Improvements in Gas Producing Apparatus for Thermal Motors.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1990
Complete Specification Left, 18th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Producing Apparatus for Thermal Motors.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern and Co., The
General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
from abroad by La Société Anonyme des Moteurs Thermiques Gardic, of Nantes,
in the Republic of France) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to gas producing apparatus for thermal motors, and has
for its object to provide a gas-producer working under pressure (and which may
be a pressure of several atmospheres) the gas-producer transforming solid fuel into
inflammable gases.
The improved gas-producer is specially applicable for use with the gas engine
forming the subject of Letters Patent No. 2649 of 1889.
The gas-producer is fed continuously and automatically through a hopper
whereby the gas produced is of a practically constant composition. The heat of
the generated gas is utilized for the production of steam for working the gas-
producer.
The gas-producer can be adapted to any gas or vapour engine in the cycle of
operations of which there is an admission period under constant pressure into the
motor cylinder whether the engine has an internal explosion or not.
Dated the 24th day of November 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Producing Apparatus for Thermal Motors.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern and Co., The
General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the Courty of Middlesex,
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
from abroad by La Société Anonyme des Moteurs Thermiques Gardie, of Nantes
in the Republic of France) and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to gas producing apparatus for thermal motors and has
for its object to provide a gas producer working under pressure (and which may
be a pressure of several atmospheres) the gas producer transforming solid fuel into
inflammable gases.
The improved gas producer is specially applicable for use
with the gas engine forming the subject of Letters Patent No. 2649 of 1889.
In order to enable this invention to be fully understood will describe the same
by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, and
Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the improved gas generator, and
Figure 3 is a vertical section.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section of a suitable construction of steam boiler to be
used in connection with the improved gas generator.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of the recuperator hereinafter described the
section being taken on the line 1, 2 of Figure 6.
Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line 3, 4 of Figure 5.
The gas generator is constructed of a jacket a, a, a, a, a, a, of sheet iron or

page_text: steel of cylindrical or other suitable form and which is protected against a too
great elevation of temperature by an inner lining b, b, b, b, b, b, b, b, of refractory
material of small heat conducting properties such as brick.
Within this lining which constitutes the furnace, takes place the combustion
and transformation into gas of the solid fuel, such as coal, anthracite or the like.
The lower part of the furnace is provided with an ash pite the upper part of
which is provided with fire bars d, d on which is placed a layer of ignited combustible
material sufficiently thick to effect the conversion of carbonic acid into carbonic
oxide and of water steam into carbonic oxide and hydrogen.
A tightly fitting door e, e allows of the cinders and other refuse being with-
drawn from the ash pit when required. The fire bars can be cleared and the
ignition of the fire effected through one or more tightly fitting doors placed
above the level of the fire bars to assist which latter operation, or to maintain
the fuel in a state of ignition during a long stoppage of the motor, or to cause
the fire to burn more fiercely when desired, an injector is provided which opens
into the ash pit at g.
The injector consists of a metal tube h, which can be cut off from communication
with the ash pit by means of a valve or cock the tube also communicates with
the atmosphere by means of openings j in a boss.
A jet of steam under pressure regulated by a cock & passes into the tube /, and
induces a current of air drawn through the openings j. By these means a mixture
of air and steam is caused to enter the ash pit under a certain pressure.
The upper part of the furnace is provided with a hopper having in the lower,
part and the upper part n a closing device, for example a cock of large
dimensions.
As will be hereinafter described the inflammable gases are stored up in the upper
part of the furnace where they still possess a very high temperature, and whence
they are conducted by a bifurcated pipe o, o, p, q, into a kind of steam boiler
Figures 3 and 4 the arrangement of which is of secondary importance and can be
varied according to requirement.
This boiler (which may be tubular or not) is provided with all the ordinary
accessories and has at its lower part fire bars r, and an ash pit s, each provided
with a tightly fitting door t and also provided at the upper part with a hinged
chimney (not shewn in the drawing) having at its base a closing device u, u.
The bifurcated pipe o, o, p, g is provided with a valve by means of which
either of the two branches por 9 can be closed so as to allow the combustible
gases to pass either through the pipe to the upper part of the generator or
through the pipe 7 to the lower part of the generator above the fire bars r. r.
An injector similar to that of the ash pit of the gas producer and not shewn in
the drawing opens into the ash pit of the boiler. The ash pit s communicates with
a safety valve (also not shewn) to allow of any gas (which during a long stoppage,
might be formed by the distillation of the fuel) passing to the outside of the
apparatus on the pressure becoming dangerous.
The entire apparatus hereinbefore described is air tight, that is to say, a fluid
compressed in the ash pit of the gas producer or in that of the boiler should
maintain its pressure if the doors of both ash pits and of both the furnaces are
closed, together with the cocks of the two injectors, the cover u and the cock m, or
the cover n.
The two closing devices with which the hopper is provided allow of combustible
material being introduced into the furnace without the latter being opened to the
atmosphere.
The furnace being full and the cock m of the hopper open and the cover a closed,
the combustible material contained in the hopper replaces the combustible material
burned in proportion to the combustion, whereby the composition of the gas
produced is practically kept constant.
The force pipes of the air-compressors of the motor are united in a single
pipe which enters the lower part of a recuperator containing "only air under

page_text: pressure, and a pipe leads from the ash-pit of the steam generator to the lower
part of another recuperator.
Each of the recuperators which are alike in construction consists, as shewn in
Figures 5 and 6, of a sheet-iron vessel closed at the top and bottom. Diaphragms c
and d, placed near the top and bottom respectively, are connected by a number of
tubes e, e.
An inlet a, for the gas coming from the gas generator, or the air from the air-
compressors of the motor, opens into the space comprised between the lower
diaphragm d and the bottom of the vessel, and an outlet, for the said gas or the
said air after it has passed through the pipes e, is provided at the top of the vessel.
The space, comprised between the two diaphragms and d and the outer surfaces
of the tubes e which connect them, constitutes a distinct and closed chamber into
which the hot gases discharged from the motor cylinder are admitted through a
pipe C at the upper part and from which the said gases escape through a pipe fat
the lower part, after having heated the gas or the air in the tubes e.
A pipe leads from the outlet at the top of the recuperator for the air and is
provided with a cock or valve and the hot air can be caused to pass through this
pipe into the ash-pit of the gas producer by opening a retaining valve, (Figure 2)
and is mixed during its passage at y with water steam under high pressure coming
from the boiler. The quantity of steam injected is regulated by a cock not shown
in the drawing. As hereinbefore stated a pipe (also provided with a cock or other
closing device) leads from the ash-pit of the steam generator to the lower part of
the recuperator for the gas. By this arrangement the latter recuperator only
contains gas under a pressure practically equal to that of the air contained in the
other recuperator, the differences of the pressures being but little affected by the
inertia of the valve a, and by the resistance offered by the combustible to
the current which is established in the furnace of the gas-producer.
When commencing to work, suppose the whole of the parts to be closed and the
valve placed so that it shuts off communication between the pipe o and the
branch the cover is opened in order to allow of the hinged chimney being
placed in position, the doors t, and e of the two ash-pits are also opened and the
fuel is ignited on the two grates r, r, d, d, through the doors,, placed
above them.
The parts being in this position the gases produced by the combustion on the
grate, pass through the tubes and out through the chimney placed at u. Simi-
larly the gases produced by the combustion on the grate d, d, rise, pass around the
cone, and through the pipe o, p to the chimney placed at .
The combustion on the grate r, serves to heat the water around the tubes and
to produce steam in this generator.
As soon as the required pressure of steam is attained in the steam generator,
the door e, e of the ash-pit of the gas-producer is closed and the injector h, his set
to work, whereby a jet of steam from the generator is caused to inject air which
enters at g underneath the grate of the gas-producer.
The gas-producer is gradually charged with combustible material until it is com-
pletely filled together with the hopper 1, the cock m of which is left open and the
cover n closed; the chimney is removed and the cover also closed.
The gas-producer being now in working order and generating gas of good quality
the door t, t of the ash-pit of the boiler is closed as well as the injector of the gas-
producer by shutting off the cock i; the cock, (not shewn) which injects steam at y
into the grate of the gas-producer, is opened and the communication, until now
interrupted, is established between the gas-producer and the air recuperator.
The production of gas in the gas-producer is effected by means of an injector
which it is not necessary to describe which injects air from the air recuperator
compressed to several (6 or 8 more or less) atmospheres through the opening ..
This air passes through the mass of fuel, becomes transformed into carbonic oxyde
gas which (the valve being moved into position to close the passage, p) passes
17

page_text: through the passage o, y into the tubes of the boiler and out through the opening,
Figures 3 and 4, whence it is conducted to the place where it is to be made use of.
During a long stoppage and in order to maintain the gas-producer in working
order and also to quickly revive it, communication with the two recuperators is
closed, the cover u is opened and the hinged chimney is raised, the valve e is so
placed as to close communication between the pipe o and the branch p and the two
injectors are caused to work more or less actively. The gas produced thus burns
above the grating r, r of the steam generator.
To re-start the apparatus after a stoppage too short to necessitate the operation
described in the preceding paragraph it is only necessary to open the cock which
injects steam into the hot air.
For re-starting the apparatus after a long stoppage the injectors of the generator
and of the gas-producer are successively closed, the hinged chimney is lowered
to close the cover a, the valve is moved so as to shut off communication between
the pipe
and the branch and communication is re-established with the two
recuperators.
"
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 manufacture and use of a gas-producer working under pressure (and
which can be a pressure of several atmospheres) the gas-producer transforming
solid fuel into inflammable gases, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The use of a hopper for effecting the continuous and automatic supply of fuel
to the gas-producer whereby the gas produced is of a practically constant com
position substantially as herein before described.
3. Utilizing the heat contained by the generated gases for producing the steam
necessary for operating the gas-producer, substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The combination of the improved gas-producer with any gas or vapour engine
in the cycle of operations of which there is an admission period under constant
pressure into the motor cylinder whether the engine has an internal explosion
or not.
Dated the 18th day of August 1891
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.