Improved Apparatus for the Automatic Production of Acetylene Gas.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for the Automatic Production of
Acetylene Gas.
I, REGINALD HADDAN of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co., of
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London, Patent Agent, do. hereby
declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me from abroad by
Herman Colberg, Manufacturer, of Barcelona, Spain, and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention relates to an improved apparatus for the production of
acetylene-gas by the reaction of water upon carbide of calcium, in which instead
of the water falling by degrees upon the carbide of calcium, as is the case in
most of the hitherto known apparatus, it is the carbide of calcium which falls
in small portions into the water.
This apparatus is shown in the annexed drawing in vertical section and is
composed of a receiver A A intended to contain erushed carbide of calcium which
is introduced through the opening B with a tightly closing cover, so that no gas
can escape through this latter opening. The bottom of the receiver A is inclined
in the manner of a funnel, to cause the carbide of calcium to descend and leave
through the circular opening, in the bottom of the receiver and provided with a
conical valve C, which closes it very exactly. G G is a reserved space filled with
any substance, which is a bad conductor of heat.
In order that the valve C cannot be hindered in its operation by the accumulation
of carbide of calcium upon it, a protecting cap D is so arranged that it prevents
the carbide from falling on to the valve and obliges the carbide to pass under the
cap, through the free spaces, left between the feet, thereof by means of which the
cap is connected with the bottom of the receiver A A.
The bottom of the valve C is provided with a rod H which traverses a spiral
spring F., this spring presses with one end against the bottom of the valve and
with the other end upon a bar equally traversed by the rod H.
The under end J of the rod H is pivoted to a lever I I, of which one end I¹turns
upon a support fixed on the wall of the apparatus whilst its other end is provided
with a ring K through which passes a rod N N the upper end of which is fixed in
the centre of the bell L of the gas holder. The rod N N carries two small
cross-rods and O', which cannot pass through the ring K and the under end of
the rod N N sustains one end of a bar Q Q, of which the other end is provided
with a plate P placed exactly under the opening of the valve C and provided with
holes.
Under the receiver A A and communicating with it by means of the
chamber Y Y is a box R R closed hermetically by means of a tightly closing
cover S; the opening to which this cover is adapted being large enough for
giving passage to a water receiver T T.
Next to the receiver A A is a gas holder Z Z the bell L of which communi-
cates with the box R R by means of a tube M. A tube U U conducts the gas
from the bell L to the distributing pipes.
This apparatus operates in the following manner.
A certain quantity of crushed carbide of calcium is placed in the receiver A A,
the valve C being closed. The receiver T T filled with water is introduced into
the box R R and the openings B and S are closed hermetically. The cock U

page_text: is then opened for letting all the air contained in the bell L to escape from
the gas holder Z; the bell will sink and as soon as the cross-rod O touches the
ring K, through which it cannot pass, it will operate the lever I and by means
of the rod H the valve C will be pressed downwards compressing the spring F.
A certain quantity of the carbide of calcium will then fall through this opening
into the water, producing instantaneously in the box R R acetylene-gas, which
rises through the tube M into the bell L and lifts the latter and at the same time
the rod N N which is fixed to it. When the cross-rod O has left the ring K, the
spring F will operate upon the valve C, which will close the opening for the
carbide, and when the cross-rod O¹ presses against the ring K the valve C will
be strongly pressed against its seat, thus securing the closing of the receiver A.
As said before, the valve C is protected by the cap D fixed in the bottom of the
receiver A by means of the feet, between which the carbide of calcium will pass.
The valve C is also provided with metal horns E E, by means of which the
carbide of calcium is moved during the operation of the valve which prevents
this material from sticking or agglommerating.
While the gas contained under the bell L is being consumed, this bell sinks
and as
soon as the cross-rod comes in contact with the ring K the same
process is repeated as before described. The plate P rises and descends at the
same time as the bell L; to prevent too large a quantity of carbide falling at
once into the water of the receiver T, if accidentally the spring F or any other
part of the apparatus were damaged, which would produce the rapid production
of a large quantity of gas.. If such an accident were to happen, the carbide
would fall upon the plate P and as soon as the bell L rises the carbide would
be taken away from the action of the water in consequence of the raising of the
plate P, and the production of gas would cease. This plate P serves also to agitate
the water of the receiver T T and to prevent this the refuse accumulating in only
one place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. An improved apparatus for the production of acetylene gas by the reaction
of water upon the carbide of calcium in which the crushed carbide of calcium
falls in small portions into a volume of water, this fall being regulated by the
rising and falling of the bell of the gas meter, and more especially by means
of a rod which follows the movements of the bell and which carries two cross-rods,
operating upon a lever, which operates upon a spring valve by means of a rod
this spring valve which stops the falling of the carbide being also assisted by the
one of the cross-rods when it touches the lever, and giving way in order to let
pass a certain quantity of carbide, when the other cross-rod touches the same
lever.
2. In the apparatus described above a receiving plate for the carbide adapted to
rise and sink with the bell of the gas-meter, in order to prevent a too large
production of gas, in the case of irregularity in the apparatus.
Dated this 26th day of October 1896.
R. HADDAN.