IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN INCREASING THE ILLUMINATING POWER OF COAL GAS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nathaniel Fortescue Taylor, of 5, Manby Street,
Stratford, in the County of Essex, Gas Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN INCREASING THE
ILLUMINATING POWER OF COAL GAS."
Sealed the 23rd February 1864, and dated the 29th December 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nathaniel Fortescue
Taylor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th December 1863.
I, NATHANIEL FORTESCUE TAYLOR, of 5, Manby Street, Stratford, in the
County of Essex, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the. nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN INCREASING
THE ILLUMINATING POWER OF COAL GAS," to be as follows:-
It is well known that the illuminating power of coal gas is capable of
being considerably increased by passing such gas in contact with and so
that it may absorb hydrocarbon liquids, and various apparatus have been
arranged for causing the gas in its passage to the burners to be acted upon
by such liquids, and one part of my improvements relates to apparatus or
means by which such increased illuminating power may be better obtained.
For this purpose I employ a chamber into which the gas to be acted upon
is allowed to flow at one end. or part thereof, and from which it is allowed

page_text: to flow to the burners at an opposite end or part thereof, and the
space between the inlet and outlet passages of the gas to and from this
chamber is divided vertically by a partition or partitions adapted to effect
considerably extended surface for the passage of the gas, and I fill the
extended surface with sponge or other suitable absorbent or cellular matter
that will admit of the passage through it of the gas to be acted upon, and
will also take up the hydrocarbon liquid and hold it in suspension, so that
such liquid may act upon or be in part absorbed by the gas.
One method of forming such chambers is by the vertical partitions being
in series affixed alternately to and extending from opposite sides of the
chamber, leaving passages at the opposite ends of each partition alternately
for the passage of the gas in a circuitous or zig-zag course.
Another method is by arranging the internal passage in a sort of helix,
which may be again divided by a vertical partition open only at one of its
ends so as to cause a return of the gas back after it has traversed in one
direction. The hydrocarbon liquid is supplied to this chamber from a suitable
reservoir through a passage with a tap or valve, by which the quantity
supplied may be regulated, and it may be kept at a uniform level, by the
aid of an air tube dipping just below the desired level of liquid in this
chamber and rising to the upper part of the reservoir.
Another part of my improvements relates to means for supplying the
reservoir of such apparatus with hydrocarbon liquid, so as to avoid the risk
or danger arising from explosion by ignition of the vapour escaping at the
time of effecting such supply. For this purpose I form the supply can or vessel
for such hydrocarbon liquid with one passage from its neck provided with
a tap or valve, by which that passage may be closed, and another passage
descending through the neck to within a short space of the bottom of the
can or vessel. Both these passages open at their upper ends by preference
into an open mouth or cup. The filling of this can or receiver may be
through one of the passages whilst the air or vapour contained therein
escapes by the other, the passage through which is opened by the tap or
valve. And in supplying the reservoir I bring these two passages of the
feeding can or vessel which is then inverted over and in close contact with a
passage or passages corresponding with them, when by opening the tap or
valve in the one passage the liquid will pass by that passage into the reservoir,
whilst the vapour or gas in the reservoir will pass into the feeding can or vessel
by the other passage.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Nathaniel Fortescue Taylor in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NATHANIEL
FORTESCUE TAYLOR, of 5, Manby Street, Stratford, in the County of Essex,
Gas Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Nathaniel Fortescue Taylor, Her special licence that I, the said
Nathaniel Fortescue Taylor, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Nathaniel Fortescue Taylor, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN INCREASING THE ILLUMINATING POWER OF COAL GAS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Nathaniel Fortescue Taylor,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Nathaniel Fortescue Taylor, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
▸ following statement thereof, that is to say:―
It is well known that the illuminating power of coal gas is capable of
being considerably increased by passing such gas in contact with and so that
it may absorb hydrocarbon liquids, and various apparatus have been arranged
for causing the gas in its passage to the burners to be acted upon by
5 such liquids; amongst others, I obtained Letters Patent, dated October 21st,
1868, No. 2582, for this object, and one part of my improvements relates to
apparatus or means by which such increased illuminating power may be..
better obtained.

page_text: According to the first part of these improvements I employ a chamber into
which the gas to be acted upon is allowed to flow at one end or part thereof,
and from which it is allowed to flow to the burners at an opposite end or
part thereof, and the space between the inlet and outlet passages of the gas
to and from this chamber is divided vertically by a partition or partitions
adapted to effect considerably extended surface for the passage of the gas, and
in this extended surface I apply sponge or other suitable absorbent or
cellular matter that will admit of the passage through it of the gas to be
acted upon, and will also take up the hydrocarbon liquid and hold it
in suspension, so that such liquid may act upon or be in part absorbed by
the gas.
One method of forming such chambers is by the vertical partitions being in
series affixed alternately to and extending from opposite sides of the chamber,
leaving passages at the opposite ends of each partition alternately for the
passage of the gas in a circuitous or zig-zag course.
Another method is by arranging the internal passage in a sort of helix
which may be again divided by a vertical partition open only at one of its
ends so as to cause a return of the gas back after it has traversed in one
direction. The hydrocarbon liquid is supplied to this chamber from a
suitable reservoir through a passage with a tap or valve by which the
quantity supplied may be regulated, and it may be kept at a uniform
level by the aid of an air tube dipping just below the desired level of liquid in
this chamber and rising to the upper part of the reservoir.
The second part of my improvements relates to means for supplying the
reservoir of such apparatus with hydrocarbon liquid, so as to avoid the risk or
danger arising from explosion by ignition of the vapour escaping at the time
of effecting such supply.
For this purpose I form the supply can or vessel for such hydrocarbon
liquid with one passage from its neck provided with a tap or valve, by
which that passage may be closed, and another passage descending through
the neck to within a short space of the bottom of the can or vessel; both
these passages open at their upper ends by preference into an open mouth
or cup.
The filling of this can or receiver may be through one of the
passages, whilst the air or vapour contained therein escapes by the other,
the passage through which is opened by the tap or valve. And in supplying S
the reservoir I bring these two passages of the feeding can or vessel
which is then inverted over and in close contact with a passage or passages
corresponding with them, when, by opening the tap or valve in the one
passage, the liquid will pass by that passage into the reservoir, whilst the

page_text: Figure 1 shews a vertical section of an arrangement of apparatus according
to my Invention; Figures 2 and 3 shew horizontal sections of the same;
Figures 4 and 5 are external side and plan views of the apparatus complete.
In each of these views the same letters indicate corresponding parts wherever
they occur.
a, a, is the general case or frame, and 6 is a partition dividing the upper
portion A from the lower portion B thereof. The upper portion A. serves as
a reservoir for the hydrocarbon fluid, which may flow from thence as permitted
by the tap c to the lower portion of the chamber B; there to act upon or be
absorbed by the gas in its passage through this chamber. And in order to
obtain increase in extent of surface for the traverse of the gas within a given
space, this chamber is divided in a helical direction by the partition d, so as to
form a sort of helical passage from the point e, where the gas enters by the
passage f to the point g, where the gas passes away by the passage g'. Across
the passage for the gas thus obtained is placed a series of pieces of sponge, or
it may be other suitable absorbent or cellular matter h that will admit of the
passage of the gas through it, and will at the same time take up the hydro-
carbon liquid floating in the chamber B, and hold it in suspension to act upon
or be absorbed by the gas.. The edges of these pieces of sponge h fit closely
to the surfaces of the helical passage formed in the chamber B, and they are
held in position by the clips h. In place of the sponge or other cellular
matter employed being placed only at intèrvals in the chamber B, that
chamber may be filled with it. The lower end of the passage through the
tap c is connected to the bottom of the chamber B but with an opening at c¹
for the flow of the hydrocarbon fluid into the chamber B. i is an air tube
fixed in the partition b, and extending downwards to a distance from the
bottom of the chamber B corresponding with the height desired for the
hydrocarbon fluid in that chamber. The upper end of this tube i rises to
near the top of the reservoir chamber A, by which a constant supply of hydro-
carbon fluid is always maintained while there remains sufficient hydrocarbon
fluid in the reservoir A. a¹ is a glass tube, the ends of which are in com-
munication with the interior of the reservoir A for the purpose of indicating

page_text: the height of the fluid in that reservoir. ; is an opening closed by a screw cap
for the purpose of filling the reservoir A. If desired, the helical chamber B
may be again divided in a vertical direction, so as to cause the gas to return
again to near the point of inlet.
Figure 6 shews a sectional plan of a modification of the chamber B accord-
ing to this part of the improvements. In this case there are two vertical
partitions d, each of which is connected to the parts of the chamber B at the
top and bottom, and one end of it only, whilst there is a passage left for the
gas to pass it at d¹, and the passage d' of one of them is at the opposite end
to that of the other, by which the course of the gas, as indicated by the arrows,
will be in a circuitous or zig-zag direction. Other number of partitions for
increase of traversing surface may be employed. Corresponding parts in
this Figure are indicated by corresponding letters used in the Figures last
described.
Figure 7 shews a section of apparatus arranged according to the second
part of the improvements. I is a supply case or can, which may be of any
suitable form, and 7 is the stopper thereof for securing the hydrocarbon liquid
therein. This stopper is tapped to screw tightly into the neck of the can k,
which is formed with a female screw to receive it; but according to my
improvements this stopper is provided with a tap in the passage m, and also a s
tube n, both of which open upwards into a mouth-piece or cup o, whilst the
tube n descends to near the bottom of the can or vessel k.
In order to supply a reservoir of bydrocarbon fluid, having closed the tap
in the passage m, I bring the mouthpiece or cup o, with the ends of the two
passages m and n thereto inverted, over and in close contact with the passage S
of supply to the reservoir to be filled, as indicated by the separate view of parts
at Figure 8, and then by turning the tap in the passage m, to admit of the
flow of the hydrocarbon fluid from the can k to the reservoir; whilst such fluid
will flow into the reservoir, any vapour will pass from the reservoir by the
pipe n into the can, and by the cup o fitting closely to the neck of the
reservoir A, and passing into that reservoir; when the liquid has filled the
reservoir up to the edge of the cup o the further flow of liquid will be stopped,
preventing overflow.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what
I claim is,-
First, the adaptation or combination of means and mode of working for
effecting increase in the illuminating power of coal gas, as described.
Secondly, I claim the adaptation or combination of means for supplying

page_text: reservoirs in connection with apparatus or means for effecting increase in the
illuminating power of coal gas.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nathaniel Fortescue Taylor, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four. .
N. F. TAYLOR. (L.S.)