IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Lacey, of Grafton Street, in the City of
Westminster, Gas Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS
REGULATORS."
Sealed the 27th October 1859, and dated the 27th April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Lacey at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th April 1859.
I, THOMAS LACEY, of Grafton Street, in the City of Westminster, Gas
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GAS REGULATORS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in suspending and supporting a conical valve by
means of a diaphragm of thin sheet caoutchouc or caoutchouc fabric in a tube
or ring; in covering the top of the tube by a cover;. in carrying a spindle from
the upper part of the conical valve through a central aperture in the cover; in
fitting a valve on the spindle, having its seat on the top of the cover; and in
forming a communication with the atmosphere from the chamber, in which the
upper valve rests, and through the aperture in the cover to the top of the
diaphragm and valve. For large regulators I form the diaphragm of leather,
and protect it by means of thin metal plates or shields, and use counterweights
to balance the weight of the diaphragm. The conical valve is weighted
according to the pressure of gas to be allowed to pass through the regulator.

page_text: For such regulators as are used in gas works I employ a regulating bar on
the top of the valve spindle, and cause weighted rollers carried by rods hinged
to the top of the regulator case to travel along, and rise and fall with the valve;
or I joint rods or weighted levers to the top of the valve spindle, and fix
rollers upon supports rising from the case over which the rods travel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Lacey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
LACEY, of Grafton Street, in the City of Westminster, Gas Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Lacey, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Lacey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Thomas Lacey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Lacey, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Lacey, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in suspending and supporting a conical valve by
means of a diaphragm of thin sheet caoutchouc or caoutchouc fabric in a tube

page_text: or ring; in covering the top of the tube by a cover; in carrying a spindle
from the upper part of the conical valve through a central aperture in the
cover; in fitting a valve on the spindle, having its seat on the top of the
cover; and in forming a communication with the atmosphere from the
chamber in which the upper valve rests, and through the aperture in the cover
to the top of the diaphragm and valve. For large regulators I form the
diaphragm of leather, and protect it by means of thin metal plates or shields,
and use counterweights to balance the weight of the diaphragm. The conical
valve is weighted according to the pressure of gas to be allowed to pass
through the regulator. For such regulators as are used in gas works, I
employ a regulating bar on the top of the valve spindle, and cause weighted
rollers carried by rods hinged to the top of the regulator case to travel along
and rise and fall with the valve; or, I joint rods or weighted levers to the
top of the valve spindle, and fix rollers upon supports rising from the case
over which the rods travel.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a vertical section of a single
burner regulator constructed according to this Invention. Figures 2 and 3 show
the upper and lower parts of Figure 1, separated for facilitating reference to the
same. Figure 4 is a plan of the top of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a modification
of Figure 2, illustrating the manner in which I prefer to use tubes to connect
the parts shown in Figure 3, with the burner, in lieu of drilling through the
solid metal. Figure 6 is a view of a regulator intended for bracket lights or
to be fixed on to a horizontal pipe. Figure 7 is a vertical section of a regu-
lator intended for an unlimited number of lights. Figure 8 is a plan of the
bottom of Figure 7, showing the arrangement of the diaphragm. Figure 9 is
a compensating arrangement applicable to regulators of large size.
is a modification of Figure 9. Figures 1 to 6 are full size; Figures 7 to 10
are on a reduced scale; like letters apply to like parts in all the Figures.
Figure 10
a is the inlet; b, the outlet; c, a conical valve, (or it may be, a spherical
valve, as shown in Figure 5, rising and falling in a conical opening) opening
and closing the entry to the chamber d; e is a diaphragm of india-rubber or a
preparation of india-rubber, through the centre of which passes the valve rod,
which is retained in its position by two metal discs, placed one on either side
of the diaphragm. The circumference of this diaphragm is secured over and
around the ring (at the top of Figure 3) by an india-rubber band or otherwise;
as shown at g; g, so as to allow the discs f to pass freely from th of an inch
to ths of an inch above and below the opening at g, g; h is a safety case;
securely covering the diaphragm; i, a rod, connecting the diaphragm e and
the disc f, passing through the case h, is connected to the valve j, which in

page_text: case of rupture in the diaphragm closes the aperture in h, and thus prevents
any escape of gas; k is an air hole, opening one side of the diaphragm to the
atmosphere, the other side being subject to the pressure of the gas; x, x, x, x,
show the apertures, through which the gas flows from the chamber d to the
burner; 1, 1, 1, 1, Figure 7, are metal shields, giving form and action to the 5
leather diaphragm (leather being preferred to caoutchouc for large regulators);
m, m, are levers, and n, n, counterweights attached to the levers to raise the
diaphragm and shields, the required pressure being obtained by weights placed
on top of the valve j. The leather is shown at the corners o, o, o, o, and the
lines p, p, p, p, Figure 8. q, Figure 9, is a bar attached to the top of the 1
valve rod j; t, t, are weighted rollers at the ends of the rods r, r, which are
fixed to the case h, h, by joints s, s. As the pressure of gas on the diaphragm
raises the valve rod j, the weights traverse the bar g, proportionately lowering
the pressure on the mains as they rise, and vice versâ, raising it as they fall,
thus compensating for any great increase of draught on the mains. Figure 10 1
is a modification of the arrangement shown in Figure 9, the weights t, t, being
fixed to the valve rod j and working upon rollers fixed to the case h, h.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, the use of a very thin sheet of india-rubber or india-rubber fabric in g
one or more folds to form a diaphragm, one side of which diaphragm is open
to the atmosphere and the other side subjected to the pressure of the gas,
such diaphragm being bound over the circumference and to the outer side of a
suitable ring by an india-rubber band, or otherwise.
Secondly, the method of fixing an india-rubber diaphragm to a disc suffi-
ciently large to maintain the uniformity of the pressure at the outlet of the
regulator by means of its connection with a valve at the inlet, and small
enough to pass freely through the collar, over which the diaphragm is made
fast.
Thirdly, the use of a valve on a case or covering for opening and closing
the communication between the diaphragm and the atmosphere, which valve
is open so long as the diaphragm or expanding chamber is in action or sound
but closes in case of rupture, thus preventing any escape of gas. This cover
with valve I claim as applicable to all other regulators or governors where an
expanding chamber is used.
Fourthly, the arrangement for large regulators of a leather or other suitable
diaphragm, as shown in the Drawing, Figures 7 and 8, covering the leather
with metal shields, and also the use of levers and counterweights to neutralize
the effect of gravity on the diaphragm.

page_text: Fifthly, the use of levers and weights, as shown in the Drawing, Figures 9
and 10, for compensating excessive draught in large regulators. This
arrangement I claim as applicable to regulators and governors of any other
description.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lacey, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-nine.
THO. LACEY. (L.S.)