Improvements in Gas Governors.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 25th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 24th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 6th June, 1891
Improvements in Gas Governors.
I THOMAS STURGEON of Eashy Drive Ilkley in the County of York Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows :—
In the first place my invention relates to gas governors in which a single valve
is used and consists in so arranging the valve that the main pressure will not have
any tendency either to shut or open the valve.
For this purpose I use an annular valve so arranged that the main pressure
comes upon it only in a sidelong direction except at such portions where the valve
necessarily projects, and I so arrange these parts that there will be the same area
exposed to a downward pressure as to an upward pressure. The valve is thus
practically an equilibrium valve.
One method of arranging the valve is as follows:-I use a light float with n
flange formed upon it. To this flange is attached the valve which is in the form
of a light ring the inner diameter of which is somewhat smaller than the inner
diameter of the float. The valve-seating consists of a circular plate carried on
the top of the outlet pipe which projects up concentric with the float and valve.
The circular plate has a hole in its centre which communicates with the interior
of the outlet branch. The main casting carries the inlet and outlet branches and
is furnished with an annular trough for mercury into which projects a thin ring
carried on the underside of the valve. This ring being immersed a sufficient depth
in the mercury forms a gas tight joint while it allows the valve to rise and fall
without friction. The valve having been put in its place with the thin belt or
ring projecting down into the mercury trough, the circular plate forming the seat
is fixed on the top of the outlet pipe. The float is then put on and attached to
the flange on the valve by screws round the outside, the joint being made gas tight.
The interior of the ring on the valve above the level of the mercury is open to the
gas supply so that when the float is down the gas can flow round the edge of the
plate on to its upper side and thence make its way down the outlet pipe; but when
the float rises (upon the proper pressure being attained) the valve is brought up
against its seating on the circular plate and so shuts off the further supply of gas
from the main.
Another way of arranging the valve is as follows. The float is made without
any flange and its vertical walls dip into the mercury trough. In the centre of
the float is carried a thin spindle to which is attached a small valve of the following
description. The valve is by preference a light casting the upper side of which
should be of the form of a cone or it might be a portion of a sphere. Openings
are cut through the upper portion of this valve round the centre leaving a ring of
sufficient width at the circumference to form the valve. The lower portion of the
valve consists of a deep ring of thin metal which dips into a small annular trough
of mercury concentric with the float so as to form a gas tight joint. The seat
against which the valve shuts is the inner edge of a stiff cast metal ring fixed gas
tight on the main casting, after the valve is put in its place. The openings which
are cut through the valve communicate with the interior of the outlet branch and
when the float is down the gas can pass between the valve and its seat and down
the openings to the outlet pipe. When the gas attains its proper pressure the float
rises drawing the valve up against its seat and so shuts off all communication
between the main gas supply and the openings in the valve. The two concentric
troughs communicate with each other by means of a hole drilled through the main
casting, this hole being also in connection with a little branch so that the mercury

page_text: can be poured in after the governor is fixed in position or through which it may be
drawn off at any time that it may be necessary to remove the governor.
In the next place my invention consists in certain improvements in the gas
governor already patented by me and described my Specification dated April 10th
1889 and numbered 6134. In that Specification I describe certain forms of gas
governors with liquid valves. I find however that when it is desired to work with
a very low pressure and a small quantity of gas, the surface of the liquid is brought
into such close contact with the lower edge of the projecting rim, as to cause an
unsteadiness in the light owing to the bubbling of the gas through the liquid. To
prevent this I float upon the surface of the liquid, a ring which is turned to a true
face on its upper side. The lower edge of the projecting rim is also turned true
and it and the ring are ground together. When the liquid used is mercury this
ring should be of cast iron. The mercury forms a kind of flexible bed for the
ring thus allowing it to adjust itself to the edge of the projecting rim when shutting
off the gas and even when only a small quantity of gas is being used it can pass
without fluttering between the ring and the edge of the projecting rim.
In the arrangements shewn in Figs. 6 and 7 of that Specification instead of a
ring a little plate would be used.
Another improvement consists in attaching an
enlarged ring to the bottom edge
of the thin projection C. C. in Fig. 1 of the said Specification in order to balance
the weight of the float.
Dated 25th day of July 1900
GEO.
DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Governors.
1, THOMAS STURGEON of Ilkley in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:―
In the first place my invention relates to gas governors in which a single valve
is used and consists in so arranging the valve that the main pressure will not have
any tendency either to shut or open the valve.
For this purpose I use an annular valve so arranged that the main pressure
comes upon it only in a sidelong direction.
The valve is thus practically an equilibrium valve.
One method of arranging this valve is shewn in Fig. 1 of the accompanying
drawings which shews a vertical section of a gas governor made in accordance with
this part of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the main casting of the same.
I use a light float a a with a flange bb formed upon it. To this flange is
attached the valve which is in the form of a light ring ce the inner diameter of
which is somewhat smaller than the inner diameter of the float. The valve seating
consists of a circular plate d d carried on the top of the outlet pipe ee which
projects up concentric with the float. This circular plate has a hole in its centre
which is bored true and fits on to a turned concentric projection on the outlet
pipe e e. The main casting carries two inlet branches ff either of which can be
attached to the pipe from the meter according as this pipe is horizontal or vertical.
Whichever of these branches is not used is closed by a plug such as shown at y.
The main casting also carries the outlet branch ee and the annular trough for
mercury into which projects the thin ring ii carried on the underside of the
valve c c.
This ring being immersed a sufficient depth in the mercury forms a gas-tight joint
while it allows the valve to rise and fall without friction.
The valve ec having been put in its place with the thin belt or ring i i projecting

page_text: down into the mercury trough h h, the circular plate ad is fixed on the top of the
outlet pipe e e.
The float a a is then put on and attached to the flange on the valve by bolts
round the outside, the joint being made gas tight. The interior of the ring on the
valve above the level of the mercury is open to the gas supply so that when the
float is down the gas can flow round the edge of the plate on to its upper side and
thence make its way down the outlet pipe as shewn by the arrows, but when the
float rises (upon the proper pressure being attained) the valve is brought up against
its seating on the circular plate and so shuts off the further supply of gas from the
main. The float a a has at its centre a light spindle k, which passing up through a
hole in the cover forms a guide to keep the float and the valve central.
This
spindle projects up sufficiently far to carry a little weight-carrier, a section of which
is shewn in Fig. 3. This weight carrier is simply a little piece of tube closed at
one end and with a circular plate or flange at the other. It is slipped on to the
end of the spindle and little circular weights of lead with central holes can be
placed upon it and so the float can be weighted until the gas is supplied to the
burners at the required pressure. A cap m is then put over the spindle and weights
and may be secured in its place by means of a padlock.
In Fig. 4 is shewn an outside elevation and in Fig. 5 a plan of this governor.
The words "Inlet " and "Outlet" should be cast on the respective branches
in the main casting or arrows might be used to indicate to the gas-fitter, the course
has to take and so prevent the governor being fixed the wrong way on
the gas
the pipes.
In order that the mercury may be poured into the annular groove after the
apparatus has been fixed in its proper position I cast the projection n. n. Figs. 1.
2. 4 and 5 on the main casting and through this projection I drill the holes o. o.
communicating with the annular trough. The outer ends of these holes are closed
by plugs p and p. When the governor is fixed the plug is unscrewed and the
mercury poured in till it attains the proper level. The plug is then screwed in
being made tight by a washer. When it becomes necessary to remove the gas
governor, the mercury is first run off by withdrawing the plug p. The cap m has
a gap formed in its flange which fits over a staple and it can thus be secured in its
place by means of a padlock as shewn in Fig. 5 so that the weights on the spindle
cannot be interfered with after the governor has once been adjusted to the required
pressure.
Another way of arranging the valve is shewn in vertical section in Fig. 6 a plan
of the main casting being shewn in Fig. 7. The float a a is made without any
flange and its vertical walls bb dip into the mercury trough c. c. In the centre of
the float is carried a thin spindle d to which is attached a small valve e shewn
separately in section in Fig. 8 and in plan in Fig. 9.
The valve is by preference a light casting the upper side of which should be of
the form of a cone or it might be a portion of a sphere. Openings are made
through the upper portion of the valve round the centre leaving a ring of sufficient
width at the circumference to form the valve.
The lower portion of the valve consists of a deep ring of thin metal or
ebonite ff which dips into a small annular trough of mercury 99 concentric
with the float so as to form a gas tight joint. The seat against which the valve
shuts is the inner odge of a stiff cast metal ring h. h fixed gas tight on the main
casting, after the valve is put in its place. The openings which are made through
the valve communicate with the interior of the outlet branch i. i. and when the
float is down, the gas can pass between the valve and its seat and down the openings
to the outlet pipe as shewn by the arrows. When the gas attains its proper pressure
the float rises drawing the valve up against its seat and so shuts off all communi-
cation between the main gas supply and the openings in the valve.
The two concentric troughs communicate with each other by means of a hole k
drilled through a projection on the main casting this hole being also in connection
with a little branch 1. 1. so that the mercury can be poured in after the governor is

page_text: fixed in position or through which it may be drawn off, as already described, at
any time that it may be necessary to remove the governor.
The outside views of this governor will be similar to those already shewn in
Figs. 4 and 5. In the governor shewn in Fig. 6. instead of a float, a flexible
diaphragm such as is used in some gas governors might be employed in which case
the outer mercury trough would, of course, be dispensed with.
It will be clear that gas governors on the principles above described may be
made to be used with water, glycerine or other liquid, instead of mercury, the
troughs being made deeper and the thin rings dipping into the troughs being made
longer in accordance with the difference in specific gravity between the liquid used
and mercury.
It is not my intention to make any claim with regard to the other parts of my
invention mentioned in my Provisional Specification.
Hitherto in making gas governors in order to obtain the desired equilibrium it
has been necessary to employ two valves connected together and so arranged that
the tendency of the main pressure is to close one of these valves and open the
other and the valves being of equal area, these forces balance each other so that
the action of the valve is not affected by variations in the pressure in the main
supply pipe but with the arrangements described I obtain the same effect with a
single valve.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare what
I claim is :-
In gas governors the use of single valves so arranged as to produce the same
effect as the double equilibrium valve substantially as described.
Dated 4th Al 1001
GEO. DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent for Applicant.
GEO. DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent for Applicant.