An Improved Governor for Marine Engines.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Governor for Marine Engines.
I, WILLIAM EVANS, of 33, Singleton Street, Swansea, Glamorganshire, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
My invention consists in the use of a float to act as a governor and prevent
the racing or running away of marine engines during rough weather.
A governor is a device for regulating the supply of steam to an engine in
order to maintain a constant speed, and it operates by partly opening or partly
closing a valve in the main steam delivery pipe.
The usual governor employed to regulate the speed of marine engines is made
to operate by the altered speed of the engine which it is designed to correct;
and the alteration in the speed of the engine is consequent upon a variation in
the amount of work which the engine is called upon to perform.
Thus, taking for example a screw-steamer, when, by the pitching of the vessel,
the propeller is lifted out of the water, the work is suddenly taken off the engine,
and as a consequence the speed of the engine rapidly increases, in other words,
the engine runs away. This increased speed acts upon the governor, and the
governor shuts off the excess of steam.
It will be seen then that the governor does not prevent the increased speed
but only its continuance, since the increased speed itself is needed to call the
governor into operation. Thus time is occupied in effecting the desired check
of speed; and it may be that, before that time has elapsed, the propeller may be
again submerged.
Now two evils follow from this arrangement: 1st. The propeller is likely to
be submerged just as it has acquired a very rapid rate of rotation, and
the blow it then gives to the water is likely to cause a breakage..
2nd. If the reduction in the power of the engine only takes place after the
re-submergence of the propeller, it takes place at the wrong time, for it is then
that the whole of the power of the engine can be usefully applied.
The advantages of a governor which shall operate the moment the propeller
is lifted out of the water must be apparent, and my invention is directed to that
end.
My invention consists in the use of a float confined in a chamber constructed
in the vessel near the propeller, but so that the float is free to move upwards or
downwards in that chamber.
The said chamber is moreover to be open to the sea so that the water can
freely enter or leave the chamber as the vessel falls and rises.
The position of the float in the chamber will be determined by the quantity
of water in the chamber, and that quantity of water will depend upon the position
of the vessel. So the same cause which lifts the propeller into the air and makes
the engine run away, will also empty the said chamber of water and make the
float fall.
The movement of the float in the chamber is made to act directly on the valve

page_text: in the steam delivery pipe, either by direct gearing, or by an electrical connection,
or by some other means; but in such a way that at the moment the propeller
is lifted out of the water, the float will fall in the chamber, and at the same
moment the admission of steam to the engine shall be reduced, and the engine
accordingly prevented from running away.
I have described my invention with reference to a screw-propeller, but the
same principle of a float acting as a governor can be equally applied to a paddle-
wheel steamer.
WILLIAM EVANS, of 33, Singleton Street, Swansea, Glamorganshire, 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:―
My invention consists in the use of a float to act as a governor and prevent
the racing, or running away, of marine engines during rough weather, and which
operates by opening or closing a valve in the main steam delivery pipe.
The usual governor employed to regulate the speed of marine engines is made
to operate by the altered speed itself which it is designed to correct, and the
altered speed is consequent upon a variation in the amount of work which the
engine is called upon to perform.
Thus taking for example a screw steamer-when, by the pitching of the
vessel, the propeller is lifted out of the water, the work is suddenly taken off
from the engine, and its speed rapidly increases, or, in technical parlance, the
engine runs away. This increased speed is made to act upon the governor, and
the governor in turn acts upon a valve shutting off the excess of steam for the
time being. The governor therefore does not prevent the initiation of increased
engine speed but only its continuance, since the increased speed itself is needed
to call the governor into operation; moreover time is occupied in effecting the
required check on the engine speed by this means.
Now two evils follow from this arrangement: 1st. The propeller is likely to
be suddenly submerged just as it has acquired a rapid motion, and the force with
which the propeller blades then strike the water is likely to cause a breakage;
accidents often occur from this cause.
2nd. By the time the action of the governor has effected the required check
on the engine speed by cutting off the steam supply, the propeller may be again
submerged, so the reduction of the engine power takes place at the wrong time,
in fact, just when that power is needed to drive the vessel along.
The advantages of a governor which shall operate the moment the propeller
is lifted out of the water must therefore be apparent and my invention is designed
to that end.
My invention consists in the use of a float confined in a chamber constructed.
in the vessel near the propeller, but so that the float is free to move upwards or
downwards in that chamber. The said chamber is also to be open to the sea by
means of apertures so that the sea water can freely enter or leave the chamber
as the vessel falls and rises. The position of the float in the chamber will be
.determined by the quantity of water in the chamber, that is to say, it will be
determined by the position of the pitching vessel. Thus the same cause that lifts

page_text: the vessel into the air will also empty the said chamber of water and make the
float fall. The up and down motion of the float in the chamber is made to act
directly on the valve in the main steam delivery pipe, either by direct gearing
between the float and the valve, or by an electrical connection, or in some other
way, but in such a way that at the moment of the lifting of the propeller out
of the water and the simultaneous fall of the float in the chamber, at the same
moment the admission of steam to the engine shall be reduced and the engine
accordingly prevented from running away.
The best method of applying my invention is shown in the accompanying
drawing,
The chamber A communicates with the sea water by means of the aperture H.
This aperture is protected by projections which assist the easy entrance and
exit of the water to and from the chamber.
The float B is connected by a rod D which passes through a stuffing box C, and
is further connected with a lever E. The motion of this lever is communicated
to the rod F, which rod again communicates the motion, by means of a second
lever at its other end, to the throttle valve G which valve is opened or closed
thereby as may be required. At the top of the chamber is a vent pipe K to admit
air and give the float perfect freedom to move.
I have described my invention with reference to a screw-propeller, but the
same principle of a float acting as a governor can be equally applied to a paddle-
wheel steamer.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be applied, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1st. The use of a float actuated by the water level in a chamber constructed
near the propeller of a steamer, to serve as a governor in controlling the supply
of steam to a marine engine, substantially as described.
2nd. The communication of the motion of a float in a chamber open to the
sea, to a throttle valve in the pipe conveying steam to a marine engine, sub-
stantially as described.
3rd. The use of a float working in a chamber constructed near the paddle wheel
of a paddle steamer, in substantially the way described herein as applied to a screw
steamer.