IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING GAS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Brookes, of 78, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING GAS."-A
communication from abroad by William Richards, of Barcelona, in the
Kingdom of Spain.
Sealed the 19th September 1861, and dated the 25th March 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Brookes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th March 1861.
I, WILLIAM BROOKES, of 73, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING GAS,"
communicated to me from abroad by William Richards, of Barcelona, in the
Kingdom of Spain, to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to means of arranging parts of a wet gas meter
so that the float may rise and fall with the water surrounding the wheel. For
this purpose a separate compartment for the float is by a suitable opening in
communication with the chamber for the measuring wheel, and this float
compartment opens through the valve in connection with the float into a
chamber with a passage to the outlet.

page_text: The improvements relate also to that description of measuring apparatus
where the measuring wheel or series of compartments rotates or undulates at
an inclination to the horizon, by applying rotary or slide valves for the
conveyance of the gas to and from the various chambers, the seat of the valve
or valves being attached to the wheel in the rotary motion; the cover is
maintained in the same position by suitable studs attached to the upper
support for the bearing of the axle, so that the cover remains still whilst the
seat of the valve revolves, thus admitting of the ingress and egress of gas.
When slide valves are employed, the eccentric will be placed in like manner
to the support of the bearing of the shaft, so with suitable rods the wheel in
motion changes the position of the valves. In the undulating motion the
cover of the valve is caused to rotate by studs on the crank, or the eccentric
will be placed on crank to give motion to slide valves.
I also form such rotary valves conically, one part rising into the other, as
such form gives facility for better clearance from deposit, and this description
of rotary valve is also applicable to dry meters.
Also the improvements relate to the application of metal hinges to the parts
of moveable metal diaphragms for dry meters, composed of one or several
pieces so constructed that the flexible material shall be in loose folds, and so
arranged as to prevent strain on it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Brookes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th September 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BROOKES, of 73, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer
and Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Brookes, Her special licence that I, the said William Brookes,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Brookes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the.
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel,

page_text: Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR MEASURING GAS," communicated to me from abroad by William
Richards, of Barcelona, in the Kingdom of Spain, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Brookes, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing, under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Brookes, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
The improvements relate, first, to means of arranging parts of wet gas
meters, so that the float may rise and fall with the water surrounding the
wheel. For this purpose a separate compartment for the float is by. a suitable
opening in communication with the chamber for the measuring wheel, and
this float compartment opens through the valve in connection with the float
into a chamber with a passage to the outlet.
The improvements relate, secondly, to that description of measuring appa-
ratus where the measuring wheel or series of compartments rotates or undu-
lates at an inclination to the horizon by applying rotary or slide valves for the
conveyance of the gas to and from the various chambers, the seat of the valve
or valves being attached to the wheel; in tho rotary motion the cover is main-
tained in the same position by suitable studs attached to the upper support for
the bearing of the axle, so that the cover remains still whilst the seat of the
valve revolves, thus admitting of the ingress and egress of gas. When slide
valves are employed the eccentric will be placed in like manner to the support
of the bearing of the shaft, so with suitable rods the wheel in motion changes
the position of the valves. In the undulating motion the cover of the valve
is caused to rotate by studs on the crank, or the eccentric will be placed on
the crank to give motion to slide valves.
Thirdly, the improvements relate to the application of metal binges to the
parts of moveable metal diaphragms for dry meters, composed of one or
several pieces so constructed that the flexible material shall be in loose folds,
and so arranged as to prevent strain on it.
C
But that the improvements as communicated to me may be more fully
understood, I will proceed to describe the Drawings annexed.
;

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a sectional side view of parts of a wet gas meter arranged
according to the first part of the Invention. a is the compartment commonly
called the "square front;" b is a compartment separated therefrom horizon-
tally and vertically by the partitions b', whilst it is sealed at the bottom by.
the vertical plates dipping into the water contained in the chamber a..
This compartment b is in communication with the chamber containing the
measuring wheel by means of the passages d, d, and it contains the float e,.
which at its upper part is by means of the stem e¹ connected to the valve e²,
whilst its lower part is formed with stems e,, which pass through holes in the
stationary guide plate f; g is the inlet passage for the gas to be measured.
The gas, after passing through the measuring compartments, passes into the
chamber by the passage d, thence through the valve passage into the small:
chamber h, and thence by the passage to the outlet h².
Figure 2 shews a slight modification of that shewn by Figure 1, in which
the outlet passage h² opens at once upwards from the chamber h; h³ is a plate
in the chamber h, to prevent the valve e from being acted upon through the
outlet passage h².
Figure 3 shews a section of parts of a meter for measuring gas according
to the second part of the improvements by the use of a rotary valve with an
inclined measuring drum or series of compartments; Figure 4 shews a plan
of the measuring drum with its valve seat separately; Figure 5 shews a sec-
tional view of the valve seat and its cover on a larger scale; and Figure 6,
the valve; and Figure 7, the seat separately. The gas to be measured passes
into the meter by the passage a, thence by the valve way b and the passage c
to the chamber d, and up the tube e to the passages f¹ formed in the valve
seat; g is the valve cover which is formed with a chamber g' adapted to
control the movement of the gas rising up through the passages f¹ in the
seat f, and direct it down one or other of the passages f2, and thence by the
ways successively into the different compartments of the measuring wheel j.
The valve cover g is also formed with a passage 9*, by which the measured
gas passes back from the compartments of the measuring wheel j; by the
passages to the chamber m and outlet n. The dotted lines f' in Figure 4
shew the partitions separating the different compartments of the drum or
measuring wheel j.. The drum or measuring wheel j', with its seat f, is affixed.
to the spindle f, the lower end of which turns freely in the step h, whilst it
is also guided by passing through the bearings h', and at its upper end it is
formed with a screw thread to give motion to the index apparatus, as is well

page_text: understood. The valve g has eyes or ears g², 92, to receive fixed studs g³ pro-
jecting downwards from the framing of the meter, by which whilst the valve
seat will revolve with the measuring drum, the valve 9 will remain stationary,
except that it will be allowed to accommodate itself to its seat in any irregu-
larity caused thereto in the motions of the measuring drum j. The shaft or
spindle f, where it passes through the cover g, is ground to the cover to
prevent the
escape of gas at such part.
Figures 8 and 9 shew a sectional view and plan of a modification of this
part of the Invention by the use of slide valves in place of a rotary valve. In
these views the same letters are used to indicate parts corresponding with
those last described. In order to avoid complexity of the Drawings, I have
only shewn one valve cover g, but there will of course be one to each valvo
seat f, and each will be guided in its motion by having stems g' passing
through guides 93, whilst the requisite movements to each will be given by the
stationary eccentric i operating upon eccentric rods i¹, each of which embraces
a pin 9, standing up from one of the stems g' to give motion to the valves to
the extent and in the order desired. The eccentric i is stationary by being
fixed to the framing of the meter.
Figure 10 shews the application of the rotary valve to a meter, in which
the measuring drum or series of compartments has an undulatory motion given
to it by the upper portion of the shaft fs, being supported in the crank Z
formed on the shaft l', whilst the lower portion of the shaft f³ is forked to
embrace the studs (1), (1), of the cross-piece k, and the studs (2), (2), of that
cross-piece move in the upper part of the tube c, forming thereby a sort of
universal joint to prevent the rotation of the axis fs, and yet admit of its free
movement otherwise. The axis l' is formed with a screw thread / to give
motion to the index apparatus as it rotates with the crank 7. The parts are
otherwise marked with the same letters of reference already employed under
this head of the Invention. The valve cover g and seat fare in this arrange-
ment the same as those shewn by Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. 1, P³, are studs
from the crank 1, passing through eyes g in the cover g, to control its motion.
And in the case of separate slide valves being used, as described in respect of
Figures 8 and 9, the eccentric for giving motion to them will be affixed to the
crank 1, and so that the upper part of the axis f³ may pass freely through it.
It will be seen that in each case the rotary valves are formed conically by
the rubbing surface of the one rising into that of the other. Such form gives
facility for better clearance from deposit. This description of rotary valve is
also applicable to dry gas meters. Meters constructed as described under this

page_text: head of Invention will be found not to vary in quantity of gas measured with
differences in height of the water line.
Figures 11 and 12 shew a side view and a section of a moveable metal.
diaphragm of a dry gas meter arranged according to the third part of the
Invention. a, a, a, a, are the ordinary metal plates applied to the flexible
material b, which at 6' forms into loose folds; but according to this part of the
improvements, in place of the edges a¹ of the separate plates a turning on the
flexible material as hinges, there are applied metal hinges c, by which when
the flexible material employed with the metal plates to form the moveable
diaphragms of dry gas meters is allowed to form in loose folds, the hinges will
prevent undue strain on the flexible material at the edges a', and a saving in
wear will be effected.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention as communicated to me,
and the means adopted for carrying the same into effect, I would have it
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details shewn and
described, so long as the peculiar character of any part of the improvements be
retained substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Brookes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
WILLIAM BROOKES. (L.S.)