IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESSES AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING, COLLECTING, AND PURIFYING GAS FOR HEATING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Aristide Balthazard Bérard, of Avenue Montaigne,
Paris, in the Empire of France, Civil Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESSES AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING,
COLLECTING, AND PURIFYING GAS FOR HEATING AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 28th May 1869, and dated the 7th December 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, ARISTIDE
BALTHAZARD BERARD, of Avenue Montaigne, Paris, in the Empire of
France, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PROCESSES AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING, COLLECTING, AND PURIFYING
GAS FOR HEATING AND OTHER PURPOSES," and have petitioned Her Majesty
to grant unto me, iny executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal
Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I
verily believe myself to be the first and true Inventor thereof.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Aristide Balthazard Bérard, do
hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand
and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, reference being
had to the Drawings hereto annexed and forming part of this Specifica-
tion, and to the figures and letters marked thereon ;-
My Invention consists in improvements in processes and apparatus for
forming a mixture of gas suitable for the production of heat or light,
or of heat and light, the principle of and essential arrangement of
apparatus for which are described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to me, and dated the Twentieth day of September One thousand
is represented in vertical section in Figure 1, Sheet 1, and in horizontal
section at Figure 2, Sheet 1, and consists of a kind of small blast
furnace supported on columns, and the crucible of which is moveable.
The external casing is made of sheet or cast iron, and the inner lining
of refractory materials. The coal, wood, turf, or other suitable fuel
employed is introduced through the upper opening provided with an
hydraulic bell or cover a, a, into a tube A, A³, widening out into a
conical form at its lower part A'. This part A¹ is perforated with holes
to facilitate the escape of gases. This tube rises or falls so as to regulate
the height of the charge in the receiver of the gas generator, which is
supposed to be full of fuel. The shape of the interior of the gas
generator is that of two cones, with their bases opposite each other
attached together by a cylindrical part b, b². This arrangement has
the advantage when employing rich coals which expand of facilitating
the descent of the charge into the upper part of the receiver in which
the coal has not been converted into coke by the volatilization or the
decomposition of the tarry substances. The bottom C of the furnace
is moveable, and consists of a sheet or cast iron basin lined internally
with refractory materials. It is so constructed as to allow the cinders
of the fuel rendered liquid by an addition of lime or basic scoriæ to run
off through the hole d. This basin is mounted on wheels so as to permit
of being removed and replaced rapidly by another. The joint of the
moveable basin is rendered air-tight by means of a channel e on its
circumference filled with earth, and in which a projecting part enters.
A mechanical arrangement, shewn at f, g, h, i, allows the raising and

page_text: lowering of this moveable sole plate.
Openings B, B, B, are made in
the circumference of the casing of the gas generator for setting up a
temporary grate l, l, l, l, for suspending the charges in case of repairs
being made to the lower part or during the changing of the moveable
sole plate when at work. The air is injected into the gas generator at
its lower part by means of five tuyeres c, c, c, c, c; this number may be
varied. Carbonic acid is first formed, which is soon converted into oxide
of carbon by passing through the upper beds. When the temperature
is at its maximum in the gas generator I inject superheated steam
through the tuyeres m, m, and others placed above the air tuyeres and
which is decomposed by contact with the incandescent coke. The steam
is converted into oxide of carbon and hydrogen, which unite with the
carburetted hydrogen contained in the coal and with the oxide of carbon
produced by the action of the oxygen of the air injected on the fuel in
the gas generator. The steam is superheated by its passage in
the pipes sunk in the brickwork of the gas generator, as shewn
by the Drawing at n, n, n, or by other suitable means. When
required to increase the proportion of bi-carburet of hydrogen a
stream of pitch or other carburet of hydrogen can be drawn from several
receivers D, D, D, placed above each tuyere and injected into the gas
generator through the mouth of the corresponding steam tuyere. By
this means 1 obtain a lighting property as well as the calorific and
carburetting properties of the gas. The gases thus produced meet with
a rather great resistance in passing through the column of materials
enclosed in the charging tube A, A', so that there is no appreciable loss
when another charge is introduced, and in the interval between the
charges the hydraulic cover prevents any loss. The introduction of fuel
into the receiver is continuous by reason of the continual charge placed
above it in the pipe A, A', and the production of gas by the distillation
of the coal or other fuel is thus regulated. The gases run off through
the egress orifice E into a general conduct pipe, which may be common
to several gas generators. A valve F may, if required, be used to shut
off communication between the gas generator and the general pipe. By
this arrangement of mechanism the gas egressing under pressure may
be conducted wherever its employment is required. It may be used for
industrial and domestic purposes, and may also be utilized for lighting
or as a means for producing power. When pure gas is required and
free from sulphurous compounds it should be purified. For this purpose
on egressing from the gas generator the gas is made to pass through the

page_text: tubes of a tubular steam boiler, as shewn in transverse section at A,
Figure 1, Sheet 2. These gases being at a too high temperature for
the operation it must be lowered, and the heat they contain is thus
utilized for the production of steam. On egressing from the steam
boiler, which is closed at its extremities, the gases are made to pass into
two washing vessels or cylinders successively, in each of which is an
ascending current, or in only one vertical vessel or cylinder, divided into
two compartments by a longitudinal partition, as shewn at B, C, in
the Drawing. In the first vessel or compartment B the gases pass
through a shower of sulphate of ion in solution falling from a plate
perforated with holes, and in the second C through a shower of lime
water. These solutions are run out of the washing vessel or cylinder
by-means-of-reversed-syphons, and-are-introduced-by-analogous means.
Pumps serve to bring the solution into use again until the whole of the
purifying principles are exhausted. As the gases may carry with them
mechanically some of the solution of sulphate of lime, it is well to dry
and cool them once more before they are allowed to pass into the dry
purifier. For this purpose they are conducted into the dryer D, in which
they are made to pass through a series of inclined perforated plates.
Lastly, the gas is conducted into the purifier, seen partly in elevation and
partly in section at E, and containing several beds of sesquioxide of
iron and of lime, the whole being mixed with sawdust, as is practised in
the manufacture of lighting gas, in which case only one bed is used,
whereas I employ several layers. Any other suitable purifying sub-
stance may also be employed. On leaving the purifier, if the gas is to be
purified, or after leaving the steam boiler, if it is to be employed with-
out purification, the gas may be conducted into a small gasometer
serving as a regulator for the distribution rather than as a receiver; as
in this case the production may be increased or diminished instan-
taneously the storing of it is unnecessary; it is distributed by the
regulator where required. If the gas is to be supplied at a high pressure
it is drawn in and forced out by a suction and forcing pump worked by
a steam engine. A sucking and forcing cylinder with a slide valve may
be used for that purpose. The part where the slide valve plays is covered
with a casing, which separates it from contact with the atmosphere and
puts it in communication with the gas to be drawn in.

page_text: advantageously applied for obtaining gases from blast furnaces. It is
mercly necessary in that case to make some modifications in the herein-
before described arrangements to suit the peculiar requirements and the
dimensions of the apparatus.
Figure 3, Sheet 1, is a section through the axis of the blast furnace
with the charging apparatus, and Figure 4 a plan of the same. A is a
large cast-iron tube with iron armatures, open at their upper part. At
the lower end of this tube is adapted a cone trunk-shaped piece B, B,
perforated with holes, which may also be of cast iron. A small cone C
serves to facilitate the disengagement of gases from the centre. The
charges are introduced through the upper opening of the cylinder A,
which is kept constantly full; this opening may remain open. The
height of the surcharge, which may be considerable, is so calculated that
the resistance that the gases meet with in passing through this column
of materials is in equilibrium with their interior pressure.
By this
simple arrangement, without the assistance of any mechanism, the whole
of the gases are collected, only allowing the escape through the open
mouth of the water steam from the charging materials, and a large part
of the carbonic acid of the castine. These materials arrive in a well
The attendant without incon-
prepared state in the blast furnace.
venience from a high temperature can lay the beds of ore and fuel in
a suitable manner. Thus the work is properly performed.
The heating gas produced by the process and mechanism herein-before
described may be applied to industrial and domestic purposes. Among
the numerous applications to which my Invention may be put is the
heating of apartments by means of the stoves shewn at Figures 5 and 6,
Sheet 1. I prefer that this apparatus should be made of the form of a
flower vase, resting on a stand, and so as to be taken down at the
line a, a'. The circumference of the upper part is open so as to permit
the introduction of the air for the combustion of the gases and to allow
the sight of the flame from the interior. The upper part may for the
sake of ornament be covered, for instance, with a bouquet of flowers
made of china ware. The gas arrives in the apparatus through the
pipe b, which conducts it into the circular pipe c, c, whence it escapes
in a succession of oblique jets inclined from top to bottom. The lower
part of the circular gas pipe is lined internally with baked earth, and is
in communication with a horizontal pipe d, d, formed of two parts
fitting and sliding one in the other. The extremity of this pipe com-

page_text: municates with a vertical pipe e, e, to cause a draught, and which is
concealed in the chimney of the apartment. The combustion of the gas
in the stove takes place with the flame reversed. A small burner ƒ,
placed in the pipe e, e, serves to produce the ascending current in the
pipe, which produces the descending current in the apparatus by reason
of the difference of the height of the columns. The burner f, after
being alight one or two minutes, will produce this draught. The jets of
the circle c, c, of the stove are then lighted, and the burner ƒ may be
put out by closing the inlet tap, and the combustion of the reversed flame
wiii continue.
In this arrangement of stove the combustion with a reversed flame
gives all the useful effect of combustion with an open fire with the
additional advantage of avoiding any of the products of combustion in
the apartment as they are disengaged in the chimney, and retain but
little heat. This apparatus is of an ornamental construction and of casy
application to apartments. By making openings in the horizontal pipe
d, d, the heat given off may be utilized for culinary purposes.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner of performing-the same, what I claim is,―
Firstly. The arrangement for obtaining a continuous surcharge of fuel,
as herein-before described and represented in Figure 1, Sheet 1, of the
accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The internal arrangement of the receiver by which the
descent of the charges is facilitated, as herein-before described.
Thirdly. The arrangement of moveable sole plate permitting its
immediate replacement, and the running off the cinders in a liquid state,
as herein-before described.
Fourthly. The employment of superheated steam, as herein-before
described.
Fifthly. The addition or injection of pitch or other hydrocarbons with
a jet of steam, as herein-before described.
Sixthly. The general arrangement of apparatus for cooling, washing,
drying, and purifying gas, as herein-before described and represented in
Figure 1, Sheet 2, of the accompanying Drawings.
Seventhly. The mode of charging and obtaining gas applied to blast
furnaces, as herein-before described and represented at Figures 3 and
4, Sheet 1, of the accompanying Drawings.

page_text: Eighthly. The construction of apparatus for applying the combustion
of gas with a reversed flame to the heating of apartments and to
domestic purposes, as hercin-before described and represented in Figures
5 and 6, Sheet 1, of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Aristide Balthazard Bérard, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this First day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
A. B. BERARD. (L.S.)