IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FLUIDS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Redfield Chittenden, of the City of London,
Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING
FLUIDS "A communication.
Sealed the 17th August 1855, and dated the 19th February 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Redfield Chittenden
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th February 1855.
I, GEORGE REDFIELD CHITTENDEN, of the City of London, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR MEASURING FLUIDS," a communication, to be as follows, viz. :-
These improvements relate to that description of water or fluid meters
operated by means of a piston alternately ascending and descending in a case.
The chief object is to avoid friction, and this is achieved by maintaining the
piston when in operation in a state approaching equilibrium, and by the appli-
cation or use of a fluid or liquid packing of a less specific gravity than, and
having no affinity for, the fluid to be measured; and thus leaving the whole
force of the fluid passing through the apparatus to be employed in the
measuring and registering, instead of wasting a large portion of such force in
overcoming friction.
The meter consists of a metal case, in the upper part of which is another
case of less diameter, except at the point of junction, being closely sealed or
soldered together by a rim so as to leave a space between the two cases. The
bottom part of the inside case has an opening at its centre communicating
with the lower part, and is provided with air cells or chambers.

page_text: In the upper part of the apparatus are divisions or chambers, alternately
opened and closed by valves worked by a vibrating beam in connection with a
jointed spring. From the uppermost division or chamber a pipe communicates
with the bottom part of the meter.
In the lower part of the meter is a cup-shaped. piston, the sides of which at
all times extend upwards some distance into the space between the inner and
outer case, but not in contact with either, being free to rise and fall by the
action of the fluid to be measured. The piston rod passes through the opening
in the lower part of the inner case, and operates the measuring and regis-
tering mechanism contained therein, for which purpose it has at certain points
projections, so arranged as to cause the before-mentioned vibrating beam to
change the valves when the quantity of fluid entering the meter amounts
to the measure required to be indicated and registered.
The valves are so arranged in the chambers in the top part of the meter
that when the fluid flows on the upper side of the piston, the communication
with the outlet will permit the fluid underneath the piston to escape, and
vice versa. The register and index are worked by rods and levers, operated
by the up and down motions of the piston rod.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said George Redfield Chittenden in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th August 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
REDFIELD CHITTENDEN, of the City of London, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Redfield Chittenden, Her special licence that I, the said
George Redfield Chittenden, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Redfield Chittenden, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FLUIDS," (a communication,)
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Redfield

page_text: Chittenden, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Redfield Chittenden, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
These improvements relate to that description of water or fluid meters
operated by means of a piston alternately ascending and descending in a case;
and the only objection to these kind of meters heretofore used is the great
amount of friction, as the piston when tightly packed requiring a considerable
pressure of water to move it.
The object of the new improvements is to remove this friction, and enable
the piston to be moved at all pressures.
The improvements consist in forming an air packing or a chamber for any
fluid the specific gravity of which shall be lighter than water or the fluid to
be measured, separating the water above from the water below the piston, by
extending the piston upwards at its sides in the form of an open-topped
tube or cylinder, and which enters a narrow open-bottomed but close-topped
chamber, which is formed around the upper part of the interior of a vertical
cylinder containing a quantity of air or fluid, as before mentioned, which cannot
be expelled by the water. As there is no communication between the spaces
above and below the piston except this chamber, the air or fluid forms a
packing which admits of the piston being made to fit so loosely to the cylinder
as to produce a very small amount of friction. All the mechanism through
which the piston operates upon the valves, indicator, &c., is enclosed within
the cylinder, whereby the necessity for stuffing boxes and other packing is
obviated.
The accompanying Drawings fully illustrate the improvements, in which—
Figure 1 is a vertical section through the lines 1, 1, of Fig. 3.
2 is another vertical section through the lines 2, 2, of Fig. 3.
"
33
3 is a plan view, with the cover of the meter removed.
"
"
4 is a perspective view of the meter, shewing the face of the
indicator; &
5 is a section shewing the valves in a line with each other.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several
Timunos

page_text: The apparatus consists of a metal case or cylinder A, in the upper part of
which is another case B of less diameter, except at the point of junction with
the outer case A, which is closely sealed or soldered thereto by a rim or other-
wise, so as to leave a space between the two cases. The bottom part of the
inside case B has a opening C at its centre, communicating with the upper
part, and is provided with an air cell or chamber D. In the lower part of the
case A is the piston E, of tube or cup shape, the sides F, F, of which at all
times extend upwards some distance into the space between the inner case B
and outer case A, but not in contact with either. This piston has an air
chamber or float E¹ of conical or other shape, so that it preserves an equilibrium
with the water. The piston rod G passes through the opening C in the upper
case B, and operates the measuring and registering mechanism. On this
piston rod are placed small projections or tappets H, H. The vibrating beam
I, which is supported by a pillar or column J" soldered to the valve case M,
is in connexion with a jointed spring J, and this spring is operated upon by
the said tappets of the piston rod as it ascends and descends. To the ends of
the said vibrating beam valve rods K, L, are attached, to which are fixed the
valves K¹, L. Floats P, P1, are fastened or soldered to the valve rods, to
ensure more perfect and equal action of the valves. The Drawings represent
the valve Kas open and admitting water, to cause the piston to descend and
force the water that is under the piston through the tube N soldered to the
outer case A, out through the discharge pipe O, as indicated by black arrows;
see Figs. 1, 2, and 5. When the piston has descended as much as required,
the upper tappet H' will strike the jointed spring J, which will cause the
vibrating beam to close the valve K' and open the valve L'; the water or
other fluid will then enter the apparatus through the tube N, and cause the
piston to ascend and force the water out of the valve L, as indicated by red
arrows. The lower tappet H will strike the spring and change the position of
the valves in a similar manner as before mentioned.
To prevent oscillation or vibration of the vibrating beam, valve rods, and
valves during the movement of the said spring, and whilst the same is
disconnected from the beam, I use another spring J', which has the desired
effect; see Figs. 1 and 2.
The tappets or projections H, H', can be moved closer together or further
apart by means of the right and left handed screw Q; see Fig. 2. The use
of thus moving the tappets is to allow of their striking the spring J according
to the quantity of fluid or liquid required to be discharged from the apparatus
at each throw of the piston. In the event of a back action, there is placed
another valve or float R, which will immediately close from the extra pressure

page_text: of the water or other fluid underneath the valve, thereby preventing the
ingress of the water, &c., either on the top or underneath the piston. The
pressure of the water or other fluid will be sufficient to depress the spring S
which is attached to the valve rod of the valve R when there is no back
action, and admit the water or other fluid into the apparatus through the
pipe St.
The indicator or register T, which indicates the quantity of water passed
through the apparatus, is worked by the piston rod, which has upon it a
projection U with a hole in it to admit of the rod V passing through. On
this rod other small projections W, W, are screwed, so that when the piston
ascends or descends, the projection U strikes the projections W, W, on the
rod V, which moves the lever X attached to the said rod, and causes the
reciprocations of the piston to be indicated on the register T, which is made
in the usual manner.
The pipe and nut Y projecting out at the side of the outer case, see Fig. 2,
is for the purpose of seeing what pressure of water is in the meter, and
to allow of so doing a piece of glass Y¹ (Fig. 4) is placed between the nut
and the pipe.
Having thus fully described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, it must be particularly understood that
I do not confine myself to the exact form of any part of the apparatus, as it
may be made in various ways; but what I claim is, a meter or apparatus for
measuring fluids by means of packing a piston, or its equivalent, with any fluid
whose specific gravity shall be lighter than that of the fluid to be measured,
in combination with the chambers, the arrangement of the valves, as well as
the other mechanical parts, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Redfield Chittenden, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
JOHN AVERY,
82, Essex St., Strand.
GEO. R. CHITTENDEN. (L.S.)