IMPROVED MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LIGHTING and HEATING GAS FROM AIR AND SPIRITUOUS VAPOUR COMBINED
Year: 1875

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LETTERS PATENT to Mathias Neuhaus, of Surrey Chambers, Strand, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LIGHTING and
HEATING GAS FROM AIR AND SPIRITUOUS VAPOUR COMBINED."
Sealed the 21st August 1875, and dated the 23rd February 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Mathias Neuhaus at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd February 1875.
I, MATHIAS NEUHAUS, of Surrey Chambers, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF
LIGHTING AND HEATING GAS FROM AIR AND SPIRITUOUS VAPOUR COMBINED," to be
as follows:
This Invention relates to improved means and appliances for the
production of lighting and heating gas from air and spirituous vapour
combined, and consists in causing a current or several currents of air to

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issue under pressure from one or more chambers in a vertical direction,
and to draw through nozzles a liquid body by which the air can become
impregnated with the vapor thereof in a state of spray or fine division,
such impregnated air being afterwards used for lighting and heating
purposes like ordinary coal gas. The jets of air and liquid combined are
thoroughly disseminated by my system, and as the liquid portions in
excess fall, they while still in a state of spray come into contact with
the rising currents, consequently a perfect saturation of the air is
established.
The apparatus consists of three vessels which may be kept a reasonable
distance apart, and connected by pipes, or they may be so arranged in
one casing that combined they occupy very little space. The first vessel
is a blower, a pump, or the like, by which a powerful current or supply
of atmospheric air at the ordinary or at a heated temperature can be
forced into, say a series of semi-spherical or other shaped vessels, the top
of the shell of each being pierced with a hole in which a nozzle outlet is
fitted for the spirituous liquid to be sucked through by a ring-shaped
current of air which issues from the vessel all round the nozzle. The
lower ends of the nozzle pipes are preferably cone-shaped and dip into
the liquid, the level of which is maintained automatically from a
reservoir the quantity flowing therefrom being in proportion to the draw
off by the current up the nozzle arrangement, the flow from the reservoir
being regulated thereby like from a bird fountain.
The supply of air and vapour is always slightly in excess of the
consumption, consequently the upper part of the chamber, in which the
sprays are, forms a reserve and establishes a constant steady flame or
flames. The upper part of this vessel may be divided by a partition, and
the upper separated part could then form a reserve chamber to prevent
the flame or flames partaking of any variable action from the blower or
the pump as the case may be. The reservoir has a false bottom and the
supply of liquid from the upper part into the lower is governed by a
valve which can be closed when desired by screwing down a plug key,
the plug being in connection with a lazy-tong arrangement of levers
or knuckle joint levers on the outside, so that when the reservoir
requires recharging the plug can be closed to shut off the passage, the
filling nozzle can then be removed and the reservoir charged, the burning
of the vapourized air going on at the same time without danger.

page_text: In some cases I fit an open connecting pipe to the lower chamber of
the reservoir, and the spray chamber through which a certain quantity of
vapourized air can pass from one to the other, the same pipe serving also
to return the accumulated fallen liquid back to the lower chamber of
the reservoir when sufficiently high to flow over the top edge of it. The
top of this pipe may however be bent downwards so as to dip into the
accumulated liquid, and to thereby seal the joint against any air passing
into and pressing upon the liquid in the lower reservoir chamber, there
being preferably only a sucking action of the air from the semi-spherical
vessels for the liquid to rise up and issue at the nozzles for a distribution
in the shape of spray, and an impregnation of the air by the liquid while
both are in a combined and sprayey condition in the chamber.
Between the spray chamber and the outlet for the gas I fit a diaphragm
of any absorbent of moisture material through the pores or meshes of
which the air charged with vapour can pass, the diaphragm serving to
prevent the escape of the liquid, and to render the gas comparativel
dry and fit for burning without leaving a deposit.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Mathias Neuhaus in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd August 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MATHIAS
NEUHAUS, of Surrey Chambers, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Mathias Neuhaus, Her
special licence that I, the said Mathias Neuhaus, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Mathias
Neuhaus, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times

page_text: 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 "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF
LIGHTING AND HEATING GAS FROM AIR AND SPIRITUOUS VAPOUR COMBINED," upou
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Mathias Neuhaus, my
executors or administrators, 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 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 Mathias Neuhaus, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :—
This Invention relates to improved means and appliances for the
production of lighting and heating gas from air and spirituous vapour
combined, and consists in causing a current or several currents of air
to issue under pressure from one or more chambers in a vertical direction,
and to draw through nozzles a liquid body by which the air can become
impregnated with the vapour thereof in a state of spray or fine division,
such impregnated air being afterwards used for lighting and heating
purposes like ordinary coal gas. The jets of air and liquid combined are
thoroughly disseminated by my system, and as the liquid portions in
excess fall, they while still in a state of spray come into contact with
the rising currents, conscqently a perfect saturation of the air is
established.
The apparatus consists of three vessels A, B, C, substantially of the
form shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings, which may be
kept a reasonable distance apart and connected by pipes, or they may be
so arranged in one casing that combined they occupy very little space.
The first vessel A is fitted with blowers D, E, or it may be a pump or
the like, by which a powerful current or supply of atmospheric air at
the ordinary or at a heated temperature can be forced through the

page_text: pipe F into a series of semi-spherical or other shaped vessels G, G, the
top of the shell of each being pierced with a hole or slit in which a
nozzle H is fitted, as in Figure 2, for the spirituous liquid to be sucked
through by a ring or a slit-shaped current of air which issues from the
vessel all round the nozzle. The lower ends of the nozzle pipes are
preferably cone-shaped and dip into the liquid in the lower part of the
vessel B, the level of which liquid is maintained automatically from a
vessel or reservoir C, the quantity flowing therefrom being in proportion
to the draw off by the current up the nozzle arrangement, the flow
from the reservoir C being regulated thereby like from a bird fountain.
The supply of air and vapour is always slightly in excess of the
consumption, consequently the upper part of the chamber B, in which
the sprays are, forms a reserve and establishes a constant steady flame or
flames. The upper part of this vessel I prefer to divide by a partition I,
and the upper separated part could then form a reserve chamber to
prevent the flame or flames partaking of any variable action from the
blower or the pump as the case may be. The reservoir O has an inner
bottom J and the supply of liquid from the upper part into the lower
is governed by a valve or plug K which can be closed when desired by
screwing up or down the plug key L, the plug K being in connection
with a lazy-tong arrangement of levers or knuckle joint levers M, M, in
inside or on the outside, so that when the reservoir requires recharging
the plug K can be closed to shut off the passage through the plug
seating, the filling nozzle N can then be removed and the reservoir
charged, the burning of the vapourized air going on at the same time
without danger. The clock mechanism P maintains the working of the
blowers D, E.
In some cases I fit an open connection pipe Q to the lower chamber
of the reservoir, and the spray chamber through which a certain quantity
of vapourized air can pass from one to the other, the same pipe serving
also to return the accumulated fallen liquid back to the lower chamber
of the reservoir when sufficiently high to flow over the top edge of it. The
top of this pipe may however be bent downwards so as to dip into the
accumulated liquid, and to thereby seal the joint against any air passing
into and pressing upon the liquid in the lower reservoir chamber, there
being preferably only a sucking action of the air from the semi-spherical

page_text: vessels for the liquid to rise up and issue at the nozzles for a distribution
in the shape of spray, and an impregnation of the air by the liquid while
both are in a combined and sprayey condition in the chamber.
The partition or diaphragm I may have any absorbent of moisture
material, through the pores or meshes of which the air charged with
vapour can pass, the diaphragm serving to prevent the escape of the
liquid, and to render the gas comparatively dry and fit for burning
without leaving a deposit.
Other arrangements of apparatus corresponding in their action to the
former apparatus and for the same purpose can be adopted.
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 represent a square box as the reservoir C, the
vessel B being of cylindrical shape fitted partly inside and partly outside
the box. Air under pressure from blowers or pumps passes down the
pipe R into the semi-spherical shaped vessel G and through the slit-
shaped aperture S, or it may be ring-shaped as before, sucking in its
passage liquid from the bottom chamber T up through the nozzle H to
charge the chamber B with the vapour, from whence the vapour passes
into the outlet pipe V to the burners for consumption. The valve K in
this case is on the end of a rock lever W centred upon a pillar X. The
valve has a preponderance of weight to keep it down upon its seat when
the screw plug key L is raised. The screwing up or down of this plug
is capable of adjusting or regulating the quantity of liquid passing from
the upper reservoir C. The aperture in which the plug key is fitted also
serves as the charging aperture, but an independent one N can be fitted,
as in Figures 4, 5, and 6.
A fan wheel may be fitted in the vessel B to again break up the
impregnated air if desired.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
The improved means and appliances for the production of lighting
and heating gas from air and spirituous vapour combined as described
and shown.
Secondly. I claim the employment of semi-spherical or equivalent
shaped vessels provided with nozzles as described, and substantially as
shown in Figures 2, 3, and 6, for the purposes set forth.

page_text: Thirdly. I claim the method or means, also the valve apparatus of the
vessel C, as described and as shown in the Figures for the purpose set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Mathias Neuhaus, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-five.