supply UI AI CEC according to the Pressure of Steam in Boilers Fired with the Gas from such Gas-producers.
Year: 1887

page_text: supply UI AI
CEC
according to the Pressure of Steam in Boilers Fired with the
Gas from such Gas-producers.
We, CHARLES BIRLEY, of the Canal Foundry, Preston, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, and JOHN STURGEON, of 6 Lincoln's Inn, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Consulting Mechanical 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 relates to apparatus for automatically regulating the supply of air
for combustion purposes to gas-producers employed for generating crude gas for the
firing of steam boilers in lieu of coal in such manner that an increasing pressure of
Thus
steam may cause a decreasing supply of air to the gas-producer and vice versa.
the consumption of fuel in and the quantity of gas given off from the retorts and
supplied to the boiler furnace will be diminished or increased accordingly as the steam
pressure in the boiler becomes higher or lower. A steam jet is usually employed to
inject the air into the gas-producer and our improved apparatus is designed to control
the supply of the steam so employed.
According to our invention we cause the steam for injecting the air into the gas-
producer to pass through an automatic regulating valve operated by and so as to be
in exact relation with the main steam pressure in the boiler.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional side view; Fig. 2 a sectional
end view; and Fig. 3 a sectional plan view (at the line A-B in Fig. 1) of our
improved regulating valve apparatus.
a is a hollow cylindrical piston valve working vertically within a cylindrical shell b

page_text: which has ports or openings c, c and is carried on the upper extremity of a vertical
regulating screw P. The cylindrical shell b is capable of sliding vertically within an
outer casings at its upper part and a second casing s¹ at its lower part. The lower
central part of the valve a forms a piston or rame working within a cylindrical casing
which forms the lower part of the cylindrical shell b. The steam for injecting air
into the gas-producer enters the apparatus at į passes through the ports or
openings c, c and leaves through the outlet k. g is a chamber containing water,
and h is a steam pipe from the boiler. When the steam is admitted to the chamber
from the pipe h its pressure upon the water is transmitted to the underside of the
piston or ram e thereby causing the piston and with it the valve a to be moved
upwards and so diminish the area or steam passage of the ports or openings c, c.
Thus as the pressure upon the water at i is increased or diminished so will the amount
of opening in the ports c, c be correspondingly decreased or enlarged and the amount
of steam passing through to the gas-producer be correspondingly varied. From the
upper end of the piston or ram e rises a rod d, a spiral spring within a steam-tight
cavity or box v arranged as shewn being preferably employed (although a weight or
other equivalent may be used for effecting the same purpose) to afford an opposing
influence to the upward pressure on the piston e below. The spring / is provided with
a regulating screw m so that its downward pressure may be so adjusted (from the
exterior of the apparatus) as to yield to any excess of pressure beyond that for which
the valve is set and thereby allow the valve to close or to overcome any diminished
pressure and thereby cause the valve to open. The lower end o of the cylindrical
casing which carries at its upper end the cylindrical shell 6 is mounted upon the
upper extremity of a regulating screw p (also operated from the exterior of the
apparatus) so that the position of the openings in the outer shell 6 relatively to
the upper edge of the cylindrical valve a and consequently the area of steam passage
may be varied until the desired maximum amount of opening through the ports
as the starting point from which the valve is to operate has been adjusted. q is an
ordinary water gauge for indicating the height of the water in the chamber g which
may be run off from time to time as its volume increases by the condensation of the
steam from the pipe h. A steam trap may however be arranged in conjunction with
the chamber g so as to automatically allow the water to escape when higher than the
required level.
C
The valve a and the piston or ram e are arranged in the manner hereinabove
described so as to dispense with the use of glands and stuffing boxes and are made so
as to slide easily within their respective bearings so that the apparatus may be as free
from friction and as sensitive as possible.
Should any leakage of water past the piston or ram e occur the water would become
evaporated by and unite with the steam supply passing through to the gas-producer
without any detriment to the working or efficiency of the apparatus.
Although we prefer to transmit the steam pressure for operating the valve through
a body of water as above described the steam may if preferred be admitted directly
to the bottom of the piston or ram e or to the upper side of a separate piston mounted
upon one end of an oscillating beam the ram e being mounted upon the other.
Whilst we prefer to employ the cylindrical piston form of valve (as hereinabove
described and shewn in the drawings) other forms of valve may obviously be employed
to carry out the object of our invention as for instance a flat slide valve working on a
flat perforated face like the ordinary slide valve of a steam engine, or a wing valve, or
a flat or bevel seated valve may be adopted.
In some cases the air to the gas-producer is supplied through a pipe from an air-
compressor or other form of blower to which arrangement our improved regulating
valve apparatus is also applicable as will be readily understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
1. Causing the steam for injecting air or the air from an air-compressor or other
form of blower for combustion purposes in gas-producers to pass through regulating

page_text: valve apparatus actuated by the steam pressure in boilers fired with the gas from such
gas-producers the said regulating valve apparatus being constructed and operating
substantially as described and shewn in the drawings.
2. The construction and arrangement of the cylindrical valve a cylindrical shell b
rod d piston or ram e spring 1 and regulating screws m and p substantially as described
and shewn in the drawings for the purpose set forth.
3. The combination of parts constituting the improved regulating valve apparatus
constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as described and shewn in the
drawings for the purpose set forth.