provements in Centre" Valves for Use in connection with Gas Purifying Apparatus.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 15th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Centre" Valves for Use in connection with Gas
Purifying Apparatus.
We WILLIAM SISSON of 49 Shakespeare Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman and ROBERT HOLT of
236 Deansgate, Manchester, aforesaid, Correspondent and Draughtsman, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
* centre
"
Our said invention relates to the valves generally known to gas engineers as
valves, and used in connection with gas purifying apparatus in the
manner well known to those acquainted with the manufacture of gas. The said
centre valves usually consist of a cluster of valves arranged in a trap box which
forms the centre of a series of purifiers, and hence the technical name of the valves.
The function of the valves is to pass the gas successively from one purifier to
another. As the contents of the said purifiers have frequently to be renewed,
valves of this description are usually arranged so as to render it easy to shut off
connection with one or more of the purifiers, without disturbing the working of the
others. It will be understood that as the gases being treated are usually at a high
temperature and as the passages to be closed and opened are of considerable area,
special descriptions of valves have to be used. In an ordinary type of centre valve
at present in use, plungers or discs are raised and lowered so as to cut off or divert
at certain points the flow of gas passing through the centre valve box. These
plungers or discs are however liable to stick and are difficult to work besides
allowing foul gas to leak past and enter the gas holder in an unpurified state.
According to our invention we dispense with the said plungers or discs and
substitute therefor a system of liquid seals, which perform all of the required
functions while being much more economical and easy to manufacture and work
and also much more effective in preventing all leakage or passage of foul gas to
the holder.
In carrying our invention into effect, we make a valve or trap box of any suitable
size and shape, for example it may be of an outer shape and of dimensions somewhat
similar to those now in use. In the side of this box we form a gas inlet and a gas
outlet, the inlet being connected to the pipe leading from the condenser and washer,
and the outlet leading to the pipe which conducts the gas to the gas holder. In an
arrangement intended for example to serve four purifiers, the box is divided off by
four partitions reaching from the top cover to within a short distance of the bottom,
near which they dip into liquid in the bottom of the box so as to seal the said
partitions. We also arrange four pairs of dip pipes each pair leading to and from
one of the purifiers, and opposite to the dip pipes but at the bottom of the box we
arrange eight stand pipes, each pair communicating with a pair on the other side
of a partition by means of bye-pass conduits secured to the bottom of the box.
conjunction with the eight dip pipes we also provide eight liquid seals cousisting of
four single and four double buckets, each bucket being hung on a rod which passes
up through a packed gland in the bend of the dip pipe. The rods are suspended
in pairs on cross bars mounted on a screw, and by turning the screw the sealing
buckets can be raised so as to seal the lower ends of the dip pipes, or lowered so as
to cut off access to the stand and bye-pass pipes. An overflow for the tar and
liquor collecting in the box is also provided. The scaling buckets are kept filled
by the liquor or condensation from the pipes above. The operation of such an
apparatus would be as follows. The gas is passed from the condenser and washer
In

page_text: into the valve box. If all four purifiers are working, all of the eight bucket seals
are lowered, closing the stand pipes and allowing the gas to pass from the inlet
through the first dip pipe to the first purifier, thence back to the next dip pipe of
the pair on the other side of the next partition. This pair allows the gas to pass
through purifier No. 2; the next through purifier No. 3; and the next through
purifier No. 4. Now let it be supposed that it is desired to renew the material in
purifier No. 3 for example. In that case we turn the proper screw and raise the
necessary two sealing buckets, leaving open the dip pipe which leads from
purifier No. 2 but sealing the dip pipes which lead to and from purifier No. 3.
The act of raising these sealing buckets also throws open the corresponding stand
pipes and bye-pass so that the gas on entering the box from purifier No. 2, passes
through the stand pipe and bye-pass to the other side of the dip partition.
Here the only passage open is through the dip pipe leading to purifier No. 4, so
that by this arrangement purifier No. 3 is skipped and may be renewed or dealt
with in the required manner, the rest of the purifiers, viz. Nos. 1, 2 and 4 working
on without interruption.
In the same manner any one or more of the other purifiers may be shut off, while
the other or others is or are left working. Although we have instanced four
purifiers combined with the valve, it will be evident that any greater or less number
might be used.
The shape, dimensions and arrangements of our improved centre valve are
immaterial and may be greatly modified without departing from the spirit of our
invention.
The centre valve which we have described is easily worked, extremely effective
in shutting off or preventing the leakage past of gas, and can be made aud kept in
order much more cheaply than existing forms of centre valves.
Dated this 14th day of November 1893.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.
Improvements in
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"
Centre Valves for Use in connection with Gas
Purifying Apparatus.
We WILLIAM SISSON of 40 Shakespeare Street, Chorlton on Medlock, in
the County of Lancaster, Gentleman and ROBERT HOLT of 236 Deansgate,
Manchester aforesaid Correspondent and Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed to be
particularly ascertained and described in and by the following statement and
accompanying drawings :-
"
:-
Our said invention relates to the valves generally known to gas engineers as
centre valves, and used in connection with gas purifying apparatus in the
manner well known to those acquainted with the manufacture of gas. The said
centre valves usually consist of a cluster of valves,arranged in a trap box which
forms the centre of a series of purifiers, and hence the technical name of the valves.
The function of the valves is to pass the gas successively from one purifier to
another. As the contents of the said purifiers have frequently to be renewed,
valves of this description are usually arranged so as to render it easy to shut off
connection with one or more of the purifiers, without disturbing the working of the
others. It will be understood that as the gases being treated are usually at a high
temperature and as the passages to be closed and opened are of considerable area,
special descriptions of valves have to be used. In an ordinary type of centre valve:
at present in use, plungers or dises are raised and lowered so as to cut off or divert
at certain points the How of gas passing through the centre valve box. These

page_text: plungers or discs are however liable to stick and are difficult to work besides
allowing foul gas to leak past and enter the gas holder in an unpurified state.
According to our invention we prefer to dispense with the said plungers or discs
and substitute therefor a system of liquid seals, which perform all of the required
functions while being much more economical and easy to manufacture and work
and also inuch more effective in preventing all leakage or passage of foul gas to the
bolder. We might however in conjunction with our improved form of centre-valve
box, in some cases use the existing dry plungers or discs instead of the aforesaid
water seals or valves.
To render our invention more easily understood we will describe the same with
reference to the annexed two sheets of drawings.
On Sheet 1.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section at Y, Y Fig. 3. of our improved centre valve.
Fig. 2 is a side view. Fig. 3 is a plan.
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section at X. X. Fig. 1.
In carrying our invention into effect we make a valve or trap box A of any
suitable size and shape, for example it may be of an outer shape and of dimensions
somewhat similar to those now in use. In the side of this box A we form a gas
inlet B and a gas outlet C the inlet being connected to a pipe leading from the
condenser and washer, and the outlet leading to the pipe which conducts the gas to
the gas holder. The illustrated arrangement is intended as a convenient example to
serve four purifiers, the box A being divided off by four partitions D', D', D³, D'
reaching from the top cover E to within a short distance of the bottom F near
which they dip into liquid in the bottom of the box A so as to seal the said partitions.
We also arrange four pairs of dip pipes G G, H, H', I IJ, J¹ each pair leading to
and from one of the purifiers, and opposite to the dip pipes, but at the bottom of
the box we arrange eight stand pipes K K' L L' M M' N. N' each pair commu-
nicating with the pair on the other side of the partition by means of bye-pass
conduits secured to the bottom of the box. In conjunction with the eight dip
pipes G G H H 1. J. J we also provide eight liquid seals consisting of four
single buckets P and four double buckets Q each bucket being hung on a rod R
which passes up through a packed gland in the bend of the corresponding dip pipe.
The rods R are suspended in pairs on cross bars S mounted on a screw U and by
turning the screw the sealing buckets can be raised so as to seal the lower ends of
the dip pipes GGH HIP' J. J' or lowered so as to cut off access to the stand
pipes K. K' L L' M. M' N N₁ and bye-pass pipes O. An overflow V for the tar
and liquor collecting in the box is also provided. The sealing buckets P. Q are
kept filled by the liquor of condensation from the pipes above. The operation of
such an apparatus would be as follows. The gas is passed from the condenser and
washer into the valve box through the inlet B. The purifiers represented by the
numbers 1. 2 3 and 4 are arranged around the centre valve. If all four purifiers
are working, all the eight bucket seals PQ are lowered, closing the stand
pipes K K, L L', M M', N N and allowing the gas to pass from the inlet
through the first dip pipe G¹ to the first purifier No. 1 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,
thence through the dip pipes H H' to purifier No. 2, thence through dip pipes I I¹
to purifier No. 3 and finally through dip pipes J J', to purifier No. 4. From
purifier No. 4 the gas passes through the dip pipe G to the outlet C through which
it proceeds to the gas holder. The course of the gas is indicated in Fig. 3 by the
dotted arrows.
Now let it be supposed that it is desired to renew the material in purifier No. 2
for example. In that case we operate the proper screw U and raise the two
necessary sealing buckets PQ so as to close the dip pipes H' and I which commu-
nicate with purifier No. 2. No. 2 is thereby shut off from the box A and the gas
passes direct from dip pipe H via the bye-pass O to dip pipe I¹ through which
it flows to purifier No. 3 and passing through No. 3 it proceeds to dip pipe J and
theuce through dip pipe J' to purifier No. 4. From purifier No.
the gas is
delivered to dip pipe Gand from the latter it flows through the outlet C to the gas

page_text: holder. The dip pipe G and outlet C are separated from the compartment
containing the dip pipe G' and inlet B by a partition D so that mixing of the
purified and foul gas is impossible. By this arrangement purifier No. 2 is skipped
and the contents may be dealt with in the required manner, the rest of the
purifiers Nos. 1, 3 and 4 working on without interruption. In the same manner
No. 1 might be skipped by closing the dip pipes G¹ and H; No. 3 by closing the
dip pipes I and J ; and No. 4 by closing the dip pipes J' and G, the gas in every
such case passing the blocked dip pipes by means of the bye-passes O.
To facilitate and increase the capacity of the apparatus for shunting the currents
of gas and so to enlarge its scope of usefulness, we introduce a moveable shunter in
the centre of the apparatus, whereby the current of gas can be taken from any one
of the partitioned off spaces communicating with the purifiers and by means of
which we are enabled to ring a greater number of changes upon the shunting of the
currents and the skipping of the purifiers as already described with reference to
Sheet 1. This moveable shunter is shown on Sheet 2 of the drawings. Fig. 5 is
a vertical section of the apparatus, Fig. 6 is an outside view and Fig. 7 is a half
plan. The moveable shunter is marked W. The inlet pipe B leading into the
centre of the apparatus discharges into the conical space a in which the shunter
moves. The shunter W consists of å hollow conical tray W supporting and
containing a hollow passage b which communicates with the outlet branch C. The
gas admitted through the inlet B passes through a port c to a partitioned off space
and thence to the opposite connected purifier, whether such purifier be No. 1 No. 2
No. 3 or No. 4, this being fixed by the position into which the shunter has been
turned. On returning from the purifier the gas passes to the next and so on in the
manner already described with reference to Sheet 1, one or more purifiers being
skipped when desired in the manner already described. Thus we might skip any
one or more of the purifiers either en route or at the beginning. The gas is finally
delivered through the cone W and is led along the passage b to the central
outlet C. The shunting cone is hung on a central rod d which projects upward
through a packed gland in the outlet branch C and is formed with a squared head
to fit a key or wrench by which the shunting cone W can be turned. An index
and finger may be provided to set the shunting cone in any desired position. The
cone is held down and confined by a superimposed plate e which can be removed if
it is desired to lift the cone out for any purpose.
Although we have instanced four purifiers combined with the valve, it will be
evident that any greater or less number might be used. The shape, dimensions
and arrangements of our improved centre valve are immaterial and may be greatly
modified without departing from the spirit of our invention.
The centre valve which we have described is easily worked, extremely effective
in shutting off or preventing the leakage past of gas, and can be made and kept in
order much more cheaply than existing forms of centre valves.
Although we have described our improved centre valve box as worked by means
of liquid sealing valves, we do not confine ourselves to this as the improved valve
box might be operated by means of dry discs or plungers such as are at present in
use in certain valves of this nature.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inveu-
tion and the manner in which it is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is.
1. The arrangement, construction and combination of improved centre valve
substantially as described and as illustrated in the annexed drawings.
2. In centre valves of the indicated nature the use of liquid seals instead of the
ordinary dry discs or valves, for cutting off diverting or shunting the flow of gas
for the purposes and substantially as described and as illustrated in the drawings.
3. In combination with the improved liquid seal or valve centre-box as described,
the moveable shunting or diverting coue or body W for the purposes and arranged
and operating substantially as described and as shown in Sheet 2 of the drawings.

page_text: 4. The improved form construction and combination of centre valve box as
described and illustrated whether used in combination with liquid seals or valves or
with dry plungers or discs, substantially as described and indicated.
Dated this 14th day of August 1894.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.