IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO GOVERNORS APPLICABLE FOR MARINE AND OTHER ENGINES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Kennedy, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO GOVERNORS
APPLICABLE FOR MARINE AND OTHER ENGINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Kennedy at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th August 1880.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
JOHN KENNEDY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster.
AND RELATING TO GOVERNORS APPLICABLE FOR MARINE AND OTHER ENGINES."
This Invention has for its object an engine governor, more especially marine,
that (on ship board) shall be entirely unaffected by the movement of the ship, yet
have prompt action on the engines the moment there is any tendency (from the
propeller being partially uncovered or otherwise) to increased speed.
It consists essentially of the following principal parts:-1st, a pump with its
valves; 2nd, mechanism for driving the pump synchronously with the engines;
3rd, a tank acting also as a foundation or dead plate; 4th, a connection or pipo
returning the discharge of the pump to the tank; 5th, a stop cock on the line of
this discharge with a fine pitched screw or its equivalent so as to regulate the
discharge at pleasure; 6th, a cylinder freely open at one end to the said discharge
between the pump and the stop cock, which cylinder is provided with a tight fitting
piston kept down against the ordinary pressure of water in the confined discharge
pipe by means of a spring or its equivalent.
There are many ways in which the general principles of this Invention could be
carried out in practice. I will explain the one shown in my experimental apparatus
as a good illustration of the Invention.
Upon the tank I place the pump and crank-shaft in bearing, said crank-shaft
being connected to and driven from the main shaft of the engine by a belt, rope,
or strap. The horizontal pump is double-acting; two clack valves below cover
two delivery valves leading from the tank. The exit valves are two ordinary
mushroom or winged valves. The spaces above these valves are connected together
by a channel or conduit hereafter called the delivery chest. Open into the delivery
chest is a piston fitted with a leather-capped or other suitable piston which is
kept down by a spring above in the cylinder. The rod of this piston actuates

page_text: directly or indirectly the throttle valve of the engine. Opening into the delivery
chest is a branch pipe leading back to the tank, and in the line of this pipe is a
stop cock with a fine pitched screw. The piston of the pump can be packed in
any desirable manner, but in my experimental apparatus I have used with good
effect a special arrangement of my own, namely, a very deep piston with a series
of grooves turned out of it; these grooves fill with water, and themselves appear
to form a packing and lubricator in one.
The mode of action is as follows:-The engine being started the pump is set
going. If the stop cock be wide open the water is discharged as quick as pumped,
and the governor has no action on the engine. If however the stop cock be closed
sufficiently to just pass the amount of water passed by the pump when pumping
at a given speed, the moment the engines increase in speed and drive the pump
faster the water accumulates in the delivery chest and forces up the piston and
piston-rod, actuating the throttle valve of the engine, and thus steam is cut off.
The moment the engine goes slower the supply of water in the delivery chest
diminishes, and the spring brings the piston and rod back, opening the throttle
valve. By thus regulating the stop valve the speed of the engine can be regulated
to any required number of strokes a minute, as the moment that number is exceeded
the water in the delivery chest increases faster than the stop cock can take it
away, and the piston is driven up.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Kennedy in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th
February 1881.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
JOHN KENNEDY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster.
AND RELATING TO GOVERNORS APPLICABLE FOR MARINE AND OTHER ENGINES."
This Invention has for its object an engine governor, more especially marine,
that (on ship board) shall be entirely unaffected by the movement of the ship, yet
have prompt action on the engines the moment there is any tendency (from the
propeller being partially uncovered or otherwise) to increased speed.
It consists essentially of the following principal parts:-First, a pump with its
valves; second, mechanism for driving the pump synchronously with the engines;
third, a tank acting also as a foundation or dead plate; fourth, a connection or
pipe returning the discharge of the pump to the tank; fifth, a stop cock on the
line of this discharge with a fine pitched screw or its equivalent so as to regulate
the discharge at pleasure; sixth, a cylinder freely open at one end to the said
discharge between the pump and the stop cock, which cylinder is provided with a
tight fitting piston kept down against the ordinary pressure of water in the
confined discharge pipe by means of a spring or its equivalent.
There are many ways in which the general principles of this Invention could be
carried out in practice. I will explain the one shown in the Drawings. The
accompanying Drawings form a good illustration of the Invention. In these
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation; Fig. 2, plan; Fig. 3, elevation of shaft and bearings
partly in section; Fig. 4, sectional elevation on line, x, showing delivery regu-
lating valve G and scape valve H. In these A is the tank; B, pump barrel;
C, inlet valves; D, delivery valves; E, delivery chest ; F, exit through delivery
valve G with fine pitched screw; G, delivery valve; H, scape apparatus to relieve
pressure in delivery chest when the throttle valve of the main engine is closed, any
form of scape valve worked from or in connection with the lever L will answer;
I, piston preferably fitted with leather cap kept down by spring J in piston K;
L, point of connection with the engine throttle valve apparatus; M, crank shaft ;
N, rod connecting piston rod with crank shaft; O, the pulley driving crank shaft
with engine.
The mode of action is as follows:-The tank being filled, and the belt driving
the crank shaft of the governor from the main engine having been applied, the
water is sucked up through the valves C into the cylinder B; from thence it is
pumped into chamber E, and passing thence through orifice F to the delivery
valve G, and through the latter falls back into the tank. So long as the volume of
water pumped can pass through the delivery valve G the governor is without
action on the engine; the moment, however, the area of the delivery valve G is
reduced, or the speed of the engine (and consequently the volume of liquid passed
through in a given time) is increased beyond the capacity of the discharge, a back
pressure in the chamber E results, the piston I is driven up against the force of
the spring, and the throttle valve of the engine is shut off more or less.
regulating the delivery valve G therefore the engine can be regulated so as not to
exceed any given speed, and in ordinary circumstances there being little load on
the pump there will be little friction.
By
Having now described my Invention, and the best mode known to me of carrying
it into effect, I would mention that I am well aware that schemes have been tried
and have failed for regulating an engine by means of centrifugal or other pumps
pumping a fluid round a circuit, but I believe these have failed mainly from the
fact that the volume from a centrifugal or other like pump differs greatly per
revolution, being dependent on the speed and opposing pressure; whereas it is a

page_text: most essential point that the volume per stroke or revolution shall be uniform, no
matter what opposing pressure or speed there is. What I claim as my Invention
is,—
First. The herein described mode of governing an engine by means of a pump
(such as double acting pump B) working synchronously with the engine, pumping
a uniform quantity of water or other fluid per stroke through a space whose outlet
is controlled by a regulating valve, said space communicating with a cylinder, or
its equivalent supplied with a watertight or nearly watertight piston or diaphragm
pressed down by a spring or its equivalent, which piston or diaphragm by its rise
or fall directly or indirectly controls the throttle or other valve of the engine.
Second. The mechanism for governing steam engines substantially as herein
described, no claim being made for any one part taken separately or used for other
purposes, but only when combined with the other or equivalent parts, substantially
as and for the purposes herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Kennedy, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
J. OWDEN O'BRIEN,
Clerk to Messrs. Wm. P. Thompson & Co.,
Patent Agents,
Liverpool & London.
JOHN KENNEDY. (L.S.)