Improvements in Apparatus for Operating Valves in Steam Conduits.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 25th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Operating Valves in Steam
Conduits.
A communication from abroad by The ACTIENGESELLSCHAFT WESER, of Bremen,
Germany.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London,
Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
On steam ships there have been many cases in which very serious injuries to
and deaths of the staff have been caused by escaping steam, in consequence of
the breaking of steam pipes etc.
These injuries and deaths might possibly have been wholly or partly obviated,
if suitable apparatus had been provided for quickly shutting off the steam. Now
the apparatus hereinafter described, has for its object to provide an increased
security against danger to life and health of the engine-room staff and other
persons.
The new apparatus consists of a device for shutting off the flow of steam at
the boiler, which device can be operated in case of danger, from various points.
The obturating device consists of a double seated valve a, Figs. 1 and 2, fixed
directly to the boiler. This valve may, in many cases be arranged in one and
the same casing with the ordinary valve b which serves for the ordinary working
of the engines.
The spindle of the valve a carries at its end a piston e which is capable of
moving air-tight in a cylinder d. So long as there is the same pressure on both
sides of the piston, the valve a will remain in its position and the steam will be
But on allow-
free to pass through to work the steam engine without hindrance.
ing compressed air to enter the cylinder d through the pipe e, then, as the air
on the other side of the piston is able to escape through the aperture f into the
atmosphere, the valve a will be at once closed, and the flow of steam from the
boiler will be stopped.
In order to enable compressed air to be supplied to the cylinder at the
moment of danger, apparatus is employed of the kind usually used in Westing-
house railway brakes, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3.
In this figure, g is the air pump, h the main air vessel, the auxiliary air
vessel, k the operating valve, and the main air pipe leading to the places from
which it is desired to be able to effect the shutting off of the flow of steam from
the boiler (such for example as in steam vessels, the captain's bridge, the steer-
ing house, and any convenient accessible points of the engine and boiler rooms
etc.). m, m, are emergency valves inserted in the main air pipe and provided
with wire pulls and handles; n is the connecting pipe between the main air
e is the connecting pipe between the
pipe and the operating valve.
and the cylinder d or auxiliary air vessel. 。 is a
operating valve

page_text: cock between the main air pipe and the main air vessel, p is a circulating pipe
of very small passage area. The mode of operation of the apparatus herein
described is as follows:-
The main air vessel, the main air pipe and the auxiliary air vessel having been
filled with compressed air by means of the air pump, the cock o is closed. Slight
leakages in the main air pipe and auxiliary air vessel etc. are compensated for
by means of the circulating pipe 7. The air pump remains in operation for
the purpose of making up all such losses of air. If in the case of an accident,
any one of the emergency valves m is opened, there is then at once produced
in the main air pipe a diminution of pressure: the operating valve begins to
act and allows compressed air to pass from the auxiliary air vessel into the
pipe e, and into the cylinder d, and the valve is closed. The valve a can be
re-opened by means of a hand lever after the compressed air has been discharged
from the cylinder d.
That this och .... £ N 100
Improvements in Apparatus for Operating Valves in Steam
Conduits.
A communication from abroad by The ACTIENGESELLSCHAFT WESER, of Bremen,
Germany.
"
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London,
Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
On steam ships there have been many cases in which very serious injuries to,
and even deaths of the staff have been caused by escaping steam, in consequence of
the breaking of steam pipes etc.
Now
These injuries and deaths might possibly have been wholly or partly obviated
if suitable apparatus had been provided for quickly shutting off the steam.
the apparatus hereinafter described has for its object to provide an increased
security against danger to life and health of the engine-room staff and other
persons.
The new apparatus consists of a device for shutting off the flow of steam at
the boiler, which device can be operated, in case of danger, from various points.
Referring to the drawings filed with the Provisional Specification the closing
device comprises a double seated valve a (Figs. 1 and 2) fixed directly to the
boiler. This valve may, in many cases be arranged in one and the same casing
with the ordinary valve which serves for the ordinary working of the engines.
The spindle of the valve a carries at its end a piston c which is capable of
moving in an air-tight manner in a cylinder d. So long as there is the same
pressure on both sides of the piston, the valve a will remain in its open position
and the steam will be free to pass through to work the steam engine without
hindrance. But on allowing compressed air to enter the cylinder d through
the pipe e, then, as the air on the other side of the piston is able to escape through
the aperture to the atmosphere, the valve a will be at once closed, and the
flow of steam from the boiler will be stopped.
In order to enable compressed air to be supplied to the cylinder dat the

page_text: moment of danger, apparatus is employed of the kind usually used in Westing-
house railway brakes, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3. In this
figure, is the air pump, h the main air vessel, the auxiliary air
vessel, the operating valve, and the main air pipe leading to the places from
which it is desired to be able to effect the shutting off of the flow of steam from
the boiler (such for example as in steam vessels, the captain's bridge, the steer-
ing house, and any convenient accessible points of the engine and boiler rooms
etc.). m, m, are emergency valves inserted in the main air pipe and provided
with wire pulls and handles; n is the connecting pipe between the main air
pipe and the operating valve. e is the connecting pipe between the operating
valve and the cylinder d. o is a cock between the main air pipe and the main
air vessel, and is a circulating pipe of very small passage area.
The mode of operation of the apparatus herein described is as follows:-
The main air vessel, the main air pipe and the auxiliary air vessel having been
filled with compressed air by means of the air pump, the cock o is closed. Slight
leakages in the main air pipe and auxiliary air vessel etc. are compensated for
by means of the circulating pipe 7. The air pump remains in operation for
the purpose of making up all such losses of air. If in the case of an accident,
any one of the emergency valves m is opened, there is then at once produced
in the main air pipe a diminution of pressure: the operating valve begins to
act and allows compressed air to pass from the auxiliary air vessel through the
pipe e into the cylinder d, and the valve a is closed. The valve a
can be
re-opened by means of a hand lever after the compressed air has been discharged
from the cylinder d.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. Effecting the rapid closing of the main inlet valves of steam pipes, in the
case of breakage of such pipes or parts connected therewith, by arranging a
second pipe near the steam pipe but independent thereof and containing fluid
such as air, steam etc. under pressure, the said second pipe being provided at
various points with devices which enable the fluid under pressure to act by
means of a suitable device upon a closing valve, so that in case of danger, the
main inlet valve of the steam pipe can be closed quickly and reliably from any
desired point.
2. Apparatus for closing the main inlet valve of steam pipes as specified in
Claim 1 comprising a double seated valve a (which may, if desired be combined
with the main closing valve b) the spindle of the valve a carrying at its end a
piston which is adapted to work in an air tight manner in a cylinder d which
is connected, in a similar manner as the brake cylinder of the Westinghouse
brake, to a pipe containing compressed air as usually employed in said brake,
so that by opening an air exit valve on the said pipe, the piston c can be operated
from any convenient point of the compressed air pipe, and the valve a thereby
closed.