IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Wright, of Halstead, in the County of Essex,
Brassfounder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS."
Sealed the 28th August 1857, and dated the 2nd March 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Wright at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd March 1857.
I, SAMUEL WRIGHT, of Halstead, in the County of Essex, Brassfounder,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GAS REGULATORS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a chamber or reservoir divided into an upper and
lower compartment by a flexible diaphragm. An inlet and outlet orifice com-
municate with the lower compartment. To the flexible diaphragm is attached
a central spindle working vertically through an aperture in the upper part of
the reservoir; to the lower end of this spindle is attached by a short chain, or
otherwise, one end of a moveable flap, the other end of the flap being secured
to the inlet elbow.
it
When the flexible diaphragm is acted upon by an extra pressure of gas,
rises, and brings the moveable flap in contact with the inlet orifice, so as to
close or partially close the opening, and thereby diminish the quantity of gas
admitted. When the extra pressure ceases, the diaphragm sinks down and
enlarges the inlet orifice, so that the supply of gas to the burners is regulated
and maintained uniform under every variation of pressure in the main supply.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Wright in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
WRIGHT, of Halstead, in the County of Essex, Brassfounder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Samuel Wright, Her special licence that I, the said Samuel Wright,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel
Wright, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Jslands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGU-
LATORS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Wright,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Wright, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
My improved gas regulator consists of a chamber or reservoir divided into
an upper and lower compartment by a flexible diaphragm. An inlet and outlet
orifice communicate with the lower compartment. To the flexible diaphragm
is attached a central spindle working vertically through an aperture in the
upper part of the reservoir; to the lower end of this spindle is attached by a
short chain, or otherwise, one end of a flexible and moveable flap, the other end
of the flap being secured to the inlet elbow. When the flexible diaphragm
is acted upon by an extra pressure of gas, it rises, and brings the moveable flap
in contact with the inlet orifice, so as to close or partially close the opening,
and thereby diminish the quantity of gas adınitted.

page_text: inlet orifice, so that the supply of gas to the burners is regulated and main-
tained uniform under every variation of pressure in the main supply.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents an external elevation of my improved gas regulator, and
Fig. 2 a vertical section of the same through the centre; Fig. 3 is a plan of
the top, and Fig. 4 a horizontal section on the line 1, 2, below the inlet orifice,
and the regulating flap or valve viewed from below.
a, a, is a circular chamber furnished with an inlet aperture 6, and an outlet
aperture c, for the ingress and egress of the gas. The upper part of the
chamber is enclosed by a dome-cover d, scrowed down upon the flange or lip
of a flexible disc or diaphragm of leather, or other suitable material e, placed
between the flanges, which renders the joint gas-tight, and also completely
separates the chamber a from the space in the dome d. A spindlef is fixed to
the diaphragm e by two collars, which embrace the upper and lower sides of
the diaphragm. The upper part of the spindlef passes through and works up
and down in a guide hole in the dome d; it is furnished with a collar g, on
which small circular weights h are placed as a counterpoise to the pressure of
the gas on the diaphragm, which is loaded according to the pressure of gas
required to pass through the regulator. The weights are enclosed by a small
cover i, which may be removed at pleasure when it is desired to vary the load
weights h, h. The lower end of the spindle has a small chain k attached, the
other and lower end of which chain is attached to the free end of a flap 7 of
leather, or other suitable flexible material; the other end of this flap is fixed to
the side of the elbow inlet 6, the vertical part of which is square, as seen in the
section, Fig. 4. The lower part or orifice 6 is curved in one direction, as seen
in section, Fig. 2, so as to present a termination suitable for the flap to lap
close round and close the passage, and also a surface, from which it easily frees
itself when the diaphragm e falls. The inlet and outlet pipes are screwed and
fixed in the ordinary manner of fixing gas pipes to render the joints tight,
which is also the case with the diaphragm e. It will also be observed, that the
diaphragun e is sufficiently loose or elastic as to fall below the horizontal line,
and also to be forced nearly up to the domed by internal pressure of the gas.
The action of the apparatus is this:-Supposing the inlet gas to be at an
excess of the pressure desired to be used for consumption, the spindle ƒ is
loaded according to the pressure required in the outlet c. The pressure of gas
admitted by the inlet b exerts its pressure over the entire area of the disc or
diaphragm. If the pressure on the under side of e is in excess of the weights

page_text: h, h, the spindle frises with the diaphragm, and carries with it the chain k,
which lifts the flap valve l, and partially closes the inlet aperture, and thus
reduces the ingress of the gas until the pressure in the chamber a establishes
an equilibrium of pressure between the diaphragm e and load weights h, h,
which it maintains, whatever may be the amount of gas consumed, so long as
the inlet gas is a little in excess of the consumption; thus, if a small con-
sumption only takes place, the diaphragm e rises, and closes more or less.the
flap valve when the. consumption increases, the diaphragm e descends, and
opens the flap valve in proportion, and thus maintains a uniform pressure of
gas in c. If a greater pressure of gas is required in c, the load weight h is
augmented; on the contrary, if a less pressure only is required in c, the weight h
is reduced. A constant pressure is thus established in c according to the
weight h, whatever may be the quantity of gas consumed, so long as the supply
of gas is in excess of what is required in c.
Having described. the nature of my Invention; and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention, intended to be pro-
tected by the herein-before in part:recited Letters Patent, is the regulation of
the pressure of gas by means of a loaded flexible diaphragm acting on a flap
valve, so as to reduce or enlarge the area of passage of the gas for the purpose
of regulating its pressure in passing to the burners, or other means of
consumption, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Wright, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 'Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.