Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Regulating the Supply of Liquid Hydro-carbon to Lamp and other Burners in Houses, Railway Carriages, and other Structures.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Regulating the
Supply of Liquid Hydro-carbon to Lamp and other Burners in
Houses, Railway Carriages, and other Structures.
1, HENRI GALOPIN of Temple Court Place, Chancery Lane Melbourne in the
Colony of Victoria Scientific 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 of improvements in and connected with apparatus for regulating
the supply of liquid hydro-carbon to lamp and other burners in houses, railway
carriages and other structures has been designed for the purpose of supplying light,
and heat to houses, railway carriages and other structures by means of hydro-carbon
liquids such as kerosene and gasoline in such a manner as to give no more trouble.
in its using than ordinary coal gas.
For this purpose I have devised certain contrivances by which the supply of the
hydro-carbon liquid to the several floors of say a two or three storey building can
be automatically regulated so as to prevent undue pressure at any one point. The
same contrivances are also applicable for the purpose of automatically regulating
the supply of liquid hydro-carbon to the burners themselves.
I have also devised certain improved means whereby the liquid hydro-carbon
can be conveniently withdrawn from the tin or other vessel containing it.
Referring to the accompanying drawings-
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation showing the interior of a three-storey building
fitted with my improved appliances for regulating the supply of liquid hydro-carbon
to the lamp and other burners therein.
Figs. 2 to 5 are vertical central sections of various modified forms of the auto-
matic regulating valves which I employ for preventing undue pressure at the
respective levels where they are used.
Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a chandelier shown in the third or upper storey in
Fig. 1 drawn to a larger scale, and Fig. 6 a sectional detail of parts to a
larger scale.
Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing the means which I prefer to employ for raising
and lowering the wick of a burner.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a drum containing the liquid hydro-carbon and fitted
with my improved valve whereby its contents can be readily withdrawn and con-
veyed to the main supply tank, or in the case of a small building said drum might
itself be used as a main supply tank.
Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same drum when provided with its protecting
cap for transport, and Fig. 94 a detail view of valve to a larger scale.
Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 10ª a detail view, of the vessel A and
connections shewn in Fig. 9.
The same letters are used to indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures.
A represents the drum or vessel containing the kerosene or other liquid hydro-
carbon with which it is required to feed the various burners of the lamps or cooking.
and heating stoves throughout a dwelling house or other building. This drum is
provided with an air-tight valve a around whose spindle is fitted a spiral spring a
whose tendency is to always keep said valve closed. a² represents a screw-threaded
union coupling whereby the vessel A may be connected to a hand pump B. The
short length of pipe a³ leading from the coupling a² is shewn Z-shaped in Fig. 10
and T-shaped in Fig. 8, and through its upper arın is passed a set-screw a*, which
is arranged to bear upon the end of the spindle of the valve a so as to enable this
latter (after said pipe a³ has been connected to the drum) to be opened or closed

page_text: at will.
A small screw-threaded cap a, Fig. 9, is provided to protect said valve
and the outlet opening of the vessel A when said vessel is disconnected from the
supply pipe a. The cap a³, protecting the valve, is shewn to an enlarged scale
in Fig. 94.
The hand pump B enables the kerosene or other liquid hydro-carbon to be
drawn out of the vessel A and forced up through the pipe into the main supply
tank C at the top of the building, or if preferred compressed air when available
might be employed for this purpose. The upper end of the pipe b is provided with
a ball valve 6', which is arranged to close when the tank C is sufficiently full.
c represents a small pipe leading out of the top of the reservoir C and admitting
of the escape of air therefrom.
€³
The main reservoir C is supported in any convenient manner, say for instance
by brackets el projecting from the walls of the building at a slightly higher level
than the topmost burner in the building, and its outlet is fitted with a stop-cock c²
operated for opening or closing in any usual or convenient manner connected to a
service pipe leading to the chandelier D and any other lamps or stoves on the
upper floor of the building. A main vertical service pipe is likewise connected
with the stop cock ² and extends down to the basement of the building and has
branch service pipes c and cº connected to it at each floor. In the main service
pipe just above where the branch is connected to it, I place an automatic
pressure regulating valve E, whose object is to neutralise the weight of the column
of hydro-carbon descending from the reservoir C. This automatic pressure
regulating valve E is similar in construction to the valve E', which is fitted at the
lower end of the chandelier D. Another pressure regulating valve E² is fitted in
the main service pipe ct at the next floor and a similar valve at each subsequent
floor or level throughout the building, the object of said valves being the same in
every case, namely to reduce, neutralise or regulate the pressure at each of said
floors. D' represents a wall bracket and D2 a heating stove, which are fitted on
the first door of the building, whilst D³ represents a cooking stove on the ground
floor, or basement thereof. These chandeliers, brackets, heating and cooking
stoves are obviously used as examples to illustrate the principle underlying my
invention.
The automatic pressure regulating valve E is constructed as illustrated in Fig. 2,
and consists of an outer casing e, to which the inlet pipe el is connected. This inlet
pipe e¹ is continued through a smaller pipe e², the pin-hole or orifice in whose lower
end can be closed with a small valve e³, which may if preferred be formed of two
leather washers, one on each side of a thin brass washer, as shown. This valve e
is secured upon the upper end of a short length of tube e' sliding upon a stem e³
inside of which is arranged a spiral spring e" whose tendency is to hold the valve e³
firmly against the end of the pipe 2 e represents a float which is secured upon
the lower end of the stem e and is either made hollow or else is constructed of
some material having a lesser specific gravity than the kerosene or other liquid
which it is required to regulate. The valve E is shewn enlarged in Fig. 2^.
The object of the spring e is to keep the valve e closed, even should the
chandelier be pulled down suddenly. If the valve E is intended to be used in some
fixed position, then this spring might obviously be dispensed with.
e represents the outlet from the valve casing e showing said outlet as it
would be arranged when it was required to insert the valve E in the main
service pipe.
The pressure regulating valve E' in the lower end of the chandelier D is almost
identical with that shown in Fig. 2, except that the shape of its outer casing is
made to suit the style of said chandelier, and it is provided with two outlets
corresponding with the two branches of the chandelier instead of only one, as in the
example above described.
The modification of the regulating valve shown in Fig. 3 is more particularly
adapted for use in connection with heating or cooking stoves. The casing e is
provided with a screwed cap or cover e*, and the float e is formed with a central

page_text: opening through which passes the reduced supply pipe e², on whose lower end fits
the valve e, which is normally kept closed by a spiral spring e, substantially as in
the arrangement above described, and the whole is so arranged that when the liquid
in the casing e falls to a certain level, the float e will press down the valve and
allow a further supply of liquid to enter until its level has risen sufficiently to allow
said valve to be again closed by the pressure of the spiral spring e*.
Fig. 4 illustrates the construction of a wall bracket fitted with a modified form.
of pressure regulating valve, the casing of said valve being formed by the body of
the bracket, as shown. In this arrangement the float e' is suspended from the end
of an arm e* projecting outwardly from a small eccentric or cam e bearing against
the end of the stem of the valve e³ which latter is normally held closed, as in
the previous arrangement, by a spiral spring e. With this contrivance a fall
in the level of the kerosene or other liquid hydro-carbon in the body of the bracket
causes the float e to fall, and thereby partially rotates the eccentric or cam e³ so.
as to cause it to press against the stem of and thereby open the valve e³, and thus.
admit a fresh supply of liquid until a certain level is reached, when said valve will
be again closed by said spring.
In Fig. 5 a tap or stop cock is used in lieu of the spring valve e shown in Fig. 4..
The operation of the two arrangements being the same it is unnecessary to explain
its construction in detail.
It will be seen that the chandelier illustrated in Fig. 6 is similar to an ordinary
water sealed
gas chandelier in appearance and construction, but requires no
telescopic tubes, leather washers d being employed to form a tight joint between
said tubes, the smaller one d' of which is connected to the service pipe c³, whilst the
outer one is connected to the base of the chandelier as shown. This base is
provided with a small stop cock d³ whereby communication can be opened or closed
to a small pipe et whose lower end is fitted with a valve e³ operated by a float e' in
a similar manner to the arrangements above described. e¹0 e¹o represent small
tubes leading from the valve chamber e of the chandelier to the burners F. I
construct the gallery of these burners in such a manner as to support both the
inner chimney and the outer tube, and this gallery I hinge at one side so as to.
admit of both the chimney and the globe being swung at one operation free of the
The washers d herein shewn as
wick of the burner as clearly shown in Fig. 6.
being kept in place by wire d¹ wound around the tube d¹, are shewn to an enlarged
scale in Fig. 6^.
The operation of this arrangement will be readily understood from the
description given of the other arrangements, it being evident that the kerosene or
other liquid will flow from the service pipe c³ through the telescopic tubes d' d' and
valve into the valve casing e until it has risen in the latter sufficiently to close
the valve e³.
In the arrangement for regulating the wick illustrated in Fig. 7, f represents a
smali pinion having a milled disc secured upon its spindle so that it can be easily
rotated by hand to cause said pinion to raise or lower the rack fl secured to the
holder containing the wick.
It will be readily understood from the foregoing description that my invention
enables kerosene or other liquid hydro-carbon to be distributed to the burners of all
the lamps or stoves contained in a building or other structure from a main reservoir
situated near its roof without allowing the pressure of said liquid to cause it to.
overflow from any of said burners. By accomplishing this object I am enabled to
use kerosene or other liquid hydro-carbons in a building or other structure in the
same way as gas is used at present, thereby dispensing with the necessity of filling
the oil reservoir of each lamp or stove separately.
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 :-
1st. In apparatus for regulating the supply of liquid hydro-carbon to the lamp.

page_text: and other burners in houses, railway carriages, and other structures the combination
with a tank, or other receptacle (such as C) supported on a higher level than any
of the burners it is to supply, of a main supply pipe provided with automatic
regulating valves at each branch so as to avoid excessive pressure in any part of
the building or structure, the reservoir of each lamp or burner being also provided
with an automatic regulating valve, all substantially as herein described and
explained and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2nd. In apparatus for regulating the supply of liquid hydro-carbon to the lamp
and other burners in houses, railway carriages and other structures, the combination
with a vessel (such as A) containing a supply of said liquid hydro-carbon of a valve
(such as a) fitted with a spring whereby it is normally held closed, a set screw
(such as a) being passed through an elbow pipe adapted to be coupled to the outlet
opening of said vessel, said set screw being arranged to bear against the spindle of
said valve. substantially as and for the purposes herein described and explained and
as illustrated in Fig. 8 of the accompanying drawings.
3rd. In apparatus for regulating the supply of liquid hydro-carbon to the lamp
and other burners in houses railway carriages and other structures the combination
with a float (such as 7) contained within a suitable casing of a valve (such as e³)
connected to and operated by said float; a spring (such as e) being employed in
the case of a chandelier, substantially as and for the purposes herein described and
explained and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4th. In apparatus for regulating the supply of liquid hydro-carbon to the lamp
and other burners in houses, railway carriages and other structures the combination
with a valve (such as e³) adapted to close and open the end of the delivery pipe
leading to the lamp burner of a float (such as e') either connected directly to the
spindle of said valve by an arm or lever (such as e8*) or else supported on the end
of a lever secured to a cam or eccentric adapted to operate upon said valve spindle,
substantially as and for the purposes herein described and explained and as
illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Ninth day of October One thousand eight hundred and
ninety-one.
HENRI GALOPIN.