Improvements in or relating to Compressed Gas Installations for Lighting and other Purposes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1898 -Accepted, 18th Feb.,
1899
Improvements in or relating to Compressed Gas Installations for
Lighting and other Purposes.
A communication from LUDWIG HEINRICHI KARGER, of 49, Stephanein Strasse,
Dresden A. in the Empire of Germany, Engineer,
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, Chartered Patent Agent, of 111, Hatton Garden,
in the County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
It is well known that by increasing the pressure of gas to a considerably
greater extent than that generally used in gas-works for lighting installations,
the illuminating power of said gas can be increased to a great extent, whereby
incandescent gas light, obtained with gas under pressure, can even compete
with electric arc-light.
This invention relates to an installation for supplying gas under pressure,
whereby ordinary lighting gas is compressed. The installation is extremely
simple and reliable, and its distinguishing feature is that the output of the
compressor and the pressure produced can be regulated as desired simply by
altering the rate of transmission between the motor and compressing means.
Compared to the old systems of installation in which hydraulic pressure
is used, the installation according to this invention is distinguished
by its independence of any conduit of water under pressure generally, and
more particularly of the existence of sufficient pressure of water in the con-
fluit. The working of the new installation is also much cheaper. Such an
installation is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is an elevation of the installation with a scelion through the motor and
gas container the counter-shaft being seen in end-view.
Figure 2 is a vertical section through the compressor or blower which is here
represented, as a rotary blower.
Figure 3 is an end view of the installation seen from the right hand end of
Figure 1, the counter shaft being in longitudinal elevation.
A is any desired motor, in large installations it is preferably a gas motor,
in small ones a hot air engine of generally well known construction may be used.
The drawing shows such a hot air engine, the cylinder a of which, in which works
the piston or plunger a¹, is heated by a gas burner a². The burner is fed through
a pipe provided with a valve a from the main gas supply pipe which may
be connected to the gas-pipes from the gas works or to a separate gas generator.
The hot air engine has a novel feature consisting in its cylinder a being
surrounded by a jacket B which protects said cylinder against outside air and
forms as it were an oven in which the cylinder is placed. The jacket, of sheet
or cast iron, is provided say beginning at the lower end of the cylinder, with a
fire-proof lining a non-conductor of heat such as, for instance, refractory clay

page_text: or asbestos.
At the bottom the jacket is provided with one or more air inlet
openings 6 which correspond to openings in the frame or stand A¹ of the motor,
so as to admit air to the burner. At the top, from the interior of the jacket, B,
a discharge pipe B extends through which escape the products of combustion.
Owing, to this arrangement, not only the useless waste of heat by radiation to
the sides is prevented and the frame A¹ protected against heat, but the pro-
ducts of combustion are also kept closer to the cylinder so that the latter is
heated much more strongly than would be the case, were the gas flame left to
burn free in the casing A. The conical shape of the central portion of the
jacket B (Figure 1) leaves sufficient air-space for the free development of the
Hame and complete combustion of the gas, the upper narrower portion forcing
the hot gases to come close to the cylinder.
i
A counter shaft C with a fast pulley c and loose pulley c is preferably arranged
at the top of the engine room, said shaft being driven from a pulley A² on the
engine shaft by a belt C¹. On the shaft C is keyed a wide conical pulley or
cone e. On the driven shaft f of the compresser or blower F is a similar pulley e
but arranged in an opposite direction (Figure 3). The two pulleys form together
a conical pulley change speed gear. The belt E on the pulleys e and e¹ is operated
by a fork G carried on a rod y adjustable in sliding bearings g¹ on the base plate
of the blower, in a direction parallel to that of the spindle f. According as the
belt-fork is set, the belt runs on a large circumference of the pulley e and small
circumference of the pulley e¹ or on their equal surfaces in the centre, or on a
small circumference of the pulley e and large circumference of the pulley e. By
means of this gear which in itself is well known, but is new in its application for
the present purpose, the number of revolutions of the blower can be altered
without altering that of the engine. And the work done by the blower or com-
pressor per hour depends on this number of revolution, and consequently (with
a given consumption of gas) the pressure produced. These factors are best
regulated in accordance with the original gas pressure and the amount of con-
sumption.
The blower illustrated is well known as regards its general construction. It
is sufficient therefore to say that gas entering at f¹ (Figure 2) is forced outwards
at by the co-operation of the piston bodies F1 and Frotating together with
the spindles f and fand rolling on the circumference of one another.
The suction branch fi is connected by a pipe with the chamber H serving
as a suction vessel, and the pipe Z being in communication with said receptacle.
To the discharge branch is secured a pipe i for discharging the gas into the
receiver I. In the discharge pipe i is arranged a non-return valve for prevent-
ing, in case of a sudden stoppage of the engine, the compressed gas from returning
through the blower and thus entering the gas main, which would lead to dis-
turbances in the lighting in the neighbouring houses (provided gas is obtained
from the general network of gas pipes of a town). A pressure gauge shows the
pressure in the receiver I. From the latter a pipe K provided with a cock k
leads to burners. The conduit K supplies incandescent gas burners which are
represented in Figure 1 by two lamps L on a branch pipe K¹. Of course, the
pipe K may be laid in any direction or have any number of branches and feed
as many burners as the installation can supply with compressed gas.
Before the junction of the pipe Z with the suction chamber H a smaller branch
pipe m with a cock m¹ communicates with the discharge receptacle I thus afford-
ing a bye-pass between the supply pipe and the discharge receiver, thereby
cutting out the blower but normally closed by the cock m¹. The arrangement of
this bye-pass enables uncompressed gas to be introduced into the supply pipe
when the motor is not working and there is no pressure in the discharge receiver,
in order to be able to light with ordinary gas if anything happens to the installa-
tion. Besides through this bye-pass ordinary gas may be always introduced
before starting the installation so as to have the discharge receiver I already
filled at the starting of the motor, so that compression may begin at once.

page_text: Instead of the rotary blower illustrated, any other compressor such as for
instance a centrifugal fan a piston pump etc., may be used.
As compressed gas is particularly suitable for producing a very hot soldering
or melting flame, this installation may be advantageously used for said purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said in-
vention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An installation for lighting with compressed gas comprising a motor for
driving a gas compressor a change speed gear between the motor and compressor
a gas receiver connected with the gas supply and with the compressor and a
compressed gas receiver connected with the compressor and with the high
pressure pipe supplying gas to the burners, the speed of the compressor and con-
sequently the work done by it being capable of being regulated by means of the
change speed gear in accordance with the quantity and pressure of gas substan-
tially as described.
2. In a compressed gas lighting installation of the kind described the arrange-
ment of a bye-pass between the gas supply pipe and the compressor gas receiver
and having a valve for the purpose of enabling uncompressed gas to be introduced
from the gas supply pipe into the receiver, substantially as described.
3. In an installation of the kind 'described a hot air engine provided with a
jacket surrounding the cylinder of the engine and the gas-burner for heating it,
said jacket being open at the bottom for the admission of air and closed at the
top and provided with a heat-insulating lining and discharge pipe substantially
as described.
4. A compressed gas lighting installation comprising a motor a change speed
gear and connection e el a pump or blower pipe h a gas supply vessel H com-
municating with the main gas supply, pipe and compressed gas receiver I sub-
stantially as described.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete com-
pressed gas lighting installation substantially as described or illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
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