IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MANU- PACTURING GAS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING, AND FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Pierre Gillard at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th April
1860.
I, JOSEPH PIERRE GILLARD, of Alfred Road, St. John's Villa, Upper
Holloway, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MANU-
PACTURING GAS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING, AND FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER,"
to be as follows :—
This Invention relates to certain peculiar constructions and arrangements of
apparatus for manufacturing gas, more especially water gas, and for applying
such gas to the purposes of lighting, heating, and obtaining motive power.
According to this Invention it is proposed to decompose steam by injecting it
in the form of numerous jets on to a layer of wood charcoal, or other sub-
stance containing carbon free from sulphur, placed in a retort of a peculiar
construction. This retort is composed of graphite, metal, or other impermeable
material, and is lined inside and out with a coating of fire-clay; the graphite
may be glazed in its manufacture on both sides, and may be impregnated with
tar to increase its impermeability. The steam used for making the gas is
superheated by causing it to traverse through numerous passages formed in a
block of cast iron heated to redness; the supply of steam being regulated by a
cock, the plug of which has a fine slit formed horizontally therein. The super-
heated steam passes to a tube provided with rose jets in fire-clay, which jets
direct the superheated steam on to the charcoal in the retorts, as above

page_text: described. The gas formed in the retort by the decomposition of the steam,
passes to a purifier of a peculiar construction for the purpose of removing the
carbonic acid. This purifier is so constructed that the gas rises through the
lime or other purifying agent in place of descending through it. The purified
gas then enters a gasometer, which is weighted with water in place of the
ordinary weights. When the gas is to be used as a portable gas and as a
motive power agent, it is compressed after leaving the gasometer by a peculiar
compressing apparatus, which consists of a cylinder, to one end of which is
secured a flexible tube of caoutchouc or other suitable material; the other end
of this tube being secured to a disc or piston working loosely up and down the
cylinder, and actuated by a crank and connecting rod or other suitable
contrivance. Suitable valves are fitted to the cylinder to allow of the entrance
of the gas from the gasometer and of the escape of the compressed gas into
its containing vessel or receiver.
This compressed gas may now be used as a motive power agent, and sub-
sequently burnt for lighting or heating purposes, thus performing two operations.
When used for lighting, a wick of pure platinum or of silicate of magnesia, or
of lime, in combination with a rotatory reflector and a peculiar construction of
argand burner, whereby the supply of air is regulated according to the number
of jets; the jet holes being made in a plate of aluminium or pure platinum,
whereby oxydation is provented.
It is proposed, in some cases, to use a peculiar rotatory reflector, composed
of a globe or cylinder having a number of reflecting and transparent surfaces
arranged alternately round it, the light being contained inside the globe or
cylinder.