IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS OR REGULATORS FOR REGULATING THE PRESSURE OF GAS, AS IT PASSES FROM THE MAIN OR OTHER PIPES TO THE BURNERS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS OR
REGULATORS FOR REGULATING THE PRESSURE OF GAS, AS IT PASSES FROM
THE MAIN OR OTHER PIPES TO THE BURNERS."-A communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 2nd October 1852.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS OR REGULATORS FOR.
REGULATING THE PRESSURE OF GAS, AS IT PASSES FROM THE MAIN OR OTHER
PIPES TO THE BURNERS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is so to regulate the pressure of the
stream of gas that passes from the main or supply pipe to the burners
that a constant and uniform flow may be always maintained, whereby

page_text: any irregularity in the height of the flame will be prevented, and at the
same time considerable economy in the consumption of the gas will
result. This object is effected by causing the gas to pass through a pipe
or chamber, in which is mounted a vibrating lever, carrying at one end
a valve, and at the other end an inverted cup or gasometer, arranged in
such a manner that the pressure of the street main may act upon the
under surface of the valve, and thereby tend, in combination with the
counterweight, to keep it open, while the pressure of the house main,
which acts simultaneously on the upper surface of the valve and under
side of the gasometer or inverted cup, will tend to close the valve. By
this means an open area equal only to admit of the passage of the
required amount of gas will be maintained, and thus the supply will be
kept constant and regular.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 2nd April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, .of the Oflice for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her especial
licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS OR REGULATORS FOR REGULATING

page_text: THE PRESSURE OF GAS, AS IT PASSES FROM THE MAIN OR OTHER PIPES TO
THE BURNERS," being a communication from abroad, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should parti-
cularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
relates to a method of regulating or governing the pressure of gas at the
burners, so that the gas may issue therefrom, with a regular pressure,
irrespective of the varying pressure in the main and of the number of
burners used. It is known that the pressure of gas in the main changes
considerably from various causes; and that this variation is increased in
the branches by the varying quantity of gas consumed; and it is also
known that these variations are wasteful of gas.
As the object is to govern the pressure of the gas supplied to. the
burners, the valve which governs the aperture leading from the main to
the branches should be governed by the pressure of the gas in the
branches, that is, by the gas after it has passed the valve, reducing the
aperture when the pressure is too great to reduce the supply, and
enlarging it to increase the supply when the pressure is too low.
'
Various devices have been invented to effect this object. A valve
governing the aperture for the passage of the gas has been connected
with a disc, presenting its surface to the pressure of the gas in the branch,
that is, to the pressure of the gas after it has passed the valve, so that
when the pressure increases, the surface of the disc being larger than
the surface of the valve, this increased pressure on the disc should pre-
ponderate and close the valve, and permit it to open again as the pressure:

page_text: is reduced by the reduction of the supply. This, however, is defective,
for the reason that the, two, surfaces of the valve are exposed to the
varying pressure of, the gas, one surface to the pressure in the main,
and the other to the pressure in the branch; from which it follows that
the mode above indicated cannot govern the pressure in the branch, as
it merely provides for the varying pressure on one face of the valve; and
leaves the other without compensation.
This difficulty will be found to be avoided by the present Invention,
which consists in balancing, the varying pressure of the gas in the main
by connecting with the valve a disc or balancing surface equal. to the
surface of the valve, so that whatever may be the variation of pressure.
in the main the valve will be in equipoise, so far as regards that pressure,
when this, is combined with a mode of governing the size of the aperture
through which the gas passes to the branch by the pressure of the gas
beyond the valve; so that when that pressure increases, the valve will
be carried towards its seat to reduce the supply, and hence the pressure,
and vice versâ; which latter mode of regulation is effected, either by the
.pressure of the. gas on the face, which would tend to close it, and acting
against a weight or its equivalent, which tends to open it, and which can
be set or adjusted to any desired. pressure, or by causing the gas in the
branch to press on the surface of a disc in addition to the valve, so as to.
present a larger surface to the pressure of the gas, the better to effect
the regulation of the supply, and hence the pressure at the burners.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1, represents in sectional ele-
vation, and Fig. 2, in sectional plan view, one mode of carrying out this
Invention. A, is a vessel to be connected by its lower end with the.
main, and by the upper end with the branch which supplies the burners.
This vessel is connected with another vessel E, by a neck or passage
C, so that the gas in the main shall have free access to the lower part
of both vessels. About the middle of the vessel A, there is a stricture
g, g, to which is fitted a valve seat a, and to this is fitted a disc valve m,
provided with a central stem n,. jointed to one arm of a lever c, which
rocks on a fulcrum pin sustained in bracket pieces b, b. The stem n, of
the valve should be made of sufficient weight and length to keep the
surface of the valve in a horizontal-plane. To the opposite-end-of the-

page_text: lever c, to that which carries the valve m, is jointed a rod d, which is
kept in a vertical or nearly vertical position by having its. upper end é, of
a reduced size, and fitted to slide in a recess or hole in the cap f, of the
vessel E. To this rod is secured a disc B, with a rim, which is plunged
in mercury or other suitable fluid contained in an annular cup i, formed
in the vessel E, by an inner rim h. The upper end of the rod d, is
formed to receive weights 1, which can be put on and taken off at
pleasure by unscrewing the cap f..... ...
;
The gas in the main has free access to the under surface of the disc
B, and of course to the under surface of..the valve m, and these being
hung to the opposite ends of the lever c, and presenting an equal surface,
whatever may be the pressure of the gas in the main, it must be equi-
poised; the pressure under the disc being precisely equal to the pressure
under the valve. The weights 1, on the disc are regulated to keep the
valve open against any desired and determined pressure above the pres-
sure of the atmosphere, so that whenever the gas in the branch, that is,
the gas beyond the valve, exceeds that pressure, it will act on the upper
surface and force it down gradually, reducing the aperture for the
passage of the gas until the gas is reduced to the determined tension,
and then the valve is again lifted by the preponderance of the weights l,
on the disc.
Thus it will be seen that whatever may be the varying pressure of
the
gas in the main it never can affect the regulation, because it is
balanced, and therefore leaves the valve to be governed in its position to
regulate the flow of gas from the main into the branch by the pressure
of the gas in the branch, the degree of which pressure is determined
by the weights..
As the rim on the disc dips in mercury or other suitable fluid (mer-
cury being preferred) as the valve m, rises and forces this rim into the
mercury, its weight on the lever is thereby reduced, and vice versa. To
compensate for this that arm of the lever c, to which the valve mi, is
jointed is bent up, so that as the valve rises, and the rim of the disc is
forced into the mercury, the valve arm of the lever shortens and looses"
its leverage in the same rate that the disc looses its weight.
Fig. 3, of the accompanying Drawing represents in vertical section
the Invention as above described, with an additional element.
"
.

page_text: The vessel A, connects with the main at c, and with the house branch
at b. It is provided with a valve seat a, which is fitted to a rim or
stricture 1, and secured in place by the screw cap b, which forms the
connection with the branch.
The valve d, is fitted to the valve seat a, and provided with a central
rod and weight f, by which it is jointed to the lever g, and by which it
is kept in a horizontal plane. The vessel E, communicates with the
vessel A, below the valve by the neck C, and above the valve by a passage
m, and this vessel E, is formed with two annular cups p, and q, to contain
mercury or other suitable fluid, and to receive two rims 2, and s, on the
disc B. The annular cups communicate with each other by lateral
passages t, so as to keep the mercury in the two cups at the same level.
The disc is connected with the lever g, by the vertical rod i, which is
guided by playing in a hole in the cap 7, as before described. The sur-
face of the disc within the inner rim s, and exposed to the pressure of
the gas in the main, should be exactly equal to the surface of the valve
exposed to the gas in the main, so as to balance this pressure, whatever
it may be, and however much it may vary; and the surface of the disc
between the inner and outer rims », and s, and presented to the pressure
of the gas in the branch, should be made as large as convenient, so that
the pressure of the gas in the branch shall act upon this, in addition to
the upper surface of the valve, for the greater the surface exposed to this
pressure the more sensitive will be the instrument. The rod of the dise
must, as in the first example, be weighted, or made so much heavier than
the valve, as to determine the pressure of gas required in the branch.
The pressure of the gas in the main being balanced on the valve and
disc, it is evident that the valve will be kept open by the prepon-
derance of the weight on the disc end of the lever until the pressure of
the gas in the branch exceeds the determined degree, and then it acts
on the surface of the disc between the two rims and on the top of the
valve, and having a large surface to act upon immediately begins to
move the valve towards its seat, thereby gradually reducing the aperture
for the passage of the gas until the proper tension is restored, and
vice versa.
The advantage-which-this arrangement has over the one-first-described
is, that by the addition of the element of presenting the. disc to the

page_text: pressure of the
gas in the branch as well as in the main, the pressure
of the gas in the main is neutralized as in the first plan, but a much
larger surface is presented for the pressure of the gas in the branch to
act upon to close the valve whenever the pressure exceeds the degree to
which the instrument is set.
The instrument last described can be made as sensitive with a very
small valve as the other with a very large valve, and therefore the latter
plan is better adapted to dwelling houses and other localities supplying
a very limited number of burners.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the instrument once set to a
given pressure, the gas will issue from the burners constantly at that
pressure, without regard to the variation of the pressure in the main or
the number of burners in use.
It will be obvious that instead of making the two arms of the lever
of equal lengths, and the surfaces of the valve and disc, which are
exposed to the pressure of the gas in the main, equal, this may be
varied, and one arm made longer by making the surfaces inversely of
corresponding proportion.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention of improvements
in governors or regulators for regulating the
pressure of gas, as it passes
from the main or other pipes to the burners, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the special construction specified, but claim de privilege of
varying so long as I attain the same ends by substantially the same
means.
What I claim, therefore, under the above in part recited Letters
Patent is, balancing the varying pressure of the gas in the main by
connecting with the valve a disc which receives pressure from the main
to balance the pressure on the valve, substantially as described, in com-
bination with the method, substantially as described, of governing the
aperture through which the gas passes to the branch by the varying
pressure of the gas beyond the valve which governs the aperture, as
described, so that when the pressure becomes too great the aperture
shall be reduced, and vice versa.
And I also claim, in combination with the above, making the disc so

page_text: that it shall be also acted upon by the varying pressure in the branch
to assist in moving the valve to govern the aperture for the passage of
the gas, substantially as specified, whereby the action of the instrument
is rendered more sensitive and prompt as a governor.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)