An Improved Method of Governing Steam and other Fluid Engines.
Year: 1888

page_text: RES
Date of Application, 1st May, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 31st Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Governing Steam and other Fluid Engines.
I FREDERICK JOHN BURRELL of St. Nicholas Works, Thetford in the County of
Norfolk, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to utilize in a novel manner a small high speed
continuous running engine or an electric motor for controlling the admission of
steam to steam or other motive Engines for driving Electric light machinery & other
purposes where perfect governing is indispensable. The Engine to be governed
drives a screw at a high speed; upon this screw is a nut which is driven either by a
small high speed engine running at one uniform speed or by an electric motor.
The position of the nut upon the screw varies as the speed of the engine changes;
the nut is connected by levers or other suitable means to the expansion gear or
throttle valve of the main engine. When the small engine is used to drive the nut
the large engine is perfectly governed and cannot alter its speed without admitting
more or less steam or fluid to its cylinder. When an electric motor is used to drive
the nut the large engine is governed in accordance with the Electro motive force and
goes faster or slower when the E.M.F. rises or falls. This Invention may be applied
to engines governed by high speed governors controlling throttle or cut off valves by
forming the screw upon the governor spindle or sleeve & driving a nut upon it by
an Electric Motor. The movement of the nut upon the screw alters the position of
the throttle valve or cut off gear with relation to the governors and the speed of the
main engine is thus controlled by the electric motor in accordance with the Electro
motive Force. When there is no current of electricity driving the motor the high
speed screw on the governor will drive the motor, after it has moved the nut to the
extremity of the screw and opened the valve slightly, and will continue to drive the
motor until the Electro motive force rises and the motor gaining speed over that of
the governor or screw moves the nut up to its normal working position.
arrangement the engine is controlled by the high speed governor in case the electric
LD 1177
By this

page_text: motor fails to act. Hitherto direct acting steam cylinders or solenoids have generally
been used, but a continuous running motor whether driven by steam or Electricity is
more certain in its action than one which is alternately at work and at rest. One
steam or electric motor may be used if desirable for controlling the speed of a series
of engines.
.. 1009
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Governing Steam and other Fluid Engines.
I, FREDERICK JOHN BURRELL, of St. Nicholas Works, Thetford, Norfolk, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to utilize in a novel manner a small high speed
· continuous running engine or an electric motor, for controlling the admission of
steam or fluid to steam or other motive engines for driving electric light machinery,
and other purposes where perfect governing is indispensable.
The engine to be governed drives a screw at a high speed, upon this screw is a nut
which is driven either by a small high speed engine running at one uniform speed, or
by an electric motor. The position of the nut upon the screw varies as the speed of
the engine changes; the nut is connected by levers or other suitable means to the
expansion gear or throttle valve of the main engine.
Figure 1 of the annexed drawings is an elevation and Figure 2 is a plan of a
steam engine governed in accordance with my invention by the aid of a small high
speed engine.
a is the crank shaft of the main engine, it has upon it an eccentric a¹ which works
the main valve and another eccentric a' which works the cut off valve; it also carries
a bevilled wheel a³. The wheel a drives a pinion 6¹ on the axis band a screw thread
is cut upon this axis. c is the crank shaft of the smali high speed engine, it carries
the fly wheel c¹ and the long pinion c. The pinion gears with a wheel d formed
or fixed upon a nut d¹ working upon the screw axis b. e is a forked lever embracing
the neck of the nut d. The fulcrum of the lover e is at e¹, a rod f is jointed to its
upper end, and by this it is connected with a long link g
off valve. The lower end of the link g is engaged in a slot
its fulcrum at h² and which at 3 is connected by a joint
upon the stem of the cut
in a lever h which has
with the strap of the

page_text: eccentric a". It will be seen that any change in the relative speed of the engines
causes an alteration in the movement of the cut off valve.
When a small engine is thus used to drive the nut the large engine is perfectly
governed and cannot alter its speed relatively to that of the small engine without
admitting more or less steam or fluid to its cylinders.
In the place of the small high speed engine an electric motor so wound that it
varies its speed in accordance with the electro motive force may be substituted.
When an electric motor is used to drive the nut the large engine is governed in
accordance with the electro-motive force and goes faster or slower as the electro
motive force rises or falls.
Figure 3 shews in plan two large engines controlled by one small engine which is
also shown driving a small dynamo for charging accumulators which work steadies
its action and renders it less liable to be influenced by friction caused by the larger
engines altering their speed.
Suitable means are provided for disconnecting either of the large engines from the
smaller engine if required. is the small governing engine driving a small
dynamo k.
1 are high speed screws driven by the large engines.. m m are the nuts which
are driven by the pinion n upon the shaft of the small engine.
This invention may be applied to engines governed by high speed governors
controlling throttle or cut off valves, by forming the screw upon the governor spindle
or sleeve and driving a nut upon it by an electric motor. The movement of the nut
upon the screw alters the position of the throttle valve or cut off gear with relation
to the governors, and the speed of the main engine is thus controlled by the electric
motor in accordance with the electro motive force. When there is no current of
electricity driving the motor the high speed screw on the governor will drive the
motor, after it has moved the nut to the extremity of the screw, and will continue to
drive the motor until the electro motive force rises and the motor gaining speed on
that of the governor or screw moves the nut up to its normal working position. By
this arrangement the engine is controlled by the high speed governor in case the
electric motor fails to act.
Figure 4 is an elevation partly in section shewing this arrangement-o is the
governor spindle driven by the large engine. p is a sleeve which turns with but can
slide upon the spindle. 99 are weighted arms jointed to the spindle. r are links
connecting these arms with the sleeve. s is a coiled spring interposed between the
head of the spindle and the sleeve, it is compressed when the arms diverge by
centrifugal action-t is a nut working on a thread cut upon the sleeve; t¹ is a pulley
forming part of the nut, it receives an endless cord and so is driven from an electric
motor or a small high speed engine. is a neck upon the nut which is engaged with
the forked lever u and this lever gives notion to a valve controlling the admission of
steam to the large engine; it may work a throttle valve or it may control a cut off
valve in the way described in respect to Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 5 shews another way of connecting the motor to the pulley t¹ by means of
gearing a broad pinion driven by the motor and gearing into the pulley thus allowing
for the rise and fall of the nut t.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I would remark that I am aware
that it has before been proposed to drive the eccentrics of large engines by separate
small high speed engines I make no claim to this method which is imperfect and has
an effect equivalent only to moving the eccentric around the engine shaft and altering
the position of the eccentrics with relation to the crank shaft and is equivalent in its
action to a slow speed governor upon the crank shaft. What I claim is:-
1. The combination substantially as described with the valve gear of a steam or
fluid engine, of an electric motor in such manner that the said motor modifies the
action of the valve gear and causes the engine to run at a speed dependent on that
of the motor.

page_text: 2. Regulating the admission of steam or fluid to steam or other motive power
engines by means of a valve operated partly by an eccentric driven by the said
engine but controlled by a small high speed engine or electric motor substantially as
described.
3. Regulating the admission of steam or fluid to steam or other motive power
engines by means of a valve controlled partly by a governor driven by the engine
and partly by a small high speed engine or electric motor substantially as described.
4. Regulating the admission of steam or fluid to steam or other motive power
engines by means of a valve controlled by the aid of a high speed screw and nut, the
one driven by the engine and the other by a small high speed engine or electric
motor substantially as described.
5. Apparatus substantially as described for governing steam and other fluid
engines.
Dated this 20th day of January 1889
FREDK. J. BURRELL.