Improvements in Reducing Valves.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Reducing Valves.
We, ALBERT EDWARD SEATON, of Wilton House, Hull, Civil Engineer, and
JOHN EDWARD LEWIS OGDEN, of Penshurst, Vernon Road, Leytonstone, London,
N.E., Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement
of reducing valves for use in connection with high pressure steam and for like
purposes, the object being to produce a valve which shall have a positive fluid
controlled pressure for the steam to operate against, instead of against a dia-
phragm spring or springs, in the manner commonly employed in ordinary reducing
valves at present in use.
Our invention is particularly applicable to valves constructed in the manner
set forth in the Specification of Ogden's Patent No. 1747 of 1893, although we
do not limit the application of our invention to such type of valve.
In carrying our invention into effect when constructing a reducing valve in
which a pilot or inner operating valve is placed within the main valve in the
manner described in the Specification No. 1747 of 1893 hereinbefore referred to,
we preferably employ a piston or equilibrium type of main valve, and allow the
spindle of the pilot valve to project below and to pass through the end of the
chamber in which the piston portion of the equilibrium valve works. On the
extended portion of this pilot valve spindle we attach a smaller controlling piston
or diaphragm which is free to work in a chamber formed in the lower portion
of the body of the valve. From this chamber or cylinder we construct a pas-
sage or port which communicates direct to the outlet passage or reduced delivery
branch of the valve.
Against the underside of this controlling piston diaphragm we allow a column
or body of water or liquid to pass with an intensity determined by means of com-
pressed air contained in an attached air vessel.
We form the lower end of the controlling piston chamber with a flange suitable
for receiving a specially constructed compressed air vessel; and in order that as
far as possible the heat from the valve may be cut off from the air vessel, we
interpose asbestos or like nonconducting material between the flanges or jointing
surfaces.
The air vessel we provide with two chambers which we connect together by
means of a central stem or tube formed in one with the vessel or separately
attached thereto; the lower end of this hollow stem being arranged to receive
an ordinary slot valve for shutting off communication between the two chambers
when so desired by means of an externally operated ordinary lever handle or
screwed spindle. In the lower end of the air vessel we place liquid which passes
upwards through the hollow stem into the space beneath the operating piston or
diaphragm, and on the surface of the liquid within the vessel we cause com-
pressed air to act with a pressure determined by means of an ordinary hand or

page_text: other air pump attached to the air vessel chamber. To show the pressure of the
compressed air within the vessel we mount a pressure gauge upon it, and also
attach a gauge glass, and cocks to indicate the level of the liquid within the
chamber of the air vessel.
Instead of employing an ordinary hand or other pump for compressing the air
we may utilise the steam from the valve to do this, by means of a branch pipe
and valve connection to admit of the steam passing direct to the air vessel or
direct to the plunger of the air pump as may be desired for any particular pur-
pose, or special form of valve which is to be produced.
When applying our improved compressed air chamber to a reducing valve in
which an ordinary piston or equilibrium valve is employed with the high pres-
sure steam acting between the faces or between the piston and the underside of
the valve face; we attach our air vessel and fluid chamber with its pump, pres-
sure gauge, and gauge glasses, arranged and fitted in the manner hereinbefore
described to the flange formed upon the body of the valve; interposing noncon-
ducting material between the faces. The liquid from the air vessel chamber we
allow to act beneath the piston of the equilibrium valve, the pressure of the air
being produced by the pump or by the steam in the manner herein before
described. To relieve the chamber, we attach a spring loaded relief valve having
a drain connection formed upon it leading preferably to the hot well. To prevent
a chattering of the main valve we sometimes place a spring to act upon the upper
portion of the face of the valve thus tending to keep it upon its seat.
We modify the form of our valve chamber and the arrangement of the com-
pressed air vessel and its fittings to suit the type and size of reducing valve which
is to be constructed and for the purposes for which it is intended.
Improvements in Reducing valves.
We, ALBERT EDWARD SEATON, of Wilton House, Hull, in the County of York,
Civil Engineer, and JoHN EDWARD LEWIS OGDEN, of Penshurst, Vernon Road,
Leytonstone, London, N.E., Engineer, 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 improvements in the construction and arrangement
of reducing valves for use in connection with high pressure steam and for like
purposes, the object being to produce a valve which shall have a positive fluid
controlled pressure for the steam to operate against, instead of against a dia-
phragm spring or springs in the manner commonly employed in ordinary reducing
valves at present in use.
Our invention is particularly applicable to valves constructed in the manner
set forth in the Specification of Ogden's Patent No. 1747 of 1893, although we
do not limit the application of our invention to such type of valve.
In the accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings.
Figure
is a sectional elevation of one arrangement of our improved valve in
which the central pilot valve is employed.
Figure is a part sectional elevation of our improved arrangement applied to a
piston balanced valve,

page_text: Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 show modifications of the method of applying our
improvements to suit different forms of main valves.
In carrying our invention into effect when constructing a reducing valve in
which a pilot or inner operating valve is placed within the main valve in the
manner described in the Specification No. 1747 of 1893 hereinbefore referred to,
we preferably employ a piston or equilibrium type of main valve A as shown
in Figure 1, and allow the spindle B of the pilot valve to project below and to
pass through the end of the chamber C in which the piston portion A¹ of the
equilibrium valve A works. On the extended portion of this pilot valve spindle
we attach a smaller controlling piston D or diaphragm which is free to work in a
chamber C¹ formed in the lower portion of the body of this valve. From this cham-
ber or cylinder we construct a passage or port C which communicates direct to
the outlet passage or reduced delivery branch E of the valve.
Against the underside of this controlling piston D or diaphragm we allow a
column or body of water or liquid F to pass with an intensity determined by
means of compressed air contained in an attached air vessel G.
We form the lower end of the controlling piston chamber with a flange
suitable for receiving a specially constructed compressed air vessel G; and in
order that as far as possible the heat from the valve may be cut off from the air
vessel, we interpose asbestos or like nonconducting material 9 between the flanges
or joining surfaces.
!
The air vessel G we provide with two chambers G1, G2 which we connect
together by means of a central stem or tube H formed in one with the vessel or
separately attached thereto; the lower end of this hollow stem H being arranged
to receive an ordinary stop valve K for shutting off communication between the
two chambers G1, G2 when so desired by means of an externally operated ordinary
lever handle or screwed spindle k. In the lower end G2 of the air vessel we
place liquid L which passes upwards through the hollow stem H into the space
beneath the operating piston or diaphragm. D and on the surface of the liquid L
within the vessel we cause compressed air to act with a pressure determined by
means of an ordinary hand or other air forcing or compressing device or pump M
attached to the, or communicating with air vessel chamber. To show the pres-
sure of the compressed air within the vessel we mount a pressure gauge N upon
it, and also attach a gauge glass O, and cocks to indicate the level of the
liquid L within the chamber of the air vessel G².
Instead of employing an ordinary pump M worked by hand or from the engine
shafting, or other motor for compressing the air we may utilise the steam from
the valve to do this, by means of a branch pipe and valve connection P to admit
of the steam passing direct to the air vessel or direct to the plunger of the air
pump as may be desired for any particular purpose or for any special form of
valve which is to be produced.
When applying our improved compressed air chamber to a reducing valve in
which an ordinary piston or equilibrium valve is employed with the high pressure
steam acting between the faces or between the piston and the underside of the
valve face as shown in Figure 2 we attach our air vessel and fluid chamber with
its pump, pressure gauge, and gauge glasses arranged and fitted in the manner
herein before described to the flange formed upon the body of the valve; inter-
posing nonconducting material between the faces. The liquid F from the air
vessel chamber G¹ we allow to act beneath the piston A³ of the equilibrium valve,
the pressure of the air being produced by the pump or by the steam in the
manner hereinbefore described. To relieve the chamber, we attach a spring loaded
relief valve R having a drain S connection formed upon it leading preferably to
the hot well. To prevent a chattering of the main valve A we sometimes place
a spring T to act upon the upper portion of the face of the valve thus tending
to keep it upon its seat.
When constructing our improved valve with a diaphragm instead of a piston I)
we prefer to arrange it in the manner shown in Figure 3 in which B is the

page_text: extended pilot valve spindle having a lengthening piece B₁ when such is most
convenient attached to it in any ordinary manner. To the end of this extended
valve spindle or stem we secure a diaphragm or washer D¹ of india rubber, corru-
gated metal, or other suitable material. The column of liquid acts both above
and below this diaphragm, the pressure of the air within the chamber G being
conveyed through M' and produced as hereinbefore described for the valve as
shown in Figures 1 and 2.
To determine the height of the liquid in the chamber G2 we place a relief
valve R¹ at a position where it may serve also an overflow valve thus enabling
us to dispense with the gauge glass indicator. We control the flow of liquid L
from the chamber G2 to the underside of the diaphragm D¹ by means of any
ordinary stop or other suitable valve U.
In Figure 4 we illustrate the arrangement of our fittings as shown in Figure 3
but applied to an ordinary double beat valve A3 while in Figure 5 we show the
same application of our improved system of controlling the movements of valves
applied to an ordinary piston valve A.
Figure 6 being a sectional plan of the piston valve chamber.
We modify the form of our valve chamber and the arrangement of the com-
pressed air vessel and its fittings to suit the type and size of the valve which
is to be constructed and for the purposes for which it is intended.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is: -
-
1. In reducing valves for steam and like elastic fluids the combination with a
main or ordinary valve of an air chamber or vessel for controlling the pressure
upon a fluid which acts against a piston or diaphragm attached to or carried upon
the spindle or extended spindle of the reducing valves, substantially as and for
the purposes hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying draw-
ings.
2. In reducing valves the combination with the main valves of an air chamber
having a supplementary fluid chamber formed within, upon or in connection there-
with for transmiting the pressure of the air on to the liquid or on to a diaphragm
or piston connected to the spindle of the valve, substantially as hereinbefore
described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The improvements in the means for controlling and checking the move-
ments of valves upon their seats or within their working barrels or piston cham-
bers, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompany-
ing drawings.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and 25, Cross Street, Manchester,
Agents.