Improvements in Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 28th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 30th Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
I, JASPER WETTER, Patent Agent, of 433, Strand, in the County of London, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication from GOTTFRIED
MEYER, Engineer, of 11 Seefeldstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland, to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for generating acetylene gas from calcium
carbides, and has for its object, to regulate the generation of gas more perfectly
than has hitherto been possible with the means known.
For this purpose I keep the gas pressure approximately constant, and utilise
the variation in the volume of the gas store for automatically controlling the
generation of gas.
The generating plant chiefly comprises a gas generator, a water feeder, and a
gas holder. The gas generator has a carbide receptacle or tray which is
hermetically closed against the atmosphere by means of a water seal and is divided
into equal compartments or cells, each of which receives a charge of carbide just
sufficient to fill the gas holder once with acetylene gas. The supply of water is
so arranged, that only one of the said cells can be filled with water at one time.
The carbide receptacle mentioned above has preferably the shape of a semi-
cylindrical tray provided at the ends with trunnions which are mounted in a pair
of bearings formed on an outer vessel. One of the said trunnions is axially
perforated for introducing the water supply pipe, and after the contents of all
the cells have been used for the generation of gas, the cover is removed and the
carbide tray turned on its axis, so as to discharge the milk of lime from the
compartments into the outer vessel. The compartments form two longitudinal
rows right and left of the axis, each compartment being separated from its
neighbours by a partition which forms an overflow-so that the water fills the
compartments one after the other.
The water feeder is so constructed, that whenever the gas holder falls below a
given level, the feeder admits just sufficient water to fill one of the compartments
of the generator.
The water feeder and regulator chiefly comprises a regulating lift valve, which
has an enlarged valve chest serving as an intermediate water reservoir above the
valve and containing a float attached to a sleeve mounted on the valve spindle
a two-armed balance lever connected at one end with the said valve spindle,
and supported at the other end by a pivotal trigger or pair of triggers adapted to
be turned by the motion of the gas holder, a small feed valve inserted into the
water supply pipe for the intermediate water reservoir and controlled by the rise
and fall of the regulating valve, and a pipe fed by the regulating valve and leading
through the perforated trunnion of the carbide tray into the first compartment
of the same.
The water-feeder works as follows:-
Supposing that the feeder has just discharged the required quantity of water
hes therefore just boon closed water will continue to

page_text: flow into the feed pipe for the generator from an open cup which is situated at
the top of the said pipe and has received the water discharged through the
regulating valve; gas is being generated in one of the cells of the carbide tray,
which gas causes the gas holder to rise. The said balance lever rests on the
trigger under the influence of its balance weight and the buoyancy of the float;
the feed valve is closed, the excess of water in the intermediate reservoir has been
discharged through an overflow pipe the small safety valve mounted on a downward
extension of the regulating valve spindle is open, and the water feeder is getting
ready for a fresh discharge.
The gasholder rises as long as the generating cell continues to produce more
gas than is consumed, after which the gas holder drops until a short arm or nose
formed on the same releases the trigger or pair of triggers and allows the balance
lever to drop, whereby the regulating valve is lifted until the safety valve strikes
against its seat, thereby stopping the valve spindle. The water flows out rapidly
into the cup mentioned above and thence through the feed pipe into the carbide
tray, where it fills the following compartment, thereby causing a fresh generation
of gas.
The float falls, until a fork connected with the balance lever by means of a pair
of pins and a pair of vertical slots, rests upon the auxiliary lever which controls
the small supply valve, and thereby begins to open the latter. Owing to the
rapid discharge of water through the regulating valve, the float continues to fall,
until it rests upon the regulating valve and closes the same, at the same time
opening the small safety valve.
During this time the balance lever has dropped so far that its opposite end has
risen above the trigger or pair of triggers, and allowed the latter to place itself
again in working position; the feed valve has been completely opened, and the
water discharged through the same into a lateral chamber, begins to flow into
the intermediate reservoir. As the latter gradually fills, the float rises and the
feed valve closes again, but water continues to flow from the lateral chamber
into the intermediate reservoir and to lift, the float, so that the buoyancy of the
latter assists the balance weight. The upper end of the valve rod is slotted, as
well as the upper end of the fork mentioned above. A safety valve mounted on
the gas holder is opened automatically and allows gas to escape, if the gas holder
rises above a given limit.
Dated this 30th day of November 1896.
FAIRFAX & WETTER
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
I, JASPER WETTER, Patent Agent, late of 433, Strand, and now of 37 & 39
Essex Street, Strand, in the County of London, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention, communication from Gottfried Meyer, Engineer, of 11
Seefeldstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Appliances for the generation of acetylene gas from calcium carbide, which work
without increase of pressure, that is to say, with a pressure of only about 5 centi-
metres of water column in the generator, may be divided into the following
classes:-
1. Generators with comparatively large water receptacle, into which the carbide

page_text: 18 introduced (or where the carbide is thrown into the water) in proportion to
the consumption of gas.
2. Generators having a store of carbide sufficient for a considerable length of
time, the carbide being contained in a receptacle to which water is admitted
according to the consumption of gas.
The second class includes several varieties, for instance that in which the
calcium receptacle is divided into several compartments, each of which contains
a given small quantity of carbide, to ensure that the volume of gas produced at
one time shall only be sufficient for charging the bell of the gasholder, or
generally to avoid the irregularities in the generation of gas, which occur when
water is admitted to a relatively larger quantity of carbide.
For all systems of the second class, it is advantageous to construct or arrange
the water feeder in such a manner, that only a predetermined quantity of water
can be supplied to the generator at one time, and to ensure, that the volume of
gas produced by this quantity of water can be completely taken up by the
gasholder, if the consumption of gas should suddenly be interrupted when the
generation of gas commences..
This method of water supply is embodied in the water feeder hereafter described
and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, where the bell of the gasholder
is so connected with the water feeder, or feed regulator, that the water can only
be fed when the gasometer bell occupies a given low position, and the quantity
of water which is then supplied to the generator is so calculated, that the volume
of gas produced from the same can be completely taken up by the gasholder.
In the drawings, Fig. 1 shows the entire apparatus consisting of a generator
proper, a gasholder and a water feeder, the latter being shown in longitudinal
section, while the former are only indicated by diagrams.
Figs. 2, 3, and 4, show details of the float of the water feeder on a larger
scale, in elevation, section and plan.
Figs. 5, 6, and 7, illustrate the working of the water feeder by three diagrams
representing consecutive stages of operation.
The water serving for the generation of gas flows from the water feeder and
regulater through a pipe v, Fig. 1, into the generator proper T, and the gas
produced in the same passes through a wide tube l, stopcock k, water separator h
and ascension pipe g into the bell 6 of the gasholder. The discharge of gas from
the gasholder takes place through the pipe c, water separator d and stopcock o,
which is connected with the gas main e.
The water feeder is connected with a high-level tank or pressure supply by
means of a pipe A, and has a feed valve B. When the latter is open, the water
flows first into a side compartment C separated from the principal water chamber
by a partition. The latter has a small opening, through which the water enters
the principal chamber, where the water rises up to the edge of the overflow pipe E,
if the discharge valve D is closed. The latter is rigidly connected with the safety
valve F, in such a manner, that the valve F is closed when D is open, and the
valve D is closed when F is open.
As the outlet from the water feeder towards the generator is situated above
the safety valve F, and the latter opens into a waste pipe, which also receives
water from the overflow pipe E, any accidental escape of water into the generator,
in case the valve I should leak, is thus prevented. The normal discharge pipe
from the water feeder or regulator leads to an open cup G, from which the water
is led into the generator T at the desired speed, through a feed pipe provided
with a regulating tap H.
The valve chamber of the discharge valve D contains a large float I situated
axially above the valve and mounted on a tube through which passes the valve
spindle. The latter is wide enough to afford the necessary clearance for the
motion of the spindle, and terminates at the top in a slotted fork. The upper end
of the valve spindle is also slotted, and both the tube and the spindle are so
onnected with pivotal studs K of a weighted lever L, that either of them may

page_text: lift and lower the said lever within given limits, independently of the other, and
may be lifted and lowered independently by the said lever, as illustrated by
Figs. 5, 6, and 7.
The weighted lever L connects the water feeder with the gasholder bell by
means of a pair of triggers N, N adapted to support the extremity M of the
lever L and to come in contact with a pair of lugs or projections m, m³ formed on
a bracket fixed to the top of the gasometer bell.
The use of two triggers N and N placed side by side has for its object, to
prevent the trigger mechanism from being released and a discharge of water
produced during the upmotion of the bell, that is to say, at the wrong time. The
trigger N is therefore slightly shorter than the trigger N, and as the bell rises,
the trigger N is only disengaged, after the trigger N has already turned back,
so as to prevent the lever L from dropping.
Water
The working of the water feeder is illustrated by the diagrams Figs. 5, 6, and 7;
Fig. 1 represents the water feeder, after it has just been emptied.
continues to flow from the cup G into the generator T, where it produces gas
which causes the gasometer bell b to rise rapidly. The lever L rests on the
trigger N under the influence of the weight Q and the buoyancy of the float I;
the feed valve B is closed, the lateral compartment C has been emptied, the excess
of water has escaped through the overflow pipe E, the safety valve F is open, and
the water feeder is ready for a fresh discharge.
When the water has flown out of the cup G, and the production of gas in the
generator has been completed, the gasometer bell occupies its highest position,
provided that during the generation of gas the consumption of the same has been
interrupted.
If, however, the consumption of gas has continued, the hell 6 begins to drop
already before reaching its highest position, and continues to drop, until the
trigger N has been pushed back by its contact with the projecting face m, and
thereby the end M of the lever L has been released. The lever L now drops under
the influence of the weight Q and the buoyancy of the float I, thereby lifting the
valve D until stopped by the contact of the safety valve F with its valve seat.
The water now flows rapidly into the cup G, and thence into the generator T,
where it causes a fresh production of gas. The float I descends until the fork R
of its hollow spindle or tube rests upon the weighted lever S of the supply valve B,
and as the float gets heavier, owing to loss of buoyancy when the valve chamber
is partly emptied, it begins to open the supply valve B (Fig. 6).
As the water continues to flow out of the valve chamber, the float sinks still
further, until it rests upon the discharge valve D and closes the same, at the
same time opening the safety valve F. During this operation the float has drawn
down the lever L so far that the two triggers N and N may move forward, and
has also completely opened the supply valve B, by means of the lever S, in
consequence of which water flows freely into the compartment C, which has
already commenced to discharge its contents into the principal chamber (Fig. 7).
The latter will gradually fill up and the float will rise, until the supply valve is
again closed and as the rest of the water flows out of the compartment C, the
Hoat will continue to rise, and will act on the lever L by intensifying the effect
of the weight Q. In the meanwhile the gasometer bell has again risen, and the
lug m has released the trigger N from the extremity M of the lever L, in
consequence of which the latter will rest upon the trigger N, as represented by
Fig. 1.
The lug or projection m¹ serves to produce a second discharge, or water feed
shortly after that produced by the lug m, in case, from any cause, the latter
should have remained without effect.
For the correct working of the water feeder the length of the slot in the valve
spindle must allow the extremity M to be lifted slightly above the trigger N¹ and
to be lowered slightly below the trigger N, while the discharge valve D is at rest
The length of the slot in the fork of the float I must allow the float to be brought

page_text: from the position shown by Fig. 5 to that shown by Fig. 6, without producing any
effect on the weighted lever L. In addition, the following conditions of
equilibrium must be fulfilled:-
wherein T represents the water pressure on the discharge valve, when the valve
chamber is full; U the collective weight of the discharge valve, safety valve
and the spindles belonging to the same; the force necessary for opening the
supply-valve, calculated as acting through the valve spindle; W the weight Q on
the lever L; X the weight of the float; Y the buoyancy of the float I, when the
valve casing or principal compartment is full.
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 acetylene gas generators, the combination of a gas holder, with an
automatic water feeder or feed regulator adapted to supply to the generator
proper a measured quantity of water, when the volume of gas in the gas holder
falls below a given limit, substantially as described.
2. A water feeder or feed regulator for acetylene gas generators, comprising
in its construction a measuring vessel provided with a discharge valve D) and
an overflow pipe E, a supply valve 13, a float I, and a weighted lever L, the whole
being adapted to operate substantially as described.
3. In a water feeder or feed regulator adapted to supply regulated quantities
of water to a gas generator by means of a measuring vessel provided with a
discharge valve 1), the combination of the discharge valve D, with a safety valve F
mounted on the same valve spindle and adapted to open into a waste-pipe, a
discharge pipe situated between the discharge valve D and safety valve F,
and if required, with an intermediate cup G adapted to receive the water from
the said discharge pipe and to discharge it through a regulating tap H,
substantially as described.
4. The construction of the water feeder or feed regulator for acetylene gas
generators, as hereinbefore described and shown by the drawings, the said feeder
comprising a measuring vessel provided with a discharge valve D) and overflow
pipe F, a supply valve P, a float I adapted to act in conjunction with a weighted
lever L on the valve B and D, and a pair of triggers N, Ni and contract faces m, m',
adapted to act on the lever L.
Dated this 2fth day of August 1897
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
37-39, Essex Street, Strand, London, Agents.