Improvements.in Controllers for Water and other Liquid Heaters.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 11th Dec., 1399-Accepted, 9th Mar., 1900'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements.in Controllers for Water and other Liquid Heaters.
We, EDMUND WALTER TYRELL RICHMOND, Managing Director of Messrs. Rich-
mond & Co., Ltd., of 132, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., and Plymouth,
Stove Manufacturers, and MATTHEW ATKINSON ADAM, of 12A, Hyde. Park
Mansions, London, W., Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
-
Our invention relates to improvements in controllers for regulating the supply
of heat to water heaters and has for its object to more perfectly regulate the
supply of heat to the heater in proportion to the quantity of water being drawn
off from the heater.
Our invention consists in providing a contracted area in the supply pipe, and
in using the difference between the pressure in the normal area of the pipe
and the pressure in the contracted area, when water is flowing, to operate a
piston or diaphragm connected with and regulating the gas valve controlling the
supply of gas to the water heater.
.
It also consists in detail apparatus for carrying out this regulation.
In carrying our invention into effect according to one modification, we provide
a piece of pipe suitable for connecting in the pipe from the water main to the
water heater.
This piece of pipe is made with a sectional area first gradually contracted to a
minimum area, and then gradually expanded to its original area. On the side
of this contracted pipe we support a cylinder of suitable diameter, and we connect
the top end of the cylinder with the pipe above the contraction. The bottom
of the cylinder we connect with the pipe at its point of smallest area.
A piston
is provided to work in this cylinder. The piston rod passes out through a
suitable stuffing gland in the top of the cylinder, and its outer end is suitably
attached to the stem of a gas valve controlling the flow of gas to the gas
burner supplying heat to the coil boiler. On the piston rod, between the cylinder
and the gas valve, we provide a suitable adjustable collar. We prefer to support
the cylinder, contracted pipe, and the gas valve on a bracket, which holds them
rigidly in the proper relationship to one another. From this bracket we support
a Hat spring, which may be laminated. The outer end of this spring is adapted
to press against the collar fixed on the piston rod, and thereby to hold the gas
valve closed.
When there is no flow of water through the contracted pipe, the pressure of
the contracted area is the same as in any other part of the pipe, but when a flow
of water is caused through this contracted pipe, by opening a tap on the water
main leading from the coil boiler, the velocity of flow through the contracted area
of the pipe is much higher than the velocity of flow through the normal area
of the pipe, and as the energy of the water is the same at both points, except for
the slight loss in friction between the two points, the pressure in the contracted
area is much less than the pressure, where the pipe is of normal area.
Now as
the contracted area is connected with the bottom of the piston and the normal
area with the-top of the piston,the difference of pressure between these two

page_text: points will cause the piston to move down, and thereby to open the gas valve.
At the same time it depresses the spring, and the piston will come to rest in a
position in which the difference of pressure is balanced by the force of the blade
spring. A suitable cup leather or other packing device is provided in the piston.
The pressure in the contracted area of the pipe varies inversely as the square of
the velocity of flow at that area and the quantity of water delivered by the
apparatus varies directly as this velocity. To make the opening of the gas valve
and therefore the heat supply to the coil proportional to the quantity of water
delivered by the coil.
We provide on the bracket supporting the spring a bar against which the
spring bears, and this bar may-be curved so that as the spring is deflected it bears
more and more on the bar, thus shortening the effective length of the spring,
and increasing the force required to bend it further. This lever on which the
spring is supported may be pivoted, and an arm may be provided upon it with
a set screw, which bears on the frame. By shifting the set screw, the position
of the lever may be changed, and the apparatus thereby adjusted to give any
proportionate resistance, so that the gas supply, and therefore the heat supplied
to the coil boiler, may be made proportional to the delivery of water through the
boiler itself.
At will thus be seen that by suitably regulating the parts of this apparatus
the heat supplied to the coil boiler can be made proportional to the quantity of
water drawn off from the boiler, so that if the hot water apparatus be used to
supply baths, the temperature of the water will vary little through a considerable
range of supply of hot water. If the apparatus be made to supply say ten baths,
it will adjust itself by the simple turning of the bath taps, and will equally well
supply say three baths, with water at approximately the same temperature.
A pilot light is used to light up the burner supplying heat to the coil boiler.
The apparatus is thus perfectly automatic, and supplies hot water by simply
turning on the bath cocks.
A coil boiler of any suitable type, such as the Herreshof boiler, may be used to
heat the water.
The method above described is one way of carrying out our invention, but it
will be obvious that many modifications of it may be made, without departing
from the essential feature which consists in using the difference of pressure
between two points of different area in a water supply pipe to operate the gas valve
of a water heater. It will also be seen that the same device may be employed to
control the heating of liquids other than water.
Dated this 9th day of March 1899.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Controllers for Water and other Liquid Heaters.
We, EDMUND WALTER TYRELL RICHMOND, Managing Director of Messrs. Rich-
mond & Co., Ltd., of 132, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., and of Plymouth,
Stove Manufacturers, and MATTHEW ATKINSON ADAM, late of 12a, Hyde Park
Mansions, London, W., of 1, Rockhall Terrace, Cricklewood, in the County of
London, England, Electrical Engineer, 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 ;-
-
Our invention relates to improvements in controllers for regulating the supply

page_text: of heat to water heaters, and has for its object to regulate the supply of heat
to the heater in proportion to the quantity of water being drawn off from the
heater.
Our invention consists in providing a contracted area in the supply pipe,
and in using the difference between the pressure in the normal area of the pipe
and the pressure in the contracted area, when water is flowing, to operate a
piston or diaphragm connected with and regulating the gas valve controlling the
supply of gas to the water heater.
It also consists in detail apparatus for carrying out this regulation.
in carrying our invention into effect generally, we make our device in the form
of a piece of pipe suitable for connecting in the pipe from the water main to the
water heater. This piece of pipe is made with a sectional area first gradually
contracted to a minimum area, and then gradually expanded to its original area.
The contraction, and more especially the expansion again, should be so gradual
as not to cause eddying flow in the water passing through the pipe. We then
connect one end of a cylinder with a part of the pipe above the contraction. The
other end of the cylinder we connect with the pipe at its point of smallest.
sectional area. A. suitable piston is provided to work in this cylinder. We prefer
to pack the piston with a rubber ring of circular section freely rolling on the
piston between suitable flanges thereon in a well-known manner.
The piston
rod passes out through a suitable stuffing gland in one end of the cylinder, and
its end is suitably attached to the stem of a gas valve controlling the flow of
gas to a burner supplying heat to a water heater or boiler of any suitable type.
We also provide a spring or other suitable device to hold the gas valve shut, and
to offer suitable resistance to its opening so that the quantity of gas allowed to
pass to the burner is just that which will give the heat required by the heater for
the final temperature of water chosen. When there is no flow of water through
the contracted pipe, the pressure in the contracted area is the same
as that in any other part of the pipe. When દી flow of water
is caused through this contracted pipe, say by opening a tap on the
water main leading from the boiler, the velocity of flow through the contracted
area of the pipe is much higher than the velocity of flow through the normal area
of the pipe, and as the energy of the water is the same at both points, the pressure
in the contracted area is much less than the pressure at any point where the pipe
is of normal area. Now as the contracted area is connected with one end of the
piston, and the normal area with the other end of the piston, the difference of
pressure will cause the piston to move, and thereby to
open the gas valve against
the forces holding it shut. By suitably proportioning these resisting forces and
the area of opening of the valve for a given lift, the quantity of gas passed can
be made exactly that required to heat the quantity of water, passing at that
moment, to the temperature required. The water can by this apparatus therefore
be heated automatically so as to be delivered at always the same temperature,
whether a large or a small quantity be drawn off.
It will thus be seen that by suitably regulating the parts of this apparatus the
heat supplied to the coil boiler can be made proportional to the quantity of water
drawn off from the boiler, so that if the hot water apparatus be used to supply
baths, the final temperature of the water will vary little through a considerable
range of supply of hot water. If the apparatus he made to supply say ten baths,
it will adjust itself by the simple turning of the bath taps, and will equally
well supply say three baths.
A pilot light is used to light up the burner supplying heat to the coil boiler.
The apparatus is thus perfectly automatic, and supplies hot water by simply
turning on the bath cocks.
A coil water heater or boiler of any suitable type, such as the Herreshoff
boiler, may be used to heat the water.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings.
T
е

page_text: Figure 2.a side sectional elevation of my improved regulating apparatus.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan on the line y, Figure 2.
Figure shows a modified form of piston packing applied to the apparatus
shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 5 shows in elevation a modified gas valve for use in one form of my
apparatus.
On the sole A, Figures 1 and 2, are fixed the regulating apparatus B, and the
gas valve C.
The regulating apparatus 13 consists of a pipe D. having a
contracted area at D' and a gradually expanding part 12. The pipe D is attached
in the water connection to the heater in any suitable manner. The pipe D-is
connected at 13 and D¹ by pipes or passages D and 15 respectively to a
cylinder E in which works the piston E. The piston rod passes through the
stuffing gland F and has a collar G₁ fixed on it at G: The rod E2 then has the
gas valve H attached to its end. A blade spring I is fixed to the sole A at A¹;
anu a curved lever arm J is provided, hooked to the sole by the double bracket J,
and having a regulating screw 2.
It will be readily seen that, when no water is flowing in the pipe 1, the spring I
will be holding the valve H shut by means of the collar G. When flow of water
takes place the piston E¹ moves against the spring I to a place of equilibrium for
that amount of flow, and opens the valve H permitting the requisite flow of
gas to heat the water flowing when the apparatus has been properly adjusted by
ineans of the screw J2 and the curved arm J. The curve of the latter may be
altered as required. Instead of controlling the resisting forces by means of the
curved arm a valve H¹, as shown in Figure 5, may be used to vary the valve
opening or passage for a given valve lift as required for the water heating and a
spiral spring may be substituted for the spring I to hold the gas valve shut.
The valve H has a cylindrical guide ring H2 instead of the usual guide ribs;
and this ring is provided with tapered passage ways H which are so shaped as to
give the required passage of gas to heat the water for any particular lift
valve. In this case the taper of the passage ways enable the proper quantity of
gas to be passed without regulating the force applied by the spring. The piston
shown in Figure 4 is provided with the well-known form of packing ring in
which the ring K rolls in a piston groove K' to reduce the friction of the moving
parts. It will be obvious that the same controlling device might be applied to
electrically heated water heaters without departing from our invention.
the
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is:-
1. Controlling the supply of heat to a water heater by means of a fixed con-
tracted and expanded pipe substantially as described.
2. Controlling the supply of heat to a water heater in proportion to the demand
for hot water by means of a fixed contracted and expanded pipe substantially
as. hereinbefore described.
13. In a gas heated water heater the combination of a contracted pipe such
as a spring controlled piston or diaphragm such as E and a gas valve such as
H substantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
4. The improved controller for water heater hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Datad this 11th love of Theamhan 1200
ember 1900
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, "and"
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents."