Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 4th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Mar., 1889
1, ALFRED WILSON, of Stafford, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
My invention has reference to improvements in gas producers such as may be
used with advantage to produce gas for driving gas engines.
Producer gas
for use in gas engines has to be scrubbed to remove dust and
other impurities, and is preferably also passed through a gas holder before reaching
the gas engine. In this passage it loses much heat it contained at the time of
issuing at a high temperature from the generator.
Now my invention has reference, inter alia to means for utilizing the heat of the gas
issuing from the generator to heat the air or steam, or mixtures of air and steam or
other gases which are being passed into the generator to maintain combustion and
decompose the fuel. For this purpose I provide in connection with the generator an
arrangement of continuous regenerator such that heat from the issuing gas is recovered
and utilized as aforesaid-This arrangement besides being conducive to economy of
fuel in the production of gas facilitates the decomposition of larger proportions of
steam in the air supporting combustion, thereby tending to the enrichment of the gas
in hydrogen and carbonic oxide.
In gas producers that deliver gas into a gas holder it is desirable the production of
gas should automatically cease when the gas holder is full-To this end I provide in
connection with the tuyere of my gas generator an arrangement of water seal or luted
escape, so that when the resistance to the passage of gas from the generator exceeds a
certain pressure, the air, or steam and air, being forced in through the tuyere, will
escape without entering the producer-The pressure at which escape is permitted can be
easily regulated by the head or depth of water in the lute box-Such an arrangement of
escape may be usefully provided at any point between the steam jet, or other means
propelling the air, and the point where the air enters the fuel; conveniently, it may
be at the outer end of the tuyere.
The gas generator, which is preferably provided with a solid brick hearth, (but is
sometimes arranged with a water luted bottom so that clinkers and refuse may be

page_text: withdrawn at any time whilst the same is in full work without permitting the escape
of gas) is fitted with doors for knocking down and cleaning out the ashes and clinkers.
It is also provided at the top with an aperture covered by a plate placed on a pivot or
other arrangement to enable it to be easily revolved in a horizontal plane--The
charging hopper and also a chimney, and another orifice are all fitted in this plate at
equal distance from its centre, so that by revolving the plate-either the charging
hopper, the chimney, or the opening to admit of poking or seeing into the generator,
can as desired be separately adjusted over the opening in the top of the generator.
As the chimney is sometimes required for promoting combustion in the generator
when gas is not being made, it is usually provided with a valve or damper to shut off
its communication with the generator when gas is being made in the latter.
Now the above described arrangement of revolving plate enables me to dispense
with the use of such valve or damper, besides affording other advantages in promoting
convenience of working.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
I, ALFRED WILSON of "The Trees" Stafford, in the County of Stafford, Engineer,
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:
My invention has reference to improvements in gas producers such as may be used
with advantage to produce gas for driving gas engines, the gas being of the kind
known as producer gas containing more than 20 per cent. by volume of nitrogen.
Producer gas for use in gas engines has to be scrubbed to remove dust and other
impurities and is preferably also passed through a gas holder before reaching the gas
engine. In this passage it loses much heat it contained at the time of issuing at a
high temperature from the generator.
Now my invention has reference inter alia to means for utilizing the heat of the
gas issuing from the generator to heat the air or steam or mixtures of air and
steam or other gases which are being passed into the generator to maintain combustion
and decompose the fuel. For this purpose I provide in connection with the generator
an arrangement of continuous regenerator such that heat from the issuing gas is
recovered and utilized as aforesaid.

page_text: This arrangement besides being conducive to economy of fuel in the production of
gas facilitates the decomposition of larger proportions of steam in the air supporting
combustion, thereby tending to the enrichment of the gas in hydrogen and carbonic
oxide.
.
In gas producers that deliver gas into a gas holder it is desirable the production of
gas should automatically cease when the gas holder is full. To this end I provide in
connection with the tuyere of my gas generator an arrangement of water scal or luted.
escape, so that when the resistance to the passage of gas from the generator exceeds a
certain pressure, the air or steam and air being forced in through the tuyere will
escape without entering the producer. The pressure at which escape is permitted
can be easily regulated by the head or depth of water in the lute box. Such an
arrangement of escape may be usefully provided at any point between the steam jet,
or other means propelling the air, and the point where the air enters the fuel;
conveniently it may be at the outer end of the tuyere.
The gas generator which is preferably provided with a solid brick hearth (but is
sometimes arranged with a water luted bottom so that clinkers and refuse may be
withdrawn at any time whilst the same is in full work without permitting the escape
of gas) is fitted with doors for knocking down and cleaning out the ashes and
clinkers. It is also provided at the top with an aperture covered by a plate placed on
a pivot or other arrangement to enable it to be easily revolved in a horizontal
plane.
The charging hopper and also a chimney and another orifice are all fitted in this
plate at equal distance from its centre, so that by revolving the plate either the
charging hopper, the chimney, or the opening to admit of poking or seeing into
the generator can as desired be separately adjusted over the opening in the top of
the generator.
As the chimney is sometimes required for promoting combustion in the generator
when gas
not being made it is usually provided with a valve or damper to shut off
its communication with the generator when gas is being made in the latter. Now
the above described arrangement of revolving plate enables me to dispense with the
use of such valve or daniper besides affording other advantages in promoting con-
venience of working.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings,
Fig. 1 shews in vertical section a gas producer and in elevation a continuous
regenerator according to this invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan shewing the top of the producer.
Fig. 3 a detail view shewing the lute box.
1 is a gas producer, which may be of any suitable construction. It is shown with a
solid hearth 2, and with doors and 4 for breaking down and removing the ashes
and clinkers. The air, or air and steam, or other gas to support combustion is
forced through the tuyere 5 by a steam jet, or by any other suitable forcing
apparatus. The gas which is generated escapes by the outlet 6, and flows to the
scrubber or to any other appliance in which it is to be treated or stored, through the
continuous regenerator 7, through which also the air and steam or gas, which is
employed to support combustion in the generator, is forced. Any suitable construction
of continuous regenerator may be used that shewn in the drawings comprising two
concentric tubes 8 so arranged as to leave an annular space between them, through which
space air or air and steam is drawn and forced into a central pipe 9 to the tuyere 5
by a steam jet or blower 10. The air during its passage being heated by the hot
producer gases which are caused to pass through the inner tube 8 as indicated by
arrows. On the tuyere 5 there is an escape box 12, luted with water, the depth of
which can be adjusted to give any desired pressure at which the seal will be broken
and the air in the tuyere will escape. This depth is so regulated that if the free
outlet of gas at 6 is impeded, as for instance by the gas holder becoming fnll, the air
will escape from the tuyere at 12 and the further generation of gas will be
prevented.

page_text: This
On the top of the producer is a plate 18 capable of rotation about its centre.
plate is pierced with three holes, corresponding to the mouth 14 of the producer.
Over one of the holes there is the hopper 15, over a second the chimney 16 while the
third 17 is uncovered. In the drawings the hopper is shewn over the mouth of the
producer, but by rotation of the plate, the chimney may be brought over the mouth,
or the aperture 17 may be placed over it and the interior of the producer be seen.
a fourth position of the plate the mouth of the producer is closed.
In
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is: :-
1. The combination with a gas producer of the kind set forth of a regenerator
whereby heat from the outgoing gas is imparted to the ingoing air, steam or gas,
substantially as described.
2. In gas producing apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claim, an
automatic escape which permits the air and steam or gas which maintains combustion
to escape when the outgoing gas experiences a determined resistance to its flow,
substantially as described.
3. In a gas producer, a rotating or sliding plate carrying a chimney and a charging
hopper, either of which can be placed over the mouth of the producer by movement
of the said plate, substantially as described.
4. The combined arrangement of producer and regenerator with or without the
rotating plate 13, constructed and operating substantially as described with reference
to the drawings.
Dated this 4th day of February 1980
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