Improvements in Gas Governors.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 11th June, 1892-Accepted, 16th July, 1892.
Improvements in Gas Governors.
I, DAVID BRUCE PEEBLES, of the Tay Works, Bonnington, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North Britain, Gas 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, that is to say:-
My said invention has for its object to improve the construction of gas governors,
to render such apparatus more efficient and less liable to get out of order than
hitherto, and to modify the apparatus to suit different requirements, and so as in
some cases to deal with gas passing through large pipes, in other cases to be.
suitable for a single burner or a small number of burners, and in some cases to
And in order that my
control gas passing downwards through a vertical pipe.
said invention and the manner of performing the same may be properly understood
I hereunto append two sheets of explanatory drawings to be hereinafter referred to
in describing my improvements.
Figures, 1, and 2, on Sheet, 1, of the drawings are vertical sections of gas
governors for comparatively large pipes; and Figure, 3, is a vertical section of a
variation of a part shown in Figure, 2.
Figures 4, and 6, Sheet, 2, are vertical and horizontal sections of a governor for,
a down-flow pipe for supplying a lamp or a small number of burners.
Figures, 6, and 7, are vertical and horizontal sections of an up-flow governor for,
a lamp or small number of burners; and
Figure, 8, is an enlarged vertical section of a governor as fitted to a single,
burner.
In these drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
In the modification shown in Figure, 1, the gas inlet, 11, communicates with the
underside of the valve, 12, which is a disk serving also to be acted on by the
pressure for regulating purposes. The valve, 12, is made of a segmental spherical
form for stiffness, and thin for lightness, and is strengthened by a small inverted
spherical disk, both disks being fixed on a spindle, 13, the lower part of which i<
tubular. The spindle, 13, extends up through the top of the valve casing into a
box, 14, in which weights, 15, are applied to it. The valve, 12, moves up and down
in an annular guide, 16, made with a number of openings of curved forms with
pointed bottoms; and within the guide a little below.its openings there is a bevilled.
seat on which the valve, 12, closes when in its lowest position. The pressure on
the outlet side, 17, of the valve will be less than that on the inlet side, 11, to an
extent corresponding to the weight of the valve and its load, 15, and the valve will
open or close more or less to allow more or less gas to pass accordingly as more or
fewer of the burners supplied through the governor are open. If one or two or a
very few only of a large number of burners supplied through the governor are open,
there is apt to be considerable fluctuation with large governors as hitherto
constructed, I however obviate such objectionable action by fitting a supplementary
device in connection with the main valve, 12. This device consists of a small
cylinder, 18, fixed below the valve, 12, to a bridge, 19, and having working in it a
piston, 20, on the spindle, 13. The cylinder, 18, has formed in its side one or more
openings made with pointed lower ends, and one or two small holes, 21, are made
above the valve, 12, in the tubular part of the spindle, 13. When from the opening
of one or two burners and consequent slight diminution of pressure in the outlet, 17,
the valve rises a little but not high enough to uncover the openings in the guide, 16,
the piston, 20, is raised so as to uncover the opening or openings in the

page_text: cylinder, 18, and then a small supply of gas has access into the bottom of the
cylinder and up through the tubular spindle, 13, into the oulet space, 17.
In the modification shown in Figure, 2, the valve, 12, opens downwards, and has
a tendency to close upwards imparted to it by a floating bell, 22, fixed to its
spindle, 13, and arranged in a small tank, 23, formed on the top of the valve casing,
and containing water or other suitable liquid. The water in the tank, 23, can pass
in either direction through small passages or openings in a disk at its lower end into
the interior of the bell, 22, the disk however nearly touches the sides of the tank
and has the effect of more or less retarding movements of the bell and valve and
preventing oscillation. The gas has access into the upper part of the float from the
inlet, 11, through a tube, 24, up through which the valve spindle, 13, passes. The
bell, 22, shown, in Figure, 2, is made with a float at its lower part; the simpler
form shown in Figure, 3, may, however, be used if desired.
The valve, 12, consists of a disk and hollow cone combined; and its periphery
works in an annular guide, 16, having narrow pointed openings which are inverted
as compared with the corresponding guide shown in Figure, 1. The small
cylinder, 18, fixed to the bridge, 19, is also inverted, and its upper end extends
through an opening in the disk of the valve, 12. When the valve, 12, descends a
little and before it uncovers the openings in the guide, 16, its disk uncovers on its
upper side the points of one or more openings in the cylinder, 18, and then a little
gas has access through a small opening, 21, in the cone of the valve, 12, and through
the cylinder, 18, into the outlet space, 17.
In small gas governors, it is necessary to have a disk of much larger area than
the valve for the pressure to act on in order to obtain adequate governing
control.
In the modification shown in Figures, 4, and 5, for downward, flow, the inlet
chamber, 31, at the top has within it an inner cylindrical chamber, 32, closed at its
top, and the gas finds its way through the annular space encircling the inner
chamber into a transverse passage, 33, below that chamber, and indicated by dotted
lines in Figure, 5. The transverse passage, 33, communicates through an opening
with the bottom of the inner chamber, access to which opening is more or less closed
when the governor is in action, by the valve, 34, which is in the form of a
cylindrical plug working in a bore in the bottom of the block in which the inner
chamber, 32, is formed. The valve, 34, is attached by a tubular spindle
to the controlling disk, 35, which works in the inner chamber, 32, being
made to fit the sides of that chamber as accurately as possible but without
frictional tightness. The gas entering by the passage, 33, acts on the under side of
the disk, 35, and then proceeds downwards through a passage, 36, the free way
through which is adjustable by means of a screw, 37, in order to regulate the
quantity of gas passing with increase in the initial pressure the disk, 35, rises more
or less and draws up the valve, 34, so as to diminish the space through which the
Eas has access to the under side of the disk. The communication through the
tubular spindle of the valve, 34, and disk, 35, allows the regulated or outlet pressure
to act on the upper side of the disk, and at the same time keeps the valve and the
central part of the disk in equilibrium.
In the up-flow modification shown in Figures, 6, and 7, the inlet space, 31, at the
bottom communicates by ports, 33, with a central vertical bore or passage, 38,.
closed at its bottom and leading up to the under side of the disk, 35, in the
chamber, 32. From the under side of the disk, 35, the gas passes down a
passage, 39, communicating by a cross passage with a tube, 40, extending through
the disk, 35, to the upper part of the chamber, 32, the quantity of gas passing being
regulated by a screw, 37, projecting into the communication between the two
passages, 39, 40. A small hole is made through the valve, 34, to put it in
equilibrium.
In the burner governor shown in Figure, 8, the governing details which are
substantially the same as those shown in Figure, 6, are enclosed in a conical
shell, 41, in the apex of which the spindle of the disk, 35, is guided, but instead of

page_text: a lateral regulating screw (37) a small disk, 42, is screwed on the spindle of the
governor disk, 35, and effects the regulation by being screwed down more or less
over openings made in the governor disk for the passage of the gas.
Openings for the passage of the gas are also made in the conical shell, 41.
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. In gas governors the improved combinations of constructive details for
obtaining a governing action from the pressures on opposite sides of a valve or
of a disk attached to a valve, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. Constructing gas governors for large supplies in the improved manner
substantially as herein before described with reference to Figure, 1, of the
accompanying drawings.
3. Constructing gas governors for large supplies in the improved manner
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure, 2, of the
accompanying drawings.
4. Constructing a gas governor for a large supply with a small supplementary
cylinder and piston or equivalent for controlling the passage of a comparatively
small supply substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures, 1,
and 2, of the accompanying drawings.
5. In gas governors having valves connected to floating bells, making the bells
with bottom disks having small holes or passages, substantially as and for the
purposes herein before described.
6. Constructing gas governors for a downward flow, in the improved manner
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures, 4, and 5, of the
accompanying drawings.
7. Constructing gas governors for a small supply in the improved manner
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures, 6, and, 7, of the
accompanying drawings.
8. Constructing burner gas governors in the improved manner substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to Figure, 8, of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this Tenth day of June 1892
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.