IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR REGULATING THE PRESSURE OF GAS."
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lyon, of Sheffield, in the County of York,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR REGULATING THE
PRESSURE OF GAS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lyon at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th March 1882.
"s
WILLIAM LYON of Sheffield in the County of York IMPROVEMENTS IN
GOVENORS FOR REGULATING THE PRESSURE OF GAS."
My Invention relates to Improvements in Govenors for automatically regulating
the pressure and flow of gas, so that (for example) while the pressure on the supply
side may be equal to five inches of water displacement, the pressure on the outlet
may be governed automatically and gas supplied at the practically undeviating
pressure of fifteen tenths of an inch, whether the consumption be regular.or
otherwise.
I accomplish this object by constructing my improved govenor in the following
manner. A suitable valve closing with and opening against the gas supply is
suspended by a rod attached to a float which is placed in a water vessel over the
valve. Round the water vessel and by preference forming part of said vessel is
an annular compartment closed at the top, and open at the bottom to the lower
part of the water vessel; this annular compartment, to which the water has free
access is in direct communication with the outlet for the gas, so that the pressure
of the gas in the outlet pipe acts on the surface of the water, raising or lowering
the float as the case may be and with it the valve, thus when the consumption is
small, the back pressure on the water in the annular compartment is high, and
raising the water level lifts the float and closes the valve in like proportion, till
the pressure is brought down to the calculated and desired point; an increased
consumption of gas withdraws some of the pressure lowers the float, and opens
the valve. To avoid undue friction and prevent the escape of gas where the valve
rod passes through the gas tube to the Boat I dispense with a stuffing box, and
use the following arrangement; I fix round or over the hole in the tube an
upright tube passing through the centre of the float, to a considerable height above
the water line the valve rod passes freely through and projects from the top-
over this I place a larger tube closed at the top and to which the rod of the valve
is secured and also to the float itself-this second tube is effectually sealed by the
immersion of its lower or open end in the water.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Lyon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th August
1882.
WILLIAM LYON of Sheffield in the County of York.-" IMPROVEMENTS IN
GOVENORS FOR REGULATING THE PRESSURE OF GAS."
My Invention relates to improvements in Station, District, Consumers and other
Govenors for regulating the pressure of gas, so that for example although the
pressure on the supply may be equal to five inches of water displacement, the
pressure on the outlet may be automatically governed, and gas supplied at the
practically undeviating pressure of fifteen tenths of an inch, whether the con-
sumption be regular or otherwise.
My Invention consists in governing the inlet gas valve automatically by means
of the pressure of the gas in the outlet pipe, acting upon the surface of a fluid
contained in the govenor, and thereby raising or lowering a float connected
directly with the said inlet valve.
I accomplish this object by constructing my govenor in the following manner,
and that my description may be clearly understood, I shall refer to the accompanying
drawings, in which similar letters refer to similar parts in all the figures-Figure 1,
being a sectional elevation of one arrangement of a Govenor constructed according
to my invention. Fig: 2 represents a modification in the construction, Fig: 3
represents a Govenor in which mercury is used in place of water. A is a vessel
having two compartments B and C in Figure 1, and B, and C¹, in figure 2, one
being closed at the top, and the other being open, in figure 1 the compartments are
represented as square and arranged side by side, but in figure 2 the closed compart-
ment or chamber B' is annular, and encircles the open compartment C' the two
compartments communicate with each other under the division wall F which is
shown at Gas not quite reaching the bottom of the vessel; water, oil, glycerine or
other suitable fluid such as mercury is placed in the vessel to support a float D to
which is attached the valve E by means of the valve rod E, this valve which I
call the inlet valve, closes with, and opens against, the pressure of the supply gas.
I is the inlet and J the outlet. The valve rod H passes through a tube K which
rises above the surface of the liquid and is sealed by an outer tube L attached to
the top of the float and its lower end being always immersed in the fluid, it is by
preference provided with a screw thread so as to be adjustable in height and the
top portion M may be utilized to retain adjusting weights N, a communicating
pipe O admits gas from the outlet J to the interior of the closed compartment
B or B¹, P is an inlet pipe for the supply of water or other liquid or fluid and Q is
an overflow pipe. R is a valve seating for closing the inlet when required, say in
case of accident or for readjustment of the float, or other purposes, but this is not
a material part of my invention.
It will thus be seen that by means of the pipe O the top of the closed compart-
ment B or B is filled with gas from the outlet pipe J, the varying pressure of
which acting on the surface of the fluid causes the fluid in the other compartment
to rise and fall, and thereby open or close the inlet valve E as the case may be."
Thus when the consumption is small, the back pressure on the closed compart-
ment is increased the float D is raised, and the Valve E closed in a corresponding
degree till the diminished supply causes the pressure to fall to the calculated and
desired point.
On the other hand an increased consumption of gas withdraws pressure from
the compartment B, lowering the float D, and opening the Valve E. The arrange-
ment of the sealed tubes K, and L, dispenses with the use of a stuffing box or

page_text: gland and allows the float and valve great freedom of action. The Valve shown in
the drawings is simple in construction, and effective, but other suitably shaped
Valves may be used.
Fig: 3 represents an arrangement for a mercurial Govenor in which I take the
outlet pipe J directly into the closed compartment B2 thus doing away with the
pipe O, as in the figs: 1 and 2, and I draw the gas from the top of the compart-
ment at S.
I also dispense with the pipes P and Q and simply use a draw off plug at T, the
open compartment C² may be closed by a cap U, this arrangement may be applied
to any of my improved Govenors.
Having now described and fully ascertained the nature of my said invention and
the manner of carrying the same into practice, I would observe in conclusion that
what I consider to be novel and original and therefore claim as secured to me by
the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is ;-
First, In Govenors for regulating the pressure of gas, any arrangement of parts
that shall cause the pressure of the outlet gas to act on the surface of a liquid
contained in a closed compartinent of the Govenor, but which opens at or near its
base into a second compartment, so that the said liquid in the second compartment
shall by its rise and fall raise or lower a float connected with and actuating the
inlet valve.
Second, A Govenor for regulating the flow of Gas substantially as described
and as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 in the annexed sheet of Drawings or any
mere modification of the same.
In witness whereof I the said William Lyon, have hereunto set my hand and
seal this 16th day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty two.
WILLIAM LYON. (L.S.)