Improvements in Gas Lamps.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 27th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 31st Jan.. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Lamps.
I, THOMAS COOPER JOHN THOMAS, of No. 5 Carlton Road, Finsbury Park, in
the County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in regenerative lamp burners, of the kind
described in the Specification of my Patent No. 579 dated 13 January 1887; also to
improvements in the construction of regenerative lamps whereby the same are
rendered practically wind proof so that the flame can burn steadily when the lamp
is in the open air or in a large covered but otherwise open space such as a market
or shed.
In a burner according to this invention the burner proper is surrounded by an
air heater adapted to be connected to a gas supply pipe. The burner proper is a
tube provided with a perforated transverse diaphragm or end that may be flat or
conical and through which the gas issues. It is provided with a button that serves
to deflect the gas.
In one arrangement the burner tube below the perforated diaphragm is made of
gradually decreasing diameter to a certain point in its length from which it again
gradually increases in diameter to the lower end the outer circumference of which
is made with an annular enlargement of truncated conical or like form the bottom
part of which is the smallest. Thus the part of the burner tube above the perforated
diaphragm forms a gas chamber and the part below encloses around the button stem
an annular space into which the gas passes by the holes in the diaphragm and from
which it issues in an annular stream. Instead of the burner tube being made with
an annular enlargement and having its interior doubly inclined below the diaphragm
as above mentioned so that the cross sectional area of the annular space gradually
decreases and afterwards gradually increases, the burner tube may be simply
contracted at its lower end. The perforated diaphragm can be made in one with or
secured to the burner tube or be made separate therefrom and allowed to rest upon
a shoulder within the said tube which may be in one length or in two or more
lengths connected together according to circumstances. The air heater consist
may
of one or more tubes surrounding the burner tube and having the lower end or ends
contracted as in the air-heating chambers described in my said former Specification.
"In a modified form of burner the perforated diaphragm is dispensed with; the
burner proper is a perforated tube whose lower end is closed by screwing into it a
part of the button stem. This burner may be of truncated conical form and some
or all of the gas holes in it may have a downward inclination. Around it there is
a tube that may be a hollow truncated cone having its lower end splayed out or
made with a widening mouth. The air heater can be provided with a perforated or
reticulated wall or annular division in the form of a truncated cone.
As will be obvious my improved burners as above described, can be variously
modified in construction.
With the view of rendering a regenerative gas lamp practically wind proof, I
provide around the lamp chimney an air chamber between which and the chimney
there is an annular space that communicates with the air regenerator. The air
chamber is in communication with the external atmosphere through holes made in
its outer wall opposite non-perforated or blind portions of the inner one, and with the
interior of the air regenerator by holes or openings or a reticulated part of the inner
wall opposite a non-perforated or blind part or parts of the outer one.
chimney is a lamp head provided with guards or baffles to prevent down draught.
In one arrangement the inner casing wall of the air chamber except its upper and
Above the

page_text: lower parts is of gauze or perforated metal the lower part of the wall being a tubular
projection from the casing that surrounds the regenerator and the upper part of the
said wall being a similar tubular projection from the lamp head. These two tubular
projections fit respectively into the lower and upper ends of the gauze or perforated
cylinder and constitute guards that blind the perforations at these parts. The
outer wall is a casing formed with upper and lower perforations opposite the said
guards. Annular conical baffle plates are provided to prevent or moderate the
sucking or drawing out at the top of the lamp of air that enters through the inner
wall and which might otherwise be prevented from passing to the regenerator. The
lamp head is perforated and a truncated conical guard is provided above which are
arranged two concentric cap-like guards one within the other and above these is a
cap, the object of this arrangement being that currents of air entering the lamp head
may be deflected upward into the annular space between the depending walls of the
two cap-like guards in order that the force of such currents may be expended
without producing down draught. In another arrangement the air chamber is made
to extend downward so as to surround also the air regenerator. The casing forming
the outer wall of the air chamber is provided with external wind guards to its air-
inlet holes. In another modified arrangement, the said casing is perforated near
the top and provided with an external guard, the inner wall of the air chamber
being either perforated at its lower part or not perforated in which latter case the
air chamber is open at its lower end. The top of the chimney is closed and in its
wall at the upper part lateral holes are formed around which there is a guard. The
lamp head is formed with exit openings protected by a guard.
Dated this 27th day of February 1890.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Lamps.
I, THOMAS COOPER JOHN THOMAS, of No. 5, Carlton Road, Finsbury Park, in
the County of London, 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 :-
This invention has reference to improvements in regenerative lamps and relates
to the burners and to a construction whereby the lamps are rendered practically
wind proof so that the flame can burn steadily when the lamp is in the open air or
in a large covered but otherwise open space such as a market or shed.
In a burner according to this invention the burner proper is surrounded by an air
heater adapted to be connected to a gas supply pipe and this air heater is in the
form of a pipe made contracted or of gradually decreasing diameter at the open end
whence air issues and with or without annular divisions as in lamps of the kind
described in the Specification of my Patent No. 579 dated 13 January 1887. The
burner proper (ie. the part whence the gas issues) is a tube provided with a
perforated transverse diaphragm or part that may be flat or of other shape such as
conical or is itself perforated with lateral holes through which the gas issues into
an annular space that is contracted in width at some part below the orifices of the
burner proper and which is formed by the burner tube and a stem within that tube
or a tube outside of it a button being provided to deflect the gas.
The perforated diaphragm or end (hereinafter called the diaphragm) can be made
in one with or secured to the burner tube or be made separate therefrom and allowed
to rest upon a shoulder within the said tube which may be in one length or in two
or more lengths connected together according to circumstances. The air heater
may consist of one or more tubes surrounding the burner tube and having the lower
end or ends contracted as in the air-heating chambers described in my said former
Specification.

page_text: As will be obvious my improved burners can be variously modified in
construction.
In the accompanying drawings:
--
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 are vertical sections illustrating different constructions of
burners according to this invention in each of which the burner proper is surrounded
by and attached to an air-heater.
Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken in the line x x Fig. 1.
In the construction of burner shown in Figs. 1 & 6, 1 is a burner tube provided
with a perforated transverse diaphragm 2 and secured in the socket 3 of a perforated
plate 4 which forms the top of an air-heater made with an internal screw-threaded
tubular part 5, whereby it can be secured to a gas supply pipe in a manner well
understood. 6 is a downwardly extending central stem carried by the diaphragm 2
and provided at its lower end with a button 7 to deflect issuing gas in an outward
direction..
The burner tube 1 below the perforated diaphragm 2 is made of gradually
decreasing diameter to the part 8 in its length from which it again gradually
increases in diameter to the lower end 9. Thus the part of the burner tube above
the perforated diaphragm forms a gas chamber 10 and the part below encloses
around the button stem an annular space 11 into which the gas passes by the holes 2ª
in the diaphragm and from which owing to its having to pass through a contracted
passage at 8 it issues in a uniform annular stream.
Also by the construction described any dust or free carbon in the gas entering
the gas chamber 10 will pass with the gas through the perforations 2, which can be
made comparatively large say each of a diameter of about th of an inch, and will
thus be prevented from interfering with the efficiency of the lamp by choking up
the gas passage or passages.
The lower end of the burner tube at its outer circumference is provided with an
annular enlargement 12 the lower surface of which is of inverted truncated conical
form as shown and which in conjunction with the contracted lower end 13 of the
outer wall 14 of the air heater, forms a downwardly and inwardly inclined annular
air passage 15 for directing heated air passing through the heater upon the upper
surface of the annular flame proceeding from the burner. The upper surface of the
enlargement 12 may also be inclined as shown to direct the air to the passage 15
and prevent lodgement of dirt.
In Fig. 2 the perforated diaphragm 2 is made of conical form to further ensure
escape of dust and free carbon from the gas chamber 10 and the annular projection 12
shown in Fig. 1 is dispensed with, the lower outer surface of the burner tube 1 being
made of inverted truncated conical shape to form the annular air passage 15 with
the lower contracted end of the air heater.
In other respects the construction is similar to that hereinbefore described with
reference to Fig. 1.
Instead of the burner tube 1 being made with an annular enlargement and having
its interior doubly inclined below the perforated diaphragm as above mentioned
so that the cross sectional area of the annular space 11 gradually decreases and
afterwards gradually increases, the burner tube may be simply contracted at its
lower end as shown in Fig. 3.
In Figs. 1 & 2 the perforated diaphragm simply rests upon a shoulder 1ª formed
within the burner tube which is made in one piece. This construction readily
admits of the diaphragm being raised by the stem and then allowed to fall on its
seat and thereby produce sufficient shock or jar to dislodge carbon or other matter
that might have adhered to the diaphragm or to the burner tube. In Fig. 3 the
burner tube is in two lengths secured together with the perforated diaphragm
between them. The upper length is made in one with the perforated plate 4 of the
air heater, though it may be attached to this plate as in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 and the
lower end of the lower length is contracted or made of gradually decreasing diameter
in order to contract the gas passage for the purpose hereinbefore mentioned.
In the modified form of burner shown in Fig. 4 the perforated diaphragm is

page_text: dispensed with; the burner proper is a perforated tube 1 whose lower end is closed
by screwing into it a part of the button stem 6. This burner may be of inverted
truncated conical form as shown or be of cylindrical form, and some or all of the
gas holes 2 in it may have a downward inclination to facilitate the escape
of dirt.
Around it there is a tube 1ª in the form of a hollow truncated cone that forms
with the burner tube and stem a gas passage 11 of gradually decreasing cross
sectional area from top to bottom. The lower end of the tube 1 is splayed out or
made with a widening mouth which in conjunction with the button 7 imparts a
downward and outward direction to the issuing gas. The air heater can be pro-
vided with a perforated or reticulated wall or annular division 15 in the form of a
truncated cone to break up and produce a uniform and steady flow of heated air
through the air heater.
In Fig. 5 the perforated burner tube 1 is of cylindrical form and the truncated
conical tube 1 that surrounds it is not splayed out at its lower end as in Fig. 4, a
downward and outward direction being imparted to the issuing gas by the conical
upper surface of the button 7. The outer wall 14 of the air heater is made as an
inverted truncated hollow cone that forms with the tube 1" an air-heating chamber
of gradually decreasing cross sectional area from top to bottom whereby the down-
ward current of air passing therethrough is caused to act in an efficient manner upon
the top of the flame proceeding from the burner. The stems 6 shown in Figs. 4
and 5 are each formed with a square hole 16 to receive a key by which the stem
can be readily unscrewed from the burner tube for cleaning purposes. The stem
shown in Fig. 4 can be formed with a recess or pocket 7" to receive dirt from the
gas, or it may be made solid and have its upper side inclined downward and outward
as indicated in dotted lines.
With the view of rendering a regenerative gas lamp practically wind proof, I
provide around the lamp chimney an air chamber between which and the chimney
there is an annular space that communicates with the air regenerator. The air
chamber is in communication with the external atmosphere through holes made in
its outer wall opposite non-perforated or blind portions of the inner one, and with
the interior of the air regenerator by holes or openings or a reticulated part of the
inner wall opposite a non-perforated or blind part or parts of the outer one. Above
the chimney is a lamp head provided with guards or baffles to prevent down
draught.
Fig. 7 is a vertical section of one half of so much of a regenerative gas lamp
as is necessary to illustrate the application thereto of an air chamber and guards or
baffles to render the same practically wind proof. 17 is the inner casing wall of
the air chamber 18; this wall except at its upper and lower parts is of gauze or
perforated metal the lower part 18" of the wall being a tubular projection from the
casing 19 that surrounds the regenerator 20 and the upper part 18 of the said wall
being a similar tubular projection from the lamp head 20. These two tubular
projections fit respectively into the lower and upper ends of the gauze or perforated
cylinder and constitute guards that blind the perforations at these parts. The
outer wall 21 is a casing formed with upper and lower perforations 21" and 21°
respectively opposite the said guards. 22, 22" are annular conical baffle plates on
the lamp chimney 23 to prevent or moderate the sucking or drawing out at the top
of the lamp of air that enters through the inner wall 17 and which might otherwise
be prevented from passing to the regenerator. The lamp head is perforated at 24
and a truncated conical guard 25 is provided, above which are arranged two
concentric cap-like guards 26 and 27 one within the other and above these is a
cap 28 the object of this arrangement being that currents of air entering the lamp
head may be deflected upward into the annular space 29 between the depending
walls of the two cap-like guards in order that the force of such currents may be
expended without producing down draught. Between the guard 27 and cap 28 is
an annular opening 28* for escape of products of combustion.
Fig. 8 is a similar view to Fig. 7 illustrating another arrangement in which the

page_text: air chamber 18 is made to extend downward so as to surround the air regenerator 20
with which it communicates at its lower end. The inner wall 17 of the air chamber
may be either perforated at its lower part or not perforated in which latter case the
air chamber is open at its lower end as in the example shown.
It may also be formed with perforations as at 17 through which air can be
sucked or drawn from the air chamber to the top of the lamp without interfering
with the flow of air to the regenerator through the perforations 21" and lower part
of the air chamber 18. For this purpose the air chamber 18 may be divided by a
partition as indicated in dotted lines at 18* to divide it into an upper and lower
chamber. 30 and 31 are annular baffle plates to prevent air entering. the
regenerator 20 too violently and producing an unsteady flame.
The casing 19 forming the lower portion of the outer wall of the air chamber is
provided with an external wind guard 32 to its air-inlet holes 21". The casing 21
is perforated near the top at 21 and may be provided at this part with an external
guard.
The top of the chimney 23 is closed by a cover 23 and in its wall at the upper
part, lateral holes or an annular opening 33 are or is formed, around which there is
a guard 34. 22 is a baffle plate made as in Fig. 7. The lamp head is formed with
an annular exit opening 28* protected by a guard 36.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a gas lamp, an inverted burner comprising a burner tube provided with a
perforated diaphragm and having an annular gas passage that gradually decreases
in cross sectional area to one part and then gradually increases in cross sectional
area to the exit end, and formed between the burner tube and a stem provided with
a gas-deflecting button substantially as herein described.
2. In a gas lamp, an inverted burner comprising a burner tube closed at its lower
end by a stem carrying a deflector and formed with gas-exit openings, and a tube
surrounding the said burner tube and stem and forming therewith an annular gas
passage of gradually decreasing cross sectional area as it proceeds downward
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In a regenerative gas lamp the combination of parts constructed and arranged
as described with reference to and shown in Figs. 1 and 6 of the drawings annexed.
4. In a regenerative gas lamp the combination of parts constructed and arranged
as described with reference to and shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings annexed.
5. In a regenerative gas lamp the combination of parts constructed and arranged
as described with reference to and shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings annexed.
6. In a regenerative gas lamp the combination of parts constructed and arranged
as described with reference to and shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings annexed.
7. In a regenerative gas lamp the combination of parts constructed and arranged
as described with reference to and shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings annexed.
8. A regenerative gas lamp in which there is provided around the lamp chimney
an air chamber between which and the chimney there is an air space that com-
municates with the air regenerator, the said air chamber being in communication
with the external atmosphere through holes made in its outer wall opposite non-
perforated or blind portions of its inner one, and with the regenerator by one or
more holes opposite or near a non-perforated or blind part or parts of the outer one
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the examples illustrated
respectively in Fig. 7 and in Fig. 8 of the drawings annexed for the purpose specified.
Dated this 27th day of November 1890
T. C. J. THOMAS.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.