Improvements in Gas Governors.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1894-Accepted, 21st July, 1894
Improvements in Gas Governors.
We, SILAS HOUSTON MOORE, Merchant, ALFRED MICHAEL VERNON,
Merchant, and HENRY JEFFUDS GOODWIN, Merchant, all of 744, Broadway,
New York City, in the County and State of New York, United States of America,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manuer the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
Our invention relates to improvements in that class of gas governors which are
adapted for use in maintaining an even pressure of gas at the burner, and particularly
to that class of governors in which a float actuated by the back pressure of gas is
used to regulate the movement of a controlling valve. The objects of our invention
are to simplify or reduce the cost of construction of the valve casing and render it
more compact, and also to adapt it for attachment to and support of the liquid seal
tank in a superior manner.
A further object of our invention is to arrange the tank and float in a way to
render the float very sensitive, so that it may perfectly control the valve.
To these ends our invention consists of certain features of construction and
combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this
Specification, in which the figure is a central vertical section of the governor
embodying our invention.
The governor is provided with a valve casing 10 which is composed of an integral
metal casting divided horizontally by a partition 11, thus forming an upper gas
chamber 12 which has at one side a suitable inlet 13 and which communicates, by
means of an orifice or passage 14 with the lower portion of the valve casing, which
lower portion is provided at one side with an outlet 15 used preferably to connect
with the pipes leading to the burners, the valve casing having also a bottom
outlet 16 which may be used as a drain or may be connected with the burner pipe,
the outlet being generally closed by a screw cap 16, but the arrangement of the
outlet 16 and screw cap is not claimed as new.
On the exterior of the valve casing and leading from a point above the outlet 15
to a point centrally above the casing is a channel 17, for gas, this channel con-
necting at its lower end with the interior of the valve casing below the partition 11,
while at its upper end, it connects with a central tube 19 which projects upward
above the valve casing. into the tank or bowl 20, the tube 19 being preferably
formed integral with the bowl and valve casing but the valve casing has a flat
top on which the bowl may rest firmly, so that, if desired, the bowl may be made
detachable from the casing..
The bowl 20 is adapted to contain the liquid seal and has within it a central
well 21, this being formed by an annular partition which projects upward from the
bottom of the bowl or tank and is concentric with the tube 19. The tank or
bowl 20 is partially filled with liquid, such as glycerine, so as to form a seal through
which the gas cannot pass and in this seal is suspended a float 22 which is of a
generally cylindrical shape, but preferably round on top, and which encircles the
well 21, but which is of greater diameter than the well and which has sufficient
area to render it extremely sensitive to gas pressure so that it quickly operates the
valve in connection with it.
To the central portion of the top of the float is secured the valve stem 24, which
extends downward through the tube 19 and the top of the valve casing 10, the
stem terminating at its lower end in a valve 27 which normally hangs below the

page_text: orifice or passage 14, but which, when raised, tightly closes the same, the valve
being hollow on the under side and convex on its upper side so that it will fit snugly
in the said orifice or passage.
It will be observed that the space between the well 21 and the float 22 is less
than the space between the float and the sides of the bowl or tank 20, and this
greater exterior area of the liquid scal which is contained in the bowl, has a
tendency to counterbalance the variation of volume of the liquid within the float.
This arrangement of the float renders it extremely sensitive and consequently it has
a tendency to maintain an even burner pressure.
The gas which enters the inlet 13 passes downward through the orifice 14 and
out through the outlet 15, while it also flows upward through the channel or
passage 17 and tube 19 into the upper portion of the float and, while conditions are
normal, the gas will flow through the valve casing and the valve 27 will be open,
but when the pressure is greatly increased the back pressure through the channel 17
raises the float 22 and partially cluses the valve 27, while if the pressure is lessened
the valve drops again, thus permitting the gas to flow through the governor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is,
1. A gas governor, comprising a valve casing having an upper and lower chamber
connected by a passage, the upper chamber having an inlet and the lower one an
outlet, a liquid-containing tank on the top of the valve casing, a central tube
projecting upward into the tank which is fitted closely around the base of said
tube, a channel lending from the lower chamber of the valve casing and delivering
into the tube, a float suspended in the tank and extending over the tube top, a
valve rod carried by the float and extending down through the tube and top of the
lower or gas inlet chamber, and a valve on the lower end of the rod to close the
central gas passage in the partition, substantially as described.
2. As an article of manufacture, the valve casing consisting of an integral
casting having the following construction and arrangement of parte, a tube
projecting vertically from the top of the casing, a gas passage extending angularly
and communicating at its upper end with the said tube and at its lower end with a
gas outlet chamber formed in the lower portion of the casting, an inlet chamber
arranged above such outlet chamber, and an intervening partition between the inlet
and outlet chambers having a gas passage therein, as shown and described.
3. A gas governor, having its several parts constructed and arranged substantially
as shown in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing Specification.
Dated this 10th dow of Lune 1904
S. H. MOORE,
A. M. VERNON, .
HI. J. GOODWIN,
By A. M. & Wm! Clark,
63, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents..