Improvements in Apparatus for Vaporizing and Burning Hydro- carbons for Lighting and Heating Purposes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 1st Oct., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Vaporizing and Burning Hydro-
carbons for Lighting and Heating Purposes.
We, PHILIP CHARLES TENNANT, Secretary of The Gas Lighting Improve-
ment Company Limited, of 18, Devonshire Street, in the County of London, and
ALFRED HENRY CROCKFORD, of 26, Overy Street, Dartford, in the County of
Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
Our invention relates to apparatus for vaporizing and burning hydrocarbons for
lighting and heating purposes, and is designed to improve the construction and
increase the efficiency of such apparatus.
Our improved apparatus comprises a vaporizing coil arranged within a suitable
casing and connected at one end with a pipe for conducting oil from a tank or
reservoir under pressure, and at its other end with a suitable nozzle or burner
substantially as in some of the industrial lamps heretofore employed.
The supply-pipe extends, as usual, nearly to the bottom of the tank or reservoir
for containing the liquid hydrocarbon.
We provide this pipe at its lower end with a strainer of wire-gauze, perforated
metal or other suitable material, which strainer is filled with sponge or similar
substance for the purpose of effectually arresting any solid particles that may be
contained in the liquid hydrocarbon, and thus obviating the liability to choking of
the nozzle or burner.
We prefer also to provide the said supply-pipe near its upper end with a chamber
having a readily removable cap, and having inserted in it a piece of sponge or other
suitable filtering material enclosed in a cylinder or strainer of wire-gauze, perforated
metal or the like, for the purpose of more effectually straining or filtering the oil
on its way to the vaporizing coil. We sometimes also insert in the burner itself, a
strainer containing sponge or similar substance.
Another feature of our present invention is the combination, with the supply-
pipe, of a single valve so constructed that, by moving it into one or other of three
different positions, the vaporizing coil may be put into communication with the
oil-space in the reservoir, or with the air-space therein, or the supply of oil or air
to the said coil may be completely shut off.
The burner of our improved industrial lamp is provided with a hollow or tubular
stem extending through the closed end of the casing, and provided at a suitable
distance from this end of the said casing with perforations for the admission of air
into the casing to mix with the vapor from the burner.
The said tubular stem is preferably provided with a shoulder and with a thumb-
nut for securing the said stem and the coil in place in the casing. The outer end
of the said stem is partially closed by a perforated cap, which can be readily
removed, and the hole or holes in which are to be gradually increased in size until
it is found that they admit the requisite quantity of air for supporting combustion
in such a manner as to produce a flame of high illuminating power, and so that the
ignition of the inflammable mixture will take place near the upper or outer end of
the coil. We find it advantageous to screw this cap upon the lower end of the
aforesaid thumb-nut.
Our said invention further comprises an improved pump for compressing air into
the space above the surface of the liquid in the reservoir. This pump is made with
an expanding and contracting chamber formed of thin sheet-metal, somewhat like a
pair of bellows. This chamber is provided at each end with a small spring valve
and is surrounded by a suitable casing screwed into or otherwise attached to the
LD .

page_text: top of the reservoir. The said chamber is provided at its upper end with a
suitable handle or is connected with a pivoted lever whereby it may be operated as
required.
Deted the 4th day of January 1894
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Vaporizing and Burning Hydro-
carbons for Lighting and Heating Purposes.
We, PHILIP CHARLES TENNANT, Secretary of The Gas Lighting Improve-
ment Company, Limited, of 18 Devonshire Street, in the County of London, and
ALFRED HENRY CROCKFORD, of 26, Overy Street, Dartford, in the County of
Kent, Engineer, 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 :-
Our invention relates to apparatus for vaporizing and burning hydrocarbons for
lighting and heating purposes, and is designed to simplify and improve the
construction and increase the efficiency of such apparatus.
Our improved apparatus is constructed with a vaporizing coil arranged within a
suitable casing and connected at one end with a pipe for conducting oil from a
tank or reservoir under pressure, and at its other end with a suitable nozzle or
burner substantially as in some of the vapor lamps or "industrial" lamps heretofore
employed.
Our present invention, however, comprises an improved method of providing for
the admission of air into the casing of a lamp of this kind or class to mix with the
For this
vapor from the burner and ensure the complete combustion thereof.
purpose we provide below the burner or behind the same as the case may be, a
central hollow or tubular stem which extends through the closed end of the casing,
and is provided within the said casing, at a suitable distance from the closed end
thereof, with lateral perforations or openings of suitable dimensions through which
the air enters the casing. The said hollow stem or tube is preferably formed on
the burner and provided with a shoulder and with a thumb-nut for securing it
firmly in place in the casing.
By this method, we provide for the admission of air to the casing in such a
manner that it does not impinge directly upon the jet of vapor issuing from the
burner, but is projected laterally from the central hollow stem or tube. The more
efficient mixing of the air with the vapor from the burner is thereby ensured, and
the liability to extinction of the flame of the lamp by external air-currents is
obviated. Moreover the air is heated in its passage through the hollow or tubular
stem and by its contact with the burner, before it mixes with the vapor, thus
avoiding any cooling of the vapor such as occurs in lamps wherein the air on
entering the casing impinges directly upon the jet of vapor issuing from the burner.
Therefore in our improved lamp there is no need to provide mechanical apparatus
for varying the quantity of air admitted to the casing, in order to regulate the
vaporization of the oil, the action of the lamp being automatic under atmospheric
changes or variations of temperature.
Another feature of our said invention consists in the combination, with the
burner, of a removable perforated tubular strainer containing sponge, asbestos, or
similar substance, which acts either alone or in conjunction with one or more
strainers or filters in the supply pipe, to arrest any solid particles that may be
contained in the liquid hydrocarbon, thus obviating the liability to choking of the
nozzle or burner.

page_text: Another feature of our present invention is the combination, with the supply
pipe, of an improved valve constructed as hereinafter described so that, by moving
it into one or other of three different positions, the vaporizing coil may be put into
communication with the oil-space in the reservoir, or with the air-space therein, or
the supply of both oil and air to the said coil may be completely shut off.
Our said invention further comprises an improved pump for compressing air into
the space above the surface of the liquid in the reservoir. This pump is made with
an expanding and contracting chamber formed of thin sheet metal somewhat like
a pair of bellows. This chamber is provided at each end with a small spring valve
and is preferably surrounded by a suitable casing screwed into or otherwise attached
to the top of the reservoir. The said chamber is provided at its upper end with a
suitable handle or is connected with a pivoted lever whereby it may be operated as
required.
In the accompanying drawing we have shown how our said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of our improved apparatus the casing of the lamp-
head being shown partly in vertical central section.
Figure 2 is a vertical central section, drawn to an enlarged scale, showing the
lower part of the lamp-head.
Figure 3 is a plan of the said lamp-head.
Figure 4 is a front elevation,
Figure 5 a side elevation, and
Figure 6 a vertical central section of our improved valve.
Figure 7 is a sectional elevation of our improved pump.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
A is the oil tank; B is the casing of the lamp-head; C is the vaporizing coil;
D is the burner.
The burner D consists of a casting having the usual screw-threaded sockets into
which the end of the vaporizing coil C and the nozzle a are screwed, and also the
usual removable screw-threaded plugs b, b' to facilitate the cleansing of the interior
of the burner and of the end of the vaporizing coil C. On the underside of the
burner D is formed a tubular or hollow stem E which extends through a sleeve or
socket B forming a part of the bottom of the casing B of the lamp-head. This
hollow stem E is provided with a shoulder E' and with a lock-nut or thumb-nut c
so that it serves, in addition to its principal function hereinafter described, as a
means of firmly securing the burner and coil in the casing. The hollow stem E is
open to the atmosphere at its lower end and communicates with the interior of the
casing B through lateral apertures d in its side or wall, its upper end being
closed.
It will be seen that the air entering the hollow stem or tube E flows therefrom
into the casing B through the lateral openings d so that it is directed against the
interior surface of the said casing. It therefore cannot impinge directly on the jet
of vapor from the burner, as in the vapor lamps hitherto generally used, but is
distributed in the casing and heated by its contact with the stem or tube E and
burner D, and with the interior surface of the said casing, before it mixes with the
vapor from the burner. Therefore the incoming air does not unduly cool the said
vapor, and extinction of the flame during windy weather is prevented since the air
cannot act directly thereon as in lamps wherein the air-admission apertures are in
the wall of the outer casing B.
The lamp-head is supported by means of a stand-pipe e connected at its upper
end to the coil C as hereinafter described and secured at its lower end to a cock or
valve on the top of the oil-tank A. The said cock or valve, as shown in
Figures 1, 4, 5, and 6, comprises a shell or casing F formed with a central way or
channel in communication through a pipe f¹ with the bottom of the oil-tank A,
and with a way or channel g communicating with the upper air-space of the tank A.
These ways or channels, together with the way or channel leading to the stand-
pipe e, open into a conical seat in which works a plug F', the said plug being

page_text: formed as shown so that the stand-pipe e can be closed or can be put into
communication either with the bottom of the tank A to permit the supply of oil to
the burner or with the upper or air space of the said tank to allow compressed air
to pass through the said burner to cleanse the same or to assist in heating up the
vaporizing coil before starting the lamp. In order that these positions may be
readily determined I provide the plug F with an arm or lever / moving over a
segmental plate i having lugs i at its ends in which are inserted adjusting screws i³,
the several positions of the cock being marked on the segment..
For straining or filtering the oil as it passes from the tank A to the burner, we
sometimes provide a chamber G. Figure 6, in the upper or outlet passage of the
cock F, this chamber is formed by means of perforated diaphragms k, k¹, and in it
is placed a piece of sponge or other suitable filtering material which may be
inserted or removed through an aperture kept normally closed by a screw-threaded
plug 1.
We provide, moreover, for filtering the oil or vapor on its way to the flame by
means of a tubular strainer J, Figure 2, inserted in the casting D and formed with
perforations below the openings of the vaporizing coil C and of the nozzle a
respectively. This strainer is adapted to contain sponge, asbestos or other suitable
filtering material and is formed integrally with the plug so as to be readily
removable therewith when desired.
The holes d in the hollow stem or tube E must be proportioned to the quantity
of air requisite for complete combustion, but having once been made of the proper
area they do not require to be varied by means of any adjustable mechanical
devices.
In some instances, we provide the said hollow stem or tube with a perforated cap
or plug which is screwed or otherwise secured upon or in its lower or outer end
or upon the said thumb-nut e in such a manner that it can be readily removed and
replaced. The quantity of air admitted to the casing B through the said stem or
tube can, if desired, be determined by the area of the hole or holes in this
removable cap or plug.
Our improved pump is shewn in Figure 7 and is constructed as follows; riz.:-
A series of annular pieces m of sheet steel or other suitable metal are joined
together in pairs alternately around their inner and outer edges so as to form a
bellows or extensible chamber II; the lower terminal piece or plate of this chamber
is secured to the top of the oil-reservoir A. by means of a casting a formed with an
internal passage controlled by a spring valve n', the said passage communicating
between the interior of the bellows Hand the upper or air-space of the tank A.
To the upper end of the said bellows is attached a casting formed with an internal
passage communicating between the interior of the said bellows and the external
air and controlled by a spring valve o'. The said bellows is enclosed in a casing p
and is adapted to be extended to draw in air through the valve o' or to be com-
pressed to force air into the tank A through the valve a' by means of a lever
pivoted at 2 to a link y which is attached at g' to the tank A, the said lever r
being coupled to the casting at and provided at its free end with a han lle s
whereby motion may be conveniently imparted thereto.
The stand-pipe e is preferably provided with a telescopic extension e¹ to the
upper end of which the lamp-head is attached, the said extension being secured in
any desired position relatively to the tube e by means of a compressible ring e² of
india-rubber or other suitable material. The ring e² rests in a stuffing-box or
seating t at the upper end of the stand-pipe e so as to be readily compressed and
forced against its seating and the outer surface of the tube e¹ by means of a screw-
threaded nut or gland which is provided with a handle or extension t whereby it
may be readily turned. This device presents a ready means of supporting the
lamp-head at different heights whilst effectually preventing leakage at the joint
between the stand-pipe e and the telescopic extension e².
It is evident that, if desired, the aforesaid hollow stem or tube E may be male
separately from the nozzle or burner; and instead of providing the said stem or tube

page_text: with perforations, it may, if desired, be left open at its upper or inner end, a
deflecting plate being arranged at a suitable distance from this end to permit the
entrance into the casing of just the required quantity of air for the purpose above
specified, and to ensure the desired lateral deflection of the said air within the
casing. In this modification, as will be readily understood, there will be an annular
opening between the end of the stem or tube and the said deflecting plate, for the
entrance of air into the casing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. The method of providing for the admission of air to the casing of a vapor-
lamp or industrial lamp by means of a central hollow stem or tube below or in rear
of the nozzle or burner, having one or more lateral openings through which the air
will enter the said casing, substantially as herein before described.
Second. The burner constructed with the perforated hollow or tubular stem for
the admission of air to the casing, substantially as, and for the purpose, above
specified.
Third. The combination, with the burner, of the removable perforated tubular
strainer containing sponge or similar material, as, and for the purpose, above
specified.
Fourth. The improved lamp constructed substantially as described with reference
to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing.
Fifth. The modification of our invention in which we provide the lower or outer
end of the hollow stem or tube with a removable perforated cap or plug, sub-
stantially as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Sixth. The improved valve or cock provided with the strainer and constructed
as above described with reference to Figures 4, 5 and 6 of the drawing and
operating as and for the purposes, above specified.
Seventh. The improved pump constructed substantially as described with
reference to Figure 7 of the drawing and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 1st day of October 1891
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, Loudon, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.