Method of and Apparatus for Regulating the Supply of Gas.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 21st Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 20th Jan., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Method of and Apparatus for Regulating the Supply of Gas.
I, JAMES ENRIGHT Electrician 202 Holland Road Kensington do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the regulation of the supply of gas and has for its object
the prevention of the flow of gas through the burners &c. when consumption is
not going on. In order to effect this object I make the heat of the burner open the
main aperture which supplies it. There is a secondary aperture which is opened by a
tap, but which automatically closes soon after its being opened. The interval between
the opening and closing of this secondary aperture is sufficient to allow the heat of the
burner to open the main aperture.
The secondary aperture is preferably smaller than the other, and they are placed in
separate tubes in close proximity. A tap governs the supply of gas through the tube
containing the main aperture (and also the supply through the other) so that the light
or heat may be turned low without altering the main aperture,-this last being entirely
governed by the heat of the burning gas.
The secondary aperture is closed by a liquid such as water or mercury being caused
to rise up in a tube above it and so prevent the gas from passing through it as it
cannot pass downwards through the liquid. When the liquid flows back again the
gas is free to pass through. The movements of the liquid is produced by the tap as
follows: The tube last referred to extends backwards and terminates in an elongated
Hexible or partly flexible sac which contains a suitable quantity of liquid. The
Hexible sac is altered in position by a cam, lever, or other mechanical device
operated by the tap. When the secondary aperture is to be opened the sac is
set so that the fluid shall retire into it and allow the gas access to the secondary
perture and conversely. At a suitable position between the sac and the secondary
perture is placed a valve which allows the liquid to flow quickly in one direction but
lowly in the opposite. This slow movement cuts off the gas from the secondary
perture, but gives sufficient time before so doing to the heat of the flame to open the
nain aperture. The tap also governs directly the supply from the secondary aperture
o the burner.
I may cut off the gas from the secondary aperture by availing myself of the

page_text: difference of pressure in the gas pipes when the gas is flowing and when it is at rest.
This may be effected by the movement of a column of liquid due to the reduced
pressure when the gas is flowing, or by the movement of part of the wall of an air-
tight chamber placed in the gas pipe which movement is also due to the reduced
pressure caused by the flow of the gas.
In order to open the main aperture by the heat of the gas flame I fix near the flanie
a bulb containing air or other gas. This bulb is prolonged to a suitable length. It is
air-tight and the expansion of the air due to the heat of the flame serves to open the
main aperture by causing the movement of portion of the wall of the elongated air-
tight bulb, or by causing the movement of a column of liquid, or otherwise. These
movements may not operate directly but may act by the intervention of any suitable
mechanism.
The tap used does not differ in external appearance from an ordinary gas tap, but it
serves three distinct purposes. It directly governs after the manner of an ordinary
gas tap the supply through both the tubes referred to above, and it operates the
flexible sac closing or opening the secondary aperture. Meantime the heat of the
flame keeps open the main aperture. If the tap be now turned in the "off" direction
it gradually cuts off the supply through the main aperture (though this last remains
open) and at a certain angle cuts it completely off. Turning the tap further in the
"off" direction alters the position of the flexible sac, causes the liquid to flow, and
once more opens the secondary aperture. The gas cannot however escape because the
tap is in the "off" position and directly controls the supply through the secondary
on position the gas flows
aperture; but when the tap is once more turned in the
through it (the secondary aperture) for a short time as already explained.
Dated this 20th day of January 1887.
22

page_text: A Method of and Apparatus for Regulating the Supply of Gas.
I, JAMES ENRIGHT, of 202 Holland Road, Kensington, Electrician, 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:-
My invention relates to the regulation of the supply of gas and has for its object
the prevention of the flow of gas through the burners, etc., when consumption
is not going on. In order to effect this object I make the heat of the burner open
the aperture which supplies it.
A tap governs the supply of gas through the tube containing the aperture so that
the light or heat may be turned low without altering the aperture, this last being
entirely governed by the heat of the burning gas.
In order to open the aperture by the heat of the gas flaine, I fix near the flame a
bulb containing air or other gas and the expansion of the air due to the heat of the
flame serves to open the aperture by causing the movement of portion of the wall of
the elongated air tight bulb, or by causing the movement of a column of liquid or
otherwise. These movements may not operate directly but may act by the intervention
of any suitable mechanism.
The heat of the flame keeps open the aperture by which the gas is supplied to the
burner.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will proceed to describe the drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The drawing shows a vertical longitudinal section of a gas bracket to which my
invention is applied.
When
a is the gas burner; b is a vessel of thin metal containing air; this vessel is attached
to the gas burner in such manner that heat may be readily conducted from the burner
to the walls of the air vessel. c is a pipe or passage conveying gas to the burner.
d is an air pipe attached to the air vessel which otherwise is entirely closed. The air
pipe is connected with the upper part of a vessel e which contains mercury and of
course is of a material which will not be injured thereby, glass is suitable. The
vessel e is connected by an inverted siphon like pipe with another vessel g.
the air vessel b is cold the mercury should stand at or about the points marked X X.
The vessel contains a float h of cork or other material. A wire is attached to
the float and this projects upwards through an apparatus k. The vessel g and the
apparatus k are fixed by plaster of Paris or otherwise within a pipe or case to the
upper end of which the gas is admitted by an ordinary stop cock indicated at m. In
the apparatus is a partition and from the centre of this tube k³ rises. Down this

page_text: tube the gas passes on its way to the burner; beneath the partition k³ the gas passes
out by a lateral opening k³ and so it enters the gas pipe or passage c.
Over the partition and around the tube k2 a small quantity of mercury is placed.
n is a bell of glass or other material and the lower end of this bell dips into the
mercury around the tube and stops the flow of gas even if the tap at m be open.
In order to light the gas the air contained in the vessel b is expanded by the
application of the flame of a match; mercury is thus driven into the vessel g and the
float rises. The wire attached to the float now lifts the bell n out of the mercury
into which it dipped and then gas flows freely to the burner and will continue to do so
long as the air vessel b remains heated. But if by any accident the gas be extinguished
whilst the tap at m remains open, the vessel b will rapidly cool, the air it contains will
contract, the float h will descend and the mouth of the bell n will again dip into the
mercury and the supply of gas to the burner will be cut off.
It will be observed that the mercury in the vessol y in effect forms a moveable side
closing the air vessel band by the movement of this side when heat is applied the
opening of the aperture by which gas passes to the burner is effected. So likewise
on cooling it is the movement of this side of the air vessel which causes the gas to be
shut off. Although I prefer to employ mercury or liquid to form this moveable side
I do not confine myself thereto.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I doclare that what I
claim is
1. The improved method substantially as herein describod for regulating the supply
of gas by causing the heat of the burner to maintain open the aperture which
supplies it.
2. Apparatus for regulating the supply of gas substantially as herein described
wherein heat communicated to a bulb or vessel containing air causes the movement of
a column of liquid which operates to open tho aperture by which gas passes to the
burner.
3. Apparatus for regulating the supply of gas substantially as herein described
wherein the heat of the burner and flame is communicated to a bulb or vessel
containing air thereby sustaining the position of a column of liquid which operates to
keep open the aperture by which gas passes to the burner.
4. Apparatus for regulating the supply of gas substantially as herein described
wherein heat is communicated to a bulb or vessel containing air thereby operating a
column of liquid to open and sustain open an aperture by which gas passes to a
burner.
Doted this 91st dove of Ontaban 1887