IMPROVEMENTS IN GENERATING AND APPLYING HEAT
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robertson, of Nitshill, in the County of
Renfrow, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GENERATING AND APPLYING HEAT."
Scaled the 2nd May 1878, and dated the 26th February 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Robertson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th February 1873.
I, JOHN ROBERTSON, of Nitshill, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GENERATING AND APPLying Heat," to bo as follows, that is to
say:―
This Invention, which relates to improvements in generating or
applying heat, is a further development of the Inventions set forth in
the Specifications filed in pursuance of Letters Patent granted to the
said John Robertson, Nos. 1740, A.D. 1871, and 2586, A.D. 1872.
The present Invention consists in the employment of inflammablo
gases mixed with oxygen or with atmospheric air surcharged with.

page_text: oxygen as a source of heat, it being understood that the mixture
of the oxygen or air surcharged with oxygen and inflammable gases
takes place before the gases and oxygen or air surcharged therewith
issue from the burner or burners, that is to say, the gasos and oxygen or
air surcharged therewith issue from the burners in the mixed stato.
In using the Invention practically the atmospheric air surchargod
with oxygen or oxygen itself, which may be obtained from any of its
well-known sources and by ordinary processes for producing that gas, is
mixed with the inflammable gas or gases by fanning, blowing, pumping,
or forcing it into them either in a gas holder, flues, passages, or pipes,
or, vice versa; the inflammable gas or gases may be forced by any of the
aforesaid modes into chambers, vessels, pipes, or passages containing the
oxygen or air surcharged with oxygen.
The inflammable gases used may be common coal gas or carburetted
hydrogen, the vapour of hydrocarbons, hydrogen and carbonic oxide, or 1
other inflammable gases.
The mixed oxygen or air surcharged with oxygen and inflammable gas
or gases are maintained at a pressure to issue from the burners at any
required velocity, and the mixture may be used with apparatus like that
set forth in the aforesaid Specifications, or in other apparatus arranged 2
on the same general principles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, ·
filed by tho said John Robertson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th August 1878.
1
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN 25
ROBERTSON, of Nitshill, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, sond
greeting.
'
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in 30
the 36th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Robertson, Her special
license that I, the said Jolin Robertson, my exccutors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Robertson, my
executors, administrators, or 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,
5 and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GENERATING AND APPLYING HEAT," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Robertson, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
O 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 John Robertson, do hereby declare
the naturo 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, that is to say;-
My said Invention, which relates to improvements in generating and
applying heat, is a further development of the Invention respectively
O set forth in the Specification filed in pursuance of Letters Patent
granted to mo, the said John Robertson, Numbered 1746, A.D. 1871,
and 2580, A.D. 1872.
My present Invention consists in the employment of inflammable
gases mixed with oxygen or with atmospheric air surcharged with
5 oxygen as a source of heat, it being understood that the mixture of the
oxygen or air surcharged therowith and inflammable gases takes place
before the gases and oxygen or atmospheric air surcharged therewith
issue in a jet or jets or in a volume from the burner or burners at which
they are consumed, that is to say, the gases and oxygen or air sur-
0 charged therewith issue from the burner or burners in the mixed state. :
The inflammable gases employed may be common coal gas or car-
buretted hydrogen, the vapour of hydrocarbons, hydrogen gas, carbonic
oxide gas, or the mixture of hydrogen and carbonio oxide obtained by
passing steam over heated coke or other carbonaceous materials, or other
5 inflammable gases obtained from the destructive distillation of vegetable,
animal, or mineral substances may be employed.
:

page_text: In carrying my said Invention into practice the atmospherio air is
surcharged with oxygen, or oxygen itself, which may be obtained from
any of its well-known sources and by ordinary processes for producing
that gas, is mixed in any suitable flue, vessel, chamber, or gas holder, or
in pipes, with any one of the gasses or vapours aforesaid, and either
at the place where the gas is generated or at any other convenient
place, and tho admixture thereof may be effected by fanning, blowing,
pumping, or otherwise forcing the oxygen or atmospheric air surcharged
therewith into the flue, pipe, chamber, or other vessel containing the
inflammable gas or vapour; or, vice versa, the inflammable gas or vapour
may be fanned, blown, pumped, or otherwise forced or admitted into a
flue, pipe, chamber, or other vessel containing the oxygen or atmospherio
air surcharged therewith; or apparatus for forcing the oxygen or atmo-
spheric air surcharged therewith and the inflammable gas through
separate pipes or passages may be used, the said pipes or passages being 1
joined into one at any desired point previous to the gases issuing in a jet
or jets or in volume from the burner or burners at which they are con-
sumed. In this last-mentioned case each pipe or passage is preferably
provided with a valve or stop-cock, so that the person or persons
requiring to use the mixed oxygen or atmospheric air surcharged with
oxygen and inflammable gas may adjust the proportions of the inflam-
mable gas and oxygen or atmospheric air surcharged with oxygen in the
mixture according to the quality of the gas used and the temperature
and purpose for which the same is required.
The oxygen or atmospheric air surcharged with oxygen and the a
inflammable gas are mixed or kept mixed under a sufficient pressure to
cause the mixture to issue at any required rate through the burner or
burners at which it is consumed.
My said Invention is applicable to all purposes wherein the generation
or communication of heat is required or used, as it is capable of being a
regulated from very intense to comparatively low temperaturos.
Some of the special adaptations of my said Invention are the gene-
ration of steam; the smelting or reducing, melting, and refining of iron
or ores of iron and other ores; the heating of cooking stoves and ranges;
the heating of hand or sad irons, calender bowls or rolls, press plates, and
other apparatuses used for dressing or finishing textile fabrics; the
raising of heat generally in works or manufactories; the heating of

page_text: dwelling houses and other buildings; also the heating of evaporating
pans, stills, retorts; and other vessels in chemical works; and for these
purposes apparatuses similar to those set forth in the aforesaid Specifi-
cations, Numbers 1740, A.D. 1871, and 2586, A.D. 1872, may bo
employed, or other apparatus arranged on the same general principles
may be used.
It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the proportions.of
oxygen or of atmospheric air surcharged with oxygen and gas, as any
proportions which constitute an inflammable mixture may be employed;
and further, in lieu of mixing one only of the herein-before mentioned
gases with oxygen or atmospheric air surcharged therewith, any two or
more of these gases may be so mixed.
'
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which tho
¿ samo is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would observo
in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and thereford
claim as the Invention secured to me by tho herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
The mixing of oxygen or of atmospheric air surcharged with oxygen
with any of the several gases herein-before described, or with mixtures
of any two or more of such gases, under pressure in pipes or passages,
vessels, or in gas holders.
Also, supplying and using the same for the purposes of generating or
communicating heat, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, tho said John Robertson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of August One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three.