Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Producing Gas for Gas Motor Engines and the like.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application; 15th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Apr., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL ST EUITIVATION.
Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Producing Gas for
Gas Motor Engines and the like.
I, LEON BENIER of 45, Rue Saint-Sébastien Paris, in the Republic of France,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
My invention relates to apparatus for producing gas for gas motor engines and
the like.
Gas motor engines have heretofore been operated by means of lighting gas.
Although these engines have been put to very numerous uses the application of
the same is limited to places where lighting gas can be obtained and to small horse
power, for the relatively high price of the lighting gas renders the expense too
great when a certain horse power is exceeded.
However it is well known that gas engines utilize heat in the most advantageous
manner by transforming it into work. A steam engine under good conditions
requires about 1 kilogramme of coal per hour and horse power that is to say on
an average 6000 calories, whilst the gas engine for the same work requires only
800 litres of gas, or 4800 calories, which constitutes a saving of 1200 calories in
favour of the gas engine, but the 6000 calories of the steam engine cost only about
3 centimes, whereas the 4800 calories of the gas engine cost about 16 centimes in
the case of lighting gas.
In order that the gas engine may economically replace the steam engine for high
horse power it is necessary to substitute for lighting gas another much less
expensive gas.
Several apparatus have already been constructed for producing a combustible
gas which may be employed in lieu of lighting gas. Use has hitherto been made
of the Dawson apparatus; which produces a combustible gas consisting of oxide of
carbon and hydrogen.
The oxide of carbon is very easily obtained, as is well known by causing air to
pass through a sufficiently thick layer of fuel for transforming all the oxygen of
the air first into carbonic acid and then into oxide of carbon. The hydrogen is
produced by the decomposition of a certain quantity of steam introduced into the
fire place. Although the Dawson apparatus has already long been known it has
not been put to many uses, owing to its complicated construction and its costly
installation comprising a bell which forms a gas reservoir and a special boiler for
the generation of steam.
The same gas can be obtained in a much more simple and practical manner with
the apparatus which forms the subject of my said invention.
This apparatus has a fire place enclosed in a vertical cylinder formed of two
parts, one of which is protected by a refractory lining.
The said fire place is in communication with the outer atmosphere only through
its grate.
A pipe conducts the gas produced into a cooler formed of small tubes into
which the gas passes, these small tubes being cooled by a suitable current of water.
After having traversed the cooler the gas leaves through a pipe which has at its
end a valve arranged on the engine for the purpose of regulating the introduction
of the gas.
At the same time that air is drawn by the piston of the engine into the cylinder
a certain quantity of gas is also drawn in through the valve. Owing this suction,
a certain quantity of air enters the fire place and thus gas is formed only as long
as the same quantity of gas is introduced into the engine.
This very simple arrangement enables the apparatus or device for blowing air

page_text: into the fire-place, and the bell forming the reservoir of the Dawson apparatus to
be dispensed with.
Under these conditions. the gas contained in the apparatus is at a somewhat
lower pressure than that of the atmosphere and escapes or leakages are thus easily
obviated, which is very important in the case of a gas possessing such deleterious
properties as oxide of carbon. The formation of the oxide of carbon is moreover
facilitated by the fact that there is no continuous current, as a
pause takes place
between every two suctions of the engine piston. Steam is easily obtained which
must be introduced into the fire-place, the heat generated by the latter being
utilized thereby enabling the special boiler in the Dawson apparatus to be dispensed
with.
For this purpose the cylinder possesses an annular chamber into which water is
introduced up to a certain height. The steam generated passes away through a
small pipe which is divided into two branches each provided with a cock; one
branch conducts the steam below the grate, and the other discharges the excess of
steam generated. As the water in the evaporating chamber is only a few centi-
metres in height water can be easily introduced through a pipe provided with a
funnel in which a constant level is maintained by means of an overflow pipe.
The introduction of fuel such as charcoal, coke, anthracite or the like into the
fire place is effected through a pipe placed above the fire-place by removing the lid
on top of the said pipe.
For setting the apparatus in operation a valve is opened in order to
place in communication with the chimney. This valve is closed as
fire place is to be lighted, and the engine to be set in motion.
Dated this 15th day of August 1891
put the fire
soon as the
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Producing. Gas for
Gas Motor Engines and the like.
I, LEON BÉNIER of 45 Rue Saint Sebastien Paris in the Republic of France
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 apparatus for producing gas for gas motor engines and
the like.
Gas motor engines have heretofore been operated by means of lighting or
illuminating gas. Although these engines have been put to very numerous uses
the application of the same is limited to places where such lighting or illuminating
gas can be obtained and to small power, for the relatively high price of the
lighting gas renders the expense too great when a certain horse power is
exceeded.
However it is well known that gas engines utilize heat in the most advantageous
manner by transforming it into work. A steam engine under good conditions
requires about 1 kilogramme of coal per hour per horse power that is to say, on
an average 6000 calories, whilst the gas engine for the same work requires only
800 litres of gas, or 4800 calories which constitutes a saving of 1200 calories in
favor of the gas engine, but the 6000 calories of the steam engine, cost only about
3 centimes whereas the 4800 calories of the gas engine cost about 16 centimes in
the case of lighting or illuminating gas.
In order that the gas engine may economically replace the steam engine for
high horse power it is necessary to substitute for lighting. gas another. much less
expensive gas.

page_text: Several apparatus have already been constructed for producing a combustible
gas which may be employed in lieu of lighting gas. Use has hitherto been made
of the Dawson apparatus, which produces a combustible gas consisting of oxide of
carbon and hydrogen.
The oxide of carbon is very easily obtained, as is well known, by causing air to
pass through a sufficiently thick layer of fuel for transforming all the oxygen of
the air first into carbonic acid and then into oxide of carbon. The hydrogen is
produced by the decomposition of a certain quantity of steam introduced into the
fire-place. Although the Dawson apparatus has already long been known it has
not been put to many uses, owing to its complicated construction and its costly
installation comprising a bell which forms a gas reservoir and a special boiler for
the generation of steam.
The same gas can be obtained in a much more simple and practical manner with
the apparatus which forms the subject of my said invention.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a vertical central section of my improved apparatus and
Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 1-2 of Figure 1.
The improved apparatus has a fire-place a enclosed in a vertical cylinder formed
of two parts and c one of which is protected by a refractory lining d.
The said fire-place is in communication with the outer atmosphere only through
its grate g.
A pipe conducts the gas produced into a cooler m formed of a casing con-
taining small tubes through which the gas passes these small tubes being cooled by
a suitable current of water. After having traversed the cooler the gas leaves
through a pipe n which has at its end a valve s arranged on the engine for the
purpose of regulating the introduction of the
gas.
At the same time that air is drawn by the piston of the engine into the cylinder
a certain quantity of gas is also drawn in through the valve s, owing to this suction,
a certain quantity of air enters the fire-place and thus gas is formed only as long
as the same quantity of gas is introduced into the engine.
This very simple arrangement enables the apparatus or device for drawing
air into the fire-place, and the bell forming the reservoir of the Dawson apparatus
to be dispensed with.
Under these conditions the gas contained in the apparatus is at a somewhat lower
pressure than that of the atmosphere and escapes or leakages are thus easily
obviated which is very important in the case of a gas possessing such deleterious
properties as oxide of carbon. The formation of the oxide of carbon is moreover
facilitated by the fact that there is no continuous current, as a pause takes place
between every two suctions of the engine piston. Steam is easily obtained which
must be introduced into the fire-place, the heat generated by the latter being
utilized, thereby enabling the special boiler in the Dawson apparatus to be
dispensed with.
For this purpose the cylinder c possesses an annular chamber c¹ into which water
is introduced up to a certain height. The steam generated passes away through a
small pipe t which is divided into two branches each provided with a cock, one
branch conducts the steam below the grate and the other discharges the excess of
steam generated. As the water in the evaporating chamber is only a few
centimetres in height water can be easily introduced through a piper provided
with a funnel in which a constant level is maintained by means of an overflow
pipe v.
The introduction of fuel such as charcoal, coke, anthracite or the like into the
fire-place is effected through a pipe y placed above the fire-place by removing the
lid z on the top of the said pipe.
For setting the apparatus in operation a valve is opened in order to put the fire-
place in communication with the chimney h. This valve is closed as soon as the
fire-place is to be lighted and the engine to be set in motion.

page_text: 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
First. An apparatus for producing a combustible gas composed of oxide of
carbon and hydrogen, designed for economically supplying gas motors or other
similar engines, and comprising a closed fire-place a charged with any fuel through
a closed pipe y and into which the air can pass only through the grate g and under
determined conditions, an annular space c constantly supplied with water, sur-
rounding the base of the fire-place and designed to produce the steam to be injected
below the grate and a starting valve a communicating with a chimney h; the said
apparatus being if desired connected with a cooler m designed to cool the gas
produced and the whole operating as and for the purpose described with reference
to the accompanying drawing.
Second. The combination of the above described apparatus with the valve of
the engine to be supplied with combustible gas in such a manner that air will be
introduced through the grate of the fire-place and gas consequently formed the
quantity of which corresponds to the quantity of gas drawn into the said engine
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawing.
Third. The combination of an apparatus formed by a closed fire-place admitting
air only below the grate, with a space constantly supplied with water and
surrounding the base of the said fire-place so as to utilize directly the heat
of the latter for producing the steam to be injected below the fire-place for the
formation of hydrogen and dispensing with the independent steam producer as
heretofore employed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
drawing.
Dated this 2nd dox of Al 1900
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.