IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS METERS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Richards, of the Gas Works, Barcelona,
in the Kingdom of Spain, Engineer, but now of Harpur Street, Red
Lion Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS METERS."
Sealed the 10th May 1859, and dated the 26th November 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Richards at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th
November 1858.
I, WILLIAM RICHARDS, of the Gas Works, Barcelona, in the Kingdom of
Spain, Engineer, but now of Harpur Street, Red Lion Square, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS METERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in wet gas meters, whereby a
greater approximation to truth in the amount of gas passed through the meter
will be attained than in the ordinary construction of meters, and a more
equable action will be ensured.
The first improvement consists in constructing the measuring wheel or
drum with chambers or compartments, having a diminished capacity near the
axle. I attain this end by forming the wheel with sides inclining inwards
towards the axle, instead of making the sides parallel to each other; thus the
great variation in the measuring capacity of the chambers at present
experienced by the alteration of water line will be reduced to an inconsiderable
amount. When using this construction of wheel, the part called the "hollow
cover" can be made flat, the convex or conical space at the inlet side of the
wheel allowing sufficient space for the spout.

page_text: The second improvement relates to the construction of those wheels where
a central chamber is employed. The chambers may be made either as
described, or with parallel sides. In these wheels I place the cross partitions
which divide the wheel or drum into chambers at a much greater angle to the
axis than heretofore, in order that the resistance to the water may be as
uniform as possible, and I so arrange the inlet and outlet passages of each
measuring chamber, that the capacity of the water entering by the inlet to
displace the gas shall be as nearly as possible equal to the quantity of gas
replacing the water in the outlet. The inlet and outlet passages will be of
sufficient capacity to allow of the water flowing freely into the measuring
chamber, or these may be made smaller, and a communication can be made
by means of a tube or channel, to allow the water to enter from the centre.
The third improvement relates to the application of a hollow shaft to the
wheel, which shaft works through a stuffing box or glands, and is pierced with
holes, to admit gas into the hollow cover of the meter. The water line will
be below the centre of the wheel, and the partitions are placed at angles
according to the number of measuring chambers, which may be varied from
three upwards, the object to be attained being to offer as little resistance as
possible by making the partitions of the greatest length; by these means a
smaller quantity of water is required than heretofore to displace the gas.
Lastly, I propose to place a plomb valve at the back of the meter (the
opposite side to that at which the float is situated), which will serve the double
purpose of preventing surreptitious abstraction of gas by the meter being
tilted forward, and also the derangement of the measuring apparatus if the
meter be tilted in the opposite direction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Richards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
RICHARDS, of the Gas Works, Barcelona, in the Kingdom of Spain, Engineer,
but now of Harpur Street, Red Lion Square; in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,

page_text: the said William Richards, Her special license that I, the said William
Richards; my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Richards, 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 Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Iч-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS METERS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Richards, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain 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 William Richards, 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 Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to improvements in wet gas meters, whereby a
greater approximation to truth in the amount of gas passed through the meter
will be attained than in the ordinary construction of meters, and a more
equable action will be ensured.
The first improvement consists in constructing the measuring wheel or
drum with chambers or compartments, having a diminished capacity near the
axle. I attain this end by forming the wheel with sides inclining inwards
towards the axle, instead of making the sides parallel to each other, thus the
great variation in the measuring capacity of the chambers at present ex
perienced by the alteration of water line will be reduced to an inconsiderable
amount. When using this construction of drum wheel, the part called the
"hollow cover" can be made flat or concave (the conical space at the inlet
side of the wheel allowing sufficient space for the insertion of the spout), and
thus a broader drum than heretofore can be mounted in a given size of case..
In addition to contracting the measuring chambers laterally near the axis of
the drum, I propose also to place the cross partitions which divide the wheeli
or drum into chambers at a much greater angle to the axis than heretofore, in'
order that the resistance to the water may be as uniform as possible, and I so
arrange the inlet and outlet passages of each measuring chamber, that the
bulk of water entering by the inlet to displace the gas shall be as nearly as
possible equal to that of gas replacing the water in the outlet.

page_text: I further propose to place a plomb valve at the back of the meter (the
opposite side to that at which the float is situated), which will serve to prevent
.surreptitious abstraction of gas by the meter being tilted forward.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical cross section of the
improved meter; Fig. 2 is a section taken through the line 1; 2, of Fig. 1;
and Fig. 3 is a side view of the measuring wheel or drum, the hollow cover-
being removed. a, a, is the ordinary gas meter case; b is an inner case,
forming a support for one end of the drum axle c, the bearing for the other
end being in the case a; d, d, is the drum, divided by partitions e', e², e³, e,
into four measuring chambers. These partitions are soldered at their inner
edges to a pair of open collars f, keyed to the drum axle, and their outer edges
are connected by solder to the hoop g, which forms the closed periphery of the
drum. The partitions, together with their inlet and outlet hoods.e, e, which.
are severally formed of one piece of plate metal, extend over about three-
quarters of the circle of the drum, and their opposite edges form on the one
side of the drum the lips to the inlet passages, and on the other the lips to the
outlet passages for the gas in its course to and from the measuring chambers.
These chambers it will be seen are all open at the centre of the drum to
allow the water to pass freely into them to replace the gas as it leaves the
measuring chambers. is the spout for supplying gas to the drum; it
projects through the hollow cover i, and space is provided for it by reason of
the lateral contraction of the measuring chambers at the centre of the drum.
This contraction is effected by setting the inlet and outlet hoods (which form
the sides of the drum) at an inclination, as shewn at Fig. 1. Supposing now
the water line in the meter to be at the height represented by the blue lines in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, and the gas to be passing under the lip x, x, Figures 2
and 3, and into the chamber 1, indicated by a tint of red in Fig. 2, it will
continue to drive round the drum in the direction of the arrow, until the
lip, x, of the inlet hood forming the side of that chamber becomes immersed
in the water. At this time the lip of the outlet hood which forms the other
side of the same chamber will rise out of the water, and the gas will therefore
be discharged from the chamber at that part of the drum indicated in Figures
2 and 3, as the exit for chamber 1. Before, however, this takes place, the
inlet passage to chamber 2 will have risen from the water, and that chamber
will have become about half filled with gas, and in like manner it will, as the
drum revolves, be completely filled and discharged, and the like operation will
take place with the other chambers in succession. As the chief measuring
capacity of the chambers when filling or filled is above the water line, it will
be seen that very little error of measurement will take place on the water line

page_text: undue rise of the water line
At Fig. 1 the contrivance for
by tilting the meter is clearly
falling below its due level, neither would the
materially affect the measurement of the gas.
preventing the surreptitious withdrawal of gas
shewn. In the inner case 6 an opening is made above the water level, for the
passage of the gas from the drum to the outlet pipe k. To this opening a valve
seat 7 is fitted, and in front of the valve seat is hung a valve m, the same being
attached to a pendent weighted rod n hinged to the case b. When, therefore,
the meter is tilted forward, the valve will fall into its seat, and close the
discharge orifice, and if tilted in the opposite direction, the water would rise
and close the opening made in the case 6 for the passage of the gas to the
exit pipe of the meter.
In relation to the construction of the drum, I may further remark that,
instead of the chambers having openings near the centre of the drum, they
may be closed at that part, if thought desirable, by the partitions being
secured to a cylinder mounted on the drum axle. In this case the capacity of
the inlet and outlet passages of the drum would require to be somewhat
increased to allow of the free movement of the drum through the water.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in the
Construction of Gas Meters," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim,-
First, constructing the measuring drums or wheels of wet meters as above
described, whereby the effects of the ordinary variations in the water level in
respect to the measurement of the gas passed through the meter will be in
great part neutralized, and a regular flow of gas through the meter (without
pulsations) will be obtained.
Secondly, I claim the valve arrangement above described for cutting off the
supply of gas to the exit pipe.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Richards, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. RICHARDS. (L.S.)