Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Regulating or Controlling from a Distance the Flow of Gases or other Fiuius through Pipes OT other Conduits.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Regulating or
Controlling from a Distance the Flow of Gases or other
Fiuius through Pipes
OT
other Conduits.
I ALEXANDER MELVILLE. CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of
53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND RELATING TO APPARATUS FOR REGULATING OR CONTROLLING FROM A DISTANCE
THE FLOW OF GASES OR OTHER FLUIDS THROUGH PIPES OR OTHER CONDUITS,"
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention called the teledynamic stop valve is for shutting off, regulating
and controlling the flow of fluids from any suitable point.
In order to obtain this shutting off from a distance the level of a liquid in an
arrangement of communicating vessels is altered so as to afford a greater or less
opening for the passage of the fluid. To transmit to a distance the necessary force
for this alteration of level, a fluid is employed by preference which is drawn or
forced by a reservoir of variable capacity. Appropriate mechanical means can
also be employed for the same purpose, as by a wire or rope passing over guide
pulleys or a series of rods and levers. Our system of teledynamic stop valve is
composed of four principal parts.
1 The stop valve properly so called which is only an arrangement of vessels in
communication.
2nd. The compressor or suction apparatus is a reservoir of any suitable form of
a variable capacity and acting on the fluid for transmitting power by compressing
or exhausting it according to circumstances, in the arrangement of communicating
vessels.
3rd. The compensating tube or equilibrium column, an accessory arrangement
limiting the force of the transmitting fluid acting on the surface of the liquid in
the arrangement of communicating vessels.
4th. A manometric tube of special form for closing the circuit of an electric alarm
in case of accident.

page_text: .
In order that this arrangement of teledynamic stop valve may be readily
understood, two examples are shown in the annexed drawings, as well as several
modified arrangements of compressors.
In these drawings figure 1 represents a general elevation of the arrangement of
stop valve. Figure 2 is another arrangement of compressor. Figure 3 shows a
modification of the arrangement of stop valve for automatically shutting off the
gas or fluid to be distributed, in case of accident. Figure 4 is a general view of
the arrangement of teledynamic stop valve worked by air and comprising a stop
valve A exhauster or compressor B and the column of power transinitting fluid C.
Figure 5 is a central section through the valve A. Figure 6 is a central section of
the exhauster B. Figure 7 is a full sized developement of part of the cylindrical
portion of the dip tube of the apparatus A.
In all these figures the same reference letters refer to the same parts.
The example of this arrangement shewn is one which can be applied for
cutting off at a distance the gas supply from the Town main to the burners of a
'house.
In this arrangement, before or after the passage of the gas through the meter
(in the actual case on the outlet pipe C C from the meter) the pipe is branched to
force the gas to pass through the arrangement of stop valve A before returning
into the distributing pipe. If the apparatus is not required to work it is cut out
of the circuit by opening the valve d. The branch pipe e e¹ opens into one of the
communicating vessels i and the exit pipe, for distributing the gas to the burners
is continued down into the interior of this vessel, and dips below the surface of
the mercury in the vessel about one centimetre when the vessels ij are in
communication and the mercury in both is under atmospheric pressure.
The extremity h of this pipe is bevelled so that the shutting off is gradual and
in proportion as the level of the mercury in the vessel i rises under the pressure of
the column of power transmitting fluid which may be air or other gas or liquid
of low density and as little liable as possible to freeze.
Immediately adjacent to the vessel ; a special manometer D is fixed on the
.fluid pipe.
This manometer open to the air, contains mercury in the branches U and V but
the head of mercury which they contain is less than that in the stop valve
chambers A. This operation will be explained afterwards.
To the cover of the vessel j, the pipe L for the transmitting fluid is attached,
and to this pipe is connected a branch m m¹ leading to the compressor B of the
said fluid located in any suitable position, on the same storey as the meter or on
any other story.
The compressor B is fixed on a convex foundation plate u¹ bolted to a wall by
the screws or studs t. On this convex foundation plate an oblate spheroidal vessel n
is placed composed of two buckled metal discs united around their edges and
which communicates with the pipe m¹. To the vessel n is fixed a screwed rod on
which screws the boss of a crank wheel o and bearing against bridge pieces v¹ so
that when turned by its handle p in one direction the upper part of the metallic
vessel will be drawn outwards and the other part being fixed the motive fluid
will be exhausted and conversely when the wheel is turned in the opposite
"direction.
When the motive fluid employed is a liquid and the column of this fluid rises
above the storey where the stop valve is placed, there is added to the system of
stop valve above described a sliding pipe called a "compensating pipe." This tube
is to bring into equilibrium the column of motive fluid, which rises above the level
of the mercury of the stop valve A.
This tube C has two receivers or bulbs q g' of the same diameter united by a
bent tube r¹ of which the right hand limb can be lengthened at will so that the
same type of compensator can be always employed, in whatever arrangement of
building it is to be used. The difference of level between the points q q¹ varies
with the height of the column of motive fluid which is above the bulb q¹ there is

page_text: thus only the column q of the motive fluid which acts on the mercury of the stop
valve.
The apparatus works in the following manner. The gas coming from the meter
or from the town main comes into the vessel i by the pipe e. It can pass out by
the dip pipe h which is supposed to be uncovered by the mercury; the gas passes
thence through the distributing pipe to the several burners. The burners being
lighted if it is wished to regulate their consumption from any point whatever of the
house, one or other of the compressors B B¹ B* B B B5 for example distributed in
various places is acted on in such a manner as to force or exhaust a certain.
quantity of the motive fluid whereby the level of the mercury is raised or lowered"
from j to i and shuts or opens the gas exit or dip pipe.
If by fire or other accident, the pipe for the motive fluid has been broken at x
for example, the column of fluid lx falls into the vessel j and raises the mercury in
the vessel i so that it shuts the gas outlet. If, on the contrary, the pipe is broken
at y for example the compensating column of mercury 21 711 tends to find its level
and produces a suction in the vessel ; but, at this moment, the mercury of the
manometric tube D forming a safety tube is exhausted and the atmospheric
pressure acting on both sides equilibrium is established in the two vessels i and j
thus closing the pipe h.
Figure 3 represents the arrangement of the various parts in the event of the
column of the motive fluid being broken accidentally.
The arrangement of compressor represented in figure 2 at B¹ comprises a hollow
metallic vessel analogous to that described in the compressor B but the expansion
and compression of this vessel is effected much more slowly by working it, not
directly but by a pinion on the crank axis gearing with a wheel on the screw axis.
Notice of the complete shutting off can be given by means of an electric circuit.
For this purpose, platinum wires are placed in the manometer tube D, two in the
tubes and 8 one for each pole of the battery and one in each tube u and v; that
in u stops short of the mercury about one centimetre above the surface whilst that
in v dips in at least 2 centimetres.
These wires communicate with an ordinary electric bell. When the shutting off
of the gas is effected under normal conditions, the mercury rises in the limb u and
having reached the wire temporarily closes the circuit whereby the bell is caused.
to ring but immediately afterwards the mercury sinks in limb v so far as to break
the circuit and the bell stops. The sounding of the bell is of brief duration and
indicates the complete shutting off of the gas.
In case of accident proceeding from the rupture of the column of the motive
Buid at y, for example a little mercury is driven out of the manometer into the
circuit closer tube 8 closing the circuit and causing the bell to ring until the
accident is rectified. If infusible pipes be used for the power transmitting fluid
the heating of the tubes in case of fire for example if small drives the mercury of
the vessel into the vessel i and the gas is cut off and at the same time the.
mercury from u and v passes into the tuber and the bell rings a continual warning.
In case several compressors or exhausters B, B, B, etc. are employed it is necessary
to regulate their relative position so that one or other of these apparatus is not
rendered inefficient at a given moment by the other compressors or exhausters fixed
and immoveable whilst one of them is being moved. We therefore prefer an
arrangement of teledynamic stop valve having only one compressor or exhauster
replacing advantageously all the regulators for controlling the emission of gas which
have been invented and applied up to now.
Figure 2 represents another arrangement of compressor or exhauster comprising
an india rubber vessel vt enclosed in a box u' with rigid sides; a plate a', which is
displaced by the double action of a spring b¹ and a working lever c¹ fixed to this
vessel and diminishing its capacity.
The inverse movement of the lever c¹ makes a vacuum by increasing the volume
of the vessel v³.

page_text: In the stop valve arrangement represented in figures 4, 5, 6, 7, the gas enters
at a and passes out at 6 into the general supply pipe. C is a valve for the direct
passage of the gas in case the stop valve A is not in operation. This valve can be
locked or otherwise secured so that it can only be opened in case the valve A does
not act. The gas passes to the stop valve at d (figures 4 and 5) passes over and
through the cup e enclosed in the metal casing f which cup shuts hermetically the
communication between the pipes D and D¹ which join the general gas supply pipe b
with the meter or pipe a.
The bottom g of the cup e has a hole g¹ and rests on the flange of the pipe h
which winds spirally upwards round the casing f.
kis a dip pipe fixed to and of the same diameter as the pipe d. Its lower end
is V notched.
The form of notching which has given the best results up to now is the
following. If we suppose the diameter of the pipe k to be 24 millimetres the
circumference is divided into a number n of divisions so that the area of the
triangles t multiplied by n is equal to that of a circle of 24 millimetres diameter.
Each of the triangles t is prolonged at its apex by another small triangle t¹ or by
a notch about 1 millimetre in length. This arrangement of notches allows of
gradual closing and prevents the flame flickering when burning low.
The exhauster figures 4 and 6 comprises a bell q dipping in mercury p between
two concentric cylinders. and m. The latter is closed at bottom and open at top
The continuation of the pipe c of the motive fluid passes through the full
length of this cylinder. The bell q actuated by the rack r and pinion & worked
by the crank handle u which moves over the dial v.
at n.
The abutment a¹ keeps the rack in gear with the pinion s.
The apparatus works in the following manner.
The cup e and the tube k (figure 5) are filled with mercury to two thirds their
height for example and the notches of the tube k dip 3 centimetres below the
surface. Above the mercury which rises in the tube k is a column of air which
extends to the bell q which dips in the mercury in the cylinder l. In the interior
vessel m is water or air according to the length of the pipe c so as to obtain with
the same apparatus a closing by exhaustion whatever may be the length of the
pipe.c.
To unclose the valve the vessel q is raised by its rack and pinion and the air is
exhausted whilst the mercury under the action of the gas pressure in the stop
valve A is depressed by the difference in pressure between the gas and air.
The valve is by this means opened more or less by raising the vessel q thus
regulating the flames of the different burners.
The arrangement of stop valve described is susceptible of numerous applications;
it regulates the consumption of gas in a house workshop or theatre and also shuts
off the gas in case of fire. The proprietor or owner can, without being in the
neighbourhood of the meter assure himself that it is open and shut it or diminish
the consumption.
In case of fire, the apparatus in its normal condition being closed, the column
of motive fluid or cordon of air being destroyed or simply heated to 100° Fah.
(for air for example) the closing of the valve is immediate and automatic the gas
is put out and prevented from entering the house. Further the system of
manometric safety tube furnishes an alarm by an electric bell.'
•
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The herein described stop valve arrangement for shutting off, regulating and
controlling from a distance the flow of fluids, comprising in combination a hydraulic
stop valve, one or several compressors or exhausters a compensating tube and a
manometer, the closing being brought about in the first arrangement of this system
by the action, on the liquid stop valve of a motive fluid held partly in a reservoir

page_text: called a compressor or exhauster whose capacity is increased or diminished by
working it by one or other of the arrangements described.
2nd. The combination with the stop valve of a sliding compensating tube by
which the pressure of the column of motive fluid is balanced by varying the
height of the tube according to the height of the said column, as described and
represented.
3rd. The application after the stop valve of a manometer safety tube D which
ensures the shutting off in case of the rupture of the column of motive fluid the
said tube being combined with circuit closers on the circuit of an electric bell
whereby the closing the breaking or the over heating of the apparatus is signalled
as described and represented.
4th The various arrangements of stop valves and compressors or exhausters
described above and represented, allowing the use as motive fluid of compressible
or incompressible fluids as air or water.
5th. The system of safety apparatus and of the stop valve for gas described in
figures 4 to 7 of the annexed drawings, arranged in such a manner that the
apparatus is normally closed and can only be opened by exhaustion by raising a
bell in mercury or by any other suitable means for lowering the mercury in the
stop valve as described and shown.
C