An Improved Burner for Alcohol, Petroleum, and other Combustible Liquids.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 18th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 17th May, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Burner for Alcohol, Petroleum, and other Combustible
Liquids.
I, EDOUARD HENRI ALLAIN, of Créteil (Seine) in the Republic of France,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be as
follows:-
The objects of my improved burner are,
Firstly to economise the combustible liquids employed, by effecting their com
plete combustion by bringing their vapours into more intimate contact and admixture
with the oxygen of the superheated air than has been heretofore effected.
Secondly; to secure absolute security from accidents by fire by making it
impossible for the combustible liquids to overflow from the apparatus.
Thirdly the accurate regulation of the heating power by means of a special
arrangement whereby the surface on which the active combustion takes place may be
varied at pleasure.
Fourthly; the obviation of the necessity of renewing the wicks.
Fifthly the extinguishing of the flame more quickly than in ordinary burners
and the avoidance of the use of the screws usually employed therein.
Sixthly; the applicability of the burner either for domestic and industrial heating
purposes, or as an illuminating apparatus.
Figure 1 of the drawing hereto annexed is a vertical section, and Figure 2 an
elevation, of one form of my burner as arranged for domestic heating purposes.
The apparatus consists essentially of a liquid-tight receiver a of cylindrical or
other suitable form, supported by three or more feet sprung or set into hollows or
recesses in the top and bottom a a² of the receiver. Above the receiver a these feet
are bent or curved to form a bearing for the object to be heated. The receiver a
contains firstly, an incombustible wick m of tubular form; secondly, a mass of incom-
bustible material surrounding the wick and possessing, like the latter, the property
of capillarity and which may be slightly heated without injury. For example this
material may be composed of asbestos at c and of sand, asbestos or vegetable earth
at c. Thirdly, of a heat insulating material at d possessing the property of capillarity,
and intended to serve as a reservoir of liquid which it retains by imbibition and
transmits to the adjacent parts by contact and capillarity. This surrounding
material d is preferably separated from the material e c' by a cage f formed of a coil
of wire.
Another metallic wire g, wound in a spiral form, is carried round and through the
parts de¹ in order to form a kind of feeding channel by which the liquid is distributed
through all the capillary parts of the apparatus when poured in through an opening o
formed for that purpose in the top a' of the liquid tight receiver a.
A cylindrical sheath or socket h is connected to the bottom a² of the receiver a and
forms a guide for an internal tube t intended to regulate the amount of combustion.
The regulating tube t is arranged to slide up in the sheath or socket h so as to make
a joint with the edge of the raised part of the top a' of the receiver a when it is
required to extinguish the burner. In sliding downwards the tube uncovers more.
or less of the tubular wick m.
The movement up or down of the regulator tube t is effected by the hand which
This lever
holds the handle M of the apparatus by means of the bell crank lever s.
oscillates on a fulcrum at s¹ carried by a support s² formed with the piece M¹ to which
the bandle M is fixed and which piece M is sprung or set into hollows or recesses
on to the top and bottom of the receiver a in the same manner as the feet b.
•
The upper end of the bell crank lever s passes through the handle M and terminates
in a cross piece on which the finger is placed when operating the regulator. The

page_text: lower end of the levers passes through a vertical groove or slot in the sheath or
socket and takes into a slot in the tube . By pressing on the cross piece s³ the
bell crank lever s raises the regulator ; by pushing forwards the bell crank lever
oscillates in the opposite direction causing the regulator to descend. A locking
arrangement may be adapted to the handle M or, in other suitable position for the
purpose of holding the bell crank lever s fixed when the tube is raised to its
highest point so as to close or extinguish the burner
The wick m, composed of a thickness of asbestos, has connected to it a similar
piece of material m₁ leading from the filling hole o in order to conduct the liquid
direct to the wick. The wire coil fand above described may he omitted if preferred
but I show them in position in the drawing in order to illustrate their use simul-
taneously with that of the wick m¹.
The burner being thus arranged, the vapour given off from so much of the internal
surface of the incombustible capillary wick m, as may be uncovered by the tube t,
can be ignited and the heat produced can be modified at pleasure by raising or
lowering the regulator t so as to vary the surface of the wick m at which combustion
can take place. An extinguisher may be applied at if it is found that the closing
of the tube t against the part is not sufficiently accurate to extinguish the flame.
The part of the burner may be surmounted with a chimney of metallic gauze so as
to bring the burning gases up to the bottom of the vessel containing the substance to
be heated.
The burner may be adapted to the purposes of an illuminating apparatus by reducing
its dimensions to suitable proportions. In this case the receiver a, with its asbestos
wick m, may be considerably reduced in size, and may be provided with a suitable
glass shade. For feeding the wick m one or more capillary wicks may be arranged
to effect the connection of the wick with the part of the lamp containing the
petroleum or other spirit. The regulator may be operated by the means above
described, or by any other suitable means.
The filling of the receiver a may be effected by the orifice o, or by other means
placed in any suitable position.
Dated this 18th dow of Mov 1000
W. H. BECK,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Burner for Alcohol, Petroleum, and other Combustible
Liquids.
I EDOUARD HENRI ALLAIN of 8 Avenue de l'Eglise Créteil Department of the
Seine in the Republic of France Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of
this Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The improved burner constructed according to this Invention presents the following
advantages namely.
1. Great economy resulting from the more perfect combustion of the inflammable
liquids owing to the more intimate contact and more perfect mixture of the vapours
from the liquids with the oxygen of the superheated air.
2. Absolute safety against conflagrations owing to the impossibility of spilling the
inflammable liquids.
3. Very accurate adjustment of the heating power by means of a special arrange-
ment which enables the acting surface of combustion in the apparatus to be regulated
as required.
4. The manipulations involved in renewing the wick of ordinary lamps are entirely
dispensed with.
5. The burner is enabled to be closed in a more rapid manner than with the ordinary
arrangements the screws commonly employed being dispensed with.

page_text: And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
Figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Sheet 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates an example of a heating apparatus
with a burner constructed according to my Invention.
Figure 1 is a view in elevation and Figure 2 represents a horizontal section on the
line 1-2 figure 1.
Figure 3 represents the burner in vertical section and Figure 4 is a plan.
Sheet 2 illustrates modifications hereinafter described.
The complete apparatus as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 comprises a chamber
or vessel a of cylindrical or other suitable form supported on three or four feet which
may be ornamented in any suitable manner.
The closed chamber a contains 3 parts namely
1. An incombustible wick m of any suitable thickness and of tubular form com-
bustion taking place on its inward surfaces.
2. An agglomeration of materials surrounding the wick and possessing likewise the
same capacity of capillary action for liquids and incombustibility but susceptible of
being heated. For example this agglomeration may contain asbestos at c and at c²
sand, asbestos or vegetable earth.
3. An envelope or enclosing part d of material acting as a bad conductor of heat
also of a capillary nature and acting as a reservoir for a supply of the liquid poured
into the chamber and which it retains by saturation and transmits to the adjacent
parts by contact and capillary attraction. This enclosing part d is separated from
the parts c c by a thick wire coiled in helical form.
Another wire coiled in a helix winds around and across the parts c c and d so as
to form a species of irrigating duct enabling the liquid to be quickly distributed to all
the capillary parts of the apparatus when the liquid is poured in at an orifice o
provided for the purpose in the cover near one side of the closed vessel a.
This vessel is also perforated through its axis by a circular hole or opening of
small diameter in the bottom and by an opening k likewise circular but of larger
diameter in the top. The latter is surrounded by a hoop or projection to which is
fitted a plate perforated centrally by an orifice of the same diameter as the hole h
with which it corresponds exactly.
Through the lower opening his passed a cylindrical tube t which is thus presented
concentrically to the wick m. The tube t which is guided by a short sleeve attached
to the orifice h is capable of being raised or lowered so as to either mask or expose the
whole or a portion of the incombustible wick m.
The burner being thus constituted it is simply necessary to ignite the incombustible
but capillary wick m on the inside in order to obtain a source of heat whose intensity
can be regulated by covering or uncovering the wick m by means of the tube t
according as the acting area of combustion is to be increased or contracted.
The ascent and the descent of the regulating tube are produced by means of a
supports to which it is attached and which slides in a guide p on the exterior and at
the side of the chamber a. A jointed ring n is provided for conveniently holding
or carrying the support s and a swing catch s enables it to be secured in the required
position.
The flame runs up the inner surface of the combustible wick and issues at the
opening in the top of the chamber so as to act on the bottom of a kettle or other
vessel containing the materials to be heated supported by the upper extensions of the
feet of the apparatus.
When the apparatus is not in action a disc r with an elastic packing is placed on
the false bottom being connected to a small upper tube e and an extension which
forms to a certain extent a continuation of the tube v (Figure 5).
The disc being concentric with the parts the latter are presented in the
axis of the burner that is to say concentrically with the wick m and the orifices h
and

page_text: A rod a works in the tubes and is connected at its upper end with a piston al
which in descending compresses a helical spring y. The rod is provided at its lower
end with a round head which forms a double hook at this hook engages with two
pins permanently fixed in the end of the regulating tube t.
By simply hooking the hook a² on to the transverse bars or pins the opening at 7¹
is tightly closed all leakage being prevented by the action of the compressed spring y
so that the liquid cannot escape by evaporation.
A modified arrangement of the improved burner is illustrated in vertical section
and in elevation in Figures 6 and 7 respectively.
The top a¹ and bottom a² of the body or chamber a of the burner are stamped or
embossed with mouldings or corrugations of suitable form to enable the parts provided
for the purpose on the three feet 6 to be driven or wedged on so as to dispense with
rivets or solder.
To the bottom a² is attached the cylindrical sheath which guides the regulating
-tube t.
This tube is capable of sliding up to the top so as to meet or join the edges
of the turned up part of the top or cover a¹.
The tube can also slide down to the bottom of the sheath so as to wholly expose
the tubular wick m which may be of asbestos or other suitable material provided it is
a conductor of combustible liquid.
The sliding motion of the regulator t is produced readily from the hand holding the
handle M of the apparatus by means of a bell-crank lever s.
This lever oscillates at s¹
on a support or bracket s² cast in one with the piece M¹ to which also is fixed the
handle and which is secured to the top and bottom of the chamber a in the same way
as previously described with reference to the feet b.
The upper arm of the levers passes through the handle M and terminates in a
crescent shaped piece 3 on which the finger can be conveniently placed when desired
to work the regulator.
The lower arm passes through a vertical slot in the sheath and its end engages
with a hole in the tube t.
By pressing the pieces the lever s raises the regulating tube t and by applying
pressure to the back of the said pieces the lever turns in an opposite direction
causing the regulating tube to descend.
The wick m is made of a thickness of asbestos having attached to the joint or at
one side a similar piece m' leading from the filling orifice o, so as to conduct the
combustible liquid direct to the wick.
This arrangement enables the coiled wires and y to be dispensed with but if
preferred it may be employed in combination with the parts and g.
Figure 8 illustrates in elevation a petroleum burner differing from the burners
herein before described only with regard to a species of chimney A of wire fabric
suitably supported at its edges and sides so as to enable it to sustain the cooking
or other vessel containing the materials to be heated.
Figure 9 illustrates the application of the invention to a lamp or other lighting
apparatus. In this case the reservoir a with the asbestos wick is made much smaller
as the non-conducting enclosure d hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1
is not required.
To supply the wick with liquid one or more capillary feed wicks m³ connect the
chamber a with the foot or base 13 of the lamp which contains the combustible liquid.
A regulating tube t is worked by the means herein before described or by any other
suitable arrangement and in like manner the gallery and support for the glass
chimney are so constructed as to harmonise with the design of the lamp.
Figures 10, 11 and 12 illustrate an arrangement according to which the reservoir a
instead of being filled through the orifice provided with the stopper o in the cover a¹
is filled at the side through a tube provided with a sliding cap or stopper o' acting as
a cock being provided with coinciding orifices o o³ at the parts o o.
Figures 11 and 12 also indicate that the moveable part of may be provided with a
funnel o which facilitates the operation of filling.
In addition to the advantage of the double current of air the burners arranged

page_text: according to my invention are capable of burning in an inverted position or turned
bottom upwards the flame coming out at the orifice in the bottom the combustion
always taking place at the sides quite irrespectively of the position of the burner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A burner with an incombustible wick supplied with air to support combustion
as set forth the said combustion taking place at the inner surfaces of the said
wick which is supplied with combustible liquid by a lateral capillary feed not
necessitating an ascent of the liquid substantially as herein before described.
2. A burner constituted internally as herein before set forth with the materials
arranged as herein before set forth for supplying the liquid supporting combustion
in combination with the regulating tube and the means for closing the burner
orifice when the apparatus is out of action substantially as herein before described
and illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.
3. The improved burner combined with the means for working the regulating
device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 of
the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination of the improved burner with a chimney of metallic fabric
resting on the reservoir or chamber of the apparatus and supporting the utensil
or object to be heated the heat being applied to the lower part or underside of
the latter substantially as described with reference to Figure 8 of the accompanying
drawings.
5. The improved burner for lighting purposes substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.
6. The combination of the improved barner and with lateral valves or funnels
for filling the chamber or reservoir substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figures 10, 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings.
7. The general arrangements and combinations of parts constituting the improved
burner for alcohol petroleum and other combustible liquids substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of February 1890
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.