A NEW AND IMPROVED REGULATOR FOR GAS BURNERS
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st June 1860. A communication from abroad by George Washington
Crummey, of the City of New York, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "A NEW AND IMPROVED REGULATOR FOR GAS
BURNERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention of a new and improved regulator for gas burners consists of
a combination of a valve with an independent weight, or its equivalent, and a
stop, the whole applied, arranged, and operating within a burner, to produce
a uniform or nearly uniform issue of gas from the burner, and consequently a
uniform or nearly uniform light under all variations of pressure in the main or
in the pipe which supplies the burner. The socket of the burner is attached
to the pipe which supplies the gas, and is made in the form of a cup for the
valve box to rest in. The body of the burner fits into it, and is secured in
such manner as to secure the valve box in place. The valve box is of the
form of an inverted cup, having the sides of its interior tapered upward
slightly in a conical form, and terminating in a dome-like form at the top, in
the centre of which there is an opening, which is the only means of egress
for the gas to the tip of the burner. The box has also grooves running "p
the sides of its interior for the passage of gas between it and the valve. The
valve is also of an inverted cup form, having its exterior of a shape corre-

page_text: sponding with the shape of the interior of the box, and having a short stem,
which passes through the opening at the top of the box. This stem is pro-
vided with a small transverse pin, which rests upon the top of the box, and
keeps the valve suspended when there is a very slight pressure of gas, or when
the gas is shut off from the burner. The weight is formed with grooves to
slide up and down in fixed vertical guides which are attached to the top of the
valve box, and rests upon the top of the valve box, so that when the valve is
suspended by its pin, the top of its stem may be at a considerable distance from
the weight, which is therefore, to a certain extent, independent of the valve.
The regulator operates as follows:-The gas on entering the burner passes
into the valve, and under the edges of the valve, and between it and the
interior of the box, then over the top of the valve, and through the orifice in
the head of the box, and from thence to the tip. At the lowest pressure the
valve is suspended by its pin from the top of the box. As the pressure
increases, the gas raises the valve, and so causes the contraction of the
passage between the valve and the sides and head of the box, and when the
pressure reaches a certain point, the top of the stem of the valve comes in
contact with the weight, which being light is soon raised by an additional
increase of pressure, the contraction of the passage still continuing till the
weight comes in contact with a stop. The rise of the weight to this point
only occurs in case of an excessive pressure, and the valve is then very nearly
up to the head of the box. The stop is merely to prevent the valve closing
the opening, and shutting off the gas entirely. As the pressure diminishes,
the valve descends, and gives a greater area of passage for the gas. The sides
of the exterior of the valve and interior of the box may be cylindrical, but in
such case the side passages will require to have more taper than when the
sides of the valve and box are conical.