A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE PRESSURE OF STEAM IN STEAM BOILERS AND FOR INDICATING WHEN THE WATER IN STEAM BOILERS IS TOO HIGH OR TOO Low
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Francis Ensor and William
Payne at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 3rd October 1862.
We, FRANCIS ENSOR, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Iron
Founder and Machinist, and WILLIAM PAYNE, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE PRESSURE OF STEAM
IN STEAM BOILERS AND FOR INDICATING WHEN THE WATER IN STEAM BOILERS
IS TOO HIGH OR TOO Low," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of a new or improved apparatus for regulating tho
presure of steam in steam boilers, and for indicating when the water in steam
boilers is too high or too low, constructed in the following manner :-
Upon the top of the steam boiler we fix a vertical pipe the bottom of which
opens into the boiler. The top of the said vertical pipe is fitted with a valve,
a curved pipe branches laterally from the vertical one and is fitted with a
safety valve, the lever of the said valve being weighted to the pressure at
which it is wished to work the boiler. At the side of the vertical pipe, opposite
to that at which the lateral curved pipe is situated, a hollow cylinder of nearly
double the diameter of the said vertical pipe is placed, the said cylinder being
supported upon a bracket on the said vertical pipe. This cylinder is divided
horizontally by a partition into two compartments, the upper compartment
containing a cylindrical block or weight working therein. A rod passes
from the upper end of the block or weight and is connected to the free end of
the lever of the valve at the top of the vertical pipe. The lower com-

page_text: partment of the cylinder constitutes a cistern and contains water, the commu-
nication between the two compartments being effected by a pipe in the
partition which dips into the said cistern. On one side of the before-mentioned
cylinder a valve box of small diameter is situated provided at about its middle
with a valve, the said valve being weighted to a pressure which the boiler
can bear with safety. The lower part of the valve box communicates by
means of a pipe with the vertical pipe or directly with the boiler, and the
upper part of the said valve box communicates by means of a pipe with the
cistern or lower compartment of the cylinder. When the pressure of the
steam in the boiler exceeds that with which the valve in the valve box is
weighted, the said valve is lifted from its seat and steam passes to the upper
part of the said valve box and escapes by means of the before-mentioned pipe
to the cistern of the cylinder. By the pressure of the steam on the water
in the said cistern it is forced up the pipe, opening into the upper compartment,
and the said water acting on the bottom of the block or weight therein raises
the said block or weight. The rod on its upper end thereby lifts the free end
of the lever of the valve of the vertical pipe, when the steam lifts the said
valve from its seat and escapes freely through the said vertical pipe. When
the boiler has been relieved of the excessive pressure the valve in the valve
box is closed, the supply of steam to the cistern of the cylinder being cut off,
the water in the upper part of the cylinder returns to the cistern, the block
or weight in the cylinder descends, and the several parts of the apparatus are
restored to their normal positions. An arm projecting from the top of the before-
mentioned cylinder carries at its end a pulley over which a weighted chain
connected with the float in the boiler works, rods having long slots or openings
in them are connected with the chain of the float and through the slots in the
said rods the lever of the valve of the valve box passes. By the rising or
descending motion of the float the said rods lift the lever which holds down the
valve of the valve box and cause the valve of the vertical pipe to be raised in the
manner herein-before explained. By the escape of steam at the said vertical
pipe an alarm is made and the attendant by examining the positions of the
said slotted rods on the chain of the float can ascertain whether the water in
the boiler is too high or too low.