Improvements in or relating to Sight-feed Lubricators.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Sight-feed Lubricators.
I, CHARLES CHEERS WAKEFIELD of 3 Pendennis Road, Streatham, London S.W.,
in the County of Surrey, General Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows;-
This invention relates to sight-feed lubricators, its object being to render such
lubricators capable of operation even though the sight glass be broken, whereas
in sight feed lubricators as hitherto usually constructed breakage of the glass
necessitated putting the lubricator out of action.
According to this invention automatic or other valves are provided between.
the body of the lubricator and the top and bottom conections thereof with the sight-
feed glass. In the event of the breakage of the latter, a bye-pass passage with a
control valve therein is made to connect the oil chamber or lubricator body with
the channel through which in the ordinary working of the lubricator the flow of
steam charged with oil occurs; the bye-pass passage and this channel are so con-
nected that when the former is opened by its control valve the flow of steam across its
end induces, as in an injector, a supply of oil to flow from the body of the lubricator
into the steam so that it is carried forward to the desired point of delivery.
Several sets of these channels and passages may be provided under the control
of one or more valves where more than one feed is required.
The control valve is ordinarily kept closed; but in the event of breakage of the
glass the valves at its top and bottom ends operate or are operated to shut it off
from the rest of the lubricator and the control valve is opened and the bye-pass
passage utilised.
Dated this 20th day of Santambor 1900
I, CHARLES CHEERS WAKEFIELD of 3 Pendennis Road, Streatham, London S. W.,
0 in the County of Surrey, General Manager, 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 relates to sight-feed lubricators its object being to render such
lubricators capable of operation even though the sight glass be broken, whereas
P 37

page_text: in sight feed lubricators as hitherto usually constructed breakages of the glass
necessitated putting the lubricator out of action.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying/drawings
in which
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a front elevation and a plan of one of my
improved sight-feed lubricators..
Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2:
Figure 4 is a vertical section of part of a lubricator on the line 44 of Fig. 2.
Figure 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.
Figure 6 is a vertical section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5, and
Figure is a section similar to Fig. 5, showing an alternative construction of
the valve 1 and upper part of the improved lubricator.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
With reference first to Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings, the lubricator chamber
or body A, is provided with upper and lower fittings B B, for placing the sight
glass in communication respectively with the interior of the chamber and out-
let of the lubricator as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The fitting B is provided with
the usual valve B2 for controlling the outflow of lubricant from the chamber A,
and the latter is provided with a plug or valve A¹ to enable it to be emptied when
necessary. The fitting B, as distinguished from those ordinarily employed is
provided with a valve D so arranged that in the event of the sight glass C breaking
it will be automatically closed by the pressure of any fluid endeavouring to pass
towards the adjacent end of the glass and thus will prevent steam, lubricant or
water from being blown out of the apparatus through the fitting B.
The usual steam inlet is at E; it is controlled by a valve E¹; E2 is the channel
or pipe leading from the inlet E and valve E¹ to the bottom of the chamber A.
represents the usual channel leading from the upper sight glass fitting B to
the oil and steam outlet. G at which part an inclined steam way or passages G
(see particularly Fig. 4) connects with it in such manner that when steam is
allowed to pass through this jet, for example when the valve E¹ is opened, it
tends to form a vacuum in the channel F after the manner of an injector, and thus
carries forward through the outlet G the oil delivered into the channel F through
the sight glass Cas in other lubricators of the same class. The outlet G is connected
in any convenient manner with the apparatus to which the lubricant is to be
supplied.
A bye-pass passage H leads from the upper part of the chamber A and connects
with the channel at the back of the upper valve D, and H¹ represents a valve
which controls the flow of oil through the bye-pass passage H.
During the ordinary working of the before described lubricator the valve H¹
is closed and the lubricant passes from the chamber A through the lower fitting B',
sight glass C, upper fitting B and channel F (all in the order in which they are
named) and thence through the outlet G to the desired point of delivery, the
valve D remaining open to the sight-glass during this operation. If the sight-
glass C should break the relief of pressure on the outer or sight-glass side of the
valve D allows it instantly to be forced to its seat by back pressure from steam
supply by way of the passages G F so that the steam, oil or water cannot be
blown out of the apparatus through the fitting B and broken glass as would be the
case if valve D were not provided. Under these circumstances the lubricator may
still be retained in operation by closing the valve B2 to stop the passage of lubricant
to the lower end of the sight-glass and opening the valve H¹ so as to allow the
lubricant to be forced from the upper part of the chamber A through the channel H
to the space behind the valve D and thence as in the ordinary working of the
apparatus through the channel F and outlet G to the point of delivery.
In the alternative construction illustrated in Fig. 7 a passage F is shown
connecting the chamber A with the channel F, into which it opens immediately
opposite the passage B³ from the fitting B. The valve D is in this instance
double, that is to say provided with two faces D¹ D, the former seating on the

page_text: opening B³, and the latter on a seating F at the adjacent end of the passage F¹.
It is normally held on its seat F2 and off the seat at 13', by the spring D³.
In this case if the sight feed glass should break the relief of pressure on the
outside (sight-glass side) of the valve face D', causes the pressure maintained within
the lubricator body A to overcome the resistance of the spring D3, and forces the
face D on to its seat 13 thus lifting the face D2 from its seat 12 and automatically
ejecting a small supply of Tubricant from the upper part of the chamber A through
the passage F1, and thence by the usual channels to the point of delivery. The
valve B should then be shut to prevent the escape of lubricant through the
lower fitting B and if desired an additional feed of lubricant may be supplied
by means of the valve H¹ and bye-pass passage H. As is often done with this class
of lubricator, a gauge glass fitting may be provided on the body of the chamber A
so as to show the amount of lubricant in the chamber. A convenient position for
the upper fitting of such a glass is indicated by chain lines at J in Fig. 7; the
lower fitting would come directly under it. The bye-pass H can be shortened
as shown and the position of the valve H altered to permit of this arrangement
of glass.
Several sets of the channels F and passages H may be provided under the control
of one or more valves where more than one feed is required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the saine is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A sight-feed lubricator in which the feed can be continued independently
of the sight-glass should the latter break.
2. In a sight-feed lubricator a valve arranged in the passage leading from the
top end of the sight-glass so that such passage will be automatically closed should
the glass break.
3. In a sight-feed lubricator a bye-pass passage such as H and valve such as H¹
therein to enable a secondary feed to be obtained should the sight-glass break.
4. In a sight-feed lubricator the employment of one or more valves so arranged
that should the sight-feed glass break the valve or valves would automatically cut
off access of pressure thereto and open another feed passage for the purpose
described.
5. In a sight-feed lubricator a double valve such as D 12 (Figure 6) and passages
such as H B F in conjunction therewith substantially as and for the purpose
described.
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete
lubricator substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 or Figure 7
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Oth dov of Jun 1907
For CHARLES CHEERS WAKEFIELD,
W. R. Graham,
Rault & Wade