Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Supply of Gas to Burners, specially suitable for use in Producing Luminous Effects for Advertising and other like Display Purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1898
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Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Supply of Gas to
Burners, specially suitable for use in Producing Luminous Effects
for Advertising and other like Display Purposes.
I, GUY CAREY FRICKER, of 149 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Electrical
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 has reference to an improved construction of apparatus for
periodically varying or controlling the supply of combustible gas to one or more
burners or groups of burners, and which is specially suitable for use in connec-
tion with apparatus for producing luminous effects for advertising and other
like display purposes.
According thereto supply of combustible gas to one or more orifices or pipes
leading to the burner or burners, or group or groups of burners, is controlled by
variation in the level of a liquid produced by alternately increasing and de-
creasing the pressure on the liquid by suitable means caused to act automatically
and intermittently and at the required times, by clockwork or other suitable
means, the arrangement being such that on increase of pressure on the liquid,
the liquid will be caused to rise and close the gas orifice or orifices and so cut
off the supply of gas to the burner or burners connected therewith, and on
decrease of pressure the liquid will fall and uncover the said orifice or orifices
and permit gas to flow thereto. When two or more orifices or pipes are employed
their inlet ends may be so arranged as to be closed and opened in a consecutive
manner by the rising and falling of the liquid. The pipe or pipes may be
connected with a bye-pass pipe in such a way that a small quantity of gas will
be supplied to it, or them, and consequently to the burner or burners connected
thereto, even when the main supply of gas is cut off by the rising of the liquid
as hereinbefore described.
Apparatus to operate in the manner set forth can be constructed in various
forms.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying illustrative drawings shows in elevation, and
Fig. 2 in vertical section on the line of Fig. 1, one construction of apparatus
according to this invention.
1 is a receptacle divided throughout its length by a partition wall 2 extending
from the cover 3 to within a small distance of the bottom of the receptacle só as
to form two compartments 12 and 1b. The lower part of the receptacle is filled
with a suitable liquid 4, for example mercury. Passing gas tight through the
cover 3 are a number of pipes 5 the lower orifices of which are near to but at
slightly varying distances from the surface of the liquid in the compartment 1b

page_text: when the liquid is at the normal level. The pipes 5 are led to the various gas
burners, or groups of burners, which it is desired to supply and control. Gas
is supplied to the chamber 1b by a pipe 6 situated at a suitable point in the
compartment 1b.
Into the compartment 1 of the receptacle 1 extends, in an air tight manner,
a pipe 7 the lower open end of which terminates above the level of the liquid
in the compartment 1" and which communicates with a spiral tube 7 the upper
end of which is hermetically closed; or any other suitable form of closed air
chamber or receptacle having a large heating and cooling surface may be sub-
stituted for the spiral tube. The air in the spiral tube 7 or its equivalent, is
heated by the flame of a separate burner 8 the supply of gas to which is alter-
nately turned on and nearly turned off by suitable means such as by the slow
revolution of a butterfly valve at 9. This valve is rotated in an automatic and
suitable manner by any convenient means such as a clockwork or other motor 10
driving through a shaft 11. By this means the air in the spiral tube 7 is thus
alternately heated and allowed to cool. The expansion of the air during heating,
causes the depression of the liquid in the compartment 1" of the receptacle 1
and rise of the liquid in the compartment 1b so as to close the lower ends, of the
pipes 5 in a consecutive manner. The cooling of the tube 7 allows the liquid to
recover its normal level and so re-open the pipes 5 in a consecutive manner and
according to the lengths of the portions thereof that extend through the cover 3
into the compartment 1b.
In order that the gas burners connected to the supply pipes 5 may re-light
after extinction, due to rise, to a sufficient extent, of the liquid in the compart-
ment 1b, the burners may be furnished with any known or suitable self-lighting
devices containing platinum black or other spontaneously heating material; or
they may be furnished with electric spark lighting apparatus; or the pipes 5
to which they are connected may, as in the example shown, be furnished with
bye-pass connections 14 so that they will be supplied with a small quantity of
gas from a bye-pass pipe 15 and will consequently not be entirely extinguished
by the operation of the liquid valve hereinbefore described.
It will be readily understood that the rise and fall of the liquid might be
similarly effected by means of a plunger, or other mechanical appliance capable
of alternately displacing and restoring the level of the mercury or other liquid
employed. Also the displacement of liquid might be effected pneumatically by
the action of an air pump or syringe, or even directly by the action of a liquid
pump or syringe acting intermittently. I do not therefore confine myself to the
pneumatic arrangement herein before particularly described, but on account of
the small mechanical energy required to operate it, I prefer to use a pneumatic
arrangement controlled by a separate application of heat to an air chamber
having a large heating and cooling surface, as described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. Controlling the supply of gas to one or more burners or groups of burners
by periodically and automatically varying the level of a liquid so as to alternately
open and close a gas orifice or orifices to which gas is supplied and which leads
or lead to the burner or burners, substantially as described.
2. For controlling the supply of gas to one or more burners or groups of
burners as specified in the preceding claim, the combination with a receptacle
for containing liquid, into which gas is supplied, and with which the gas orifice
or orifices connected to the burner or burners communicates or communicate, of
means for automatically and intermittently varying the level of the liquid in the
said receptacle, substantially as described.
3. Causing the level of the liquid referred to in the preceding claims to alter- 5
nately rise and fall by alternately heating and cooling air contained within a
closed chamber or coil that has a large heating and cooling surface, and is in

page_text: communication with the interior of the said receptacle, substantially as
described.
4. My improved apparatus for controlling the supply of gas to burners, con-
structed, arranged and operating substantially as described and shown.
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wo day of December 1991.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.