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 Incoming links: Light-Signal Apparatus, US952420A by Gustaf Dalén

Gas flasher in a Dalén light 2026-10-18

Dalén's 1910 patent describes gas entering a diaphragm chamber. When its pressure overcomes a spring and magnetic restraint, a valve opens and the pilot ignites the burner. Escape of gas lowers the pressure, letting the valve close. A ratchet and cam alter an additional feed to create groups of flashes. This specification describes a pressure-driven flashing mechanism, rather than the sun valve's daylight sensor.^[ref]

The patent is evidence of the proposed mechanism, not an independent endurance or fuel-consumption test. For a simple original budget, suppose the pilot consumes gas at a steady rate

q_{p}

, the main burner consumes

q_{m}

while lit, daylight shutoff permits operation for fraction

f

of the day, and flashes occupy fraction

d

of that permitted time. Then the daily mean consumption is

\overline{q} = q_{p} + fd q_{m} .

(1)

For stipulated

f = 1/2

d = 0.10

and

q_{p} = 0.02 q_{m}

, this is

0.07 q_{m}

, compared with

1.02 q_{m}

for a continuously lit main burner with the same pilot. The calculated saving is about

93.1%

. The arithmetic explains the two independent opportunities for saving fuel; it does not establish those fractions or that performance for an actual lighthouse.

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