CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND APPLYING GAS FROM AIR AND HYDROCARBON FLUIDS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING PURPOSES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Brin, of Kue des Acacias, No. 11, at
Paris (France), Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND APPLYING GAS FROM
AIR AND HYDROCARBON FLUIDS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING PURPOSES."
Sealed the 17th July 1868, and dated the 11th February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Brin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th February 1868.
I, ARTHUR BRIN, of Rue des Acacias, No 11, at Paris (France),
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND APPLYING GAS
FROM AIR AND HYDROCARBON FLUIDS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING PURPOSES,'
to be as follows:-
The essence, and ethers ausing from the distillation of the oils of
petroleum and schist from tar and volatile hydrocarbons generally,
have the property of emitting in contact with air vapours which if
This
lighted produce flames of great lighting and heating intensity.

page_text: natural transformation of the essences into inflammable vapours has
already given the idea of utilizing them to form a gas of more simple
and economical production than ordinary gas obtained from coal; thus
a gaseous vapour has been produced by forcing a current of air through
a vessel containing sponge or other porous material impregnated with
the essences or volatile oils; but this carburation of the air has hitherto
not produced satisfactory results owing to the imperfections of the
apparatus employed, which have not been adapted for the regular pro-
duction of gas or for the prevention of accidental explosion.
Now my Invention consists in improvements in apparatus for the
production and application of gaseous vapor by the carburation
of air by means of mineral essences and ethers, light oils, and other
liquid hydrocarburets The main feature or principle of my apparatus
is the combination of a constant and continuous feed in drops with
a regular and automatic distribution of the volatile liquid, with the
object of producing without danger, with its vapors and with air, a
current of gaseous mixture capable of burning for a determined
number of orifices with a uniform development of light and heat.
For these purposes I construct a generator of peculiar action which I
apply to the different apparatus for lighting and heating; this generator
may be arranged in two ways, one of which allows of a precise and
very delicate regulation of the feed. The air to be carburetted is
sent into the generator by any suitable means, but preferably by a fan
worked by clockwork or otherwise.
In the first and simple arrangement, which I will describe as applied
for supplying a single burner to form a portable lamp, the main parts
of the apparatus which also constitute the characteristic features
of the Invention, are, first, a reservoir containing the volatile liquid
and closed hermetically by a screwed stopper; secondly, a
feeder receiving the liquid drop by drop from the reservoir through
pipes or channels which are flush with the liquid in the fceder and
keep up a constant level, thirdly, of a carburator, into which metallic
or other cords or wicks lead the liquid drawn from the feeder. This
carburator is filled with a porous or spongy body, such as cotton or
other material capable of absorbing and dividing the liquid. Two
tubular sockets at the two ends of the carburator serve one for the
entrance of air and the other for the exit of the gaseous mixture by
a pipe to the burner. The stand of the parts just described encloses

page_text: a fan for driving air into the carburator. It is the passage of this
air which by furnishing the necessary pressure above the liquid in the
reservoir makes the drops descend into the feeder and draws them in
concert with the capillary action of the cords or wicks into the carburator
in which the vaporization is effected. The hermetic closing of the
vessels completely isolating the liquid from contact with the atmosphere
all danger of explosion is avoided. Besides the feed and the vaporization
being dependent on the forced current of air, the production of the
gaseous vapor is effected in a continuous and automatic manner in pro-
portion to the speed of the fan, which may be regulated as required.
The reservoir may have a jacket containing water to produce a hydraulic
closing.
In another arrangement the feeder has a series of syphon tubes by
which the feed may be varied to a very fine degree; for this purpose
the syphons, say eleven, have their short legs of gradually diminishing
length. They are connected to a bar by which they may be raised
or lowered according to the number of syphons required to be dipped
in the liquid. The raising and lowering may be effected by a rack
and pinion (or otherwise), the shaft of the pinion passing to the outside
through a hermetic stuffing box Gasometers or gas holders may be
connected with the apparatus Any overflow from the carburator may
run into a vessel below.
I now proceed to describe the application of my Invention
to heating. In applying the Invention to a blast or blow pipe, the air
from the blower serves both to engender the gaseous mixture and
to furnish the air for keeping up combustion, this blast or blow pipe
develops a more intense heat than all apparatus of the same kind with
hydrogen.
In applying the Invention to heating a tubular boiler by the gaseous
a
one part or end of the boiler box
vapour employ at
with two compartments in which two series of short conical tubes
are fitted
The gaseous vapor is led from the generator into one
compartment, that next the boiler tubes, and issues by the tubes in
this compartment, air from a fan enters the other compartment and
passes through the tubes therein; each of these tubes extends into
one of the tubes in the other compartment, and thus constitutes a
separate blast or blow pipe. All these blast pipes are fitted opposite
which are bent back at
corresponding tubes of the boiler,

page_text: the opposite ond of the boiler so as to return and open into a chamber
communicating with the chimney by lateral channels which surround
the boiler tubes, the hot gases from the flames therefore first heat
the tubes at the lower part, then passing up, enter the chamber and
transmit their heat to the casing of the boiler before they escape by
the chimney.
My Invention may also be applied for heating culinary apparatus and
for heating railway carriages. For the latter purpose I employ
an arrangement of one or more blast or blow pipes which shoot the
flame of the gaseous vapor into channels circulating below the floor
and provided with air holes.
My apparatus may be employed to generate gaseous vapour, not only
from essences alone, but from essences mixed with alcohol or other
inflammable liquid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Arthur Brin in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARTHUR
BRIN, of Rue des Acacias, No. 11, at Paris (France), Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Iler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Arthur Brin, Her special
licence that 1, the said Arthur Brin, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others, as I, the said Arthur Brin, 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 "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND APPLYING GAS FROM AIR
AND HYDROCARBON FLUIDS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING PURPOSES, upon the

page_text: condition (amongst others) that I, the said Arthur Brin, 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 my 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 Arthur Brin, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say.-
The essences and ethers arising from the distillation of the oils of
petroleum and schist from tar and volatile hydrocarbons generally
have the property of emitting in contact with air vapours which if
lighted produce flames of great lighting and heating intensity. This
natural transformation of the essences into inflammable vapours has
already given the idea of utilizing them to form a gas of more simple
and economical production than ordinary gas obtained from coal
Thus a gaseous vapour has been produced by forcing a current of air
through a vessel containing sponge or other porous material impreg-
nated with the essences or volatile oils; but this carburation of the
air has hitherto not produced satisfactory results owing to the im-
perfections of the apparatus employed which have not been adapted for
the regular production of gas or for the prevention of accidental
explosion.
Now my Invention consists in improvements in apparatus for the
production and application of gaseous vapour by the carburation of air
by means of mineral essences and ethers, light oils, and other liquid
hydrocarburets.
The main feature or principle of my apparatus is the combination
of a constant and continuous feed in drops with regular and automatic
distribution of the volatile liquid with the object of producing without
danger with its vapors and with air a current of gaseous mixture
capable of burning at a determined number of orifices with a uniform
development of light and heat. For these purposes I construct a
generator of peculiar action, which I apply to the different apparatus

page_text: for lighting and heating. This generator may be arranged in two ways,
one of which allows of a very precise and very delicate regulation of
the feed. The air to be carburetted is sent into the generator by any
suitable means, but preferably by a fan worked by clockwork or
otherwise.
The Invention will be fully understood by the accompanying Drawings
and the following description.-In the first and simple arrangement,
which I will describe as applied for supplying a single burner to form a
portable lamp, and which is represented in elevation, partly in section in
Figure 1, the main parts of the apparatus which also constitute the char-
acteristic features of the Invention are, first, a reservoir A containing
the volatile liquid and closed hermetically by a screwed stopper a;
secondly, a feeder B receiving the liquid drop by drop from the reservoir
through two pipes or channels b, b, which are flush with the liquid in the
feeder and keep up a constant level; thirdly, of a carburator C into which
metallic or other cords or wicks c, c, lead the liquid drawn from the
feeder; this carburator is filled with a porous or spongy body d, such
as cotton or other material capable of absorbing and dividing the liquid.
Two tubular sockets e and f at the two ends of the curburator serve one
(e) for the entrance of air and the other (f) for the exit of the gaseous
mixture by a pipe g to the burner. The support or stand for the parts
just described encloses a fan F for driving air into the carburator; it is
the passage of this air which by furnishing the necessary pressure above
the liquid in the reservoir makes the drops descend into the feeder and
draws them in concert with the capillary action of the cords or wicks
into the carburator in which the vaporization is effected. The hermetic
closing of the vessels completely isolating the liquid from contact with
the atmosphere all danger of explosion is avoided. Besides the feed and
the vaporization being dependent on the forced current of air the
production of the gaseous vapor is effected in a continuous and
automatic manner in proportion to the speed of the fan, which may be
regulated as required. The reservoir may have a jacket containing
water to produce a hydraulic closing.
In another arrangement represented in longitudinal section in
Figure 2, and in transverse section in Figure 3, the feeder has a series
of syphon tubes by which the feed may be varied to a very fine degree;
for this purpose the syphons c, c', c", say eleven, have their short legs of
gradually diminishing length, as shown in the Drawing, they are con-

page_text: nected to a bar k, by which they may be raised or lowered according to
the number of syphons required to be dipped in the liquid. The raising
and lowering may be effected by racks m, m, and pinions n, n, (or
otherwise,) the shaft of the pinions passing to the outside through a
hermetic stuffing box composed of a conical brass socket r, a cap s, and
a leather or caoutchouc washer t. A' is a jacket round the reservoir A
and containing water to produce a hydraulic closing. Gasometers
or gas holders may be connected with the apparatus, as represented
at J, J, in Figure 4; the size of these reservoirs will vary according to
requirement. Any overflow from the carburator may run into a
vessel e below.
Another arrangement for regulating the height of the syphon tubes
in Figure 3 is represented in Figure 3%; it consists of a vertical guide
on which a bar is free to be moved up and down, the bar k' carrying
the tubes and being operated by a threaded rod p' turned by an external
button or handle p³.
I now proceed to describe the application of my Invention to heating.
In applying the Invention to a blast or blow pipe, as represented in
Figure 5, the air from the blower serves both to engender the gaseous
mixture issuing by the pipe u and to furnish the air for keeping up
combustion by the pipe ; this blast or blow pipe developes a more
intense heat than all apparatus of the same kind with hydrogen.
In applying the Invention to heating a tubular boiler by the gascous
vapour, as represented in Figure 6, I employ at one part or end of the
boiler a box with two compartments a and b, in which two series of
tubes c and d are fitted. The gaseous vapour is led from the generator
by the pipe p into the compartment a, and issues by the tubes c; air
from a fan enters the other compartment 6 by the pipe 9, and passes
through the tubes d therein, each of these tubes d extends into one
of the tubes c and thus constitutes a separate blast or blow pipe. All
these blast pipes are fitted opposite corresponding tubes h of the boiler
which are bent back at the opposite end of the boiler as shown, so as
to return and open into a chamber communicating with the chimney
by lateral channels which surround the boiler tubes.
The hot gases
from the flames therefore first heat the tubes at the lower part, then
passing up enter the chamber and transmit their heat to the casing of
the boiler before they escape by the chimney. The water is thus heated
very rapidly and regularly.

page_text: My Invention may also be applied for heating culinary apparatus
and for heating railway carriages. For the latter purpose I employ
an arrangement of one or more blast or blow pipes, which shoot the
flame of the gaseous vapour into channels circulating below the floor
and provided with air holes.
My apparatus may be employed to generate gaseous vapor not only
from essences alone, but from essences mixed with alcohol or other
inflammable liquid. It may be advantageously applied to all hydro-
carburets, heavy and light oils; but for dense products, for the heavy
residues from the distillation of schist, petroleum, and other less volatile
hydrocarburets, it may be found necessary to employ heat in order to
facilitate their evaporation; and in this case it will be well to modify
the apparatus before described in the manner represented in Figure 7.
The apparatus shown in this Figure consists of a reservoir A
containing the liquid, and provided with a tube for indicating the level;
it surmounts the feeder B, with which it communicates by a pipe x,
furnished with a cock. This pipe enters the feeder and is terminated
by a fork y. The two extremities of this fork are protected by metallic
gauze, which the liquid can pass through. The feed is effected, as
before described, by means of wicks; they are united in bundles or
clusters of ten wicks, and each bundle is attached to a small rod c¹
terminated by a button or knob d'; the number of these bundles may
vary at will. Each rod passes through a socket on the feeder, and a
tightening screw e¹ fixes the rod at the required height. The wicks
descend into a tube B' below the feeder. When it is required to feed
the rods are lowered to cause the wicks to dip in the liquid, the number
of rods lowered is varied according to the number of burners to be
supplied. To discontinue the feed the rods are raised so as to lift
the wicks clear of the liquid. The tube B' bears on a bent tube C', the
two ends of which are soldered to the generator C. This generator is
composed of an annular box divided by a partition D. At each side
of the partition two small bells or chambers E', F', are formed, to
which two pipes are connected, one pipe e being an inlet pipe from
the blower F, and the other pipe f an outlet pipe for conducting the
carburetted air to the burners Below the generator is a set of
burners & supplied by the apparatus itself; for this purpose a branch i
is led from the pipe f to lead the gaseous vapors to the burners G.
The liquid descends into the generator and covers the bottom thereof;

page_text: the burners below are lighted and heat the liquid, thereby volatilizing
it. The air entering from the blower passes into the generator and
carries off the gaseous vapor to the burners. An alarm valve is fitted
on the generator. and it is necessary always to leave some liquid m the
generator for fear of explosion.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim
as my "Improvements in Apparatus for Generating and Applying Gas
from Air and Hydrocarbon Fluids for Lighting and Heating Purpo-es,"
First Constructing apparatus in which gaseous vapor is produced in
a generator by a con-tant and continuous feed of the hydrocarbon fluid
in drops, and by a regular and automatic distribution of the fluid in
the carburator, substantially as herem-before described and repre-ented
in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the annexed Drawing
Second The several arrangements of apparatus herem-before de-
scribed and represented in Figures 1 to 6 of the annexed Drawings for
adapting or applying the generating apparatus herein-before describe.
for lighting and heating purpose<
'Third. Constructing apparatus according to the modification herein-
before described with reference to Figure 7 of the annexed Drawings
for the purpose herein-before explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Brin, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
('H. ARMENGAUD,
Civil Engineer,
Boulevard de Strasbourg, 23,
Paris
ARTHUR BRIN (LS)