An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Automatically Regulating the Action of Heating Appliances.
Year: 1887

page_text: An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Automatically Regulating
the Action of Heating Appliances.
1, PHILIPPE JULES GROUVELLE, of 71, Rue du Moulin Vert, Paris, in the Republic
of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a method of and means for regulating from a distance the
supply of steam, hot water or hot air, employed for heating purposes; and consists in
the use of a burner fed with a variable supply of a suitable combustible fluid (such as
ordinary lighting gas, compressed lighting gas, heating gas, water-gas, carburetted air
and the like), the heat evolved from which acts to produce a variable amount of
expansion in a bar or rod in connection with a suitable regulating valve or valves.
By way of illustration, I will proceed to describe one mode of carrying out this
invention, in which steam and ordinary lighting gas are employed.
The means I use for controlling the flow of the combustible fluid consist of a valve
regulated by means of a bent tube of the class employed in the "Bourdon" pressure
gauge the said tube being closed and filled with any suitable liquid in such a
manner that, under the influence of variations of temperature, its free end or extremity
may change its position and at the same time actuate the valve-lever to which it is
attached. The valve-box consists of a casing containing two chambers, one above the
other, to and from which the inlet and outlet pipes for the combustible gas are
respectively led. The gas on its way to the regulator is preferably caused to
traverse a suitable drying apparatus. A screwed plug passes through the diaphragm
dividing the two chambers and contains a central passage for the flow of the gas, the
said plug serving as a valve-seating, and being adjustable from the exterior. The
valve consists of a cone suspended by means of a rod from the valve-lever at a point
between the fulcrum of the latter and its point of attachment to the end of the bent
tube. The top of the valve-box is closed by means of a loose flexible membrane
closely surrounding the valve-rod, without, however, interfering with its free action.
This portion of the apparatus is placed in one of the spaces or chambers to be heated ;
that space being, by preference, selected in which the greatest changes of tempera-
ture are likely to take place owing to special conditions of exposure or other
circumstances.

page_text: The regulator for the passage of the steam or other heating fluid through the main
conduit comprises a valve-box containing two counterpoised valves attached one above
the other to the same valve-rod, the latter passing through a suitable stuffing-box.
This regulator is placed between the boiler and the first space or chamber to be heated.
Communication between the portions of the main conduit on the respective sides of
the valve-box is also effected by means of a small branch pipe provided with a reducing
valve, and ensuring, when steain is employed as the heating agent, the passage at the
lowest predetermined pressure of only a sufficient quantity of steam through the main
conduit to compensate for the loss of heat which may have taken place. The valve-
rod is jointed at its lower extremity to a suitable lever, to which also a fixed vertical
rod is attached; the latter being surrounded by a burner in communication with the
gas-pipe carrying the regulating valve first described. A small cock is provided for
the purpose of shutting off when requisite the supply of gas to the burner.
envelope or chimney, perforated at the top, is arranged about the fixed vertical rod
for the purpose of conducting the heat along its surface. The said vertical rod is
caused to dilate and contract and its free end to move up and down under the
influence of the varying degree of heat evolved from the burner, according to whether
the latter be supplied with more or less of the combustible gas. The variations in
the length of the fixed vertical rod cause the lever to which the same is jointed to
oscillate about its fulcrum and to actuate the valve-rod to which the two counter-
poised steam-valves are attached. By these means, the supply of the heat-conducting
fluid is automatically regulated.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1887
An
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Automatically Regulating
the Action of Heating Appliances.
I, PHILIPPE JULES GROUVELLE, of 71, Rue du Moulin Vert, Paris, in the Republic
of France, 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 a method of and means for regulating from a distance the
supply of steam, hot water or hot air employed for heating purposes; and consists in
the use of a burner fed with a variable supply of a suitable combustible fluid (such as
ordinary lighting gas, compressed lighting gas, heating gas, water-gas, carburetted
air and the like), the heat evolved from which acts to produce a variable amount of
expansion in a bar or rod in connection with a suitable regulating valve or valves.
By way of illustration, I will proceed to describe one mode of carrying out this
invention, in which steam and ordinary lighting gas are respectively employed as the
heating and regulating agents.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 represents in sectional elevation the valve
for controlling the supply of inflammable gas; Fig. 2 being a similar view of the
apparatus used for regulating the passage of the steam employed for heating purposes.
Fig. 3 is a general diagrammatic view shewing, in side elevation, the practical
application of the present improvements to a system of heating such as described in
the specification to Letters Patent granted to George Gatton Melhuish Hardingham,
dated 7th November, 1885, No. 13,516.
The device I employ for controlling the flow of the combustible fluid consists of a
valve a regulated by means of a bent tube b of the kind employed in the "Bourdon"
pressure gauge the said tube being closed and filled with any suitable liquid in such
a manner that, under the influence of variations of temperature, its free end or
extremity may change its position and at the same time actuate the valve-lever a'
to which it is attached. The valve-box consists of a casing a², by preference con-
taining two chambers a³ a, one above the other, to and from which the inlet and
outlet pipes ce for the combustible gas are respectively led. The gas on its way to
the regulator is preferably caused to traverse a suitable drying apparatus d, shewn in
Fig. 3. A screwed plug a passes through the bottom of the casing a² and through
the diaphragm dividing the two chambers a³ a', and contains a central passage with
lateral orifices a for the flow of the gas. The plug a also serves as a valve-seating
and is adjustable from the exterior by means of the finger-piece a². The valve
consists of a cone as attached to a rod a; the latter being pivotted to the valve-lever a¹
at a point between the fulcrum of the latter and its point of attachment to the end b¹
of the tube b. The top of the valve-box is covered by a loose flexible membrane a¹
closely surrounding the valve-rod a, without, however, interfering with its free action.
This portion of the apparatus is placed in one of the spaces or chambers to be heated;

page_text: that space being, by preference, selected in which, owing to special conditions of
exposure or other circumstances, the greatest changes of temperature are likely to
take place.
The regulator e for controlling the passage of the steam through the main conduit e¹
comprises a valve-box containing two counterpoised valves e³e attached, one above
the other, to the valve-rod e; the latter passing through a suitable stuffing-box e.
This regulator is placed between the boiler (Fig. 3) and the first space or chamber to
be heated. Communication between the portions of the main conduit e¹ on the
respective sides of the valve-box 2 is, in addition, effected by means of a small branch-
pipe e provided with a reducing valve e, and ensuring the passage at the lowest
predetermined pressure of only a sufficient quantity of steam through the main
conduit e to compensate for the loss of heat which may have taken place. The valve-
rode is jointed at its lower extremity to a suitable lever to which also a fixed
vertical rod is attached; the latter being surrounded by a burner & in communica-
tion with the gas-pipe el connected with the regulating valve a first described. A
small cock is provided for the purpose of shutting off, when requisite, the supply of
gas to the burner h. An envelope or chimney, perforated at the bottom and top,
is arranged about the fixed vertical rod for the purpose of conducting the heat
along its surface. The said vertical rod is caused to dilate and contract and its free
end to move up and down under the influence of the varying degree of heat evolved
from the burner k, according to whether the latter be supplied with more or less of
the combustible gas. The variations in the length of the fixed vertical rod cause
the lever to oscillate about its fulcrum g' and to actuate the valve-rod e and
consequently the two counterpoised valves ee attached thereto. By the means above
described, the supply of the heat-conducting fluid is automatically regulated, and the
chamber or chambers to be heated maintained at a comparatively uniform tem-
perature.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :-
1. The improved method of regulating from a distance the supply to a chamber or
series of chambers, required to be heated of the heat-conducting fluid, substantially
as herein described.
2. For regulating from a distance the supply of heat-conducting fluid to a chamber
or series of chambers required to be heated, the employment of a burner to which a
variable supply of combustible fluid is automatically fed and which acts to produce
a variable degree of expansion in a bar or rod whereby a valve, controlling the supply
of steam or other heating agent, is actuated, substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 27th day of July 1888.
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.