IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC LUMINOUS BUOYS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nicolas Frédéric Désiré Barbier, one of the Firm of
Barbier and Fenestre, Lighthouse Engineers, of No. 1, Ruo Laffitto, Paris, for
an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC LUMINOUS BUOYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nicolas Frédéric Désiré
Barbier at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th July 1880.
NICOLAS FRÉDÉRIC DÉSIRÉ BARBIER, one of tho Firm of Barbier and Fenestre,
Lighthouse Engineers, of No. 1, Rue Lafitte, Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC
LUMINOUS BUOYS."
This Invention consists in lighting buoys, and particularly the well known
Courtenay's automatic signal buoys, by means of gas generated in the buoy itself
from air, which is driven automatically through a suitable hydrocarbon liquid.
For this purpose an apparatus is placed in the buoy for carburetting the air,
which apparatus consists preferably in a series of chambers containing capillary
substances which are saturated with the bydrocarbon liquid fed thereto by means
of wicks from a reservoir enclosed in the buoy. The motion of the waves is
utilized preferably, as in the Courtenay's buoy, to draw or force external air into
the buoy, and to drive the same through the carburetting apparatus. The gas thus
formed is received in a gasometer or chamber in the upper part of the improved
buoy, from whence it passes, either directly or through a suitable regulator, to the
burner attached to the top of the buoy, which is surrounded or protected by a hood
containing dioptric glasses for intensifying the light.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Nicolas Frédéric Désiré Barbier in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th January 1881.
NICOLAS FRÉDÉRIC DÉSIRÉ BARBIER, one of the Firm of Barbier and Fenestre,
Lighthouse Engineers, of 1 Rue Laffitte, Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC
LUMINOUS BUOYS."
Sinco several years attempts have been made to provide buoys with lights, and
in most cases compressed illuminating gas has been used for this purpose; but
notwithstanding-the-favorable results which have been obtained in some instances,
the application of such buoys seems to have remained confined to some special-cases,
whilst considerable difficulties militate against its general introduction. These
difficulties reside principally in the production and the compression of the gas; and,
further, in its transportation to the buoys.
The object of the present Invention is to overcome these difficulties, and it
consists substantially in the automatic production of the gas in the buoy itself at
the ratio of its consumption. I make use of the motion of the waves as an agent
for obtaining this end.
The illuminating gas which I use is simply air carburetted by its passage through
hydro-carbon liquids of appropriate density, which is sometimes denominated
gazoline, and which answers all the purposes of permanent illuminating gas.
For this purpose the buoy is constructed in such manner that it serves as n
recipient for the liquid hydro-carbons; it contains further a suitable arrangement
for effecting the saturation of the air with the said liquid hydro-carbons, and
contains a space for storing the generated gas until it is consumed. Besides, the
buoy is provided with an apparatus acting mechanically, for instance, with a pump
which serves for introducing the air necessary for the generation of the gas; and,
finally, with a burner provided with a regulator.
I believe the best method of introducing the air into the buoy to be that which
has been used already in Courtenay's automatic signal buoy, in which, as is well
known, sound is produced by first introducing exterior air into the buoy; and
secondly, by letting this air escape therefrom through a whistle, both these
actions being produced by the motion of the waves.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents Courtenay's automatic signal
buoy constructed in this manner; and Fig. 2, the same buoy provided with a light
or illuminating apparatus, which is fed with carburetted air.
The operation of Courtenay's buoy is as follows:-The waves, as is well known,
are formed only on the surface of the water, whilst, at a certain depth, the water
is perfectly still.
Through the buoy B, Fig. 1, passes a pipe A, the lower extremity of which is
open. In consequence the level C of the water in the pipe A will constantly be
about the same as the average level of the sea. Somewhat above this level a
diaphragm D is arranged in the pipe A, upon which are fixed two pipes, E and F.
The first one of these pipes E is in coinmunication with the exterior air, and
provided with a non return valve, whilst upon the extremity of the second pipe F
is mounted a whistle S. It will be seen that as soon as the buoy is raised by a
wave the space enclosed by the pipe A, the diaphragm D, and the level of the
water C will be increased in capacity, the air enters through the pipe E into the
said space, and is violently forced out again through the pipe F and whistle S,
when the buoy sinks. It follows that with each wave that strikes the buoy a
sound is produced by the whistle.
In order to transform such a buoy producing acoustic signals into a light buoy
I add thereto the following devices, see Fig. 2 :-
The interior of the buoy is divided by a diaphragm M into two compartments, L

page_text: and J, the lower one of which serves for the reception of a liquid hydro-carbon of
suitable specific gravity. O is a tube for introducing the liquid hydrocarbon into
the reservoir L; it is provided with a suitable closing device outside the buoy.
From the chamber Y, in the pipe A, a third pipe I (in addition to the pipes E and
F) leads first upwards to the top of the buoy, where it is provided with a check
valve I, and outside the buoy with a regulating cock I", and thence returning
into the buoy penetrates through the diaphragm M, and its extremity is immersed
in the liquid contained in the chamber L. The air compressed in the chamber Y,
each time the buoy sinks passes consequently partially through the pipe I, the
lower extremity of which is bent upward, as shown, into the saturating apparatus H,
which is partly immersed in the liquid bydro-carbon, it traverses the perforated
diaphragms N, and is thereby more thoroughly impregnated with the liquid, and
is discharged into the reservoir J in the shape or form of a combustible gas. A
pipe P leads from this chamber into the lantern U fixed above the buoy, and in
which a suitable burner is arranged; R is a regulator of any suitable construction
placed on the pipe P immediately below the burner, serving to give uniformity of
pressure to the gas consumed by the burner above it. Z is an outer coating of any
appropriate material bad conductor of heat. Furthermore, safety diaphragms of
wire gauze P1, P1, P1, are arranged in the pipe P in order to prevent any danger
of explosion. The lantern itself may be of any suitable construction, and is
preferably provided with dioptric glasses, which may be protected by a suitable
lattice work.
It is an ascertained fact that Courtenay's buoy operates in a perfect manner
when the waves run very high, as well as when the water is only slightly ruffled.
From this fact it may be concluded that with each wave a certain amount of air
will be introduced into the buoy and transformed into illuminating gas. If it be
considered now that the undulations increase in number in proportion to the
shortness of the waves, and that the force of compression is due to the height of
the column water in the pipe A and to the weight of the buoy with its chain, and
which force is nearly constant, it may be concluded as a final result that the
quantity of air introduced will be also nearly constant. Consequently, it may be.
possible to thus set the regulating cock I" in the pipe I, that the introduction of
air and the production of gas on one side, and the consumption of gas on the other
side will constantly be in a uniform ratio, so that the regulator R becomes
superfluous.
I believe however that in order to insure a constantly uniform intensity of the
light it is preferable to introduce a surplus of air, that is to say, to compress the
gas produced by the pressure of the column of water in the pipe A, and to let the
gas arrive at the place of its combustion under a much lower pressure, which is
constantly kept uniform by means of the regulator. In this manner there will be
always contained in the buoy a sufficient supply of gas to feed the burner in case
such sufficient supply of air be interrupted in any manner for a short period. If
the burner is so regulated that it consumes, for instance, one liter of the liquid
hydro-carbon in twenty four hours, it will be easily seen that the light of the buoy
may be kept burning for a considerable period, as the buoy can be so constructed
that it can hold easily 500 or 1000 liters or more of the liquid.
The above described method taken from Courtenay's buoy of introducing the air
seems to me very simple and practical, I do not however confine myself solely to
it, as any other mechanical arrangement operated by the motion of the waves may
be used, such, for instance, as a cylinder and piston, bellows, &c.
Also other details, for instance, the construction of the saturating apparatus H
may be modified in various ways without departing from the principle of the
Invention.
I claim as my Invention,―
1. A light buoy in which the gas is produced automatically by the motion of the
waves, which is utilized to drive air through a liquid hydro-carbon, the whole
arranged and constructed substantially as above set forth ; and

page_text: 2. The combination of this construction and 'arrangement of a light buoy with
the already known Courtenay's automatic signal buoy.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nicolas Frédéric Désiré Barbier, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
A. ANDRIEN, 56, Rue de Belleville,
CH. RIVOLLET, Rue Stéphenson, No. 1. } Witnesses.
BARBIEK (L.S.)