Improvements in Regulators for Intermittent Gas Supplies.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Regulators for Intermittent Gas Supplies.
We, THEODOR HAHN, Gas Inspector, of Kötzschenbroda, Saxony, in the Empire
of Germany, and SIGISMUND MÜHLENTILAL, Merchant, and MAX LOEWENTHAL,
Merchant, both of No. 105c, Friedrichstrasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany,
aforesaid, 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:-
In gas engines and machinery where an intermittent gas supply is required,
a great evil is experienced, namely, that in the pipe leading to the gas engine or
the like, fluctuations are produced by the irregular and violent withdrawal of
gas therefrom. Various attempts have been made, by interposing pressure
regulators, to overcome the evil, but have only partially accomplished the purpose.
so that, for example, gas flames burning in the vicinity of the motor, do not burn
with a steady light, but flicker and jump.
""
The cause of the devices hitherto employed not being able to completely over-
come the backward shock to the feed of gas, lies mainly in the fact that the
apparatus hitherto designed to this end are provided with only one gasometer
bell," which (unprovided with any special pressure regulator), controls the opening
and closing of the valve supplying gas to the gas-holder.
The gasometer bells in these apparatus, for example, when drawing in gas by
the gas engine, have a considerable amount of movement, and consequently are
unable, with the help of the inlet valve alone, to suppress the back-shock" in
the gas main.
According to the present invention, the gas, before it passes beneath and into
the gasometer bell o, past the gas inlet valve, (in the following description the
pressure regulating bell will be denoted by c and the motor regulating bell by o),
passes a special pressure regulating bell c, which, independently of the friction
of the bell o, is so loaded that the gas can pass into the bell o without any
appreciable back-shock " in the pressure regulator c, and the gas main, the
connecting chamber between the gas pressure regulator and the gasometer bell
being of sufficient size to allow the gas to enter the latter without resistance.
In the accompanying drawing is illustrated a form of construction of the subject
of the present invention, in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section through an apparatus constructed according to
the present invention;
Figure 2 a section on the line -x of Figure 1.
In the casing a is provided a box b, closed at top, in which a gasometer bell c,
belonging to the pressure regulator, and dipping into a liquid, works. The bell c
is carried by a rod d, which, at its upper end, passes through the box b, but does
not fit, tightly in the opening in the box, so that the air between the gasometer
bell c and the upper surface of the gas, may slowly escape, as the bell rises, and
act as a cushion.
The rod is connected to a double-armed lever f, rocking on a pivot e, and

page_text: carrying, at its free end, a valve g. This latter closes the gas supply pipe h more or
less, and thereby regulates the pressure of the incoming gas.
The rod d, externally of the box b, is loaded with easily-removable weights,
the office of which will be more particularly described hereafter.
C
is
The gas entering by the pipe h passes beneath the bell c, and, in raising it,
forces the air surrounding the bell out of the apparatus, so that the bell
raised without shock by the gas. The adjustment of the valve 9, and consequently
the pressure of the gas, after entering the chamber k, is dependent upon the
position of the gasometer bell c. The chamberk is of sufficient size to permit the
gas to enter the bell o, without appreciable resistance, by the inlet more or less
closed by the valve 7. This valve is mounted on a fairly long double-armed
lever, pivotted at m, and so balanced by a weight, n, that the valve may be
operated by an extremely small force. The bello is guided by a central rod p
and antifriction rollers 2, of comparatively large diameter, so as to rise and fall
with the least possible amount of friction. The mode of mounting the rollers is
shown at Fig. 2.
At its lower end, the guide rod p is provided with a pin r, which enters a
slot in an arm on the top of the valve . The valve will consequently be raised
and lowered only after the bell o has risen to a certain height, so soon as the end
of the guide rod p above the pin strikes against the arm s.
i
The gas entering beneath the bell c, now passes through the open valve into
the bell o, and is forced thence through the pipe t into the motor or service pipe.
The rapidly rising and falling bell o is quickly filled afresh with gas, without any
resistance by the pressure upon the regulating bell c, the gas in the connecting
chamber between the bells cand o meeting with no appreciable resistance. The
weights upon the rod are so adjusted as to accurately take into account the
friction of the bell o. If the bello were to have a greater amount of friction in
its ascent and descent, then the weights i must be increased; consequently the
valve g will be opened to a greater extent, and the gas will enter the opening at
an increased pressure. The friction for the bell, however, is kept as low as possible,
so that the gas may enter the apparatus at a comparatively low pressure. As the
bell c can only move with a slow and even motion, and as a complete equalization
of pressure exists between the two bells, all back-shock" in the gas main is
completely obviated.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. Apparatus for regulating the supply of gas to gas engines, and other
apparatus intermittently consuming gas, characterized by the fact that the gas,
which is maintained at a certain determined pressure by means of a regulator of
special construction, is led into a gasometer "bell" o in connection with the gas
supply tube through a canal capable of being more or less cut off from the latter
by means of a valve 1, which said canal possesses a sufficient width to render
possible the transmission of the gas from the regulator to the "bell," without a
noticeable amount of resistance, the said pressure regulator, independently of
the friction of the gasometer bell-being so counterweighted, that "back-shocks
in the gas supply pipes are as far as possible avoided.
2. A form of the apparatus claimed under Claim 1, characterized by the fact that
the gas enters through a valve g into the apparatus, which is under the influence
of a gasometer bell c, operated by means of air pressure, and working in a chamber
closed at top, which bell c forces the gas through the broad canal k into the second
gasometer bello (commanded by the inlet valve 1) to an extent corresponding
to the counterweighting i, over and above the friction of the bell o,--whereupon the
gas arrives in the service pipes.
3. A form of the apparatus claimed under Claim 1, characterized by the fact
that the valve l, in order that it may be operated with the smallest possible amount

page_text: of friction, and only at the desired time by means of the gasometer bell, is located
on a sufficiently long two-armed counter-balanced lever, and is connected by a
devices with the gasometer bell o.
4. A form of the apparatus claimed under Claim 1, characterized by the fact
that the gasometer bell, in order to reduce friction, as much as possible, is made
to travel over rollers by means of a central rod.