IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS AND IN THE APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH.
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Henry Yarrow, of Camberwell Park, in
the County of Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS AND IN THE APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH.
وو
Scaled the 14th August 1874, and dated the 17th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Henry Yarrow
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th February 1874.
I, EDWARD HENRY YARROW, of Camberwell Park, in the County of
Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS AND IN THE APPARATUS CON-
NECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to manufacture a permanent gas from
petroleum or other liquid hydrocarbon or cognate oil in such a way that
the apparatus necessary for such manufacture shall be of the simplest
possible character and that the costs of the manufacture shall be reduced
to a minimum.
1

page_text: In order to accomplish these ends a retort of a peculiar construction
is employed. This retort may be of any suitable shape, cither oval,
round, square, or D shaped, and is divided throughout its whole length
by means of partitions into several compartments, one partition being
vertical, the other horizontal. Each partition should be cut away at one
5
end so as to open a communication with the next compartment of the
retort in such a way that when the oil or gas is introduced into one end
of the retort it will travel backwards and forwards or along a zig-zag
passage until the vapour finally escapes from the opposite end of the
retort.
The shape and arrangement of the retort may be varied; for instance
a series of parallel tubes may be employed and made to communicate
with one another by means of short tubes placed at their opposite ends
so that when the retort is heated and the oil or gas is passed into the
front end of No. 1 tube of the retort it shall pass down the tube, where 1
it will be vaporized, and the vapour or gas will pass through the short
tube at the opposite end into No. 2 tube, and through the short tube at
the front end of No. 2 into No. 3, and so on for as many tubes as there
are until the gas finally escapes from the last tube.
The tubes may be arranged in any convenient manner, either hori-
zontally, vertically, in the shape of a square, in a circle, or in any way
found to give the best results, the principle always remaining the
same.
The covers of the retort should be grooved or countersunk on their
insides so as to fit the partitions or the ends of the tubes, so that when 2
these grooves are filled with clay or other plastic material and fitted to
the ends of the retorts the retorts shall be hermetically closed so as to
prevent the escape of the hydrocarbon vapour or gas during the process
´of manufacture.
While the vapour is passing through the compartments or tubes of a
the retort it is subjected to a very high degree of heat, which causes the
hydrocarbon vapour to become decomposed and be transformed into a
permanent gas.
In order to increase the volume of the gas as the vapour passes with
a rush from one compartment or tube of the retort to another I cause it a
to draw in with it a regulated quantity of atmospheric air. This air as
it passes through the retort with the vapour also becomes decomposed
1

page_text: and forms with the gas a chemical mixture of high illuminating and
heating power.
The liquid hydrocarbon may if desired be vaporized in a still, from
whence the vapour will be conducted into the retort, where it will be
subjected to a high temperature and mixed with air so as to produce a
permanent gas as above described.
Before allowing the manufactured gas to enter the gasometer or gas
holder it may be passed through a refrigerator or condensor for the
purpose of condensing any portions of the vapour that may have escaped
decomposition during the process.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Henry Yarrow in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
HENRY YARROW, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Edward Henry Yarrow,
Her special licence that I, the said Edward Henry Yarrow, exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Edward Henry Yarrow, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS AND
IN THE APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Henry Yarrow, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be

page_text: performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Henry Yarrow, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
The object of this Invention is to manufacture a permanent gas from
petroleum or other liquid hydrocarbon or cognate oil in such a way that
the apparatus necessary for such manufacture shall be of the simplest
possible character and that the costs of the manufacture shall be reduced
to a minimum.
In order to accomplish these ends a retort of a peculiar construction
is employed. This retort may be of any suitable shape, either oval,
round, square, or D shaped, and is divided throughout its whole length
by means of partitions or tubes in several compartments arranged in
such a way that when the oil or gas is introduced into one end of the
retort it will travel along a zig-zag passage until the vapour finally
escapes from the opposite end of the retort.
While the vapour is passing through the compartments or tubes of
the retort it is subjected to a very high degree of heat, which causes the
hydrocarbon vapour to become decomposed and be transformed into a
permanent gas.
In order to increase the volume of the gas as the vapour passes with
a rush from one compartment or tube of the retort to another I cause it
to draw in with it a regulated quantity of atmospheric air. This air as
it passes through the retort with the vapour also becomes decomposed,
and forms with the gas a chemical mixture of high illuminating power.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shown several different shapes
of retort :-
Fig. 1 is a retort composed of four tubes A, A, arranged horizontally,
and connected with one another by the cross tubes B, B. a is the inlet
pipe by which the hydrocarbon vapour or oil is introduced into the
retort A, and 6 is the outlet pipe for the gas to escape into the holder or

page_text: other receptacle; c is the intake for the admission of atmospheric air,
and will hereafter be more fully described. Fig. 2 is a cross section on
the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 are different views of a somewhat similar retort to
that shown in Fig. 1, but in this case the tubes instead of being placed
horizontally are arranged in a circular manner, and have a circular
plate D attached to the front part of the tubes so as to permit of the
front ends of the retort being outside the furnace so as to admit of
greater facility in cleaning the interior of the retort. Fig. 4 is a cross
section on the line 5, 6, of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section
on the line 3, 4, of Fig. 4. The other letters of reference denote similar
parts to those shewn in Fig. 1.
Figures 6, 7, and 8 show a series of retorts placed one above the other
for the purpose of obtaining a greater extent of heating surface. In
other respects the form of retort is very similar to that shewn in Fig. 1
except that in this case the rear end of the retort is formed by a bend
instead of a cross tube B, the forward portion being the same as that
shown in Fig. 1. The three layers of retorts are connected by short
bends E, E, so that the vapour may have a continual flow from the
inlet a to the outlet b.
The retorts may be set in the furnace in any suitable manner, as
shown, for instance in Figures 6, 7, and 8, but I do not confine myself
to this mode of setting. The retorts may be arranged vertically or
horizontally or at any suitable angle, as may be found most convenient,
or which gives the best results for the least expenditure of fuel.
The mode of manufacturing the gas is as follows:-When the retorts
have been properly arranged in the furnace and have been raised to a
good red heat the oil may be introduced into the retort by the pipe a.
The vapour then passes with great speed along the tube A past the
entrance of the air tube c, and in its course draws in with it a quantity
of atmospheric air. The vapour and air then pass through the remainder
of the tubes A, and during their progress over the heated surface of the
tubes the vapour and air become decomposed, and then unite to form a
permanent gas of high illuminating power. The gas then escapes by
the outlet pipe b, from whence it passes into a condenser or refrigerator
of any suitable construction, and from thence it passes into the gas
holder or other receptacle.

page_text: Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of the valve for the admission of
atmospheric air into the retort. It is constructed on the same principle
as an ordinary tap or cock, except that the forward part is made spherical
with an inlet on its lower side. Into this sphere is introduced a light
ball & made of thin copper or other suitable material and formed hollow.
This ball is introduced into the interior of the sphere by removing the
top e. The air is regulated in its admission to the retort by turning the
handle. The spigot may be made in a variety of ways as found most
suitable for nicely regulating the supply of atmospheric air to the
interior of the retort. It may be made to screw up and down like a
high pressure valve or may be raised and lowered by a pivotted lever.
The vapour as it passes from one tube of the retort to another rushes
past the entrance to the retort of the valve c with such force as to raise
the ball d and draw past it a regulated quantity of atmospheric air,
which becomes decomposed and forms a chemical mixture with the
vapour, as herein-before described. I do not confine myself actually to
the use of this valve, but any system of regulating the admission of
atmospheric air into the retort may be adopted without departing from
the spirit of my Invention.
If preferred the hydrocarbon oil may be distilled previous to its
admission into the retort A through the inlet pipe a. In this case a
small still or boiler would have to be provided and placed alongside the
furnace, in which are set the retorts, but this mode of proceeding is not
absolutely essential, as the oil immediately becomes vaporized on its
admission to the retort. The object of the still or boiler would be to
prevent any earthy substance or extraneous matter from lodging in the
tubes of the retort, and thereby choke it.
Having now described my Invention for "Improvements in the
Manufacture of Gas and in the Apparatus connected therewith," and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim
as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, manu-
facturing carburetted hydrogen gas by passing hydrocarbon oil or vapor
through a series of tubular retorts heated to a red heat and arranged in
such a way that the vapour shall draw in with it a regulated quantity of
atmospheric air, which together with the hydrocarbon vapour shall
become decomposed and unite with the vapour to form a permanent gas,
as herein set forth.

page_text: Secondly. Constructing retorts for the manufacture of carburetted
hydrogen gas of a series of tubes connected together at their opposite
ends so as to form a zig-zag passage and to present a large extent of
heating surface, along which the vapour must pass in order to be
transformed into a permanent gas, as herein set forth and shown in the
Drawings..
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Henry Yarrow, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, the Fifteenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.