A Gas Plant and System to Make and Produce Acetylene Gas or Acetylene and Carbonic Acid Gas Combined.
Year: 1896

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as allowed by
the decision of the Chief Examiner of the 19th day of August 1897.
A Gas Plant and System to Make and Produce Acetylene Gas or
Acetylene and Carbonic Acid Gas Combined.
I, ROBERT GOODWIN No. 24 Exchequer Street Dublin City in the County of
Duonn Ireland Electrician do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
-
For making and producing acetylene gas or acetylene and carbonic acid gas
combined in the gas plant and system an appuance designed to provided the
requisite conditions for the sate and economical solutions of acetylene or acetylene
and carbonic acid gas combined. Three metal cylinders uned with lead with
suitable caps and connections for the admission and control of liquids and gases are
placed one above the other. The top cylinder is to hold water or acid diluted with
water. The middle cylinder has three apartments the bottom apartment is a
reservoir, the middle apartment is packed with very fine iron or lead wire, the top
appartment is packed with sulphate of copper. The bottom cylinder has a wire or
perforated iron cage to hold calcium carbide for the purpose of generating the gus
which is affected in the following manner. Calcium carbide is placed in the wire
cage the cage is then placed in the bottom cylinder which is supplied with suitable
taps and valves to control the admission of water from the top cylinder. Its
contact with the calcium carbide the decomposition of which releases and forms
acetylene gas. By varying the compound the mixture of acetylene and carbonic
acid gas may be given off and this by adding to the calcium carbide one third of
its weight of the basis of calcium lime chalk or marble and sulphuric or any other
acids to the water. The gas or gases are mixed and purified by passing up to the
middle cylinder, through the iron or lead wire and then through the sulphate of
copper the iron or lead wire mixes the gas or gases. The sulphate of copper
purifies the gas or gases. The impurities falling to the bottom apartment or
reservoir which can be drawn off at will. The pure gas or gases passes off to a
gasometer then it can be let go through the gas fittings to the burner as ordinary
illuminating gas. The novelty of my invention is in the distribution of the parts of
the gas plant and system of materials and modification for the purpose of evolving
and consuming acetylene gas or acetylene and carbonic acid gas combined. The
gas burners used in this system is the ordinary Brays burner of small size.
Dated this 8th day of August 1896.

page_text: A Gas Plant and System to Make and Produce Acetylene and
Carbonic Acid Gas Combined.
I, ROBERT GOODWIN, of 24 Exchequer Street, Dublin City, in the County of
Dublin, Ireland, Electrician, 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:-
My invention has for its object to produce acetylene gas free from impurities,
mixed with carbonic acid gas, whereby a perfect combustion of the gas is insured
free from all deposit, such as occurs with acetylene gas as heretofore manufactured.
For this purpose I employ combined apparatus as I will describe with reference
to the accompanying drawing which shews a diagrammatic vertical section of the
same.
A A are cylindrical vessels lined with lead and closed at top by a cover B
which is secured in a gas tight manner by being pressed down by pivotted screw
clamps C, the cover having preferably a projecting rim B¹ fitting in a trough with
sand lute, and also fitting with faced surfaces at Ba with asbestos or other suitable
packing. These vessels are charged with calcium carbide to which there is added
a certain proportion of lime stone, chalk, marble or other substance that will pro-
duce carbonic acid when treated with acidulated water. The carbide is, for con-
venience of renewal, contained in a removeable cage D of perforated iron or of
iron wire. Centrally through a stuffing box in the cover passes a spindle E having
projecting arms E and capable of being rotated by a crank handle Es, for stirring
up the carbide and lime stone &c., so as to produce an effective action of the water
thereon.
The above described vessels A are connected at their lower ends by a branched
pipe with an upper vessel G also of iron lined with lead which is supplied
through a pipe H with water acidulated with a suitable acid such as sulphuric
acid, and from which the water is allowed to flow down in regulated quantities
through the pipe F, which is for this purpose provided with stop cocks F1 F1 and
with a check valve at F. The mixture of acetylene and carbonic acid gases
generated in the vessels A. A is led from the upper parts thereof through a branched
pipe I provided with stop cocks I' I, to the lower part of a purifying vessel J, also
made of iron lined with lead. This vessel is divided by two perforated lead parti-
tions JJ into three compartments. The middle one of these is filled with wire
preferably of lead coiled in various directions round a star-shaped frame of either
lead or iron, and the pipe I enters the lower end of this compartment so that as the
combined acetylene and carbonic acid gases enter the compartment, they will, in
rising up through the lead wire filling, be effectually mixed together.
These mixed gases then pass through the upper partition J¹ into the top
compartment which is filled with sulphate of copper, which effectually purifies
the gases passing through from impurities, and the purified gases are led off from
the upper end of the compartment through a branch pipe K provided with a cock K'
and a check valve K to a gas holder. The impurities separated from the gas
descend by gravity into the bottom compartment, whence they are discharged
from time to time through a discharge pipe L provided with a cock L'. The top
of the vessel J is closed by a removeable gas tight cover M, arranged similar to that
described with reference to the vessels A, so as to enable the contents of the vessel
to be removed, and renewed when required.
For clearing the vessels A of spent carbide &c., a sluicing pipe N is provided

page_text: near the bottom, and at the bottom is a discharge pipe O, communicating with a
drain or other place of discharge. Any solid residue remaining is removed by
taking out the perforated bucket D, which is then recharged with fresh material.
For producing a mixture of acetylene and carbonic acid gases, I prefer to charge
the vessels A with a mixture of about three fourths calcium carbide and one fourth of
and limestone, chalk or marble, a second vessel such as G from which acidulated
about one part of sulphuric, or other acid to 17 parts of water. This mixture may
either be effected in the vessel G itself, the cover G¹ of which is removable, or the
mixture may be made in a separate tank and supplied thence through the pipe H.
A pressure gauge P is provided on the pipe I for indicating the pressure of the
gases passing off from the vessels A; should the pressure be found to rise above
the required normal, the supply of water is restricted by more or less closing the
cocks on the pipe F.
It will be evident that a greater number than two of the generating vessels A
may be combined in the apparatus so that a certain number may always be in
action, while the other or others are being cleared and charged afresh.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In apparatus for the manufacture of a mixture of acetylene gas and carbonic
acid, the combination with one or more vessels charged with calcium-carbide and
limestone, chalk or marble, such as A, of a purifying vessel such as J charged
with sulphate of copper, so that the acetylene gas mixture is made to pass from
the generator through the purifying vessel so as to become purified from impurities
before passing to the gas holder substantially as described.
2. In the manufacture of a mixture of acetylene and carbonic acid gases, the
method of operating which consists in mixing with the calcium carbide a proportion
of limestone, chalk or marble, and supplying the vessel containing the same with
water acidulated with a suitable acid, so that carbonic acid will be produced from
the limestone &c., at the same time that acetylene is generated from the calcium
carbide, substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for the manufacture, of a mixture of acetylene gas and carbonic
acid, the combination of a vessel such as A charged with a mixture of calcium carbide
and limestone, chalk or marble, a second vessel such as G from which acidulated
water is supplied in regulated quantities to the vessel A, for generating both
acetylene and carbonic acid, and a purifying vessel such as J, divided by perforated
partitions into three compartments the upper one of which is charged with sulphate
of copper for purifying the gases, while the middle one contains wire filling for
effectually mixing the gases passing through it, the lowest compartment serving to
collect the separated impurities, substantially as described.
4. Apparatus for the manufacture of a mixture of acetylene and carbonic acid
gas combined and operating as described with reference to the drawing.
Dated this 8th day of January 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.