Improvements in Apparatus for Shutting Off the Supply of Steam from Marine or other Boilers in case of Rupture or Leakage in the Pipes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 24th July, 1891-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Shutting Off the Supply of Steam
from Marine or other Boilers in case of Rupture or Leakage in
the Pipes.
I, WILLIAM HENRY TAYLOR, of Heapey Street, Gorton, in the County of
Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer (in part a communication from James William
Haigh, of Huddersfield in the County of York, but at present on the high seas)
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus designed with the object of automatically
cutting off the steam supply from the boilers to the cylinders of marine steam
engines in case of rupture of the main steam or other supply pipes or the excessive
escape or leakage of steam therefrom.
It consists essentially of two valves so arranged that on the decrease of pressure
in the steam supply pipes, caused by the rupture or excessive escape or leakage of
steam therefrom, one of them which we will call the primary valve is caused to lift
and allow a spring or other similar mechanical arrangement of pre-determined
power to operate another or secondary valve and allow steam from the boiler or
boilers to pass to a small cylinder the piston of which acts upon the spindle of a
valve of the flap, wing or other suitable type inserted at a convenient point in the
main steam supply pipe, to shut off the steam supply.
In carrying out our invention we place at a suitable position in the engine room,
the primary and secondary valves and connect the primary valve at its open side
with the main steam pipe, either by a small pipe, which we at present prefer, or
direct: The spindle of the primary valve is connected to a pivoted lever to one
end of which is attached a spring or weight or their mechanical equivalent, and the
other end is connected to the spindle of the secondary valve. We connect the
secondary valve to the source of steam supply by a pipe and to a small cylinder
the piston of which is connected to the throttle or other valve in the main steam
pipe.
The spring which acts to open the secondary valve when the pressure above
the primary valve is decreased may be of any required strength according to the
pressure of steam acting upon the said primary valve and is preferably supported
that it can be adjusted so as to act to lift the secondary valve when the pressure
falls by reason of an unusual escape of steam from the supply pipes or when they
are ruptured.
the
It will be obvious to engineers that instead of using a spring to open
secondary valve we may employ an arrangement of levers one of which may be
provided with a graduated scale and a sliding index weight so that the weight may
be set and locked in any position to indicate that the mechanism has been set to
act at a certain pressure of steam. Further, instead of inserting a special valve
in the main steam supply pipe for cutting off access of steam to the cylinders we
may make use of the ordinary throttle valve, though we at present prefer the
arrangement before described as it will have the least effect in throttling the steam
during ordinary working.
Although our invention is primarily designed to be used in connection with marine
steam engines it will also be applicable to steam pipes for other engines.
Dated this 23rd day of October 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Shutting Off the Supply of Steam
from Marine or other Boilers in case of Rupture or Leakage in
the Pipes.
I, WILLIAM HENRY TAYLOR, of Heapey Street, Gorton, in the County of
Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, (in part a communication from James William
Haigh, of Huddersfield, in the County of York, formerly on the high seas) 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 apparatus designed with the object of automatically
cutting off the steam supply from the boilers to the cylinders of marine steam
engines in case of rupture of the main steam or other supply pipes or the excessive
escape or leakage of steam therefrom.
It consists essentially of two valves so arranged that on the decrease of pressure
in the steam supply pipes caused by the rupture or excessive escape or leakage of
steam therefrom one of them which we will call the primary valve is lifted by
means of a spring or other similar mechanical arrangement of pre-determined
power said spring also operating another or secondary valve and allowing steam
from the boiler or boilers to pass to a small cylinder the piston of which acts upon
the spindle of a valve or valves of the flap, wing, or other suitable type inserted
at a convenient point in the main steam supply pipe to shut off the steam
supply.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings which
show two arrangements of valves designed according to our invention.
Fig. 1, elevation showing arrangement of apparatus in the engine room and
stokehold of a steam-ship.
Fig. 2, vertical sectional elevation of automatic apparatus with one valve placed
above the other.
Fig. 3, side elevation of same.
Fig. 4, front elevation partly in vertical section of apparatus with one valve
placed beside the other.
Fig. 5, plan, partly in section, of same.
In carrying out our invention and referring more particularly to Figs. 2 and 3
we place at a suitable position in the engine room the primary and secondary
valves and their attendant mechanism. The primary valve A has a chamber A¹
above it which is connected to the main steam supply pipes C direct or by a
small pipe c.
We at present prefer to attach the pipe c to the steam pipe as near
as possible to the engine cylinders preferably to the engine stop valve C¹by a small
valve or cock c¹. The valve A is fixed to the spindle a which passes downwards
and is connected by a cotter or pin to a bush or sleeve a'. The valve spindle b of
the secondary valve B is also connected to the sleeve a¹ by a cotter or gib a". The
cotter all is fast in the sleeve a¹ but passes easy through a slot 6' in the valve
spindle this arrangement being adopted to allow the primary valve A to lift slightly
say from to " without lifting the secondary valve from its seat. It will be
obvious that with the valve A lifting as aforesaid steam will be admitted to the
underside of the valve and place it in equilibrium therefore allowing the full
pressure of the spring to act in lifting the secondary valve and also in opening
fully the valve A.
Between the two valves A and B we place a spring D for opening those valves
when the steam pressure is reduced in the valve chamber A'. The spring abuts at
the upper end against a fixed collar on the valve spindle a and at the lower end
rests upon a collar d sliding on the said spindle. The pressure exerted by the
spring D upon the fixed collar may be regulated according to the steam pressure

page_text: on the valve A by a screwed sleeve E passing through the lower end of the casing d'
the pressure being preferably such as will not tend to lift the valves when only a
slight variation from the normal steam pressure in the main steam pipes, occurs.
In Figs. 4 and 5 the valves A and B are shown one beside the other the spindle a
of the valve A being connected to the spindle of the valve B by a lever F
pivoted at f. Links f¹ are provided between the spindles and lever so as to avoid
straining the former. Instead of mounting the spring D on the valve spindle
as in Figs. 2 and 3 we mount it on a suspended link d" and regulate its pressure by
a nut E
In both the arrangements of the valves shown F' is a hand wheel and screw for
regulating the lift of the valves and for forcing the valves to their seats when
required.
The valve B is connected at one side by a pipe G direct to the boiler or boilers
and at the other side by a pipe H to a small cylinder I placed on the boiler. The
piston rod i of the cylinder I is connected to the spindle of a throttle valve of the
ordinary type whereby such valve is closed when steam is admitted through
the valve B to the cylinder.
The cylinder I is provided with an ordinary slide valve connected to a rod I'
which passes from the stokehold into the engine room and is connected to a vertical
rod by bell crank levers supported by studs affixed to the bulkhead K. A
lever connected to the lower bell crank lever is provided so that in case the
apparatus had acted and shut off steam by reason of the steam being constantly
shut off and turned on such as when the vessel is being brought out of a dock or
similar situation the slide valve could be reversed and steam admitted to the opposite
side of the piston to again open the throttle valve. G'is the boiler stop valve. H' is
a drain valve for draining the water which may accumulate below the valve A
conveying it to the condenser or other suitable place but which will close on the
entry of steam below the valve A and J is ordinary gear for easing the valves A
and B either from the deck or engine platform in case of any disarrangement or
breakdown of the machinery thereby causing the apparatus to act to shut off the
steam as before described and stop the engines.
Where more than one boiler is employed for generating steam we connect the
spindles of each throttle valve together by links rods and levers so that steam may
be shut off at all the boilers simultaneously.
Instead of inserting a special valve in the main steam supply pipe for cutting
off access of steam to the cylinders we may make use of the ordinary throttle
valve though we at present prefer the arrangement before described as it will have
the least effect in throttling the steam during ordinary working.
Although our invention is primarily designed to be used in connection with marine
steam engines it will also be applicable to steam pipes for other engines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for cutting off the supply of steam from marine or other boilers
having a primary valve opened by a spring on an abnormal reduction of pressure
in the steam pipes a secondary valve opened by the primary valve and controlling a
steam pipe or passage direct from the boiler to a cylinder and piston or their
equivalent by which a throttle valve is operated substantially as described.
on
2. In apparatus for cutting off the supply of steam from marine or other boilers
a reduction of pressure in the pipes the combination of the primary and
secondary valves one of which is connected with and held closed by the pressure
of the steam in the steam pipe and opened by a spring when the pressure of steam
is reduced and the other of which controls the passage of steam from the boiler to
a cylinder and is closed and opened by the primary valve substantially as described
and shown with reference either to Figs. 2 and 3 or Figs. 4 and 5.

page_text: 3. Apparatus for shutting off the supply of steam from steam boilers on the sudden
reduction of pressure in the pipes by rupture leakage or the like with the several
parts constructed and arranged substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 23rd day of July 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.