Improvements in Engine Governors or Speed Regulators.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 17th June, 1893-Accepted, 22nd July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Engine Governors or Speed Regulators.
We, JOHN PRENTICE, Farmer, and ANDREW PRENTICE, Engineer, both of
Westown, Thankerton, Lanarkshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to engine governors or speed regulators and it is a further
development of the fluid governor described in the Specification of our prior
invention No. 1620 of 1892.
In our said prior invention water or other fluid was forced into a closed tank or
reservoir which had a cylinder in connection with it and in the cylinder a piston
was fitted. The piston was, by the pressure of the confined water or other fluid,
forced out against the action of a spring or load whenever the speed of the engines
or prime movers exceeded the normal and this movement of the piston was utilized
to cut off or reduce the supply of steam to the engines or prime movers so as to
control their speed.
In the present invention the action is reversed, that is to say, the fluid is drawn
or sucked from the closed tank or reservoir, the supply of fluid to which is
regulated by a suitable device, and, if the speed of the main engines or prime
movers increases abnormally, the suction from is greater than the fluid supply to
said tank or reservoir, and, as a consequence, a vacuum or partial vacuum is created
in the closed tank, and the piston, against the action of a spring or other load, is
drawn, or more strictly sinks, under atmospheric pressure, into the cylinder. This
inward movement of the piston during abnormal seeds is used to cut off or reduce
the supply of steam to the main engines or prime movers and in this manner to-
control them.
In carrying out our present invention we use a tank, chamber, reservoir, or
equivalent which we term the "fluid reservoir" and which is supplied with water
or other fluid or fluids. The "fluid reservoir" is or may be open to the atmosphere.
From the fluid reservoir a pipe connection or connections passes or pass to a pump-
or pumps or their equivalent. From the pump or pumps another pipe connection
or connections passes or pass to a second tank or chamber (or there may be two or
more chambers) which we term the "suction chamber." This chamber is or may
be provided with a cylinder in which works, fluid tight, a piston or plunger; or the
suction chamber itself may have a piston or plunger in it. The piston or plunger,
which may be fitted with a spring, load, or device, which balances its weight, is
connected by any suitable devices, such as connecting links, with the valve or
valves which control the steam or other motive fluid supply to the main engines or
prime movers. From the suction chamber a pipe, which may be termed the
supply pipe," having a regulating cock, valve, or nozzle on it, is connected with
the Huid reservoir. The pumps have suitable ball or other valve arrangements for
controlling the passage of the circulating fluid to and from them.
The pumps may be driven by a belt pulley or other suitable mechanical device
from any suitable part of the main engines or prime movers.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:- When the engines or prime movers.
are started the pumps draw fluid from the fluid reservoir, along the supply pipe,.
into the suction chamber and from thence into the pumps from which the fluid is
again forced into the fluid reservoir. So long as the main engines run at the
desired uniform rate of speed this circulation of fluid is continuous and uniform, as
the amount of fluid, which is controlled by the regulating valve, entering the
suction chamber through the supply pipe is exactly equal to the amount drawn off*

page_text: from said chamber, and, as a consequence, the piston or plunger connected to the
supply valve of the main engine is perfectly steady. Should, however, the speed
of the engines increase beyond the normal limit, which is regulated by the amount
of fluid allowed to pass through the supply pipe into the suction chamber, then the
pumps act more rapidly and as a consequence the suction in the suction chamber is
increased and more fluid is drawn off, but, as the fluid supply is regulated to a
certain definite amount by the regulating valve or cock, there is no increased
supply to meet the increased demand, and, as a result, there is a smaller quantity
of fluid being supplied to the suction chamber than what is being drawn off,
consequently a vacuum or partial vacuum is created in the suction chamber and its
cylinder. As the vacuum increases the piston is forced, by the atmospheric
pressure, into its cylinder, and, in sinking, it actuates the valve of the main engine
so as to reduce the motive fluid supply. When the motive fluid supply is thus
reduced the speed of the main engines is slackened and the action of the pumps
are also reduced so that the abnormal demand for fluid from the suction chamber is
gradually reduced until it again reaches the normal.
It will be readily seen that by regulating the supply of fluid through the supply
pipe by means of the valve the speed of the main engines can be controlled.
The motion of the piston may be made to operate or act as a speed controller
for any shaft or shafts, or machine or machines, other than the primary shaft or
shafts of the prime mover or movers, so as to maintain an uniform rate of rotation
in a shaft or shafts, machine or machines, driven from another shaft with a varying
rate of rotation. Or to maintain any ratio or relative rate of rotation in the
driven shaft or shafts, machine or machines, to that of the driving shaft or shafts
that may be desired.
Two or more sets or combinations of this governor, motor, or speed controller
may be employed to regulate or control any shaft or shafts, machine or machines.
Instead of having only one fluid reservoir two or more may be used.
Dated this 20th day of September 1892.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
Glasgow and London, Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Engine Governors or Speed Regulators.
We, JOHN PRENTICE, Farmer, and ANDREW PRENTICE, Engineer, both of
Westown, Thankerton, Lanarkshire, 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 engine governors or speed regulators and it is a further
development of the fluid governor described in the Specification of our prior
invention No. 1620 of 1892.
In our said prior invention water or other fluid was forced into a closed chamber
or reservoir which had a cylinder in connection with it and in the cylinder a piston
was fitted.
The piston was, by the pressure of the confined water or other fluid,
forced out against the action of a spring or load whenever the speed of the engines
or prime movers exceeded the normal and this movement of the piston was utilized
to cut off or reduce the supply of steam to the engines or prime movers so as to
control their speed.
In the present invention the action is reversed, that is to say, the fluid is drawn
or sucked from the closed chamber or reservoir, the supply of fluid to which is
regulated by a suitable device, and, if the speed of the main engines or prime
movers increases abnormally, the suction from is greater than the fluid supply to
said tank or reservoir, and, as a consequence, a vacuum or partial vacuum is created
in the closed chamber, and the piston, against the action of a spring or other lead,
is drawn, or more strictly sinks, under atmospheric pressure, into the cylinder.

page_text: This inward movement of the piston during abnormal speeds is used to cut off or
reduce the supply of steam to the main engines or prime movers and in this manner
to control them.
This
In carrying out our present invention we use a tank, chamber, reservoir, or
equivalent which we term the "fluid reservoir" or "tank" and which is supplied
with water or other fluid or fluids. The "fluid reservoir" is or may be open to
the atmosphere. From the fluid reservoir a pipe connection or connections passes
or pass to a pump or pumps or their equivalent. From the pump or pumps another
pipe connection or connections passes or pass to a second tank or chamber (or there
may be two or more chambers) which we term the "suction chamber."
chamber is or may be provided with a cylinder in which works, fluid tight, a
piston or plunger; or the suction chamber itself may have a piston or plunger in it.
The piston or plunger, which may be fitted with a spring, load, or device, which
balances its weight, is connected by any suitable devices, such as connecting links,
with the valve or valves which control the steam or other motive fluid supply to the
main engines or prime movers. From the suction chamber a pipe, which may be
termed the "supply pipe," having a regulating cock, valve, or nozzle on it, is
connected with the fluid reservoir. The pumps have suitable ball or other valve
arrangements for controlling the passage of the circulating fluid to and from them.
The pumps may be driven by a belt pulley or other suitable mechanical device
from any suitable part of the main engines or prime movers.
And in order that our said invention may be properly understood, we have
hereunto appended two explanatory sheets of drawings, whereon,
Fig. is a side elevation of the apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a plan.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line - Fig. 1.
Referring to the drawings whereon the same reference letters wherever repeated
indicate the same parts.
a are
A is the fluid tank or reservoir forming the foundation of the apparatus.
air holes made in the sides of the tank. A' is the tank cover. B, B, C, C, are
the pumps. D is the cylindrical "suction" chamber. E is the cylinder fitted on
top of the suction chamber D. F is a pipe leading from the top of the chamber D
to the bottom of the tank A. G is a controlling cock fitted on said pipe F.
H, H, I, 1', are pipes which communicate, respectively, with the suction chamber D
and the pumps B, B₁ and C, C K, K, J, J, are pipes which connect,
respectively, the pumps B, B' and C, C', with the tank A. L, L, M, M', are the
pump plungers or rarns and they are connected by the link crossheads O, O', to the
pins P, P, of the cranks Q, Q', on the cross shaft R. S are the bearings of
the shaft. T is a belt pulley fitted on the shaft. bare stuffing boxes. c c' are ball
valves (shown in dotted lines) fitted in the valve casings d d¹. e is a piston working
in the cylinder E. e' is a collar on the piston. g is a spring interposed between
the collar and the top of the cylinder. The piston e is so connected, by links or
other suitable devices, to the valve for controlling the supply of steam or other
motive fluid to the main engines or prime mover that its inward motion shuts and
its outward motion opens the said valve. The spring g normally tends to press or
force outwards the piston e and therefore to keep open the supply valve of the
engines. h are screw plugs which can be removed so as to inspect, repair, or
replace the valves c.
The pulley T may be driven by means of a belt or the like from any suitable
part of the main engine or prime mover.
The construction of the apparatus constituting the present invention is, as will be
seen, the same as the apparatus described in the Specification of our prior Patent
No. 1620 of 1892 except that the pipe connections are differently arranged and that
the piston e is normally forced outwards instead of inwards. The action of the
machine is, however, reversed, it is as follows:
1
Before the main engines are started there is no suction in the chamber D and the
piston e is forced, by the spring e' out to its full extent. When the piston is in this

page_text: position, the controlling valve of the motive fluid supply to the main engines, is full
open. When the main engine is started, the shaft R is caused to revolve, by means
of the driving belt and belt pulley T, and operate the pumps which create a suction
and draw the water or other fluid from the tank A, through the pipe F into the
chamber D and from thence through the pipes H, H, I, I', passage ways i and
valves (indicated in dotted lines) to the suction chambers of the pumps.
From
the pumps the fluid is again forced, through the valves e and pipes J, J, K, K',
back to the tank A. The arrows indicate the course of travel of the fluid. The
inlet through the cock G is so adjusted and regulated, that, the supply of fluid
through said valte is insufficient to balance the amount drawn off from the
chamber D, and, as a consequence, a partial vacuum is created within said
chamber, and the piston e is sucked or drawn inwards, against the action of the
spring g, to such an extent, that the valve controlling the supply of motive fluid to
the main engines will just allow that quantity of fluid to pass which is necessary to
drive the said engines at the desired speed. So long as the engines run at the
normal or desired uniform rate of rotation, the suction in the chamber D will be
constant, and the piston e will remain steady. Should, however, the speed of the
engines increase beyond the normal, the pumps act more rapidly and increase the
vacuum or suction within the chamber D, and will therefore suck or pull further
inwards, the piston or plunger e, against the action of the spring g, thereby partially
or totally closing the valve for controlling the supply of motive fluid to the main
engines, until their speed is reduced to the normal. The slackening of the speed of
the main engines, reduces the speed of the pumps and therefore lessens the vacuum
within the chamber D, and, as a consequence, the action of the spring g will force
the piston e outwards, at the same time opening to its normal working position, the
supply controlling valve of the motive fluid of main engines.
Should the speed of the main engines be reduced below the normal, the speed of
the pumps will be reduced, and, as a consequence, there will be less suction or
vacuum within the chamber D. When the vacuum within the chamber is reduced
the action of the spring g will, of course, force the piston e outwards and open
further, or completely, the valve controlling the supply of motive fluid to the main
engines, thereby enabling said engines to overcome the resistance, which caused the
reduction of speed.
As the governing apparatus is, on the one hand, driven from the main engines,
and, on the other hand, it regulates the supply of motive fluid to said engines, it
follows that the engines and the governor have a mutually sympathetic action.
And, as the increase or decrease of vacuum within the chamber D, i.e., the outward
or inward motion of the piston e, takes place simultaneously with the increase or
decrease of the speed of the main engines, it follows, that it will be very sensitive
and efficient in its governing action.
It will be readily seen that by regulating the supply of fluid through the supply
pipe F by means of the cock G the speed of the main engines can be controlled.
The motion of the piston e may be made to operate or act as a speed controller
for any shaft or shafts, or machine or machines, other than the primary shaft or
shafts of the prime mover or movers, so as to maintain an uniform rate of rotation
in a shaft or shafts, machine or machines, driven from another shaft with a varying
rate of rotation. Or to maintain any ratio or relative rate of rotation in the driven
shaft or shafts, machine or machines, to that of the driving shaft or shafts that may
be desired.
Two or more sets or combinations of this governor, motor, or speed controller'
may be employed to regulate or control any shaft or shafts, machine or machines.
Instead of having only one fluid reservoir, A, two or more may be used.
If desired, the governor may be driven by toothed or friction gearing; or the
cranks and shaft on governor may be dispensed with, and the pump plungers driven
direct from cranks or eccentrics on the main engines.
Although we have shown on the drawings one method of carrying our invention
into effect or practice, we do not confine ourselves thereto, as the apparatus may,

page_text: manifestly, be constructed in various ways, without departing from the principle of
the invention.
Any other suitable and well known form of suction pumps may, if desired, be
substituted for the plunger pumps.
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. The general arrangement or combination of parts of the engine governor or
speed regulator, substantially as hereinbefore described and shown on the drawings
annexed.
2. An engine governor or speed regulator, wherein a fluid or a mixture of fluids
is used as the medium for producing suction within a chamber, and for drawing in
or operating a piston, or its equivalent, said piston being connected to and operating
the valve for controlling the motive fluid supply to the main engine or prime mover,
substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
3. An engine governor or speed regulator, consisting of a main fluid tank or
reservoir, from which fluid is drawn or sucked by means of pumps into a second
chamber having an operating piston connected to the valve controlling the supply
of motive fluid to the main engines, the inflow of fluid to the second chamber being
under control, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings
annexed.
.... 10th 1. f Tune 1902
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
Glasgow and London, Agent.