Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas from Liquid Hydrocarbons.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for the Manufacture
of Gas from Liquid Hydrocarbons.
I CHARLES WILLIAM PINKNEY of 77 Raglan Road, Smethwick in the County
of Stafford, 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:—
My invention relates to apparatus for the manufacture of gas from liquid
hydrocarbons and has for its object to provide means whereby the greatest possible
percentage of gas from heavy oils is produced and imperfect gas is prevented from
passing from the retorts or gasifiers; it also has for its object to provide means for
feeding the oil to the retorts or gasifiers whereby in case of the passages for the
gas from the retorts being stopped or clogged the said stoppage will be indicated
and the supply of oil cut off. According to my invention the interior of the
retort or chamber in which the oil is gasified is provided with an extended surface
over which the gas generated is caused to pass on its way to the outlet from the
said retort or chamber whereby the oil is effectually gasified and imperfect or
unfixed gas is prevented from passing out of the retort. The outlet pipe for the
gas is inserted in the last compartment of the series and extends to within a short
distance of the bottom of the retort.
The oil to be gasified is conducted from the oil reservoir through a pipe provided
with a cock or valve fitted with a two armed lever one of which arms terminates in
or carries a chamber or receptacle for oil, and the other arm is tubular and conducts
oil to a pipe in communication with the interior of the retort. This supply pipe
is shaped or bent so as to form a seal, and the outer end, where the oil enters is
provided with a branch pipe leading to the chamber in connection with the before
mentioned arm of the two armed lever. Should the passage from the retort become
stopped or clogged the oil fed into the U shaped pipe or seal will flow therefrom
through the branch pipe into the chamber connected to the arm of the lever until
the weight thereof causes the cock or valve to close and so cut off the supply of oil
to the retort.
'
In order that my invention may be well understood I will further describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawings premising however that I do not
restrict myself to the particular construction and arrangement of apparatus described
and illustrated..
Figs. 1 and 2 represent in elevation and plan respectively the gas generating
portion of the apparatus the oil feeding device being omitted. Fig. 3 is a vertical
section of the same with the oil feeding device in position and Fig. 4 is a horizontal
section on the line 1-2 Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the oil feeding device drawn to a larger
scale the parts being shewn in the position for feeding oil to the retort.
Fig. 6 is a plan of the same and. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 shewing the
parts in the position they occupy when the supply of oil is cut off.
A is a furnace consisting of an outer metal case B lined with fire brick C or
other suitable non-heat conducting material. Dare the fire bars. or grate, which
supports the fuel fed into the furnace through the fire door E. In the top plate
or crown A of the furnace is a hole through which is inserted the retort or
chamber F in which the gas is generated the said retort being suspended by the
flange centrally in the furnace so that the heat from the fuel can act on the whole

page_text: of the exterior surface of the retort. The retort is divided in the interior by
a partition G into two compartments H and I the said partition extending upwards
from the bottom of the retort to within a short distance from the top thereof where
the two compartments communicate one with the other.
Into the compartment H depends the oil feed pipe K and into the compartment I
depends the gas outlet pipe L which extends to within a short distance from the
bottom of the retort. M is the oil reservoir provided near its bottom with a
discharge pipe N fitted with a cock O to regulate the flow of oil therethrough.
To the lower end of this pipe is connected the plug P (Figs. 5, 6 and 7) of another
cock the shell or barrel Q of which cock constitutes the boss of a two armed
lever R R2 having the plug P as its fulcrum on which it turns. In the plug P is a
longitudinal passage a communicating at one end with the passage through the
pipe N and at the other end with a lateral passage in the plug. The arm R of
the two armed lever is tubular and communicates with a lateral passage cin
the shell or barrel Q of the cock which latter passage coincides with the
passage in the plug P when the lever is in the position shewn in Figs. 1, 5 and 6,
the oil then flowing from the reservoir M through the pipe N thence by the
passages a and b in the plug of the cock and the passage c in the shell or barre! Q
into the tubular arm R of the two armed lever. The outlet end of this lever arm
is situated directly over a mouth piece S on one end of a U bent or seal pipe T,
Fig. 3, the other end of which seal pipe is in communication with the feed pipe K
depending into the compartment H of the retort. So long as the double armed
lever remains in the position shewn in Fig. 5 and the cock 0 remains open a
constant stream of oil will enter the compartment H of the retort in regulated
quantity according to the extent to which the cock O is opened.
The retort being heated to the required temperature the oil admitted to the
compartment H of the retort becomes vapourised the vapour passing upwards in
contact with the sides of this compartment and over the top of the partition G into
the compartment I through which the vapour descends and in which it is con-
verted into perfect gas which passes thence upwards through the outlet pipe L
and may be conducted into coolers or condensers or to the place of storage.
Although the retort shown in the drawing is provided with only one partition
a retort having two or more partitions may be employed and so arranged as to
cause the vapours and gas to pass in a circuitous course through several compart-
ments before passing through the outlet pipe
or passage L.
I have found in practice that by causing the hydrocarbons to travel over an
extended moderately heated surface the liability to unvapourised oil passing from
the retort is prevented, whereas if the hydrocarbon be passed quickly over a highly
heated surface in the retort the tendency is to cause the oil to pass from the retort
in an unvapourised condition thereby causing waste and inconvenience by blocking
the passages between the retort and the place of storage of the gas.
Should any of the passages from the retorts become stopped or clogged means
are provided according to my invention whereby the oil in the bent pipe or seal T
is by the pressure of gas in the retort caused to flow through a branch pipe T² near
the upper end of the seal T into a chamber R³ on the arm R2 of the double armed
lever. The weight of this arm of the lever being thus increased causes the lever
to turn on the plug P and close the passage for oil through the said plug and
thereby cut off the supply of oil to the retort. Or instead of the lever R R* being
arranged to close the passage through the plug, the arm R of the lever may be
made sufficiently long that when the lever is moved into the position shown in
Figure 7 the outlet end of the arm will be above the level of the oil in the reservoir
and so stop the supply of oi'.
The lever R R2 when moved or being moved into the position shown in
Figure 7 may be caused to make an audible signal either electric or mechanical so
as to attract the attention of an attendant to the position of the lever. I have not
considered it necessary to illustrate this as it is obvious that any convenient
arrangement may be adopted for example the lever may cause contact to be made

page_text: so as to complete a circuit through the coils of an electric bell or the said lever may
operate the striker of a mechanical bell.
When the stoppage or obstruction has been removed from the passages from the
retort the lever R R2 may be returned to the position shown in Figure 5 to resume
the supply of oil to the retort, the oil which had entered the chamber R³ being
removed therefrom and if desired placed in the oil reservoir M.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting apparatus for the
manufacture of gas from liquid hydrocarbons substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for manufacturing gas from liquid hydrocarbons a retort divided
in the interior by a partition or partitions into two or more compartments through
which the gas is caused to pass before leaving the retort substantially as herein-
before described.
3. In apparatus for the manufacture of gas from liquid hydrocarbons, a retort
divided in the interior by means of a partition or partitions into two or more
compartments through which the gas is caused to pass in a circuitous direction the
hydrocarbon to be gasified being fed into the first compartment of the series and
the outlet pipe for the gas being inserted in the last compartment of the series
substantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
4. In connection with apparatus for the manufacture of gas from liquid hydro-
carbons the combination of parts constituting the safety device for feeding the
hydrocarbon to the retort and for cutting off the supply should the passages from
the retort be stopped or clogged substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by Figures 5, 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In apparatus for the manufacture of gas from liquid hydrocarbons the com-
bination with a reservoir to contain the hydrocarbon to be gasified, of a discharge
pipe or passage from the reservoir provided with a plug having a passage there-
through for the bydrocarbon, a double armed lever fitted to turn on the plug one
arm of the said lever being hollow and communicating with the passage in the plug
and through which arm the hydrocarbon is conducted to a feed pipe leading to the
interior of the retort, and the other arm of the said lever being provided with a
chamber or receptacle into which overflow hydrocarbon from the feed pipe passes
and causes the lever to turn on the plug so as to cut off the supply of hydrocarbon
to the retort substantially as hereinbefore described.
6. The combination with the subject matter of the last preceding claiming clause
of an electrical or mechanical audible signalling device brought into operation by
the double armed lever when moved or being moved into position to cut off the
supply of hydrocarbon to the retort substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 16th day of November 1894.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
Agents.