Improved Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas for Lighting and Heating 'Purposes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Datecóf Application, 15th, Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1895-Accepted,: 15th Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or 'Improved Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of
Gas for Lighting and Heating 'Purposes.
I; PETER BRENTINI, of 5 Windermere Villas, Earlsfield, London, Soap
Powder Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
-
This invention relates to a new or improved process and apparatus for the
manufacture of gas for lighting and heating purposes, and "consists of the following
arrangements.
Into a heated retort or crucible of any suitable material-and-construction, I'cause
to fall, drop by drop, or in a fine stream, petroleum or paraffine soil, which, on
coming into contact with the heated surface of the retort or crucible, is transformed
into a vapour, which passes off from the retort or crucible into a condenser torbe
hereinafter referred to. 'I préfer to employ a retort or crucible of a more or less
globular or elliptical form, with the oil inlet and vapour outlet on opposite sides.of
the upper part thereof, and having a dip plate, diaphragm, or division, extending
from the top or cover of the retort or crucible to within a short distance from the
bottom thereof, thus preventing a direct passage from 'the oil inlet to the vapour
outlet.
The retort or crucible may be heated by a lamp or other heating device, either
fed from the apparatus itself or 'from an independent source, and is preferably
enclosed in a suitable casing or jacket so as to ensure the proper heating: ofits
entire surface, more or less, as may be desired or required. Instead of petróleum.or
paraffine oil, other hydrocarbon oils, or benzoline or other spirit or vapour may be
employed.
From the outlet of the retort or crucible the vapour is passed into a 'condenser of
any suitable or convenient construction, but preferably one in which water is caused
to circulate outside the vapour'tube.
From the condenser, the gas or vapour is passed into chamber in which it is
further cooled and a certain proportion of atmospheric air is added by 'any, suitable
means, in order to impart illuminating' or 'heating quality' to the gas according to
requirement.
The gas may then' be passed into a "gas 'holder of the ordinary and wellknown
construction, and I so arrauge that the rising and falling of the bell of the
gasholder shall automátically shot off, turn on, or regulate, the supply of soil or
spirit to the retort or crucible, and in some cases to the lamp for heating the latter,
and likewise regulate the motor or other apparatus, also the supply of water to the
condenser. By this arrangement 'the apparatus is rendered very automatic-imaits
action, and suitable for domestic use.
Dated this 15th day of February 1895.

page_text: New or Improved Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of
Gas for Lighting and Heating Purposes.
I, PETER BRENTINI, of 5 Windermere Villas, Earlsfield, London, Soap
Powder Manufacturer, 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 :-
This invention relates to a new or improved process and apparatus for the
manufacture of gas for lighting and heating purposes, and consists of the following
arrangements :-
It is
Into a heated retort or crucible of any suitable material and construction I cause
to fall, drop by drop, or in a fine stream, petroleum or paraffin oil, which, on coming
into contact with the heated surface of the retort or crucible, is transformed into a
vapour which passes off from the retort or crucible into a condenser of any suitable
or convenient construction. From the condenser the gas or vapour is passed into a
chamber or chambers where it is further cooled, and a certain proportion of
atmospheric air is added to it by a bellows, pump or other suitable means.
then passed into a gas holder of any suitable construction the rising and falling or
expansion and contraction of which is preferably caused to automatically shut off,
turn on, or regulate, the supply of oil or spirit to the retort or crucible, and in
some cases to the lamp for heating the latter, and likewise to regulate the motor or
other apparatus employed for forcing the air into the gas, and if necessary the
supply of water to the condenser.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood I will now proceed
to describe the same with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1
is a diagrammatic representation of a gas making apparatus constructed in
accordance with my invention, Figure 2 a plan of a part of sume to be hereinafter
described, and Figure 3 is a section of parts marked Q and R in Figure 1.
A is the retort made of cast iron or other suitable material, and arranged to he
beated by an ordinary furnace B or by a lamp or other heating device either fed
from the apparatus itself or from an independent source. The retort is preferably
enclosed more or less in a casing or jacket so as to ensure the proper heating of as
large a proportion of its surface as practicable. C is a pipe through which the
petroleum, paraffin, benzoline or other hydrocarbon oil, or spirit is supplied drop
by drop, or in a fine stream, to the retort from a reservoir 1) by means of devices
to be hereinafter described. E is a condenser or washer containing water. Elis
a pipe which conveys the vapour produced in the retort A to the condenser E
delivering the same by the dip pipe E 2 below the surface of the water contained
therein.
In this condenser the vapour is cooled and the greater portion of the tar is
deposited at the bottom thereof whence it can be drawn off through an outlet E 3
normally closed by a tap or otherwise. The partly cooled and washed vapour
passes off from the top of the condenser through a cooling coil F, and is delivered
through a dip pipe F1 below the surface of the water contained in a second,
condenser G similar to the first E, where it is still further.,cooled, and where the,
remainder of the tar is deposited. A pipe H leads the cooled and washed vapour
from the condenser G to a vessel I where it is mixed with a suitable proportion of
atmospheric air, and; this mixture of vapour and air is conveyed from the vessel I
through a pipe J to a gas holder which may consist of a tank K containing water
and a bell K1 rising and falling therein in the usual and well known way. From
the gas holder the mixture of gas and air may be led off by the pipe L direct to
the burners; or it may be caused to pass on its way to the burners through a
purifying and drying apparatus consisting of two chambers M, M1 provided

page_text: respectively with perforated false bottoms M2 M3 and connected together at the
top by a pipe M 4. The chamber M is filled with powdered or granulated charcoal,
and the chamber M 1 with caustic lime preferably resting on a layer of coke. The
mixture of gas and air is delivered by. the pipe L into the space below the
perforated false bottom M 2 in M, rises through the charcoal and passes by the
pipe M 4 into the upper part of the chamber Mi, descends through the lime and
coke into the space below the perforated false bottom M 3 and thence passes off by
the pipe L1 to the illuminating or heating burners, as the case may be.
The atmospheric air is supplied to the vessel 1 for admixture with the vapour by
means of a pump or by bellows actuated by clock work, hydraulic, steam, gas,
electric or other motive power engine. In the drawing the air forcing apparatus
consists of bellows N actuated by a hydraulic motor N 1 by means of the lever N 2
and connecting links N 3. These bellows force air into the collapsible air chamber
or reservoir N 4 acted upon by a weight or by a spring N 5.
From this chamber or reservoir the air is conveyed to the mixing vessel I through
a pipe 11 for admixture with the vapour as before stated; but I also employ the
pressure of the air delivered by the bellows N to force the petroleum or other
hydro-carbon into the retort A, and the mixture of air and vapour into the gas
holder.
:-
For this purpose I employ the following arrangements :-
D is a closed reservoir containing a supply of petroleum or other hydrocarbon
liquid and preferably furnished with a level indicator or gauge glass D 1. Q is a
closed vessel connected to the reservoir D by means of a pipe Q1 the supply to
which from the reservoir D can be regulated by a tap Q2. A pipe Q 3 leads from
the lower part of the vessel Q to a closed reservoir R preferably furnished with a
level indicator or gauge glass R 1.
As
The vessel Q and part of the vessel R are shown in section to a larger scale in
Figure 3. At the end of the pipe Q1 is placed a valve Q4 opening downwards
and connected to a float Q 5. As soon as the level of the liquid in the vessel Q
reaches a certain height the float Q5 closes the valve Q4 and prevents the
further entrance of liquid through the pipe Q 1. When the level of the liquid
falls the valve Q4 opens and admits more liquid until the level rises bigh
enough to close the valve again, and so OD. By these means a practically
constant level of the liquid is maintained in the vessel Q and consequently in
the reservoir R, as the two vessels communicate with each other by the pipe Q3.
The two vessels are also in communication with each other at the top by means
of a pipe Q6 whereby the same pressure is maintained in the two vessels.
I sometimes dispense with the vessel Q and place the valve and float in the
vessel R connecting the pipe Q1 thereto in the same manner as shown in
connection with the vessel Q. The pipe C through which the hydrocarbon
liquid is conveyed from the reservoir R to the retort extends down to near the
bottom of the said reservoir and is furnished with a regulating tap C1.
the vapour and mixture of vapour and air pervading the apparatus is under
pressure it is necessary to exert a similar pressure or one somewhat in excess
thereof, upon the hydrocarbon liquid in order to force the same into the
retort A. For this purpose I connect the outlet pipe N 6 from the air chamber or
reservoir N 4 with the upper end of the reservoir D by a pipe P, and with
the upper end of the reservoir R by a pipe R 2. By this means the liquid in the
reservoir D is forced through the pipe Q1, into the vessel Q, thence by the
pipe Q3 into the reservoir R and the liquid in the latter into the pipe C by
the pressure of air acting on the upper surfaces of the liquid contained in the
vessel DQ and R which pressure is equal to or somewhat in excess of the
pressure in the retort. The quantity of air supplied and consequently its pressure
is varied according to the quantity of gas required to supply the burners in the
following way
When the gas is being consumed at the burners faster than it
is being made in the apparatus the gas holder bell K 1 falls and a cord S convected
to it raises a weighted lever T forming the handle of a tap in the exhaust pipe U

page_text: of the hydraulic motor N 1. This tap is thereby opened giving a freer outlet to
the exhaust water, enabling the 'motor to run quicker so as to increase the supply
of air whereby the pressure is raised and consequently, more hydrocarbon is
delivered to the fetort. When on the other hand the gas is being consumed at a
'slower rate than it is being made in the apparatus the gas-holder bell K 1 rises and
allows the weighted lever U to fall closing the tap U-more or less and reducing the
speed of the 'motor or stopping it altogether; thereby reducing or stopping the
supply of air and consequently that of the hydrocarbon to the retort and therefore
the manufacture of gas until the gas holder béll K1 again falls and allows the
motor to start again or to move at 'increased speed. The supply of hydrocarbon
liquid is thus 'regulated by the pressure of air and this in turn is regulated by the
speed of the motor and of the bellows, which speed is dependent upon the position
of the gas holder bell K 1, and that again upon 'the consumption of gas at the
burners; so that the apparatus acts quite automatically so long as the retort A
is 'kept at a proper heat. When 'the retort is heated by the combustion of coke
or coal personal attention must be given to keep up a proper supply of fuel
unless the latter be supplied aiftomatically; but when the retort is heated by gas
produced in the apparatus itself, which is generally the preferable method, no
personal attention is required after the heating burner is once lighted. But'in
order to avoid waste of gas by keeping the retort up to the full heat when little or
no gas is being made in the apparatus the supply of gas to the burner for heating
the retort may be regulated automatically by the rising and falling of the gas
holder bell Ki in a manner similar to that above described for the regulation of
the speed of the motor.
"When a hydraulic motor is employed it will generally be found convenient to
connect the exhaust pipe U of the motor with the water inlet pipe V to the
condenser E, and if necessary to the condenser G, by this means a supply of cold
Water to the condensers is secured proportionate to the quantity' of gas being made
at any given time.
The dir and vapour mixing vessel I may be of any suitable construction,
but I have found that the construction shown in plan in Figure 2 is convenient
and efficient. I 'is an annular cylindrical vessel closed at top and bottom and
having n partition L2 extending across from side to side and from top to bottom of
the annular chamber. 13 are partitions which are somewhat less in width than
the annular chamber and are disposed therein so as to cause the gas and air to
follow a zigzag path in passing from the gas and air inlets, H and I i respectively,
'to the outlet pipe L whereby the gas and air are thoroughly mixed together. The
vessel I may contain a certain amount of water or heavy oil and the air pipe 'I 1
may preferably dip into this water or oil in order to prevent-gas or mixture of gas
and air passing back through the said pipe to the air chamber or reservoir N 4 and
through the non-return valve usually provided in connection therewith.
The object of maintaining a constant level of the liquid in the regulating
vessel R is to secure that'the regulation of the supply of hydrocarbon liquid to the
retort' shall be effected by the variation of the air pressure alone, and shall not be
effected by varying depths and consequently varying resistances of the liquid
itself.
The drying chambers M M may be dispensed with if.preferred.
The gas produced by the process and apparatus above described is practically
permanent that is to say it does not 'condense at comparatively low temperatures,
as is the case with hydrocarbon vapour generated by the passage through it of
dtmospheric air or by the application thereto of a slightly elevated temperature
"July.
Having now, particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
laim-is

page_text: lighting and heating purposes which consists in vapourizing a hydrocarbon liquid
in a heated retort, cooling and washing the gas and then mixing the same with
atmospheric air substantially as described.
Second. Apparatus for producing gas for lighting and heating purposes from
hydrocarbon liquid, which consists of a vapourizing retort or crucible, one or more
condensers or washers with or without a cooling coil, a mixing vessel for mixing
atmospheric air with the gas produced in the retort, devices for containing the
hydrocarbon liquid and for regulating the supply thereof to the retort, means for
forcing air into the mixing vessel and into the vessels or reservoirs containing the
hydrocarbon liquid, a motor for actuating the air forcing devices, a gas holder or
receiver, and devices connected with the latter for regulating the speed of the
motor according to the requirements of gas making in the apparatus, combined
arranged, and operating substantially as described.
Third. In apparatus for producing gas for lighting and heating purposes from
hydrocarbon liquid regulating the supply of such liquid to the retort by air pressure
applied to the surface of such liquid in the reservoir and regulating vessels
containing it, such pressure being varied automatically according to the requirements
of gas making in the apparatus substantially as described.
Hated thie
4th day or November 1890
liated this lath day Of November 1890
P. BRENTINI,
Per W. H. Beck,
115 Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.