IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH OIL-LAMPS SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO LIGHT HOUSES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN RICHARDSON WIGHAM of Albany House, Monkstown, Co. Dublin, Gas
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONNECTION WITH OIL-LAMPS SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO LIGHT HOUSES," to be
as follows:-
One of my improvements consists in the application by mechanical means of a
current or currents of atmospheric air to the interior and exterior of concentric
wick oil burners such as are applicable for lighthouse illumination in connection
with dioptric apparatus or reflectors, which currents of air are more or less heated
before they reach the point of combustion and are in connection with an over-
hanging flue of talc or other material similar to that now used with my lighthouse
gas burners as described in patent No 945 4th April 1865 so as to promote the best
consumption of the oil by the burner and dispense with the necessity for the use
of glass chimneys. I obtain such currents of air from any known means such as
blowers and fans, but I prefer to produce them by the air motor which I use with
my atmospheric Gas machine described in patent No 382, 30th January 1878.
Another of my improvements consists in the application of spiral or slanting
divisions in the air spaces of the concentric wick burners by which the air is better
heated and more of the flame exposed to the action of the air admitted to it, and
in order to keep the light from the action of external draughts such as are incident
to lighthouse lamps, I may surround the flame with a glass casing, globular or
otherwise of such form and so arranged as not to melt or break in consequence of
the heat of the flame, to which melting or breakage all glass chimneys which have
heretofore been used with concentric wick burners are liable.
Another of my improvements consists in applying to the frame of concentric
wick burners in connection with the currents of air above described finely
powdered strontium or other substance by which the color of the light may
be affected or vapor of strontium or other substance or vapors holding strontium
or other substance in suspension so as to dispense with the obstruction caused to
the light by the use of colored glass as at present used for giving color to light-
house lights.

page_text: Improvements in Connection with Oil-lamps, Specially
Applicable to Lighthouses.
I, JOHN RICHARDSON WIGHAM of Albany House, Monkstown, Co Dublin, Gas
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
and in
CONNECTION WITH OIL-LAMPS SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO LIGHTHOUSES
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
One of my improvements consists in the application by mechanical means of a
current or currents of atmospheric air to the interior and exterior of concentric
wick oil burners such as are applicable for lighthouse illumination in connection
with dioptric apparatus or reflectors, which currents of air are more or less heated
before they reach the point of combustion to which they are admitted after having
passed through suitable baffle plates perforated or otherwise so as to reduce their
force to that which is necessary to ensure the proper combustion of the annular
wicks. The flames thus produced are in connection with an overhanging flue of
talc or other material similar to that now used with my lighthouse gas burners as
described in Patent N° 945, 4th April 1865 into which the current of air passes
from below and also if required in the form of a jet or jets or rose or roses with
oue or more holes in same into the upper part of the flue so as to promote the best
consumption of the oil by the burner and dispense with the necessity for the use
of glass chimneys. I obtain all my currents of air from any known means such as
blowers and fans, but I prefer to produce them by the air motor which I use with
my atmospheric gas machine described in Patent No 382, 30th January 1878.
Valves automatically work or otherwise by which the currents of air can be so
controlled as to lower or extinguish the light and thus maintain intermittent oil
light very much as gas intermittent lights are maintained so as to dispense with
the occulting shades which are now used for intermittent oil light in lighthouses,
light ships &c. In order to keep the light from the action of external draught
such as are iucident to lighthouse lamps I may surround the flame with a glass
casing, globular or otherwise of such form and so arranged as not to melt or break
in consequence of the beat of the flame, to which melting or breakage all glass
chimneys which have heretofore been used with concentric wick burners are liable..
Another of my improvements consists in applying to the Bame of concentric
wick burners in connection with the currents of air above described finely
powdered strontium or other substance by which the color of lights may be
affected or vapor of strontium or other substance or vapors holding strontium
or other substance in suspension so as to dispense with the obstruction caused
to the light by the use of colored glass as at present used for giving color to light-
house lights.
The said substances, either powdered or in a state of vapor, are introduced
in regulated quantities from a receptacle into the air passages at any convenient
point, so as to become diffused in the air before entering into combustion with
the oil

page_text: Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews an elevation of a concentric wick
oil burner provided with a forced air supply according to my above described
invention; Fig. 2 shows a vertical section and Fig. 3 shews a plan. A is the oil
chamber of the lamp supplied from the pipe B from which chamber the oil rises
through small pipes C to the concentric wick tubes D D. F is the tube through
which a forced air supply is introduced into an annular passage E, whence it issues
through holes E' into the central chamber G, the holes being made of gradually
increasing size in the direction away from F as shewn whereby the air current is
made to enter in a more or less uniformily distributed manner all round the
chamber G.
From this chamber the air passes up through the narrow annular spaces between
the wick tubes taking up heat therefrom and thus arrives as a very uniformly
distributed heated air supply, at sufficiently moderate pressure to the concentric
flames. A portion of the air supply passes also through finely perforated plates xx¹
into the caps H and K by which it is made to impinge upon the outer circum-
ference of the flames. M, is the overhanging flue for carrying off the products of
combustion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The application to concentric ring oil burners of currents of air produced by
mechanical means.
2. The use in combination with a forced air supply to concentric ring oil burners
of baffle plates or equivalent means whereby the air supply is made to pass in a
uniformly distributed manner and at a sufficiently moderate pressure to the various
parts of the burners, substantially as herein described.
3. The use in combination with the forced air supply to oil burners referred to
in the preceding claim, of a substance such as strontium either in a powdered
or vaporous condition, which is caused to mix with the air supply so as to impart
to the flame any desired color, substantially as herein described.
•
100
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.