Year: 1899

page_text: I, FRANCIS WINDHAM, Engineer, of 3, Blomfield Street, City of London, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:- i
31
The body of the lamp is made of two or more metal casings so arranged that
the intervening space between them may be filled with water which acts in a
double capacity, that of a feed reservoir, and a water jacket to subdue the heat
evolved from the carbide.
In the space between the above double water jacketed walls I prefer to place
the carbide and I complete the structure of the lamp by closing the front with a
reflector or its attachment (the back of which may be also water jacketed) and
at the back of the lamp I place a removeable door to obtain access to the charge
of carbide.
The water is admitted preferably to the lower part of the carbide by a needle
valve guarded by a cage having access to the water jacket, a filter is placed
where possible in the said chamber, in large lamps I may subdivide the inner
chamber by a water container.
I, FRANCIS WINDHAM, Engineer, of. 3, Blomfield Street, in the City of London,
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 relates to acetylene lamps, its principal object being to provide
a lamp in which undue heating when the carbide is brought into contact with
water, for the generation of gas, may be avoided.
In carrying out this invention a carbide chamber or inner casing is surrounded
with an external casing or jacket, the space enclosed between these two chambers
or casings being utilised as the water chamber to carry the supply of water
for generating gas from the carbide. The outer and inner casings are connected
on one side, and an orifice made through them, by which carbide may be admitted
to the interior of the inner casing. This orifice may be closed by a removable
door or its equivalent.
A needle valve arranged at the bottom of the lamp admits water from the
jacket to the carbide, and is so arranged that the needle cannot be forced into its

page_text: seating and damaged. Around the valve and within the carbide chamber is a
perforated sleeve, by which the water is dispersed amongst the carbide and
attacks it at different levels, as the charge becomes exhausted.
The gas is collected in the upper part of the chamber, and passing through a
filter is conveyed to a burner conveniently arranged adjacent to the carbide
chamber. A reflector is provided for the burner, and is supported from the
exterior of the carbide chamber, or the water jacket, by brackets, so that an air
space is left between the reflector and the wall of the carbide chamber or water
jacket.
ו.'
The arrangement of the needle valve prevents the water from suddenly attack-
ing the carbide and generating a great amount of heat, which becomes dangerous.
The water supply surrounding the carbide chamber and the air space between
the reflector and the wall of the water jacket or carbide chamber also both help
to keep the carbide cool.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a lamp constructed according to this
invention, and
Figure 2 is a perspective external view of the same.
The inner casing or carbide chamber A, preferably cylindrical in form, 18
encircled-by-an-external casing A', so that a-water-chamber A2 is formed between
the two casings. The casing A is connected to the casing A¹ at the rear of the
lamp, but does not extend to the front A³ of the casing A', so that water is
permitted to flow. between the two casings on that side. At the rear of the lamp
an orifice B is provided, by which access may be had to the interior of the
casing A. The orifice B is closed by a removable door comprising two-plates BLB
respectively, one on either side of a rubber ring or washer B. The plates B' B³
are connected by a bolt and wing nut B, so that when the nut is revolved about
the bolt, which is preferably fixed to, or prevented from turning within the
plate B, the latter is drawn towards the plate B', and the rubber B3 made to
expand against the sides of the orifice B. The plate B' may be provided with a
Hange or shoulder B5 to prevent the door being accidentally pushed through the
orifice B into the chamber A.
...
At the lower end of the lamp is arranged a needle valve for admitting water
from the chamber A² to the carbide within the inner casing A. The seating C
of the valve is fixed in any convenient manner within the lower end of the
casing A and projects through the same, but has no connection with the outer
casing A¹.
A screw-threaded socket C is secured within the lower end of the casing A'
opposite the seating C, and a needle C³, carried by a screw-threaded spindle C is
passed through the plug C2, and the shaft C screwed into the same.
A perforated sleeve C is fitted over the end of the valve seating C within
the carbide chamber, so that carbide may not fall upon the valve and obstruct it.
This sleeve C also serves to conduct the water admitted by the valve to higher
levels within the carbide chamber as the carbide in the lower part of the chamber
becomes exhausted.
A perforated chamber D containing any well-known filtering medium is
conveniently secured in the upper end of the carbide chamber, and communicates
with a pipe D which conveys the gas through the bottom of the. lamp. To the
front A of the casing A¹ (which is preferably concave) is secured by means of
brackets E, a reflector E¹ carrying any convenient form of bezel E. In the
bottom of the reflector or bezel is arranged a burner E3, and the lower end of the
burner is connected by flexible tubing E to the end of the pipe D¹, which
projects below the casing A¹ A glass F may be secured in any convenient
manner in the bezel E2, and an outlet G with or without a chimney or covering G¹
may be formed in the bezel Eª.
The operation of this device is as follows:-
-
The door B1 B2 B3 having been removed from the orifice B, the charge of carbide

page_text: is placed within the chamber A, presuming the needle valve to be closed, the
chamber A is filled with water admitted through any convenient orifice, with
which the casing A' may be provided.
The needle C is now withdrawn from its seating C by revolving the shaft C",
so that water is admitted into the lower end of the carbide chamber, and the gas
generated collects in the upper part of the chamber, and passes through the
filter D, pipe D', connection E to the burner E3, where it may be ignited.
The pressure of gas generated in the chamber A checks the inflow of the water
in the usual well-known manner, so that the needle valve need not again be
operated until it is desired to stop the generation of gas. When this valve is
closed the needle is forced against the seating C by means of the screw-threaded
spindle C, and the seating Chaving no connection with the part C3, or the outer
casing A¹ of the lamp will cause that part of the casing A, to which it is secured,
to spring in, if the needle is unduly forced against it. By this means damage
to the needle valve is prevented, and any convenient stop may be provided, if
desired, for the screw-threaded spindle C, so that this cannot be screwed in
sufficiently far to force the casing A to spring in a given limit.
It will be understood that the water in the chamber Aª surrounding the carbide
chamber will rapidly conduct away the heat generated by the carbide operated
upon by the water of the air space between the reflector E' and the wall A³ of
the casing A will prevent heat from the burner being conducted to the carbide
chamber, and as the reflector gets hot a continual current of air will be caused
to pass between these two parts.
If preferred the casing A may be connected to the wall A³ of the casing A¹ by
brackets to give the carbide chamber additional support.
In some cases the casing A may be carried through the casing A¹ and secured
to the part A3, so that the front of the carbide chamber is not water jacketed.
If preferred two or more carbide chambers may be arranged within a common
water jacket, water being admitted between the different chambers, as it is found
that a series of small quantities of carbide give better results than a large quantity
in a single chamber.
When two or more chambers are used, each chamber may be provided with a
separate needle valve, or they may be connected together in any convenient
manner to a needle valve common to all of the chambers.
The lamp when intended for use with a cycle, motor vehicle, or the like, may
be provided with a socket H of some well-known construction for the reception
of a lamp bracket.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In an acetylene lamp the combination with a water jacketed carbide chamber
of a needle valve situated in the bottom of the carbide chamber substantially as
and for the purpose described.
2. In an acetylene lamp of the kind described the employment of a burner
situated within a reflector separated from the carbide chamber by an air space,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In an acetylene lamp the combination with a water jacketed carbide chamber
of a burner situated within a reflector separated from this body by an air space
with or without a water jacketed connection between the carbide chamber and
the burner substantially as described.
4. In an acetylene lamp the combination with a needle valve such as C C³ of a
carbide chamber so mounted within the water receptacle that the chamber and
receptacle can have relative movement for the purpose described.
5. In an acetylene lamp the combination of a water chamber a smaller carbide
chamber contained therein a gas pipe from the carbide chamber passing through
the water jacket towards the burner a valve in the bottom of the carbide chamber

page_text: through which the water flows upward from the water chamber into the carbide
chamber and a lid at the back to close the carbide chamber, substantially as
described.
6. In an acetylene lamp a water chamber recessed to receive the reflector of
the lamp and containing a carbide chamber a water valve and gas pipe sub-
stantially as described.
7. In an acetylene lamp of the kind described the combination with the
carbide chamber of a door such as B1 B2 B3 substantially as described and illus-
trated in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
A
"
1
8. The complete acetylene lamp substantially as described or illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.