Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 6th May, 1898-Accepted, 6th May, 1899
A communication to me from abroad by CELI TIMOLÉON MOULAN, of 266, Avenue
de la Reine, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium, Hydraulic Engineer.
I, REGINALD WILLIAM JAMES, of the Firm of Fell and James, of 1, Queen
Victoria Street, in the City of London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 relates to apparatus for measuring the flow of water, so that
all changes in the flow are automatically noted and the total consumption and
flow registered; it is particularly designed for large water works. The apparatus
which checks the consumption or exit can also be used for a number of other
purposes, for instance for finding leakages in the system of distributing pipes and
for checking inclined pipes which are not easily accessible and the tightness of
which must be under efficient control.
The measurement may be absolute or relative, i.e. it may be of the whole
volume which flows through the pipe, or only for a part thereof, as long as the
proportion of the partial volume to the total volume is known.
The receiver on which the water acts is generally a small water wheel, the
velocity of the stream of water directed upon the vanes (which are tangential to
the periphery) being approximately the same as the velocity of the wheel.
If desired the volume may be measured direct by a volume meter consisting
of one or more cylinders in which a piston reciprocates.
However I prefer wheels or turbines, because they are more sensitive to small
pressures.
In order that this invention may be the better understood, I now proceed to
describe the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1, is an elevation showing the apparatus to record the feed of the
water.
Figure 2 shows a diagram obtained thereby.
Figure 3 shows the cam operating the lever which holds the pencil for
recording the curve on the cards of the diagram.
Figure 4 is the exit check apparatus.
Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the installation for checking the indica-
tions of the meter, the flow of water measured by the meter entering the pipe A
as shown by the arrow.
In Figure 5 the reference letters A¹ to A5 refer to pipes of various sizes fitted
with projection tubes in conjunction with Pitot's tubes hereinafter described, each
constructed in the same manner as the apparatus shown in Figure 4 in a sectional
longitudinal view and in an end view; but in Figure 4 this checking device is
shown applied to, a canal instead of to the pipe in Figure 5 and also to an
overfall or weir instead of to the pipe A¹º.
Referring to Fig. 1, A is a vane motor provided with a device hereinafter

page_text: described for checking the indications of the same, B is a transmitting axle on
which is situated a bevel wheel C engaging with a bevel wheel D situated on
an axle E rotating in bearings F. To the other end of the axle E is attached a
bevel wheel G engaging with a bevel wheel H situated on a vertical axle I. The
latter carries at its upper end the bevel wheel K which engages with a bevel
wheel L. The latter is situated on the axle of a cam M which actuates by means
of a piece T a lever N which has its fixed pivot at O and carries at its free end P
a pencil. The axle of a cam M carries a device for balancing the frictional
resistances and weights of transmission. This device consists of a drum Q
on which is wound a resisting wire R the free end of which carries a counter
weight S, which is exactly calculated to balance the frictional resistances and
the dead weights of transmission.
The action of this apparatus is as follows: -
The vane, cylinder or turbine motor, which is set in motion by the action of the
water operates the transmitting axles B E I and the axle of the cam M balanced
by the mechanism Q R S.
The cam M during its rise operates the lever carrying the pencil and the latter
records on a cylinder U operated by clockwork a diagram representing the flow
of water.
When the lever has arrived at the upper limit of its travel it falls back to its
starting point in consequence of the form of cam shown in Figures 1 and 3.
Therefore when the consumption of water is nil the line drawn on the diagram
card is horizontal, and the greater the consumption the nearer the line approaches
the vertical curve.
The form of diagram thus obtained is shown in Figure 2; and as before men-
tioned Figure 3 shows the form of the cam, the circumference of which is in the
form of an involute.
The meter may be operated by electrical means. For this purpose one revolu-
tion of the axle B is considered the unit of measurement. On this axle is situated
a cam which acts at each rotation on an electric contact piece inserted in the
circuit and sends currents which correspond to the volume of water which has
passed through the motor to effect the revolution of the axle B. The currents are
taken to electro magnets with which the total registering apparatus is provided.
These electro magnets by the attraction of their armatures effect the same move-
ment as is effected by the bevel wheels K and L giving the pencil also an upward
movement by means of a cam like M, on the axle of which is situated a ratchet
wheel rotated by a pawl which is in contact with the armature of the electro-
magnets.
The electrical transmission. has the great advantage of obviating resis-
tances due to mechanical friction and allows of the installation of registering
apparatus at great distances.
Reference was made at the commencement of this specification to absolute and
relative measurement, and the following explanation relates thereto.
For absolute measurement the whole of the water to be measured passes through
the motor. It is therefore sufficient to check the indications of the same by
means of a single projection tube, such as is hereinafter described with reference
to Figure 4.
For relative measurement a part of the water passes through the motor, and
the other part through a larger projection tube arranged in a distributing vessel
The two
situated at the head of the service, which feeds the water to the motor.
passages stand in a known ratio to one another and are calculated so that the
rotations of the registering apparatus correspond to metric figures or decimals
and indicate the total flow. As the rotary counting devices only act when subject
to a certain pressure, which varies with the perfection of the instrument, and
which may be taken to be a pressure equivalent to that of a column of water 0100
metre high designated by 0 100m., I arrange, in order to prevent the slight flow
which would be the result of pressures less than 0100m., a counter load valve V

page_text: below the motor, the weight of which will balance a pressure of from 0-200m.
to 0.250m.
This counter load valve V forms one body with a cataract piston W the lower
surface of which is exposed to the pressure of the water in the pipe above the
valve, while the upper surface is in communication with the water in the pipe
below the valve.
To check the exit flow I use an apparatus as shown in Figure 4, which com-
prises fixed or movable projection orifice tubes A the area of the operative orifice
of which has been specially calculated.
The velocity of the exit flow can be ascertained by means of Pitot's tubes
improved by Darcy, which are used in conjunction with the projection tubes in
this apparatus. Pitot's tubes, as is well known, consist essentially of two tubes
arranged against a graduated scale B', as shown in Fig. 4. One of these tubes is
bent at its lower part in an opposite direction to that of the current, the other is
quite straight or is bent in the direction of the current. When the lower part
of the tubes is plunged in the current, the velocity of which is to be measured,
the water rises in the tube bent in the opposite direction to that of the current,
to a greater height h than the level of the canal or conduit while in the other
tube the level h of the water is lower than that of the conduit or canal. The
difference of height of the water levels h and in the two tubes, read on an
appropriate scale, gives the velocity of flow. Consequently, the exit section being
constant, the consumption in the service is readily ascertained, and the indications
of the meter must always conform to those of the check apparatus.
Figure 5 shows the whole installation of the check apparatus. The feed
pipe A the flow through which it is desired to check is provided with a cut off
valve A, parallel to this pipe A9 is arranged a branch pipe A10 which is con-
nected with the main pipe. This branch pipe A10 is also provided with a cut
off valve A8 which is open when the cut off valve A of the main pipe A is
closed. Between the pipes A9 A1 are arranged the projection tubes of various
diameters A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, and provided with cut off valves a.
If it is desired to check the indication of the meter from which the pipe A⁹
directly leads, the cut off valve A is closed while the cut off valve A8 is
If the volume
opened, all but two of the valves a remaining closed.
of flow is great onc of the larger of the projection tubes is used
to measure the flow, but if the flow be small, one of the smaller projection
tubes is used, say A¹.
The valves at either side of the projection tubes A' being open, the difference
between the heights of the columns of water in the Pitot tubes arranged on A¹
will indicate the velocity of flow. The section and velocity of flow being now
known, it is easy to determine the volume of flow which ought to agree with
the indication of the meter.
By choosing the larger or smaller projection tubes A¹ to A5 according to the
varying volume of flow it is possible to check the indications of the meter without
having great variations in the difference between the levels of the water columns
in the various Pitot tubes.
It should be mentioned that the arrangements before described may be applied
for services and streams under atmospheric pressure, and also for those under
higher pressure, and for feeding boilers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what. I
claim is:-
1st. An apparatus for the automatic mechanical registration of volumes of
water consisting of means for the mechanical or electrical transmission of the
velocity of movement of a rotary or reciprocating water meter A, (inserted into
the main pipe or into a branch pipe, according as to whether the measurement is
to be absolute or relative), to the axle of a cam M so that by the even lifting

page_text: of a lever N carrying a pencil P, during a revolution of the said cam,, and the
sudden return thereof to the point of starting, the pencil indicates graphically
on a drum U, operated by clockwork, the volumes passed through or consumed
in the service, substantially as described.
2nd. The combination of the devices claimed in Claim 1 with a counter load
valve to counteract slight flow, arranged so that when the valve is open the motor
runs at the real minimum pressure, which is equal to or greater than the weight
of the valve and its load, substantially as described.
3rd. The combination of the devices claimed in Claim 1 with projection tube A
and a scale Barranged in such a manner that by the section of the exit pipe,
and calculation of the velocity of flow from the difference of pressure h-h', upward
and downward to the projection pipe indicated on the scale, the volume of water
flowing through or from the projection tube can be at any time ascertained, sub-
stantially as described.
4th. The combination of devices claimed in Claim 1 with a check apparatus
for water flowing through a pipe A for the purpose of ascertaining any leakages
etc., consisting of a pipe A, parallel to the pipe A to be checked and of connecting
pipes A1 A2 etc. provided with valves a a between A and A, the diameters
of the said connecting pipes being of various dimensions so that from the differences
of pressures in these pipes and from the predetermined exit area the volume of exit
flow can be determined, substantially as described.
Dated this 6th day of May 1898.