Improvements in Water Gauges and Instruments for Indicating and Regulating the Level of Water in Steam Boilers and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Gauges and Instruments for Indicating and
Regulating the Level of Water in Steam Boilers and the like.
I, RICHARD HEBER RADFORD, of 15, Saint James Row, Sheffield, in the County
of York, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
to be as follows::
The object of my invention is to provide an instrument or combination of
instruments and appliances by means of which the level of the water in a steam
boiler or like vessel may be indicated and regulated without employing glass
water tubes or plates, thereby avoiding the inconvenience and danger which
frequently arises through the failure of such glasses by fracture, more especially
when high pressure steam is employed.
As the principle and action of my improved gauge and regulator will be the
same with whatever kind of vessel it may be employed, a description of it as
applied to a steam boiler will suffice, which is as follows.
Outside a steam boiler I suspend from a spring balance of the Salter type
(by preference one with a large circular white faced dial) a reservoir which I
connect by means of flexible pipes with the said steam boiler, one pipe being
led from the steam space above the high water level to the top of the suspended
reservoir and the other pipe being led from below the low water level to the bottom
of the same.
This reservoir when finally adjusted will hang in such a position that when
the water in the boiler is at its normal working level the reservoir will by means
of the connecting pipes be half filled and when so half filled I arrange that the
pointer on the dial of the spring balance shall stand vertically so that if the
level of the water in the boiler falls below the normal level, a corresponding
fall takes place in the reservoir accompanied by a corresponding loss of weight
which will cause the pointer on the dial to descend from its vertical position
towards a horizontal position, say to the left of the dial, and the pointer will
continue to so descend so long as the level of the water in the boiler and reservoir
continue to lower. When on the other hand the level of the water in the boiler
increases in height with the corresponding increase in the contents of the reser-
voir, then as soon as the weight becomes greater than normal, the spring balance
records the same by the pointer descending towards à horizontal position say
to the right hand side of the dial. In this way the attendant can tell at a glance
when the water level in the boiler is normal or when it is lower or higher than
normal.
The index on the dial of a balance which would record pounds may be marked
in inches and the reservoir may be so proportioned that every inch of depth of
its contents equals one pound in weight or any other convenient relative propor-
tion may be adopted.
In order to keep the connecting pipes open and free I provide stop cocks to
the boiler connections also a blow through cock or cocks to the reservoir. Some-

page_text: times I connect the reservoir herein referred to, to the boiler by straight or
coiled pipes long enough to become sufficiently flexible or I employ elastic pipes
or piping of flexible construction.
Although I have described a spring balance of the Salter type with a round dial
it will be understood that other types of balances or weighing appliances with
different forms of dial and different modes of application may be adopted.
For example, a long shaped spring balance may be employed only suspended
the reverse way to that as ordinarily used when the pointer would ascend the scale
as the water level became higher and the weight in the reservoir increased.
Again the reservoir may rest upon the platform of a weighing appliance instead
of being suspended and in some cases two or more reservoirs may be employed
with one or more balances and vice versa.
The preceding description describes my invention as a water gauge or water
level indicator. When applied for regulating as well as indicating the level 1
utilize the vertical movement and varying weight of the cylinder portion of the
instrument for actuating the feed valve or for actuating appliances connected with
the feed valve so that when the water in the boiler is falling too low beyond
the normal level the ascending cylinder which is being relieved of its weight
of water will actuate the feed valve or appliances connected therewith to open
or increase the feed into the boiler and in like manner when the water in the
boiler is rising too high above the normal level the descending cylinder which is
being increased in weight will actuate the feed valve or appliances connected
therewith to close or decrease the feed into the boiler.
It will thus be seen that my improved instrument can be used as a water
level indicator only or as a feed regulator only or it may be employed for the
combined purposes of indicating, and regulating the level of water in steam
boilers and the like.
Dated this 8th day of March 1808
R. HEBER RADFORD,
Applicant.
Improvements in Water Gauges and Instruments for Indicating and
Regulating the Level of Water in Steam Boilers and the like.
I, RICHARD HEBER RADFORD, of 15, St. James Row, Sheffield, in the County
of York, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 my invention is to provide an instrument or combination of
instruments and appliances by means of which the level of the water in a steam
boiler or like vessel may be indicated and regulated without employing glass
water tubes or plates, thereby avoiding the inconvenience and danger which
frequently arises through the failure of such glasses by fracture, more especially
when high pressure steam is employed.
As the principle and action of my improved guage and regulator will be the
same with whatever kind of vessel it may be employed, a description of it as
applied to a steam boiler will suffice, and the nature of my said invention will
be better understood on reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in
which,
Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved water gauge, and appliances connected
therewith.

page_text: Fig. 2 is a plan looking on the top of the reservoir, the spring balance being
removed.
The same letters refer to similar parts in both the views.
Outside a steam boiler, A, I suspend.from a spring balance of the Salter type, B,
(by preference one with a large circular white faced dial) a reservoir, C, which
I connect by means of flexible pipes, D, D¹, with the said steam boiler. One
pipe, D, being led from the steam space above the high water level to the
top of the suspended reservoir, and the other pipe, D¹, being led from below the
low water level to the bottom of the same.
This reservoir when finally adjusted will hang in such a position that when
the water in the boiler is at its normal working level, the reservoir will by
means of the connecting pipes be half filled, as shewn by the dotted line, X, and
when so half filled, I arrange that the pointer, E, on the dial of the spring balance
shall stand vertically so that if the level of the water in the boiler falls
below the normal level, a corresponding rise takes place in the reservoir, accom-
panied by a corresponding loss of weight which will cause the pointer on the
dial to descend from its vertical position towards a horizontal position, say to
the left of the dial, and the pointer will continue to so descend so long as the level
of the water in the boiler and reservoir continue to lower. When on the other
hand the level of the water in the boiler increases in height with the correspond-
ing increase in the contents of the reservoir, then as soon as the weight becomes
greater than normal, the spring balance records the same by the pointer descend-
ing towards a horizontal position, say to the right hand side of the dial. In
this way the attendant can tell at a glance when the water level in the boiler
is normal or when it is lower or higher than normal.
The index on the dial of a balance which would record pounds may be marked
in inches and the reservoir may be so proportioned that every inch of depth of
its contents equals one pound in weight or any other convenient relative propor-
tion may be adopted.
In order to keep the connecting pipes, D, D', open and free, I provide stop
cocks, F, F, to the boiler connections, also a blow through cock or cocks, G and H,
to the reservoir. Sometimes I connect the reservoir herein referred to, to the
boiler by straight or coiled pipes long enough to become sufficiently flexible or I
employ elastic pipes or piping of flexible construction.
Although I have described a spring balance of the Salter type with a round
dial, it will be understood that other types of balances or weighing appliances
with different forms of dial and different modes of application may be adopted.
For example, a long shaped spring balance may be employed, only suspended the
reverse way to that as ordinarily used, when the pointer would ascend the scale
as the water level became higher and the weight in the reservoir increased.
Again, the reservoir may rest upon the platform of a weighing appliance
instead of being suspended, and in some cases two or more reservoirs may be
employed with one or more balances and vice versa.
The preceding description describes my invention as a water gauge or water
level indicator. When applied for regulating as well as indicating the level I
utilize the vertical movement and varying weight of the reservoir portion of the
instrument for actuating the feed valve, or for actuating appliances connected
with the feed valve so that when the water in the boiler is falling too low beyond
the normal level, the ascending reservoir which is being relieved of its weight
of water will actuate the feed valve or appliances connected therewith to open
or increase the feed into the boiler, and in like manner, when the water in the
boiler is rising too high above the normal level, the descending reservoir, which
is being increased in weight will actuate the feed valve or appliances connected
therewith to close or decrease the feed into the boiler.
It is obvious that a variety of actuating appliances may be employed for this
purpose, I consider therefore it is only necessary to illustrate one arrangement
which may be adopted and which is shewn by dotted lines, in Fig. 1 on the

page_text: accompanying drawing, consisting of a forked lever, I, connected to the reservoir
by links, J, at one end, and at the other end by a link or connecting rod, K,
to the feed valve or intermediary appliance, as may be found most .convenient.
-3"
In cases where the instrument is applied for regulating the feed, the size of
the reservoir may be increased until its contents are sufficiently heavy for
actuating the 'feed valve or appliances connected therewith and in such cases
the spring balance dial and pointer, would be suitably proportioned and adjusted.
It will thus be seen that my improved instrument can be used as a water
level indicator only, or as a feed regulator only, or it may be employed for the
combined purposes of indicating and regulating the level of water in steam
boilers and the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The arrangement and combination of parts and appliances by *means of
which the level or the varying levels of the water in a steam boiler or the like
vessel may be indicated relatively by the weight or varying weight of water
in a reservoir placed outside the said steam boiler or like vessel, such reservoir
being connected by flexible pipes with the said steam boiler or like vessel both
above and below the normal water level and suspended from a spring balance
provided with a dial and pointer for recording the results in the manner and for
the purposes substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
sheet of drawings."
2. The arrangement and combination of parts and appliances described in
Claim 1, by means of which the level of the water in a steam boiler may be regulated
as well as indicated, by utilizing the weight and movements of the reservoir for
actuating an appliance or appliances connected with the feed valve, in the manner
and for the purposes substantially as herein described and illustrated in the
accompanying sheet of drawings.
3. The combined arrangements of parts and appliances described in Claim 1,
and Claim 2, by means of which the level of water in a steam boiler or like
vessel may be indicated and regulated, in the manner and for the purposes sub-
stantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying sheet of
drawings.
Dated this 8th day of Docomhar 1808