mprovements in Water Supply Systems and in Automatic Valves Employed therein.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 28th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 5th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
mprovements in Water Supply Systems and in Automatic Valves
Employed therein.
I NICHOLAS SIMIN of Soukharew Tower Moscow in the Empire of Russia Engineer
o hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:
A water supply system arranged according to this invention enables a plentiful
upply of water under high pressure to be obtained in case of an outbreak of fire the
entire supply being capable of being directed to the hydrant or fire plug where the
water is required by means of valves heroinaftor described which under the action of
an increase of pressure close automatically and in case of fire cut off the supply to the
branches or pipes from which the water is usually drawn the said increase of pressure
in the mains being produced in case of fire by means of accelerating the speed of the
pumping machinery or by connecting the mains with a suitably elevated reservoir for
éxample.
In order that a water supply system may be employed to the best advantage in case
of fire it must comply with the following conditions (1) an adequate and regular supply
must be available at the hydrants and (2) the water must be delivered under sufficient
pressure to enable it to be thrown on to the flames without the aid of pumps or fire
engines. With water supply systems as heretofore arranged the supply is too
frequently found to be wholly inadequate to enable the firemen to cope with any con-
siderable conflagration partly because the water supply is at least in the day time
being drawn upon at the same time for the ordinary requirements of the town. By
means of this invention an ample supply of water under a suitable pressure to enable
it to be utilised directly without the aid of pumps or fire engines is enabled to be
obtained without having recourse to the expense involved by laying down mains of a
With this object on
capacity far in excess of the ordinary requirements of the town.
an outbreak of fire the supply of water for domestic and other ordinary consumption
is automatically cut off by the action of the increased pressure in the pipes and the
whole of the supply is thus rendered available for extinguishing the conflagration.
With this object, the fire plugs or hydrants being placed on the mains the branch
pipes are provided with valves specially constructed so as to close automatically when
the pressure is raised to the extent required in case of fire.
A suitable construction of valve for this purpose is obtained by employing a piston
or elastic diaphragm arranged to be acted on by the pressure of the water on one side
only and connecting this piston or its equivalent to the valve which is also loaded by
a weight and lever or the like so adjusted as to be capable of maintaining the valve in
the open position under the normal pressure but which yields and causes the valve to
close when the pressure is increased as hereinbefore described.
In case it is necessary to prevent the valves from opening when the pressure falls
to its normal degree the valves may be provided with catches which engage with the
weighted levers or other moving parts and prevent the valves from opening until
these parts have been released or the piston or its equivalent may be dispensed with
the weight or spring being adjusted so as to enable the valve to close automatically in
the mannerr required and remain closed until opened by hand.
Anouct 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Supply Systems and in Automatic Valves
Employed therein.
I NICHOLAS SIMIN of Soukharew Tower Moscow in the Empire of Russia 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:-
A water supply system arranged according to this Invention enables a plentiful
supply of water under high pressure to be obtained in case of an outbreak of fire the
entire supply being capable of being directed to the hydrant or fire plug where the
water is required by means of valves hereinafter described which under the action of
an increase of pressure close automatically and in case of fire cut off the supply to the
branches or pipes from which the water is usually drawn the said increase of pressure
in the mains being produced in case of fire by means of accelerating the speed of the
pumping machinery or by connecting the mains with a suitably elevated reservoir for
example.
A water supply system to present an effectual protection from fire must fulfil the
following conditions namely
1. At the delivery orifices stand pipes or hydrants provided on the pipes for use in
case of fire the water must be constantly supplied in adequate and determined
quantities.
2. The pressure on the water in the pipes must be sufficient to enable it to be thrown
to a sufficient distance without having recourse to pumps or fire engines.
Ordinarily, the quantity of water delivered by water pipes is calculated with a view
to providing for the domestic requirements of the population of the district and it
frequently follows that in cases of emergency the entire supply is exhausted. When
it is contemplated to render the water pipes always ready for use in case of fire in
addition to providing water for domestic purposes it is usually deemed sufficient to
simply make the parts of the system of larger dimensions.
According to the data furnished by the most competent engineers such as I. F.
Fanning of the United States and Captain Shaw of London a water pipe in case of
fire must deliver at the supply orifices at least 8,600 litres of water per minute
or 12,300,000 litres in 24 hours. It is evident that a surplus of this importance over
the ordinary supply is far beyond the capacity of ordinary town maius.
towns where mains with an abundant supply are not available on account of the
In small
expense a smaller quantity of water must necessarily be supplied. It would also be
impossible for the same reason to enlarge the pipes etc. so as to make them large
enough for the domostic supply as well as for fire.
does not command the means for laying down mains of considerably greater capacity
Now in the case of a town that 3
than is required for domestic purposes there is no known system capable of ensuring
an adequate supply of water at the delivery orifices in case of fire. If at certain times
as at night for example the consumption of water for domestic purposes is small the
water from the pipes may be used although under low pressure but if a fire breaks out 4
in the day time when the domestic consumption is considerable and may even equal
the total capacity of the pipes it is evident that in contending with the conflagration
the water supply will fail with results which may be of the most deplorable character;
examples of such occurrences are not rare.
The improved system of water conduits affording security against fire forming the 4
object of my Invention is applicable to towns villages, works and factories and in
general to any populous locality and is based on the following principle.
In case of fire the delivery of water from the main for domestic purposes, in
houses, fountains, for watering the streets or the like is automatically shut off by the
action of an increase of pressure in the pipes and the entire supply delivered by the 5
main is rendered available for contending with the conflagration under the augmented
pressure.

page_text: By basing the system on this principle it becomes possible to utilise the water pipes
in case of fire without seriously increasing the cost of construction.
A fire constitutes a calamity threatening the general interest of the public and it is
ovident that every citizen would prefer to dispense with water in his house for a
few hours provided that the water is made useful in subduing the fire. Morcover in
houses that are
provided with a water tank connected with the water supply the
temporary cessation of the supply will be productive of little or no inconvenience as the
domestic supply can be taken from the tank when the direct supply from the main is
cut off, the tank being refilled when the fire has been subdued.
Another important advantage of the new system is that the quantity of water
available for acting on the conflagration remains constant and well determined as the
entire capacity of the conduit is employed for extinguishing the fire and there is no
possibility of unexpected fluctuations in this respect or of difficulties or failure in the
service or supply employed in dealing with a fire.
A water supply system according to my Invention is arranged as follows:-
1. The network of pipes is so planned that the entire quantity of water available
for domestic purposes or even a larger quantity if possible can be directed to any
point in the locality or district included in the system.
2. The conduits or pipes are provided with stand pipes or hydrants for use in case
of fire in accordance with the local conditions.
3. Each branch pipe is provided with a valve which closes automatically and
consists of a disc valve a grooved piston or a moveable diaphragm balanced by a
piston and counter weight and allowing the water to flow freely through the pipe or
branch when the pressure of the water is normal but closing and stopping the flow
directly the pressure exceeds certain limits.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in vertical section an apparatus
provided with a valve which closes automatically when the pressure increases and
opens in like manner when the pressure decreases. This apparatus is constructed
with a valve K whose functions may also be performed by a moveable diaphragm or a
grooved piston for example. A counterweight P acting on the arm L of the lever F
is so adjusted as to overcome the normal pressure (p) exerted by the water on the
piston whose diameter is represented by D and which acts on the arm of the
aforesaid lever F. The following formula
it is evident that the pressure of the water acting on the lever through the piston will
overcome the counterweight and consequently the valve K will close and cut off the
water from the branch.
After the fire has been extinguished the pressure of the water is lowered to its
normal value p and the conditions represented by formula (1) being restored the
valve Kopens and the flow of water is renewed.
4. The water may be supplied to the mains direct from the force pumps or from a
reservoir and the increase of pressure in case of fire may be obtained by accelerating
the action of the pumps (in this case the mains must be disconnected from the
reservoir) or the mains may be connected with another reservoir situated at such an
elevation that the head of water is sufficient to close the balanced or automatic valves
and the water is delivered at the outlets with sufficient force to enable it to rise to
the required height in order to act effectually on the flames.
An example of a water supply system which complies with the conditions herein-
before set forth is represented in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
H, represents the normal pressure in the pipes for domestic purposes, H representing

page_text: (IV) 9=
=
ƒ + fi + f₂ +
+ fa Q.
1
In case of rupture of a conduit or accidental opening of a larger number of outlets
than is necessary it may result that the pressure in the pipes falls to its normal value
and by the consequent reopening of the valves allows the water to be drawn off for
domestic purposes.
In order to prevent the occurrence of these conditions it is
advantageous to place on the branch connections, especially where the delivery is
considerable, valves which close automatically when the pressure is increased and
which are so constructed as to be incapable of opening automatically when the
pressure is reduced. A simple device indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1 is sufficient
to obtain this result. The lever F is provided for this purpose with a catch (see
dotted lines Figure 1) which engages with the cover of the apparatus or valve case
and holds up the lever retaining it in its elevated position notwithstanding possible
reductions of pressure.
In order to open the valve (with the water at normal pressure)
the catch simply has to be removed from the cover.
Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings represents in vertical section apparatus
provided with a valve K. which remains closed when the pressure diminishes and which
inust be opened by hand. The conditions under which this valve works are as
follows -

page_text: by automatically arresting in case of fire all expenditure of water, excepting at the
said stand pipes or connections, by means of valves constructed to close automatically
when the pressure in the pipes is increased by accelerating the action of the force
pumps or apparatus supplying water to a system unconnected with the reservoir or by
connecting the system with a reservoir situated at a higher level so as to produce an
augmented pressure such as is required in case of fire all substantially as herein before
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Daiod thie 28th day of April 1890
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.