An Improved Governor or Pressure-reducing Device for Steam, Gas, and other Fluids.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1895
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Governor or Pressure-reducing Device for Steam,
Gas, and other Fluids.
A communication by FRITZ KAEFERLE, of 8 Jakobestrasse, Hanover, in the
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in
the County of Warwick, and 31 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil 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 :-
This invention has for its object an improved governor or pressure reducing
device for steam, gas and other fluids, which is characterised by the closing
mechanism which consists of two equal sized valve discs being normally held open
by a weight floating on mercury and only closed when the mercury by an increase
in the pressure, is forced out of its vessel into a second vessel placed at a suitably
higher level, which second vessel is connected with the former vessel by means of
an adjustable U-shaped pipe having a stuffing box. The device may be adjusted,
and employed, without any further trouble for any suitable reduction of pressure,
and it remains capable of acting on the very smallest fluctuations of pressure, and
also for working on a minimum quantity of medium the pressure of which is to be
reduced, because the closing valve is entirely unloaded, and affords an absolutely
tight joint when it has descended on to its seat.
On the accompanying drawings,
Figures 1 and 2 show vertical sections of two such governors or pressure
reducing devices which only differ from each other in that a lever connection is
inserted in Figure 2, on which the weight, operating the two valve discs, is:
suspended.
In Figure 1, a is a casing which is connected to the high and low pressure pipe:
and is mounted with its lower end in communication with a mercury vessel b. The
latter is connected, by means of a U-shaped pipe c with a second vessel d which is
made adjustable in height relatively to the pipe c by means of a tubular piece d
tightly carried through a stuffing box c in the pipe c. On the upper side of the.
vessel d is a small air pipe f through which air can flow into the vessel d or escape
therefrom when the mercury in the pipe c or d' falls or rises in consequence of
differences in pressure.
On the top of the vessel a, a valve case g is provided, in which a closing valve,
consisting of two valve discs e e, is placed, and held, and which, in consequence of
the equally sized section of the two discs and also of the openings which they cover,
is entirely unloaded. A rod is connected beneath to these valve discs and ou said
rod is suspended a weight h which floats on the mercury in the vessel b.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The high pressure medium flowing into the valve case g in the direction indicated
by the arrow, passes under the valve discs e e to the casing a and from thence
through k into a pipe or main which conveys the medium at a diminished pressure
to the places where it is to be employed. According to the pressure now in the
vessel a, a portion of the mercury contained in the vessel 6 will be forced over
n

page_text: towards the vessel d, by which means the weight and with it the valve discs e e,
descend, and thereby diminish the size of the passage for the inflowing high
pressure medium, in consequence of which less medium can flow through the valve,
and the pressure in the vessel a and the pipe connected therewith will accordingly
diminish. Before the weight h can touch the bottom of the vessel b, the unloaded
valve discs e e will have descended on to their seats, and the inflow of the high
pressure medium will have ceased entirely. If however a decrease of pressure
takes place in the pipe for the medium of diminished pressure,
the mercury
which
has been forced over into the vessel d, will overcome the pressure in the part a and
flow back towards the vessel b, thus raising the weight h, and again opening the
valve discs e e. Under this alternate action, the closing devices will very soon find
a position which corresponds to the consumption of the reduced pressure medium
to such an extent that it allows neither more nor less to pass through, than corre-
sponds to the consumption, and as soon as this consumption alters, the position of
the valves or closing devices will also immediately alter, until the maximum extent
of opening of the passage is attained or until the passage is totally closed.
The vessel d must be selected of such a size as to be capable of receiving the
whole of the mercury driven out of the vessel b and the pipe c, and thus any
ejection of mercury, if too strong a pressure arise, is entirely prevented. As the
vessel with its tubular connection to the pipe c has a tight joint through a
stuffing box c, and may be pushed up and down on the pipe c, this pressure
reducing device is immediately applicable for every desired extent of pressure,
without it being necessary to alter anything. It is only necessary to adjust the
vessel d to a suitable height.
The pressure reducing device shown as a modification in Figure 2, differs from
that shown in Figure 1, only in there being, between the floating weight and the
valve discs e e, a lever mechanism by means of which the weight can impart a
greater pressure or energy to the valve disc e e, otherwise similar letters indicate
similar parts as in the arrangement previously described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
An improved governor or pressure reducing device for steam, gas and other
fluids, consisting of a fixed vessel (6) containing mercury, a vertically adjustable
vessel (d) connected thereto by means of a pipe (c) and adjustable relatively to
said fixed vessel by means of a tubular piece (d) fitting tightly through a stuffing
box (c) in said pipe (c), and a floating weight (h) arranged in the fixed vessel (b)
and connected with an unloaded closing device or valve (ee) either directly or
indirectly by means of lever mechanism for the purpose of forcing over the
mercury more or less towards the adjustable vessel (d), as the pressure varies and
of suitably adjusting the valve by means of the weight of the float, substantially as
hereinbefore described and shown on the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 25th day of November 1895.