Improved Apparatus for Automatically Regulating the Supply of Water to the Condensing Cylinders of Aerated Water Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Apr., 1897-Accepted, 15th May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Automatically Regulating the Supply
of Water to the Condensing Cylinders of Aerated Water
Machines.
I, THOMAS NEIL CRETNEY, of 53 Cemetery Road, Barnsley, in the County
of York, Aerated Water 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 :-
According to my invention the apparatus consists of a strong metal chamber or
box preferably of gunmetal and tinned inside to prevent contamination for the
reception of carbonic acid gas and water. In the centre of the bottom of this
chamber is cast or fixed a short perpendicular tube, hereinafter called the lower
tube, which is bored out perfectly true. The chamber is provided at the top with
a flange on which to bolt a cover or lid which is also provided with a flange, the
joint being made by the insertion of rubber or other suitable material between the
flanges. In the centre of the cover is cast or fixed a short perpendicular tube
hereinafter called the upper tube, similar to the tube at the bottom of the chamber.
A hollow cylinder, globe or float hereinafter referred to as the float, is fixed
centrally between two rods the outer ends of which are provided with winged
pieces. The float is placed in the chamber and the winged ends of the rods
attached to same slide in the aforesaid tubes as the float is actuated by the rise and
fall of the water in the chamber. The upper rod is hollow and communicates with
the inside of the float, by which means the pressure inside and outside the float is
kept equal. Pivoted to a spindle fixed near the side of the chamber is a lever, the
opposite end of which passes through a slot in the rod near the bottom of the
chamber. The aforesaid spindle passes through a stuffing box and communicates
with the outside of the chamber at the front near the side. On the end of this
spindle is fixed a small segment of a wheel provided with teeth or cogs. Placed
in the front near the opposite side of the chamber and diametrically opposite the
aforesaid spindle is a plug fitted with inlet and outlet unions and suspended from a
bracket attached to the chamber. One end of the plug is fitted with a small
segment of a wheel provided with teeth or cogs which are geared into the cogs of
the segment fixed on the spindle opposite, and the other end of the plug is fitted
with an indicator or pointer which moves in front of a brass plate or dial fixed to
the barrel of the cock. This dial is indexed to show when the cock is full open,
partly closed, or fully closed as indicated by the pointer. The index plate is
provided with a slot in which is placed an adjustable stop which can be set to
prevent the cock being fully closed if necessary or desirable owing to the pointer
coming in contact with same.
The regulator is carried by a bracket, the outer end of which is provided with
a female sorew, the upper tube being screwed its whole length outside to suit.
From this it will be seen that the regulator can be raised or lowered as desired,
and it is fixed in position by a lock nut which is placed on the tube. Both the
upper and lower tubes are provided at the ends with unions on which to attach
pipes for communicating with the condensing cylinder of the aerated water
machine.
As a modification of the wheel segments attached respectively to the plug of the
cock and to the spindle aforesaid I use two straight levers, one of which overlaps

page_text: or works in front of the other. One is provided at its outer end with a slot, and
the outer end of the other is provided with a pin which passes through the
slot.
In order that the action of the regulator may be more readily understood I
make reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings in which
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my invention.
Figure 2 shows a modification of the wheel segments for operating the plug
cock aforesaid.
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the plug cock on an enlarged scale.
Figure 4 is a front sectional elevation and
Figure 5 a side elevation partly in section.
The regulator chamber A, carried by the bracket B, is attached direct to the
condensing cylinder or to the frame of the aerated water machine or fixed in any
suitable position away from the machine at such a height that the centre of the
chamber or thereabout is level with the desired water level in the condensing
cylinder. The upper tube C is connected by a pipe to the top of the condensing
cylinder and the lower tube D is connected to the bottom of the cylinder by
similar means.
The inlet union E of the plug cock F is attached to the water
supply tank, and the outlet union G of the plug cock is attached to the pump of
the aerated water machine.
When the pump is set in motion the float H supported by the rods I J is in the
position shewn in Figure 4, and the wheel segments M N are in the position shewn
in Figure 1, the passage through the plug cock F being full open. As the
carbonic.acid gas and water are pumped into the condensing cylinder the water
rises simultaneously in the regulator chamber A through the agency of the
connecting pipe from the bottom of the cylinder to the lower tube D, and the
pressure is kept equal by the gas passing from the top of the cylinder to
the chamber by the pipe attached to the upper tube C. As the float H is actuated
by the rising of the water the lever K is raised and simultaneously the spindle L
and the wheel segment M are turned partly round, operating the wheel segment N
which closes the cock.
When the levers are employed instead of the wheel segments the action is very
similar, the lever O being actuated by the spindle L, the lever P simultaneously
closing the cock.
As the aerated water is drawn away from the condensing cylinder by the bottlers.
the float H descends and the plug cock F is re-opened.
If it is, desired to alter the working height of the water in the condensing
cylinder it would be necessary to disconnect the union nuts attached to the tubes C
and D also the union nuts É and G, and screw the chamber A upwards in the
bracket B to raise the level, or downwards to lower the level.
When the regulator is used in connection with a machine having a bucket
pump containing a glass barrel it is not advisable that the plug cock F should be
entirely closed as the barrel would get warm by being worked dry and would
probably break on the re-admission of cold water. I therefore provide an
adjustable stop which is fitted in the slot R of the index plate S. This can be
set so that the pointer T comes in contact with it just before the cock is entirely
closed, in which case the pump will be allowed to draw a very small quantity of
water to keep the barrel cool, but not sufficient to make any appreciable difference
in the height of the water in the condensing cylinder as the bottlers are working.
Having now particularly described and ascertained, the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. In combination with the condensing cylinder of an aerated water machine
the employment and arrangement of an apparatus for automatically regulating
the admission of water to same, substantially as herein before described and as
illustrated in the accompanying sheets of drawings.

page_text: Second. The method of automatically regulating the admission of water to the
condensing cylinder of an aerated water machine by means of the metallic
chamber A, the float H supported by the rods I J working perpendicularly in the
tubes CD, the lever K, spindle L, wheel segments M N or levers OP, and the
plug cock F, operated and operating in manner described and substantially as
shewn in annexed drawings.
Third. In an apparatus for automatically regulating the admission of water to
the condensing cylinder of an aerated water machine, the method and arrangement
of altering the water level by means of the screwed bracket B and the screwed
tube C as herein before described and shewn in accompanying drawings.
Fourth. In an apparatus for automatically regulating the admission of water to
the condensing cylinder of an aerated water machine, the employment of an
adjustable stop to prevent the water being entirely shut off if necessary or
desirable.
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3 L 1007