IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING COMBUS- TIBLE GASEOUS FLUID AND APPLYING COMBUSTIBLE GASES GENERALLY TO HEATING AND TO LIGHTING BY INCANDESCENCE, PARTS OF THE SAID APPARATUS BEING APPLICABLE FOR COMPRESSING OR EXHAUSTING AIR OR GASES GENERALLY Hitherto
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Cooper at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd January 1883.
THOMAS COOPER of Great Ryburgh in the County of Norfolk Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING COMBUS-
TIBLE GASEOUS FLUID AND APPLYING COMBUSTIBLE GASES GENERALLY TO HEATING
AND TO LIGHTING BY INCANDESCENCE, PARTS OF THE SAID APPARATUS BEING
APPLICABLE FOR COMPRESSING OR EXHAUSTING AIR OR GASES GENERALLY
Hitherto combustible gaseous vapour for the production of light and heat by
the incandescence of solid refractory material has been produced by bringing
atmospheric air into contact with some light hydrocarbon liquid so as to be lightly
or delicately impregnated therewith the requisite flow of air for this purpose
having been effected by means of a suitable mechanical contrivance driven or
actuated by a falling weight which has to be wound up by manual or other power.
The air thus impregnated with hydrocarbon forms a combustible gaseous fluid
which in combustion produces light by incandescence.
Now according to my invention, I still bring atmospheric air into contact with
hydrocarbon liquid in any known manner such as by passing the air through
liquid by injecting a spray of liquid into the air in a vessel or by evaporation or
other suitable known means, but instead of using a falling weight as the trans-
mitter of manual or other power to some air forcing apparatus, I employ any
known motive power direct or by means of gearing or straps to drive or actuate
a fan, blower, bellows, pump, or other mechanical contrivance for forcing air, or I
use for the purpose a direct acting steam blower or injector or any known form of
gas motor driven by a separate supply of combustible gas or gaseous mixture, or
by part of the gaseous fluid the motor is generating
But I prefer to employ a direct acting motor worked by the explosive force of a
small portion of the gaseous fluid which is produced by the action of the motor
itself, as will be presently described.
Furthermore, instead of producing a combustible fluid lightly or delicately
charged with hydrocarbon which is directly applicable for producing the incan-
descent light, I produce for this purpose a combustible fluid consisting of air
richly impregnated with hydrocarbon vapor and consequently inexplosive, which
is afterwards brought in contact within the burner with the requisite supply of
atmospheric air for producing incandescent light. Any known form of burner

page_text: such as that known as the Bunsens burner may be employed for effecting the
mixture of the said rich gaseous fluid and air within it, having at one end, a cone
or cap of platinum or iridium gauze or other refractory material, which is heated
to incandescence as described in Palmers Provisional Specification Nº 261 of 1876,
while combustible fluid enters the other end under pressure in a richly impregnated
and inexplosive form, carrying with it sufficient atmospheric air to effect perfect
combustion. By the above means a small quantity of richly charged and inexplo-
sive gaseous fluid can be used instead of a large quantity of air charged with a
small quantity of hydrocarbon, which latter mixture is of an explosive nature;
also by the improved mode of operating, smaller pipes can be used and less air
requires to be supplied to the carburetting apparatus under pressure.
It will be evident that when applying the above described combustible gaseous
fluid and the various forms of burners, to heating purposes, the cone or cap of
refractory material may be dispensed with, as incandescence is in that case not
necessarily required.
The before mentioned construction of motor engines and apparatus for effecting
the impregnation of air with combustible vapour for the above described or any
other purpose, is as follows:-A working cylinder by preference arranged in a
vertical position, has a piston whose rod (which may or may not be permanently
connected thereto) is connected to the piston of an air pump, or it may be the top
of a bellows or collapsible bag, so that on the outward stroke of the working
piston, consequent on an explosion of gaseous mixture beneath it, the bag is
distended, thereby drawing in air, which, on the descent of the piston is forced by
the collapse of the bag under the action of a weight or spring into a second bag
acting as a reservoir for compressed air, from which such air passes at practically
uniform pressure, through a vessel containing liquid hydrocarbon, where it becomes
saturated with the hydrocarbon vapour and whence it is conducted through a pipe
to the burners before described. From the said vessel a small quantity of the
gaseous fluid is led off through another pipe to the working cylinder, at any point
of which pipe, it may be mixed with a further supply of air, which may con-
veniently be taken from the before mentioned compressed air reservoir. This
mixture of combustible gas and air is then admitted into a chamber at the bottom
of the cylinder at certain intervals of time, and being there ignited effects the
propulsion of the piston to perform its working stroke.
The mode in which the introduction of the combustible charge into the cylinder,
as also its ignition and the discharge of the products of combustion, are effected,
may be similar to that of known forms of motor engines worked by combustible
charges of gas and air, but, by preference I effect these operations as follows:-
The supply of combustible mixture is closed by a valve in the chamber below the
working piston, which valve is kept closed by a weighted lever while the piston is
ascending or descending, but is allowed to open to the pressure of the gas when
the piston has arrived at the bottom of its stroke, by means of a rod depending
from the underside of the piston, pressing upon and raising the weighted lever.
This rod is at the same time pushed upwards against a lever pivotted to the piston,
which is thereby made to close an exhaust valve in the piston itself, thereby cutting
off the communication between the upper and lower side of the piston so that the
entering combustible charge will be confined below the piston.
In the side of the chamber below the cylinder is an aperture through which
works a rod which seats with a shoulder airtight against the opening, as a valve.
This rod is urged forward into the cylinder by a spring, but is held in its backward
position by a pawl or trigger, a rod from which is connected to a lever which is
actuated by the piston rod when the piston has completed its downstroke so as to
release the trigger and allow the spring to push the rod forward into the cylinder.
This rod has a vertical opening outside the cylinder and projecting into this opening
is a small burning gas jet or incandescent light fed with gaseous fluid through a
small pipe from the before mentioned impregnating vessel. Thus on the rod being
pushed into the cylinder, the combustible charge in the latter becomes ignited by

page_text: the gas flame or incandescent cone and the resulting explosion propels the piston
upward causing it to expand the air bag. At the same time the rod is forced back
again by the explosion and is again secured by the trigger. As the piston
approaches the top of the cylinder, a stem projecting from the exhaust valve thereof
in coming in contact with the top of the cylinder, forces the valve open, allowing
the products of combustion below the piston to escape through the valve to an
exhaust aperture in the top of the cylinder. The piston then descends by
gravity to the bottom of the cylinder again, and the above described operation is
repeated.
Or according to another arrangement, which I prefer to employ, the exhaust
valve in the piston and the exhaust opening in the top of the cylinder are dispensed
with and I extend the chamber below the cylinder to one side thereof and provide
at its top an exhaust opening provided with a valve, having a stem projecting to
the outside where it is loaded with adjustable weights. The valve has another rod
extending downwards and resting upon the before mentioned lever that keeps the
inlet valve closed, this lever being consequently also loaded by the exhaust valve
and parts connected thereto resting upon it. The lever is extended beyond its
fulcrum, and upon such extension rests the piston of the engine when at the bottom
of its stroke, in which position it consequently raises the other end of the lever,
closing the exhaust valve, and allowing the inlet valve to open so as to admit the
combustible charge. On this being fired as before described the piston in ascending
will release the lever but the exhaust valve will be kept closed by the pressure
produced in the chamber, until by the expansion and cooling of the combustion
gases the pressure therein is reduced below that of the load on the exhaust valve,
whereupon this will be forced open and the products of combustion will escape
the valve being closed again on the descent of the piston.
In some cases where a load of water is available, a hydraulic engine of any
suitable known construction may be employed in place of the gas motor engine
for producing the air pressure and the impregnation thereof with bydrocarbon.
But by preference I employ a direct acting arrangement which is generally
similar to the gas motor arrangement previously described. For this purpose in
place of the gas motor cylinder, I employ a bydraulic cylinder, whose piston rod is
connected to the loaded top of the air sack. The lower end of the cylinder is
connected by a three way cock or suitable valve both to a water pressure supply
pipe, and to an exhaust pipe, so that when the cock is turned into one position it
admits the water pressure into the cylinder causing the piston to perform its
upstroke and expand the air-bag, while when the cock is turned into another
position it opens the exhaust valve, allowing the water to escape from the
cylinder thereby causing the piston to descend and the air-bag to collapse by their
weight.
The reversal of the cock may be effected from the motion of the piston in any
suitable known way, such as by causing an extension of the piston rod to act upon
a tumbling lever at the end of each motion which tumbling lever is connected to
an arm on the three way cock.
As before stated, the above arrangements of apparatus may be used merely for
producing air under pressure for the above or other purposes or for compressing
ordinary combustible gas for the supply of other systems of incandescent gas
lighting, or it may merely by the reversal of the arrangement of the suction and
delivery valves, be employed for producing the suction or exhaust for incandescent
ights requiring a draught or suction.