Improvements in Automatically Varying the Load and Pressure of Gas Governors; and in the Means or Apparatus employed therefor.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatically Varying the Load and Pressure of
Gas Governors; and in the Means or Apparatus employed therefor.
I, WILLIAM COWAN of Buccleuch Street Works, Edinburgh in the County of
Midlothian, North Britain, Gas Meter Manufacturer, etc., 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 which relates to improvements in automatically varying the load
and pressure of gas governors and in the means or apparatus employed therefor;
forms additions to and modifications of the apparatus described in the Specifications
of my former Applications for Patents No. 9829 of 24th May 1892, and No. 18,855
of 21st Oct. 1892.
The present invention has for its object to provide means whereby the said
apparatus may automatically regulate their movements so as to suit varying
pressures in the remote district. For example suppose the pressure in the remote
district falls below the day minimum pressure of 18ths to say ths, this may, (ir
some cases) be an indication that even 18ths is not enough and that 13ths; ths or
more is required, and to enable this increase to be provided for I not only load and
unload the bell of the governor, but also the bell of the auxiliary gas holder which
actuates the loading and unloading of the governor. The bell of said auxiliary gas
holder is therefore in accordance with this invention constructed and arranged in
such a manner that it will be automatically loaded and unloaded with water or other
liquid according to its requirements; so that with regard to the example above set
forth, the increase is secured by the bell of the gas holder taking on a load of water
when it falls down and loses say the ths of suspended weight, at which point it
begins to receive water from a stationary cistern in consequence of the top end of a
suitable stand pipe being below the level of the water in the cistern the said stand
pipe being mounted in the bell's loading tank and connected to the cistern by means
of a flexible tube connection. The added weight of water thus prevents the rise of
the gas holder bell till the pressure rises so as to overcome this additional weight,
and the additional pressure is produced by the governor's supply valve being kept
open by the gas holder bell when the bell is below a certain point, the added weight
being removed from said gas holder when required by means of a displacer or outlet
valve. The standpipe, which is an open passage, forms the inlet for the water, and
the displacer or valve, the latter of which is operated' by a lever, forms the outlet
for the water and in the case of the valve is usually a closed passage. When the
bell descends (beyond a certain point) water comes into its loading tank from the
cistern; but in ascending, the standpipe prevents any water leaving the loading
tank, except by the displacer's outlet or by the valve, which remains in a closed
condition until a certain point of ascent has been attained, after which the displacer
begins to force the water out through the outlet or the valve is opened by the end
of the lever being pressed against a fixed or elastic obstruction; so that on the
pressure rising sufficiently to raise the gas holder bell the valve to the governor
will be closed but the displacer will not act and the valve.of the gas holder tank
will not open until the rise of the pressure has been sufficiently great to raise the
said bell in spite of, and against, the suspended weights corresponding with say
the 8ths or 18ths. When this.occurs it shows that the time during which these
high pressures were required has passed, and then owing to the displacer coming
into action or the valve being open, the water runs out of the gas holder loading
tank and so re-establishes the normal 18ths of pressure.
Also in accordance with my present invention I may employ, in lieu of the flexible
tube connection between the cistern and loading tank of the bell of the gas holder,

page_text: a valve and pipe connection, the valve of which is operated when required by the
completion of a circuit of electricity taking place through the medium of a system
of electric conductors, magnets, contact makers and dynamo or battery.
But in order that my said invention may be readily understood and easily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
explanatory sheets of drawings.
Figure 1 of the drawings is an elevation of one arrangement of apparatus con-
structed according to my invention,
Figure 2 is a similar view of another arrangement, and
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are detail views of same.
Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, in which I have shown an apparatus as
described in my Application No. 18,855 of 1892, that is to say, an apparatus having
an arrangement of valves for loading and unloading the tank A of the governor,
provide the bell B of the auxiliary gas holder with a loading tank C of the ordinary
construction; the said tank is provided with a standpipe D the lower end of which is
connected to a fixed or stationary cistern E by means of a flexible tube arrange-
ment F in such a manner that on the bell B falling owing to an alteration of
pressure in the remote district, the top end of the standpipe D comes down below
the level of the water in the cistern E and so permits of the water running from
said cistern E to the tank C of the gas holder thus loading the tank of the gas
holder.
In order to unload the tank C of the gas holder when necessary I provide a
displacer G which may be mounted on a fixed bar or bridge g in such a manner
that on the bell B rising the displacer dips into the tank C and so forces the water
back into the cistern E, through the standpipe D and connection F, and so
unloads the bell of the gas holder according to the requirements of the district.
In lieu of the said displacer G, I may if desired employ a suitable valve G¹,
located near the bottom of the tank C, as shown in Figure 7, and provided with an
actuating lever g', the one end 92 of which would, at a certain point of the bell's
ascent, be pressed against a fixed or elastic obstruction g³ so as to open the said
valve G and so unload the bell B of the gas holder.
Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings I have shown an apparatus arranged so
that the gas holder which actuates the loading and unloading valves of the
governor, is placed in the remote district and communicates the motion given to
it.by the variation of the pressure of the gas in the main of the remote district, by
means of a system of electric conductors, magnets, contact makers and dynamo or
battery.
In this arrangement I dispense with the standpipe and flexible tube connection
between the loading tank C of the gas holder bell B and the cistern E, and in lieu
thereof I employ a valve H. as shown; the said valve being mounted in any
convenient part of the supply pipe J from the cistern and having its lever h so
made and arranged so as to be operated upon when required by the electro
magnets K which come into action on the completion of a circuit of electricity
being effected by means of the conductors L, contact makers M, and dynamo or
battery N; the said contact makers being caused to act so as to effect the opening
of said valve H, by the falling of the bell B in response to the pressure of the gas,
and when the circuit is broken the counterpoise weight h¹ on the lever / closes the
said. valve. The unloading in this case is effected by the displacer G forcing the
water out through the overflow or outlet pipe P as the bell rises.
It is to be understood that according to my present invention I may use the
flexible tube arrangement of loading and unloading the gas holder bell as shown in
Fig. 1 in combination with the governor arrangement as shown in Fig. 2. Or I
may use the electric circuit arrangement of loading and unloading the gas holder
bell as shown in Figure 2 in combination with the governor arrangement as shown
in Figure 1.
Also if desired I may use any of said arrangements for loading and unloading
the gas holder bell in combination with the flexible tube arrangement, or double

page_text: cistern arrangement, of governors as described in my Application No. 9829 of 1892,
certain modifications of details being made to suit the requirements of each case.
Also in accordance with my present invention I provide the loading and unload-
ing valves of the governor with means whereby the rise or fall of the bell B of the
gas holder not only opens the valves, but keeps them open through the rest of the
rise or the fall of the bell B, as the case may be.
According to one arrangement of such as is shown in elevation and plan
Figures 3 and 4, of the syphon or discharge valve Q, I provide the weighted
lever g with a fork q¹ at its outer end, the said fork being so arranged as to pass
around the upright rod q' of the auxiliary gas holder bell so that on the bell rising
the rod q lifts up the circular weight by means of its adjustable table q* thus
leaving the valve Q free to be opened by the counterpoise weight q' of the lever
the valve remaining open so long as the weight q³ remains on the table g and off
the fork q' of the lever. Or as shown in part elevation, Fig. 5, I arrange the
supply valve R, in such a manner that the valve will be opened by the weight
coming off the table on to the fork of the lever and the valve closed when the
weight leaves the fork by the counterpoise weight.
Or as shown in Figure 6 I may actuate valves Q and R by means of one upright
rod S which is provided with ridges or bearing surfaces s, s' which would actuate
the respective valve according to the rise or fall of the bell.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1) In the loading and unloading of gas governors by means of auxiliary gas
holders actuated by the pressure of gas in a remote district, automatically loading
and unloading the bells of said auxiliary gas holders with water or other liquid
substantially as herein before described.
(2) In the loading and unloading of the gas holder, the arrangement of the
tank C, having standpipe D, and displacer G or valve, the said tank being
connected to the cistern E by the flexible tube F substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.
(3) In the loading and unloading of the gas holder, the arrangement of the
tank C, having displacer G or valve and outlet pipe P, the said tank being
connected to the cistern E by means of the piping which is provided with the
electrically actuated valve H, substantially as hereinbefore described and shown
in Figure 2 of the drawings.
Dated this 15th day of November 1892.
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.