Improvements in Apparatus for use in Compressing Air and Gas.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 26th July, 1900-Accepted, 15th Sept.,
1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for use in Compressing Air and Gas.
I, EMILE GOBBE, of Jumet, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Engineer and Glass-
founder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for use in compressing air and gas.
The apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention mainly consists
of an explosion chamber consisting of a sheet metal cylinder lined with fire re-
sisting material protecting the metal from the action of heat.
This explosion chamber is connected at its lower part with two pipes, through
one of which air is conducted into the explosion chamber, while the other simi-
larly supplies the said chamber with gas.
The said pipes may be lined with fire resisting material or not.
At top, the explosion chamber communicates with a chimney of sufficient
height to ensure an adequate draught, for which purpose the said chimney may
be connected with any suitable mechanical suction appliance, or simply with a
steam jet extractor..
A valve is arranged at the base of the chimney; which valve is kept open by
its own weight and adapted to descend but a little distance below its seat.
At the extremities of the air and gas pipes, respectively, there are provided
delivery valves and suction valves which, by means of springs, are raised a short
distance above their seats.
Regulating valves enable the amounts of air and gas admitted to be controlled
or varied, as required, so as to obtain a suitable mixture for explosion in the
explosion chamber.
The air and gas meet after passing through a tuyere, provided with a number
of perforations, which serve to agitate the air and gas to thoroughly mix them;
while an igniter situated near the top of the explosion chamber, receives com-
pressed gases from collectors. The flame produced in this igniter passes through
à number of small perforations of a fire-resisting piece forming the cap of the
igniter.
This igniter is fitted with a perforated dish or basket" adapted to receive
incandescent charcoal or the like for starting the apparatus.
The operation is as follows:
-
To start the apparatus, the gas valve is closed, and the basket is filled with
burning charcoal or the like inserted through a charging orifice, which imme-
diately after is tightly closed for example by a screw-plug.
The valve of the chimney being open, as is also the suction valve, the air drawn
in by the chimney passes into the apparatus, taking its course through the
regulating and suction valves into the explosion chamber and thence escaping
through the chimney.
When there exists a proper draught, the gas supply valve is opened, so that a
limited quantity of gas is admitted and mixes with the air in the tuyere.
As the gas supply valve continues to be operated, the volume of gas drawn
in increases and when it is sufficient to produce with the entering air an explosive
mixture which is ignited by contact with the aforesaid hot charcoal or the like:

page_text: An initial explosion occurs, which spreads throughout the explosion chamber
which by this time is entirely filled with explosive mixture.
The effect of the explosion is immediately to raise the pressure within the
apparatus. The gases tend to escape through every outlet, and, as they do so,
press the valve leading to the chimney and the air and gas suction valves to
their seats, while the delivery valves open to the air and gas respectively in
the pipes leading into the explosion chamber (under the pressure of the very
hot and highly expanded products of combustion which have been evolved during
the explosion) being passed to the collectors without the intermediate agency
of a piston.
When the pressure in the pipes becomes equal to that existing in the collectors
the delivery valves close and the cooling effect produced by the walls creates a
partial vacuum in the said pipes and in the explosion chamber. The valve
to the chimney and the air and gas suction valves then re-open, allowing the
combustion gases to escape through the chimney, and admitting further charges
of air and gas which drive the combustion gases before them. A fresh éxplosive
mixture is then contained in the explosion chamber and a second explosion
takes place when such mixture comes in contact with the hot charcoal or
the like.
The combustion gases resulting from this explosion are, as before, confined
within the apparatus, as a result of the sudden closing of the valve leading to the
chimney and the air and gas suction valves and further quantities of air and of
gas enter the collectors and so on at each repetition of the explosion.
The explosions will be the more frequent, as the chimney draught is more
powerful, and as the regulating valves are wider open.
It will be readily understood that by properly controlling the air and gas
supplies, it is easy to proportion the explosive mixture, so as to secure as re-
munerative a yield as possible at a minimum expenditure of gas.
By the time the collectors contain a small quantity of air and gas under
pressure, the igniting device will come into operation, as the gas and air
(from the collectors) issuing from the igniter will ignite through contact with
the hot charcoal or the like. The igniter will be extinguished again after each
explosion, but it will ignite again when the gas comes into contact with the
perforated fire-resisting part of the igniter which will be sufficiently hot to
ensure ignition. It is advisable to arrange back-pressure valves at the bases of
the pipes leading to the igniter to prevent the passage of combustion products
into the collectors.
This apparatus will prove particularly serviceable in compressing air and
gas to pressures exceeding the usual power of centrifugal fans or steam jet
injectors say, in cases where it is desired to confine air and gas under a pressure
varying between 10 metres and 5 or 6 metres of water. The yield, in that case,
will be very considerable as the products of combustion, upon being suddenly
raised to from 6 to 10 atmospheres of pressure, may expand to 10 and 1/100
atmosphere, driving before them a very large volume of air and gas without the
use of a mechanical device for the purpose.
To prevent the combustion gases from reaching the collectors it is only neces-
sary to make the pipes leading to the explosion chamber sufficiently long.
It will further be advisable not to make the diameter of the said pipes and
of the explosion chamber too large, so as to avoid any mixture of the products
of combustion with the air or gas.
Not only will the yield of this apparatus be considerable, as regards the volume
of compressed air and gas respectively, but the heat of the products of com-
bustion will also be utilized and recuperated by the air and gas when they
have swept past twice (going and returning) through the said pipes, which are
also swept twice by the products of combustion, before they escape through the
chimney.
The said pipes, therefore serve as recuperators of heat, and heat the com-

page_text: pressed air and gas to several hundred degrees, which will be very advan-
tageous whenever it is necessary that the gas, just stored up, should be iminediately
consumed, or that a hot air blast should be provided for a gas generator or a
blast or other furnace.
The said pipes may contain bars or tubes or the like of fire resisting material,
laid one upon the other, within the said pipes, so as not to interfere unduly with
the air and gas in motion, or wrought or cast iron pipes; or iron bars or rods,
adapted to store up the heat of the combustion gases with a view to immediately
yielding it up again to the compressed air and gas may be used.
When the apparatus is arranged to compress air only to a pressure, which may,
for example, be sufficient to work blast furnaces, cupolas, furnaces generally,
gas producers or the like, the air portion is the same as in the arrangement here-
inbefore described, but for the gas portion is substituted simply a gas-inlet open-
ing into the tuyere and explosion chamber direct.
The gas inlet valve may be so modified that the period when it opens may be
regulated at will, so that the gas reaches the tuyere at the same time as the
air supplied through the air supply pipe, which, being filled with combustion
gases, after each explosion, must discharge its contents before the air enters
the tuyere.
To accomplish this object, I replace the gas valve by a seatless valve, con-
sisting of a piston working in a cylinder.
This piston is connected by a rod to another smaller piston, enclosed in a
cylinder filled with water or oil, or simply with air. A narrow side pipe, fitted
with a cock, communicates between the bottom and top parts of such cylinder.
A wider pipe fitted with a valve, also communicates between the two ends
of the said cylinder.
For the gas igniter there may be substituted an incandescent tube, and in
either case any igniting device may be used in connection with apparatus.
The operation of this arrangement is as follows:-
The igniter is brought to a white heat, for which purpose gas or petroleum
vapours may be burnt in a burner enclosed within the igniter.
When the igniter is brought to a sufficiently high temperature, the air supply
valve is opened, as is also the gas supply valve.
As the air and gas inlet valve and that to the chimney are open the latter
draws air and gas into the explosion chamber, where they mix, an explosion
taking place when the mixture comes into contact with the incandescent tube.
The increase of pressure produced by the explosion has the effect of closing
the air and gas inlet valves and the valve to the chimney and of opening the
delivery valve leading to the collector.
The length of the air pipe leading from the explosion chamber should be
sufficient to prevent the entrance of products of combustion into the said pipe.
Immediately after the air has been expelled the products of combustion cool
down and a partial vacuum forms in the interior of the apparatus. The com-
pressed air delivery valve closes, while the air supply valve opens, as does also
the chimney valve and as the products of combustion are expelled through the
chimney, a fresh supply of air is drawn into the apparatus.
Whilst the products of combustion escape through the chimney, the piston
acting as a valve, slowly rises under the pressure of its spring, its speed being
regulated by the area of aperture of the cock on the smaller communicating
pipe which allows fluid to pass from below the piston to the space above it,
the flow being slower according as the aperture is more restricted. Thus by
opening the said cock. more or less, the speed of the piston can be so regulated
that a fresh supply of gas will not be admitted until all the products of com.
bustion have been expelled from the air pipe, and until air arrives at the tuyere.
At this juncture a freeh explosive mixture forms in the explosion chamber
and another explosion takes place as soon as the mixture comes into contact with
the igniting tube,

page_text: It will thus be seen that the piston or valve enables any unnecessary expendi-
ture of gas to be avoided. It may be closed rapidly until the influence of the
pressure produced by the explosion because the valve in the larger communi-
cating pipe from one side to the other of the piston has a large sectional area
and allows the fluid which is to be transferred from one side of the piston to the
other to pass through rapidly; but the said piston valve opens more slowly,
because of the limited sectional area of the smaller communicating pipe which
may, moreover, be throttled at will by means of the cock as aforesaid.
By apparatus constructed as described large quantities of air can be compressed
by means of very simple apparatus, inexpensive in construction and capable of
being kept in repair at little cost, the yield or useful effect of which however, is
very considerable, seeing that the force of the explosion is efficiently utilized.
Besides, the heat of the combustion gases is lost only in part and serves to heat
the compressed air.
With three or four apparatus of this description a sufficient blast may readily
be provided for a blast furnace in doing which a material saving will be effected
considering that at the present time very costly blowing machines are used in
compressing air for blast furnaces, such blowers being operated by means of
steam engines of great power which involve much expense necessitating as they
do an extensive system of steam generators.
Not only can these machines now be replaced by apparatus whereof the cost
of erection is extremely small but the said apparatus can be fed from the
blast furnace direct with a very small quantity of gas and will then supply a
blast heated beforehand to from 300° to 400° Centigrade, a circumstance which
will enable the dimensions of Cowper and other similar apparatus employed in
heating the blast to be substantially reduced, or these appliances may be dis-
pensed with altogether.
Dated this 28th day of Novambow 1900.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agents.
Improvements in Apparatus for use in Compressing Air and Gas.
I, EMILE GOBBE, of Jumet, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Engineer and Glass-
founder, 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 use in compressing air and gas.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure represents in vertical section apparatus for compressing air and
gas constructed in accordance with my invention. I will hereinafter refer to the
parts serving to admit and compress air which should appear on the right
hand side of the figure: they are, in all respects, indentical with those perform-
ing the same duties in regard to gas, which are placed on the other side. I will
therefore deal with them as if they were shown in Fig. 1, designating by letters
of the A series the parts referring to air, which correspond to identical parts
of the "G" series referring to gas.
Fig. 2 shows a modified form of apparatus designed for air alone. On the
right of this figure are included the parts omitted from Fig. 1, marked with the
corresponding letters of reference.

page_text: The apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention mainly consists
of an explosion chamber B consisting of a sheet metal cylinder lined with fire-
resisting material protecting the metal from the action of heat.
This explosion chamber is connected at its lower part with two pipes, through
one of which, A', air is conducted into the explosion chamber B, while the other, G¹
similarly supplies the said chamber with gas.
The said pipes A and G¹ may be lined with fire-resisting material or not.
At top, the explosion chamber, B. communicates with a chimney C of sufficient
height to ensure an adequate draught, for which purpose the said chimney may
be connected with any suitable mechanical suction appliance, or simply with a
steam jet extractor.
A valve D is arranged at the base of the chimney C: which valve is kept open
by its own weight and adapted to descend but a little distance below its seat."
At the extremities of the air and gas pipes, A¹ and G¹ respectively, there are
provided delivery valves A2 and G2, and suction valves A³ and G3, which, by
means of springs A and G, are raised a short distance above their seats.
Regulating valves A5 and G5 enable the amounts of air and gas admitted to
be controlled or varied, as required, by operating their respective hand wheels A
and Go, so as to obtain a suitable mixture for explosion in the explosion
chamber B.
The air and gas meet after passing through a tuyere T, provided with a
number of perforations, which serve to agitate the air and gas to thoroughly
mix them while an igniter E situated near the top of the explosion chamber B
receives, through the pipes A G², compressed gases supplied from collec-
tors A8 G8. The flame produced in this igniter passes through a number of
small perforations of a fire-resisting piece forming the cap of the igniter.
This igniter is fitted with a perforated dish or basket" Hadapted to receive
incandescent charcoal or the like for starting the apparatus.
The operation is as follows:-
To start the apparatus, the gas valve G is closed, and the basket H is filled
with burning charcoal or the like inserted through a charging orifice, which
immediately after is tightly closed for example by a screw-plug R.
The valve D of the chimney being open, as is also the suction valve A³, the
air drawn in by the chimney passes into the apparatus, taking its course through
the regulating and suction valves A A³ into the explosion chamber B, and thence
escaping through the chimney C.
When there exists a proper draught, the gas supply valve G5 is opened, by
the operation of the hand wheel G, so that a limited quantity of gas is admitted
through the pipe G and mixes with the air in the tuyere T.
As the gas supply valve continues to be operated, the volume of gas drawn
in increases and when it is sufficient to produce with the entering air an
explosive mixture which is ignited by contact with the aforesaid hot charcoal or
the like in the dish H an initial explosion occurs, which spreads throughout
the explosion chamber B which by this time is entirely filled with explosive
mixture.
The effect of the explosion is immediately to raise the pressure within the
apparatus. The gases tend to escape through every outlet, and, as they do
so, press the valves D, A3, G³, to their seats, while the delivery valves A2 and G2
open to the air and gas respectively in the pipes A¹ and G¹ (under the pressure
of the very hot and highly expanded products of combustion, which have been
evolved during the explosion), being passed to the collectors A8 and G8 respec-
tively without the intermediate agency of a piston.
When the pressure in the pipes A and G₁ becomes equal to that existing in
the collectors A8 and G8, the valves A2 and G2 close and the cooling effect pro-
duced by the walls creates a partial vacuum in the said pipes A' G and in the
chambers B. The valves D, A³ and G³ re-open, allowing the combustion gases
to escape through the chimney C, and admitting further charges of air and gas

page_text: which drive the combustion gases before them. A fresh explosive mixture is
then contained in the explosion chamber B and a second explosion takes place
when such mixture comes in contact with the hot charcoal or the like in the
dish H.
The combustion gases resulting from this explosion are, as before; confined
within the apparatus, as a result of the sudden closing of the valves D A³
and G3, and further quantities of air and of gas enter the collectors and so on
at each repetition of the explosion.
The explosions will be the more frequent, as the chimney draught is more-
powerful, and as the regulating valves A5 G5 are wider open.
It will be readily understood that by properly controlling the air and gas
supplies by means of the hand wheels A and G6, for example, it is easy to pro-
portion the explosive mixture, so as to secure as remunerative a yield as possible-
at a minimum expenditure of gas.
By the time the collectors A8 and GB contain a small quantity of air and
gas under pressure, the igniting device E will come into operation, as the gas
and air (from the collectors) issuing from the igniter will ignite through contact
with the red-hot charcoal or the like. The igniter will be extinguished again
after each explosion, but it will ignite again when the gas comes into contact
with the perforated fire-resisting part of the igniter which will be sufficiently hot
to ensure ignition. It is advisable to arrange back-pressure valves I and J
at the bases of the pipes A and G7, to prevent the passage of combustion products
into the collectors G8 and A8.
This apparatus will prove particularly serviceable in compressing air and
gas to pressures exceeding the usual power of centrifugal fans or steam jet in-
jectors, say, in cases where it is desired to confine air and gas under a pressure
varying between 10 metres and 5 or 6 metres of water. The yield, in that case
will be very considerable as the products of combustion, upon being suddenly
raised to from 6 to 10 atmospheres of pressure, may expand to 1/10. 1/100 atmos-
phere, driving before them a very large volume of air and gas without the use
of a mechanical device for the purpose.
To prevent the combustion gases from reaching the collectors A8 and G8 it is
only necessary to make the pipes A¹ and G¹ sufficiently long.
It will further be advisable not to make the diameter of the said pipes A¹
and G and of the explosion chamber B too large, so as to avoid any mixture of
the products of combustion with the air or gas.
Not only will the yield of this apparatus be considerable, as regards the
volume of compressed air and gas respectively, but the heat of the products of
combustion will also be utilized and recuperated by the air and gas when these
have swept past twice (going and returning) through the said pipes A¹ and G,
which are also swept twice by the products of combustion, before they escape
through the chimney.
The said pipes A and G¹, therefore, serve as recuperators of heat, and treat
the compressed air and gas to several hundred degrees, which will be very ad-
vantageous whenever it is necessary that the gas, just stored up, should be
immediately consumed, or that a hot air blast should be provided for a gas
generator or a blast or other furnace.
The said pipes A¹ and G¹ may contain bars or tubes or the like of fire-resisting
material laid one upon the other, within the said pipes, so as not to interfere
unduly with the air and gas in motion, or wrought or cast-iron pipes; or iron
bars or rods, adapted to store up the heat of the combustion gases with a view
to immediately yielding it up again to the compressed air and gas, may be used.
Fig. 2 represents a modified arrangement according to my invention when
the apparatus is intended for compressing air only, to a pressure which may,
for example, be sufficient to work blast-furnaces, cupolas, furnaces generally,
gas producers or the like, the air portion is the same as in the arrangement
herein before described, but for the gas portion is substituted simply a gas-inlet

page_text: opening to the layere I ави схростой спагет
omitted.
The pipe
The gas inlet valve may be so modified that the period when it opens may be
regulated at will, so that the gas reaches the tuyere T at the same time as the
air supplied through the air-supply pipe A', which, being filled with combustion
gases after each explosion, must discharge its contents before the air enters the
tuyere T.
To accomplish this object, 1 replace the gas valve by a scat-less valve, consist-
ing of a piston M working in a cylinder N.
This piston M is connected by a rod to another smaller piston P, enclosed
in a cylinder V filled with water or oil, or simply with air. A narrow side
pipe V, fitted with a cock X communicates between the bottom and top parts
of such cylinder:
A wider pipe, fitted with a valve Q, also communicates between the two ends
of the said cylinder.
For the gas igniter there may be substituted an incandescent tube Y and
in either case any igniting device may be used in connection with the apparatus.
The operation of this arrangement is as follows:-
The igniter is brought to a white heat, for which purpose gas or petroleum
vapours may be burnt in a burner Z enclosed within the igniter Y.
When the igniter is brought to a sufficiently high temperature, the air-
supply valve A is opened, as is also the gas-supply valve G
As the air and gas inlet valves A and M and the valve 1) to the chimney are
open the latter draws air and gas into the explosion chamber B where they
mix, an explosion taking place when the mixture comes into contact with
the incandescent tube Y.
The increase of pressure produced by the explosion has the effect of closing
the valves AM and D and of opening the valve A2 leading to the collector A
The length of the pipe A should be sufficient to prevent the entrance of pro-
ducts of combustion into the said collector A8.
Immediately after the air has been expelled the products of combustion coo!
down and a partial vacuum forms in the interior of the apparatus. The com-
pressed air delivery valve A2 closes, while the air supply valve A³ opens, as
does also the chimney valve D; and as the products of combustion are expelled
through the chimney, a fresh supply of air is drawn into the apparatus.
Whilst the products of combustion escape through the chimney, the piston M,
acting as a valve, slowly rises under the pressure of its spring, its speed being
regulated by the area of aperture of the cock X, which allows fluids to pass from
above the piston l' to the space below it, the flow being slower according as
the aperture is more restricted. Thus by opening the said cock X more or less,
the speed of the piston M can be so regulated that a fresh supply of gas will
not be admitted until all the products of combustion have been expelled from
the air pipe A and until air arrives at the tuyere T.
At this juncture a fresh explosive mixture forms in the explosion chamber B
and another explosion takes place as soon as the mixture comes into contact
with the igniting tube Y.
It will thus be seen that the piston or valve M enables any unnecessary ex-
penditure of gas to be avoided. It may be closed rapidly under the influence of
the pressure produced by the explosion, because the valve Q has a large sectional
area and allows the fluid which is to be transferred from one side of the piston P
to the other to pass through rapidly; but the said piston-valve opens more
slowly, because of the limited sectional area of the pipe which may, moreover,
be throttled at will by means of the cock X as aforesaid.
By apparatus constructed as described large quantities of air can be com-
pressed by means of very simple apparatus, inexpensive in construction and
capable of being kept in repair at little cost, the yield or useful effect of which,
however, is very considerable, seeing that the force of the explosion is efficiently

page_text: utilized. Besides the heat of the combustion gases is lost only in part and serves
to heat the compressed air.
With three or four apparatus of this description a sufficient blast may readily
be provided for a blast furnace, in doing which a material saving will be effected
considering that at the present time very costly blowing machines are used in
compressing air for blast furnaces, such blowers being operated by means of
steam engines of great power which involve much expense, necessitating as they
do an extensive system of steam generators.
Not only can these machines now be replaced by apparatus whereof the cost
of erection is extremely small but the said apparatus can be fed from the blast
furnace direct with a very small quantity of gas and will then supply a blast
heated beforehand to from 300° to 400° Centigrade a circumstance which will
enable the dimensions of Cowper and other similar apparatus employed in heat-
ing the blast to be substantially reduced, or these appliances may be dispensed
with altogether.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what
I claim is: :-
1. Apparatus for use in compressing air and gas by means of explosions_com-
prising a chimney C with a valve D, an explosion chamber B, a tuyere T, by
which the gases pass by pipes A' and G¹, a series of valves A³ G A³ G, by which
the gases are admitted the valves A G being adjustable, an igniter for explod-
ing the gases, valves A² and G2 leading to collectors A8 and G8 for receiving
the compressed air and gases respectively, the whole operating substantially as
and for the purpose hereinabove described and illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accom-
panying drawings.
2. The modified form of the apparatus having a collector GS wherein air is
compressed and valves G and M through which the gas serving to form a
detonating mixture is drawn in the valve G being indentical with that of the
apparatus claimed in the preceding claiming clause and the valve M being so
designed that its opening may be retarded at will substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.
3. The arrangements and combinations of parts constituting improvements in
apparatus for use in compressing air and gas substantially as hereinbefore
described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the ith day of July 1900
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agents.