Improvements in Thermostatic Gas Regulators.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Thermostatic Gas Regulators.
I, JOHN SEKLY COE, of Paterson, in the County of Passaic and State of New
Jersey, United States of America, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide, in apparatus which is heated by gas
(a gas-heated boiler or water-heating apparatus, for example), for so automatically
regulating the supply of gas as to meet requirements.
In carrying out my invention, I employ a valve box containing the gas regu-
lating valve and the seat therefor. Across this box is a partition, on one side of
which is the gas inlet, and on the other side of which is the valve seat and the
outlet to the burner. The valve is of the puppet kind. Its seat may consist of a
ing of soft metal or suitable material inserted into a groove in a cap, which is
screwed into the top of the box, and in which there are ports which are always
in communication with the gas inlet, but are shut off from the outlet when the
valve is seated.
The
In connection with the valve is a thermostat, consisting of two active members,
composed of any two materials of different degrees of expansibility by heat, one
being, say, a tube of copper or brass, and the other a rod of iron within said tube,
one end of said rod being fastened to a plug which closes the corresponding end
of the tube. The other end of the tube is screwed tightly into a hollow head piece,
which also carries the valve box. Through this head piece of the thermostat there
passes a spindle which forms a connection between the gas valve and the longer
arm of an elbow lever which works on a fulcrum within the valve box.
shorter arm of this lever is connected with the iron rod of the thermostat by a pin.
The head of this rod is so fitted to the interior of the copper tube, that the said rod
may move freely in a longitudinal direction without material lateral vibration.
The upper part of the valve spindle, which is bored to receive the stem of the
valve, works through the bottom of the valve box, and through a guide, which
consists of fixed socket projecting upwards within the valve box. Over this
socket is screwed a cap, which constitutes a guide for the valve stem, and a stop
to limit the descent or opening of the valve. The valve spindle passes through
the longer arm of the elbow lever, and also through an opening in the bottom of
the hollow head piece of the thermostat, the portion of the said spindle which
passes through the said lever, and the corresponding opening in the lever, being
flattened; to prevent the turning of the spindle. At some distance above the elbow
lever, the valve spindle is provided with a shoulder, between which and the lever
a coil spring is applied around the spindle. Under the said lever there is fitted to
the spindle a sleeve, the upper end of which abuts against the under side of the
lever, and the lower end of which passes through an opening in the bottom of the
head piece. Below this sleeve, a nut is fitted to the screw-threaded lower end of
the stem, which projects through the said sleeve. The said spring holds up the
valve spindle as high as permitted by the sleeve. The screwing up of the nut

page_text: Fig. 3 a detail view which will be hereinafter explained.
Fig. 4 represents an elevation of a gas-heated house-boiler, having the thermo-
static gas regulator applied.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The
A is a valve box containing the regulating valve B, and the seat C therefor.
Across this box is a partition, on one side of which is the gas inlet b, and on the
other side of which is the valve seat C and the outlet e to the burner.
valve B is of the puppet kind. Its seat is represented as consisting of a ring of
soft metal or suitable material inserted into a groove in a cap D, which is screwed
into the top of the box, and in which there are ports d, which are always in com-
munication with the gas inlet b, but are shut off from the outlet c, when the valve
is seated.
E and F constitute the two active members of a thermostat, composed of any two
materials of different degrees of expansibility by heat, E being represented as a
tube of copper or brass, and F a rod of iron within said tube, one end of said rod
being fastened to a plug e, which closes the corresponding end of the tube. The
other end of the tube E is screwed tightly into a hollow head piece G, which also
carries the valve box A, the latter being screwed into the said head piece at f.
Through this head-piece G of the thermosat, there passes a spindle H, which forms
a connection between the valve B and the longer arm of an elbow lever I, which
works on a fulcrum g fixed within the head-piece. The shorter arm of this
lever H is connected with the rod F of the thermostat by a pin h. The head t of
this rod is so fitted to the interior of the tube E, that the said rod may move
freely in a longitudinal direction without material lateral vibration.
The upper part of the valve spindle H, which is bored to receive the stem k
of the valve B, works through the bottom of the valve box A, and through a
guide which consists of a fixed socket i projecting upwards within the valve box.
Over this socket is screwed a cap j, which constitutes a guide for the valve stem k,
and a stop to limit the descent or opening of the valve. The valve spindle H
passes through the longer arm of the lever I, and also through an opening in the
bottom of the hollow head-piece G of the thermostat, the portion of the said spindle
which passes through the said lever, and the corresponding opening in the lever,
being flattened, as shown in Fig. 3, which represents a plan of said lever and a
section of the spindle, to prevent the turning of the spindle. At some distance
above the lever I, the spindle H is provided with a shoulder / between which
and the lever a coil spring m is applied around the spindle. Under the lever I
there is fitted to the spindle a sleeve n, the upper end of which abuts against the
under side of the lever, and the lower end of which passes through an opening
in the bottom of the head-piece G. Below this sleeve n, a nut o is fitted to the
screw-threaded lower end of the stem, which projects through the said sleeve. The
said spring m holds up the valve spindle as high as permitted by the sleeve n. The
screwing up of the nut o draws down the spindle H relatively to the valve stem,
so as to adjust a spaces (see Fig. 1), which is left between the lower end of the
valve stem and the bottom of the bore of the spindle H which receives said stem.
This adjustment is to regulate the degree of heat at which the thermostat is to
close the valve, as will be hereinafter explained. The nut o is covered and pro-
tected by a cap P, which is screwed to the head piece G. The head-piece is
represented as provided with a screw g, through which it is to be attached to the
apparatus containing the water or body to be heated, as, for example, to the
boiler J, Fig. 4, in such manner that the tube. E projects into the said water or
body. In this figure, K represents the gas burner, to which gas for heating the
boiler is supplied by the pipe c.
The operation of the regulator is as follows:-So long as the liquid or body to
be heated remains below the temperature required, the parts remain in the relative
positions shown in Fig. 1, that is to say, the valve B remains open at rest on the
stationary, but adjustable guide cap j, and the spindle H is held by the thermostat
lever I in such position that there remains a space at s between the bottom of the