IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM REDUCING VALVES
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Wright at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th November 1880.
25
JOSEPII WRIGHT, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford. 'IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM REDUCING VALVES."
My Invention relates to improvements in steam reducing valves, whereby steam
is reduced to a minimum of pressure or to a vacuum of any required degree, whilst
the construction of the valve is such that its liability to derangement is entirely
obviated or greatly diminished.
In carrying out my Invention I employ an inverted vessel, similar to an ordinary
gas holder, which is mounted within a chamber, so as to be capable of rising
and falling, and is immersed at its lower extremity in water or other suitable
liquid.
Through the bottom of the chamber and extending up within the inverted vessel
is a pipe, which serves as a passage for the ingress and egress of steam. The valve
is connected by a rod passing loosely through a lid at the upper part of the
chamber to a weighted lever mounted on a movable centre or fulcrum, which lever
is in its turn connected to a valve at the exterior, which controls the admission of
the high pressure steam.
The weight on the lever is adjusted according to the reduced pressure of steam
or vacuum required. When therefore the high pressure steam is admitted through
the controlling valve, a portion of such steam passes into the inverted vessel,
thereby raising it, and consequently causing the weighted lever to act upon the
controlling valve and reduce the quantity of steam admitted or entirely intercept
the same, the inverted vessel again descending by the pressure of the atmosphero
thereon when the steam condenses in its interior, and opening the controlling valve
so as to admit steam or an increased quantity thereof.
This apparatus is particularly applicable in conjunction with what are known
as Berryman's feed water heaters, in which case it is used for regulating the flow
of live steam to the tubes of the heater either alone or in conjunction with exhaust
steam. The valve may also be applied to any other purpose for which reducing
valves are required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Joseph Wright in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th May
1881.
JOSEPH WRIGHT, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford.
STEAM REDUCING VALVES."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
Mp said Invention relates to improvements in steam reducing valves, whereby
stean is reduced to a minimum of pressure or to a vacuum of any required degree,
whilst the construction of the valve is such that its liability to derangement is
entirely obviated or greatly diminished.
In carrying out my said Invention I employ an inverted vessel, similar to an
ordinary gas holder which is mounted within a chamber, so as to be capable of
rising and falling, and is immersed at its lower extremity in water or other suitable
liquid.
Through the bottom of the chamber and extending up within the inverted vessel
is a pipe, which serves as a passage for the ingress and egress of steam. The valve
is connected by a rod passing loosely through a lid at the upper part of the chamber
to a weighted lever mounted on a moving centre or fulcrum, which lever is in its
turn connected to a valve at the exterior, which controls the admission of the high
pressure steam.
The weight on the lever is adjusted according to the reduced pressure of steam
or vacuum required. When therefore the high pressure steam is admitted through
the controlling valve, a portion of such steam passes into the inverted vessel,
thereby raising it, and consequently causing the weighted lever to act upon the
controlling valve and reduce the quality of steam admitted or entirely intercept
the same, the inverted vessel again descending by the pressure of the atmosphere
thereon when the steam condenses in its interior, and opening the controlling valve
so as to admit steam or an increased quantity thereof.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the accompanying Drawing, which represents a section of a steam reducing valve
constructed according to my said Invention.
a is an inverted vessel (similar to an ordinary gas holder) which is mounted
within a chamber b so as to be capable of rising and falling, and is immersed at its
lower extremity in water or other suitable liquid.
Through the bottom of the chamber b, and extending up within the inverted
vessel a, is a pipe c, which serves as a passage for the ingress and egress of steam.
The vessel a is connected by a rod d, passing loosely through a lid eat the upper
part of the chamber b to a weighted lever mounted on a centre or fulcrum g, the
latter being pivotted at g¹ so as to admit of the necessary motion or play.
The lover is in its turn connected by a rod h to a valve i at the exterior, which
controls the admission of the high pressure steam.
The weight f¹ on the lever is adjusted at either side of the fulcrum g,
according to the reduced pressure of steam or vacuum required. When therefore
the high pressure steam is admitted through the controlling valve i a portion
of such steam passes into the inverted vessel a, thereby raising it, and conse-
quently causing the weighted lever f to act upon the controlling valve i, and
reduce the quantity of steam admitted, or entirely intercept the same, the inverted
vessel a again descending by the pressure of the atmosphere thercon when the
steam condenses in its interior, and opening the controlling valve i, so as to admit
steam or an increased quantity thereof.
This apparatus is particularly applicable in conjunction with what are known
as Berryman's feed water heaters, in which case it is used for regulating the flow

page_text: of live steam to the tubes of the heater either alone or in conjunction with exhaust
steam. The valve may also be applied to any other purpose for which steam
reducing valves are required.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
The combination in a steam reducing valve of the inverted vessel a dipping in
water or other liquid contained in a chamber b, the pipe c, weighted lover f, moving
centre or fulcrum g, and valve i, the said parts being arranged and combined
together so as to operate substantially in the manner hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Wright, have to this my Specification
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of March, One thousand eight hundred
and eighty one.
JOSEPH WRIGHT. (L.S.)