Improvements in Electric Regulating Apparatus for Use in Con- nection with Steam Engines and other Motors and Dynamo- electric Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Nov., 1889-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Regulating Apparatus for Use in Con-
nection with Steam Engines and other Motors and Dynamo-
electric Machines.
I, Alfred LysTER SHEPARD, of 8 West Kensington Gardens, in the County of
Middlesex, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
My invention relates to electric regulating apparatus for use in connection with
steam-engines and other motors and dynamo-electric machines, and is designed to
improve the construction of the same.
The main object of my said invention is to provide means for electrically and
automatically varying the speed of a steam engine or other motor in accordance
with the electromotive force of the current that the dynamo, being driven by the
said steam engine or other motor, is required to produce, or to maintain a constant
speed of the steam engine or other motor under varying loads.
My said invention comprises moreover, various other improvements hereinafter set
forth.
In carrying my said invention into practice I provide an electric regulator pre-
ferably of similar construction to that described in the Specification accompanying
the application for Provisional Protection of Frederic Victor Macquaire No. 10209
dated 13 July 1888, that is to say, an electric regulator comprising an electromotor
having a Pacinotti ring mounted between the poles of an inducing electro-magnet.
The said poles are preferably so formed that the polar surfaces opposite the ring
are curved to a circle the radius of which is greater than that of the said ring,
thus augmenting the sensitiveness of the movement. The direction and duration
of movement of the said electro-motor is controlled by means of an electro-magnet
solenoid or other electrical device. Upon the spindle or shaft of the electro-motor
ring, is provided a worm or endless screw, gearing with a worm wheel or quadrant,
to the axis of which is attached a toothed wheel which gears with a suitable rack.
This rack is formed on or attached to the rod of a slide valve adapted to move in
the steain chest of a small steam cylinder, having a steam tight piston arranged to
reciprocate therein under the action of steam supplied from any available source of
supply. The rod of this piston is coupled in any suitable manner to the end of the
throttle-valve which it is desired to control. The throttle-valve employed is preferably
a balanced or equilibrium valve.
I prefer to arrange the steam piston and the throttle valve in such a manner rola-
tively to each other that when said throttle valve is open to the proper extent for
supplying steam to the engine the said piston will be in the centre of the steam
cylinder, and the slide valve admitting steam to the said cylinder will occupy a central
position between the two ports thus admitting live steam to both extremities of the
cylinder and providing an equal pressure upon both sides of the piston so as to main-
tain the latter in a state of equilibrium. When the slide valve is moved in either
direction by the action of the above described electric regulator through the medium
of the worm or endless screw, quadrant, toothed wheel and rack hereinbefore men-
tioned, it partially closes the steam port at that extremity of the steam cylinder to
which it is moved, and thus decreases the steam pressure upon that side of the
piston, which is consequently moved by the superior pressure of steam upon the other
side thereof. When the slide valve is moved to the full extent of its stroke in either
direction, one of the ports of the steam cylinder is opened to the exhaust, and the
other port to the admission of live steam. Consequently the piston is also moved

page_text: through its full stroke, and therefore either completely closes the said throttle valve or
entirely opens the same.
When the apparatus is employed in connection with a steam engine employed for
driving a dynamo, the operation is as follows:-that is to say. If it is desired to
maintain a constant potential at the terminals of the dynamo, then the solenoid or
electromagnet or other electrical device which controls the direction and duration of
movement of the electric regulator, is coupled as a shunt on the terminals of the
dynamo so that, should the electro motive force of the latter tend to increase above
the normal, or decrease below the normal, the regulator nnder the control of the said
solenoid or electromagnet, will impart to the slide valve of the steam evlinder a motion,
in such a direction that the piston will be moved in one or the other directions, which
motions of the piston are communicated to the throttle valve of the engine in the manner
hereinbefore described, and cause the latter to run slower or faster according as the
electro motive force of the dynamo rises or falls.
In a case wherein it is required to maintain the current given off by the dynamo
constant, the controlling coil of the electric regulator is placed in the main circuit.
When the governing or regulating apparitus is employed for the purpose of
regulating the speed of engines not use exclusively for driving dynamo in telines, a
small dynamo is coupled on to the shaft of the engine and the electric current thus
generated is used for working the vicctric regulator.
Although I have hereinbefore describes a convenient method of carrying my said
invention into practice it is obvious that I can somewhat modify the construction of
my apparatus without departing from the nature of my said invention. For instance
instead of the electric regulator hereinhefore mentioned I can employ any other suitable
form of electric regulator. I can morenver employ a steam cylinder having a slide
valve for admitting stram to the said eylin ler, arranged in a similar minner to that of
an ordinary steam engine.
Moreover by obvious modifications I can adapt my improved electric regulating
apparatus for regulating or governing any suitable notor.
Dated this 4th day of February 1889.
HASELTINE, LAKE & C'o.,
45, Southampton Buiklings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Regulating Apparatus for Use in Con-
nection with Steam Engines and other Motors and Dynamo-
electric Machines.
I, ALFRED LYSTER SHEPARD of 8 West Kensington Gardens in the County of
Middlesex Electrical Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to electric regulating apparatus for use in connection with
steam-engines and other motors and dynamo-electric machines, and its main object is
to provide simple and efficient means whereby the speed of the engine or motor will
be variod automatically in accordance with the electromotive force of the current, or
will bo unintained constant under varying loads.
In the accompanying drawing 1 lave shewn, in vortical contral section, a convenient
and advantageous arrangement of my regulating apparatus.
A is an electric regulator, B is a steam-cylinder, is an equilibrium or balanced
throttle-valve connected with the piston of the said cylindar as hereinafter described.
The electric regulator A is preferably constructed in a similar manner to that
described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to Frederic Victor
Macquaire and dated 13th July A.D. 1888 No. 10,209, that is to say, it comprises an
electro-motor a consisting of a Paeinotti ring mounted between the polos of an inducing
electro-magnet. The direction and duration of movement of the said electro-motor is

page_text: controlled by means of an electro-magnet, solenoid or other electrical device. Upon
the spindle or shaft of the electro-motor ring is provided a worm or endless-screw 6¹
which is geared with a worm-wheel or toothed quadrant e fixed on a shaft c' on which
is also fixed a toothed wheel d.
This toothed wheel d is geared with a rack e formed on or attached to the rod f of a
slide-valve g arranged in the steam-chest or casing h of the steam-cylinder B. i is a
steam-tight piston arranged to work in the sai cylinder under the action of steam
supplie from any available source. The rod j of the piston is coupled at j' in any
suitable manner to the projecting extremity of the spindle of the valve which it
is desired to control. Suitable means are provided for draining the water of conden-
sation from the steam cylinder when necessary.
I prefer to arrange the steam-piston i and the throttle-valve C in such a manner
relatively to each other that, when the said piston is situated centrally in the steam-
cylinder B, the slide-valve g for controlling the admission of steam to the said cylinder
will occupy a central position as shewn in the drawing. Live steam will, therefore,
be admitted to both ends of the cylinder and an equal pressure exerted upon both sides
of the piston i, thus maintaining the lattor in a state of equilibrium. When, however,
the slide-valve g is moved in either direction by the action of the electric regulator A
through the medium of the worm or endless-screw 61, quadrant c, toothed wheel dand
rack e, it closes the steam-port at the end of the steain-cylinder towards which it is
moved, and thus decreases the steam pressure upon the corresponding side of the
piston, at the same time opening to a greater extent the other steam-port; the piston
is consequently moved in the direction corresponding to that of the slide-valve. If
the slide-valve is moved sufficiently to open one of the cylinder-ports to the exhaust,
the piston will be moved more or less rapidly to the end of its stroke or movement,
and if this movement is downward, the throttle-valve will be completely closed as shown
in dotted lines in the drawing.
If, on the contrary, the said slide-valve is moved to the full extent of its stroke in
the other direction, the piston i is moved so as to open the said valve C to its full
extent.
When the above described apparatus is used in connection with a steam-engine
employed for driving a dynamo-electric machine, the operation is as follows, that is to
say: If it is desired to maintain a constant potential at the terminals of the dynamo-
electric machine, then the solenoid or electro-magnet or other electrical device which
controls the direction and duration of movement of the electro-motor a, is coupled as
a shunt to the terminals of the said dynamo-electric machine, so that, should the
electro-motive force of the latter exceed, or fall below the normal or desired value, the
said electro-motor will operate the slide-valve g and thus cause the movement of
the pistoni in the proper direction to close or open the valve C as required, thereby
diminishing or increasing the speed of the engine according as the electro-motive force
of the dynamo-electric machine rises or falls.
In cases where it is required to maintain constant the current given off by the
dynamo-electric machine, the controlling coil of the electric regulator is placed in the
main circuit.
When the governing or regulating apparatus is employed for the purpose of regu-
lating the speed of engines used for purposes other than the driving of dynamo-electric
machines, a small dynamo-electric machine is coupled to the shaft of the engine and
the electric current generated by the said machine is used for working the electric
regulator.
It is obvious that I can somewhat modify the construction of my apparatus without
departing from the nature of my said invention. For instance, instead of acting on
the throttle valve I can act on any other suitable valve or regulating part and instead
of the electric regulator herein before described, I can employ any other suitable form
of electric regulator. In some cases, I arrange the slide-valve for admitting steam
to the cylinder in a similar manner to that of an ordinary steam-engine slide-valve.
Moreover I can adapt my improved apparatus for regulating or governing any other
suitable motor,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to he performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First: A regulating apparatus comprising an electro-motor arranged to operate a
valve for controlling the distribution of fluid under pressure to a cylinder the piston
of which is connected with a throttle valve or other regulating device, for the purpones
above specified.
Second-The improved apparatus constructed substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawing and operating in the manner, and for the
purpose, above specified.
Datad this 2nd day of Naambon 1228
A. L. SHEPARD.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.