An Improved Construction of Apparatus for Generating Gas by the Chemical Action of a Liquid upon a Solid Material.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Sept., 1896-Accepted, 10th Oct., 1896
An Improved Construction of Apparatus for Generating Gas by the
Chemical Action of a Liquid upon a Solid Material.
A communication from HENRY FREDERICK FULLER, of No. 134 Wabash
Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, in the United States of America, Manufacturer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 111 Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent 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 au improved construction of apparatus for generating
gas by the chemical action of a liquid upon a solid material, such as water upon
calcium carbide, which produces acetylene gas. In fact this improvement has
been especially devised for generating acetylene gas by the action of water upon
calcium carbide, though it is not desired to limit the invention to the use therewith
of these particular materials, but it is intended to protect it for its purpose of
generating gas by bringing together any liquid and solid material having a gas-
generating affinity for each other. For the sake of convenience, however, the
description, hereinafter contained, is confined to the use of the invention in the
manufacture of acetylene gas from calcium carbide and water.
More particularly stated, this improvement relates to the gasometer variety of
gae-generators, especially of the portable kind, the action of which is to store the
generated gas and cause it to exert a pressure upon the liquid element sufficient to
separate and maintain separated therefrom the solid element, and thus discontinue
the gas-generation, when or during the time that a desired predetermined degree of
pressure of the gas is contained in the holder.
One of the more important objects of this invention is to improve the construction
of the holder for the solid material (calcium carbide) and thereby prolong, with
a given quantity of the solid material, including a reserve-supply thereof, the gas-
generating action, by subjecting it progressively to the effect of the liquid in
contradistinction to subjecting thereto the entire, or practically the entire bulk of
the solid material at once; meantime utilizing the reserve-supply of the calcium
carbide for a dryer. Another such object is to provide the supply of calcium
carbide in separated quantities in a manner to avoid so compacting the mass, by
the swelling effect upon it of the water, as to choke off the passago through it of
the evolved gas. Another object is to afford to tho gas-holding member of the
gasometer-generator, having an elongated course for travel in a comparatively
small water-holding space, thereby to reduce the weight of the portable apparatus
to the minimum, by reducing thereto the quantity of water required to reach to the
level of the supply of calcium carbide, an expanded area of displacement to the
water to prevent its overflowing the apparatus when its bulk is increased, as by
the deposit in it from the solid material, in excess of the consumption of the water
by its gas-generating action on the calcium carbide. An exceedingly important
result of this construction, affording the displacement referred to, is to adapt the
apparatus to maintain a uniform predetermined pressure, at the point or points of
consumption, of the generated gas, notwithstanding variation in the flotation of
the movable tank, due to the deposit from the solid material resulting from its
consumption.
'

page_text: The accompanying drawing shows the improved gas-generator by a view in
sectional elevation.
A is a tank formed by preference of sheet-metal in cylindrical shape and turned
in to a desired extent, eay to about one-third of its length accordingly, to reduce
its holding capacity throughout about one-half of its length to the area of the
annular chamber B formed by the turned-in or interior section A', in which, above
its transverse center, is provided the bottom A, of the tank affording, with the
portion of the section A, which extends above it, a seat for a pan C to receive
refuse-sediment (lime) from the calcium carbide. D is the inverted tank, also
formed by preference of sheet-metal and fitting the tank A in the annular
chamber B, being longer than the section A' to afford a chamber 13 into which
the chamber B expands and which is covered by a perforated seat or diaphragm E,
or grating below the annalar top D of the tank D, from which top there riscs
a shell open at its outor end aud formed, preferably, of sheet-metal and in
cylindrical shape to receive the gas-holder F, which fits snugly within the shell,
resting on the top D, and is provided by preference some distance below its upper
edge, as shown, with a cover F, equipped with a handler and with a valve-
controlled outlet G, opening at its base through the cover F into the gas-chamber
below it. For retaining the holder F against its seat on the top D', a spring
stop p is shown fastened to the outside of the shell F' to extend at its free headed
end normally over the upper edge of the holder, and the extent of withdrawal of
which in an outward direction to free the holder and permit the latter to be taken
out of the shell F', when desired, is limited by a strap p H is a chamber for
the supplemental or reserve supply of calcium carbide. It comprises a tubular
shell II rising from the top D inside the shell F" about the opening in the
cover, the circumferential portion of which, between the opening and shell H',
forms the base of the chamber II aud a shell I for calcium carbide extending over
the diaphragmn E.
Jo the opening n an open basket K may be seated, as shown, for containing
calcium carbide.
The space between the shell Hand holder F should contain a supply of water
to act as a seal to the gas in the holder.
To employ the apparatus for generating acetylene gas, a supply of calcium
carbide is introduced through the shell F upon the seat E in the chamber B' and
tucked under the shelf I; a reserve-supply of the same being imposed upon the
shelf, while an additional supply may be provided in the basket K, then seated in
the opening n, whereby, thue, three separated bodies of calcium carbide are
provided, respectively under the shelf on tho diaphragm, upon the shelf and
between these two. When water is introduced into the chamber B, in quantity
sufficient to reach the supply of calcium carbide on the grating E with the shell D
introduced in the chamber B, as shown, and with the holder F in position in the
shell, the apparatus is in operative condition to generate the gas, which is
evolved by contact of the water with the calcium carbide on the diaphragm, and
passes through the calcium carbide in the chamber H, whereby it is dried, and
accumulates in the holder F, whence it is tapped at the outlet G for use, either for
immediate burning, if the apparatus be of a size to afford a lamp, as it may be, or
to be led off from the apparatus, if the latter be constructed to afford a mere
generator, for consumption at remote burners. When the consumption of the
evolved gas is slower than its generation, the pressure of the gas-accumulation
against the supply of water forces upward the tank D and parts carried by it,
thereby separating the diaphragm and cousequently the calcium curbide imposed
thereon from the water, the level of which, inside the tank D is theroby, also,
forced down and raised in the space between the tanks A and D. The bulk of the
water (augmented by placing into position the tank D and by the sediment
deposited in it from the consumed calcium carbide) inay become so great that the
pressure of gas would tend to raise the water-level between the tanks A and D
beyond the upper edge of the tank A, if the space between the two tanks were

page_text: uniform throughout. Hence this space is expanded, as shown at B, above the
top D' between the tank A and shell F to increase its enpacity, by way
of compensating for the increase in the bulk of water and thus preventing its
overflow. A more important' object of the expanded annnlar epnce B, however,.
is to compensate for the effect of consumption of the solid calcium-carbide in
decreasing the weight of the floating tank D. This object is accomplished in a
manner to maintain a uniform pressure, at the barnet or burners, of the generated
gas, by the lesser water-displacement in the space B of the narrower shell Fu
to maintain the flotation of the tank when the wider, lower portion of the tank
ceases to produce pressure by reason of the effect of the water, when the latter
reaches to and beyond the cover D' to attack the reserve-supply of the carbide.
By the improved construction of the generator, the supply of calcium carbide
upon the shelf I, being separated from that below the plane of the shelf, need
not be attacked, until the latter is consunied, thereby affording a reserve-supply
and prolonging the time within which the gas-goneration takes place by causing
the attack of water on the calcium carbide supply to be made progressively.
This effect is, of course, augmented by the interposition of the additional supply
of the solid material in the basket K; and, moreover, by thus providing for the
separation of the supply into sections, the swelling of the calcium carbido, which
enaues from the moisture to which it is subjected, can not so compact it us to
prevent the passage through it of the evolved gas into the holder H.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner
the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is ;-
1. In a gas-generator for evolving gas by contact of a liquid with a solid
material, the combination of an outer tank, an innor tank seated in said outer tank
aud containing a sent for the solid material, a gas-holder rising from and opening
into said inner tauk and an expansion chamber 13 formed between said holder and
the outer tank, substantially as described.
2. In a gas-generator for evolving gas by contact of a liquid with a solid material,
the combination of the outer tank having a raised bottom forming the reduced
circumferential liquid-chamber B, the inner movable tank in said chamber, a seat
for the solid material in said inner tank, a gas-holder rising from and opening into
said inner tank, and an expanded extension B of said chamber B formed
between said holder and the outer tank, substantially as and for the purpose Ret
forth.
3. In a gas-generator for evolving gas by contact of a liquid with a solid material,
the combination of an outer tank, an inner tank movably supported in said outer
tank and containing a perforated seat for the solid material, a gas-holder
Burmounting and opening into, said inner tank, and a shelf at the opening between
said holder and inner tank and projecting over said perforated sent, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
4. In a gas-generator for evolving gas by contact of a liquid with a solid
material, the combination of an outer tank, an inner tank movably supported in
aaid outer tank and containing a perforated seat for the solid material, a gas-holder
Burmounting and opening into said inner tank, a shelf at the opening between said
holder and inner tank and projecting over said perforated seat, and a basket for said
solid material remorably seated in said opening, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
5. In a gas-generator for evolving gas by contact of a liquid with a solid
material, the combination of an outer tank, an inner tank movably supported in
said outer tank and containing a grating E, and provided with a cover D' having
an opening n, a shell F rising from said cover, a portion of said cover affording a
shelf 1 projecting over said grating about said opening, and a gas-holder F
removably fitting the shell F and provided with a cover F and an outlet,
Eubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 6. In a gas-generator for ovolving gas by contact of a liquid with a solid
material, the combination of an outer tank, an inner tank movably supported in
said outer tank and containing a grating E and provided with a cover D' having an
opening n, a shell F rising from said cover and a shell H' rising therefrom inside
the shell F and forming the chamber H with a portion of said cover affording at
its base a shelf I, projecting over said grating about said opening, and a gas-
holder F removably fitting the shell F and provided with an outlet, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
7. A gas-generator for evolving gas by contact of a liquid with a solid material,
comprising, in combination, the tank A having the raised bottom A affording a
support for a pan C and forming the liquid-chamber B, the tank D in said chamber
provided with a cover D' containing an opening n, a grating E in the tank D below
said cover, a shell F rising from said cover and forming with the tank A an
expansion B' of said chamber, a shell H rising from said cover inside the shell F
and forming the chamber H with a portion of said bottom for its base projecting
as a shelf over said grating, and a gas-holder F fitting within the shell F¹ and
provided with a cover F having an outlet G, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
Dated this 1st day of September 1898.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.