Improvements in Gas Meters.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 31st Jan., 1896-Accepted, 10th Apr., 1896
Improvements in Gas Meters.
We, WILLIAM FIDDES of the Gas Works Bristol, in the County of Gloucester,
Gas Engineer and W. AND B. COWAN LIMITED of Smith Square Works in the
City of Westminster do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide in combination with gas meters means
whereby arrangements through which the consumption of gas is indicated are
automatically adjusted in accordance with the temperature so that the quantity of
gas registered by the meter shall be the volume which the gas occupies at a given
temperature say 60° Fahrenheit. In meters as hitherto arranged as the gas
expands or contracts in bulk owing to changes in temperature at the place where
the meters are situated the registration of the meter has not truthfully indicated
the standard volume of gas at a given temperature which has passed through the
meter. In hot weather for example the volume indicated is too large and in
cold weather it is too small in relation to the standard volume at a given
temperature.
According to this invention the effect of temperature in altering the bulk or
form of gases liquids or solids is employed so that as the temperature varies the
amount of gas which the meter passes at each operation is automatically varied or
the indicating mechanism causes the movement of the registering device or counter
the meter passing a less volume at low temperatures and a larger volume at
high temperatures or the registering device or counter registering a less amount in
relation to volume of gas passed at high temperatures than it does at low
temperatures.
to vary,
The invention may be practically applied in various ways. For example in a
dry gas meter the degree of movement of the registering device or counter
may be
varied relatively to that of the bellows by employing with the mechanism by which
the movements of the bellows are conveyed to the registering device or counter, a
connection or attachment of the part which is caused to vary in bulk or form under
variations of temperature which will vary the centre on which a connecting arm or
lever turns so as to vary the relative movements of the part which measures the
volume of gas passing and the part which registers such movement.
In a wet meter the part which is caused to vary in bulk or form under variations
of temperature may raise and lower the drum in the liquid in the meter or it may
operate a device which will lower the level of liquid and raise it according to the
variations of temperature or the mechanism or gear by which the movements of
the drum are conveyed to the registering device or counter may be altered to vary
the motion imparted to the registering device or counter at each operation
of the drum.
This 10th 1
L A 1005
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Gas Meters.
We, WILLIAM FIDDES, of the Gas Works, Bristol, in the County of Gloucester,
Gas Engineer, and W. AND B. COWAN LIMITED, of Smith Square Works, in the
City of Westminster, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to provide in combination with gas meters means
whereby arrangements through which the consumption of gas is indicated are
automatically adjusted in accordance with the temperature so that the quantity
of gas registered by the meter shall be the volume which the gas occupies at a
given temperature say 60° Fahrenheit. In meters as hitherto arranged as the gas
expands or contracts in bulk owing to changes in temperature at the place where.
the meters are situated the registration of the meter has not truthfully indicated
the standard volume of gas at a given temperature which has passed through the
meter. In hot weather for example the volume indicated is too large and in
cold weather it is too small in relation to the standard volume at a given
temperature.
According to this invention the effect of temperature in altering the bulk or
form of gases, liquids or solids are employed so that as the temperature varies
the amount of gas which the meter passes at each operation is automatically varied,
the meter passing a less volume at low temperatures and a larger volume at high
temperatures.
The invention may be practically applied in various ways:-For example in a
dry gas meter there may be employed with the mechanism by which the movements
of the bellows are conveyed to the registering device or counter, a connection or
attachment of the part which is caused to vary in bulk or form under variations of
temperature, which will vary the amount of movement of the part or parts which
measures or measure the volume of gas passing.
In a wet meter such as a station meter where liquid is constantly supplied to the
meter the part which is caused to vary in bulk or form under variations of tempera-
ture may operate a device which will lower the level of liquid and cause it to rise
according to the variations of temperature.
In order that our invention may be fully understood we shall now proceed more
particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 shews in sectional elevation the upper portion of a dry gas meter
provided with an arrangement according to this invention and Figure 2 is a plan
of the same.
Figure 3 shews an arrangement according to this invention applied to a station
wet meter and Figure 4 is a modification thereof.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 A is the cranked shaft or spindle which receives
rotary motion by the pulsations of the bellows of the meter and the said crank
operating the valves and also, through the worm B and worm wheel C, operating
the counter D in the usual manner. Fast on the shaft or spindle A is an arm E to
which is rigidly connected one end of a curved rod or tube F of any suitable
material which will readily expand and contract by variations of temperature. This
rod or tube is preferably hollow for containing a fluid under pressure. The said
fluid may be introduced by making a hole in the end piece f the said hole
communicating with the interior of the tube and being traversed by a second hole
into which a filling for example of lead is placed and through this is a continuation
of the first hole. After the air has been exhausted through the said first bole and

page_text: fluid has been allowed to enter thereby and has been brought by a pump or forcing-
device to the pressure requisite to sufficiently distort the tube, the lead or other
filling in the second hole is compressed to close the first hole and the pump or other
device used for introducing the fluid is removed. The end of this curved rod
or tube is connected by pin and slot connection at to one end of a lever G which
is centered at g to the arm E, the opposite end of the said lever being provided.
with a curved slot e in which is fitted to slide a stud H. To the stud H are
connected, by the links I, the arms K fast on rods L which are caused by the
pulsations of the bellows to rock in their bearings and impart through the arms
and links herein before described rotation to the shaft or spindle A. The volume
of gas admitted to the interior of bellows to effect the pulsatious thereof will
depend upon the position of the stud H in the curved slot e the further the said
stud is moved in the slot from the spindle A the greater will be the extent of
expansion and contraction of the bellows and consequently will pass a greater
volume of gas to effect the rotation of the shaft A whilst the nearer the stud is
moved towards the shaft or spindle A the less will be the expansion and contraction
of the bellows and consequently a less volume of gas will pass at each rotation of
the shaft or spindle A. The position of the stud H is automatically adjusted
nearer to or further from the shaft or spindle A by the contraction and expansion
of the curved rod or tube F consequently when the temperature is below a certain
medium and the gas is below a certain density the rod or tube F will be contracted
and will move the stud H nearer to the shaft or spindle A and thereby restrict the
movement of the bellows and admit a less volume of gas at each rotation of the
counter mechanism and when the temperature is above the medium and the gas is
correspondingly dilated the rod or tube F will expand and move the stud H further
from the shaft or spindle A and permit of the expansion and contraction of the
bellows to a greater extent and so admit of an increased volume of gas passing for
each rotation of the counter mechanism consequently whatever the temperature may
be the gas passing through the meter will at all times register on the counter a
uniform supply at a certain medium density.
In applying our invention to wet gas meters such as are used as station meters:
as shewn in Figure 3 the expanding and contracting rod or tube F carries at one end
the fulcrum g of a lever G one arm of which is connected by a pin and slot
connection to the other end of the rod or tube F, the other arm of the said lever
being similarly connected, by a link L, to the sliding portion of the outlet tube K
for water which tube is made telescopic in the chamber L to which water (or other
liquid) is constantly supplied the level of the liquid in the chamber being deter-
mined by the height of the said telescopic tube through which any excess of
liquid admitted to the chamber will overflow. This chamber L is in communication
with the chamber containing the drum or gas measuring device and to prevent the
escape of gas by the tube K it is provided with a syphon bend so as to form a seal..
The level of the liquid in the chamber L and in the chamber containing the
measuring drum or device determines the volume of gas allowed to pass through
the meter and according to this invention the level of the liquid is automatically
regulated by variations in the temperature due to the action of temperature as.
aforesaid on the rod or tube F. When the temperature increases above a certain
medium and the gas is consequently dilated the rod or tube F expands and turns
the lever G on its fulcrum so as to lower the sliding portion of the telescopic tube K
to below the normal level of the liquid and cause the liquid to overflow through the
said tube and so increase the space in the measuring chamber of the meter to.
allow an increased volume of gas to pass through. In like manner when the
temperature decreases below the normal the rod or tube F contracts and acts on.
the lever G to raise the moveable part of the tube K so that the liquid (which as.
before described flows into the chamber) will be raised above the normal level and
so decrease the space in the measuring chamber for the passage of gas.
Instead
of the telescopic overflow tube last described a hinged or articulated over-flow pipe.
may be employed as shewn in Figure 4. This will be clearly understood without

page_text: further description the same letters of reference being employed to indicate parts
corresponding to the parts shewn in Figure 3. We prefer to employ for the
expanding and contracting device F a tube charged with alcohol under pressure to
render it very sensitive to changes of temperature.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner it is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In gas meters the combination with a registering device and a measuring
device of a body which is acted upon by changes of temperature in such a way as
to automatically alter the amount of movement of the measuring device relatively
to the movement of the registering device substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In a dry gas meter an arrangement of mechanism for automatically varying the
capacity of the measuring device for passing gas substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a wet gas meter such as a station meter an arrangement of mechanism for
automatically varying the capacity of the measuring device or space for passing gas
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figure 3 and in Figure 4
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 31st day of January 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W C., Agents.