thereof
reference must be had to the annexed drawings forming a part of this Specification
in which like symbols indicate corresponding parts and wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical
section of the governor and Fig. 2 a horizontal section thereof each section being
taker respectively on a line x-x in the other figure.
I have ascertained by experiment that for the valve to work properly and upon
the slightest fluctuation of pressure it is necessary to balance it in some way or

page_text: hold it in equilibrium upon such flexible cushions as the gas itself can furnish and
to this end I use a pair of floats attached at different heights to the valve stem and
introduce a body of gas between them.
Any suitable form of casing can be used provided two gas chambers are furnished
each of which has a float above it and I find it advantageous to use the form of
construction of casing and parts shown in the accompanying drawings and which
I will now describe in detail.
a is an annular hollow casing or section having inlet opening and outlet
opening c in opposite sides separated by a partition d having a horizontal and a
vertical portion and the horizontal portion containing an inlet aperture d' controlled
by the usual valve e the bottom of the casing having a suitably covered aperture a¹
through which the valve e can be reached when desired and the upper portion a²
of the casting having an annular trough a³ for sealing fluid and being perforated
for the passage through it of the valve stem e¹.
f is a second annular casting or ring having a downwardly projecting flange f¹
screw-threaded interiorly to take onto the screw-threaded upper edge of the
casting a so that it will be located above this latter also having a trough f' similar
to the one a³ for containing a second body of sealing fluid and further having a
bar perforated to act as an upper guide for the valve stem e¹.
second casting or section is any suitable top or cover piece g.
Resting on this
h is a float of the usual inverted cup type secured in the usual way to the valve
stem e at such a point that its edges will play in the sealing fluid in the lower
trough a³ and j is a second float of a similar form also carried at a higher point by
the stem e¹ so that its edges will dip in the sealing fluid of the upper trough ƒ³
and on which the usual interchangeable weight 3 is placed.
The space enclosed by the casting a and the lower float constitutes on the
inlet side of the partition d a lower main gas chamber and on the opposite or outlet
side of the partition a delivery chamber while the space between the top of float h
and the underside of float j constitutes an upper or secondary gas chamber 1 and
the dividing wall of the casting a between the main and secondary chambers is
pierced near the main inlet b to afford a passage m through which gas can reach
the chamber 1.
The operation of the governor is as follows;-
When a large call or drain is made upon the governor the in-coming gas rushes
as it were into a void and expanding itself reduces the pressure on the underside
of the lower float / thereby offering less resistance to the depressing weight 3.
This causes float and valve a to descend (which being in equilibrium it easily
does) and so lets in gas according to the requirement. When less gas is called
for the pressure increases at the governor and acting on the underside of float h
causes valve e to rise and close off the initial gas until an equilibrium is established 4
between the weight 3 and the pressure on the underside of the float h.
In this governor there are two opposing forces both in equilibrium and when
one is distributed it balances itself without any disturbance to the other. The
high pressure gas maintaining one equilibrium and the low pressure the other.
The low pressure equilibrium is formed by the weight 3 on top of float ; acting
proportionately downwards to the upward pressure on the underside of bottom
float h.
The high pressure equilibrium is formed by the in-coming gas entering the
secondary chamber and acting between the two floats h and j the difference of
whose areas is equal to the area of the valve e. This differential area through the 5
medium of the initial gas maintains a downward pressure on the top of the Hoat /
equal to the upward pressure on the underside of valve e. Thus there are two
equilibriums established each acting independent of the other.
From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the body of gas in the upper
chamber entering from a point close to the main inlet is at a higher pressure than 5
the body of gas in the delivery chamber on the outlet side of the partition d owing
to the passing of large quantities of the latter body through the outlet c but at the '

page_text: same pressure as the body of gas in the main chamber beneath the valve and
consequently I find it desirable to establish a difference in the comparative areas
of the two floats making the upper float less in area preferably by diminishing the
diameter thereof in order to secure a downward pressure upon the valve through
the gas in the secondary chamber bearing upon the upper surface of the lower float
equal to the upward pressure of the gas in the main chamber beneath the valve.
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. A gas governor of the class described having a main gas chamber or passage
leading to the delivery outlet a valve controlling the inlet to said main chamber
and a secondary gas chamber the latter in communication with the main gas supply
so as to contain a body of gas adapted to exert a pressure upon a pair of valve
operating floats one acted upon upwardly and the other downwardly equal to the
pressure upward of the main or initial body of gas beneath the valve and upon the
under side of the lower float on the lower pressure side for the purpose set forth.
2. A gas governor of the class described having a main gas chamber or passage
leading to the delivery outlet and a secondary gas chamber the latter to contain a
body of gas of the same pressure as that of the main body of gas and the valve
operating parts of which comprising a stem and pair of sealed floats are acted upon
by the gas in said secondary chamber so as to be depressed by same for the purpose
set forth.
3. A gas governor having a main gas chamber or passage and a secondary gas
chamber the latter to contain a body of gas of the same pressure as the main body
of gas a valve to regulate the flow of gas from said main chamber an operating
stem for said valve with a pair of floats secured to said stem and constituting the
bottom and top of said secondary gas chamber and suitable sealing troughs for said
floats.
4. A gas governor having a casing with inlet and outlet and communicating
passage between a valve to regulate the flow of gas from such main chamber a
stem carrying such valve a pair of floats also carried by said stem and a secondary
gas chamber with suitable inlet to allow of the introduction of a body of gas of the
same pressure as the main body thereof between said floats for the purpose set
forth.
5. A gas governor of the class described having a main gas chamber or passage
and a secondary gas chamber in communication with each other the latter to
contain a body of gas of the same pressure as that of the main body of gas and the
valve operating parts of which comprising a stem and pair of sealed floats differing
in area are acted upon by the gas in said secondary chamber for the purpose set
forth.
6. A gas governor of the class described having a main gas chamber a delivery
chamber and a secondary gas chamber the latter in communication with the main
chamber and adapted to contain a body of gas of equal pressure to the gas in the
main chamber a valve to regulate the flow of gas from such main chamber and
operating parts for said valve comprising a stem and pair of sealed floats one of
which latter forms the top to said delivery chamber and the other of which forms
the top of said secondary chamber the body of gas in said secondary chamber
occupying the space between said floats for the purpose set forth.
7. In a gas governor the combination of the main section having inlet and outlet
openings and a partition between a valve aperture in said partition a covered
aperture in the bottom of said casting an annular trough containing sealing fluid
formed in the upper portion of the section a second section located above and
secured to the main section a second trough containing sealing fluid formed in its
upper surface and a guide integral with such second section for the upper end of
the valve stem a valve for controlling the flow of gas through said valve aperture
a valve stem carrying said valve and a pair of floats carried by said stem and having

page_text: their edges dipping in said sealing troughs the upper wall of said main section
being perforated at one or more points near the main inlet for the purpose set
forth.
8. In a gas governor the combination with a suitable casing providing a main
chamber a delivery chamber and a secondary chamber the main gas chamber having
an inlet and the delivery chamber an outlet with communicating passage between
such main chamber and delivery chamber and a secondary inlet from said main
chamber to said secondary gas chamber of a valve to regulate the flow of gas
through said communicating passage such valve being carried by a suitable
stem floats also carried by said stem and constituting the tops respectively of said
secondary and delivery chamber and sealing troughs for such floats.
9. A gas governor of the class described having an inclosing casing and a valve
affixed to a spindle upon which two floats or inverted diaphragms are attached the
floats being of different area and one acted upon upwardly and the other down-
wardly by gas of the initial pressure in such a manner that through the medium
of said floats and the initial pressure of gas the controlling valve is held in
equilibrium.
10. In a gas governor of the class described having a valve affixed to a spindle
and a pair of floats differing in area carried by such spindle an inclosing casing
affording chambers and passages for the introduction of the initial body of gas
between said floats for the purpose of controlling the inlet valve.
Dated this 9th day of January 1896
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.