IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN THE Manufacture AND DISTRIBUTION OF GAS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William White, of Abersychau, near Pontypool,
in the County of Monmouth, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS USED IN THE Manufacture AND DISTRIBUTION OF GAS."
Sealed the 28th April 1876, and dated the 4th November 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William White at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th November 1875.
I, WILLIAM WHITE, of Abersychan, near Pontypool, in the County of
Monmouth, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE AND DISTRIBUTION OF
GAS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the application of means whereby the
retorts when in action may be nearly or entirely relieved from pressure
of the gas due to the dip in the hydraulic main when dip pipes as
ordinarily constructed or arranged are employed, and consists in

page_text: attaching to the upper part of the hydraulic main, at any convenient
part, a horizontal pipe or tube running either the whole length of the
retort benches or divided into sections, each having a communication
with a conducting main leading to the condenser or other apparatus.
To each dip pipe is fixed a box or chamber containing a flap valvo
peculiarly hinged and hung at a slight inclination to the vertical, and
from this chamber is a vertical tube or pipe leading from the upper part
of the dip to the horizontal pipe before mentioned.
Each upright pipe is furnished with a cock having a suitable lever for
opening and closing the same.
It will be seen from the foregoing that cach dip pipe is thus provided
with a bye-pass, the use of which and the apparatus generally is as
follows:-
-When the retort is charged, the lid closed, and the cock before
referred to open, the gas will rise in the ascension, pass into the dip
pipe, and from thence by its pressure will open the flap valve and
pass through the vertical and horizontal pipes to the conducting gas
main, thus obviating the pressure on the retort caused by the gas
in its effort to overcome the resistance of the liquid in the hydraulic
main.
When the retort is to be discharged, the pressure being removed, the
flap valve will fall and close the passage, so that the bye-pass being thus
shut no gas can escape or air enter the hydraulic in consequence of the
seal to the dip; in fact, when the bye-pass is closed the action of the
apparatus is exactly the same as that at present ordinarily used.
When a particular retort or bench of retorts is to be thrown out of
action for any considerable time the cock attached to the vertical pipe
may be closed so as to ensure greater security.
It is also proposed in some cases to attach the hanging flap valve
before mentioned to the dip pipe within the hydraulic main above the
water level, and in that case the vertical and horizontal pipes before
mentioned may be dispensed with, the gas passing into the hydraulic by
thrusting open the valve in preference to descending further into the dip
and through the liquid to the hydraulic main.
It will be seen that by closing the end of the dip the use of liquid in
what is now called the hydraulic main may be superseded.

page_text: By the adoption of these simple and economical means all the advan-
tages attendant upon the removal of the dip when working is secured.
The hanging flap valve as before described may also be used with
advantage for automatically regulating the pressure in street mains if
attached to a box or chamber having a moveable lid, and into which the
ends of the main are fixed, the valve being weighted or adjusted so as
to give the requisite pressure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William White in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 2nd May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WHITE, of Abersychan, near Pontypool, in the County of Monmouth,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William White, Her
special licence that I, the said William White, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William White,
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 Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE AND DISTRIBUTION OF
Gas,” upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
White, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 William White, do hereby declare

page_text: 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
This Invention has for its object the application of means whereby
the retorts when in action may be nearly or entirely relieved from
pressure of the gas due to the dip in the hydraulic main when dip pipes
as ordinarily constructed or arranged are employed, and consists in
attaching to the upper part of the hydraulic main, at any convenient
part, a horizontal pipe or tube running either the whole length of the
retort benches or divided into sections, each having a communication
with a conducting main leading to the condenser or other apparatus.
To each dip pipe is fixed a box or chamber containing a flap valve
peculiarly hinged and hung at a slight inclination to the vertical, and
from this chamber is a vertical tube or pipe leading from the upper part
of the chamber to the horizontal pipe before mentioned.
Each upright pipe may be furnished with a cock having a suitable
lever for opening and closing the same, or means herein-after described
may be used for shutting off the communication between the dip and the
conducting gas main.
It will be seen from the foregoing that each dip pipe is thus provided
with a bye-pass, the use of which and the apparatus generally is as
follows:-When the retort is charged, the lid closed, and the lever cock
before referred to, if used, is opened, the gas will rise in the ascension, 2
pass into the dip pipe, and from thence by its pressure will open the flap
valve and pass through the connecting pipes to the conducting, gas main,
thus obviating the pressure on the retort caused by the gas in its effort
to overcome the resistance of the liquid in the hydraulic main.
When the retort is to be discharged, the pressure being removed, the 3
flap valve will fall and close the passage so that the bye-pass being thus
shut, no gas can escape or air enter the hydraulic in consequence of the
seal to the dip, in fact, when the bye-pass is closed the action of the
apparatus is exactly the same as that at present ordinarily used.
It is also proposed in some cases to attach the hanging flap valve 3
before mentioned to the dip pipe within the hydraulic main above the
water level, and in that case the vertical and horizontal pipes before
2

page_text: mentioned may be dispensed with, the gas passing into the hydraulic by
thrusting open the valve in preference to descending further into the
dip and through the liquid to the hydraulic main.
It will be seen that by closing the end of the dip the use of liquid in
what is now called the hydraulic main may be superseded.
By the adoption of these simple and economical means all the advan-
tages attendant upon the removal of the dip when working is secured.
The hanging flap valve as before described may also be used with
advantage for automatically regulating the pressure in street mains if
attached to a box or chamber having a moveable lid, and into which the
ends of the main are fixed, the valve being weighted or adjusted so as
to give the requisite pressure.
In order that the foregoing may be more easily understood Drawings
are attached hereto, of which the following is a description.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus, the front of the valve
chamber being removed in order to see the construction and arrangement
of the valve.
Fig. 2 is a section of the dip pipe, part of the hydraulic main, valve
chamber and horizontal conducting gas pipe or main; Fig. 3 is a front
elevation of the same sort of valve applied to the dip pipe within the
hydraulic main; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same.
Fig. 5 is a section showing the arrangement by which such a valve-
may be used in connection with street mains for regulating the pressure
therein.
In Fig. 1, A is the dip pipe, open at bottom and allowed to enter and
be fixed to the hydraulic main in the usual way. Attached to the dip
pipe is a short pipe B, seen in Fig. 2, which connects the dip pipe with
the valve chamber C.
It will be observed that on looking at Fig. 2 that the seat of the
valve D is at a slight inclination from the vertical, so that the tendency
of the valve is to keep closed. E is a flap valve hung by a strap, which is
hinged both at F and G. This mode of hanging by double hinges
ensures the valve, which is faced, always coming into close contact with
the seat, and so producing a gas-tight joint, thus preventing the escape
of gas or admission of air when the retorts are open. H is a pipe

page_text: leading from the valve chamber to the pipe or gas-conducting main I,
which is in communication with the hydraulic main or condensers.
In order to afford greater security against the opening of the valve E
when the retorts are out of action a spindle J is provided which works
in a bearing K within the valve chamber, and passes through a stuffing
box L at the other end, and has at its extremity a heavy lever or
weight M. The spindle is furnished with two tongues or projecting
pins N, N, which, when the apparatus is in action, lie out of the way,
as depicted in Fig. 2, but when it is desired that the valve shall remain
closed the lever or weight M is turned in the opposite direction, thus
bringing the points of the tongues N, N, against the valve E with such
force as to withstand any pressure to which it may be subjected.
Another mode of ensuring the complete cutting-off of communication
between the dip and the conducting main I is by the insertion of a
lever cock in the pipe H at or about the point O.
In Figs. 3 and 4 the mode of attaching and applying the valve (which
is of the same character and construction as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2)
to the lower part of the dip within the hydraulic main is exhibited. In
both these Figures the valve is shown closed, but it will be readily per-
ceived that the pressure of the gas within the dip will act upon the
valve and force it open, as drawn in Fig. 2, so long as the pressure
necessary to open the valve is less than that required to overcome the
depth of the liquid seal at the bottom of the dip.
In Fig. 5 the mode of adapting the use of the valve to the automatic
regulation of pressure in street mains is shown. In this Figure P is the
inlet and the outlet connection, while R is a syphon box provided
with a syphon tube S. The regulation of the pressure is produced by
attaching weights to the valve E or subjecting it to the action of a
lever with a sliding weight, which may be adjusted so as to give
the pressure required.
In each of the Figs. similar letters indicate the same parts in each
of the views.
Although the Figures are drawn to scale it is not imperative that the
proportions of the various parts should be adhered to, as variations under
some circumstances may probably be made with advantage.

page_text: The use of a flap valve in connection with the dip, whether placed
inside or outside the hydraulic main or used in connection with street
mains, is not new, but the construction of the valve and the mode of
hanging it by a strap with double-hinged joints so as to ensure the proper
closing of the valve is new.
The general arrangement of the apparatus, as depicted in Fig. 5, is
also new.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confine
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
described or referred to, as variations may be made therein without
deviating from the principles or main features of this Invention, but
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to mo by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the construction of valves hung as described and shown on the
Drawings, as and for the purposes herein-before set forth, and the
general arrangement of the apparatus as described and shown in
Fig. 5.
In witness whereof, I, the said William White, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of May, in the year of our Lord