Improvements in Acetylene Gas Generators.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Acetylene Gas Generators.
A communication by ARNOLD WEGMANN-HAUSER, of No. 24, Freigut-Strasse,
Zürich II,, in the Republic of Switzerland, Mechanical Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:―
This invention has for its object, in the generation of acetylene from carbide of
calcium in feed generators, to utilize the rise of the gas for producing a vigorous
circulation of water through the carbide to be acted upon. For this object the
generator is divided by partitions s, as shown in the accompanying drawings in
several forms of construction in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 into compartments a and b
which communicate with one another above and below the partitions.
The compartment a serves for receiving the carbide on a grating and in
order to cause the same to evolve gas, water flows into it upwards together with
the gas, releases the gas at the surface, and then flows over the partition s down
into the compartment b. In this latter it descends, then passes under the
grating and is again drawn above the grating by the upward suction produced
by the rising of the acetylene and passes through the latter and the carbide
lying thereon into the compartment a, and so forth.
Owing to the specifically lighter water charged with gas and which rises upward
being separated by a partition from the specifically heavier descending water
which is freed from gas, a very energetic circulation of the water in the course
indicated is brought about. The carbide is thereby constantly washed through,
and thus the hydrate of lime which, on the evolution of gas, forms on the sur-
face of the pieces of carbide and by impeding the evolution of the gas causes
heating, is constantly washed away, so that the pieces of carbide retain a crystal-
line surface. The evolution of gas takes place therefore very rapidly and with-
out any heating or polymerization, and acetylene of highest purity and evenness
of quality is produced.
Some forms of construction of such generators are shown as an example in
the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 and 2 being easily under-
stood from the foregoing without further explanation. Figure 3 shows a
carbide feed pipe i provided with a water seal which is protected against the
escape of gas by the way in which the water circulation is directed. A conical
body 2 is arranged beneath the pipe 1, by means of which body the water and
acetylene rising from off the grating are forced against the partition s so that
the gas cannot rise directly against the feed pipe. In order that even during a
violent evolution of gas, no acetylene may penetrate into the feed pipe 1 a
pipe is provided projecting above the surface of the gas evolving water.
secondary or subsidiary circulation is thus established in the space between the
A

page_text: pipes 1 and 3, which circulation may be further assisted by a pipe 4, on the
outer side of which the water rises upwards, whilst the water releases on its
surface the bubbles of gas passing through it under the pipe 3, in order after-
wards to descend freed from the gas on the inner side of the pipe 4 and so forth.
A sufficiently gas tight closing of the feed pipe is thus produced and carbide
may be conveyed into the generator through this feed pipe, without operating
any closing mechanisms, either by hand or by means of mechanical feed appli-
ances, without allowing gas to escape from or air to enter the generator. The
same object is also attained if, as shown in Figure 4, the arrangement is not a
central one.
Dated this 21st day of Anvil 1800
A communication by ARNOLD WEGMANN-HAUSER, of No. 24, Freigut-Strasse,
Zürich II., in the Republic of Switzerland, Mechanical Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil 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:---
This invention has for its object, in the generation of acetylene from carbide of
calcium in feed generators, to utilize the rise of the gas for producing a vigorous
circulation of water through the carbide to be acted upon. For this object the
generator is divided by partitions, as shown in the drawings accompanying
the Provisional Specification in several forms of construction in Figures 1, 2, 3
and 4, into compartments a and b which communicate with one another above
and below the partitions.
The compartment a serves for receiving the carbide on a grating c and in
order to cause the same to evolve gas, water flows into it upwards together with
the gas, releases the gas at the surface, and then flows over the partition s down
into the compartment b. In this latter it descends, then passes under the
grating and is again drawn above the grating by the upward suction produced
by the rising of the acetylene and passes through the latter and the carbide
lying thereon into the compartment, and so forth.
Owing to the specifically lighter water charged with gas and which rises upward
being separated by a partition from the specifically heavier descending water
which is freed from gas, a very energetic circulation of the water in the course
indicated is brought about. The carbide is thereby constantly washed through.
and thus the hydrate of lime which, on the evolution of gas, forms on the sur-
face of the pieces of carbide and by impeding the evolution of the gas causes
heating, is constantly washed away, so that the pieces of carbide retain a crystal-
line surface. The evolution of gas takes place therefore very rapidly and with-
out any heating or polymerization, and acetylene of highest purity and evenness
of quality is produced.
Some forms of construction of such generators are shown as an example in

page_text: the drawings accompanying the Provisional Specification, Figures 1 and 2 being
easily understood from the foregoing without further explanation. Figure 3 shows
a carbide feed pipe i provided with a water seal which is protected against the
escape of gas by the way in which the water circulation is directed. conical
body 2 is arranged beneath the pipe 1, by means of which body the water and
acetylene rising from off the grating are forced against the partitions so that
the gas cannot rise directly against the feed pipe. In order that even during a
violent evolution of gas, no acetylene may penetrate into the feed pipe 1. a
pipe 3 is provided projecting above the surface of the gas evolving water.
A
secondary or subsidiary circulation is thus established in the space between the
pipes 1 and 3, which circulation may be further assisted by a pipe 4, on the
outer side of which the water rises upwards, whilst the water releases on its
surface the bubbles of gas passing through it under the pipe 3, in order after-
wards to descend freed from the gas on the inner side of the pipe 4 and so forth.
A sufficiently gas tight closing of the feed pipe is thus produced and carbide
may be conveyed into the generator through this feed pipe, without operating
any closing mechanisms, either by hand or by means of mechanical feed appli
ances, without allowing gas to escape from or air to enter the generator. The
same object is also attained if, as shown in Figure 4, the arrangement is not a
central one.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. An acetylene generator characterised by compartments (a) and (b) being
arranged in such a way that gas is evolved from carbide on a grating (c) in the
one compartment (#) whilst the other compartment (b) only serves for receiving
and re-conveying under the grating (c) the water which has risen in the first
named compartment (a) upwards with the gas after the said gas has been
released at the surface of the water in the chamber («), so that the rise of the
gas only takes place in the first compartment ("), and the descent of the water,
which has been freed from the gas, only in the second compartment (b), and
thus a vigorous circulation of water takes place through the carbide contained
on the grating, substantially as described.
2. An acetylene gas generator characterised by compartments (a) and (7) being
arranged in such a way that gas is generated in the one compartment (a) from
carbide on a grating (c) whilst the other compartment (b) only serves for re-
conveying under the grating (e) the water which in the first named compart-
ment () has risen upwards with the gas and has given off the gas, so that the
rise of the gas only takes place in the first compartment (a) and a descent of
the water freed from gas only in the other compartment (b) and thereby an
energetic circulation of water takes place through the carbide contained on the
grating, in combination with vertical partitions (3 and 4) over a discharge
pipe (2), the latter with the object of affording a second or subsidiary circula-
tion of the water, whilst at the same time the result is obtained of keeping the
acetylene away from the feed pipe (1), substantially as described.
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