IMPROVEMENTS IN PYROMETERS OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING HEAT.
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lloyd Wise of 46 Lincolns Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN PYROMETERS OR
APPARATUS FOR MEASURING HEAT. A communication from Alfred Boulier and
Eugéne Boulier, persons resident at Paris, France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lloyd Wise at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th April 1883.
WILLIAM LLOYD WISE of 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PYROMETERS OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING HEAT" (A com-
munication from Alfred Boulier and Eugéne Boulier, persons resident at Paris,
France)
According to this invention liquid at a constant temperature with a constant
level is caused to flow under a constant head through an orifice also constant and
to carry the mean temperature to be measured to which temperature is subjected a
part of the apparatus called an explorator furnished with what is called a tester in
which dips a thermometer suitably divided and the indications of which can be
registered automatically by photography.
A reservoir receives water from any suitable source regulated by a cock, and
is provided with an overflow tube so as to maintain a constant level in the
reservoir.
Within the reservoir rises some distance a tube that extends through the bottom
of the reservoir and is provided at its lower part with a cock and terminates in a
nozzle that is connected by a flexible tube to one of the tubes of the explorator.
This explorator comprises two tubes of thin metal enclosed within a fire clay
casing and retained by stoppers or plugs also of fire clay. The one tube enters a
thin metallic vessel and extends almost its entire length opening into it near the
bottom end.
The other tube is connected at one end to the upper end of the thin metallic
vessel and at its own other end this tube is connected by a flexible tube to the
interior of the tester which comprises a vessel or chamber through whose lower
part is a passage regulated by a cock. Into this vessel or chamber there protrudes

page_text: through a stuffing box the lower part of a thermometer. The tube of the reservoir
being connected to the tube that projects into the thin metallic vessel, and the
other tube of the "explorator" being connected to the nozzle of the tester vessel,
if the level in the reservoir be at a constant line at a determined height above the
lower orifice of the cock of the tester from the time of opening this cock to a
certain extent a constant flow will follow proportionately to the head of water and
to the section of the orifice. And if the water which passes away be of a
temperature very near zero, zero may be marked on the scale of the thermometer
that dips into the tester.
If after that and without changing anything in the conditions of flow the
explorator be plunged into a steam bath at the constant and well known tempo-
rature of 100 degrees Centigrade, the water arriving from the reservoir into the
thin metallic vessel will take this temperature which it will carry into the chamber
of the tester.
The thermometer will then indicate a line in front of which is inscribed for
example the figure 1 or the number 10, and the division comprehended between
the zero and the figure 1 or the number 10 will be equivalent to 100°. The
remainder of the scale may be divided proportionately.
The various tubes and conduits, as well as the chamber of the tester are co-
pletely cucased in non-conducting material to prevent radiation of heat.
The graduation of the thermometer must necessarily vary if a variation be made
in the initial temperature of the liquid that serves as vehicle to the temperature to
be measured, in the height of fall of this liquid and in the section of the orifice of
flow.
To automatically record temperatures a sheet of sensitised paper is wound on a
cylinder actuated by clock work mechanism so as to make say one revolution in
24 hours. This cylinder is enclosed in a box that keeps it from the action of light.
A narrow slit situated behind the column of mercury of the stem of the thermo-
meter is however provided through which light can pass to act on the chemically
prepared paper. Hence it is evident that the column of mercury rising or falling
according to the temperature obstructs the slit more or less and the temperature is
represented by a curve. The times are indicated by the generatrices of the
cylinders and the temperatures by the lines transverse to those generatrices.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Lloyd Wise in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th October 1883.
WILLIAM LLOYD WISE of 46 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex.
IMPROVEMENTS IN PYROMETERS OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING HEAT (a commu-
nication from Alfred Boulier und Eugéne Boulier, persons resident at Paris,
France)
According to this invention liquid at a constant temperature with a constant
level is caused to flow under a constant head through an orifice also constant and
to carry a mean temperature to be measured to which temperature is subjected a
part of the apparatus called an explorator furnished with what is called a tester in
which dips a thermometer suitably divided, and the indications of which can be
registered automatically by photography.
A reservoir receives water from any suitable source regulated by a cock, and
is provided with an overflow tube so as to maintain a constant level in the
reservoir.
Within the reservoir rises some distance a tube that extends through the bottom
of the reservoir and is provided at its lower part with a cock and terminates in a
nozzle that is connected by a flexible tube to one of the tubes of the explorator.
This explorator comprises two tubes of thin metal enclosed within a fire clay casing
and retained by stoppers or plugs also of fire clay. The one tube enters a thin
metallic vessel and extends almost its entire length opening into it near the
extreme end.
The other tube is connected at one end to the other end of the thin metallic
vessel and at its own other end this tube is connected by a flexible tube to the
interior of the tester which comprises a vessel or chamber through whose lower
part is a passage regulated by a cock. Into this vessel or chamber there protrudes
through a stuffing box the lower part of a thermometer. The tube of the reservoir
being connected to the tube that projects into the thin metallic vessel, and the
other tube of the "explorator" being connected to the nozzle of the tester vessel,
if the level in the reservoir be at a constant line or level at a determined height
above the lower orifice of the cock of the tester from the time of opening this cock
to a certain extent a constant flow will follow proportionately to the head of water
and to the section of the orifice. And if the water which passes away be of a
temperature very near zero, zero may be marked on the scale of the thermometer
that dips into the tester.
If after that and without changing anything in the conditions of flow the
explorator be plunged into a steam bath at the constant and well known temperature
of 100 degrees Centigrade, the water flowing from the reservoir into the thin
metallic vessel will take this temperature which it will carry into the chamber of
the tester.
The thermometer will then indicate a line in front of which is inscribed for
example the figure 1, or the number 10, and the division comprehended between the
zero and the figure 1 or the number 10 will be equivalent to 100°. The remainder
of the scale may be divided proportionately.
The various tubes and conduits, as well as the chamber of the tester, are
completely encased in non-conducting material to prevent radiation of heat.
The graduation of the thermometer must necessarily vary if a variation be made
in the initial temperature of the liquid that serves as vehicle to the temperature
to be measured, in the height of fall of this liquid or in the section of the orifice of
flow.

page_text: To automatically record temperatures a sheet of sensitised paper is wound on a
cylinder actuated by clock work mechanism so as to make say one revolution in 24
hours. This cylinder is enclosed in a box that keeps it from the action of light.
A narrow slit situated behind the column of mercury of the stem of the thermometer
is however provided through which light can pass to act on the chemically prepared
paper. Hence it is evident that the column of mercury rising or falling according
to the temperature obstructs the slit more or less, and the temperature is represented
by a curve. The times are indicated by the generatrices of the cylinder, and the
temperatures by the lines transverse to these generatrices.
Apparatus according to this invention is illustrated in the accompanying
drawings, Figs 1, 2, 3 and 4, from which it will be seen that the pyrometer is
composed of three distinct parts, that is to say, a reservoir A at a constant level
(Fig 1) an "explorator" B of variable length (Fig 2), and a testing instrument
with thermometer (Fig 3). The transverse section Fig 4 shews the arrangement
of the tubes in the "explorator."
The reservoir A receives water from a cock a, and an overflow pipe b maintains
a constant level therein. A pipe c provided at its lower end with a cock d
terminating in a nozzle is connected by an india rubber or other tube to the nozzle e
of the explorator B.
The explorator B is formed of two thin metal tubes fg enclosed within a case C¹
of fire clay and kept in position by stoppers D D' which are also of fire clay. The
tube fenters a thin closed metallic chamber h; it is hermetically sealed or jointed
at its entry into the chamber h and passing through the end of said chamber
extends nearly to the extreme closed end having its termination open so that fluid
can flow into the chamber h through this tube. The pipe g is hermetically sealed
or jointed to the same end of the chamber h in such a manner that any fluid which
enters the chamber by means of the pipe f will after filling & pass out through the
nozzle j of the pipe g which is connected by an india rubber or other tube to the
nozzle k of the testing instrument.
The testing instrument has a chamber D communicating with the inlet orifice k
and the lower orifice l, the passage through which is regulated by a cock m.
The
bulb of an air or mercurial thermometer is introduced into this chamber and the
stem is secured by a stuffing box as shown. The nozzle a being connected with
the nozzle e, and the nozzlej being connected to the nozzle k, if the level in the
reservoir A is at the constant line or level n n', at a determined height above the
lower orifice of the cock m, when this cock m is opened to a certain extent a
constant uniform flow of fluid will be caused throughout the whole apparatus
proportionate to the height of the column of the water and to the section of the
orifice. And if the water that flows away is very near zero temperature, zero may
be marked on the scale of the thermometer.
If, after that, no change being made in the conditions of discharge, the explorator
be plunged into a steain bath at the constant and well known temperature of
100 degrees Centigrade the water flowing by the pipe f through the thin closed
cylindrical chamber will take up a definite amount of this temperature which it
will carry into the chamber D of the testing instrument. The thermometer will
then indicate a position which may be marked with the figure 1 for example, or
the number 10, and the division comprehended between the zero and the figure 1,
or the number 10, will be equivalent to 100°. The rest of the scale may be divided
proportionately in accordance with this division.
It has been ascertained by experiment that the thermometer of the testing
apparatus tests and indicates the absolute temperature of the substance into which
the testing instrument which readily takes up the heat is introduced.
It will be noted that the explorator does not attain the same temperature as the
substance into which it may be plunged owing to the passage of the cooler fluid
through it, but that its temperature is raised proportionately to that of the
surrounding medium, and the heat is carried by the water to the thermometer,

page_text: while a temperature is indicated corresponding with the absolute temperature of
the space into which the explorator may be introduced.
The various pipes and conduits as well as the chamber of the testing instrument
are suitably covered over with non conducting materials to prevent radiation of
heat.
By commencing the thermometer scale with water at 10, 15, or 20, the lowest
temperatures may be measured.
Similarly a greater distinctness will be given to the indications of the ther-
mometer if the space between 0 and 100 is represented by 10 divisions, rather than
by separate degrees.
It is to be noted that the graduation of the thermometer stem necessarily
varies, if variation is made either in the initial temperature of the liquid which
serves as a vehicle to the temperature to be measured, in the height of the
column of this liquid; or in the section of the discharge orifice.
The combination just described and illustrated is suited for the automatic
inscription of the temperatures on a sheet of paper, if photography with clockwork
movement be employed. To obtain this result a sheet of sensitised paper is wound
on a cylinder driven by clock work movement making one revolution in say
24 hours. This cylinder is enclosed within a box which keeps it from the action
of the light. A narrow slit formed behind the column of mercury in the ther-
mometer stem is the only way by which the light can pass to act on the sensitised
paper. Hence it is evident that the column of mercury in rising or falling
according to the temperatures, more or less obstructs the slit and the temperature
is represented by a curve. The times are indicated by the generatrices of the
cylinder and the temperatures by the lines transverse to these generatrices.
Having described the nature of the said invention and the manner of carrying
it into practical effect as communicated to me as aforesaid I would have it under-
stood that what is considered to be novel and original and is therefore claimed
as the invention secured to me by the Letters Patent hereinabove in part recited
is:-
1. In a pyrometer the application and use of a moving liquid at a constant
initial temperature, and having an uniform rate of flow through a constant orifice,
to convey a proportionate amount of heat from the object or substance to be tested
to a registering thermometer so graduated as to indicate the actual temperature of
that object or substance substantially as described and illustrated.
2. The use in conjunction with a pyrometer of the kind referred to in claim 1 of
means such as hereinabove described for registering the temperature in a continuous
manner as above set forth.
In Witness whereof I the said William Lloyd Wise have hereunto set my
hand and seal this fourth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three