IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Sugg, of Vincent Street, in the City of
Westminster, Gas Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS
REGULATORS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas Sugg at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th May 1880.
WILLIAM THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Street, in the City of Westminster, Gas
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS."
In the gas regulators at present in use great inconvenience has been experienced
from the corrosion of the metals of which they are formed, such corrosion serving
to fix the floating part of the regulator and stop its action, and to avoid this so
loose a fit has been given to the floating portion of the regulator that a large
proportion of gas was enabled to escape past its periphery.
Now the object of the present Invention is to provide a gas regulator that will
neither corrode nor allow the gas to pass through without regulation. The
Invention applies chiefly to small regulators attached to burners, and it consists in
fitting within a cylindrical chamber in the lower part of the burner a floating gas
holder composed of steatite, which holder will be free to rise and fall according to
the varying pressure of the gas, and by its movements increase or diminish the
supply of gas to the burner.
The Invention admits of various modifications, but a convenient arrangement
may be described as follows:-
Fitted in the cylindrical chamber of the burner so as to form a lining thereto is
an inverted cylindrical vessel of steatite pierced at its centre with a conically
drilled hole for the passage upwards of the gas. Within this cylindrical vessel I fit
what may be termed a floating gas holder, which will be free to rise and fall in the
enclosing vessel without allowing gas to pass between the sides of the two vessels.
The better to ensure this shallow annular grooves may be turned in the
periphery of the gas holder.
This gas holder carries at its upper end a central conical plug which is intended
to fit into the conical hole of the enclosing cylinder, and thereby contract or close
the central opening therein.

page_text: The top of the floating gas holder is slightly rebated, and through this rebated
portion holes are drilled for the passage of a determinate supply of gas to the
burner.
Should the pressure of the gas increase unduly, thus tending to afford an increased
supply to the burner, the gas holder will rise under this pressure, and contract or
close the discharge opening in the outer cylindrical vessel.
In place of this outer cylindrical vessel or lining of steatite, the gas holder may
fit the metal chamber of the burner, with little risk of its becoming clogged, as the
steatite has no tendency to take up any agglutinating substance which may be
formed within the burner.
Instead of the gas holder carrying at its upper end a conical plug, the same
result may be obtained by fitting it with a pendent conical valve, which is made to
fit a conical opening in the bottom of a steatite lining in which the gas holder
floats.
This valve being below the bottom of the lining will, as the gas holder rises,
control the passage of the gas supplied to the gas holder in proportion to the
pressure of the gus.
In this case the gas holder will be pierced, as before explained, with holes that
will pass the maximum supply of gas required to the burner.
I would remark that by enlarging the regulator it may be used for controlling
two or more burners, but it is not intended to take the place of that class of gas
regulators which control the whole supply of a large establishment. The steatite
will be shaped in the lathe when in its natural or comparatively soft state, and it
will admit of being polished and used without further treatment; but I prefer to
subject the steatite portions of my regulator to furnace heat, which will greatly
increase their hardness and strength.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Thomas Sugg in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th
November 1880.
WILLIAM THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Street, in the City of Westminster, Gas
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS."
In the gas regulators at present in use great inconvenience has been experienced
from the corrosion of the metals of which they are formed, such corrosion serving
to fix the floating part of the regulator and stop its action, and to avoid this so loose
a fit has been given to the floating portion of the regulator that a large proportion
of gas was enabled to escape past its periphery.
Now the object of the present Invention is to provide a gas regulator that will
neither corrode nor allow the gas to pass through without regulation.
The Invention applies chiefly to small regulators attached to burners, and it
consists in fitting within a cylindrical chamber in the lower part of the burner a
floating gas holder composed of steatite, which holder will be free to rise and fall
according to the varying pressure of the gas, and by its movements increase or
diminish the supply of gas to the burner.
The Invention admits of various modifications, and I have therefore thought it
desirable to illustrate it under several forms.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in vertical section on an enlarged
scale my improved gas regulator fitted to a flat flame burner. Below the burner a
is a cylindrical chamber b, in which is fitted so as to form a lining thereto an
inverted cylindrical vessel of steatite c pierced at its centre with a conically drilled
hole c¹ for the passage upwards of the gas. The chamber b is closed by a metal
socket d, which is threaded to fit on to the gas supply pipe. Within the vessel c I
fit what may be termed a floating gas holder e, which is free to rise and fall in the
enclosing vessel without allowing gas to pass between it and the lining c.
The better to ensure this shallow annular grooves may be turned in the periphery
of the gas holder.
This gas holder carries at its upper end a central conical valve e¹ which is intended
to fit into the conical hole c' of the steatite lining, and thereby contract or close the
central opening therein.
The top of the floating gas holder is slightly rebated, and through this rebated
portion holes are drilled for the passage of a determinable supply of gas to the
burner.
Should the pressure of the gas increase unduly, thus tending to afford an
increased supply to the burner, the gas holder will rise under this pressure, and its
conical valve will contract or close the discharge opening c¹, thereby reducing the
supply of gas automatically to its required limit.
In place of this outer cylindrical vessel or lining of steatite, the gas holder may
fit the metal chamber of the burner (if composed of the well known incorrodible
alloy consisting of a mixture of tin, lead, and antimony), with little risk of its
becoming clogged, as steatite has no tendency to take up any agglutinating
substance which may be formed within the burner.
The regulator thus modified is illustrated in the sectional view, Fig. 2, which
shows the seat c¹ for the valve e¹ as formed in a cap-piece of incorrodible metal b¹
which covers the top of the chamber b. A hollow stem rises above the opening in
the cap piece, and is pierced laterally to provide exit openings for the passage of
the gas to the burner.
Instead of the gas holder carrying at its upper end a conical valve, the same
result may be obtained by fitting it with a pendent conical valve which is made to
fit a conical opening in the bottom of a steatite lining, or a lining of incorrodible
metal in which the gas holder floats.

page_text: This modification is illustrated in the sectional view, Fig. 3, where c is a cylinder
closed at bottom, and forming the steatite or incorrodible metal lining, and e¹ the
pendent valve for closing the central opening c¹ in the bottom of the cylinder c.
This valve & being below the bottom of the cylinder c will, as the gas holder
rises, control the passage of the gas supplied to the gas holder in proportion to the
pressure of the gas.
In this case the gas holder will be pierced, as before explained, with holes that
will pass the maximum.supply of gas required to the burner.
Fig. 4 shews in vertical section a further modification of my floating steatite gas
regulator.
In this example the gas holder e is formed with a cylindrical tube e¹ which acts
as a check valve, and is drilled through the centre to permit of a definite quantity
of gas passing up through it. This tube acting as a valve enters the neck 6 of the
chamber b (which is enclosed in a casing b³, on which the gas burner is mounted),
and it is free to slide up and down therein as the pressure of the gas varies. The
chamber b is provided at its upper end with the short tube or neck b¹ of incorrodible
metal, or it may be steatite, which is closed at its upper end and forms a guide for
the cylindrical valve c¹. This tube b' has lateral passages drilled in it to allow of
the gas which passes up through the valve e¹ to escape from the neck b¹, and so
When the
pass off by the central opening at the upper end of the casing b².
normal pressure of the gas is exerted, the gas will flow upwards in the course
indicated to the burner. The action however of any undue pressure will be as
before to lift the gas holder and with it the valve e', which will then partially close
the lateral passages in the neck tube 61, and thus diminish the supply. To prevent
a too sudden rise of the valve, a lateral opening is made in it to supply gas to the
incorrodible metal chamber b above the gas holder e. The elasticity of this
imprisoned gas will effectually prevent the too sudden rise of the valve, which might
otherwise have the effect of extinguishing the light.
I would remark that by enlarging the diameter of the regulator it may be used
for controlling two or more burners, but it is not intended to take the place of
those classes of gas regulators which control the whole supply of a large
establishment.
The steatite will be shaped in the lathe when in its natural or comparatively
soft state, and it will admit of being polished and used without further treatment;
but in some cases I may find it convenient to subject one or all of the steatite
portions of my regulator to furnace heat, which will greatly increase their hardness
and strength.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Gas
Regulators," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it
to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim,--
First. Fitting within a cylindrical chamber connected with the gas burner a
floating gas holder composed of steatite, and furnished with a valve as above
described, which holder will be free to rise as the pressure of the gas increases, and
by contracting the gas passage diminish the supply of gas to the burner.
Second. In gas regulators provided with a floating valve, the application thereto
of a steatite lining and valve seat, as and for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Sugg, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.