An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Vaporizing Solid and Liquid Fuels, and Utilizing the Vapour for Heating Purposes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 9th Nov., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Vaporizing Solid and
Liquid Fuels, and Utilizing the Vapour for Heating Purposes.
1, JOSEF EDUARD Priel, of 14, Währing-Weinhauserstrasse, Vienna XVIII,
in the Austrian Empire, Chemist, 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 an improved method of and apparatus for producing
smokeless flames of high temperature, generally termed heating flames as distin-
guished from illuminating flames and has for its object to enable flames of this kind
to be obtained from liquid fuels of high boiling point, such as petroleum, rape-seed
oil, olive oil, etc. or froin solid fuels, such as stearine, paraffine, etc.
From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention relates to a method of, and
apparatus for, vaporizing liquid or solid fuels, and to a method of, and apparatus
for, mixing the hot vapours or gases with air and burning the mixture.
According to the first part of my invention I cause the liquid or molten fuel to
be sucked up through a solid cylindrical wick of comparatively large cross sectional
area, and having an annular flame burning around its upper end so that the heat
evolved by the said annular flame effects the vaporisation or decomposition of the
liquid sucked up by the central portion of the wick. It will be readily understood
that in the case of solid fuels, the fuel and the wick form together a kind of candle,
and that the former is melted by the annular flame.
In order to obtain the said annular flame, I may, for instance, arrange on the wick
a short tube of fire-proof material and of less diameter than the wick, so that the
said tube would preserve the central portion of the wick from being ignited.
I prefer, however, to cover the free end of the wick with a cap, into which air is
admitted from below, and which is provided at its upper end with a circular hole
of less diameter than the wick. This cap is arranged close to the upper end of the
wick so as to cause the space between the top surface of the wick and the edge of
the hole in the cap to be filled with the gaseous products of combustion from the
annular flame, so that these gases prevent the combustion from extending to the
central portion of the wick.
My improved method of mixing the hot gases or vapours with air and of burning
the mixture differs essentially from that of the Bunsen burner. It is well known
that in the said burner the combustible gas under pressure enters a perforated tube
in the form of a jet and sucks in air through the perforations in the tube.
According to this invention, the hot gases or vapours are caused to rise in a tube
of suitable size and the draught thereby created is utilized for sucking in the air.
This tube, which may be termed the mixer, is provided below with orifices for
the admission of the hot gases or vapours and of air, and at the top with an outlet
serving as a burner and being covered with a wire fabric, by which the flame is
prevented from passing down into the mixer.
The annexed drawing represents a sectional elevation of a gas incandescent lamp.
embodying my invention.
It will be seen from the drawing that the wick tube b, screwed into the petroleum
reservoir a, is provided with a wick c. By turning the ring d, the inner surface of
which is screw-threaded, the wick c may be raised and lowered by the toothed
wheels e which are rotated by the internal screw-threads.

page_text: Around the upper end of the wick tube b I arrange a perforated cone f which
supports the cap 9. The top of the cap g has formed in it a circular hole g' of
somewhat smaller diameter than the wick c. When therefore the wick is lowered
and ignited air will enter through the perforations in the cone fand the flame
will extend over the whole of the upper end of the wick c. The wick is then
raised so that its upper end is brought near the hole g' of the cap g whereby the
narrow circular space between the wick and the cap wholly filled up with the
gaseous products of combustion which extinguish the central portion of the flame.
There remains burning only an annular flame, under the action of which the
petroleum sucked up by the central portion of the wick is vaporised.
The mixing tube h, the middle portion of which is broken away in the drawing,
serves to mix the hot vapours with air. To this end, the mixing tube or mixer h
is inserted into the perforated cone f, through the perforations of which air is
caused to enter by the passage through the mixer of the hot vapours and hot
gaseous products of combustion from the annular flame x. The shoulder of the
mixer deflects the current of air and causes the formation of eddies. The
passage into the narrower tube or burner 2 produces a more thorough mixture
of the air and vapour and an acceleration of their upward movement. The
burner is closed at its upper end by a wire fabric above which the mixture is
ignited and which prevents the flame from passing down into the mixer h.
is a tube or annular slide adapted to be raised and lowered and which closes
the holes, of the mixer through which the annular flame is ignited.
Furthermore the said tube is provided with a diaphragm h of wire gauze or the
like at the lower end of the mixer at a short distance above the vaporiser. The
Baid diaphragm he has for its object to prevent the ignition of the mixture of
vapours and air in the mixer by the accidental flaring up of the annular
flame x.
n
On the gallery j, which supports the glass chimney, I arrange a bell-mouth
shaped cap m, which surrounds the burner and forms with the same an aunular
slot encircling the base of the flame. The main portion of the air sucked into
the glass chimney k streams out through this annular slot n and effects a more
active combustion in the outer portion of the flame attended by a higher
temperature. Furthermore, the current of air, to which the cap m gives the
desired direction, establishes the shape of the flame, whereby the mantle
is suspended from the wire rod o, not only attains a higher degree of incandes
but is also heated to a greater extent than hitherto.
which
escence
The cross sectional area and height of the mixing tube and the combined area
of the air inlet f* must be so regulated that the vapour produced by the wick c,
sucks in the necessary quantity of air.
To extinguish the lamp I provide the cone which glides on the lower end of the
cone and is adapted to be raised so as to close the orifices f".
I may remark that the glass chimney k shown in the drawing is only used in the
case when the flame is designed to produce the incandescence of a mantle for
illuminating purposes. In this case the chimney protects one flame from currents
of air and enables the shape of the same to be modified. Heating 'flames of this
kind, which are used for cooking, drying or similar purposes are allowed to burn
freely without a chimney.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A method of vaporising liquid or solid fuels, the said method consisting in
causing the liquid or molten fuel to be sucked up by a solid wick of comparatively
large diameter, and forming on the circumference of the upper end of the wick an
annular flame, so that the heat emanating from this flame effects the vaporisation
of the liquid or molten fuel sucked up by the central portion of the wick
substantially as described.

page_text: 2. Apparatus for carrying out the method described in Claim 1, such apparat
aving a wick (c) of comparatively large cross sectional area (and preferably
ircular in cross section) and a cap (9) covering the upper end of the said wick and
aving a hole (gl) of smaller diameter than the wick, the edge of the said hole
being arranged near the upper surface of the wick, and air being admitted into the
aid cap from below so that an annular flame (a) can be formed round the upper
end of the wick, the gaseous products of combustion of which fill up the narrow
space between the upper surface of the wick and the edge of the hole of the cap,
whereby air is prevented from passing to the central portion of the wick and the
fuel sucked up by the said central portion is vaporised by the heat of the annular
flame substantially as set forth.
3. A method of producing with hot combustible gases or vapours a smokeless,
non-illuminating flame of high temperature, the said method consisting in causing
the hot gases or vapours to rise in a vertical tube, in utilizing the draught thus
created for sucking in air through the lower end of the tube, and in igniting at the
top of the tube the mixture of combustible gases or vapours and air substantially
as described.
4. Apparatus for carrying out the method described in Claim 3, such apparatus
having a mixing tube (1) provided at its lower end with a central orifice (g') for
the admission of the hot gases or vapours and below the said orifice with a series
of perforations (2) for the admission of air, and at its upper end with an outlet
covered with wire fabric (43) above which the mixture of vapours or gases and air
can be ignited substantially as set forth.
5. In a mixer of the kind described in the preceding claim a shoulder (¹) and
a contracted upper end (2) for the purpose of more thoroughly mixing the vapours
or gases and the air together as described.
6. In a mixer of the kind described in Claim 4 slots (4) formed in the lower
portion of the sides of the same for the purpose of igniting the annular flame
and a tube or annular slide (4) for closing the said slots substantially as
described.
7. In a mixer of the kind described in Claim 4 a diaphragm (h) of wire gauze
or the like arranged crosswise in the lower portion of the same for the purpose of
preventing the mixture of combustible gases or vapours and air within the mixer
from being ignited by the accidental flaring up of the annular flame substantially
5 as described.
8. In a mixer of the kind described attaching the diaphragm (h) to the slide (*)
as hereinbefore described.
9. In a gas incandescent lamp, the heating flame of which is produced as herein-
before described a glass chimney (k) surrounding the, flame and an inverted
40 bell-mouth cap (m) arranged in the lower end of the chimney and forming with
the burner (h) an annular slot (n) through which a current of air streams into the
flame as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
10. An extinguisher for the vaporizing apparatus described in Claim 2, the said
extinguisher consisting of a cone (9) adapted to close the air inlet holes (f¹) o
45 the cap (g) as hereinbefore described.
1005
eu Guc
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4. South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.