US120082A - Improvement in means of lighting gas - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ED WIN D. MOOBAOKEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB TO LUOIUS A. BIGELOW,

I TRUSTEE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MEANS vOF LIGHTING GAS.

Speciication forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,082, dated October 17, 1871.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN D. McGRAoxEN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented new and Improved Means of Lighting Gras in Street and other Lamps and Gas-Lights; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide for turning on, shutting oft', and lighting the gas at all the street-lamps or gas-burners, in a city, town, district, or all the lights in a building or other place of greater or less extent simultaneously by a person at a central or other convenient point or station. One feature of the invention relates to the employment of two systems of pipes laid or arranged throughout the whole of the place to be lighted, one of these systems being or corresponding with the main and service-pipes commonly employed for the supply of the gas used for illumination, and the other system being composed of main and service-pipes, which may be of much smaller size than those of the lirst-named system for the supply at a higher pressure than that used for illumination of gas, which serves two purposes, viz.: rst, the opening, by its pressure, of valves which let on and shut off the gas to and `from the burners for illumination 5 and second, the ignition of the gas at those burners. The gas used at this higher pressure for letting on and lighting for illumination may be the same hydrocarbon or other gas which is used at the lower pressure for illumination, in which case it will issue om a small burner near each illuminating burner in a very minute jet, which will be kept lighted while the gas is shut ott' from the illuminating burner, and which will ignite the gas from the latter burners as soon as it is turned onto them; or, instead of this high-pressme illuminating-gas, hydrogen-gas of similar pressure may be used and be kept entirely shut off until it is desired to light up, when it will, as in what is known as Dobereiners lamp, be thrown in jets upon platinum sponge attached or arranged in suitable proximity to each illLuninating-burner, or alkaline phosphoreted hydrogen which will ignite on coming in contact with the atmosphere, may be used in the same way without the platinum sponge. The invention also embraces a system of valves for letting on and shutting off both the illuminating and higher-pressure gas from the burners, and a flexible diaphragm or other equivalent device, so applied in connection with or arranged in relation to said valves, at or near each illuminating-burner, as to control the opening and closing of said valves by the pressure or absence of pressure upon said diaphragm or equivalent, ofthe higher-pressure gas aided by springs or weights, such pressure or absence of pressure being controlled by the opening and closing of a valve in the high-pressure main at the central or other point or station whence the lighting and shutting off is to be controlled.

In illustrating the invention by means of the accompanying drawing, 1 have not thought it necessary to represent the whole of the two systems of pipes, as the system for conveying the gas for illumination maybe the same as that commonly used, or just like it, and the system for conveying the high-pressure gas will be arranged in a similar manner side by side with it; but I have only shown one illuminating-burner and the apparatus used in connection with it for letting on, igniting, and turning off the gas.

Figure 1 is a vertical section, showing the apparatus in the condition in which the illuminating-gas is shut oft'. Fig. 2 is a similar section, showing the apparatus in the condition in which the illuminating-gas is turned on and lighted.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

A is a box or case, of suitable form and size, divided horizontally by a flexible diaphragm, D, of leather or other material, into two chambers, B b and O c, the lower one of which is divided into two compartments, B and b, by a horizontal partition, b', and the upper one of which is divided into two compartments, O and c, by a horizontal partition, c. The lower compartment b of the chamber B b has connected and in constant communication with it the service or supply-pipe E, for the supply of the illuminating-gas from the ordinary gas-main, and the upper compartment B of the said chamber has a passage, c2, leading from it to a pipe, F, to which the illuminatingburner Gr is attached. The lower compartment O of the upper chamber O c has connected and in constant communication with it a pipe, H, for the supply of gas from the high-pressure main, and the upper compartment c of the said chamber has connected with it the jet-pipe I, by which the jet of gas from the high-pressure pipe is conducted to a suitable point for the ignition of the gas issuing from the illuminating-burner Gr. In the partition b of the lower or illuminating-gas chamber there is an aperture fitted with an upwardly-closin g valve, e, the upper end of the stem e of which is connected with the flexible diaphragm D, the lower part of the said stem working through a guide, d, between which and the valve a spiral spring, j, is applied around the said stem in such manner as to exert a constant tendency to close the valve. In the partition c of the upper or high-pressure gas-chamber there is an aperture tted with an upwardly-closing valve, f, and a downwardly-closingvalve, f2, both of which are connected firmly with the same stem f1. This stem works through guides g and h, and between the upper one, f2, of said valves and the upper guide h there is arranged around the stem f1 a spiral spring, 7c, which exerts a constant tendency to open the valve f and close the valvef2. This spring is much weaker than the spring j, which is applied to the valve e. The valve-stem f1 is hollow, and has screwing into and passing longitudinally through it an adjusting-screw, t', the lower end of which protrudes through the bottom of the stem, and the upper end of which has a head which can be reached by a screwdriver through the opening in the top of the chamber C c on taking od' the pipe I. The valvestems 6 and f1 are in line, and so arranged that when the valve e is closed, as shown in Fig. 1, by its spring b, the valvefwill be closed or very nearly so by the upper end` of the stein e pressing upward against the lower end of the screw i, the upward pressure of the spring j overcoming the downward pressure of that, 7c. The distance between the valves fj'2 is so arranged and the opening of the valve e is so controlled by an adjustable stop, l, screwing on its stem c', and coming in contact with the upper guide m of said stem, that when the valve e is opened as far as permitted by its stop Z, and the valve f2 is closed, as shown in Fig. 2, there will be a considerable distance of separation between the top ofthe stein e and the bottom of the adjusting-screw z'.

When hydrogen or phosphoreted hydrogen is used as the high-pressure gas, the valves f and e may be so adjusted that when the latter is closed the former will be perfectly closed, and the cock or valve provided in the high-pressure main at the gas-works or other place whence the turning on and shutting off and ignition are controlled, may be kept perfectly closed during the day time, or while it is not required to light the illuminatinggas 5 but when the same kind of gas as is used for illumination, or any kind of hydrocarbon-gas is used, as the high-pressure gas, the valves 6 and f must be so adjusted that the latter will remain slightly op en while the former is closed, and the cock or valve in the high-pressure main is always left very slightly open, so that there may be a constant flow of gas through the pipe H and the chamber G c, and from the little burner u, which may be called the lighter, provided at the tip of the pipe I, where a small iiame is kept lighted during the day time or while the gas is shut off from the burner G. The opening just referred to of the cock or valve in the high-pressure main must be so small that the gas admitted to the lighter will escape and be consumed as fast 'as it is admitted into the high-pressure servicepipes, and thus prevent such a pressure in the chamber C c, and upon the upper surface of the diaphragm D, as would be sufficient to overcome the upward pressure of the spring j, and open the valve e for the admission of gas to the burner G. As the flame at the lighter is so small that if exposed it would be blown out by the slightest puff of air, a wire-gauze or nely-perforated metal cap is placed over the tip of the lighter for its protection.

As the apparatus represented in the drawing is organized for the use of hydrocarbongas in the high-pressure system of pipes, the operation ot" lighting with such gas will be first described, after which a brief explanation will be sufficient to render intelligible the operation of the apparatus for lighting with hydrogen or phosphoreted hydrogen.

lDuring the daytime, or when no light is required, the parts of the apparatus occupy the position shown in Fig. l, the valve e closed, the valve fnearly so, and the valve f2 wide open, and a very minute flame presents itself at the lighter n. When it is desired to light up, the cock or` and the diaphragm is thereby depressed and caused to open the valve c to permit the flow of gas to and through the burner G. As this operation takes place the spring k depresses the valves fj?, and thereby opens the valve fand gives a more copious supply of gas to the lighter n, the iiame from which is thereby increased in the form of a long jet, which is directed across the tip of the burner Gr, lighting the gas issuing therefrom. The continued depression of the valves ff2 causes the valve f2 to close, as shown in Fig. 2, and thereby shut off the gas entirely from the pipe I and lighter n; and the spring 7c keeps the latter valve closed so long as the full pressure is allowed to remain on the diaphragm, which should be as long as the illumination is required. When the lights ofthe burner Gr are to be put out the cock or valve in the high-pressure main is closed sufciently to produce a sufficient reduction of pressure on the upper surface of the diaphragm D of each burner to permit the valve e to be closed by the springj, and shut off the illuminating-gas, as shown in Fig. l; and during this operation the valves ff2 are raised by the upward pressure of the lower valve-stem on the bottom of the adjusting-screw t'. During a part of this short interval of time which elapses between the commencement of the opening of the valve f2 and the completion of the closing of the valve f, as nearly as such closing is completed by their upward movement, and before the valve e closes, the gas is allowed to escape between the valves f f2 in sufficient quantity to issue from the lighter n with sufficient force to meet the flame from the burner G, and bethereby ignited; but when the gas has been shut off from the latter burner the valve fis so nearly closed that the flame from the lighter n is reduced to the minimum, which will insure its being retained until the next time for lighting up. It may here be remarked that the burners which have been experimentally employed for the lighters n with success are of such capacity as to consume only the one-hundredth part of a cubic foot per hour while the gas is shut off from the burner G.

It has been hereinbefore stated that when hydrogen or phosphoreted hydrogen is used in the high-pressure pipes to effect the letting on and lighting of the gas, the valves f and the cock or valve in the highepressure main should be closed entirely when the gas is shut off from the illumw mating-burners. The operation of these gases in letting on and shutting off the illuminating-gas is similar to that of the high-pressure hydrocarbon-gas, but they are only let onto the lighter n during the intervals which elapse between the opening of one of the valves f f2 and the closing of the other.

In applying this invention to street-lamps it will generally be desirable to have a system of valves and diaphragms for each lamp 5 but in some cases, where several gas-burners are arranged very near each other, one set of valves and one diaphragm may serve for the several burners, as many pipes F and I as may be necessary being connected with one valve-box A.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, substantially as herein described, with a system of main and service-pipes for supplying illuminating-gas to burners, and valves for letting on and shutting off said gas to and from the burners, of a separate system of main and service-pipes supplying, at a higher pressure than the illuminating-gas, a gas which produces both the operation of said valves and that of igniting the illuminating-gas, substanstantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination of the illuininatinggas chamber B b, the high-pressure gas-chamber C c, each divided into two compartments, the flexible diaphragm or its equivalent D, and the two valves efz, when arranged substantially as herein set forth.

3. The combination, substantiallyas herein described, with the highpressure gas-chamber having two compartments, of the two valves f f2, opening and closing in opposite directions, as and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. The combination, with the fi exible diaphragm D, or its equivalent, and the valves e and f2 closing in opposite directions, of the stronger spring j, operating to close the valve e, and the weaker spring, operating to close the valve f2, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

5. The adjusting-screw i, in combination with the valve-stems e and f1, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

E. D. MOGRAGKEN.

Images