Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Apr.. 1890
Complete Specification Left, 29th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1891.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas, and Apparatus therefor.
I, JOHN HENRY WILLIAMS STRINGFELLOW, of 2, New Broad Street, in the
City of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of gas and to apparatus therefor, and it
consists mainly in saturating air, gas or hydrocarbon vapours or a combination of
then with the vapour of water (oxy-hydrogen vapour) without the application of
heat and in such manner that safety is also ensured to the operation.
The apparatus which I have found suitable for manufacturing gas according to
my invention comprises a chamber in which I introduce the water and I place
therein one or more screens or frameworks covered with a suitable absorbent
material intended to absorb the water.
Air charged with hydrocarbon vapour or a suitable gas is by suitable means
discharged within the hereinbefore described covered screen or screens, the effect of
which is that the gas or vapour in being forced through the saturated material
becomes sufficiently charged with the vapour of water whereby a non-luminous gas
is produced which can be used for the purpose of incandescent lighting without
requiring a Bunsen burner, and also for heating where great intensity is required
and for power and other purposes.
An outlet is provided in the said chamber through which the gas passes out to
the place where it is to be used or stored.
For charging air with hydrocarbon vapour I find it advantageous to use a
chamber in which is a screen or screens covered with absorbent material similar to
those employed in the water-chamber, and in this chamber I introduce hydrocarbon
which becomes absorbed by the said material. The air is by suitable means, such
as a fan or blower, forced into the interior of the said screen and in passing through
the same, becomes charged with hydrocarbon vapour, and then passes through a
tube or passage into the water-chamber to be treated in the manner hereinbefore
described.
To assist the safe working of the apparatus it is advantageous to place a screen,
preferably of wire-gauze, over the outlet aperture of the hydrocarbon chamber.
Sometimes I add ingredients to the water such as lime, oxide of iron or other
ingredients which may be the most convenient and suitable for the particular appli-
cation of my invention.
.The invention is applicable for use as a self contained gas maker for a small
portable lamp or for use in producing gas on a large scale. '
Dated the 29th day of April 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas, and Apparatus therefor.
I, JOHN HENRY WILLIAMS STRING FELLOW, of 2, New Broad Street, in the
City of London, 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 :—
This invention relates to the manufacture of a gas suitable for various purposes
in the arts, in a simple and economical manner, and to apparatus to be used
therefor

page_text: The invention may be applied for producing gas on a large scale, for use for
various purposes, or in small quantities for immediate use in a portable lamp.
The gas produced is ordinarily a non-luminous gas, and when employed for
lighting purposes, is used to produce what is known as incandescence lighting, but
the gas, additionally carburetted, may be converted into a luminous gas.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 shews a vertical section of the apparatus which I employ for the purposes
of my invention, taken on the line - of Fig. 3.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line y-y of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a similar section on the line of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section, and Fig. 5 a plan view, partly in section, of a valve
for controlling the supply of liquid hydrocarbon; and,
Fig. 6 is a diagram in elevation, shewing an arrangement of plant for producing
gas.
Fig. 7 is a vertical section of a portable incandescent lamp adapted according to
my invention for producing and burning the gas.
The process for making gas consists in causing atmospheric air, at the normal
temperature, to come into intimate contact with liquid hydrocarbon, whereby the
air becomes more or less charged with hydrocarbon vapour, and then to cause
the gaseous fluid thus formed, or other hydrocarbon-charged gaseous fluid, to come
into intimate contact with water at the normal temperature, whereby it becomes
charged with vapour of water, and a gas is thereby produced, which has great
heating power, and is capable of being used for many purposes in the arts.
In producing gas according to my invention, I employ the apparatus shown in
the accompanying drawings, which consists of a vessel A. of suitable shape,
divided internally into three chambers (see Fig. 3), iz, an air-receiving chamber A¹,
a hydrocarbon chamber A2, and a water chamber A³. The chamber A2 contains
a liquid hydrocarbon reservoir A, which may be formed by dividing off the
upper portion by means of a horizontal partition, and the chamber A³ is also
subdivided by a partition to form the gas chamber A³.
The air chamber A' is connected with a pump or blower, or with the atmosphere,
by a pipe B, and also with the hydrocarbon and the water chambers A2 A3, by the
pipes B and B respectively, which may be provided with regulating valves of
suitable construction.
C is a pipe which connects the chamber A2 with the chamber A³, a valve C¹ of
convenient construction being provided to regulate the flow of carburetted air to
the water chamber.
D is an outlet pipe for the gas, from the gas chamber A' to the holder, or
elsewhere, for use.
The reservoir A may be subdivided into several compartments (as indicated by
dotted lines in Fig. 2), each compartment being supplied from above by a per-
forated distributing pipe E, provided with a funnel or receiving cup E'.
For delivery purposes, each compartment has a pipe E2, which pipes converge to
the receiving chamber or barrel. F of a screw-down plug valve F (see Figs. 4
and 5). From this valve, the liquid flows in regulated quantities on to the
perforated distributing dish G, from which it passes to the chamber A².
H, H are sets of screens or frameworks covered with some absorbent material,
forming domes, which I term vaporisers. These set of vaporisers H, H', which
may consist of two, three, or more screens, are placed in the chambers A² and A³
respectively, and over the respective inlet pipe B1, B2, of each chamber.
The hydrocarbon liquid flows from the dish G in fine streams, drops onto the
outer of the set of three vaporisers H, down which (when completely saturated) it
runs, and collects at the bottom, and then, by capillary attraction, saturates the
other two vaporisers. The set of two vaporisers H' in the water chamber A³, is
saturated from below by capillary attraction.
I may here remark that the mode of conveying the liquids to the absorbent
material may be reversed, or either mode may be used in both compartments.

page_text: The pipe C for conveying the carburetted air from A to A³ will be arranged to
pass through the screens H', so that the said carburetted air will be introduced
below the water screens H', and thus be forced to pass through thein to take up the
water vapour.
When making gas according to this invention, I proceed as follows:--
Atmospheric air is caused to enter (by pressure or exhaust), by the pipe B, into
the chamber A', from the which it passes, by the pipe B', to the chamber A²,
beneath the vaporisers H. It is then caused to pass through the absorbent porous
material, taking up a proportion of hydrocarbon vapour, and enters the pipe C, by
which it is conveyed under the water vaporisers H in the chamber A³, to be
further treated.
The carburetted air is then caused to pass through the water vaporisers H',
taking up a proportion of water vapour, by which it is converted into a gas which
is portable and of high heating power. In the place of carburetted air, as above
described, to be passed through the water vaporisers, I may utilise natural or other
gas, and pass it through the apparatus, with or without additional carburetting in
chamber A².
From the chamber A³, the gas passes, through the valve I, into the collecting
chamber As, and thence, by way of the pipe D, to the holder, or otherwise, for use.
In some cases, the hydrocarbon used may prove too rich in carbon for the purpose
for which the gas is intended, and the gas would require to be diluted to a greater
extent than would ordinarily take place, if the whole of the air were passed through
the whole apparatus. I therefore allow a portion of the air to pass direct by the
pipe B², to the chamber A³, below the vaporisers H', where it mixes with the rich
carburetted air, and dilutes it before passing through the water vaporisers, to be
converted into a permanent gas.
It will be evident that suitable filling funnels and overflow and other taps &c.,
will be provided to fill up with and regulate the height of both water and hydro-
carbon.
When pressure is employed to produce the gas, the plant shewn in Fig. 6 will
preferably be employed, N being the pump, O an equaliser, of the nature of a
small gas holder, to equalise the pressure, and P the gas making apparatus.
I
may
here remark that I am aware air has been caused to take up first water
vapor in the presence of heat, and afterwards hydrocarbon vapor, but that is not
my invention, and does not produce a fixed gas of great heating power, such as I
produce. The essential feature of my invention is, the saturation of a hydrocarbon-
charged gaseous fluid with vapor of water at the normal temperature of the
atmosphere, or, in other words, without the addition of heat, whereby the gaseous
fluid is diluted with the oxygen and hydrogen contained in the water vapor, and
a gas is produced which is fixed, and which is capable of burning with a great
intensity, rendering it suitable for smelting and for other purposes where great
heat is required.
In the portable lamp shewn at Fig. 7, the arrangement of the gas-producing
apparatus is slightly modified; thus the air chamber A' is not employed, and the
vessel A is mounted on a hollow base A*, in which is placed a fan or blower A*',
and an arrangement of clockwork for driving same.
The saturation of the screens H H is produced by capillary attraction, the
hydrocarbon and water being introduced to their respective chambers A² and A³
(which are placed one above the other) by the supply pipes a and b.
M is a mantle or hood, which is heated by the burning gas to a state of high
incandescence, and thus produces the light, as is now well understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The process of manufacturing gas as above described, which consists in
causing atmospheric air to pass firstly through or in contact with liquid hydro-

page_text: carbon, and secondly through or in contact with water, and without the application
of heat, as and for the purposes set forth.
the
2. The process of manufacturing gas as above described, which consists in
saturation of a hydrocarbon-charged gaseous fluid with vapour of water, at the
normal temperature of the atmosphere, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The apparatus for making gas, and consisting essentially of a receptacle
divided into two or more chambers connected with one another by pipes, two of
the chambers at least containing each a porous dome (to be charged respectively
with hydrocarbon and with water), beneath which are the inlets to the respective
chambers, and suitable inlets and outlets to and from the receptacle for air and gas,
substantially as described.
4. A portable gas lamp constructed and arranged substantially as described and
shewn with reference to Fig. 7 of the drawing.
Dated this 28th day of January 1891.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant