IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND MEANS FOR UTILIZING SPIRITOUS SUBSTANCES AND OILS FOR THE PURPOSES OF PRODUCING ARTIFICIAL LIGHT AND HEAT
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Gardner, of 18, Clifton Road, Holloway,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND MEANS FOR UTILIZING SPIRITOUS
SUBSTANCES AND OILS FOR THE PURPOSES OF PRODUCING ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
AND HEAT."
Sealed the 12th September 1873, and dated the 15th March 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Gardner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th March 1873.
I, HENRY GARDNER, of 18, Clifton Road, Holloway, in the County of
5 Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND MEANS FOR UTILIZING
SPIRITOUS SUBSTANCES AND OILS FOR THE PURPOSES OF PRODUCING ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
AND HEAT," to be as follows:-
The more volatile of the oils and naphthas of commerce and some
O other spirituous substances contain a large quantity of carbon and

page_text: hydrogen in a form peculiarly available for its combination with oxygen,
and are so free from the impurities which are usually met with in coal
and such like compound fuels that notwithstanding their greater cost
it has long been believed they might be advantageously utilized for
impregnating the air with inflammable matter, and many attempts have
been made to do this by forcing or drawing a current of air through
vessels containing the said hydrocarbon fluids, in which sometimes also
sponges, horsehair, wool, or other porous materials are placed for the
purpose of assisting the more intimate combination of the several
elements. But owing to the imperfections of the apparatus employed
it has not yet been found possible to carburate air.by this method on any
but a very limited scale.
My Invention consists in an improved apparatus for impregnating
the air with inflammable matter in such a manner as to allow the
constituent elements of the air and of the hydrocarbon vapours most
effectively to combine and to generate the requisite amount of light and
heat with a moderate expenditure of hydrocarbon. For this purpose I
construct the vessel which is to contain the hydrocarbon substances in
the form of a collumn, or pillar, or box, sub-divided in the interior into
a number of tanks, each of which is provided with a pipe rising slightly
above the bottom and leading into the tank below, so that when the
liquid has risen in any one tank above the top of that pipe it will over-
flow and descend into the tank below until it reaches the lowest where
the supply of fluid would be open to observation. By this means the
several tanks will generally contain nearly equal quantities of fluid, or
the several tanks may be connected by pipes nearly flush with their
lower plates and resting at their lower extremity on the fluid at the
height at which it is desired to keep it; care being in that case taken
to regulate the proper admission or exclusion of air in the upper and
lower tanks.
The several tanks are connected also by flues, or pipes, or tubes,
leading from the one above into the one below, and the air after
circulating through the tank above passes through the flue or tube into
the one next below it, and so on down to the lowest tank, from whence
it escapes as carburetted air into the distribution pipe.
The flues or tubes are so contrived that according as it is desired that

page_text: the air shall be more or less carburetted they can be fitted as either to
connect all or only some of the tanks, and the air can thus be made to
traverse all or only some of the tanks. These tanks will contain the
hydrocarbon fluid and vapour and be fitted with any of the known
porous materials, such as sponge, pumicestone, horsehair, wool, &c., in
such manner as to allow of the requisite carburation of the air on its
passage through the tanks.
In certain cases, as for example when required for use in steam or
other ships for lighting or heating purposes, the tanks may be combined
differently, and instead of being placed one above the other in the form of
an upright column, or pillar, or box, they may be spread along the ship's
bottom or in any other convenient form at different elevations to allow
of the distribution of the hydrocarbon fluid in several vessels connected
by pipes or narrow channels, whereby it is evident that danger from any
unforeseen accident will be diminished. If it is desired to utilize them
for carburetting the air a larger surface for evaporation may be thus
obtained, and the air would then be made to pass from one to the other
or through some only of the tanks on the same principle as when the
tanks are fitted one above the other. In all cases where large quantities
of the fluid have to be used it is preferable that the major part of it
should be contained in a vessel at some distance from the point of
distribution or ignition of the carburetted air.
The fluid which I prefer to use is hydrocarbon oil or spirit of very
light specific gravity distilled from mineral oil, coal tar, creosote, or
petroleum, but heavier oils may also be used if convenient. The fluid
when sufficiently volatile may be used at the ordinary temperature of
the atmosphere; but sometimes it will be advisable to heat the fluid
artificially, and in that case the vessel or vessels in which it is contained
may be heated either by passing a steam or hot water pipe through the
hydrocarbon liquid or they may be wholly or partially surrounded by a
steam or hot water shell, case, box, or pipe, or a flame or flames may be
made to impinge on the outside of one or more of the vessels containing
the liquid.
Into one or more of the hydrocarbon vessels or carburators I some-
times introduce one or more revolving or otherwise movable arms or
wheels or brushes to stir up the fluid, either continuously or at
:

page_text: intervals, in order to create a larger amount of evaporation than would
otherwise arise from the undisturbed surface, and also to prevent a
settlement of the constituent particles towards the bottom of the vessel.
These arms, wheels, or brushes are capable of and may be made to
receive motion from an impulse given to them either from outside of i
the vessel or from the current of air passing through it.
The air may be driven through the vessels containing the hydrocarbon
fluid by means of clockwork, or of a fan, or any other of the known
methods for effecting such purpose; and when sufficiently large
quantities of carburetted air are required then I apply an exhauster 1
worked by steam power, and specially I combine with the carburation
of air the use of the system of exhausters commonly known as Beales'
patent gas exhausters, or of other exhausters worked by steam power,
now in use in gas works; or of fans or air pumps worked by steam.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent 1
filed by the said Henry Gardner in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
GARDNER, of 18, Clifton Road, Holloway, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Gardner, Her special licence
that I, the said Henry Gardner, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Henry Gardner, 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 a
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND MEANS FOR

page_text: UTILIZING SPIRITUOUS SUBSTANCES AND OILS FOR THE PURPOSES OF PRODUCING
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT AND HEAT," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Henry Gardner, 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 Henry Gardner, 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 more volatile of the oils and naphthas of commerce and some
other spirituous substances contain a large quantity of carbon and
hydrogen in a form peculiarly available for its combination with oxygen,
and are so free from the impurities which are usually met with in coal
and such like compound fuels that notwithstanding their greater cost it
has long been believed that they might be advantageously utilised for
impregnating the air with inflammable matter, and many attempts have
been made to this by forcing or drawing a current of air through vessels
containing the said hydrocarbon fluids, in which sometimes also sponges,.
horsehair, wool, or other porous materials are placed for the purpose
of assisting the more intimate combination of the several elements.
But owing to the imperfections of the apparatus employed it has not
yet been found possible to carburate air by this method on any but a
very limited scale.
My Invention consists in an improved apparatus for impregnating the.
air with inflammable matter in such a manner as to allow the consti-
tuent elements of the air and of the hydrocarbon vapours most effectively
to combine and to generate the requisite amount of light and heat with.
a moderate expenditure of hydrocarbon. For this purpose I construct
he vessel which is to contain the hydrocarbon substances in the form of
a column or pillar or box, as shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying.
Drawings, subdivided in the interior into a number of tanks a, b, c, each

page_text: of which is provided with a pipe d, rising slightly above the bottom, and
leading into the tank below, so that when the liquid has risen in any one
tank above the top of that pipe it will overflow and descend into the
tank below until it reaches the lowest, where the supply of fluid would
be open to observation. By this means the several tanks will generally
contain nearly equal quantities of fluid. Or the several tanks
may be
connected by pipes nearly flush with their lower plates, and resting at
their lower extremity on the fluid at the height at which it is desired to
keep it, care being in that case taken to regulate the proper admission
or exclusion of air in the upper and lower ranks.
The several tanks are connected also by flues, pipes, or tubes e (leading
from the one above into the one below, and the air, after circulating
through the tank above passes through the flue or tube e into the one
next below it, and so on down to the lowest tank, from whence it escapes
as carburetted air into the distribution pipe f.
The flues or tubes are so contrived that according as it is desired that
the air shall be more or less carburetted they can they be so fitted as either
to connect all or only some of the tanks, and the air can thus be made
to traverse all or only some of the tanks. These tanks will contain the
hydrocarbon fluid and vapour, and be fitted with any of the known
porous materials, such as sponge, pummice stone, horsehair, wool, &c., in
such manner as as to allow of the requisite carburation of the air on its
passage through the tanks.
In certain cases, as for example, when required for use in steam or
other ships, for lighting or heating purposes, the tanks may be contrived.
differently, and instead of being placed one above the other in the form
of an upright column or pillar or box, they may be spread along the
ship's bottom, or in any other convenient form at different elevations, as
in Figure 2, to allow of the distribution of the hydrocarbon fluid in
several vessels connected by pipes or narrow channels, whereby it is
evident that danger from any unforeseen accident will be diminished. If
it is desired to utilize them for carburetting the air a larger surface for
evaporation may be thus obtained, and the air would then be made to
pass from one to the other, or through some only of the tanks, on the
same principle as when the tanks are fitted one above the other. In all 3
cases where large quantities of the fluid have to be used it is preferable

page_text: that the major part of it should be contained in a vessel at some distance
from the point of distribution or ignition of the carburetted air.
The fluid which I prefer to use is hydrocarbon oil or spirit of very
light specific gravity, distilled from mineral oils, coal tar, creosote, or
petroleum, but heavier oils may also be used if convenient. The fluid,
when sufficiently volatile, may be used at the ordinary temperature of
the atmosphere, but sometimes it will be advisable to heat the fluid
artificially, and in that case the vessel or vessels in which it is contained
may be heated either by passing a steam or hot water pipe through the
hydrocarbon liquid, or they may be wholly or partially surrounded by a
steam or hot water shell, case, box, or pipe, or a flame or flames may be
made to impinge on the outside of one or more of the vessels containing
the liquid.
Into one or more of the hydrocarbon vessels or carburators I some-
times introduce one or more revolving or otherwise moveable arms or
wheels or brushes to stir up the fluid either continuously or at intervals,
in order to create a larger amount of evaporation than would otherwise
arise from the undisturbed surface, and also to prevent a settlement of
the constituent particles towards the bottom of the vessel. These arms,
wheels, or brushes are capable of and may be made to receive motion
from an impulse given to them either from the outside of the vessel or
from the current of air passing through it.
The air may be driven through the vessels containing the hydrocarbon
fluid by means of clockwork, or of a fan or any other of the known
methods for effecting such purpose, and when sufficiently large quantities
of carburetted air are required then I apply an exhauster worked by
steam power, and specially I combine with the carburation of air the use
of the system of exhausters commonly known as Beales' Patent gas
exhausters, or of other exhausters worked by steam power now in use in
gas works, or of fans or air pumps worked by steam.
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,-
Firstly. The improved apparatus shown at Figure 1 of the Drawings
annexed, and its employment in the manner and for the purposes set
forth.

page_text: Secondly. The improved apparatus shown at Figure 2 of the Drawings
annexed, and its employment in the manner and for the purposes set
forth, also the additions referred to, to be used in connection with such
apparatus.
Thirdly. I claim the means as herein expressed for treating and
utilizing spirituous substances and oils for the production of light and t
heat.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Gardner, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Fifteenth day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three.