Improvements in Oil Reservoirs or Containers for Heating and Lighting Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1898-Accepted, 25th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Oil Reservoirs or Containers for Heating and
Lighting Apparatus.
A communication from LA SOCIÉTÉ ANONYME POUR L'ÉCLAIRAGE ET LE
CHAUFFAGE PAR LE PÉTROLE (Brevet Bouhon), of Antwerp, Belgium.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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:--
Explosions frequently take place in oil reservoirs of lamps, stoves and the like,
when the reservoir is overturned, owing to the liquid arriving at the flame or to
the latter penetrating into the reservoir, the flame coming in contact with the
surface of the free liquid and instantaneously producing a mixture of explosive
gases which ignites. An explosion may also take place owing to the presence of
such explosive mixture (petroleum gas and atmospheric air) in the interior of the
reservoir, the gases having been formed by an excessive heating of the walls of
the reservoir so that an accidental contact between the flame and the mixture
may take place not only when the reservoir is upset but also during the ordinary
working of the lighting or heating apparatus.
This invention relates to improvements in oil reservoirs or containers for
lighting and heating apparatus, by means of which all the causes of explosion
are removed and thus the danger resulting from the upsetting of the reservoirs
is avoided.
These improvements also ensure a more complete combustion of the liquid fuel,
produce a clearer and stronger flame without smell or smoke and prevent the
exuding of the liquid on the walls of the reservoir.
The invention chiefly consists, first in establishing by means of a capillary
chamber, constituted by a space between the closely adjoining surfaces of two,
preferably detachable, discs or plates arranged at the bottom of the reservoir,
such a communication between the feeding or supply compartment and the wick-
containing compartment of the reservoir, that the liquid is supplied slowly, by
percolation, to the latter compartment and that whatever be the quantity of
liquid in the reservoir and whatever be the position of the latter, this capillary
chamber always contains a layer of liquid completely closing it and preventing in
co-operation with the walls of the discs, an open communication between the two
compartments so that a flame which might accidentally enter the wick compart-
ment, cannot enter the main reservoir; secondly in arranging above the two
compartments a chamber communicating with the wick compartment so that, in
any horizontal or reversed position of the reservoir, the total quantity of liquid of
this compartment may escape into the supplementary chamber, the walls of which
are inclined towards the interior of the receptacle, so as to prevent the liquid
from reaching the burner under the action of any shocks to which a reservoir is
submitted when it falls, or is upset, said supplementary chamber constituting

page_text: besides an insulating chamber for separating the oil reservoirs from the burner
and preventing heating of their walls; thirdly in arranging the filling conduit
directly on the reservoir or supply compartment so that it is impossible to
completely fill the two compartments, the feeding--or supply-compartment filling
rapidly whereas the filling of the wick compartment takes place slowly, owing
to the narrowness of the communication passage or chamber; and fourthly in
closing said filling conduit or orifice by a plug formed so as to admit air into the
reservoir during the working of the apparatus while preventing the escape of
liquid, when the reservoir is upset, preventing the penetration of the flame into
the reservoir.
The accompanying drawings illustrate several examples of reservoirs according
to this invention.
In these drawings
Figures 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 are vertical sections of different forms of reservoirs and
Figures 2, 4, 6 and 8 are corresponding horizontal cross-sections on the lines y-y
of Figures 1, 3, 5 and 7 respectively, Figure 10 being a vertical section of a
reservoir of a stove with a central air-conduit. Each reservoir comprises the
supply compartment A or the reservoir proper and a conical or cylindrical wick
compartment B.
These compartments are connected together by a space or capillary chamber C,
formed between two discs or plates DD, arranged very close together. (In the
drawings the space is shown much wider, for the sake of clearness in the drawings,
than is actually the case in practice.)
These discs are preferably of almost the same diameter as the reservoir A, and
are preferably arranged as close as possible to the bottom of said reservoir, and so
as to be detachable. The lower disc D¹ forms the bottom of the wick-reservoir D
which is preferably provided with perforations & through which it communicates
with the capillary space C, the upper disc 1) being soldered to the cone or vertical
tube B. One of the plates D or D' (Figures 1, 3 and 5) is provided with one or
several holes d¹, establishing communication between the chamber C and the
reservoir A. The desired distance apart of the discs D and D¹ is ensured by means
of thin distance pieces e e inserted between them (Figures 1 and 2) or by means of
projections on one of the discs (Figures 3 to 6) or by means of pins or bolts and
nuts etc. In the example illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the admission holes d' are
made in the lower disc D¹ and the points of set-screws maintain the disc at a
little distance from the bottom of the reservoir A. In the example shown in
Figures 3 to 6 the upper disc 1 is provided with admission holes d, the lower
dise D resting on the bottom of the reservoir finally, in the examples shown in
Figures 7, 8 and 9 the admission of the liquid into the capillary chamber takes
place at the side between the discs neither of which has any perforations. In this
case the lower disc D¹ preferably constitutes at the same time the bottom of the
reservoir A. The capillary chamber C (Figures 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9) may extend
uniformly throughout the whole width or area of the discs, which is the simplest
and most practical construction, or it may be partially formed by a more or less
long passage C¹ formed by a shallow groove in one of the discs D or D¹ as shown
in Figures 4 and 6.
In certain cases the horizontal capillary chamber C, formed between the two
discs DD' may terminate in a vertical capillary chamber surrounding the wick
chamber B and merging into the upper portion of the latter. An example of this
construction is shown in dotted lines in Figure 9. In this case the wick chamber B
is completely closed at the bottom by a bottom B² and surrounded by a jacket D
forming with the wall B a capillary space C2 closed towards the top and com-
municating on the one hand through small openings with the chamber B, and
on the other hand through an annular opening d³ with the horizontal capillary
chamber C.
Owing to capillarity, the liquid rises into the chamber whatever be the
level of the liquid. The wick arranged in the chamber B and in contact with

page_text: the openings d absorbs the liquid through said openings, the chamber Bremaining
substantially dry.
When the discs DD' are detachable any suitable capillary body may be arranged
between the discs or between the jacket D2 and the tube B.
The wick receptacle B communicates at the top with a supplementary
reservoir E extending over the reservoir A and occupying all the width of the
latter. The capacity of said reservoir E should be equal to at least double
the capacity of the reservoir B, in order that in all the positions of the reservoir
whether reversed or horizontal (Figs. 5 and 7) the total quantity of the liquid
contained in B should be able to escape into a part of the compartment E. The
walls FF are inclined towards the interior of the reservoir, and the nut or
socket H for the burner is provided with an extension G having the shape of an
inverted truncated cone for causing the liquid to flow away from the burner and
for preventing it from reaching the burner under the influence of shocks caused
by the fall of the reservoir.
size.
The filling tube I passes through the walls FF of the reservoir E and leads
directly to the interior of the compartment A, since it is essential to have the
reservoir fully charged in the supply-compartment and not in the wick receptacle.
The tube I is closed by a hollow plug J provided with two small holes i at
opposite ends and divided by a partition e into two compartments ab of different
A tube d of narrow-cross-section establishes communication between these
two compartments. In each compartment (a and b) is a metal net or sieve k
ensuring the extinguishing of any Hame that might pass through the small hole i.
The reservoir is preferably arranged so as to be easily detachable, in order to
enable the space between the discs-which are also detachable-to be cleaned.
For this purpose the reservoirs EB with the socket H G and the tube I as well as
the discs DD1 and, if used or necessary the jacket D2, are connected into an
independent whole provided with a screw thread L adapted to be screwed on to an
external screw thread of the reservoir, (Figs. 1, 3, 5, 9 and 10). In the example
shown in Figs. 9 and 10 this arrangement is utilised to form the capillary
chamber C by moving the disc I) towards the bottom D' of the reservoir by screwing
down the part E B on the reservoir A. In certain cases however where the rity
of the liquid fuel is beyond doubt, reservoirs such as that shown in Fig.
may be
used, in which the partitions FF are soldered to the receptacle A and the disc 1)
is connected to the bottom D¹ by means of rivets etc., the outer edges being
preferably nearer the bottom than the inner portion, near the wick tube B.
The inclination of the walls F results in decreasing the height of the wick com-
partment B in case when it is desired to regain this loss of height in order to
enable longer wicks to be used, the compartment B may be extended beyond the
bottom as shown at B' (Fig. 7), in which case the capacity of the chamber E must
be correspondingly increased.
'
Fig. 10 shows a reservoir for stoves or lamps with a central air-conduit. This
reservoir differs from those just described only by a sinaller conicity of the
compartment B which here forms together with the central conduit 132 a reservoir
or tube enclosing the wick.
The lower disc D¹ constitutes the bottom of the reservoir and extends as far as
the central tube B³, the upper disc D being soldered to the tube B. In the
central conduit B2 are formed pockets B3 133 inclined upwards so that should
the lighted stove be dropped or overturned the oil between the wick and the
central tube B2 will enter these small pockets and will not reach the burner H.
The reservoir is filled through the conduit I. The liquid passes only very
slowly from the receptacle A into the compartment B, the latter is far from being
filled when the receptacle A is full and begins to overflow (Figure 3). Consequently
it is impossible to fill completely the two compartments A and B of the reservoir,
which is essential for the purpose of ensuring such a working of the apparatus as
to guarantee it against the danger of explosions. Having filled the reservoir A,
the conduit I is closed by the plug J which admits air through the hole i and

page_text: and the liquid escapes from A to B where, in consequence of the principle of
communicating vessels, it reaches the same level as the liquid in the outer com-
partment A (Figure 1). In order to pass from the supply chamber A into the wick
compartment B the oil has to pass through the narrow capillary space between
the discs D D. This extremely slow flow is in reality simply a uniform percolation
taking place as the oil burns. The liquid taken from the portion the furthest
removed from the burner is thus cooled by a large metal surface (the two
discs DD) before reaching the wick. Moreover, the molecular attraction in the
capillary chamber between the discs themselves and between the discs and the
bottom produces a purifying action on the liquid like a filter. This purification
is a very strong one when the liquid is forced to pass under the lower disc (Fig. 1)
in order to reach the admission hole of the capillary chamber C or has to pass
between the discs (Figures 7, 9 and 10). The chamber E insulates the reservoir A
from the burner and keeps it comparatively cool. Owing to these different
circumstances (pure and cool liquid absence of gas etc.) the flame produced by the
liquid supplied to the burner is particularly clear and steady and has no smell or
smoke.
The admission of air into the reservoir A as the oil burns, is necessary in order
to prevent formation of a vacuum in the reservoir A, as the joint between the walls
surrounding the burner must be perfectly air-tight in an inexplosible reservoir.
Besides a capillary conduit such as C will not let any liquid through unless
atmospheric pressure is added to that of the liquid column. If the reservoir be
accidentally upset (Figure 5) the liquid from the wick tube B passes into the
chamber passing away from the burner, and fills an annular space in this
chamber. The inclination of the walls FF towards the interior and the conical
guards G prevent the liquid from reaching the burner under the action of shocks
caused by a fall etc. The lower portion of the reservoir A becomes emptied (the
liquid filling the upper portion) whereas the capillary chamber C remains com-
pletely filled with a layer of liquid remaining imprisoned between the two
discs DD. If the flame should in any way pass into the compartment B it could
not pass through the narrow space C filled with the liquid. When the reservoir
remains for a long time in a reversed position the chamber a of the plug
also become partially filled with liquid through the hole the liquid in order to
escape from the plug would have to reach the level of the tube band to overflow
through it. In practice the cross-sectional area of the holes i¹ is so small that
this need not le feared. The metal netting k safe-guards the plug against the
passage of the flame.
may
When the reservoir is half turned over (i.c. into a horizontal position, Figure 7)
the liquid from the wick tube B passes into the lower portion of the chamber E,
and the liquid in the compartment A leaves one part of the receptacle, whereas
the capillary chamber C remains completely filled with the liquid. The
compartment a of the plug may possibly receive few drops of oil.
The capillary chamber C therefore remains in all positions of the reservoir
filled with liquid, even when the receptacles A and B are nearly empty.
When the chamber C is filled with impurities it can be easily cleaned owing
to the discs D D¹ being detachable.
The insulating chamber E prevents any excessive heating of the reservoirs
whereby the formation of gas in the interior of the reservoirs as well as of the
percolation of liquid through the walls of the receptacle is prevented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, and in what
manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:-
1. An oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, comprising a liquid
supply compartment and a wick-compartment connected together by a capillary
passage between the walls of two superposed plates, substantially as described.
2. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the combination with

page_text: supply and wick compartments of two superposed discs arranged on the wick
compartments near the bottom of the reservoir, one or both discs being detachable,
said discs forming between them a capillary space communicating on the one
hand with the supply compartment and on the other hand with the wick
compartment, substantially as described.
3. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the arrangement
of two superposed detachable or non-detachable discs forming between them a
capillary space establishing communication between the supply, and wick
compartments, the two discs being maintained at a constant distance apart by
distance pieces or by projections arranged on one or both discs, substantially as
described.
4. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus the arrangement of
two detachable or non-detachable discs forming between them a capillary space
establishing communication between the supply and wick compartments, one of
the discs, constituting the bottom of the latter compartment, substantially as
described.
5. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the arrangement of
two detachable or non-detachable discs close together the diameter of which is
substantially equal to the inner diameter of the reservoir, said discs forming
between them a capillary space occupying the width of the reservoir or outer side
provided with a more or less long capillary chamber formed by a circular, spiral
or other groove made in one of the discs, substantially as described.
6. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus the arrangement of
two discs very close together, forming between them a capillary space constituting
a communication between the supply and wick compartments, one of the discs
forming the bottom of the reservoir substantially as described.
7. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the arrangement of
two detachable or non-detachable discs very close together forming between them
a capillary space communicating on the one hand with the supply compartment
through one or more openings in the upper disc and on the other hand with the
wick compartment through openings in the partition separating the compartment,
substantially as described.
8. In an oil reservoir for heating and lighting apparatus, the arrangement of
detachable or non-detachable discs very close together forming between them
a capillary space, the lower disc forming with the bottom of the reservoir a second
capillary space communicating with the first by means of openings made in said
lower disc, substantially as described.
9. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the arrangement of
detachable or non-detachable discs very close together, forming between them a
billary space communicating with the wick and supply compartments through
rcular openings between the two discs, substantially as described.
10. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus the combination of
two discs forming between them a horizontal capillary chamber, with a jacket
surrounding the wick chamber forming with the wall of the latter a vertical
capillary chamber communicating with the upper portion of the wick chamber,
openings being made in the wall of said chamber, substantially as described.
11. In an oil reservoir for heating and lighting apparatus, the combination
with two horizontal discs and a jacket around the wick chamber of capillary
bodies arranged between the discs and between the jacket and the wick chamber,
substantially as described.
12. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the arrangement
above the wick and supply compartments of a reserve chamber communicating
with the wick compartment and forming a chamber round the burner and having
a capacity equal to at least double that of the wick compartment, substantially
as described.
13. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the arrangement
of an annular chamber occupying the whole width of the reservoir and forming

page_text: an insulating chamber between the burner and the two compartments of the
reservoir, substantially as described.
14. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus the arrangement of
an annular chamber the walls of which are inclined towards the interior of the
reservoir, substantially as described.
15. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the arrangement of
an annular chamber with inclined walls, a conical guard being arranged in the
said chamber under the socket of the burner substantially as described.
16. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus the combination with
an annular insulating chamber with walls inclined towards the interior of the
reservoir, of a wick chamber continued beyond the bottom of the receptacle
substantially as described.
17. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus having an insulating
chamber communicating with the wick compartment, the arrangement of a filling
conduit passing through said insulating chamber and communicating directly
with the supply compartment of the reservoir, substantially as described.
18. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the combination
with the supply compartment of a wick chamber superposed dises terminating
said chamber at one end and forming between them a capillary space, an isolating
chamber communicating with the other end of the wick chamber, a conduit
passing through the isolating chamber and a liquid deflecting guard secured
under the socket of the burner, the whole apparatus being adapted to be secured
to the supply reservoir, substantially as described.
19. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the combination
with the supply reservoir, of a separate apparatus comprising a single disc a wick
chamber an isolating chamber practically of the same diameter as the reservoir,
a filling conduit passing through said isolating chamber a conical liquid deflecting
guard arranged in the latter under the socket of the lighting or heating burner,
said apparatus being adapted to be secured to the oil reservoir, and the disc
carried at the lower part of the wick chamber being, by the connection of the two
parts of the apparatus, brought near the bottom of the reservoir in order to form
with said bottom a capillary chamber substantially as described.
20. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the combination
with a wick chamber and an annular insulating chamber of a central air conduit
passing through said chambers and provided with one or more pockets with walls
inclined upwards substantially as and for the purpose described.
21. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the combination with
a supply compartment and filling conduit, of a hollow plug with openings for
admitting air into said supply compartments substantially as described.
22. In an oil reservoir for lighting and heating apparatus, the combination
with a supply compartment and filling conduit of a hollow plug with air inlets
said plug being divided into two compartments communicating together through
a small tube, a metallic netting being arranged in each compartment substantially
as described.
23. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete oil
reservoirs for lighting and heating apparatus, substantially as described or
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, or in Figures 3 and 4, or in Figures 5 and 6, or in
Figures 7 and 8, or in Figure 9, or in Figure 10 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st day of December 1898.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.