NEW OR IMPROVED AUTOMATIC HEAT REGULATORS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ernest de Pass, of the Office for British and Foreign
Patents, 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, for an
Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED AUTOMATIC HEAT REGULATORS."
A communication from abroad by Ernst Körting, of Hanover, in the German
Empire, Engineer.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernest de Pass at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th January 1881.
ERNEST DE PASS, of the Office for British and Foreign Patents, 68, Fleet
Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent: "NEW OR IMPROVED AUTOMATIC
HEAT REGULATORS." A communication from abroad by Ernst Körting, of Hanover;
in the German Empire, Engineer.
These regulators are constructed on the well known principle of liquids or fluids
expanding under the influence of heat.
In accordance with the Invention the expanding liquid is enclosed in a vessel
connected to the regulator proper by means of pipes or channels. The expansion
and contraction of the liquid or fluid works a bell-shaped piston, the edge of
which is immersed in mercury or any other heavy liquid, filling a deep groove,
causing the space under the bell to be hermetically sealed against the outside space.
The liquid or fluid in the expansion vessel raises the bell when it expands, or
causes it to descend, according as to whether it acts upon it from below or from
above. As the bell piston is floating it will move without any friction, and will
follow the slightest differences of the temperature with perfect exactness. Instead
of a bell piston another piston moving tight in a cylinder or an elastic diaphragm
may be used, and be moved by the expansion of the liquid.
The bell piston works a regulating apparatus of any kind (valve, cock, slide,
throttle), which influences the flow of liquid, or gas, or air, upon the quantity of
which depends the temperature of the space to be regulated. According to the
nature of the space, and the means by which it is heated, this apparatus is used in
different ways. The space, for instance, may be the interior of a boiler, or of a
heating chamber, or of a dwelling-room, or workroom, or conservatory. If any of
D

page_text: these spaces are heated by direct fire, fed with solid fuel, the apparatus will
influence the flow of air to the fire grate; if the fire be fed with liquid or with
gaseous fuel the apparatus will influence the flow of this fuel to the fire, and if
convenient the flow of air as well; if the space be heated by the circulation of hot
liquids or fluids the apparatus influences the velocity of circulation by throttling
at any place the area of passage; if the space be heated by steam the apparatus
influences the flow of steam to it.
The connection between the bell piston and the regulating apparatus proper
may be carried out in any way; a suitable one will be to make the bell bear
directly a cylindrical slide, which covers, more or less, a number of slots in the
sides of a channel surrounding it, these slots forming part of the conduit of the
liquid or gas, the quantity of which adjusts the intensity of heat developed. In
this manner the slide is perfectly balanced because the pressure exerted on it is
equal on all sides, and as it is never required to be shut off hermetically a tight fit
on the sides is quite unnecessary, the slide will therefore move up and down without
any resistance.
According to the proportions between the size of the expansion vessel and the
sectional area of the bell piston the stroke of the bell may be made to travel any
convenient length at the slightest difference of temperature, and if at certain
differences the slide causes the flow through the slots to be either perfectly free or
perfectly obstructed, the temperature of the room must be kept constant between
these differences.
If it be required to vary the temperature of the space or room at different times
the bell piston and the slide are given a stroke not longer than is required for
opening and shutting the slots entirely, but the expansion above or below these
limits of temperature may be effected by other mechanical means, as, for instance,
a second bell piston may be employed as a compensating one, also in communi-
cation with the expansion vessel. This piston has a smaller superficial area than
the regulating piston, consequently when the expansion acts on the pistons the
compensating one will rise first, and continue to ascend with the rising temperature
until it strikes against an obstacle when it stops, and the regulating piston begins
to move. This obstacle is made adjustable, and its various positions correspond to
certain temperatures of the vessel. It follows that by putting it in a certain
position the temperature of the space or room is fixed to a certain degree, corre-
sponding to such position, because as soon as this temperature is reached the
regulating piston and slide begin to move and to reduce the further supply of heat
to the space or room, thus keeping the temperature constant between as narrow
limits as desired.
As it might happen through the influence of circumstances beyond the control of
the apparatus that the temperature of the space or room exceeds the desired
limits, it would be convenient to have the compensating piston also to compensate
the expansion of the liquid beyond this temperature. For this purpose the obstacle
limiting the stroke of the compensating piston is constructed like a hanging
weight, which can be lifted by this piston being forced upwards by a superior
pressure. This pressure is exerted on the piston in case the regulating piston is
at the end of its stroke, and its further movement is prevented by a stationary
obstacle. Then the expanding liquid will act with increased power on the com-
pensating piston, and cause the weight to be lifted from its support and to rise with
the piston.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Ernest de Pass in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th July
1881.
"f
ERNEST DE PASS, of the Office for British and Foreign Patents, 68, Fleet
Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent. NEW OR IMPROVED AUTOMATIC
HEAT RGULATORS." A communication from abroad by Ernst Körting, of Hanover,
in the German Empire, Engineer.
These regulators are constructed on the well known principle of liquids or fluids
expanding under the influence of heat.
In carrying out the Invention, the expanding liquid is enclosed in a vessel
connected to the regulator proper by means of pipes or channels. The expansion
and contraction of the liquid or fluid works a bell, the edge of which is immersed
in mercury or any other heavy liquid, causing the space under the bell to be
hermetically sealed against the outside space. The liquid or fluid in the expansion
vessel raises the bell when it expands, or causes it to descend, according to whether
it acts upon it from below or from above. As the bell is floating, it will move
without any friction, and will follow the slightest differences of the temperature
with perfect exactness. Instead of a bell a piston moving tight in a cylinder may
be used and be moved by the expansion of the liquid.
The bell works a regulating apparatus of any kind (valve, cock, slide, throttle),
which influences the flow of liquid or gas or air, upon the quantity of which
depends the temperature of the space to be regulated. According to the nature of
the space and the means by which it is heated, this apparatus is used in different
ways. The space for instance may be the interior of a boiler, or of a heating
chamber, or of a dwelling room, or workroom, or conservatory, if any of these
spaces are heated by direct fire fed with solid fuel; the apparatus will influence
the flow of air to the fire grate, if the fire be fed with liquid or with gaseous
fuel, the apparatus will influence the flow of this fuel to the fire, and if con-
venient the flow of air as well; if the space be heated by the circulation (of hot
liquids or fluids, the apparatus influences the velocity of circulation by throttling
at any place the area of passage; if the space be heated by steam, the apparatus
influences the flow of steam to it.
The connection between the bell and the regulating apparatus proper may be
carried out in any way; a suitable one is to make the bell bear directly a
cylindrical slide, which covers more or less a number of apertures or slits in the
sides of a pipe or channel surrounding it, these apertures or slits forming part of
the conduit of the liquid or gas, the quantity of which adjusts the intensity of heat
developed. In this manner the slide is perfectly balanced, because the pressure
exerted on it is equal on all sides, and as it is never required to be shut of
hermetically, a tight fit on the sides is quite unnecessary, the slide will therefore
move up and down without any resistance.
According to the proportions between the size of the expansion vessel and the
sectional area of the bell, the stroke of the bell may be made to travel any con
venient length at the slightest difference of temperature, and if at certain differences
the slide causes the flow through the apertures or slits to be either perfectly free
or perfectly obstructed, the temperature of the room must be kept constant between
these differences.
If it be required to vary the temperature of the space or room at different times,
the bell and the slide should have a stroke not longer than is required for opening
and shutting the apertures or slits entirely, but the expansion above or below these

page_text: limits of temperature must be taken up by other mechanical means, for instance, a
second bell may be employed as a compensating one also in communication with
the expansion vessel. This bell has a smaller superficial area than the regulating
bell, consequently when the expansion acts on the bells, the compensating one will
rise first and continue to ascend with the rising temperature, until it strikes
against an obstacle when it stops, and the regulating bell begins to move. This
obstacle is made adjustable, and its various positions correspond to certain
temperatures of the vessel. It follows that, by putting it in a certain position, the
temperature of the space or room is fixed to a certain degree corresponding to such
position, because as soon as this temperature is reached, the regulating bell and
slide begin to move, and to reduce the further supply of heat to the space or room,
thus keeping the temperature constant between as narrow limits as desired.
As it might happen through the influence of circumstances beyond the control of
the apparatus that the temperature of the space or room exceeds the desired limits,
it would be convenient to have the compensating bell also to compensate the
expansion of the liquid beyond this temperature. For this purpose the obstacle
limiting the stroke of the compensating bell is constructed like a hanging weight,
which can be lifted by this bell, being forced upwards by a superior pressure. This
pressure is exerted on the bell in case the regulating bell is at the end of its stroke,
and its further movement is prevented by a stationary obstacle; then the expanding
liquid will act with increased power on the compensating bell, and cause the weight
to be lifted from its support, and to rise with the bell.
I now proceed, with reference to the accompanying Drawings, to describe
apparatus constructed according to the Invention.
Fig. 1 represents an automatic heat regulating apparatus in combination with a
central boiler. M is a widened outlet pipe for the passage of water or steam from
the boiler; N is an expansion vessel placed within the widened part of the outlet
pipe M, the former being filled with any gas or liquid. In this vessel, which
terminates in a protracted throat, the contents are closed against the atmosphere
by a tight fitting piston H. The changes of temperature will cause changes of
volume of the liquid, thus causing the piston H to move to and fro, and with it,
through the rod I and lever K, the slide L will move, thereby decreasing the
quantity of air admitted when the liquid is expanding, and increasing it when
contracting.
The vessel N being completely surrounded by the pipe M, through which the
liquid enters from the boiler, the changes of temperature in the boiler will be
speedily and completely transmitted to the contents of the vessel N; thus the
movements of the piston H will exactly correspond to the variations of tempera-
ture, and certain positions of the piston to certain temperatures. The proportion
between the volume of the vessel's contents and the area of the piston H should be
so arranged that by the movement of the piston H the slide L will cause the
admission of air to the fire grate to be entirely opened or entirely closed when the
desired limits of temperature for the contents of the boiler are reached. The slide L,
instead of acting upon the air admission to the firegrate, may equally well act
upon the flue, and it can be made to move in a plane, to turn upon a central
spindle, or to act like a throttle valve, etc. The rod I and lever K can be arranged
to suit any existing circumstances.
Fig. 2 represents another mode of constructing this automatic apparatus,
apparently the best mode for practical use. The change of volume in the expansion
vessel N moves a bell H, which is cut off from the atmosphere by means of a heavy
liquid (mercury). The application of this floating bell, sealed by mercury, has the
double advantage of avoiding loss by friction, also loss by evaporation of the
liquid contents of the vessel. With increasing temperature in the vessel N the bell
will rise; with decreasing temperature its own weight will cause it to descend.
The bell, carries a slide L, which moves without friction, but as close as possible
over the orifices of the pipe O, covering them more or less according to its position.

page_text: These orifices effect the communication of the interior of the pipe O with the
atmosphere, and the slide, according to its position, causes more or less air to enter
this pipe O. The interior of this pipe Oterminates below the firegrate of the
central boiler. All the moving parts are surrounded by a solid casing P to prevent
them from being damaged, while the air can pass freely to the apertures through
the openings Q. The position of the vessel N with respect to the floating bell is
immaterial. It will frequently be found necessary to make them communicate by
means of airtight pipes. A main advantage of this construction is the free move-
ment of the slide Ĺ without friction. Another great advantage is the local separation
of the regulating apparatus from the fireplace, enabling it to be placed at any
convenient spot, and to be surrounded with the casing P, thus ensuring it against.
damage.
Fig. 3 represents an automatic apparatus arranged in such a manner that the
liquid from the boiler is caused to act upon the temperature of the contents of the
vessel N by passing through the said vessel a system of pipes through which the
liquid is made to flow. Similar letters represent similar parts to those in Fig. 1,
and the mode of action is also the same.
Fig. 4 represents an automatic apparatus for directly regulating the temperature
of the apartment, room, or space to be heated. N is the expansion vessel, whose
liquid contents alter their volume according to any change of temperature in the
apartment, room, or space, thereby moving the piston H which moves the checking
contrivance and regulates the flow of the heating liquid to the heating machine or
stove. In this Figure a machine for heating with warm water is shewn, and the
piston H acts by means of the rod I upon a butterfly valve L which is inserted in
any part of the water circulating system V, F, W, so that with increasing tempera-
ture it is opened. The shape of the vessel N is immaterial, but it is desirable that
its surface should be large in proportion to its contents to ensure immediate action
when a change of temperature occurs in the apartment or space. Should the
apartment or space be heated by a stove of its own or hot air, the change of
volume of the contents of the vessel N can be utilized directly to move a slide (as
explained with reference to Fig. 2) which regulates the admission of air to the fire
grate of the stove, or the admission of hot air into the apartment or space. The
size of the vessel N in proportion to the area of the piston H must be such as to
cause a free flow of heat at the lowest temperature permitted in the apartment or
space, and a complete arrest in the admission of heat at the highest temperature
allowed, this ensures a temperature between the two limits. The position of the
vessel N should be such as to prevent its being acted upon directly by the beating
machine; its temperature should be the medium temperature existing in the
apartment or space, consequently the regulator proper will be connected with the
source of heat transmitting liquid, whereas the vessel N is placed at any convenient
spot in the apartinent or space to be heated and connected with the regulator by
means of a pipe.
Fig. 5 represents such an arrangement, viz., the inlet a to the regulator is con-
nected to the vessel N by means of a pipe; b and c are two bells the relative
positions of which with respect to each other is immaterial. Both these bells float
in mercury and rise and fall correspondingly with the change of volume of the
contents of the vessel N when changes of temperature occur. The larger bell c is
less weighted per unit of surface than the bell b, it follows that increase of volume
in the vessel N caused by increase of temperature will first affect the bell c and
cause it to rise until checked by a stop formed by the adjustable suspended weight e.
As soon as the bell c touches this stop it ceases to rise with further increasing
temperature, and then the bell b (the regulating bell proper) commeces to rise,
whereas the bell c acts only as a compensating bell.
The bell b carries a slide g, which covers the orifice h more or less according to
its position. This orifice h forms part of the conduit w, v, of the warm water to or
from the heating machine or stove or part of the air conduit to the firegrate of the

page_text: boiler for raising the heat. To open or close more or less the orifice h will therefore
more or less check the circulation of the water or check the admission of air to the
fuel, and will thus regulate the transmission of heat by the heating machine. The
shape and position of the orifice h are immaterial for the action. As soon as the
bell b cannot rise any further and has completely covered the orifice h no more heat
is developed, the temperature of the apartment or space cannot therefore increase
any higher, and under normal conditions the bell piston cannot possibly rise any
further. If however under special circumstances and independent of the heating
arrangement that is regulated by the apparatus the apartment or space should
become of a still higher temperature, the bell b would then have to rise considerably
more to take up the expansion of the contents of the vessel N, but constructive
reasons prevent an arrangement to this effect. A fixed stop has therefore been
employed to prevent any further rise of the bell b as soon as the orifice his covered
and the temperature of the apartment or space has reached its permitted maximum.
Any further increase of volume of the contents of the vessel Ñ will then again be
taken up by the larger compensating bell c, which then causes the weight e to rise
with it. The height of the weight e, which, as above mentioned, is adjustable, fixes
the minimum temperature permitted in the apartment or space; for as soon as this
is reached the change of volume of the contents of the vessel N corresponding to it
causes the bell c to touch the weight e and to thus check the development of heat by the
bell b then commencing to rise, and after a very further slight increase in the tempera-
ture of the apartment or space the development of heat is completely arrested. If now
the apparatus be provided externally with an index m, and if a hand or pointer n
be connected to the point of suspension of the weight in such a manner as to indicate
its height on the externally fixed index, a change of position of the hand n will then
be all that is required to keep up any temperature desired in the apartment or
space perfectly constant. The two bells b and c may be close together, as shewn in
the Drawings, or they may for convenience be separated if only they both com-
municate with the expansion vessel N. In all cases where a rise of temperature
beyond that regulated by the apparatus need not be éxpected, the weight e can be
replaced by a check of any sort made moveable and adjustable from the outside only,
such for instance, as a screw, pin, or the like.
This same arrangement of compensating bell c for taking up the change of
volume of the contents of the expansion vessel N below and above the desired
limits of temperature is also very handy for the automatic regulator for the air
supply to the fire grate, as described with regard to Fig. 2. It enables the lowest
limit of the highest boiler temperature permitted to be varied without causing the
regulating bell proper to rise any further than just required.
If liquid or gascous fuel be used, these apparatus can be applied to regulate the
fuel admission.
If a galvanic battery is at disposal, the movement of the bell or piston H (Figs.
1, 2, 3, 4) can be used to open or close the current, thus in the usual way attracting
or repelling a magnet, the movement of which acts upon the proper regulating
mechanism.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same may be performed, I declare that I claim,―
1. The arrangement of the floating bell H and the slide L connected to it, said
slide opening or closing more or less apertures in the pipe O, substantially in the
manner described and shewn in Figs. 2 & 3 for the purpose set forth.
2. The employment of the pipe O, arranged substantially as shewn in Figs. 2 and
3 of the Drawings, and extending from the heat regulator to below the firegrate,
and permitting the regulator to be placed at any convenient distance from the
fireplace.
3. In automatic heat regulators the compensating bell c or piston with adjust-
able arrangement, Fig. 5, for limiting its rise and for taking up the changes of volume

page_text: of the contents of the expansion vessel N above and below the desired limits of
temperature, in combination with the proper regulating bell 6 (or piston),
substantially as herein described and as shewn in Fig. 5 of the Drawings.
-
In witness whereof, I, the said Ernest de Pass, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twentieth day of July, in the year 1881.
ERNEST DE PASS. (L.S.)