IMPROVED APPARATUS for CARBURETTING GAS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francois Lenoir, of Paris, in the Republic of
France, but at present residing at Oxford Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS for
CARBURETTING GAS."
Sealed the 3rd November 1874, and dated the 5th May 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francois Lenoir at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th May 1874.
I, FRANCOIS LENOIR, of Paris, in the Republic of France, but at
present residing at Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED Appa-
· RATUS FOR CARBURETTING GAS," to be as follows:-
:-
The object of this Invention is to effect the carburation or car-
buretting of gas for the purpose of increasing its lighting power by
causing it to pass over or in contact with some liquid hydrocarbon which
will part with a portion of its volatile constituents, which will combine
with the
gas.
This has been heretofore attempted to be done by causing

page_text: the gas to pass through a box, in which is placed a spongy mass consisting
of wool, cotton, or other fibrous material or sponge, which will suck up
the liquid by capillary attraction or otherwise, and by thus minutely
subdividing the liquid enable it to part more readily with its volatile por-
tions to the gas while the latter is percolating through the spongy mass.
In my improved apparatus I have dispensed altogether with the
spongy, porous, or fibrous material, and have thus simplified the appa-
ratus, which consists of a box or casing composed of four chambers.
The first chamber (A) constitutes the reservoir, into which the liquid is
poured through suitable openings, which may be secured by screw
stoppers. This chamber A communicates with a second chamber B
immediately below it by means of a drop tube provided with a cock,
which will allow a regulated quantity of the liquid to flow drop by drop
into the chamber B, but will prevent the liquid from rising above a given
level therein. In this chamber are a series of vertical partitions, in
which holes are made at opposite ends alternately, so that the gas which
enters from a supply pipe is made to pass through the chamber in a
serpentine direction; and in so doing will take up the hydrocarbon
vapour from the liquid. The carburetted gas will then pass off through
another pipe at the opposite end of the chamber B, and will be conducted
to the burners.
When the lighter portions of the liquid have been carried off by the
gas, the heavy and non-volatile parts may be drawn off gradually by
means of a two-way cock into an intermediate chamber C, from whence
it may be discharged from time to time through the two-way cock into
a fourth.chamber D below. There is no immediate connection between
the chambers B and D except by means of an overflow pipe, which of
course only comes into use occasionally.
The supply and exit pipes which conduct the gas to and convey it
away from the carburetting chamber are connected together by a cross
pipe, and all three pipes are provided with stop cocks, so that the gas.
· may or may not be passed through the apparatus as may be considered
desirable..

page_text: filed by the said François Lenoir in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th November 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANÇOIS
LENOIR, of Paris, in the Republic of France, but at present residing at
Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, Merchant, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said François Lenoir, Her special licence.
that I, the said François Lenoir, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said François Lenoir, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,. and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR CARBURETTING GAS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Francois Lenoir, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
:
NOW KNOW YE,. that I, the said François Lenoir, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-

page_text: The carburetting apparatus which forms the subject of the present
Invention is one of great simplicity, and will be found very convenient
in use as it does not require the employment of any spongy or porous
body, nor any cotton wicks or pumicestone to facilitate the carburetting
process, the carburetting. liquid being in direct contact with the gas to
be carburetted. The gas enters at one end of the apparatus, in which
it is made to pass in a zig-zag or serpentine direction by arranging a
series of vertical partitions above the bulk of hydrocarbon liquid, and it
passes out of the apparatus saturated with the volatile parts of this
liquid.
One of the distinguishing features of my apparatus is the manner in
which the supply of the hydrocarbon liquid is maintained in the car-
buretting chamber, and the heavy oil is removed, therefrom. This is
effected by means of a dropping tube or Mariott's pipe, provided with a
stop-cock, and connected with a reservoir above.
The removal of the heavy oil which is deposited at the bottom of the
carburetting chamber is effected with great facility by means of a
small intermediate chamber, provided with a two-way cock, and situated
between the carburetting chamber and a tank provided to receive the
heavy products.
The operation of my improved carburetting apparatus will be casily
understood by referring to the accompanying Drawing, in which Fig. 1
is a front elevation of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical
section of the same; and Fig. 3 is a plan view.
Figs. 4, 5, & 6 are detail views of the two-way cock belonging to
the small compartment for drawing off the heavy oils from the car-
buretting vessel.
The apparatus comprises, four distinct chambers, namely,-1, a
reservoir A containing the liquid hydrocarbon; 2, the carburetting
chamber B, which is supplied. with the carburetting liquid from the
reservoir A. by means of the Mariott tube a, which is provided with a
stop cock ; 3, an intermediate emptying chamber C provided with the
two-way cock c; and 4, a receiving tank D, into which is run the
residuum from the carburetting process, and which is composed of heavy
products.

page_text: :
The liquid hydrocarbon is introduced into the reservoir A by the
screwed openings d, d, and it passes down the Mariott tube a into the
carburetting chamber B, in which are arranged a series of vertical
partitions ff, the holes in which are alternately at opposite ends. There
is also a syphon or overflow pipe g, which carries off any excess of liquid
and conducts it into the emptying tank D below. The function of the
Marriott's tube a is always to maintain the liquid in the carburetting
vessel at an uniform level, and to allow the liquid to run from the
reservoir above drop.by drop, and according as it is consumed or is taken
up by carburetting the gas.
When the apparatus is adapted to a railway train, or to a ship, or
other moveable carriage or structure, a horizontal perforated plate is
adapted to the carburetting vessel just below the level of the liquid,
which can pass through the plate, but is prevented thereby from
splashing about.
The small emptying chamber C regulates (in a proper measure) the
flow of the heavy products which are left in the carburetting chamber B.
Its two-way cock c (Figs. 4, 5, and 6,) admits of a communication being
established either between the chambers B and C, or between the
chambers C and D, but there can never be any direct flow between B
and D. In Fig. 4 there is shewn a communication between B and C,
but in Fig. 6 the connection is between C and D.
To the side of the carburetting chamber B are fixed the two pipes h, h,
Fig. 1, for the entrance and exit of the gas. These two pipes are connected
together by a transverse branch pipe j furnished with a cock k.
When it is wished to carburet the gas the cock k is closed, and the
other two cocks 1, 1, on the pipes h, h, Fig. 1, are opened; on the
contrary, when it is desired to burn the gas without carburetting it, the
cock is opened, and the two others (1, 1,) are closed. The apparatus is
moreover provided at convenient places with test or trial cocks and
drawing-off cocks.
Having now described my Invention of improved apparatus for car-
buretting gas, and having explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid the combination or arrangement of the three chambers A, B,
and D, the first serving as the reservoir for the carburetting liquid, and

page_text: communicating by means of the short tube a with the second chamber,
which acts as the carburetting chamber, for which purpose it is provided
with a series of vertical partitions, which are perforated with holes
alternately at their opposite ends so as to cause the gas to pass in a
serpentine direction through the chamber. The third chamber D serves
as a recipient for the heavy and unvolatilizable products contained in the
carburetting liquid.
I claim secondly the use of the intermediate chamber C furnished with
a two-way cock for maintaining the liquid in the chamber above at an
uniform level, and for drawing off the heavy oils and tarry matters from
the chamber B, and conducting them to the tank D below, as herein set
forth.
I also claim the adaptation to the apparatus or the arrangement of pipes
and cocks above shewn and described for passing the gas into and con-
ducting it out of the apparatus, whereby the gas may be carburetted or
not, as may be desired, without the necessity of deranging such pipes or
interfering with the ordinary supply. pipes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francois Lenoir, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Fifth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four..