Improved Low Pressure Automatic Acetylene Gas Generator for Heat, Power, Marine and General Lighting.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improved Low Pressure Automatic Acetylene Gas Generator for
Heat, Power, Marine and General Lighting.
We, JAMES BARNES HEAL, Gentleman, of 31, Inglis Road, Southsea, Hants, and
STEPHEN HENRY HEAL, Gas Engineer, of No. 2, Windsor Terrace, Cosham, Hants,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement
of a low pressure automatic acetylene gas generator, and consists as follows. It
has a circular top with square or oblong base and is fitted with two arched chambers
and two oblong charge holes in the front so that a constant supply of gas can be
maintained, and is so arranged that either chamber can be re-charged without
interference to the other portion of apparatus, thus allowing the re-charging to
take place whilst the machine is working "if required." The arched chambers
are fixed horizontally and are carried down to within four or five inches of the
bottom of charge holes thus forming an air tight chamber into which the carbide
cage is inserted when the charge hole doors are closed, thus the water is pre-
vented from coming in contact with the carbide and the making of gas stoped if
required. The arched generating chambers are connected to the apparatus by
syphon tubes & taps which are conveyed through to the top of machine, a vent
pipe & tap is attached to each chamber, and a filling screw is on the top, affording
a means of filling with water when first charging thus excluding the external air
and giving an instantaneous supply of gas:-The supply tap is fixed on the crown
of machine and the gas conveyed through a condensing and regulating chamber
which is most necessary. The charge doors are secured by means of a sliding bar
with a closing screw & hand wheel attached, affording a ready means for re-charging.
There are two perpendicular pipes connected with chambers, to which are fixed
underneath two taps to draw off necessary water when re-charging; a hand hole is
fixed near to the bottom to allow of its being cleaned out. The carbide cage is
made of close wire wh. a loose tray attached so as to catch the residue, which
falls; a supply or pressure tank is connected at the back & near the centre of
apparatus thus affording a fall of water, equivalent to about 1 oz. pressure when
working & a water gauge on the front or side, also an expanding gas holder which
acts automatically collecting the surplus gas that is made after the lights has
been turned out. It is mounted over the pressure tank, the gas being conveyed to
same by means of a perpendicular pipe with tap and union which passes through
the generator from the level of carbide cage up through the centre of the gas
holder and is so arranged that the surplus gas is thrown back into the generator
before any fresh gas is generated thus avoiding waste.
Dated this 19th day of October 1897.
JAMES BARNES HEAL.
STEPHEN HENRY HEAL:

page_text: Improved Low Pressure Automatic Acetylene Gas Generator for
Heat, Power, Marine and General Lighting.
We, JAMES BARNES HEAL and LUCY HEAL, Executors of the late James Barnes
Heal, of 31, Inglis Road, Southsea, and STEPHEN HENRY HEAL, of 2, Windsor
Terrace, Cosham, both in the County of Hants, 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 safe and simple apparatus for the generation of low
pressure acetylene gas from charges of calcium carbide, so constructed that the
a fresh one can be
operation of withdrawing an exhausted charge and inserting
effected without necessitating stoppage of either the generation or utilisation of
the gas. This continuity of operation is rendered possible according to the present
invention by the use of two or more generation chambers, in the manner herein-
after described. A further improvement according to this invention is the use of
a gas-holder, which not only receives and retains any surplus of gas from the
generators but is so arranged as to ensure the utilisation of the stored gas before
the generation of further gas from the carbide.
One construction of apparatus according to this invention is illustrated in the
accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective elevation,
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 2-2 of Figure 3 through
the centre of one of two arched chambers B, the doors of which are seen in
Figure 1, and,
Figure 3 is a front elevation half in transverse section on the line 3-3 of
Figure 2.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
Within a closed water-seal and gas-receiving tank A two generation chambers B
are situated each having an arched top B: the bottom of each chamber B is open
to the interior of the tank A and the front end of each chamber which fits closely
into an opening in the front of the tank is constituted by a plate 132 extending over
the edges of the opening and held in place on the tank front by bolts B³.
In the upper portion of the plate B² is a door C caused to make a gas-tight
closure by a screw C₁ bearing on the door and carried in a bar C2 engaged by
supports B on the plate B and operating in a manner well understood with regard
to retort doors any convenient type of which may be adopted instead of the
particular construction illustrated."
By removal of the doors C, drawers 1), resting on bars B9 in the chambers B
and supporting charges of carbide and preferably having perforated bottoms such
as might be made of wire gauze can be readily moved into and out of the
chambers B the whole of each chamber B can be removed with the plate 12 after
unscrewing the bolts B and disconnecting the pipe connections presently described
so as to make it and the interior of the tank A readily accessible for inspection
and repair.
Behind the closed seal and gas tank A is an open tank E hereinafter termed the
level-maintaining tank charged with liquid the head or pressure of which governs
in the manner hereinafter described, the normal pressure of the gas in the
apparatus,
A pipe connection E' in which is a valve E2 controllable manually from the
exterior of the apparatus enables communication to be opened between the level-
maintaining tank E and the tank A as desired.

page_text: On supports above the level-maintaining tanks E is a gas holder F which may
be telescopic as shown or of other form it is connected with the lower portion of
the interior space of the tank A by a pipe F¹.
The "lift" of the gas-holder is loaded so that it will not rise unless the gas-
pressure exceeds that which is determined by the normal head of water in the
level-maintaining tank E.
At the highest point in the top of the tank A is an orifice fitted with a screw
plug A² affording means whereby when the valve E2 is closed the whole interior
space of the tank A can be filled with water so as to displace the air therein
before the apparatus is used for gas.
From the highest point in the top of each generation-chamber B a pipe B
extends upwards through the top of the tank A and is provided at its outer end
with a vent-cock B6 by which the chamber B can be vented as hereinafter described.
Inverted U-tubes 137 extend from the crown of each chamber B out through the
top of the tank A and into the latter again as shown in Figure 3; by these
tubes B7 the gas generated in the chambers B is led into the space above those
chambers within the tank A, the passage of gas through the tubes B7 being con-
trollable by the cocks B8 with which they are provided. Gas is led from the
tank A to the place of utilization through such condensing and regulating devices
as may be necessary by a service pipe G provided with a valve G₁; the lower end
of the pipe G which is open extends to about the level of the top of the
drawers B, that is to say to such a level that gas from that portion of the tank
interior just above the water-level therein, will be drawn out through the pipe G
sooner than the fresh and lighter gas succeeding it from the generation chambers
and flowing into the upper part of the tank A.
In the tank A drain-pipes H with cocks H₁ are provided one for each chamber B;
the inner end of each pipe H is turned up within its chamber B to a level between
that of the bottom of the chambers B and that of the bottoms of the drawer D
and door C, so that when the cocks H¹ and B are opened and the valve E2 is
shut the level of the liquid in the chambers B can be lowered below that of the
bottom edge of the door C and drawer D before the former is opened for withdrawal
of the latter.
A glass gauge J is provided upon the side of the tank A to indicate the level of
the liquid contents thereof. There is also a hand-hole beneath the cover K to
enable access to be had to the interior of that tank.
The operation of the apparatus above referred to will now be described:-
When the apparatus is first used the trays Dare charged with carbide and passed
into the generation chambers B through the doors C which are afterwards tightly
closed. Next, all the cocks and valves of the apparatus being shut, the screw plug A³
is taken out of the orifice in the top of the tank A, and water is poured into it to
displace the air in the same and to drive it out at the same opening which, as
soon as the water rises thereto, is reclosed by the plug A².
The water thus delivered into the tank A rises slightly into the open bottoms of
the generation-chambers B compressing the small quantity of air therein which
will prevent the water from rising sufficiently far to wet the carbide in the
trays D. Then the cock 138 and valve E² are opened, whereupon the water rises
in the generating-chambers 13 until it touches the carbide which will immediately
generate acetylene gas, which in its turn will displace water from the bottom of
the generation-chambers B into the level maintaining tank E by way of the
valve E². The pressure of the gas thus depressing the water-level in the
chambers B will raise the level of the water in the level-maintaining tank E until
the pressure due to the head thus increased balances the pressure of the generated
gas. Diminution of the gas pressure upon use of the gas will enable the "head"
in the level-maintaining tank to force the water up again in the generation-
chambers B, to effect a further generation of gas; thus the generation will proceed.
automatically until the carbide is exhausted. From the foregoing it will be seen
that the head of water in the level-maintaining tank must be such as to enable

page_text: it to force the water in the rest of the apparatus up to and into the carbide
trays D, and it is also to be noted that it governs the pressure of gas in the
apparatus, for if the gas pressure should tend to equal the maximum available
head (determined by the height of the side of the tank E) the surplus gas will first
pass from the tank A. through into the gas-holder F thus avoiding waste, and if
the generation of gas should be so rapid as to increase the pressure beyond that to
which the lift of the holder is loaded the excess would blow out through the water
of the tank E and holder F.
'
By reason of the connection of the gas-holder F with the tank A any surplus
gas in the holder when withdrawn can only pass out of it into tank A, and this
ensures that generation of fresh gas is prevented so long as the pressure of the
weighted lift is acting on the gas in the apparatus for such pressure will keep the
water in the generation chambers 13 well below the carbide in the trays I).
As the pressure due to the load on the lift slightly exceeds as aforesaid the
pressure due to the normal head in the tank E, the holder will always automati-
cally discharge itself before the pressure in the apparatus falls so low as to induce
a fresh generation of gas.
To recharge the apparatus it is necessary to close the valve E2 and that one of
the cocks 138 which is appropriated to the particular chamber B it is desired to
re-charge. Next after opening the corresponding vent cock 136 the water is drained
from that chamber by means of its drain cock H¹, until it falls below the level of
the sill of the door C, but not below the bottoms of the chambers B; the door C
can then be opened to permit of the withdrawal of the tray I) of exhausted carbide
and its reinsertion with a fresh charge. After the fresh charge is in place the
door C and cock B can be reclosed, and the cock 138 and the valve E² reopened, to
bring the fresh carbide into action. The water drawn out by the drain pipe H
can be returned to the level maintaining tank E, and additional water added if
necessary to keep the head in that tank constant.
When recharging the door C of one or other of the chambers B is open and the
withdrawal of gas by way of the surface pipe G may proceed for the bottom of the
companion chamber in which generation may be continuing remains sealed, and
the water surrounding the open chamber prevents any return of gas into it around
its bottom edge.
The inner end of each drain pipe H is preferably arranged at such a level that
although upon the venting of either chamber B after a previous drainage the
water rises above it in that chamber, it does not rise as far as the carbide tray or
the sill of the door C. The depth of the bottom of each chamber B below the sill
of the door is such as to permit of the establishment of the desired head in the
tank A around the outside of the chamber without the occurrence of an overflow
through the open door.
It is advantageous that the generation-chambers should be within the tank A
for the reason that it affords a compact construction and further, the generation-
chambers being to a great extent immersed in the dead water of the apparatus, the
cooling of the gas is facilitated thus ensuring safety in the working of the plant.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. An acetylene generator having two or more water sealed chambers one of
which can be charged with fresh carbide whilst the generation of gas is pro-
ceeding in another chamber.
2. In an acetylene generator the combination of a water seal generation chamber
such as B and a level-maintaining tank E substantially as described.
3. In an acetylene generator the combination with two or more generation
chambers such as B of a water seal tank A common to the generation chambers
and the level-maintaining tank E substantially as described.
4. In an acetylene generator a gas receiving tank such as A enclosing one or

page_text: more generation chambers such as B all arranged and operating substantially as
described.
5. In an acetylene generator of the kind described a gas-holder such as F
connecting with the gas space in the gas tank A for the purpose described.
6. In an acetylene generator the combination with a generation chamber such
as B of a closing plate B² and retort door C substantially as described.
7. The combination and arrangement of parts with or without the gas holder F
forming the complete acetylene generator substantially as described and illus-
trated in the accompanying drawings.