IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LAMPS CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR BURNING GAS OR PETROLEUM
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th March 1879. A communication
from abroad by Charles William Muchall, Engineer, of the Water and Gas
Works, Wiesbaden, Germany.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
LAMPS CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR BURNING GAS OR PETROLEUM." [A communication
from abroad by Charles William Muchall, Engineer, of the Water and Gas Works,
Wiesbaden, Germany.]
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of lamps chiefly
designed for burning gas or petroleum, and provides means whereby the fresh air
required by the lamp as well as the current of gas, and even the burner, are highly
heated in an automatic manner simply by utilizing the heat of the flame, thus
obtaining a more perfect combustion of the gas and a considerably increased lighting
capacity of the flame.
If compared with the well known". Argand" lamp of the construction now
generally employed, an economy of gas of from thirty to forty per cent is obtained
by using the lamp which forms the subject of this Invention.
In carrying the said Invention into practice the burner-body is connected with
a lengthened tube below the same. I provide a closed glass covering somewhat
funnel shaped, with an armature, this covering being below the chimney. I also
provide a perforated tube or chimney holder connected to the aforesaid lengthened
tube. Outside the ordinary glass tube or chimney there is another glass-tube,
being of a greater diameter than the ordinary chimney but lower, and fitting
tightly into the said glass covering or funnel shaped piece, thus preventing the
entrance of air from the exterior. The tight joint may also be eventually effected
by a separate tube-holder.
The requisite amount of fresh air for the flame enters through the annular space
between the said two tubes or chimneys, and becomes heated by the radiant heat of
the interior tube or chimney coming from the flame. When the air passes the said
funnel shaped covering, thereby beating the aforesaid lengthened tube, it transmits
a part of the heat received to the current of gas passing through this tube, as well
as when passing the interior tube to the burner-body without withdrawing the
least amount of heat from the flame itself.
By heating the air, the gas, and the burner, not only will the cooling of the flame
heretofore caused by the cold current of gas and the burner be completely avoided

page_text: but a certain amount of heat will be directly introduced into the flame. In con-
sequence of this the carbon glowing in and lighting with the flame will be
separated much sooner than is ordinarily the case, and will have found time to burn
completely, thus producing contrary to the effect of the ordinary lamps a con-
siderable increase of lighting-power, that is to say, a very important economy of
gas at an equal lighting intensity.
Some minutes after the gas has been lighted, when all parts have become hot,
the lamp produces its full effect.
It will be evident that a glass-shade or similar device may be placed on the glass-
funnel shaped covering. Such a shade would replace the second or exterior tube
or chimney to a certain extent, although in this case the air and parts would not be
so much heated as when two tubes or chimneys are used.
I wish it to be understood that although I have described the said Invention in
connection with a gas lamp it may also be applied to petroleum and similar lamps
in a like manner.