Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Operating Valves or Cocks so as to Change the Communications as Desired in Certain Processes, more Especially in Obtaining Oxygen from Atmo- spheric Air.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Dec., 1889-Accepted, 1st Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Operating Valves or
Cocks so as to Change the Communications as Desired in Certain
Processes, more Especially in Obtaining Oxygen from Atmo-
spheric Air.
We BRIN'S OXYGEN COMPANY Limited of Connaught Mansions in the City of
Westminster and KENNETH SUTHERLAND MURRAY of 21 Redburn Street. Chelsea
London Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
This Invention is intended more particularly for use with apparatus employed in
producing oxygen known as the Brin process but is not restricted thereto, and has for
its object to provide means for readily reversing one or several of a series of cocks or
valves used in the said process, so as to produce suction or pressure as required in a
series of pipes with which they are connected without stopping reversing or setting in
motion any additional machinery. In order to abstract oxygen from the atmosphere
by what is commonly known as the Brin process it is necessary to pump or otherwise
deliver air through a series of pipes and retorts for a given period. It is then
necessary by means of cocks or valves to divert the current in pipes and retorts to
prevent any further admission of air, to exhaust said pipes and retorts of all air
which they contain, and finally having obtained the required quality of oxygen to
deliver it to a gasholder or other suitable receptacle.
To accomplish this automatically according to this invention it is proposed to utilize
the motion of some rotating or reciprocating portion of a pump or any other suitable
piece of machinery that may be employed in connection with the process, by means of
which motion of rotation is imparted by means of an adjustable pawl and ratchet
gearing or equivalent mechanism to a shaft, either in a vertical or horizontal plane as
may be most convenient. Connected direct to this shaft or by means of worm and
worm wheel or other suitable gearing are a series of pairs of adjustable cams'arranged
to act on back pressure or other valves so as to cause them to admit steam or other
motive fluid to a cylinder to exert pressure on a piston and move it either forward or
backward as the case may be.
This cylinder which may be placed either in a horizontal or in a vertical position is
provided at each end with a drain pipe of such a diameter that the cylinder cannot be
rapidly emptied of the fluid, which fluid will consequently form a cushion between the
piston and one end of the cylinder when the motive fluid is being admitted to the
opposite end of the said cylinder.
In order to prevent a vacuum being formed in the cylinder through rapid condensa-
tion or otherwise it is proposed to place a small back pressure or other valve in a
suitable position at each end of cylinder.
The piston rod is connected by racks and pinions or other suitable gearing to
mechanism for operating any desired number of three way or other cocks.
In addition to the gearing and cocks last described one or more automatic valves
may be employed actuated by steel, copper, or other suitable diaphragmns, each
diaphragm being attached to one or more valves which may be forced on to or off its,
or their seating according to the action taking place in the pipes with which they are
in communication.
Two or more cylinders such as hereinbefore described may be employed,. each
having a piston acting on one or more three-way or other cocks. By suitably
adjusting the cams and ratchet gearing hereinbefore described the pistons may be
caused to act so as to retain the cocks and valves in any position for any desired
period, and the set of cocks operated by one piston may be reversed before or after

page_text: those operated by the other piston or pistons and thereby obtain the required action or
direction of the current as hereinbefore described.
The motion of the pumps employed in the process may be regulated by suitable
governors and the details hereinbefore described may be varied without departing
from the nature of the invention. Gauges for registering from pressure absolute to
30 lbs. or more above the pressure of the atmosphere are employed the pressures being
indicated on the dial of the gauge in pounds per square inch above atmospheric
pressure and in inches of mercury below or otherwise.
We have described the invention as applied to apparatus for oxygen making for
altering the ways through the valves or cocks for suction or pressure as required but
it will be readily understood that the same arrangement can be used for apparatus for
other purposes wherein it is desired to automatically effect the change of the position
of cocks or valves.
Dotal this 9 lot low of Manh 1880
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Operating Valves or
Cocks so as to Change the Communications as Desired in Certain
Processes, more Especially in Obtaining Oxygen from Atmo-
spheric Air.
We BRIN'S OXYGEN COMPANY Limited of Connaught Mansions in the City of
Westminster and KENNETH SUTHERLAND MURRAY of 21 Redbourn Street Chelsea
London 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 is intended more particularly for use with apparatus employed in
producing Oxygen by what is known as the "Brin" process but it is not limited
thereto and has for its object to provide means for readily reversing one or several of
a series of cocks or valves so as to produce suction or pressure as required in a series
of pipes with which they are connected without stopping reversing or setting in
motion any additional machinery.
In order to extract Oxygen from the atmosphere by what is known as the "Brin "
process, it is necessary to pump or otherwise deliver air through a series of pipes and
retorts for a given period. It is then necessary by means of cocks or valves to divert
the current in the pipes and retorts to prevent any further admission of air to exhaust
said pipes and retorts of all air which they contain and finally, having obtained
the required quality of Oxygen to deliver it to a gas holder or other suitable
receptacle.
And in order that this Invention may be fully understood we shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheets of drawings, the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a plan of an apparatus provided with a combination of cocks and valves
suitably arranged for carrying out our Invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section and Figures 3 and 4 elevations of the opposite ends of
the same Figures 5 to 8 are details and Figures 9 and 9* diagrams hereinafter
referred to To the underside of a metal table or platform 1 are fixed four
cocks A B CD, the heads of which pass through openings in the table as shewn, and
on the plug of each cock there is fixed a pinion 2 or toothed segment as at 3-The
pinions 2 on the plugs of the cocks A and B gear with and are actuated by the
rack E, the pinion 2 on the plug of the cock B gearing with and imparting motion
through the segment 3 to the plug of the cock C. The plug of the cock D is also
provided with a pinion 2 in gear with and operated by a separate rack F. The
"

page_text: racks E and F are respectively formed on or attached to piston rods 4 and 5 of pistons 6
(figure 2) working in cylinders H and G.
Attached to the outer ends of these cylinders, and forming covers thereto, are valve
boxes K and L respectively, each divided into three chambers 7, 8 and 9 (the
chamber 9 not shewn) the chambers 8 and 9 communicating respectively by the
passages 10 and 11 with the opposite ends of the cylinders H and G. Steam or other
motive fluid is continually maintained in the upper chamber 7, and is admitted as
required from this chamber into the lower chambers 8 and 9, by means of back
pressure valves M, so as to exert pressure on the front or back of the piston 6. as may
be required. The back pressure valves M are raised at the required intervals by
means of adjustable cams or tappets N N' carried on a shaft 12, which may be
rotated by any suitable means, for example, from an air pump (or other suitable
piece of machinery) by means of the pawl 13 and ratchet wheel 14 (Figure 4).
X (Figure 1) is a valve box communicating with a main drain pipe and also
with each end of each of the cylinders G, H by the pipes 15, 16. This box contains
valves so arranged, that when pressure is admitted to one end of either of the cylinders,
the outlet pipe at that end is shut off from the drain pipe and the outlet pipe at
the other end of the same cylinder is opened to the said drain pipe. The outlet
pipes 15, 16, are so attached to the cylinders as to throttle the gas or other
fluid exit, and thereby cause a cushion to be formed at the end of each stroke between
the piston and cylinder end.
Figures 6 and 7 are valve boxes (arranged in the pipes or passages as hereinafter
described) each of which contains a valve actuated by a steel diaphragm » so that
according to whether suction or pressure is created in the passages the valve is forced
on to or off its seating.
Figure 5 shews a combination of two valves in one box which may be used in place
of the separate boxes Figures 6 and 7.
Figure 8 is a distributing valve which is so arranged as to enable the distribution
of air to be varied at will. It is used in the Brin process in conjunction with the
valves Figures 6 and 7 or the combined valve Figure 5 and in combination or not
with the cocks A. B. C. D.
The cock A has 3 ways and is subject always to suction the bottom flange 17 thereof
being attached to a pipo communicating with the suction valves of an air pump see
Fig. 9. The two flanges 18 and 19 are attached to piping communicating respectively
with the atmosphere and with the retorts such for example as those employed in the
Brin oxygen process.
B is also a three way cock to the bottom flange 20 of which is attached a pipe
communicating with the delivery valves of the air pump and the two side flanges are
attached to piping communicating one 21 with the bottom flange of cock D the
other 22 with a series of purifiers 23 through which the air has to pass on its way to
the retorts. is a two way cock one flange 24 of which is attached to the pipe
leading from the cock A to the retorts, the other flange 25 being connected to the pipe
leading from the purifiers.
D is a three way cock capable of being operated independently of the other cocks
the bottom flange 26 as before stated being attached to the flange 21 of the cock B.
One of the side flanges 27 is open to the atmosphere and the other flange 28 is
attached to piping communicating with the Gas holder.
An automatic valve P2 (Figure 7) is arranged in the piping so as to be actuated by
air, which has passed through the retorts and another automatic valve P (Figure 6)
is arranged in the piping so as to be actuated by air before passing through the
retorts, but in most cases the combined automatic valve Q illustrated by Figure 5. is
used in place of the valves P P. The distributing valve R. Figure 8 may be either
attached directly to the valve box Qor be so placed as to intercept the two
pipes attached to the two flanges on one side of it, when the two valves PP' are
employed.
We will now describe the operation of the apparatus which is as follows.
Suppose the pistons of the cylinders G and H to be in the position indicated in

page_text: - Figure 2 and the plugs of the cocks ABCD in the following positions videlicit the
three way cock A open to the atmosphere and closed to the retorts the three way
cock B open to purifiers and closed to cock D the two way cock C open so as to give
a clear passage from purifiers to retorts and the three way cock D open to the
atmosphere and closed to the gas holder then the action is as follows, the current being
in the direction indicated by arrows 1 (see Figure 9).
Air is drawn through the cock A by the air pump and delivered under any desired
pressure through the cock B to the purifiers, whence it passes through the cock Cand
enters by the passage 29 the valve box Q Figure 5 the valve 30 therein being held to
its seat by the air pressure acting on the diaphragm so that the air passes through
the passage 32 into the chamber 33 of the distributing valve box R. Figure 8 and
passing by the valve 34 therein leaves the valve box by the passage 35 and is
conducted by the pipe 36 Figure 9 to the retorts.
After passing through the retorts the air is conducted by the pipe 37 through
passage 40 of the distributing valve box R and passing by the valve 39 leaves the
said box by the passage 38 and is conducted by the passage 41 into the chamber 42
of the compound valve box Q and past the valve 43 therefrom into the
atmosphere.
After this operation has proceeded for the desired length of time the cam N coming
into action raises the valves M in the box L thereby admitting pressure to the
cylinder H so as to drive the piston forward and thereby reverse the position of the
plugs of the cocks A B and C (the direction of the current being then as indicated by
arrows 2 Figure 9) the cock A being open to the retorts and the cock B closed from
the purifiers and open to the cock D whilst both ways in the cock Care closed. The
purifiers are by this action entirely cut off from communication with the retorts and
the air pump, and a suction is created in the retorts which by acting on the
diaphragm of the automatic valve Q in the opposite direction to the previous
operation reverses the position of the valves 30 and 43 thereby closing communication
with the atmosphere through the valve 43 and opening communication with the retorts
through both passages 41 and 32 in the compound valve box Q.
The gas, by means of the suction of the air pump, being thus drawn off from the
retorts through both pipes 36 and 37 (Figure 9) enters the distributing valve box R
Figure 8 through the passages 35 and 4 and passes thence by the valve 34 and 39
into the chamber 33 and 38 and out therefrom by the passages 32 and 41 into tlie
chambers of the compound valve box Q. A clear passage always exists between 32
and 29 and the valve 43 being now closed and the valve 30 open the gas passes by the
latter valve from passage 41 into the passage 29 and thence into the pipe leading to
the cock A. The plug of the cock A having been reversed as hereinbefore described
the gas passes through the air pump to the cock B by which it is directed to the
cock D through which latter it passes into the atmosphere for a short period and then
by reversing the cock D it is directed into the gas holder. The reversing of the
cock D may be done at any desired moment by adjustment of the position of the cam
segment which causes the admission of pressure to the cylinder G in exactly
similar manner to that already described in the case of the cylinder H. When this
operation has proceeded for the desired time the action is again reversed by means of
the cam N and the previous operation repeated and so on indefinitely the duration of
each operation being regulated by adjusting the cams or tappets N N. Instead of the
compound valve box Q hereinbefore described the two separate valves P P² may be
employed and arranged as shewn in Figure 9" in which corresponding parts are
referred to by similar numerals and arrows for indicating the course of the air. Any
suitable governor may be employed to control the air pump under varying conditions.
Attached to each passage of the two way cock C is a pressure guage as shewn at a a
Figure 1. One of these guages is always subject to the pressure above atmospheric
pressure and being a register of the pressure of air in the purifiers. The other guage
registers from pressure absolute and records the pressure in the retorts whether it be
below or above atmospheric pressure.
Although no direct allusion has been made in the foregoing description to the Brin

page_text: process for producing oxygen from atmospheric air it will be seen that the action
hereinbefore described fulfils the requirements of that process.
We wish it to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise
construction and arrangement of the cocks and other parts of the apparatus
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is.
First. In apparatus employed in obtaining oxygen from atmospheric air or in other
cases wherein it is required to divert or vary the direction or course of currents of air
or other fluids through pipes or passages, means for automatically operating cocks or
valves at the required periods for changing the direction of the currents substantially
as hereinhefore described.
Second. In apparatus or means for automatically reversing or changing the
positions (at regulated intervals) of the plugs in a system of cocks or valves, the
combination of a cylinder and piston operated by steam or other motive fluid admitted
to the cylinder by a valve opened at the required periods by means of cams or tappets
the piston rod being connected to or geared with the plugs of the cocks so as to impart
movement thereto substantially as herein before described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Third. The combination with a system of cocks or valves operated automatically
for reversing the direction or course of currents of air or other fluid through pipes, of
automatically operating valves arranged in the pipes through which the current of air
or the like is caused to pass substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. The general constructions and arrangement of the automatically operating
valves hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figure 5 Figure 6 and Figure 7 of
the accompanying drawings.
Fifth. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts constituting
apparatus or means for automatically varying at regulated periods the direction or
course of currents of air and other fluids substantially as herein before described and
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 23rd day of December 1889.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.