Improvements in or connected with Gas Producers.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1993
Complete Specification Left, 24th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Gas Producers.
JAMES JONES MELDRUM and THOMAS FREDERICK MELDRUM, Engineers,
both of Atlantic Works, City Road, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to gas producers in which the air used to convert
the solid fuel to a gaseous state, is introduced by a tuyere or tuyeres disposed.
near the bottom of the producer, and wholly, or mainly, within same; and it also
has reference to producers in which air is forced under pressure through the fuel,
and a water seal is provided at the lower part to prevent the escape of such air,
and at which point and by which construction also, the ashes are withdrawn.
In the application of our invention to producers, and more particularly to those
having water seals above referred to, we arrange the tuyere or air pipe horizontally
and slightly above the level of the water forming the seal. The tuyere at the
outside end (which may be faced) is provided with inclined lugs or equivalent
devices, to receive and hold a door or plate, which is provided with means or
devices by which it can be connected or fitted to the said inclined lugs or
equivalent devices; and to this door or plate a blower of the steam jet type is
fixed or mounted, the body of which lies wholly or mainly inside the tuyere.
The steam pipe by which steam is conducted to the blower, is connected
therewith by a union or coupling, or the like, by which it can be readily discon-
nected, the said coupling or connection having behind it on the pipe a steam valve
to cut off steam when required.
By this construction, or by these means, the blower may be easily and quickly
removed from the tuyere when desired, for cleaning it out, or for other purposes.
In connection with the blower, we use, in some cases, a loose cover with a lid,
the cover being provided to keep out the dirt from the blower, and the lid for
shutting off air when required. In lieu of the loose lid, however, a butterfly
valve may in some cases, be used. The loose cover is fixed or mounted on wedge
or inclined lugs or equivalent devices in the manner of the door or plate above
specified, and it may thus be very readily removed and applied.
As regards the construction generally of gas producers having a water seal, as
and for the purposes above referred to, the seal is effected by a curtain which is
disposed directly under the edge on the wall, and at the inside edge thereof, say
in the same vertical plane as the inner surface of said wall. By this arrangement,
the cleaning out of ashes and other matters from the producer is facilitated.
In connection with the producer a single firing door for lighting up may be
provided as well as poking holes and sight holes; and also a feed hopper.
Deted the 23rd day of February 1893.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON, Fels. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicants' Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Gas Producers.
We, JAMES JONES MELDRUM and THOMAS FREDERICK MELDRUM, Engineers,
both of Atlantic Works, City Road, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
PQ71

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention has reference to gas producers in which the air used to convert
the solid fuel to a gaseous state, is introduced by a tuyere or tuyeres disposed near
the bottom of the producer, and wholly, or mainly, within same; and it also has
reference to producers in which air is forced under pressure through the fuel, and
a water seal is provided at the lower part to prevent the escape of such air, and
at which point and by which construction also the ashes are withdrawn.
In the application of our invention to producers, and more particularly to those
having water seals, above referred to, we arrange the tuyere or air pipe horizontally
and slightly above the level of the water forming the seal. The tuyere at the
outside end (which may be faced) is provided with inclined lugs or equivalent
devices, to receive, and hold a door or plate, which is provided with means or
devices by which it can be connected or fitted to the said inclined lugs or
equivalent devices; and to this door or plate a blower of the steam jet type is
fixed or mounted, the body of which lies wholly or mainly inside the tuyere.
The steam pipe by which steam is conducted to the blower, is connected
therewith by a union or coupling, or the like, by which it can be readily discon-
nected; the said coupling or connection having behind it on the pipe a steam valve
to cut off steam when required.
By this construction, or by these means, the blower may be easily removed
from the tuyere when desired, for cleaning it out, or for other purposes.
In connection with the blower, we use in some cases a loose cover with a lid,
the cover being provided to keep out the dirt from the blower, and the lid for
shutting off air when required. In lieu of the loose lid, however, a butterfly
valve may in some cases be used. The loose cover is fixed or mounted on wedge
or inclined lugs or equivalent devices in the manner of the door or plate above
specified; and it may thus be very readily removed and applied.
As regards the construction generally of gas producers having a water seal, as
and for the purposes above referred to, the seal is effected by a curtain which is
disposed directly under the edge on the wall, and at the inside edge thereof, say in
the same vertical plane as the inner surface of said wall. By this arrange-
ment, the cleaning out of ashes and other matters from the producer is facilitated.
In connection with the producer, a single firing door for lighting up may be
provided, as well as poking holes, and sight holes, and also a feed hopper.
Drawings illustrating the improvements above generally described are annexed
hereto, and form part of this Specification; and the manner in which this invention
is to be performed will be particularly described and ascertained in the following
description with reference to the said drawings; the novel features of the invention
which it is desired to protect by Letters Patent being more particularly specified
or pointed out in the claiming clauses concluding the Specification.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a gas producer provided with improve-
ments under this invention, shewing more particularly the arrangement of parts by
which the air is introduced into the producer; and Figure 2 is a plan of same.
Figure 3 is a cross sectional elevation of the producer shewing, also, the
improvement connected with the water seal thereof.
Figures 4 and 5 are views shewing the fitting of blower and parts connected
therewith, in detail.
Referring now to the drawings, a designates the body of the producer. is the
tuyere, which is of metal, say cast iron, arranged horizontally across the centre
of the producer upon a raised portion e of refractory fire-brick or other suitable
material. d is the plate or door covering the front end of the tuyere; and e is a
steam jet blower, fixed at its head in any suitable way to the plate d, and having
its body, consisting of a mixing tube and diverging outlet, lying practically
wholly within the tuyere b in a horizontal position. is a cover, disposed in
front of the blower inlet, by which dust and other objectionable matter is

page_text: prevented from entering the blower; and f¹ is a lid, which may be used to cover
the open upper end of the cover f, when it is desired to shut off the supply of air to
the producer.
The steam jet blower e (which is preferably of the "Meldrum" type) is
provided with a steam nozzle directing steam down it in the usual way, forcing air
down same and into the tuyere b, and retaining the pressure. in such tuyere, and
in the lower part of the fuel in the producer under a pressure greater than that
of the atmosphere. Steam is conducted to the blower by the pipe e¹; and it
is preferably connected up with the blower by a union or coupling, by which it
can be readily disconnected, a cock or valve being provided on the steam pipe
behind it to cut off the steam when required, that is, when it is desired to remove
the blower from the tuyere for cleaning it out; or for other purpose.
hare pits on either side of the central raised wall or portion c, extending from
such central wall to outside the producer wall, a, and in which water, used for
making the seal, is contained, and by means of which ashes, clinker, etcetera, are
withdrawn from the producer when desired; and are curtains-say of iron or
other metal-carried down from the lower portion of the producer wall a (which
is bridged over the pits h) in the same vertical plane as the inside surface of said
wall, such curtains dipping down into the liquid in the pits and forming the seals.
As regards the special details of construction or fittings, shewn more particularly
in Figures 4 and 5, the tuyeres terminate externally at the metallic casing of
the producer, and its front edge is faced, and provided at each side with a
catch, the inner edges of which are inclined; whilst the plate or door d, to
which the head of the blower e is fixed, is provided with corresponding lugs d',
the outer lower parts of which are tapered to correspond with the inclined inner
edges of the catches 7. The action of these inclined lugs and catches is that
the door or piate dis automatically pressed up to the face of the entrance of
the tuyere b by the weight of the blower and plate when placed in position; and
thus effects a joint with the tuyere end, and prevents the escape of air therefrom.
The outlets of the tuyere-designated are arranged centrally in the producer
and on either side of the tuyeres, directing the air and steam laterally outwards into
the fuel round and about same.
As regards the fixing of the cover f, this also is provided with lugs f, of the
same form as d', which fit into corresponding catches on the face of the door
or plate d, whereby the said cover is held in position as shewn, and is easily
detached or removed therefrom when desired.
As regards the pits h, and the sealing curtains i, those in the drawings shewn
consist of iron or suitable metallic plates, disposed practically in the same
vertical plane as the inner surface of the producer wall a, and the upper edges
of which lie against flanges of the cast iron or other metal plates j, constituting
girders on which the brickwork superstructure of the producer, directly above
the pits, is carried. By this arrangement in combination, of curtains i disposed
in relation to the wall of the producers above them as specified, and of the
waters pits containing water, the ash and clinker directly below the burden of
fuel in the producer is readily got at from outside the producer, and removed
from under such fuel, when desired, by the attendant or other; whereas, in the
case of such curtains being disposed in the same plane as the exterior surface
of the wall a, the ash, clinker, and material, directly below the fuel can only be
got at and removed with much more difficulty; and besides this this arrangement
possesses amongst other advantages, that of being generally more convenient.
When in operation, the curtains i dip into the liquid in the pits h to such a
depth as they will remain immersed or sealed when the pressure of air, under which
the producer would be worked, exists therein.
In the upper part of the producer structure shewn in the drawings, there is
provided a lighting and cleaning door l, poking holes and doors m, and bell and
hopper feeding arrangement n, all of which are of general known construction, and
commonly used in gas producers.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The herein described improvement in gas-producers, consisting of the
arrangement in combination of a horizontal tuyere (such as b), and steam-jet blower
(such as e), with its body lying practically wholly within said tuyere; for the
purposes specified.
2. In a gas-producer, the combination and arrangement of horizontal tuyere b; a
steam-jet blower e with its body lying practically wholly within said tuyere; and a
detachable plate or door, such as d, enclosing the outer or front end of said tuyere,
and having attached to it the steam jet blower e, at the head thereof, whereby said
tuyere is closed and rendered air tight, and the blower suitably carried by said
plate; substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. The herein described arrangement and combination of parts consisting of the
blower e, tuyere b, plate d, and cover f, particularly as set forth with reference to
the drawings.
4. The herein described improvement in gas-producers, consisting in the
arrangement in combination of the curtains i disposed in relation to the wall a of
the producer in the same vertical plane as the inner surface of the said wall, and
water pits adapted to contain water, into which said curtains dip; substantially
as set forth for the purposes specified.
5. The arrangement, construction, and combination of parts of a gas producer,
comprising a central raised wall or portion c; water pits h on either side of same
for containing water; curtains i disposed as specified and dipping into the water in
said pits; a tuyere b, with outlets, arranged on the upper part of said walls c;
and blower e fixed at its head to the plate or door d closing the front end of said
tuyere, and with its body disposed and lying wholly within said tuyere and fixed to
said plate or door; particularly as set forth with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1893.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON, Fels. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicants' Patent Agents.