Improvements in and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas for Lighting and other Purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 31st Mar., 1891-Accepted, 30th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas for
Lighting and other Purposes.
I, EDWARD WILLIAM WALKER of 69 Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of gas for lighting and heating by
producing and combining ordinary coal gas and water gas, or ordinary coal and
gas
water gas and hydrogen, and to apparatus to be employed in the said manufacture.
According to this invention the retorts or chambers in which the coal gas and
water gas are produced are set in a furnace by which heat is applied externally to
the said retorts-or-chambers. The coal gas is led-off from the said retorts and
passed into a hydraulic main, condenser and washer by which the tar and aqueous
vapours and part of the ammonia are removed and then the said coal gas is passed
into carburetters into which also the water gas is passed.
It is preferred to use inclined or vertical retorts rather than horizontal ones to
facilitate charging and discharging.
Before withdrawing the hot coke from the coal gas retort or retorts steam may
be admitted which keeps the retorts free from deposited carbon. This would
increase the quantity of sulphur and ammonia in the coal gas but the increase of
sulphur is not objectionable in this process as the total sulphur less what is con-
tained in the gas used in firing the furnace has to be removed from the gas before
storing in the holder. If however the sulphur should prove objectionable the pipes
leading from the coal gas retorts to the hydraulic main may be closed by a valve
or other means before the steam is passed through the hot coke and then the
sulphur etc., produced by the steam may be discharged elsewhere and not allowed
to mix with the coal gas at all.
The hot coke withdrawn from the retort or retorts may be placed in the retorts
or chambers used as water gas producers to which superheated steam is admitted
for forming water gas. These retorts may be in batteries of two in the first of
which the steam is decomposed forming an imperfect water gas principally
carbonic acid and hydrogen.
gas
This imperfect water gas may be passed through the second water retort
where the carbonic acid is converted into carbonic oxide. The imperfect water
gas produced in the first retort may be superheated before being passed into the
second water gas retort. The retorts may be placed for example four in a bench
and be worked in pairs. These retorts may if so desired each have in connection
with them two or more smaller fireclay retorts or pipes fitted with baffling plates
of fireclay, porcelain, or other suitable material to increase their efficiency, for the
purpose of superheating first the steam used in the first retort and secondly the
imperfect water gas produced therein previous to its passage into the second retort
where it is converted into a perfect water gas.
It is preferred to make water gas in two operations because the superheated
steam is decomposed at a much lower temperature than is carbonic acid and the
carbonic acid being subsequently superheated facilitates its conversion into carbonic
oxide.
All the retorts or chambers and superheating pipes and also the carburetters
may be arranged in a furnace of any convenient form and the top ends of the

page_text: inclined retorts and pipes may protrude through the roof of the furnace the lower
ends coming out through the front of the furnace while the lower ends of the
aforesaid superheaters communicate with the lower ends of the water gas pro-
ducers. Both ends of the retorts are provided with doors for charging and
discharging.
The carburetters (say three or more) are preferably placed horizontally and
fitted with baffling plates of fireclay or porcelain or other suitable material to
increase their efficiency.
The coal gas produced in the first carbonisation of the coal may be sent under
pressure by an exhauster back to the carburetters where it may be divided into jets
one in each end of the carburetters to draw or help to draw the water gas from the
retorts. The two gases will then of course mix together and may be forced
through a pipe in the centre of the carburetters to the middle thereof and may then
pass back to the ends of the carburetters coming in contact with the baffling plates
therein.
The carburetting may be effected in three or more stages in which case the total
water gas with say about one third of the coal gas produced in the first carbonisation
of the coal will be carburetted up to a certain point in the first carburetter a
sufficient quantity of hydrocarbon oil or tar being added for that purpose.
Another third, more or less, of the coal gas acting as a jet under a slight pressure
from the exhauster forces the gas through the second carburetter additional hydro-
carbon oil or tar being here added.
The remaining portion of the coal gas acting as a jet forces the gas through the
third carburetter, additional hydrocarbon oil or tar being added here also.
By dividing the carburetting into stages and adding the carburetting material also
in stages gas of any desired luminosity can be made with a minimuun of carburetting
material but of course the gases can be passed either through all the carburetters
simultaneously or first into one and then into the other and so on. The gas after
passing through the last carburetter can be led away by coolers scrubbers and
purifiers and thence to the holders in the ordinary way.
The
It may be advantageous whenever the carburetting material is free from sulphur
to thoroughly purify both the gases before mixing and carburetting the same.
The furnace may (in addition to the retorts or chambers, superheaters and
carburetters already described) be fitted with one or more fireclay retorts containing
spongy iron to produce hydrogen by decomposition with steam.
The said spongy
iron may be supported on trays and may be alternately oxidised by passing steam
thereover or therethrough (thus producing hydrogen) and then be reduced to a
metallic state again by passing water gas thercover or therethrough.
hydrogen so produced is forced into the carburetters where it mixes with the
coal gas and water gas and passes through the carburetters with them. The water
gas used in the hydrogen producer or producers is taken from the water gas
producers already described thus reducing the quantity of water gas to be mixed
with coal gas but replacing it with hydrogen. By this means the percentage of
carbonic oxide in the finished gas may be reduced to almost any desired point
and a better quality of gas obtained.
The furnace is by preference a gas fired furnace fitted with regenerators, and
reversing valve for air only the gas being a waste gas hot from the hydrogen
producers, but any other suitable heating medium may be used.
Dated this 30th day of May 1890.

page_text: Improvements in and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas for
Lighting and other Purposes.
I, EDWARD WILLIAM WALKER of 69 Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex, 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 consists in the manufacture of gas for lighting and other purposes
by producing combining and carburetting ordinary coal gas and water gas, or
ordinary coal gas and water gas and hydrogen, as hereinafter explained and in
apparatus to be employed in the said manufacture.
I will describe the processes according to my invention with reference to the
accompanying drawings which illustrate an apparatus by which the processes may
be carried out premising however that I do not restrict myself to the precise
construction and arrangement described and illustrated.
Figure 1 of the drawings represents in partial front elevation and partial
longitudinal section an arrangement of apparatus according to my invention:
Figure 2 is a back elevation of one half of Figure 1 and
Figure 3 is a transverse section taken along the line 1-2 in Figure 2.
According to this invention the retorts or chambers in which the coal gas and
water gas are produced are set in a furnace A. by which heat is applied externally
to the said retorts or chambers. The coal gas is led off from the retorts B by a
pipe B3 and passed into a hydraulic main B and from thence to the usual
condensers and washers by which the tar and aqueous vapours and part of the
ammonia are removed and then the said coal gas is passed by means of a pipe B°
into carburetters E into which also the water gas is passed through pipe D³ and
valve Dº.
It is preferred to use inclined retorts rather than horizontal ones to facilitate
charging and discharging.
After the gas is exhausted and before withdrawing the hot coke from the coal
gas retort or retorts B steam may be admitted by means of a pipe B' through
valve B to keep the retorts free from deposited carbon and the pipes leading
from the coal gas retorts to the hydraulic main may be closed by valve B or other
means before the steam is passed through the hot coke and then the sulphur etc.
produced may be discharged elsewhere and not allowed to mix with the coal gas.
The hot coke withdrawn from the retort or retorts B may be placed in the
retorts or chambers C and D used as water gas producers to which steam is
admitted for forming water gas. The steam may be introduced direct into retort C
or be first passed into superheaters C³ hereinafter described by means of pipe C*.
The retorts C and D may be in batteries of two in the first of which C the steam
is decomposed forming an imperfect water gas principally carbonic acid and
hydrogen.
This imperfect water gas may be passed through the second water gas retort D
where the carbonic acid is converted into carbonic oxide. The imperfect water
gas produced in the first retort C may be superheated before being passed into
the second water gas retort D. The retorts may be placed for example four in
a bench and be worked in pairs. These retorts may if desired each have in
connection with them one two or more smaller fireclay retorts such as shewn at C³
and D³ fitted with baffle plates d of fireclay porcelain or other suitable material to
increase their efficiency for the purpose of superheating first the steam used in
the first retort C and secondly the imperfect water gas produced therein previous
to its passage by means of pipes Cs through superheaters D3 and the pipe D into
the second retort D where it is converted into a perfect water gas.
It is preferred to make water gas in two operations because the superheated

page_text: steam is decomposed at a much lower temperature than is carbonic acid and the
carbonic acid being subsequently superheated facilitates its conversion into
carbonic oxide.
B B C C D D² E' E' F¹ F' are the lids or covers of the respective retorts B
CDE and F.
All the retorts or chambers B C and D and superheating retorts C³ and D³ and
also the carburetters E may be arranged in a furnace of any convenient form and
the top ends of the inclined retorts may protrude through the back of the furnace A
the lower ends coming out through the front of the furnace A as shewn in Figure 3
while the lower ends of the aforesaid superheaters C³ and D³ communicate with the
lower ends of the water gas producers C and D.
The carburetters E (say 3 or more) are preferably fitted with baffle plates e of
fireclay or porcelain or other suitable material to increase their efficiency.
The coal gas produced in the first carbonization of the coal (which gas may be
combined with hydrogen as hereinafter described) may be sent under pressure
through the pipe B by an exhauster to the carburetters E where it may be divided
into jets one in the end of each of the carburetters E to draw or help to draw the
water gas from the retort D by the pipe D' and valve D. The two gases will
then mix together and may be forced through a pipe E³ in the centre of each of the
carburetters E and may then pass from the said pipe as shewn by arrows over the
outside of the pipes E back to the ends of the carburetters at which they entered
coming in contact with the baffle plates e.
The carburetting may be effected in stages (preferably three) in which case the
total water gas with say about rd of the coal gas produced in the first carbonization
of the coal (which coal gas acts as a jet being under a slight pressure from the
exhauster) will be carburetted up to a certain point in the first carburetter a
sufficient quantity of hydrocarbon oil or tar being added for that purpose by means
of pipes G and G¹.
Another third more or less of the coal gas acting as a jet under a slight pressure
from the exhauster forces the gas through the second carburetter additional hydro-
carbon oil or tar being here added.
The remaining portion of the coal gas, acting as a jet forces the gas through the
third carburetter, additional hydrocarbon oil or tar being added here also.
By dividing the carburetting into stages and adding the carburetting material
also in stages gas of any desired luminosity can be made with a minimum of
carburetting material but of course the gases can be passed either through all the
carburetters simultaneously or first into one and then into the other and so on.
The combined gases after passing through the last carburetter can be led away by
means of a pipe E to coolers, scrubbers and purifiers and thence to the holders in
the ordinary way.
It may be advantageous whenever the carburetting material is free from sulphur
to thoroughly purify both the gases before mixing and carburetting the same.
The furnace A may (in addition to the retorts or chambers superheaters and
carburetters already described) be fitted with fireclay retorts F containing spongy
iron to produce hydrogen by decomposition with steam. The said spongy iron may
be supported on trays F3 and may be alternately oxidised by passing steam
thercover or therethrough by means of valve f (thus producing hydrogen) and
then be reduced to a metallic state again by passing water gas there-over or there-
through by means of the pipes D and valves De thus avoiding the necessity for
removing the charge of iron. The hydrogen so produced is led away through the
valve D by means of pipe D' into main D which communicates with the pipes B³
and thus the hydrogen mixes with the coal gas as it issues from the coal gas retorts
the hydrogen absorbing some of the lighter hydrocarbons. The united gases pass
together to the condensers and washers and thence to the exhauster which forces
them into the carburetters E where they mix with water gas and pass through the
carburetters E with it. The water gas used in the hydrogen producer or pro-
ducers F is taken from the water gas producer or producers D already described

page_text: by the pipe D and through the valve D' thus reducing the quantity of water gas
to be mixed with coal gas, but replacing it with hydrogen. By this means the
percentage of carbonic oxide in the finished gas may be reduced to almost any
desired point.
The furnace A is by preference a gas fired furnace fitted with regenerators A¹
and a reversing valve for air (not shewn) the gas being a waste gas hot from the
hydrogen producers F which is led away alternately through valves F and pipes F³
but any other suitable heating medium may be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1st. The process for the manufacture of gas for lighting or other purpose by
producing, combining, and carburetting coal gas and water gas or coal gas, water
gas, and hydrogen, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2nd. The production of water gas in stages or separate operations substantially
as hereinbefore described, whether or not superheaters be used in the production
as described.
3rd. The manufacture of gas for lighting or other purpose by combining coal
gas after condensation, with water gas produced in the manner described, and
carburetting the mixed gases substantially as hereinbefore described.
4th. The manufacture of gas for lighting or other purpose by combining coal
gas after condensation, with water gas produced in the manner described and
with hydrogen, and carburetting the mixture substantially as hereinbefore
described.
5th. In a process for the manufacture of gas for lighting or other purpose, in
which hydrogen is employed, the use of water gas for restoring to a metallic
state the iron which has been used for the decomposition of steam, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
6th. In a process for the manufacture of gas for lighting or other purpose in
which carburetting is employed, effecting the carburetting in stages or separate
operations substantially as herein before described.
7th. The general combination and arrangement of parts constituting an apparatus
for the manufacture of gas for lighting or other purpose substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Deted this 21st day of March 1891
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.