° Apparatus for Indicating the Levels of Liquids in Vessels Containing Liquid under Pressure.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 27th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 27th Apr., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.°
Apparatus for Indicating the Levels of Liquids in Vessels Containing
Liquid under Pressure.
I, RICHARD SCHWARTZKOPFF of No. 172ª Müller Strasse, Berlin, Germany,
Engineer and Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows :-
This invention relates to an apparatus for indicating the levels of water or other
liquids in boilers or other vessels containing liquid under pressure, and which obviates
the various disadvantages existing in such apparatus of known construction, such as
glass gauges that communicate at top with the steam space and at bottom with the
water space of the boiler, or gauge cocks, or other apparatus, which are all liable to
give incorrect indications.
The improved apparatus gives at all times a visible and absolutely reliable
indication whether the liquid exceeds or falls short of a certain level, and conse-
quently it combines the advantages of glass gauges and of gauge cocks, without
having their disadvantages.
I will proceed to described the apparatus with reference to the accompanying
drawing, in which Fig. 1 shews a front view Fig. 2 a sectional side view, Fig. 3 a
modified construction of the connection with the boiler or other vessel, Fig. 4 a
horizontal section through the glass gauge, and Fig. 5 an arrangement of several of
the apparatus on a boiler or other vessel subject to internal pressure.
The apparatus consists of a metal tube a which is fixed to the plate W of the boiler
or other vessel G and, rising upward, has secured to it in a pressure-tight manner a
glass tube c below which it is provided with a stop cock f, while the upper end of the
glass tube is closed by a cock b. The glass tube can be protected by a metal casing d
having one or more slots as shewn. It may contain a float e of metal, cork, glass, or
other suitable material, which may be prevented from sinking into tube a by a
wire fixed transversely across the upper opening of the latter, or by other suitablo
means.
The apparatus operates as follows.
As soon as pressure is produced in the vessel G, the liquid will be forced thereby
no the tube a and glass tube c if the end of the tube a which communicates with the

page_text: vessel G is situated below the liquid level, as shewn at Fig. 2. To enable the liquid to
rise freely in the tube, any vapour, gas, or air imprisoned in the upper part is allowed
to escape through the bent tube at top by temporarily opening the cock b. The tube a
may either be merely fixed in the plate W as shewn in this figure, or it may project
through the same and be curved downwards, as shewn at Fig. 3, in which case the
opening of the curved part would determine the level of the liquid at which this
would cease to enter the tube a. On the liquid rising in the glass tube, it may
be made to raise a float c so as to be visible through the glass, as shewn in full lines
at Fig. 2.
If the level of the liquid sinks in the vessel G to below the opening of the tube a,
the liquid will flow back out of the latter into the vessel, and the float c will drop into
the dotted position Fig. 1, in which it will be no longer visible, being covered by the
metal casing d. As it is very readily distinguishable whether the glass is filled with
liquid or with a gas or vapour, the use of a float is not essentially necessary, as it
would, for example, in many cases be sufficient if the back part of the glass were
covered with a strip of metal or other material, as this strip would have quite a
different appearance according as the glass tube is filled with liquid or with gas or
vapour.
If the liquid in the vessel is perfectly transparent and has considerable light
refracting powers, even the last mentioned device may be dispensed with, as the
presence of liquid in the tube will be very plainly visible.
If the above described apparatus is applied to steam boilers, for example, in place
of the lowest gauge cock, the engineer can readily see by the sinking of the liquid or
of the float that the water level has sunk too low, although the ordinary glass water
gauge of the boiler may erroneously indicate a higher level, and he can at once avoid
danger by admitting feed water. As it may be considered as practically impossible
for this improved gauge to give an erroneous indication, it will obviously afford
an important means of security for the working of steam boilers against false
indications of the ordinary gauges, such as are known to take place frequently.
If a steam boiler or steam cooking vessel, or other vessel containing liquid under
pressure be provided with three or more such gauges, arranged say at the lowest,
medium and highest water levels as at Fig. 5, the positions of the floats will at all
times indicate whether the highest water level is exceeded, whether the liquid is
situated between the highest and medium levels, or between the medium and lowest
levels, or below the lowest levels.
While the application of one such gauge in the manner first described constitutes
a substitute for the bottom gauge cock, and can therefore be termed an optical
gauge cock, the use of several such gauges as last described affords a most perfect
substitute for the ordinary glass water gauge, while avoiding the erroneous indications
of the latter.
The sinking or change of position of the float according to the variation of the
water level may be utilised for closing or opening an electrical circuit to actuate a
signal in the known manner.
Dated this 14th day of July 1888.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Indicating the Levels of Liquids in Vessels Containing
Liquid under Pressure.
I RICHARD SCHWARTZKOPFF of No. 172ª Miller Strasse, Berlin, Germany,
Engineer and Manufacturer 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 an apparatus for indicating the levels of water or other
liquids in boilers or other vessels coutaining liquid under pressure, and which obviates
the various disadvantages existing in such apparatus of known construction, such as
glass gauges that communicate at top with the steam-space and at bottom with the
water-space of the boiler, or gauge cocks, or other apparatus, which are all liable to
give incorrect indications.
The improved apparatus gives at all times a visible and absolutely reliable indication
whether the liquid exceeds or falls short of a certain level, and consequently it
combines the advantages of glass gauges and of gauge cocks, without having their
disadvantages.
I will proceed to describe the apparatus with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which Fig. 1 shows a front view, Fig. 2 a sectional side view, Fig. 3
a modified construction of the connection with the boiler or other vessel, Fig. 4 a
horizontal section through the glass gauge and Fig. 5 an arrangement of several
of the apparatus on a boiler or other vessel subject to internal pressure.
The apparatus consists of a metal tube a which is fixed to the plate W of the boiler
or other vessel and, rising upward, has secured to it in a pressure-tight manner a
glass tube c below which it is provided with a stop cock while the upper end of the
glass tube is closed by a cock b. The arrangement is made in such a manner, that
when the liquid exceeds a certain level, the whole pipe c will be filled with liquid,
and the cock above the glass tube has particularly for its purpose to allow air or other
gas which
may be present, to escape completely from the tube during the re-entrance
of the liquid into the latter after having fallen out of the same.
Whether air, vapor
or another gas accumulates in the tube when the liquid falls short of a certain level,
is dependent upon the nature of the gas which is above the liquid in the vessel. The
glass tube can be protected by a metal casing d having one or more slits as shown. It
may contain a float e of metal, cork, glass or other suitable material, which may be
prevented from sinking into tube a by a wire fixed transversely across the upper
opening of the latter, or by other suitable means.
The apparatus operates as follows:
As soon as pressure is produced in the vessel W the liquid will be forced thereby
up the tube a and glass tube c, if the end of the tube a which communicates with the
vessel W is situated below the liquid level, as shewn at Fig. 2.
To enable the liquid
to rise freely in the tube, any vapour, gas or air imprisoned in the upper part is

page_text: allowed to escape through the suitably bent tube at top by temporarily opening the
cock b. The tube a may either be merely fixed in the plate W as shewn in this figure,
or it may project through the same and be curved downwards, as shewn at Fig. 3, in
which case the opening of the curved part would determine the level of the liquid at
which this would cease to enter the tube a. On the liquid rising in the glass tube it
may be made to raise a float e so as to be visible through the glass, as shewn in full
lines at Fig. 2.
If the level of the liquid sinks in the vessel W to below the opening of the tube a,
the liquid will flow back out of the latter into the vessel, and the float e will drop into
the dotted position, Fig. 1, in which it will be no longer visible, being covered by the
metal casing d.
As it is very readily distinguishable whether the glass is filled with
liquid or with a gas or vapour, the use of a float is not essentially necessary, as it
would, for example, in many cases be sufficient if the back part of the glass were
covered with a strip of metal or other material, as the strip would have quite a
'different appearance according as the glass tube is filled with liquid or with gas or
vapour.
If the liquid in the vessel is perfectly transparent and has considerable light
refracting powers, even the last mentioned device may be dispensed with, as the
presence of liquid in the tube will be very plainly visible.
If the above described apparatus is applied to steam boilers, for example, in place
of the lowest gauge cock, the engineer can readily see by the sinking of the liquid
or of the float that the water level has sunk too low, although the ordinary glass
water gauge of the boiler may erroneously indicate a higher level, and he can at once
avoid danger by admitting feed water.
As it may be considered as practically impossible for this improved gauge to give
an erroneous indication, it will obviously afford an important means of security for the
'working, of steam boilers against false indications of the ordinary gauges, such as are
'known to take place frequently.
If a steam boiler or steam cooking vessel, or other vessel containing liquid under
pressure be provided with three or more such gauges, arranged say at the lowest,
medium, and highest water levels as at Fig. 5, the positions of the floats will at all
times indicate whether the highest water level is exceeded, whether the liquid is
situated between the highest and medium levels, or between the medium and lowest
levels, or below the lowest level.
While the application of one such gauge in the manner first described constitutes a
substitute for the bottom gauge cock, and can therefore be termed an optical gauge
cock, the use of several such gauges as last described affords a most perfect
substitute for the ordinary glass water-gauge, while avoiding the erroneous indications
of the latter.
The sinking or change of position of the float according to the variation of the
water level may be utilised for closing or opening an electrical circuit to actuate a
signal in the known manner.
The above described device may also be arranged as shewn at Fig. 6 in which
the float e is arranged in a vessel g with the bottom of which communicates the
pipe a coming from the boiler. A pipe extends from the pipe a downwards,
terminating at its lower end in a glass tube i in which is a float k connected by a rod
with the upper float e.
By this arrangement the indication of the water level by the float k can be given
at any desired distance below the actual water level, which is very advantageous in
vertical 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
clair is :-
-
1. An apparatus for indicating whether the liquid exceeds or falls short of a certain
level in boilers or other vessels containing liquid under pressure, which apparatus
with th Lamant
لمسحالم

page_text: level of the liquid in the vessel, while the upper part is formed of glass and is
closed by a cock, whereby, so long as the lower end of the tube is immersed in
the liquid, the internal pressure in the vessel will force the liquid up the tube so
as to fill the glass, while as soon as the lower end is uncovered by the liquid, that
in the tube will run out, the condition of the liquid level being then indicated by the
empty glass tube, substantially as herein described.
2. In combination with the apparatus referred to in the preceding claim, the use of
a float within the glass tube, and arranged to rise and fall within certain limits, so
that when the tube is full of liquid, the float will rise to the upper part of the
glass tube and when this is empty, the float will sink below the glass tube so as not to
be visible, substantially as herein described.
3. In apparatus such as is referred to in the preceding claims, the herein
described modification wherein the rising tube containing the float has a downward
extension terminating in a glass tube in which is a second float attached to and
consequently rising and falling with the upper one, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.