Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 6th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 6th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 5th June, 1897
I, HENRY O'CONNOR, 9 Spence Street, Newington, Edinburgh, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
To make the registration of a wet meter to agree with that which would be the case
were the temperature and barometrical pressure fixed. I arrange one or more
plungers which can be raised or lowered according to the rise or fall of the
thermometer and barometer so as to displace a certain quantity of water and so raise
or lower the level of the water in the meter, thereby reducing or increasing the
quantity of gas passing through the meter at each revolution of the drum.
Alternatively, I arrange a hermetically sealed box of suitable material containing a
certain quantity of air, gas, or other fluid which will expand and contract according
to the rise or fall of the thermometer and barometer and so act upon the water of the
meter and making it in turn rise and fall so as to reduce or increase the quantity of
gas passing through the meter at each revolution of the drum.
Dated this 5th day of Mov 1806
HENRY O'CONNOR.
I, HENRY O'CONNOR, Civil Engineer, 9 Spence Street, Newington, Edinburgh, 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:-
The object of the present invention is to enable the water level in a wet gas meter
to be raised or lowered at will and with absolute exactitude in order to compensate for
variations in thermometrical and barometrical pressure or for any other purpose.
I fix upon a wet meter A one or more water chambers B B having each a connection
with the water space in the meter below the lowest water line, and each chamber being
fitted with a plunger or piston C which can be raised or lowered by means of a rack
and pinion or screw gearing D actuated by a thumbscrew or other convenient
arrangement.
In connection with each plunger may be fitted if desired a vertical scale E
graduated to represent the scales of the barometer and thermometer respectively or
where a single plunger only is used graduated to represent the "tabular number"
provided by the Metropolitan Gas Referees which is equivalent to the combination
of the readings of both instruments. To the plunger may be attached a pointer G
indicating upon the above mentioned scales. The capacity of the plunger or
plungers is such that when the pointer or pointers are raised or lowered s as to
indicate a given temperature and barometrical pressure the level of the water
within the meter is raised or lowered so as to cause such greater or lesser quantity

page_text: of gas to pass at each revolution of the meter drum as will exactly compensate
for the expansion or contraction due to the given variation from the normal
temperature and barometrical pressure.
Alternatively I accomplish the same purpose by attaching to the plunger "A" by
means of suitable levers B B a hermetically sealed vessel "C" of such capacity
(ascertained by calculations in each case) and of such shape that the expansion or
contraction of the air, gas, or other fluid contained in it will cause such a movement
of the levers B B and thereby a movement of the plunger as will raise or lower
the water level so as to cause such greater or lesser quantity of gas to pass at
each revolution of the meter drum as will exactly compensate for the expansion or
contraction due to the given variation from the normal temperature and barometrical
pressure. I preferably make the plunger of such weight that it is of about the
same gravity as the water in which it is immersed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a wet gas meter the application of one or more water chambers, each
having a connection with the water space in the meter below the lowest water line,
such water chambers being fitted with a plunger or piston as hereinbefore described
in such a manner that the level of the water in the meter can be raised or lowered
if desired.
2. In the above described apparatus a hermetically sealed vessel attached to the
plunger, the expansion or contraction of the air, gas, or other fluid within which
causes the necessary movement of the plunger above described.
3. My hereinbefore described apparatus applicable to wet gas meters for raising or
lowering the water level in same.
Dated this wal
HENRY O'CONNOR.