Improvements in Governors.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 10th May, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 10th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Governors.
I, RICHARD JOHNSTON MILHENNY of 102, Redcross Street, Wilmington, in
the County of New Hanover, and State of North Carolina, United States of
America, Telegraph Operator, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to a steam engine governor operated by the direct pressure
of the steam without the use of any parts operated by centrifugal force, the
governor being positive in operation varying the supply of steam quickly and in
proper proportion, to the varying resistance of the load and being well adapted to
prevent racing of marine engines.
The governor consists essentially of a piston of differential area working in a
corresponding cylinder, the lesser area being constantly under the boiler pressure
and the larger area being exposed to the initial pressure in the engine cylinder
through an equalizing valve operating another valve controlling the How of steam
from the engine cylinder to the said larger area when it acts in opposition to the
pressure on the lesser area, the piston being connected to, and operating, the
valve or valves controlling the supply of steam to the engine cylinder. The two
ends of the engine cylinder are connected with the lower end of the equalizing
valve casing through a double check valve operated by the steam pressure so as
to close the communication with one end of the cylinder when that with the
other is opened. The equalizing valve it fitted to slide in its casing as in a
cylinder and the lower end of said cylinder is connected with the larger end of the
governor cylinder through a valve actuated by the motion of the equalizing
valve and serving to regulate the connection of the equalizing valve cylinder
with the larger end of the governor cylinder. The equalizing valve is provided
with an auxiliary valve which permits the steam to escape from the upper end
of the equalizing valve cylinder when the steam is working expansively in the
engine cylinder. An adjustable stop is provided to limit the motion of the
governor piston under the boiler pressure and a spring is applied to move it in
the same direction as the boiler pressure so as to hold it in a normal position when
the steam is entirely shut-off. The governor piston may be connected with a crank
on a weigh shaft, connected by cranks and links with the steam inlet valves of a
Corliss engine or it may be connected directly to a throttle valve.
.The operation of the governor is as follows; The initial pressure in one end of the
engine cylinder, say, at the forward stroke operates the double check valve opening
it from that end and closing it to the other end of the engine cylinder, the live
steam passing into the equalizing valve cylinder raising said valve until the steam
passes to the upper side thereof, whereupon the pressure being equal above and
below the valve falls back on its seat. When said valve is lifted to a certain
height previous to steam passing above it the regulating valve operated by the
equalizing valve as above mentioned allows steam to pass to the larger area of
the governor piston overcoming the boiler pressure on the opposing smaller area
and moving the governor piston so as to regulate the position of the valve or valves
controlling the supply of steam to the engine cylinder. On the next stroke of the
engine, should there be the slightest increase or diminution of the load, the steam
passing into the governor cylinder will act in the same way as on the preceding
stroke and will meet pressure at this point so as to increase or diminish the
registering pressure of the preceding stroke in the governor cylinder. The boiler
pressure acting on the smaller area of the governor piston effects pressure above
the said piston, thus causing the steam valves of the engine or the throttle valve, as

page_text: the case may be, to open or close slightly, thereby allowing the engine to continue
running at the same rate of speed under whatever change of boiler pressure, so
that the governor performs its office in respect to the load, irrespective of the
boiler pressure.
The equalizing valve falls back on its seat after giving the
pressure time to equalize, at the cut-off valve operated by said equalizing valve,
with the pressure from the governor cylinder. By this action the pressures of the
engine strokes are registered.
The governor is positive in action, is part of the engine which it governs, and
requires no belt to drive it, thus obviating the danger of the belt breaking.
It commences to act within one-half revolution of the crank and will work on
either high or low pressure stationary or marine engines.
Dated this 10th day of May 1892.
R. J. MILHENNY,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Governors.
I, RICHARD JOHNSTON MCILHENNY of 102 Redcross Street, Wilmington, in
the County of New Hanover, and State of North Carolina, United States of
America, Telegraph Operator, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved steam engine
governor, which is simple and durable in construction, very effective and positive
in operation, admitting steam quickly and in proper proportion to overcome the
resistance of any load carried, or shutting off the motive agent on an increase of
speed after release of the load.
The invention consists of a piston controlled by the initial pressure in the
cylinder and controlling the movement of the inlet valve or valves for the
cylinder.
The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the
same, as will be hereinafter described and then pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement as applied to a Corliss engine.
Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section of the improvement, on the line x―
of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the equalizing valve. Figure 4 is an inverted plan
view of the same.
Figure 5 is a sectional side elevation of the equalizing pipe, and
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the improvement as applied to a throttle valve,
the latter being shown in section.
The ends of the cylinder A of the engine on which the improvement is applied
are connected with the ends of pipes B and B' leading to a valve casing C formed
at the entrance of the pipes B and B with valve seats C and C* respectively
adapted to be alternately opened and closed by valves D, D', respectively, secured
on the ends of a common valve stem D mounted to slide longitudinally in the said
valve casing C. The latter is connected at or about its middle with a pipe E
provided with a valve E¹ and opening into a cylinder F containing an equalizing
valve G fitted to slide in the said cylinder. The lower end of the latter is
connected by a pipe H with the upper end of a cylinder I, containing a piston J
the upward movement of which is limited by a screw rod 1' held adjustably in the

page_text: 80
upper end or head of the said cylinder I. The pipe H is provided with a valve H'
controlled from the equalizing valve G, the latter being provided for this purpose
on its stem G' with arms G' pivotally connected with crank arms H* held on the
stem of the valve H¹ so that when the said equalising valve G slides up and down
in the cylinder F the valve H' is turned in its seat, to regulate the communication
between the cylinder F and the upper end of the cylinder I. The piston J is
formed on its under side with a piston rod J' extending into a cylinder 12
considerably less in diameter than the cylinder I and connected by a pipe K¹ with
a supply pipe K supplying the motive agent to the cylinder A in the usual manner
and containing the valve K2. The piston rod J' carries a stem J* extending
through a stuffing box in the head of the said cylinder 12 and connecting at its
outer end with a crank arm L secured on a shaft L' carrying the arms L and L
pivotally connected by the links L and L' respectively with the arms L' and L
held on the stems of the valves N and N¹ regulating the inlet of the motive agent
to the cylinder A.
As shown in Figure 1, the said valves N and N are part of the Corliss engine
previously mentioned. The cylinder I is preferably provided with a steam jacket
connected by a pipe K with the supply pipe K so as to prevent loss of steam within
the said cylinder I by radiation.
As shown in Figure 6, the stem J2 is directly connected with the throttle-valve
arranged in the supply pipe K, as shown. The equalising valve G is provided
with an auxiliary valve G³, which permits the motive agent to escape from above
the equalising valve G in the upper end of the cylinder F at the time the engine
cuts off and steam is expanding.
The operation is as follows:-The initial pressure within the cylinder A at the
forward stroke of the piston opens the double check valve D or D' at the end of
the corresponding pipe B or B so that the opposite pipe B¹ or B is closed by the
respective valve D or D. The seated valve in addition to the pressure is held to
its seat by the vacuum in the opposite or exhausting end of the cylinder. Now, the
steam from the forward stroke passing through the respective pipe and the open
valve passes into the pipe E and to the cylinder F, thus exerting its pressure
against the equalising valve G, thereby raising the latter until the steam passes
the said valve and fills the space above it in the cylinder F. In doing so, an equal
pressure is produced above and below the equalizing valve G, thereby allowing the
valve to fall back to its seat. When the equalizing valve G is lifted to a certain
height, previous to steam passing above it, the valve H¹ is actuated so that the
motive agent can pass from the cylinder F through the pipe H into the upper end
of the cylinder I to exert its pressure on the piston J. As the reduced end of the
piston rod J¹ of the said piston J is exposed to the boiler pressure, the live steam
in the upper end of the cylinder I, pressing on the larger area of the piston J,
causes a downward movement of the latter whereby the positions of the valves N
and N¹ of the cylinder A. are regulated. On the succeeding stroke of the engine,
should there be the slightest increase or diminution of the load carried by the
engine, then the steam passing up into the cylinder I through the pipe H will act
the same as on the preceding stroke and will meet pressure at this point, so as to
increase or diminish the registering pressure of the preceding stroke in the
cylinder I. The boiler pressure acting on the reduced end of the piston rod J' of
the piston J exerts pressure above the said piston, thus causing the steam valves of
the engine to open or close slightly, thereby allowing the engine to continue at the
same rate of speed under whatever change of boiler pressure, so that the governor
performs its office in respect to the load carried by the engine, irrespective of the
boiler pressure. The equalising valve G falls back to its seat after giving the
pressure time to equalise at the cut-off valve H¹ with pressure from the cylinder I.
By this action the pressures of the engine strokes are registered. A spring J³ is
coiled on the rod J³ and rests with one end on the head of the cylinder I² and with
its other end presses on the piston rod J', so as to hold the latter and the piston J
in a normal position at the time when steam is shut-off. The governor acts similarly

page_text: relative to the throttle valve O, that is regulates the amount of steam passing
through the supply pipe K to the cylinder I.
It will be seen that this governor is positive in its action and is part of the
engine which it governs. The device requires no belt for driving it, thus obviating
the serious troubles that breaking of a belt would cause. It will further be seen
that the governor commences to act or check within one-half revolution of the
crank, the increased speed of the engine after being released of the load that resists
the power of the same, and on the other hand it will act as quick to give steam to
overcome increased resistance of any load carried. The valve E¹ in the pipe E,
serves to regulate the flow of the motive agent to the cylinder F, to prevent jerking
of any of the valves, the aperture in the said valve E being made sufficiently
small for the purpose.
As shown in the drawings, the governor is intended to be set on top of the
engine cylinder, is very simple in construction and not liable to get out of order.
The device will work either on high or low pressure stationary or marine engines.
As this governor has no balls governed by centrifugal force and gravitation it
renders it very adaptive to marine engines to prevent racing when the load is
lifted. In case the load is taken off quickly the steam is cut-off by the same.
movement.
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. An engine governor provided with a piston controlled from the initial
pressure in the cylinder of the engine governed through an equalising valve and
controlling the movements of an inlet valve or valves for the cylinder, substantially
as shown and described.
2. An engine governor provided with a piston having its reduced end pressed on
by the motive agent and its larger end exposed to the initial pressure in the
cylinder of the engine governed, through an equalizing valve, substantially as set
forth.
3. In an engine governor, the combination, with a piston having its reduced end
pressed on by the motive agent and its larger end exposed to the initial pressure in
the cylinder, of an equalizing valve for controlling the flow of motive agent from
the cylinder to the large end of the said piston, substantially as shown and
described.
4. In an engine governor, the combination, with an equalizing valve controlled
by the initial pressure in the cylinder, of a piston having its large end exposed to
the cylinder pressure controlled by the said equalizing valve the small end of the
said piston being acted on by the motive agent in the supply pipe, substantially as
shown and described.
5. In an engine governor, the combination, with an equalizing valve controlled
by the initial pressure in the cylinder, of a piston having its large end exposed to
the cylinder pressure controlled by the said equalizing valve the small end of the
said piston being acted on by the motive agent in the supply pipe, and means for
connecting the reduced end of the said piston with the valves controlling the inlet
of the steam to the cylinder, substantially as shown and described.
6. In an engine governor, the combination, with a cylinder and an equalizing
valve fitted to slide therein, of a pipe leading from the said cylinder, a valve casing
into which opens the said pipe and provided with two valve seats, a double valve
fitted to slide in the said valve casing, and pipes leading from the said valve casing
to the ends of the cylinder, substantially as shown and described.
7. In an engine governor, the combination, with a cylinder having a reduced end
in communication with the steam supply pipe, of a piston fitted to slide in the said
cylinder and provided with a piston rod extending into the said reduced end of the
cylinder, a pipe extending into the upper end of the said cylinder, a check valve
.held in the said pipe, a cylinder connected with the said pipe, and an equalizing

page_text: valve held in the said last named cylinder and adapted to control the movement of
the said check valve, substantially as shown and described.
8. In an engine governor, the combination, with a cylinder having a reduced end
in communication with the steam supply pipe, of a piston fitted to slide in the said
cylinder and provided with a piston rod extending into the said reduced end of the
cylinder, a pipe extending into the upper end of the said cylinder, a check valve
held in the said pipe, a cylinder connected with the said pipe, an equalizing valve
held in the said last named cylinder and adapted to control the movement of the
said check valve, and an equalizing pipe connected with the last mentioned
cylinder and with the ends of the engine cylinder, substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of February 1893.
R. J. MILHENNY,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.