Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Flow of Gas passing from the Gas Holders to the Street Mains, and also for Obviating the Putting Out of Action of One Gas Holder before Another is Placed in Action.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 19th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 24th Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Flow of Gas passing
from the Gas Holders to the Street Mains, and also for Obviating
the Putting Out of Action of One Gas Holder before Another is
Placed in Action.
I, FREDERICK ARMITAGE, of the Gas Works, Market Harborough, in the
County of Leicester, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the construction of apparatus by the use of
which the possibility of accident arising through neglect or forgetfulness in the
turning on and off of "day" and "night" gas holders is reduced to a minimum.
As is well known, it is usual in most cases for the man in charge to turn on the
supply of gas from one gas holder before closing the supply from the second
gas holder, but it has happened that the attendant has omitted to turn on the supply
from the first gas holder to the street mains before turning off the supply from the
second gas holder, and in such cases the results have invariably been the placing
in darkness of the town or district supplied from the respective gas holders.
My invention may be described as follows; and for the sake of simplicity I will
call the gas holders No. 1 and No. 2, and the valves, (hereinafter to be referred to)
A and B. Fixed in the "governor house" or other convenient place are two
ordinary valves; the outlet pipe of No. 1 gas holder being connected to the inlet
of valve A whilst the outlet pipe of No. 2 gas holder is connected to the inlet of
valve B. Supposing that valve A is full open the gas from No. 1 gas holder would
pass through it to the governor and thence to the street mains. The outlet pipes
of both valves are connected together so that gas passing through either goes into
the proper channel.
Each valve is worked at the same time from one centre in the following manner.
To either valve is fixed a vertical worm, and wheel, supported by suitable brackets..
These two wheels are acted upon by an intermediate wheel gearing into both; the
intermediate wheel being worked by a centre spindle and hand wheel.
Assuming that valve A is full on and the gas from No. 1 gas holder is passing
through, it is desired to open valve B. The attendant manipulates the inter-
mediate wheel, which, being geared into the worm wheels attached to the vertical
valve spindles, has the effect of closing valve A and at the same time opens valve B.
Although gas may, by partially opening or closing either valve, be passing through
both valves at the same time, it is impossible to stop the supply of gas from both
gas holders at the same time.
I do not confine myself to the details connected with the working of the valves,
as it might be found preferable to use a worm instead of the intermediate wheel
before referred to, but the foundation of my invention is substantially described
herein.
Although this invention is described as being applied to the outlets of the gas
holder, it may be applied with equal effect to the inlets also.
Dated this 17th day of April 1893.

page_text: "
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Flow of Gas passing
from the Gas Holders to the Street Mains, and also for Obviating
the Putting Out of Action of One Gas Holder before Another is
Placed in Action.
I, FREDERICK ARMITAGE, Engineer and Manager, of Market Harborough, in
the County of Leicestershire, 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 :-
This invention relates to the construction of apparatus by the use of which the
possibility of accident arising through neglect or forgetfulness in the turning on
and off of "day" and "night" gas holders is reduced to a minimum.
As is well known, it is usual in most cases for the man in charge to turn on the
supply of gas from one (a fresh) gas holder before closing the supply from the
second gas holder (then in use), but it has happened that the attendant has omitted
to turn on the supply from the first (or fresh) gas holder to the street mains before
turning off the supply from the second gas holder (then in use), and in such cases,
the delivery being wholly cut off, the results have invariably been the placing in
darkness of the town or district supplied from the respective gas holders.
The
The object of my invention is to render such a result impossible and to this
end I provide an apparatus by which the putting out of action of one gas holder
holder.
will simultaneously and infallibly put into action another gas
apparatus consists essentially of an arrangement of a valve or valves adapted to
control the flow of gas in the supply pipes from the separate gas holders to the
delivery pipe in such manner that the operation of closing the valve of one supply
pipe will simultaneously open the valve of the other supply pipe and place it in
free communication with the delivery pipe, and thus, although by partially opening
or closing either valve and leaving them in a medium position gas will flow through
both at the same time, in no case can the supply and delivery of gas be wholly
cut off.
The apparatus may be fixed in the governor house or in other convenient place,
and it may be designed in various ways, but I will fully describe in reference to
the accompanying drawings certain constructions which I have found to be very
suitable and efficient:
Sheet 1 illustrates my invention as applied to two separate ordinary vertically
moving valves controlling two supply pipes. Fig. 1 is a plan, Fig. 2 a left side
elevation of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a section on line Y-Z of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is the same
view as Fig. 3 showing an alternative construction.
Sheet 2 illustrates an arrangement of one rotary centre valve controlling two
supply pipes. Fig. 5 is a front elevation showing one delivery pipe, Figs. 6 and 7
are respectively side and back elevations of Fig. 5, Fig. 8 is a sectional view
showing the centre valve and operating gear, Fig. 9 is a central cross section
through valve and box, and Fig. 10 a side elevation of same.
In all these figures similar letters of reference indicate similar parts.
A is the casing of the apparatus or valve box which is made in two parts with
suitable flanges A¹ for attachment of the two supply pipes S S from two gas
holders, and for the delivery pipes D D from same to the district to be supplied.
The delivery pipes D D (when arranged as in Sheet 1) are connected at a junction
at a suitable point in front of the apparatus as shown in Fig. 1 so that gas passing
through either flows into the one delivery main D. V are two ordinary
vertically moving valves, and each is worked simultaneously in opposite directions
from one centre in the following manner. To each valve is fixed a vertical
reversely screwed spindle w supported by suitable brackets such as a fixed to the

page_text: casing A or otherwise suitably; upon each spindle is screwed the gear wheel W
which is prevented from rising upon the screw in the usual way. The two gear
wheels W W are operated by a pinion P gearing with both and worked by a
central spindle p fixed in a suitable column bearing a' and provided with a hand-
wheel H. It will be obvious that by operation of wheel H in either direction
the two valves V V will be equally moved in opposite directions thereby
simultaneously closing one and opening the other supply pipe, but never cutting
off the supply of gas from the delivery pipe D.
In the alternative construction shown in Fig. 4, instead of the above arrange-
ment of screwed spindles and gear wheels vertical racks R R are attached to the
valves V V and guided by suitable extensions to the brackets, the whole being
secured by a crosspiece as shown. In the latter is centred a pinion P gearing
with both racks and operated by a handle H. By this arrangement operation of
pinion P has the same simultaneous effect upon the two valves V V as above set
forth.
Referring to Sheet 2, the casing A forms the junction box and has flanges to
receive the two supply pipes S S and one delivery pipe D. V is one central
rotary valve centred as shown in Fig. 9 and adapted to control the supply and
delivery pipes as above described. It is pressed against its seating by a spring
such as v and has a toothed periphery with which gears a worm W the spindle p
of which is extended through an ordinary stuffing box and up the column bearing a¹
and terminates in a handwheel H. a² is a box with removable cover for affording
access to the worm gear. I is an indicator for showing the working positions of
the valve.
By operating the worm W the valve may be turned as desired either to make
communication between both supply pipes and the delivery, or to entirely close
either supply pipe leaving the other in full communication with the delivery pipe.
By any of the above arrangements it is impossible to shut off the gas supply
from both gas holders at the same time.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details
connected with the working of the valves as above set forth, and I would state
that though I have particularly described my invention as applicable to outlet
pipes from gas holders it is also equally adapted for inlet pipes and the like; also,
though I have described my invention in reference to two supply pipes S S the
valves of more than two supply pipes can be coupled to work simultaneously.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An apparatus for controlling the flow of gas from gas holders to street mains
consisting in an arrangement of a valve or valves adapted to control the supply
pipes from the separate gas holders and the delivery pipe in such manner that the
operation of closing the valve of one supply pipe will simultaneously open the
valve of the other supply pipe and place same in communication with the delivery
pipe so that in no case can the delivery of gas be wholly cut off, substantially as
above set forth.
2. The improved apparatus for obviating the putting out of action of one gas
holder before another is placed in action, constructed and arranged substantially
as herein before described in reference respectively to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and to Fig. 4,
and to-Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 of the drawings annexed.