Year: 1885

page_text: I, OLIVER IMRAY of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to water meters of the turbine kind, that is to say, wherein
the flow of water causes a wheel to revolve, and the quantity is indicated by a
counter worked by the wheel. The object of the invention is to render the
apparatus very sensitive and capable of adjustment to suit various quantities of
liquid passing through it. In a hollow base the inflow is conducted through per-
forated filter plates to an annular passage formed in the upper part of the base, and
the outflow is conducted from a central circular opening in the upper part of the
base. Immediately over the annular passage is a casing the bottom of which forms
a cover plate having through it passages directed obliquely upwards and forwards
so that jets of liquid issuing from these impinge against obliquely set concave vanes
of a horizontal turbine wheel causing it to revolve within the casing. The vertical
spindle of the wheel passing up into a box above containing oil, by means of double
worm gearing gives slow rotation to another vertical spindle which extends up into
a glazed compartment at the top and has a pinion gearing with two wheels differing
by a tooth, for instance 99 and 100, so as to mark numbers of revolutions of the
turbine and hundreds of these numbers. When it is desired to have the quantity
of liquid indicated in measure, as, for example, gallons, the meter is tested to
ascertain the ratio of revolutions to gallons, and gearing is applied to the counter
working indices which mark the quantity. The number of jets that act on the
turbine may be made greater or less in the following manner. The cover plate
through which the jets pass is made originally with as many jet holes as it will
accomodate, but under these there is a sheet of caoutchouc which makes good the
joint of the plate to the base. This sheet of caoutchouc if entire, would close access
to all the jet holes, but by cutting through it holes, passage may be given for any
desired number of the jets according as a less or greater quantity of liquid is
intended to pass through the meter. A farther adjustment is made by arranging in
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page_text: the jet holes inclined flaps of caoutchouc that can by screws be set to throttle more
or less the apertures of these holes. When the meter is applied to measure the
flow of liquid along a pipe or conduit, a tube leading into the annular passage of
the apparatus extends down into the pipe or conduit presenting a trumpet mouth
towards the current, and another tube from the central passage of the apparatus
presents its mouth away from the current. Thus a portion of the flowing liquid is-
made to pass through the apparatus which, by its counter can be made to indicate
approximately the total flow.
I OLIVER IMRAY of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 water meters of the turbine kind, that is to say, wherein
the flow of water causes a wheel to revolve, and the quantity is indicated by a
counter worked by the wheel. The object of the invention is to render the
apparatus very sensitive and capable of adjustment to suit various quantities of
liquid passing through it. In a hollow base the inflow is conducted through per-
forated filter plates to an annular passage formed in the upper part of the base, and
the outflow is conducted from a central circular opening in the upper part of the
base. Immediately over the annular passage is a casing the bottom of which forms
a cover plate having through it passages directed obliquely upwards and forwards
so that jets of liquid issuing from these impinge against obliquely set concave vanes
of a horizontal turbine wheel causing it to revolve within the casing. The vertical
spindle of the wheel passing up into a box above containing oil, by means of double
worm gearing gives slow rotation to another vertical spindle which extends up into
a glazed compartment at the top and has a pinion gearing with two wheels differing
by a tooth, for instance, 99 and 100, so 'as to mark numbers of revolutions of the
turbine and hundreds of these numbers. When it is desired to have the quantity
of liquid indicated in measure as, for example, gallons, the meter is tested to
ascertain the ratio of revolutions to gallons, and gearing is applied to the counter,
working indices which mark the quantity. The number of jets that act on the
turbine may be made greater or less in the following manner. The cover plate
through which the jets pass is made originally with as many jet holes as it will
accommodate, but under these there is a sheet of caoutchouc which makes good the
L

page_text: joint of the plate to the base. This sheet of caoutchouc, if entire, would close access
to all the jet holes, but by cutting through it holes, passage may be given for any
desired number of the jets according as a less or greater quantity of liquid is
intended to pass through the meter. A farther adjustment is made by arranging in
the jet holes inclined spring flaps, that can by screws be set to throttle more or less
the apertures of these holes. When the meter is applied to measure the flow of
liquid along a pipe or conduit a tube leading into the annular passage of the
apparatus extends down into the pipe or conduit presenting a trumpet mouth
towards the current and another tube from the central passage of the apparatus
presents its mouth away from the current. Thus a portion of the flowing liquid is
made to pass through the apparatus which by its counter can be made to indicato
approximately the total flow.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical section of a meter according
to this invention. E is the hollow base on which is fixed the casing O containing
in its lower part the turbine A and in its upper part the gearing for the counter
immersed in oil K. The water entering as indicated by the arrow m passes
through gratings in the annular channel H and issues through the apertures a in
jets directed upwards and forwards as indicated by the arrows so as to impinge
on the curved blades y of the turbine causing it to revolve. The water passes
away from the turbine as indicated by the arrows n n. Under the flange M of the
casing C is a caoutchouc washer J to make good the joint and to close as many as
may be desired of the jet apertures a. When the meter is intended to measure a
comparatively small quantity of water only a few of the apertures a are opened by
making holes through the washer J immediately under them. When the meter is
intended to measure large quantities of fluid, the number of holes through the
washer is increased. Thus one meter of definite size can be readily suited to
measure different quantities of water, each acting jet being nevertheless directed
in the best way. For more minute adjustment spring flaps inserted in some of
the passages a can be bent more or less inwards by screws 1 worked from the
outside, so as to contract more or less the jet orifices. The spindle of the turbine
passes up into the oil box K and by a worm b upon it works a worm wheel c. The
spindle of c by a worm e works a second worm wheel f, and the spindle g of this
wheel extends up to the dial box which is covered by a glass. In the dial box a
pinion on the spindle g gearing with two wheels D differing by 1 in the number
of their teeth, causes the indices worked by these wheels to give indication on the
dial of the number of revolutions of the turbine, and a multiple thereof. When it
is desired to have the quantity of liquid registered in gallons or other units of
measure, the gearing may be varied as shewn partly in section by Fig. 2 and in
plan by Fig. 3. The pinion h, instead of gearing directly with the two toothed
wheels, works an intermediate wheel q, having on its axis a pinion which gears
with those wheels. The intermediate wheel q is mounted on an arm i which can
be turned round the centre o of the index wheels and clamped by a set screw, so as
to maintain h and q in gear.
Fig. 4 shews the meter applied to measure the current in a large pipe A¹ which
is made with a T branch B₁ covered by O¹ the base which supports the casing D¹
of the meter. The current entering as indicated at El flows partly through a
grating a¹ into the trumpet mouth G₁, up the pipe F into the annular passage H¹,
and, after working the turbine, the fluid descends by the pipe K'. Obviously this
form of the apparatus may be used on board a vessel to indicate its speed, the
trumpet mouth G' being presented forwards in the water in which the vessel moves
or in a casing through which the water is free to flow.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The construction of water meter, substantially as herein described with
reference to the accompanying drawings,

page_text: 2. As means of adapting á meter of given size to varying quantities of fluid, the
combination of the annular channel H, the numerous jet passages a and the washer J
that can be pierced with a less or greater number of holes so as to render a greater
or less number of jets available, substantially as described.
3. For delicate adjustment from the exterior, the combination of the spring
blades and setting screws with the jet passages a, substantially as described.
4. For adapting the meter to indicate units of measure, the arrangement of
gearing described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3.
5. For adapting the meter to indicate velocity of current, the combination there-
with of the trumpet mouthed flow pipe F¹ and return pipe K³, substantially as 1
described with reference to Fig. 4.