IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBURETTING APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR ENRICHMENT OF ILLUMINATING GAS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBURETTING APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR
ENRICHMENT OF ILLUMINATING GAS." A communication from abroad by Louis
Francois Albert Lascols of Paris France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th October 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBURETTING APPARATUS
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR ENRICHMENT OF ILLUMINATING GAS." [A communication
from abroad by Louis François Albert Lascols, of Paris, France.]
This Invention relates to improvements in carburetting apparatus, whereby the
manufacture or enrichment of illuminating gas is effected by means of oils or
mineral essences. According to the said Invention I cause a current of warm air at
a suitable temperature to pass through the said carburetter, which is provided with
a series of superposed trays or compartments. The warm air is thereby charged
with combustible vapours of hydrocarburets of considerable illuminating power, and
then passes directly to the gas burners.
It will be understood that instead of passing warm air through my improved form
of carburetter, I may in some cases pass the ordinary illuminating gas through the
same in order to enrich the same by means of hydrocarburets in such a manner as
to greatly increase the illuminating power of the same.
In the following description however I have described my improvements as
applied to the preparation of illuminating gas by means of warm air.
In all cases the essential principle of my Invention consists in maintaining the
oil or mineral essence at as invariable a temperature and density as possible in such
a manner that the less homogeneous elements which constitute this essence may be
always volatilized under the same conditions, and always present the same amount.
Prins G71

page_text: of illuminating power whatever the duration of the working of the apparatus
may be.
My improved carburetting apparatus embodies the following points, that is to
Bay :-
First. An improved arrangement of apparatus, so that the direct heating of the
air previous to its passage into the carburetter may be effected.
Second. The employment of a regulator for regulating the temperature of the
air before its passage into the carburetter, and which is arranged in any suitable
position in the pipe which conducts the warm air to the said carburetter.
Third. The employment for each compartment of the carburetter of a disc or
reversed cup provided with helicoidal wings or blades, so that the carburetting
liquid assumes a rotary movement during the passage of the air to the carburetter,
thereby ensuring the continual agitation of the liquid, which is destined to render
the same uniform at all points.
Fourth. The adaptation to the interior of the carburetter of perforated sheets
situated above each reversed disc or cup in order to retain the globules of car-
buretting liquid, which without this precaution would be carried away with the
air designed to be transformed into gas.
Fifth. The employment in my improved apparatus of a series of' feed chambers
of the same number as that of the compartment in the carburetter, in order to
ensure for each compartment an independent feed, the said feed chambers being
each provided with a special syphon.
In carrying the said Invention into practice the part of the apparatus designed
to effect the direct heating of the air consists of a heater enclosing a receiver which
is hermetically closed, and to which the inlet and outlet tubes, through which the
air flows to the carburetter are connected.
The lower part of the said outlet tube is provided with a disc which causes the
air to be diffused in a thin sheet against the interior surface of the bottom or lower
end of the said receiver, where the air is heated to the desired temperature before
it passes into the said outlet tube or pipe.
In any convenient position in the said outlet tube I arrange the regulating
apparatus, which is designed to ensure the desired constant temperature of the air
heated in its passage through the aforesaid receiver.
This regulating apparatus also controls the necessary admission of more or less
gas below a cap or cover arranged above the aforesaid heating device, that is to say,
when the temperature of the air is very high, the passage of the gas for suppling
the said heating device is completely interrupted, an extremely small aperture only
being left; through which the gas passes in such a manner as to maintain a simple
flame or light, which does not affect the heat of the air, but ensures the automatic
relighting of the gas supplied to the heating device when the temperature
becomes again lowered.
The air thus warmed passes through the outlet pipe from the air receiver into
the first or lowermost compartment of the carburetter, and enters the liquid mass
in the same.
The liquid is heated to a suitable degree by means of the products of combustion
from the heating device, and which pass through a suitable pipe, and are diffused
below the bottom of the said first or lower compartment of the apparatus, and
finally escape through a tube which serves as a kind of chimney.
A disc or cup turned upside down is completely immersed in the liquid in the
aforesaid first compartment, the turned down periphery of the said cup being
provided with a series of oblique wings or blades. These wings are arranged in
such a manner that under the action of the combustion of the air all the liquid
takes a rotary movement around the centre of the disc; this movement causes as
much as possible the complete saturation of this air before it passes to the second or
intermediate compartment, where it is subjected to the same operation, and then
passes into the upper compartment of the said apparatus where it undergoes the

page_text: same operation. From the last named compartment it enters an outlet tube, and
leaves the same in the state of illuminating gas.
The interior of the carburetter is provided above the lower and intermediate.
compartments with a perforated sheet, two of the said sheets being arranged above
the upper compartment of the same; these perforated sheets are designed to arrest
the globules of the carburetting liquid, which might be carried away by the air.
Each of the aforesaid compartments is in communication with a special feed
chamber situated in the interior of a receiver arranged at the top of the said
carburetter; one of the said chambers serves to feed the lower compartment, the
liquid in another chamber is fed into the second or intermediate compartment, and
the third chamber feeds the third or upper compartment of the said apparatus.
This communication of the chambers and compartments is established by means
of syphons, independent of each other, and each connected to the chamber, which
corresponds to its respective compartment; this arrangement ensures a very
regular feed for the various compartments.
The said syphons operate in a very effecient manner, the supply of air of each
syphon at the upper part of the compartment corresponding; the two branches of
the syphon are attached to a level regulating tube connecting the top and bottom
of the compartment.
They are arranged in such a manner that the air enters one branch of the syphon
whenever the level of the liquid in the said compartment becomes sufficiently low
to uncover the nose or point formed by the junction of this aërating branch and the
level regulating tube. At this moment the compressed air ascends in the aerating
branch, exercises its pressure upon the essence contained in the feed chamber, and
causes such essence to descend into the compartment through another feed branch.
This arrangement of the syphon ensures the continuous replenishment of the
essence.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
April 1880.
66
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBURETTING APPARATUS
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR ENRICHMENT OF ILLUMINATING GAS." A communication
from abroad by Louis François Albert, of Lascols, Paris, France.
This Invention relates to improvements in carburetting apparatus, whereby the
manufacture or enrichment of illuminating gas is effected by means of mineral oils
or essences. According to the said Invention I cause a current of warm air at a
suitable temperature to pass through my improved carburetter provided with a
series of superposed trays, compartments, or receivers. The warm air is thereby
charged with combustible vapors of hydro-carburets of considerable illuminating
power, and then passes directly to the gas-burners.
It will be understood that instead of passing warm air through my improved
form of carburetter I may in some cases pass ordinary illuminating gas through the
same, in order to enrich it by means of hydro-carburets in such a manner as to
greatly increase the illuminating power of such gas.
In the following description however I have described my improvements as
applied to the preparation of illuminating gas by means of warm air.
In all cases the essential principle of my Invention consists in maintaining the
'mineral oil or essence at as invariable a temperature and density as possible, so that
the slightly homogeneous elements which constitute this essence may be always
volatilized under the same conditions, and consequently always present the same
amount of illuminating power, whatever the duration of the working of the
apparatus may be.
In my improved carburetting apparatus I employ an improved arrangement of
apparatus, whereby the direct heating of the air previous to its passage into the
carburetter may be effected; also a regulator for regulating the temperature of the
air before its passage into the carburetter, and arranged in any suitable position in
the pipe which conducts the warm air to the said carburetter; I also employ for
each compartment of the carburetter a disc or reversed cup provided with
helicoidal wings or blades, so that the carburetting liquid assumes a rotary
movement during the passage of the air to the carburetter, thereby ensuring the
continual agitation of the liquid which is destined to render the same uniforin at
all points. I adapt to the interior of the carburetter perforated sheets on plates
situated above each disc or reversed cup, in order to retain the globules of
carburetting liquid, which without this precaution would be carried away with the
air designed to be transformed into gas; and I employ in my improved apparatus
a series of feed-chambers, whose number is equal to that of the compartments in
the carburetter, in order to ensure for each compartment an independent feed, the
said feed-chambers being each provided with a special syphon.

page_text: illuminating gas according to my. Invention, that is to say, the pump or forcing
apparatus, the gasometer, and the carburetter and heater.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
In carrying the said Invention into practice the part of the apparatus designed
to effect the direct heating of the air consists of a heater a enclosing a receiver b,
which is hermetically closed, and to which the inlet tube c and outlet tube d
through which the air flows to the carburetter are connected.
The lower part of the tube d is provided with a disc e, which causes the air to be
diffused in a thin sheet against the interior surface of the bottom or lower end of
the receiver b, where it is heated to the desired temperature before it passes into
the outlet tube or pipe d communicating with the carburetter.
-
In any convenient position in the said outlet tube I arrange the regulating
apparatus f, which is designed to ensure the desired constant temperature of the
air heated in its passage through the receiver b. This regulating apparatus
controls the necessary admission of more or less gas below the cap or cover g of the
heating device a, that is to say, when the temperature of the air is very high the
passage of the gas for supplying the said heating device is completely interrupted,
an extremely small aperture only being left, through which the gas passes in such
a manner as to maintain a simple flame or light, which does not affect the heating
of the air, but ensures the autoinatic relighting of the gas supplied to the heating
device, when the temperature becomes again lowered.
The air thus warmed passes through the outlet pipe d into the first or lowermost
compartment h of the carburetter, and enters the liquid mass i in the same.
This liquid is heated to a suitable degree by the products of combustion from
the heating device, which products of combustion pass through the pipe j, and are
diffused below the bottom of the said first or lower compartment of the apparatus,
and finally escape through a tube 1, which serves as a chimney.
A cup m turned upside down is completely immersed in the liquid'i, the turned
down periphery of the said cup being provided with a series of oblique slits, wings,
or blades; these slits are arranged in such a manner that under the action of the
combustion of the air all the liquid assumes a rotary movement around the centre
of the disc; this movement causes as much as possible the complete saturation of
this air before it passes into the intermediate compartment h¹, where it is subjected
to the same operation, and from which it passes into the upper compartment h¹ of
the said apparatus, where it 'also undergoes the same operation. From the last
named compartment it enters the outlet tube n, and leaves the same in the state of
illuminating gas.
The interior of the carburetter is provided above the lower and intermediate
compartments with perforated plates or sheets o, o¹, two of the said sheets o¹¹ being
arranged above the upper compartment of the said carburetter; these perforated
sheets are designed to arrest the globules of the carburetting liquid, which might be
carried away by the air.
Each of the said compartments is in communication with a special feed-chamber
arranged in the space or chamber p at the upper part of the said carburetter; this
chamber p serves to feed the lower compartment h, whilst the liquid in another
compartment p' is fed into the second or intermediate compartment h', and the
liquid in the third chamber p¹¹ is fed into the third or upper compartment h¹ of
the said apparatus.
This communication between the chambers and compartments is established by
means of syphons s independent of each other, and each connected to the chamber
which corresponds to its respective compartment; this arrangement ensures a very
regular feed for the various compartments.
The said syphons operate in a very efficient manner, the supply of air to each
syphon taking place at the upper part of its corresponding compartment; the two
branches of the syphon are attached to a level-regulating tube connecting the top
and bottom of the compartment; they are arranged (see Figure 3) in such a
manner that the air enters the branch t of the syphon whenever the level of the
J

page_text: liquid in the said compartment becomes sufficiently low to uncover the nose or
point formed by the junction of the aërating branch and level regulating tube u.
At this moment the compressed air ascends in the aërating branch, exercises its
pressure upon the essence contained in the feed-chamber, and causes such essence
to descend into the compartment through the feed-branch v. This arrangement of
the syphon ensures the continuous replenishment of the liquid.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as conìmunicated to me by my.
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The combination of parts comprising the air or gas pump, the gasometer,
the apparatus for heating the air or gas, and the carburetter, substantially as shewn
and described.
Second. In a carburetter the employment of several superposed compartments
or receivers, in combination with separate feed-chambers, substantially as set forth,
and for the purpose specified.
Third. Supplying liquid to the compartments by means of syphons, substantially
as shewn in Figure 3, which permit the supply of the liquid only in proportion to
the exhaustion of the liquid already supplied, and which therefore maintain an
unvarying level.
Fourth. In the carburetter means for maintaining a systematic circulation of the
air or gas which successively enters the liquid in the superposed compartments, and
becomes charged with vapor, whilst the liquid particles carried by the gas are
caused to fall again upon the trays or plates at the bottom of the compartments.
Fifth. The arrangement of the oblique slits or apertures, substantially as shewn
in Figure 1 of the Drawing, to ensure the whirling or eddying of the air in the
liquid, as above set forth.
Sixth. The employment of the heater above described for heating the air by
means of the gas produced in the apparatus, and in such a manner that the waste
heat is utilized for heating the liquid in the lower compartment of the carburetter,
as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.