Improved Apparatus for the Manufacture of Illuminating Gas.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 29th June, 1893-Accepted, 5th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by RICHARD NICKERSON OAKMAN, the Younger,
of Greenfield, in the State of Massachusetts, United States of America,
Gentleman.]
Improved Apparatus for the Manufacture of Illuminating Gas.
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of The Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of London, Patent Agent do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to a novel arrangement of apparatus for the better
production of illuminating gas of any desired candle power, from water gas
carburetted with oil or oil vapour.
In carrying out this invention, a gas generator furnace, a carburetter, and a gas
cooler, are employed, in connection with which is an exhaust fan for drawing a
constant stream of air or gas through the series.
The generator furnace consists of a cylindrical metal shell lined with fire brick,
and is provided with a feeding door above, and cleaning and ash pit doors below, a
superheating chamber, and gas exit opening. Suitable pipes are also provided for
the admission of steam to the fuel bed, either directly, or through the superheating
chamber.
The carburetter consists of a square or cylindrical metal shell lined with fire-
brick, and divided into compartments by firebrick partitions, these compartments
being respectively subdivided into a number of ascending and descending flues.
The ascending flues are connected with the generator at the bottom, and at top
are connected by a channel with the series of descending flues, the latter being
connected with the bottom of the cooler.
The cooler, which may be of any ordinary construction, and which is connected
with the carburetter at the lower end of the descending flues, as above stated, is also
The eduction
connected at its upper end with the induction side of an exhaust fan.
side of this fan is connected by an upcast pipe with the external atmosphere, and
also, through an bydraulic seal box, to a scrubber, or to a gas holder, as may be
thought desirable.
Iron pipes are provided in the carburetter, which are carried down from the top
inside the ascending flues, nearly to the bottom, and at the upper end of these
pipes, steam injectors are provided, for the purpose of injecting the carburetting oil.
The operation of the apparatus, thus described, is as follows:-
The generator is charged, through the opening at the top, with fuel, which is
then ignited, and brought to a state of incandescence by drawing air down through
the fuel by means of the exhaust fan.
As the fuel burns, the hot gases of combustion are drawn to the bottom of the
ascending flues, up which they pass, heating the iron pipes contained therein, as
well as the enclosing brickwork; air is admitted at the upper part of the ascension
flues, to promote the combustion of the gases. The hot gases of combustion then
pass down the descending flues to the bottom of the cooler. In the cooler they
part with the remaining waste heat which may be utilized to heat water and
generate steam. The gases then pass through the exhaust fan to the upeast pipe,
and so to the atmosphere.
This operation is continued until the fuel in the generator is thoroughly
incandescent; the opening at the top of the generator is then closed, as well as the

page_text: upcast pipe and air inlets. Oil or oil vapour is injected down the iron pipes in the
ascending flues of the carburetter, and steam is admitted into the superheater at
the top of the generator, from whence it escapes into the generator. This steam
is drawn down by the exhaust fan through the incandescent fuel, and thereby
decomposed, and the resultant water gas then passes from the generator to the
bottom of the ascension flues of the carburetter, where it meets the heated oil
vapour issuing from the iron pipes contained therein. The mingled oil vapour
and water gas now ascends one set of flues, and descends by the other set, and
passes out, as a fixed gas, through the cooler, exhaust fan, and hydraulic seal, to
the scrubber, or to the gas holder, as may be desired.
Dated this 29th day of September 1892.
.NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for the Manufacture of Illuminating Gas.
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of The Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of London, Patent Agent, 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 present invention relates to a novel arrangement of apparatus for the better
production of illuminating gas, of any desired candle power, from water gas
carburetted with oil or oil vapor.
In carrying out this invention, a gas generator, a carburetter, and a gas cooler
are employed, in connection with which is an exhauster for drawing a constant
stream of air or gas through the series.
Fig. 1, Sheet I, a side elevation of the plant.
Fig. 2, Sheet I, is a plan view of the plant.
Fig. 3, Sheet II, is a sectional elevation of the generator and carburetter.
Fig. 4 Sheet II is rear end elevation of the plant.
Fig. 5 Sheet III is section on line E E of carburetter Figs. 7 & 8.
Fig. 6 Sheet III is section on line A. A of carburetter, Figs. 7 & 8.
Fig. 7 Sheet III is sectional elevation of carburetter.
Fig. 8 Sheet III is section on lines H H F F of carburetter, Fig. 5.
The generator A consists of a cylindrical metal shell a, lined with firebrick b,
and is provided with a feeding or charging door c at top, a cleaning door d on a
level with the grate f, and an ashpit door e below an annular superheating chamber
in the wall of the generator, near the top, and a gas exit opening from the ash
pit. Suitable pipes & are provided for the admission of steam to the fuel bed,
either through the superheating chamber g, as at 1, or directly to the fire, as at k.
The carburetter B consists of a rectangular or cylindrical metal shell r, lined
with firebricks, and divided into two compartments X and Z by a fire brick
partition Y. These compartments are subdivided into a number of ascending and
descending flues a¹ a¹ & e¹ e. The ascending flues are contained in the
compartment X, and are connected with the generator at the bottom. At top, these
flues a¹ a are connected by a channel W with the series of descending flues e e
contained in the compartment Z, and these flues are in connection, at bottom, by
the gas exit f', with the cooler C. Cleaning doors k¹ k¹ are provided at top, and
similar doors nn at bottom.
Iron pipes are provided in the carburetter B, and are carried down through
the roof, inside the ascending flues a' a', nearly to the bottom. The upper ends of
these pipes bb receive steam injectors, which are connected with the oil tank by
the pipes g, and with the steam generator by the pipes ', for the purpose of
injecting the carburetting oil into the pipes bb'. Air inlets are provided at c¹ in

page_text: the ascending flues a' a', and also in the connecting channel W, at d', as will be
hereafter more particularly referred to.
The cooler C, which may be of any ordinary construction, and which is
connected with the carburetter B at the lower end of the descending flues, as above
stated, is also connected at its upper end with the induction side of an exhauster D,
which is driven by a small engine E suitably placed for the purpose. The eduction
side of this exhauster D, is connected by an upcast pipe F with the external
atmosphere, and also through an hydraulic seal box G, to a scrubber, or to a gas
holder, as may be thought desirable.
The operation of the apparatus thus described is as follows:-
The generator is charged through the door c, at the top, with fuel, which
(the door being open) is then ignited. When the fire is fairly alight, the
exhauster D is started, and the fuel is brought to a high state of incandescence,
by drawing air in at the open top, and down through the fuel. As the fuel
burns, the hot gases of combustion pass out at h to the bottom of the carburetter B,
and up the ascending flues a' a', heating the iron pipes 6' ' contained therein, as
well as the enclosing brickwork. Air at d' is admitted at the top of the ascension
flues, to promote the combustion of the gases. The burning gases then pass down
the descending flues e' e', and the waste products escape at the bottom by the
opening to the cooler C. In ascending through the cooler C, the products
give up more or less of their caloric, which is utilised to heat water and generate
steam. The gases then pass by the pipe m to the exhauster D, from which they
are discharged by the pipe F to the atmosphere or to the stack.
This operation is continued until the fuel in the generator is thoroughly incan-
descent, and the carburetter B is brought to the proper temperature. Air may be
admitted at cc to burn a portion of the gases at this point, should a higher
temperature be required in the flues a¹ a¹ than can be obtained by the sensible heat
of the gases passing through. The proper condition of the fuel in the generator
and the flues in the carburetter having been arrived at, the air inlets c¹ c² and d¹,
the door c at the top of the generator, and the upcast pipe F, are closed. Oil or
oil vapor is injected down the iron pipes 6'' in the ascending flues a' a¹ of the
carburetter, and steam is admitted into the superheater g at the top of the generator,
from whence it escapes into the generator. This steam is drawn down by the
exhauster D through the incandescent fuel, and is thereby decomposed, & the
resultant water gas then passes from the generator by the passage h to the bottom
of the ascension flues a a¹ of the carburetter, where it meets the heated oil vapor
issuing from the iron pipes 6' 61. The mingled oil vapor and water gas now ascends
the heated flues a¹ a', and descends flues e e¹, and passes out of the carburetter, as
a thoroughly fixed gas, to the cooler. Here it renders up some of its caloric, and
being drawn by the exhauster D, is forced through hydraulic seal G, to either a
scrubber, or to the gas holder, as may be desired.
Any required candle power may be produced by varying the quantity of oil
admitted to the carburetter B.
Instead of the descending flues el e¹, the compartment Z may be filled with
chequer work in the manner now well understood.
In the improved construction of carburetter, the oil is (as before mentioned)
introduced into the pipes b'b', which extend down into the flues a' a', and it is well
vaporised before it enters the brick flues, which are heated to the temperature
required to fix the oil or the oil vapor.
It will be seen that the oil, or its vapor, passes the length (height) of the
carburetter three times, that is to say, down the pipes 6' 6', up the flues a¹ a', and
down the flues e' e', or their equivalent, under the influence of an exhaust or vacuum,
instead of a blast or pressure.
The exhauster D is kept constantly in operation, whether when bringing the
fuel to incandescence (making producer gas) or when introducing steam into the
fuel (making water gas), or when introducing the oil (making carburetted water

page_text: gas). In other words, not only the waste products, but the carburetted water gas,
pass through the exhauster D, the one going up the stack, and the other through
the water seal to the holder, as before explained.
According to the ordinary process of making water gas, sufficient pressure
must be obtained by the steam in the generator, to overcome the back pressure
of the gasometer on the water gas seal, through which the water gas passes to the
gasometer.
In the case of the improved plant, pressure is not required, but the steam is
exhausted down through the incandescent fuel, the resultant water gas being drawn
into the carburetter. The quantity of water gas made per minute or hour can be
governed by the admission of steam, that is to say, water gas can be made slowly,
and with the admission of a small amount of steam into generator, as it is not
necessary to fill the generator full of steam, in order to obtain the required
pressure, and thereby cooling down, the fuel bed too quickly.
Fuel hed can,
under the new conditions, be kept in a better condition for water gas making,
and a larger yield of gas per pound of fuel can thus be obtained.
By the
means of the exhaust, in place of the blast, a more uniform temperature may be
maintained in the carburetter, thus securing a more uniform quality of carburetted
water gas. This is the most objectionable feature of the method of carburetting
with a super-heater, or fixing chamber, as it is sometimes called, and which this
improved plant is designed to overcome. The carburetter is simple in construction,
and easily cleaned, the flues being easy of access for cleaning. With the super-
heaters or fixing chambers as heretofore constructed and operated for car-
buretting water gas, the want of uniformity of temperature in the superheater
results in waste of oil, owing to its being converted into lampblack or tar,
instead of being properly gasified or vaporized and fixed. This improved plant
will, through its more uniform heating of the carburetter, not only make more
gas of a given candle power from a given quantity of coal or coke and oil, but
will make a carburetted gas of more uniform quality, and also will admit of the
use of heavier oils than any other superheating system.
If desired, the scrubber may be placed between the cooler C and the exhauster D,
and the oil may be introduced either by steam injectors, or atomizers, or it may be
vaporised by any well known method, before being introduced to the vertical
pipes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
from abroad, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination of an open top generator with a curburetter, a cooler, and
an exhauster, as herein shown and described, whereby a fuel gas and also a
carburetted water gas, or illuminating gas, is produced, alternately, in a more
economical and uniform manner than heretofore.
2. In the manufacture of illuminating gas, the use of an exhaust to draw air and
steam alternately downwards through the generator,-the resultant gases, through
a carburetter, causing the mixing of the water gas produced with vapor of oil,—
and through a cooler, whereby a more uniform temperature than heretofore can be
maintained in carburetter, the flow of the gases being under perfect mechanical
control, as and for the purposes set forth.
3rd. The construction of the carburetter as herein shown and described.
4th. In the manufacture of carburetted water gas or illuminating gas, drawing
air in at the top of the generator & down through the fuel,-drawing the resultant
gases through the carburetter,-drawing the water gas resulting from the decom-
position of steam in the generator into the carburetter, and drawing from the
carburetter the water gas carburetted by having been brought in contact with
and taken up the oil vapors introduced into the carburetter, all substantially as
set forth.

page_text: 5th. In the manufacture of illuminating gas, exhausting the producer or blast
gas, and also the water gas, from the generator, and the carburetted water gas
from the carburetter, as described, whereby a more uniform temperature can be
maintained in the carburetter, and the flow of the gases is under better mechanical
5 control than heretofore, as set forth.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.