An Improvement in Incandescent Illumination and Apparatus for that Purpose.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Loft, 13th July, 1891-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Incandescent Illumination and Apparatus for
that Purpose.
1. JULIUS MOELLER, of No. 14 Palmer Street, Westminster, in the County of
London, Manager to The Incandescent Gas Light Company Limited, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to means of effecting illumination of that kind which is
known as the incandescent gas light produced by heating by a Bunsen burner a
hood, mantle or net consisting of refractory metallic oxides.
The object of my invention is to produce a light of this kind of great
brilliancy, and in situations where gas is not available. For this purpose, I pass
a current of air through benzolene or over an extended surface moistened with
benzolene, thus producing a combustible mixture of air and benzolene vapour with
which I supply an incandescent burner or a number of these.
When a single
light or only a few lights have to be supplied for short periods, as lime lights are
often employed, 1 produce the air current by a bellows preferably worked by the
foot, and cause the air to bubble through the benzolene and to pass through a
mass of cotton or other suitable fibres soaked with the benzolene.
When a number of lights have to be supplied during several hours, I produce
the air current by causing revolution of a drum partitioned like that of a gas meter
and partly immersed in water, and I cause the air thus forced to pass through a
carburating vessel within which a number of perforated dises carrying loose porous
fabric are made to revolve partly immersed in benzolene. The horizontal axis
carrying the discs and that of the air forcing drum are worked together by any
suitable motor, or, where no such motor is available, by the descent of a weight,
which is from time to time wound up.
The mixture of air and benzolene vapour passes to the burners, the supply
being regulated by a suitable governor.
In order to compensate for the refrigerating effect of the evaporation in the
carburating vessel, enclose this vessel in a water casing connected with a tank
containing a considerable body of water at moderate temperature.
Dated this 20th day of March 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Incandescent Illumination and Apparatus for
that Purpose.
I, JULIUS MOELLER of No. 14 Palmer Street Westminster in the County of
London, Manager to The Incandescent Gas Light Company Limited 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 the production and application of a combustible fluid
mixture of air and hydrocarbon vapour, available for ordinary illumination in
localities where gas cannot be obtained and applicable also for heating or for
producing the brilliant light known as the incandescent gas light.
When the fluid mixture is to be used in ordinary burners, instead of gas, I

page_text: employ for impregnating air liquid hydrocarbons of the benzoline class, of specific
gravities varying from 620 to 670. When the fluid is to be used in a burner of
the Bunsen kind for heating generally or for raising to incandescent a refractory
hood or mantle such as is used for the incandescent gas light, I employ heavier
liquid hydrocarbons of specific gravities varying from 680 to 720. In either case
employ the same apparatus for supplying and impregnating the air with the
hydrocarbon vapour and governing the pre ure of the fluid mixture as I shall now
describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. is a longitudinal section and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the combined
air supplying, carburating and governing apparatus.
The air supply is effected by the revolution of a drum 13 partitioned like that
of a wet gas meter more than half immersed in water within a casing B' through
which air is drawn in at S and passing through the compartments of the drum B
is caused to issue and pass down by a channel D to the carburator below. This
is a vessel placed within a water casing W and containing in its lower part the
hydrocarbon liquid O the level of which is indicated by the stem of a float F
visible in a glass tube P1, Within the vessel is a horizontal revolving shaft ("
having fixed on it a drum (of perforated metal with perforated radial partitions.
Fibrous material such as cotton or wool is loosely turned over the partitions and
around the drum. As the drum revolves partly immersed in the hydrocarbon (
the cotton or wool becomes soaked with the liquid and the air passing through and
around the drum as indicated by the arrows takes up a quantity of the vapour
and the mixture of air and vapour passes by a pipe D to the governor.
The water in the casing W of the carburator, besides adding to the safety of
the apparatus when comparatively light hydrocarbons are used, serves also to
prevent refrigeration resulting from the evaporation of the hydrocarbon, and in
order more fully to provide against this in cold weather, the casing may com-
municate with a tank containing a considerable body of water.
The governor consists of a vessel R containing water, in the annular space
around an inner compartment R' in which is arranged a valve V having its stem
attached to a floating bell R2 which dips into the liquid below. The combustible
mixture of air and benzolene vapour passes through the valve into the bell R2
and passes thence by a pipe to supply the light. As the pressure in the bell R
increases the bell rises and more or less closes the valve V allowing less of the
gaseous mixture to pass into the bell, R2 the pressure of the supply to the lights
being thus regulated according to the load on the bell.
The regulating valve V may be of the paraboloid form commonly employed for
bell gas governors. I prefer however to use a valve such as is shewn in Fig. 1
consisting of a cup containing mercury which is suspended from the bell Rand
a stationary tube projecting down into the mercury, this tube having a
V shaped opening at its side or several of these, so that the more deeply the
tube is immersed in the mercury the less passage is afforded through the opening
or openings in its side. The shaft of the revolving carburator C is driven by
chain gearing from the shaft 13 of the blower B and this shaft may be driven by
any convenient motor, such for instance as a weight or spring which is from time
to time wound up and which by suitable gearing drives the shaft B' at a speed
determined within certain limits by the quantity of combustible fluid consumed.
Thus when the cock on the pipe is fully open allowing passage of a consider-
able quantity of gaseous mixture without increasing the pressure in the bell R
the blower and the carburator (can revolve at their maximum speed; when
on the other hand, the cock on the pipe I is closed the pressure resisting the
movement of the blower B increases until the weight is no longer capable of
driving it.
The burners employed when the air is carburated by the lighter qualities of
hydrocarbon are of the ordinary kind used for gra When the heavier qualities
of hydrocarbon are employed to carburate the air, the burner employed must be
of the Bunsen kind.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a burner of this kind which is especially applicable
for heating to inean lescence a refractory mantle.
A is the nozzle by which a jet of the combustible fluid mixture issues into the
tube B into which air enters by lateral holes governel by a rotating valve C.
The top of the tube B is covered by wire gauze D the central portion of which
is closed by a button E. The mixture of air and combustible fluid issuing through
the wire gaze D being ignited pro lucing a flame of great heating power, which
may be applied for heating to incandescence a refractory mantle supported above
the burner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my
invention the herein described method and apparatus for producing and applying
combustible fluid for illumination or heating, the chief characteristics of my
invention being as follows:-
1. By means of a revolving gas meter drum causing air to pass through a
water cased vessel containing a revolving carburator partly immersed in liquid
hydrocarbon, and causing the air thus impregnated with hydrocarbon vapour to
pass through a governor to suitable burners to be consumed as gas.
2. For producing and applying the combustible mixture of air and hydrocarbon
vapour, the combination of the partitioned drum B revolving in a casing charged
with water, the carburator C revolving partly immersed in liquid hydrocarbon
within a water cased vessel and the regulating valve V and bell R' with suitable
passages and pipes, substantially as described.
3. Connecting the carburator C and the air forcing drum B by chain or other
suitable gear to each other and to a weight or spring by which they are both
driven at a speed determined by the consumption of the combustible fluid mixture,
substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of July 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.