Means or Apparatus for Purifying the Products of Combustion of Acetylene Gas Flames.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Nov., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 6th July, 1898- Accepted, 17th Sept., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Means or Apparatus for Purifying the Products of Combustion of
Acetylene Gas Flames.
I, Doctor JOHANN SAMUEL BILLWILLER, of Schloss Sulzberg, Untereggen, near
St. Gallen, Switzerland, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The products of combustion of acetylene gas flames contain injurious ad-
mixtures, such as, for example, phosphoric acid, which it is very difficult to
remove from the gas prior to combustion, and which must therefore be removed
from the products of combustion.
Now this invention relates to apparatus which is suited to effect the object in
view and whereby the injurious admixtures are removed by condensation and by
the combination of the acids.
For this purpose, the products of combustion are passed through a tubular body,
which is divided by strainers into several compartments. One or more of these
compartments is or are empty, and in it or them condensation takes place which
is promoted by the fact that the motion of the current of the products of com-
bustion is retarded by having to pass through one or more of the strainers, and
that the products of combustion are thereby several times divided or more dis-
tributed. The injurious admixtures, especially the phosphoric acid, are precipi-
tatel after a short time in the form of a sparkling coating on the walls of the
said compartments.
The other compartments of the tubular body are filled with an absorbent and
refractory material which is saturated with a basic liquid and has been dried.
As an absorbent material, there may be employed pumice stone, asbestos (in the
form of fabrics or not), porous clay, or the like. As a suitable impregnating fluid
for these materials, there is preferably employed a solution of potassium carbonate
of 50% strength.
When the products of combustion pass through the compartments charged as
above described, the acids mixed with the said products are neutralized by the
bases. The last strainer of the aforesaid tubular body consists of a narrow-meshed
sieve which has for abject to keep back any small particles of carbon that may be
carried over. The number of compartments which have to be traversed by the
products of combustion and the wideness of mesh of the strainers, must be such as
not to render the resistance too great in order to allow all the gases of combustion
to pass through and to cool them down to about 150° C.
Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings show by way of example and in
vertical section and plan respectively, an apparatus constructed according to this
invention.
a is an acteylene burner screwed upon a gas-pipe b which carries a chimney d
by means of supports c and a hollow conical piece d' which may be advantageously
constructed as a reflector, and which serves to hold the products of combustion
together. In the chimney d there is suspended by means of small hooks e¹ a

page_text: tubular body e, which is divided by strainers f. f, into several compart-
ments, of which the lowest and upmost are empty and serve as condensation-
chambers, whilst the other compartments are filled with an absorbent refractory
material which is impregnated with a basic liquid.
The injurious admixtures of the products of combustion in passing through the
chimmey, and therefore also through the tubular body, undergo in the lowest
compartment a condensation in consequence of which they remain behind in the
form of a deposit.
Any acids that may be still present are neutralized in the succeeding compart-
ments, and the condensation is repeated in the top compartment, where also any
small particles of carbon that may have been carried over are kept back.
Means or Apparatus for Purifying the Products of Combustion of
Acetylene Gas Flames.
I, Doctor JOHANN SAMUEL BILLWILLER, of Schloss Sulzberg, Untereggen, near
St. Gallen, Switzerland, 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:-
The products of combustion of acetylene-gas flames contain injurious ad-
mixtures, such as, for example, phosphoric acid, which it is very difficult to
remove from the gas prior to combustion, and which must therefore be removed
from the products of combustion.
Now this invention relates to apparatus which is suited to effect the object in
view and whereby the injurious admixtures are removed by condensation and by
the combination of the acids..
For this purpose, the products of combustion are passed through a tubular body
which is divided by strainers into several compartments. One or more of these
compartments is or are empty, and in it or them condensation takes place which
is promoted by the fact that the motion of the current of the products of com-
bustion is retarded by having to pass through one or more of the strainers, and
that the products of combustion are thereby several times divided or more dis-
tributed. The injurious admixtures, especially the phosphoric acid, are precipi-
tated after a short time in the form of a sparkling coating on the walls of these
compartments.
The other compartiments of the tubular body are filled with an absorbent and
refractory material which has been impregnated with a basic liquid and subsequently
dried. As an absorbent material, there may be employed pumice stone, asbestos (in the
form of fabrics or not), porous clay, or the like. As a suitable impregnating fluid
for these materials, there is preferably employed a solution of potassium carbonate
of 50% strength.
When the products of combustion pass through the compartments charged as
above described, the acids mixed with the said products are neutralized by the
bases. The last strainer of the aforesaid tubular body consists of a narrow-meshed
sieve which has for object to keep back any small particles of carbon that may be

page_text: carried over.
The number of compartments which have to be traversed by the
products of combustion and the wideness of mesh of the strainers, must be such as
not to render the resistance too great in order to allow all the gases of combustion
to pass through and to cool them down to about 150° C.
Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings filed with my Provisional Specification show by
way of example and in vertical section and plan respectively, an apparatus con-
structed according to this invention.
a is an acteylene burner screwed upon a gas-pipe b, which carries a chimney d
by means of supports c and a hollow conical piece d' which may be advantageously
constructed as a reflector, and which serves to hold the products of combustion
together. In the chimney d there is suspended by means of small hooks e a
tubular body e, which is divided by removable strainers f, f, into several compart-
ments, of which the lowest and upmost are empty and serve as condensation-
chambers, whilst the other compartments are filled with an absorbent refractory
material which is impregnated with a basic liquid.
The injurious admixtures of the products of combustion in passing through the
chimney d, and therefore also through the tubular body, undergo in the lowest
compartment a condensation in consequence of which they remain behind in the
form of a deposit.
Any acids that may be still present are neutralized in the succeeding compart-
ments and the condensation is repeated in the upmost compartiment, where also any
small particles of carbon that may have been carried over are kept back.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. Apparatus for removing injurious admixtures from the products of com-
bustion of an acetylene-gas flame comprising a tubular body which is suspended
in a chimney situated above an acetylene-gas burner, and is divided by strainers
into several compartments, of which one or more are empty and serves or serve
as a condensing chamber or condensing chambers, whilst other compartments
contain an absorbent, refractory, and acid-neutralizing material for the purpose
of removing the injurious admixtures from the products of combustion by con-
densation and the combination of the acids in their passage through the chimney,
substantially as herein before described.
2. Apparatus according to the preceding claim in which the acid-neutralizing
material consists of a suitable substance (for example, pumice-stone, asbestos, or
porous clay) which has been impregnated with a basic liquid and subsequently
dried.
3. Apparatus for removing injurious admixtures from the products of com-
bustion of acetylene-gas flames, constructed, arranged, and operating substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to and shown in the drawings referred to.
Dated this 6th day of July 1898.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent,