can descent
Year: 1899

page_text: I, PAUL LUCAS, of No 7, Bruchsalstrasse, Deutsch-Wilmersdorf, near Berlin,
Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
-
My invention relates to improvements in gas-lamps, and particularly in incan-
descent gas-lamps, and the object of my invention is to feed to the burner an
increased volume of atmospheric air, whereby the heat developed by the burner
is considerably increased and, in the case of incandescent lamps, the emission of
light of the incandescent mantle is raised to extraordinary effects.
It is a well-known fact, that by an increased addition of atmospheric air the
heat of a gas-flame is raised this being the principle of the Bunsen-burner in
general, and of the incandescent gas-burners in particular. In burners of that
class, the additional volume of atmospheric air, mixing up with the gas, is
received by suction of the current of gas issuing from a nozzle. The pressure of
the gas, in usual gas-conducting pipes, however, is not sufficient to obtain a
suctional force of such an amount as to draw along a volume of air sufficient
to raise the heat of the gas-flame to the utmost of its capability. This fact
having been long established, a number of trials have been made to increase the
volume of air to be admixed to the gas before being ignited in the burner. For
instance, a blast of air has been obtained by a fan driven by electrical power; or
air has been compressed by a supply of water. But these and other attempts
to provide an increased supply of atmospheric air, though establishing the fact
that an increase of the draught of air, up to a certain degree, increases the heat
of the flame, have not lead to practical success, the means of providing the pres-
sure of air being either too expensive or objectionable for other reasons.
According to the present invention, an increased supply of air to the burner
is obtained by means of a steam-injector, the steam for working the same being
suitably generated by the heat of the flame, to which the increased volume of
air is to be supplied. But the heat required to generate steam might be obtained
by an auxiliary flame or source of heat.
In carrying my invention into practice. I prefer, as the most economical and
useful one of the many modifications which offer themselves for constructing a
lamp of this kind, to arrange at a sufficient height above the gas-burner, a basin
containing water or any other fluid to be evaporated by heat. From the said
basin or reservoir. the fluid is lead down over the flame in a narrow tube, where
the small supply immediately becomes evaporated by the heat of the flame. The
steam develoned rises in the pipe or tube and issues from a nozzle: the jet of
steam thus obtained enters into the basin or reservoir, from which the fluid is
flowing down, or into another reservoir containing the same fluid. The steam-
issuing from the nozzle and entering into the reservoir, carries along with it a
considerable amount of air, which is injected into the reservoir. The steam.
entering along with the air, condenses by its contact with the fluid contained

page_text: steam
within the reservoir and replaces the quantity of fluid drawn off and evaporated.
The reservoir forms a closed chamber with the exception of the aperture for the
entrance of the jet of steam and air. Within the upper portion of said chamber
the atmospheric air forced in by the suction of the jet of
collects in a state of pressure, and from this space it escapes through
a tube which leads down to the burner, to which the air is fed under pres-
sure, to mix up with the gas supplied by another pipe. By this means the
heat of the flame generates steam and the steam accumulates compressed air,
which, being conducted to the burner, increases the heat of the flame and causes
the incandescent mantle to emit a superior light.
Dated this 19th day of September 1899.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
I, PAUL LUCAS, of No 7, Bruchsalstrasse, Deutsch-Wilmersdorf, near Berlin,
Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, 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:—
My invention relates to improvements in gas-lamps for lighting as well as for
heating purposes, but particularly for incandescent gas-lamps, and the object of
my invention is to supply to the burner an increased volume of atmospheric air,
whereby the heat developed by the flame is considerably increased and, in the
case of incandescent lamps, the emission of light of the incandescent mantle is
raised to extraordinary effects.
It is a well known fact that by an increased addition of atmospheric air to
the gas in a burner, the heat of the flame is raised, this being the principle of
the Bunsen-burner, in general, and of the incandescent burners, in particular.
In burners of that class, the additional volume of atmospheric air, mixing up
with the gas is received by suction of the current of gas issuing from a nozzle.
The pressure of gas existing in usual gas-conducting pipes however, is not suffi-
cient to obtain a suctional force of such an amount as to draw along a volume of
air sufficient to raise the heat of the gas-flame to the utmost of its capability.
This fact having been long established, a number of trials have been made to
increase the volume of air to be admixed to the gas before being ignited in the
burner. For instance, a blast of air has been obtained by a fan driven by elec-
trical power, or air has been compressed by a supply of water for this purpose.
But these and other attempts to provide an increased supply of atmospheric air
have not led to practical success, the means hitherto used to provide the supply
of air being either too expensive or objectionable for other reasons.
According to the present invention, an increased supply of air to the burner is
obtained by means of a steam-injector, the steam for working the same being
suitably generated by the heat of the flame, to which the increased volume of
air is to be supplied. But the heat required to generate steam might be obtained
if desired by an auxiliary flame or other source of heat.
In carrying my invention into practice, steam or vapour is generated by the
evaporation of water on another suitable fluid, and the steam or vapour issuing
from a fine nozzle, carries along atmospheric air under pressure into a closed

page_text: vessel containing water or another fluid, where the steam coming into contact
with the fluid will be condensed and the compressed air escape through a suit-
able connecting conduit to the burner, to mix up with the gas flowing to the
burner.
The combination with a gas-burner, of a steam injector for generating com-
pressed air, may be effected by a variety of constructions, and I wish it to be
understood that my invention is not limited to any special construction. In the
accompanying drawings I have illustrated three modifications as examples of
ways in which the invention may be performed.
Figure 1 is a central vertical section of an incandescent gas-lamp embodying
my invention, Figure 2 is a corresponding section of another modification, and
Figure 3 illustrates a third modification also in vertical section.
The
Referring to Figure 1, a is a basin or reservoir partly filled with water or any
other suitable fluid to be evaporated and b is a cylindrical basin or
reservoir also containing the same fluid and surrounded by the reservoir a,
c is a valve-cock, having three guide-ways c¹, cand ³; the two guide-ways, cl
and simultaneously open and close both the passage for gas through the pipe k
and the passage for water from the reservoir a to the pipe f through the pipe d;
the third guide-way, opens a communication between the two reservoirs a
and b when the two guide-ways c¹ and c² are closed, as clearly shown in Figure 1.
Starting from the position shown in Figure 1, and giving the valve cock ca
quarter turn, the gas will be supplied to the burner through the pipe k and
water will slowly pour through the pipe d, to the pipe f, the passage being con-
trolled by the regulation of the needle-valve e. A branch at the lower end of said
pipe projects into the chimney n, and is exposed to the heat of the flame rising
from the burner 2. The said lower or horizontal branch of pipe f may be filled
with a porous matter not destroyed by heat, such as asbestos or the like. The
drops of water entering said branch will almost immediately be transformed into
steam. which rising within the pipe f escapes through the nozzle g. issuing in a
jet and entering into a suitable cup or aperture leading into the reservoir b.
jet of steam from the nozzle g forces air into the said reservoir b, whilst at the
same time the steam is rapidly being condensed within said reservoir b, by
coming into contact with the water therein contained. The compressed air col-
lecting within the upper part of reservoir b escapes through a pipe h into the
burner where it becomes mixed up with the gas entering from pipe k, and the
mixture, when issuing from the burner is ignited and develops the highest tem-
perature which gas mixed with air is capable of producing. The small pipe m,
branched off from pipe f, and leading into the reservoir a serves to establish,
within the said reservoir a, the same amount of steam-pressure as exists within
the said pipe f. Otherwise, if the pressure of steam within pipe f should exceed
that in reservoir a, the water would be prevented from flowing through pipe d
into the pipe f. A safety-valve o will serve to enable the steam to escape from
reservoir a if an excess of pressure should be generated within said reservoir a.
It will be obvious that, in the course of working, the level of
fluid contained in reservoir a will fall and the level in reservoir b will
rise. When the valve cock c is turned to cut off the supply of gas and the flow
of water from reservoir a to pipe f, the guideway of said valve-cock will
open the communication between the two reservoirs a and b, and an equal level
will be restored in both said reservoirs.
The modification represented in Figure 2 is materially the same as the appa-
ratus shown in Figure 1, but the reservoir a, delivering water, is inside of the
other reservoir bwhich receives the steam and the compressed air. A float p is
carried by the fluid in reservoir 'a, which float serves to diminish the surface of
contact between the steam entering into said reservoir a, and the fluid therein
contained. By this means, the pressure existing within said reservoir a, will
always be sufficient to ensure the required escape of water through pipe d to
pipe f.
The said 'pipe f, in this modification is entirely located within the

page_text: chimney thus being exposed to the heat of the flame for its whole length. The
lower part of said pipe f may further be surrounded by an enlarged metal-pipe f¹,
in contact with pipe f, to increase the heating surface exposed to the direct heat
of the burner-flame, and to secure a rapid evaporation.
A third modification, represented in Figure 3, affords a great simplicity of
construction.
Instead of using two reservoirs a and b, a single reservoir a, partly filled with
the fluid to be evaporated, will suffice to obtain the same effect. While the
water slowly flows down from the bottom of said reservoir a, through pipe d
into a connecting pipe between pipe and pipe f, which connecting pipe may
suitably contain wire-gauze or asbestos, the steam rising within pipe f will enter
into the cup at the top of reservoir a, and the compressed air will collect in the
upper part of said reservoir a. The pressure of steam existing at any time within
the pipe will force the level of the fluid, rising within the connecting pipe d¹,
so much down as to entirely dispense with a controlling valve such as c in the
modifications before described. The point of development of steam will actually
be at the junction of pipe d', and pipe f. The said small pipe f is in close con-
tact with a larger metal-pipe f', which latter serves to increase the heating sur-
face of the pipe f. and accordingly to accelerate the generation of steam.
gas-supply-pipe & may be arranged inside the compressed-air-pipe h both leading
to the burner, and mixing together their contents within said burner.
The
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a gas-lamp, the combination, with a burner, of a steam-generator, an
injector, a reservoir into which atmospheric air is injected and compressed along
with the jet or jets of steam, and means to supply the compressed air to the
burner, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. In a gas-lamp, the combination, with a burner of a steam-generator exposed
to the heat of the burner-flame, a reservoir supplying water to the steam-gene-.
rator, an injector and a second reservoir, into which atmospheric air is forced
along with the jet or iets of steam; and means to supply the compressed air to
the burner, substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In a gas-lamp, the combination, with a burner, of a steam-generator
operated by the burner-flame, a water-reservoir supplying water to the generator,
a second reservoir, a steam-injector forcing steam and compressed air into said
second reservoir a gas-supply-pipe leading to the burner, a pipe supplying water
from the first reservoir to the steam-generator, a valve cock having three guide-
ways, and means for supplying the compressed air to the burner, substantially
as and for the purpose described.
4. In a gas-lamp, the combination, with a burner; of a steam-generator, a
reservoir supplying fluid to the said steam-generator, a second reservoir, a steam-
injector forcing steam and compressed air into said second reservoir, a gas-supply-
pipe leading to the burner, a valve-controlled pipe leading from the first reser-
voir to the steam-generator, a float arranged within said first reservoir, and
means for supplying the compressed air to the burner, substantially as and for
the purpose described.
5. In a gas-lamp the combination, with a burner, of a reservoir partly to be
filled with fluid, a steam-generator communicating with said reservoir, an
injector connected to said steam-generator to send a jet or jets of steam into the
upper part of said reservoir, and means for supplying the compressed air from
the said reservoir to the burner, substantially as and for the purpose described.
6. In a gas-lamp, the combination, with a burner, of a reservoir partly to be
filled with fluid, a steam-generator exposed to the heat of the burner-flame, a
pipe supplying fluid from the said reservoir, a pipe connecting the steam-gene-
rator with the said supply-pipe, an injector connected to the steam-generator to

page_text: send a jet or jets of steam into the upper part of said reservoir, and a pipe
leading from the upper part of said reservoir down to the burner, substantially
as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 10th dor of Luno 1900
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.