in the Manufacture of Steam and Oil Gas for Fuel
Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by HENRY WINSLOW BROOKS, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Constructing Engineer.]
in the Manufacture of Steam and Oil Gas for Fuel
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E. 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 steam and oil gas, for fuel and for
illuminating purposes.
The objects of the invention are to produce an apparatus which shall be simple and
inexpensive in construction and by which a fixed gas may be produced; to supply
means whereby steam and oil or other liquid hydro-carbon may be finely divided in
order to present the mixture in a finely divided condition in minute particles and in
small quantities at a time to the hottest portions of the retorts, thereby more perfectly
to vaporize the mixture and cause it to blend into a fixed and uniform gas of great
purity and of any
desired richness and candle power according to the relative quantity
of oil supplied to the steam; to arrange and utilize the conduits through which the
hydro-carbons pass when being subjected to heat in such manner that the maximum
extent of surface desirable as a fixing retort shall be presented and afforded; and
finally to produce a retort in sections and of such construction that any one part may
be removed without disturbing the others.
With these objects in view, the invention consists in an apparatus comprising an
inlet for oil and an inlet for steam, retorts consisting of pipes of suitable size composed
of sections so joined as to form a serpentine course through which the gas forming
substance or substances will pass, the said retorts being provided at intervals with
distributors or disintegrators whereby the hydro-carbon is atomized and caused to
impinge against the surface of the retorts in a finely divided condition and in small
quantities at a time; furthermore the invention resides in a retort consisting of a pipe
made in sections provided with devices for atomizing the hydro-carbon composed of

page_text: cylindrical tubes having perforated sides and having the inlet end of such diameter or
size as to fit the pipe closely, thus causing all the gas producing substances which pass
through the retort to enter the disintegrators be atomized and dashed in a finely
divided or comminuted condition against the sides of the retort.
I have illustrated the invention in the accompanying drawings in which :-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a bench arranged in accordance with this invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan view showing the form and arrangement of the
improved retorts.
Figure 3 is a detail view showing a few sections of the improved retort.
Figure 4 a sectional view of the disintegrator and Figure 5 a plan view showing a
modified form of retort.
In these drawings A represents a pipe through which oil descends preferably from
an elevated reservoir and is carried into the retort by the combined action of gravity
and the suction caused by the passage through the retorts of the substance to be
vaporized. B represents a pipe leading from a suitable steam generator and which
joins the pipe A at a point a where an injector of any desirable construction may be
placed so that the oil and steam which are admitted in suitable quantities are thoroughly
mixed and pass downward through the lower portion of the pipe B in a thoroughly
commingled state. From the lower portion of the pipe B a number of branch pipes Č
lead to the retorts.
The letter D represents the improved retorts. These consist of the sections d
arranged at right angles to the front of the retort and the sections d' arranged parallel
thereto. The sections are connected by suitable elbow joints in order to form a
serpentine passage through which the commingled steam and oil vapor or what has
become gas will pass.
Each of the sections d' is provided with a cylinder E closed at the projecting end
and perforated to act as a distributor and disintegrator. The cylinders have formed upon
or attached to their inlet ends screw threaded rings e which are turned into corresponding
screw threads formed upon the interior of sections d¹ of the retort.
As just said the ends of the cylinders opposite the inlets are closed and the sides are
provided with perforations and these are situated a short distance apart and so arranged
as to present the commingled steam and oil to the sides of the retort to a finely
divided condition.
Although I have particularly described the retort as being made up of the sections
joined at their ends, it is obvious that when desired they may be cast in sections
forming longitudinal halves and be secured together by bolts passing through flanges
formed upon the sections. When the retorts are made in this way the distributors or
disintegrators may be set in and held in suitable position by bolting the sections together.
After the oil and steam have passed through the retorts and become a fixed gas this
enters the return pipes F F by which it is conducted to the outlet pipes G or G¹ through
a water or any other suitable seal and thence to a gasometer or other suitable situation.
I have found that the form of retort already described that is one having a serpentine
passage through it, is best adapted for making a fixed gas but in the treatment of
substances more easily converted, a straight retort, like that shown in Figure 5
provided with disintegrator cylinders may be employed.
By this device the steam and oil are divided into the finest possible particles,
mechanically and are most intimately commingled first by the force of their initial
contact and secondly by their united passage through the disintegrating cylinders and
forcible contact with the sides of the retort.
The dashing of the finely divided steam against the heated surface makes it dust dry
and it slakes itself with the oil. There is a regular decomposition and recomposition
by mechanical and chemical action. The mechanical means being as intense and
effective as possible to facilitate the chemical action. The recomposition is rendered
stable by long heating of the compound in the circuitous course it takes through the
retorts and treatment at the bends where it is again and again dashed against the pipe
thus frequently remixing and ensuring to the last extreme action upon any particles
that may have escaped.

page_text: The successive atomizing and consequent frequent presentation of the commingled
substances in a finely divided state against the heated inner faces of the retorts
attained by this device are of very great advantage as in this manner a fixed gas can
readily and with certainty be produced from steam and oil.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
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 an apparatus for converting hydro-carbons into a fixed gas retorts having a
serpentine passage and provided with disintegrators which fill the passage at the place
of their situation and so compel passage through them of all the material under
treatment substantially as described.
2. In a gas apparatus the pipe like retort made in sections joined at angles to each
other and provided with the disintegrators substantially as described.
3. In a gas apparatus the retorts made in sections joined at angles to each other and
provided with distributors or disintegrators filling the passage at the place of their
situation and consisting of cylinders screwed into the sections and having perforations
in their sides substantially as described.
4. In a gas apparatus the combination of the oil and steam inlet pipes joined and
provided with an injector at their point of juncture, branch pipes, retorts united to the
gas pipes and consisting of sections placed at angles to each other and provided with
disintegrators and the return pipes substantially as described.
5. In a gas apparatus a tubular or pipe like retort provided with internal distributing
cylinders having perforated sides substantially as described.
6. In a gas apparatus a retort provided with cylinders partly filling the interior and
provided with perforations in their sides whereby the substances to be converted into
gas are presented to the heated faces of the retorts in a finely divided state.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1887