Improvements in or relating to the Method of and Apparatus for Relieving Excessive Pressures and Securing the Contents of Vessels Containing Liquids, Vapours, and Gases against Loss from Overcharging or too greatly Increasing the Pressure.
Year: 1896

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Method of and Apparatus for
Relieving Excessive Pressures and Securing the Contents of
Vessels Containing Liquids, Vapours, and Gases against Loss
from Overcharging or too greatly Increasing the Pressure.
I, JOHN CARLOS HENDERSON of 243 West Ninety-ninth Street, in the City,
County and State of New York, United States of America, 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:-
My invention relates to improvements in "safety devices for relieving
excessive pressures" attached to, and operated in connection with, cylinders, pipes,
chambers or other vessels, containing liquids, gases or vapours, and the objects of
my improvement are to provide means whereby the loss of the material used is
overcome, the expense incident to the loss of material lessened, reduced to the
minimum, and the inconvenience occasioned thereby obviated. I attained these
objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,
Figure 1 is a top plan view,
Figure 2 is a side view in elevation, and
Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, showing the interior of the device, with
the diaphragms in position and cylinders connected thereto.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
A is a nipple or pipe screwed into or otherwise attached to the vessel containing
the liquid, vapour or gas, under pressure; B is a chamber plate screwed into.or
otherwise attached to the nipple A having a diaphragm G of any suitable
material, such as metal, and having a certain known bursting limit, kept in
place upon the upper face J of the plate B and against the lower face J¹ of
the nut C which is screwed-threaded to fit tightly upon the upper end of the
chambered plate B, thereby making a tight joint between the two surfaces of the
diaphragm G, the upper face of the plate B and the lower face of the nut C.
On the upper part of the nut C is a screw-threaded recess similar to that into
which the chambered plate B is screwed and into the said recess of nut C the ring
or bushing D screw-threaded on its outer and lower end is firmly screwed; after
the diaphragm F has been placed into the bottom of the said recess, the ring or
bushing D is screwed therein whereby the diaphragm F is clamped between the
lower face of the ring or bushing D and the upper face of the recess in the upper
portion of the nut C, thus forming a tight joint between the face of the ring or
bushing, and the diaphragm F. K is the tight joint between the diaphragm F
and the ring or bushing D. Extending radially from the outer face of the nut C
into the recess therein between the two diaphragms F and G is a small hole I,
the outer end of which is tapped for the valve E and at right angles to which
extending upward through and to the face of the nut is the opening H.
The operation may be easily understood from the construction herein before
described..
Diaphragms of definite known bursting strain, are placed into position as shown
and described, and the device by means of the nipple A is screwed into or
otherwise attached to the vessel or cylinder X to be protected and the valve E is
opened. When the pressure is increased sufficiently to rupture the diaphragm G,

page_text: the relief given by the space between the diaphragms G and F together with the
small aperture H communicating with the atmosphere will prevent the rupture
of the diaphragm F and at the same time the escaping gas, vapour or liquid will
call the attention of the attendant to the ruptured diaphragm G. The attendant
by shutting off the valve E thereby prevents further waste of the material
employed, in the storing vessel X until a new diaphragm G can be replaced.
The valve E may be made to operate automatically, thereby obviating the expense
of an attendant. A waste cylinder Y may be attached to the ring or bushing D
by means of screw threads or otherwise, in order that a larger proportion of
the material used be recovered when both diaphragms F and G are ruptured
in quick succession.
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 I
claim is
1. The method of securing the contents of vessels, pipes and cylinders con-
taining liquids, vapours or gases against loss from overcharging or too greatly
increasing the pressure of the material confined therein, employing the downward
pressure of the atmosphere from without, and upon the upper surface of a
diaphragm plate to counteract the expansive force of the material stored within,
substantially as described.
2. In devices for securing the contents of vessels, cylinders and the like for
storing liquids, vapours and gases against loss due to too great an increase of
pressure, of the substance confined therein, the combination of a diaphragm-metal
plate or film operated upon the upper surface thereof by atmospheric pressure
from without and the storing vessel connected thereto, substantially as shown and
described.
3. In safety devices for relieving excessive pressures, the hollow nut C, the
plate B, the nipple A attached thereto adapted to be secured to a cylinder or
storing vessel, the said hollow nut, provided with an opening, communicating with
the outside atmosphere and the valve E located in said opening and the diaphragm G
clamped between the said nut C and plate B, substantially as herein shown and
described.
4. In safety devices for relieving excessive pressures, the recessed nut C
containing a valve controlled channel extending to the atmosphere, the plate B,
the pipe A, the diaphragm G in combination with a storing vessel or cylinder X,
substantially as herein shown and described.
5. In devices for relieving excessive pressures, the recessed nut C, the plate B,
the pipe A, the diaphragm G, the valve E in combination with the storing vessel X,
the waste cylinder Y, substantially as herein shown and described.
6. In safety devices for relieving excessive pressures, the double shouldered
hollow nut C, the plate B screwed into the same, the nipple A secured thereto,
the diaphragm G located between the nut C and the plate B, the said nut C
provided with an opening connecting the interior thereof with the exterior
atmosphere, the outlet thereof tapped by the valve E, the diaphragm F, the
ring D screwed into the shouldered nut C on the upper face thereof and clamping
the diaphragm F to the nut C in combination with the cylinders X Y, substantially
as herein shown and described.
Dated this 28th day of Sentember 1006
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.