Safety Fittings for Water Gas Generators.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 23rd June, 1896-Accepted, 25th July, 1396
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Safety Fittings for Water Gas Generators.
I, SAMUEL CUTLER, Engineer, of Providence Iron Works, Millwall, in the County,
of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the manufacture of water gas it is usual to alternately admit air and steam to
the generators, the former for the purpose of raising the fuel therein to incandescence
and the latter for gas making. It is important that while air is being admitted the.
steam passages should be closed or a highly explosive mixture of gas and air may be
formed and pass through the air mains into the machinery rooms.
The object of this invention is to render impossible the simultaneous opening of
both air and steam valves and thereby obviate such occurence and consists essentially
in providing an interlocking device operated by the steam valve controlling mechanism
in such manner that when the steam valve is open the air valve is locked in its closed
position and vice versa.
In one arrangement of interlocking device constructed according to this invention,
I connect the rod, lever or other means for controlling the steam valves to a series
of reciprocating locking rods or bolts through screw, rack, lever or other suitable
connecting gear so that the act of opening or closing the steam valves causes the
said rods or bolts to be correspondingly and simultaneously reciprocated forwards or
backwards.
or
The air valves being closed the opening of the corresponding steam valves causes
the reciprocating rod or bolt to be simultaneously projected into slots or recesses
or otherwise to engage in the spindles or other connecting parts of the air valves
and prevent them from being moved until the steam valves are again closed and the
reciprocating rods withdrawn. I arrange the slots or recesses in the spindles.
other connecting parts of the air valves in such positions that the reciprocating
rods can only be projected into them when the valves are fully closed and as it is
impossible to open the steam valves except when the said slots or recesses are opposite
the reciprocating rods it is obvious that under no circumstances can air and steam
valves be open at the same time.
Dated this 23rd day of September 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
Safety Fittings for Water Gas Generators.
I SAMUEL CUTLER, Engineer, of Providence Iron Works, Millwall, in the County
of London, 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:-
In the manufacture of water gas it is usual to alternately admit air and steam to
the generators, the former for the purpose of raising the fuel therein to incandescence
and the latter for gas making. It is important that while air is being admitted the

page_text: steam passages should be closed or a highly explosive mixture of gas and air may be
formed and which if so formed may cause damage..
The object of this invention is to render impossible the simultaneous opening of
both air and steam valves and thereby obviate such occurence and consists essentially
in providing an interlocking device operated by the steam valve controlling mechanism
in such manner that when the steam valve is open the air valve is locked in its closed
position and vice versa.
In one arrangement of interlocking device constructed according to this invention,
I connect the rod, lever, or other means for controlling the steam valves to a series
of reciprocating locking rods or bolts through screw, rack, lever or other suitable
connecting gear so that the act of opening or closing the steam valves causes the
said rods or bolts to be correspondingly and simultaneously reciprocated forwards
or backwards.
The air valves being closed the opening of the corresponding steam valve causes
the reciprocating rods or bolts to be simultaneously projected into slots or recesses,
or otherwise to engage in the spindles or other connecting parts of the air valves
and prevent them from being moved until the steam valves are again closed and the
reciprocating rods withdrawn. I arrange the slots or recesses in the spindles or
other connecting parts of the air valves in such positions that the reciprocating rods
can only be projected into them when the valves are fully closed, and as it is
impossible to open the steam valves except when the said slots or recesses are
opposite the reciprocating rods it is obvious that under no circumstances can air
and steam valves be open at the same time.
The accompanying drawing represents, diagramatically, an elevation of one
arrangement of fittings, for a single steam and air valve, according to this
invention.
The air valve a is connected by a rod to an operating lever c, and has formed
in it a hole d through which a reciprocating rode, working in guides f, is free to
pass when the said air valve a is closed. The steam valve g is operated by a hand
lever h provided with a slot i in which a pin l, in the aforesaid reciprocating rod e,
travels so that the act of opening the steam valve g also causes the rod e to slide in
its guides and into the hole or slot d and thereby lock the air valve a in its closed
position. The act of closing steam valve withdraws the bolt or rod and allows the
air valve to be opened.
It will be seen that the steam valve cannot be opened unless the position of the
vertical rod 6 is such that the hole d in same is opposite to the reciprocating rod e,
that is, when the air valve is closed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed. I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In water gas generators, preventing the simultaneous opening of the steam and
air valves by means of locking rods engaging with the air valve controlling
mechanism, and being automatically operated by the steam valve controlling
mechanism substantially as described.
2. Safety fittings for water gas generators arranged, constructed and operating
substantially as described with.reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of June 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents..