Improvements in Wet Gas Meters.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wet Gas Meters.
A communication from GEORGE WILLIAM GAY, of Rosario de Santa Fé,
Argentine Republic, South America, Engineer.
I, ARTHUR HAMILTON CLARKE of 23 Kensington Park Gardens, Gentleman,
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 has for its object to prevent the extraction of the water or other
liquid by syphoning or other means through the water supply pipe of wet gas
meters when placed in position on consumers' premises, which is sometimes resorted
to in order to lower the water level and thereby admit of the passage through the
meter of a greater quantity of gas than will be registered.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which,
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a type of gas meter to which this
invention applies and
Figures 2, 3 and 4 are views showing various examples of the manner of carrying
the invention into practice.
Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A is the meter which may be of any of the known wet-type construction. B is
the pipe through which the water or other liquid C is introduced into the meter and
which is usually provided with a screwed plug B¹.
By reference to Figure 1 it will readily be seen that by removing the plug B¹
and applying a syphon pump or equivalent apparatus nearly all the liquid may be
withdrawn from the meter that is to say all the liquid above the level of the lower
end of the tube B.
The object of the present invention is to prevent this and this I may do in various
ways Figures 23 and 4 illustrating three different examples of the manner of
carrying the invention into practice.
According to Figure 2 I bend the tube B so that the upper end of its leg B'
projects above the normal level of the liquid C or as shown in Figure 31 may
cause the tube B to dip down into a case or box D the upper end of which is above
the normal level of the liquid.
It will be seen that in either of these examples when the liquid is poured into
the meter through the pipe B it will flow over the upper end of B' or D which end
virtually constitutes the effective end of the tube B and B' or D when such supply
ceases will remain full of liquid as shown in the drawings. Should there be any
attempt to withdraw the liquid from the meter it would only result in the emptying
of B B* Figure 2 or B D Figure the main body of the liquid in the meter
remaining unaffected.
•
In Figure 4 the pipe B is shown as dipping down into a movable or floating
vessel or case E the bottom of which carries a conical valve E³ which is adapted to
close the lower end of the pipe B when there is any attempt to withdraw the liquid
through it.
When liquid is poured into the meter through the pipe B of Figure 4 it fills the
vessel E and flows into the meter body over the upper edge of E which edge
virtually constitutes the effective end of the pipe B and when the supply ceases the
vessel É will remain full. If an attempt to withdraw the liquid through B is made
only a comparatively insignificant quantity will be removed because as soon as the
quantity of liquid in the vessel E is sufficiently reduced said vessel will float and

page_text: raise the valve El against the end of pipe B thus preventing both the further
extraction of liquid and the escape of gas.
If desired the valve E¹. Figure 4 may be omitted and the flat end of E may be
adapted to come against the pipe B so as to constitute a valve and the invention
may be applied to wet gas meters other than those of the particular type shown in
Figure 1 and in other respects the before described apparatus may be modified
without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. As a means of preventing the abstraction of the main body of liquid contained
in a wet gas meter the combination with the meter of a liquid inlet pipe liquid-
sealed against the escape of gas and the effective end of which is not directly in
communication with the main body-of liquid contained in the meter nor below the
normal level of said liquid.
2. The combination with a wet gas meter of a bent liquid supply pipe such as B B³
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a wet gas meter the combination with the liquid supply pipe B of a stationary
box or case such as D into which it dips substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
4. In a wet gas.meter the combination with the liquid supply pipe B of a movable
box or case such as E into which it dips and with or without a valve such as E'
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 4th day of September 1891.
ARTHUR HAMILTON CLARKE.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.