IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR MAKING GAS FROM LIQUID HYDROCARBONS FOR ILLUMINATING PURPOSES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR
MACHINERY FOR MAKING GAS FROM LIQUID HYDROCARBONS FOR ILLUMINATING
PURPOSES."-A communication from abroad by Myron Hopkins
Strong, Thomas Barbour, and Charles Cummingham Connor, all of
New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th May 1870.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
3 Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR
MACHINERY FOR MAKING GAS FROM LIQUID HYDROCARBONS FOR ILLUMINATING
PURPOSES," a communication, to be as follows:-
The liquid employed is hydrocarbon that is easily evaporated and
known as gasoline, the same is introduced in a vessel from which a

page_text: pipe leads to the evaporating apparatus. If the gasoline vessel is below
the evaporating vessel a pressure is produced therein above the gasoline
by compressed air or gas. The evaporating vessel is heated by artificial
heat, and vaporizes the liquid hydrocarbon, the surplus pressure in the
evaporating vessel forces the gasoline back into its vessel, and hence
away from the heat, and checks the formation of gas. The heat employed
is from a steam jacket, in cases where that can be easily obtained, such as
on locomotive head lights, or from gas generated in the apparatus itself and
burned beneath the evaporating vessel. When the latter mode of heating
is employed a receptacle is provided for a small quantity of alcohol or
gasoline to be burnt in starting the apparatus to heat the evaporator.
The gasoline vapors generated in the evaporator are led to a small nozzle
from which they escape rapidly in consequence of the pressure and
pass into a pipe leading to a gas holder, and near the nozzle air is
admitted in a regulated quantity so as to be drawn in by the speed of the
issuing gasoline vapor jet and passes on into the apparatus, the gasoline
vapors and atmosphere being thereby mixed and commingled in the
proportions necessary to form an illuminating gas that burns with great
brilliancy and is not liable to condense in the pipes leading to the
burners. When this apparatus is used with the head light of a loco-
motive, or where a steady supply of gas is required the gas may be led
directly to the burners, but in dwellings, factories, or other places where
the quantity of gas consumed varies, the gasoline vapors and air are to
be passed into a gas holder formed with a flexible weighted diaphragm
that rises when gas is forced into the said holder and falls as the gas is
forced to the burners. The movement of this diaphragm (with greater or
less rapidity according to the gas consumed) is utilized to open and close
a valve that allows the jet of gasoline vapor to blow out of the said
nozzle and replenish the gas holder, and the movement of the diaphragm
as the
gas holder becomes full closes the said valve to shut off the supply
until the valve is again opened by the descent of said diaphragm. When
the apparatus is stopped by shutting off the heat the cooling of the
evaporating vessel is made to operate a prop that holds up the diaphragm
so that it will not descend to open the gasoline vapor valve, hence
the apparatus remains ready for future use, and the heating of the
evaporator in starting removes this prop so that the operations are
automatic.
•

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th September 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR MAKING GAS FROM LIQUID HYDRO-
CARBONS FOR ILLUMINATING PURPOSES," a communication to me from abroad
by Myron Hopkins Strong, Thomas Barbour, and Charles Cummingham
Connor, all of New York, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain ´the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
-

page_text: Fig. 1 shows a sectional elevation of the gas apparatus adapted to use
in buildings, steamboats, railroad cars, and other structures; Fig. 2 is
a sectional plan of the gas holder and parts thereof; Fig. 3 is a section
of the inlet air regulator; Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the apparatus
adapted to one or more burners requiring a regular supply, such as in
a locomotive head light; Fig. 5 is an elevation of such a burner and a
section of the lantern of a locomotive. The evaporator in Figs. 4 and
5 is heated by steam. Fig. 6 is a section of the evaporating vessel and
apparatus for a burner in which the heat is derived from a flame;
and Fig. 7 is a vertical section of part of the last-named apparatus at
right angles to Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a sectional plan of the apparatus shown
The liquid employed is hydrocarbon that is easily evaporated and
known as gasoline. The same is introduced in a vessel, from which a
pipe leads to the evaporating apparatus. If the gasoline vessel is 1
below the evaporating vessel a pressure is produced therein above the
gasoline by compressed air or gas. The evaporating vessel is heated by
artificial heat and vaporizes the liquid hydrocarbon. Surplus pressure in
the evaporating vessel forces the gasoline back into its vessel, and hence,
away from the heat, and checks the formation of gas. The heat
employed is from a steam jacket, in cases where that can be easily
obtained, such as on locomotive head lights, or from gas generated in
the apparatus itself and burnt beneath the evaporating vessel. When
the latter mode of heating is employed a receptacle is provided for a
small quantity of alcohol or gasoline to be burnt in starting the
apparatus to heat up the evaporator. The gasoline vapors generated in
the evaporator are led to a small nozzle, from which they escape rapidly
in consequence of the pressure, and pass into a pipe leading to a gas
holder, and near the nozzle air is admitted in a regulated quantity, so
as to be drawn in by the speed of the issuing gasoline vapor jet and
pass on into the apparatus, the gasoline vapors and atmosphere being
thereby commingled and mixed in the proportions necessary to form an
illuminating gas that burns with great brilliancy and is not liable to
condense in the pipes leading to the burners. When this apparatus is
used with the head light of a locomotive, or where a steady supply of
gas is required, the gas may be led directly to the burners, but in
dwellings, factories, or other places, where the quantity of gas consumed

page_text: varies, the gasoline vapors and air are to be passed into a gas holder
formed with a flexible weighted diaphragm that rises when gas is forced
into said holder and falls as the gas is forced to the burners. The
movement of this diaphragm (with greater or less rapidity, according
to the gas consumed) is availed of to open and close a valve that allows
the jet of gasoline vapour to blow out of the said nozzle and replenish
the gas holder, and the movement of the diaphragm as the gas holder
becomes full closes the said valve to shut off the supply until the valve is
again opened by the descent of said diaphragm. When the apparatus
is stopped by shutting-off the heat the cooling of the evaporating vessel
is made to operate a prop that holds up the diaphragm, so that it will
not descend to open the gasoline vapor valve, hence the apparatus
remains ready for future use and the heating up of the evaporator in
starting removes this prop, so that the operations are automatic.
The gasoline vessel a is to be of sufficient size to contain the required
quantity of gasoline and of atmosphere or gas above the liquid to force
the contents of the vessel to the evaporator B, as required; in cases
where for convenience or safety the gasoline vessel a is below the level
of the evaporator B, as in Figs. 1 and 2, but where the gasoline holder
is above the evaporator B, as in Fig. 5, the gravity of the liquid is
sufficient to supply the same to the evaporator B, and in cases where a
cock b is used to shut off the supply, a tube c should be provided, the
said tube connecting with the supply tube between the evaporator and
the cock and terminating above the liquid in the vessel a, so that any
accumulation of pressure in the evaporator B after the cock b is shut
shall force the liquid back into the vessel a. The evaporator B when
heated by steam is made with a jacket or case d, Figs. 4, 5, and 9, into
which steam is led by a pipe d³, within which is a return pipe e that
allows the steam to blow away. The steam heat is applied to the
gasoline by the conducting power of the metal of the evaporator B, and
to aid in this operation a series of heating points 2, 2, are provided on
the under side of the division 3. running down into the gasoline. The
gasoline vapor evolved passes up through suitable channels to the
valve i by which it is allowed to flow in a regular stream to the nozzle
or jet tube o within the tube fleading to the burner g, and air is drawn
in by the force of the jet through the holes at 4 and commingles with
the gasoline vapors and passes on to the burner g.

page_text: The parts in Figs. 6 & 7 are substantially the same as before
described, but flame heat is substituted for steam heat. In this case
the evaporator B may be provided with a series of perforated disks 5 to
prevent agitation of the liquid when the apparatus is employed upon a
locomotive. The heat is applied within the chamber d from a flame of
gasoline vapor and atmosphere. The heat of the apparatus causes a
double generation of gasoline vapors, one from the main portion of the
evaporator B, passing by the cock or valve i to the burner g, the other
from the interior tube h, the vapors from which are led by the pipe 6
to the cock and jet or nozzle o', and the gasoline vapors issuing
from said jet o¹ commingle with atmosphere and pass into the chamber a
where they are consumed and heat the apparatus. This arrangement
allows for the heavier and inferior quality of gasoline being taken by
the pipe and consumed in the retort, and in order to heat -
-up the
apparatus for starting, a small quantity of gasoline is allowed to run:
into the spoon and is ignited, or else alcohol is made use of in
the same.
Between the valve i and the burner g a regulating apparatus,
such as shown in Fig. 8, may be placed so that the pressure upon a
diaphragm may partially shut off the flow of gas as the pressure
increases and thereby render the light uniform. The pipe m conveys 2
away the gaseous products of combustion and prevents any odors
therefrom passing into the room containing the apparatus.
The
The form in which this device is shown in Fig. 1 will be understood
from the foregoing, so far as relates to the operation of the evaporating
vessel B, gasoline supply tube a³, heating nozzle o³, and air inlets 4, 2
alcohol holder or spoon / to start the apparatus, and pipe m.
apparatus in Figs. 1 and 2, as before mentioned, is adapted to buildings,
cars, steamboats, or other structures, where a greater or lesser number
of burners is employed. The gasoline vapors pass from the valve i
when opened and issue from the nozzle o and go into the tube fand gas 3
holder n, and the atmosphere is admitted to mingle with the gasoline in
a regulated quantity. For this purpose an air inlet valve p is employed
and a turning perforated sleeve q, that can be placed so as to cover,
more or less, the corresponding holes in the stationary pipe, and
thereby regulate the proper proportion of air to the gasoline vapor. 3
The valve is operated automatically to let in gasoline vapor when
required, or to shut off the same when the gas holder is sufficiently full,

page_text: and for this purpose an elastic weighted diaphragm is employed that
rises as gas is forced in and descends as the gas is consumed by the
burners. A motion is communicated from this diaphragm to the
valve i by the levers 8, t, and u. The levers and u swing upon
the axis 10, and the springs 11 are stretched at the sides of these
levers t, u, and connected to them by yokes 12 at their ends. The
levers & & & move with the diaphragm r, and the yoke 12 of the lever t
in its movement strains the springs 11, and when the springs pass above
or below the axis 10 they contract and act upon the lever u, either
opening or closing the valve i suddenly to let the gasoline vapor flow
when the diaphragm descends and to shut it off as the diaphragm
reaches its upward movement. It is important that the valve i should
remain closed when the apparatus is stopped. To effect this the retort
containing water, the connecting tube v', the diaphragm w, lever x, and
prop y are employed, so that when the heat is stopped the vapors in the
retort condensing before the gasoline ceases to be vaporized cause
the water to descend into the retort o, and allow the prop y to turn
under the lever & and hold up the diaphragm r until the apparatus is
again heated up (by alcohol in l, or otherwise), so as to expand the
water in v, raise the diaphragm w, and move back the prop y, and the
annaratus becomes onerative as before described.
8

page_text: Sixth. A prop operated by the cooling of the apparatus to hold up the
diaphragm of the gas holder.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
⚫. seventy.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE.
(L.S.)
Witness,
W. J. LowE.