Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying Fluids at Predetermined Times and for Predetermined Periods to Vats or Receptacles for Chemical Processes or for Analogous Purposes,
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 25th July, 1898-Accepted, 8th Oct., 1898
Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying Fluids at Predetermined
Times and for Predetermined Periods to Vats or Receptacles for
Chemical Processes or for Analogous Purposes,
I, HERBERT NAPIER PRENTICE, of Old Vicarage, Stowmarket, in the County
of Suffolk, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its principal object to provide means whereby gases can
be supplied as required to vats or receptacles in chemical works in such manner
as to ensure the said supply being put on and taken off at the requisite times
without the necessity for the troublesome and uncertain operation by hand
which has hitherto been adopted. The apparatus according to my invention
is such that the supply can be controlled from a laboratory or office without
necessity for the operator attending at the place where the vats or the like to
which the gas is to be supplied are situated.
My invention is applicable generally to the supply of fluids. whether gaseous
or liquid at predetermined intervals or for predetermined periods but I will
describe it as applied to the aforesaid purpose from which its general application
will also be understood.
I provide each vat to which gas is to be supplied with a valve which can be
operated by electricity. These valves each preferably consist of an iron solenoid
core enclosed in a gas tight casing of non-magnetic material such as brass and
around this is a coil of wire through which a current of electricity can be passed
so as to attract the core which forms the valve proper and open the passage
for gas to the vat. The coil can be enclosed in an iron casing.
I provide a time piece which at predetermined intervals operates a switch
by means of which an electric current is caused to actuate the valves. Whilst
not limiting myself to precise details the following is an arrangement by which
my invention may be conveniently performed. I will presume that provision
is made for supplying gas to vats at four different intervals. On a wheel operated
by the time keeper I arrange projections which are set say for putting on a
current of gas to the vats every twenty minutes, every half hour, every hour
and every two hours. These projections as the wheel rotates come respectively.
into contact with swinging levers set so as to be in the paths of the respective
projections. If the wheel be made to have one rotation in an hour there will be
in one plane three projections for acting on one of the swinging levers at
intervals of twenty minutes, in another plane two projections for acting on
another of the swinging levers at intervals of thirty minutes and in another
plane one projection for acting on a third swinging lever at intervals of one
hour whilst the fourth swinging lever will be acted upon by a moveable projec-
tion carried by the said wheel in the same plane as the fourth swinging lever
the said projection being so combined with the wheel that at each alternate

page_text: revolution only does it assume such a position as to act on the lever and therefore
this lever is only operated at intervals of two hours. Each lever as it is operated
makes an electric contact by means of which circuits are so completed as to
actuate the plunger of a dash-pot and this dash-pot maintains a circuit completed
by which the valve is operated and maintained open for a period determined
by the setting of the dash-pot. When the dash-pot plunger returns to its normal
position after an interval the electric circuit which maintained the valve open
is interrupted and the valve closes until the current is again put on by the time
keeper. By providing a switch board for each difference in period for which
the apparatus is arranged and in each switch board a plug orifice for each vat
and in the circuit a plug for each vat which can be inserted into its plug hole in
either of the switch boards the periods at which each vat is supplied with gas
can be altered as desired. In order to protect the more delicate portions of the
apparatus from excessive current I prefer to arrange the mechanism so that the
time keeper momentarily actuates the contact which puts on the current for
operating the dash-pot plunger and to arrange the circuits for supplying current
to operate the valves through a relay or otherwise so that the heavy current
which may be needed to operate the valves does not pass through the more
delicate parts of the 'apparatus.
Dated th 01 1
100%
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying Fluids at Predetermined
Times and for Predetermined Periods to Vats or Receptacles for
Chemical Processes or for Analogous Purposes.
I, HERBERT NAPIER PRENTICE, of Old Vicarage, Stowmarket, in the County
of Suffolk, 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:―
My invention has for its principal object to provide means whereby gases can
be supplied as required to vats, or receptacles, in chemical works, in such manner
as to ensure the said supply being put on, and taken off, at the requisite times,
without the necessity for the troublesome, and uncertain operation by hand
which has hitherto been adopted. The apparatus, according to my invention,
is such that the supply can be controlled from a laboratory, or office, without
necessity for the operator attending at the place where the vats, or the like, to
which the gas is to be supplied, are situated.
My invention is applicable generally to, the supply of fluids, whether gaseous
or liquid, at predetermined intervals, or for predetermined periods, but I will
describe it as applied to the aforesaid purpose, from which its general application
will also be understood.
I provide each vat to which gas is to be supplied with a valve which can be
operated by electricity. These valves each preferably consist of an iron solenoid
core enclosed in a gas tight casing of non-magnetic material such as brass and
around this is a coil of wire through which a current of electricity can be passed
so as to attract the core, which forms the valve proper, & open the
for gas to the vat. The coil can be enclosed, or partially enclosed, in an iron
casing to nearly complete (with the core) the magnetic circuit.
passage

page_text: I provide a time piece which, at predetermined intervals, operates a switch
by means of which an electric current is caused to actuate the valves. Whilst
not limiting myself to precise details I will describe my invention with reference
to the accompanying drawings as applied to the aforesaid purpose Figure 1 is a
sectional elevation of an electrically controlled valve constructed according to
my invention and Figure 2 illustrates diagrammatically an arrangement by
which my invention may be conveniently performed. Each valve, as shewn in
Figure 1, consists of an iron solenoid core A, enclosed in a gas-tight casing A¹,
of non-magnetic material such as brass, surrounded by a coil of wire A² through
which a current of electricity can be passed so as to attract the core A, which
carries the valve proper A3, and so open the passage for gas to the vat. I will
presume that provision is made for supplying gas to vats at four different in-
tervals. On a wheel, or drum, B, operated by a time-keeper B1, (Figure 2),
arrange projections a¹a² a³ and a, which are set, say, for putting on a current
of gas to the rats every twenty minutes, every half hour, every hour and every
two hours. These projections, as the wheel, or drum, B, rotates come respectively
into contact with swinging levers 616263 and 64, set so as to be in the paths of
the respective projections a¹ a² a³ and at. If the wheel, or drum, B, be made to
have one rotation in an hour there will be in one plane three projections a¹, for
acting on one of the swinging levers 6' at intervals of twenty minutes, in another
plane two projections 2 for acting on another of the swinging levers 62 at
intervals of thirty minutes, and in another plane one projection a³ for acting
on a third swinging lever at intervals of one hour, whilst the fourth swinging
lever b will be acted upon by a moveable projection a carried by the said wheel,
or drum B, in the sanie plane as the said fourth swinging lever the said pro-
jection a being so combined with the wheel, or drum, B, that at each revolution
it slides on the pin a' on which it is mounted so that at each alternate revolution
only does the pointed end of the said projection a assume such a position as to
act on the lever and therefore this lever is only operated at intervals of two
hours. Each lever 61 62 63 and 6 as it is operated makes a momentary electric
contact at c¹, ², c³, or c, thereby completing a circuit, from a battery C, through
the lever 63 63 or 6, as the case may be, and through the corresponding
contact ¹² or c, and wire d, to a thin wire core e¹, of a double wound
magnet D, and from thence to the battery C, thereby completing the circuit
by the wired and exciting the magnet D, whereby the armature D¹ of the
magnet is attracted so as to make a contact at c. The current now passes from
the battery C by the wire to the armature I¹ of the magnet D, contact e and
coile of the magnet D to a swinging magnet E and thence to the battery C,
by the wire e³, and so complete the current through the swinging magnet,
which being excited swings on its fulcrum e and elevates an arm E¹ projecting
from the magnet E. The arm E¹ is connected as indicated at e to the plunger F
of a dash-pot F1, so that when the said arın is raised it raises the plunger F of
the dash pot F¹
Projecting from the armature D' of the magnet D is an arm, or projection, Da
against which the arm El of the swinging magnet E, when elevated, strikes and
breaks the contact at e, the armature D', then springing into contact with a
contact point e, whereby a circuit is completed through the coils of a relay G.
The armature G₁ is thereby attracted and caused to make contact at the car-
bons G³, one of which carbons is connected by a wire 'g, to one of the bars of a
plug board H. One end of the winding on the valve A is connected to a plug h,
the other end of the said winding being connected by a wire to the negative
pole of the battery C. It will thus be seen that if the plug h be inserted in one
of the holes in a bar of the plug board H a circuit will be completed as follows,
viz. from the positive pole of the battery C in the direction of the arrows I in
Figure 2 to the relay G through the carbons G2 to the plug board H by the plug
inserted in a hole in the bar of the plug-board to the solenoid coil of the valve A
and from the said coil to the negative pole of the battery by the wire h¹ so as

page_text: to cause the core of the solenoid to rise and open the valve. The circuit through
the dash-pot magnet having been broken the plunger F will commence to
descend, the valve A remaining open during the descent of the said plunger,
but, when the plunger has descended to its full extent, the arm E¹, strikes the
armature D¹, of the magnet D, so as to break the contact at e, and thus break
the circuit through the relay G whereupon the said relay, being no longer excited,
the armature G₁ of the said relay will spring up and break the connection
between the carbons G2 and so destroy the circuit through the solenoid of the
valve A which will then fall by gravity and close the passage for gas to the vat.
The period during which the valves remain open depends upon the rate at which
the plungers of the dash-pots descend and this can of course be regulated by
the size of the return opening for the liquid, or by a bye-pass therefor or by
the viscosity of the liquid.
The valve remains closed until the circuit is again put on by the time keeper.
By providing a bar, on the plug board H, for each different period for which
the apparatus is timed, and in each bar of the plug-board, a plug orifice for
each vat, and in the circuit, a contact plug for each vat, which can be inserted
into any plug-hole in either of the bars, the periods at which each vat is supplied
with gas can be altered as desired. In order to protect the more delicate portions
of the apparatus from excessive current I prefer to arrange the mechanism as
herein before described, so that the time-keeper momentarily actuates the con-
tacts c¹³ ³ct, so as to put on the current for operating the dash-pot plunger,
and to arrange the circuits for supplying current to operate the valves through a
relay, so that the heavy current, which may be needed to operate the valves,
does not pass through the more delicate parts of the apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:--
1. In apparatus for supplying fluids at predetermined times, and for prede-
termined periods, the combination of electrically controlled valve or valves, and
a time-piece for making contacts at the requisite times for supplying electric
current to operate the valve or valves; substantially as herein before described.
2. In apparatus for supplying fluids at predetermined times, and for prede-
termined periods, the combination with an electrically controlled valve or
electrically controlled valves, of a dash-pot, or dash-pots, for cutting out the
current of electricity, to close the valve or valves at the requisite time, substan-
tially as herein before described.
3. In apparatus for supplying fluids at predetermined times, and for predeter-
mined periods, the combination of an electrically controlled valve, or electrically
controlled valves, a time piece for switching in current to operate the valve or
valves at the requisite times, and a dash-pot, or dash-pots, for regulating the
time during which the valve or valves shall remain open, substantially as here-
in before described.
4. The combination of parts constituting the improved electrically controlled
valve; substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figure 1 of
the accompanying drawings.
5. The combination of parts constituting the apparatus for supplying fluids
at predetermined times, and for predetermined periods; substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 25th day of July 1898.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.