AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR GAS BURNERS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frank Wright, of No. 55, Millbank Street, Westminster,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR
FOR GAS BURNERS."
Sealed the 15th March 1878, and dated the 17th January 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frank Wright at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th January 1878.
FRANK WRIGHT, of No. 55, Millbank Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex. "AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR GAS BURNERS."
My Invention relates to a governor for gas burners, whereby the quantity of gas
issuing from the burner is regulated, so as to be nearly uniform notwithstanding
variations in the pressure of the supply. For this purpose I provide a small cylinder,
in which I place two discs, connected together at some distance apart by a stem.
The upper part of the stem terminates in a cone or valve, which faces an aperture
leading from the top of the cylinder to the burner.
The cylinder is closed at bottom, but it has lateral orifices communicating with
the gas supply pipe, and opening into the cylinder in the space between the two
discs. The communication from the supply pipe to these orifices is conveniently
effected by means of an annular space formed around the cylinder by an outer
casing.
The discs fit the cylinder loosely, so that gas can leak past their edges, and thus
gas entering the cylinder by its lateral orifices leaks past the upper disc to supply
the burner. Should the pressure in the gas main increase, the flow through the
cylinder to the burner lifts the discs and stem, and so causes the cone or valve of
the stem to close, more or less, the aperture above it, whereby the supply to the
burner is more or less throttled.
The lower disc acts as a pneumatic buffer or damper, preventing sudden
oscillations

page_text: The weight of the discs and their stem is made somewhat greater than the
greatest pressure that is likely to act upon the cone or valve to close the orifice to
the burner; and the cylinder is preferably slightly tapered to a larger size at the
upper part, so that when the cone or valve almost closes the aperture there is more
area for the flow of gas past the edge of the upper disc.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frank Wright in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th July
1878.
FRANK WRIGHT, of No. 55, Millbank Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex. "AN IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR GAS BURNERS."
My Invention relates to a governor for gas burners, whereby the quantity of gas
issuing from the burner is regulated, so as to be nearly uniform notwithstanding
variations in the pressure of the supply. For this purpose I provide a small
cylinder, in which I place two discs, connected together at some distance apart by
a stem. The upper part of the stem terminates in a cone or valve, which faces an
aperture leading from the top of the cylinder to the burner.
The cylinder is closed at bottom, but it has lateral orifices communicating with
the gas supply pipe, and opening into the cylinder in the space between the two
discs. The communication from the supply pipe to these orifices is conveniently
effected by means of an aunular space formed around the cylinder by an outer
casing.
The discs fit the cylinder loosely, so that gas can leak past their edges, and thus
gas entering the cylinder by its lateral orifices leaks past the upper disc to supply
the burner. Should the pressure in the gas main increase, the flow through the
cylinder to the burner lifts the discs and stem, and so causes the cone or valve of
the stem to close, more or less, the aperture above it, whereby the supply to the
burner is more or less throttled.
The lower disc acts as a pneumatic buffer or damper, preventing sudden
oscillations.
The weight of the discs and their stem is made somewhat greater than the
greatest pressure that is likely to act upon the cone or valve to close the orifice to
the burner; and the cylinder is preferably slightly tapered to a larger size at the
upper part, so that when the cone or valve almost closes the aperture there is more
area for the flow of gas past the edge of the upper disc.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a vertical section of a governor for a gas burner according to
my Invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on the line x, x ; and Fig. 3, a sectional plan looking
from below on the line Y, Y.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section, shewing a modified construction of the governor.
And Fig. 5 is a sectional plan on the line Z, Z, of Fig. 4.

page_text: The Figures are drawn to an enlarged scale, so as to shew more clearly the details
of construction.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, A is an outer tube or cylindrical shell, having at
its lower end a screwed plug a, with an aperture for the supply of gas from the
service pipe, and having at its upper end a burner B of any ordinary kind. Within
this shell is an inner tube or cylindrical shell C closed at the bottom, where two or
more grooves c are provided for passage of the gas from the supply aperture a to
the annular space between the two shells A and C. About midway in the height
of the shell slits d are cut for passage of gas from the external annular space
to the interior of C, within which is the stem e carrying the two discs f and 9, the
one above and the other below the slits d. The upper end of the stem e is coned,
to act as a valve in an aperture in a cap h which covers the shell c, and has leather
washers or similar soft patching interposed between it and the upper end of A
The shell C is secured in its place by screwing in the plug a, which presses the
cap h at its upper end against the washers. Thus the gas entering by the aperture a
passes by the grooves c to the annular space between A and C, thence it flows by
the slits & into the interior of C between the two discs f and g, which, loosely
fitting the interior of C, leave leakage passage round their edges. The gas passing
f flows by the aperture in h to the burner. When the pressure of supply increases,
the upper disc f is raised, and the coned end of the stem e, being thus caused to
enter farther into the aperture in h, throttles the area of outlet; and conversely
when the pressure decreases, the area of the aperture in h is increased by the
descent off. Sudden oscillations are prevented by the lower disc g being retarded
by the gas on either side of it.
Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the construction is modified by making the inner
cylinder C in one piece with the supply nozzle, and screwing on the outer cylinder A,
holes c being provided to admit the gas to the annular space between A and C and
holes d to admit it from that space to the interior of C. In other respects the con-
struction and action are as described above with reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim, the construction of a governor for gas burners,
wherein the gas is admitted between two discs playing loosely in a tube, these
discs being fixed on a stem having a coned end, which serves as a governing valve,
according as the discs are caused to ascend or descend by variations of pressure in
the supply, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frank Wright, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-eight.
FRANK WRIGHT. (L.S.)