Improvements in or relating to Electric Apparatus for Governing Engines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar.,
1897
Complete Specification Left, 8th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 19th Feb., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Electric Apparatus for Governing
Engines.
We, JOHN SNOW, of Brincliffe Edge Road, Engineer, and ALFRED GEORGE
COOPER, of 251, Western Bank, Electrical Engineer, both of Sheffield, in the
County of York, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for governing engines so as to maintain a
constant speed of the engine throughout its range by means of solenoids, magnets
or other suitable electrical device.
We are perfectly aware that there are several means of throttling steam by
electrical governors, but our arrangements can be fitted in connection with
governors of any class, for operating the cut-off valve arrangement of steam or
other engines.
We preferably arrange from the dynamo a circuit passing round a solenoid or
magnet, which operates on a piece of iron, acting as a core or keeper, which is
connected to the ball governors, worked in the usual manner, acting with a spring
or weight, so that as the spindle of the governor is either raised or lowered, accord-
ing to the speed of the dynamo or engine, the governor is operated; and being con-
nected by any suitable means to a sliding block in a link or to any other suitable
arrangement, controls the position of the said block in the link, or similar device,
so as to vary the point of cut-off by means of an expansion-valve or the like.
The aforesaid arrangement can also be applied to shaft or other governors. We also
employ in any suitable position a solenoid, magnet or relay arrangement to control
a variable resistance of suitable form such as, carbon blocks, water or wire.
The solenoid magnet or relay arrangement is connected to the dynamo terminals
by wires and is therefore traversed by a current dependent for its strength on the
potential differences (PD) of the dynamo, which PD is either increased or decreased
according to the speed of the engine or engines. This relay acts upon a pivotted
lever which when moved operates a variable resistance arranged in a shunt circuit
to the governor solenoid and thereby varies the current passing through the latter.
This compensates for variations in the steam pressure or in the normal load. There-
fore as the current of the dynamo increases or decreases, so the governor and its
lever operate the expansion or cutting off arrangement.
We also provide a small adjusting spring, suitably fixed to the pivotted lever
operated by the solenoid, magnet, or relay, to act against it and so be able to
counteract it, and thus enable the speed of the engine or engines to be varied at
will whilst running.
The spring or weight of the governor acting against the centrifugal force, supple-
mented by the action of the solenoids or magnets, through which the main current
from the dynamo passes, controls the speed under varying loads, so that, if the
steam pressure remained absolutely steady, the solenoid or magnet could be made to
exactly maintain a constant speed; but as it varies, and for other reasons, such as
wear, tear, and looseness, we prefer to employ a solenoid, magnet or relay, as a

page_text: shunt across the dynamo terminals which controls a variable resistance for varying
the amount of current passing through the main governor coil.
The engine will maintain a constant speed if the dynamo be accurately com-
pounded; and at any rate, a constant potential can be maintained to obtain a
pre-arranged speed.
The governors will be very sensitive to the sudden rise or fall of the load on the
engine or engines for, with an increase or diminution of the strength of the main
current, the cut-off valves immediately respond, through the medium of the
solenoid core, attached to the governor, which operates the expansion gear. The
response of the governor is so rapid, that "hunting" is entirely eliminated.
We may also employ a mechanical device such as two discs, one being on the
engine shaft or driven therefrom and the other being driven by clock or other
mechanical means, which will act upon the said main coil, as an electrical relay,
for varying the said resistance in the governor solenoid's shunt, as before described.
We do not bind ourselves to the particular class of governors, or to the position
or number of coils, or the position in which we place the solenoid, magnet or relay
arrangement; as we may adopt them where it will be convenient, without departure
from this invention.
Dated this 9th day of March 1897
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in or relating to Electric Apparatus for Governing
Engines.
We, JOHN SNow, of Brincliffe Edge Road, Engineer, and ALFRED GEORGE
COOPER, of 251, Western Bank, Electrical Engineer, both of Sheffield, in the
County of York, 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 apparatus for governing engines so as to maintain a
constant speed of the engine throughout its range by means of solenoids, magnets
or other suitable electrical device.
We are perfectly aware that there are several means of throttling steam by
electrical governors, but our arrangements can be fitted in connection with
governors of any class, for operating the cut-off valve arrangement of steam or
other engines.
We preferably arrange from the dynamo a circuit passing round a solenoid or
magnet, which operates on a piece of iron, acting as a core or keeper, which is
connected to the ball governors, worked in the usual manner, acting with a spring
or weight, so that as the spindle of the governor is either raised or lowered, accord-
ing to the speed of the dynamo or engine, the governor is operated; and being con-
nected by any suitable means to a sliding block in a link or to any other suitable
arrangement, controls the position of the said block in the link, or similar device,
so as to vary the point of cut-off by means of an expansion valve or the like.
The aforesaid arrangement can also be applied to shaft or other governors. We also
employ in any suitable position a solenoid, magnet or relay arrangement to control
a variable resistance of suitable form such as, carbon blocks, water or wire.
The solenoid magnet or relay arrangement is connected to the dynamo terminals
by wires and is therefore traversed by a current dependent for its strength on the
potential differences (PD) of the dynamo, which PD is either increased or decreased

page_text: according to the speed of the engine or engines. This relay acts upon a pivotted
lever which when moved operates a variable resistance arranged in a shunt circuit
to the governor solenoid and thereby varies the current passing through the latter.
This compensates for variations in the steam pressure or in the normal load. There-
fore as the current of the dynamo increases or decreases, so the governor and its
lever operate the expansion or cutting off arrangement.
We also provide a small adjusting spring, suitably fixed to the pivotted lever
operated by the solenoid, magnet or relay, to act against it and so be able to
counteract it, and thus enable the speed of the engine or engines to be varied at
will whilst running.
The spring or weight of the governor acting against the centrifugal force, supple-
mented by the action of the solenoids or magnets, through which the main current
from the dynamo passes, controls the speed under varying loads, so that, if the
steam pressure remained absolutely steady, the solenoid or magnet could be made to
exactly maintain a constant speed; but as it varies, and for other reasons, such as
wear, tear, and looseness, we prefer to employ a solenoid magnet or relay, as a
shunt across the dynamo terminals which controls a variable resistance for varying
the amount of current passing through the main governor coil.
The engine will maintain a constant speed if the dynamo be accurately com-
pounded; and at any rate, a constant potential can be maintained to obtain a
pre-arranged speed.
The governors will be very sensitive to the sudden rise or fall of the load on the
engine or engines for, with an increase or diminution of the strength of the main
current the cut-off valves immediately respond, through the medium of the
solenoid core, attached to the governor, which operates the expansion gear. The
response of the governor is so rapid, that "hunting" is entirely eliminated.
We may also employ a mechanical device such as two discs, one being on the
engine shaft or driven therefrom and the other being driven by clock or other
mechanical means which will act upon the said main coil, as an electrical relay,
for varying the said resistance in the governor solenoid's shunt, as before described.
We do not bind ourselves, to the particular class of governors, or to the position
or number of coils, or the position in which we place the solenoid, magnet or relay
arrangement; as we may adopt them where it will be convenient, without departure
from this invention.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 illustrates diagrammatically one construction of electrical governing
apparatus according to this invention applied to a Porters" governor.
66
Fig. 2 illustrates, also diagrammatically, another construction of electrical
governing apparatus according to this invention applied to one form of "shaft"
governor.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
With reference first to Fig. 1, A is a solenoid energised by the main current
flowing in a circuit A¹ the circuit being supplied by a dynamo D. The field
magnet coils are indicated at 1' and I, being the shunt coils and 1s the series
or compounding coils. A core B, preferably of soft iron, is so placed that the
solenoid A, when energised, tends to pull it in a downward direction. A link B¹
or equivalent connects the core B with a lever (forming part of the governor C.
The solenoid A being in the main circuit of the dynamo 1), any change in the
load on the engine, ie. in the current taken from the dynamo, will cause a corre-
sponding increase or decrease in the force exerted upon the core B by the solenoid A,
and thus the centrifugal force of the governor balls is opposed, not merely by a
dead weight or spring, but by a force proportional to the load on the engine.
E is a solenoid the winding of which is connected directly to the terminals of
the dynamo D and therefore the force exerted by it will be proportional to the
potential difference (PD) between those terminals. The solenoid E acts upon a
core F against the action of an adjustable spring F¹. The movement of the core F
is made to put in circuit more or less of regulating resistance G, which by means of

page_text: wires G¹ is joined as a shunt to the main solenoid A. Thus, the current in the main
solenoid A will be proportional to the amount of resistance in the shunt regulating
resistance G, and this resistance is determined by the PD at the terminals of the
dynamo.
In Fig. 2 is shown a similar electrical apparatus, according to this invention
applied to a governor of the "shaft" type."
A are the main solenoids, acting, as in the construction illustrated in Fig. 1,
upon cores B which are connected to the governor weights C by links B¹. The
current is conducted to the solenoids A2 by means of brushes H H' which make
contact with two insulated rings J J¹, to which the ends of the solenoids A* are
respectively connected. The other electrical details of this arrangement are as
herein before described with reference to Fig. 1.
In both constructions the spring F is preferably adjustable in order that the
speed of the engine may be alter the effect of the pull of the solenoid E upon the
core F, and thus by varying the amounts of the shunt regulating the resistance G
increase, or decrease of the pull of the main solenoid A.
If the dynamo was perfectly compounded i.c. gave a constant P I) at all loads at
a constant speed, and if, also the steam-pressure did not vary-two conditions very
hard to obtain in practice-the solenoid E and shunt resistance G would be
unnecessary all the regulation being effected by the main solenoid A.
It is obvious that many alterations may be made in the details of this inyention
without departing from the spirit of it, for example the solenoids may be double,
and th of hop-show shine or various methods of constructing the regulating
resistance G may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The combination with a mechanical governor of a solenoid energised by a
main current of varying intensity and shunted by an adjustable regulating resist-
ance, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. In electrical governing apparatus, an adjustable resistance such as G arranged
as a shunt to a main circuit solenoid A. and controlled by a solenoid such as E the
strength of which depends upon the potential difference of the dynamo, for the
purpose described.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete electrical
governing apparatus substantially as described or illustrated in Figures 1 or
Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.