Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture and Storage of Acetylene Gas
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture and Storage of
Acetylene Gas,
I, WILLIAM OWENS, of Graig Road, Pontardawe, in the County of Glamorgan,
South Wales, Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in or connected with the manufacture
and storage of acetylene gas by means of which certain advantages are obtained.
In carrying my invention into effect I supply water to the calcic carbide
employed in proportion to the consumption of the gas. For this purpose I mount
upon the movable part of the gas holder or upon any convenient part attached
thereto, a projection of any suitable form, such for example as a bent spring.
The said projection I cause to engage a lever operating a valve located between
the cistern or other source of water supply and the generator proper. When the
gas holder descends to such an extent as to cause the projection to engage with the
said lever, the valve is opened and a definite amount of water allowed to pass to
the generator. I may also employ between the cistern and the generator a second
valve, hereinafter termed the hand valve, which may be opened and maintained
open to any desired extent and I may also employ a water trap at this part for
the purpose of preventing any back passage of gas from the generator to the
cistern.
The carbide holders I employ are preferably cylindrical in shape and are fitted
with trays or partitions for holding the carbide. The said trays have upturned
edges and are designed to form compartments for the carbide and to these com-
partments the water may pass by a longitudinal duct or opening in consecutive
order as decomposition takes place. I prefer to make my generator to open at
the bottom so as to prevent the escape of remanent gas, and to place it at a con-
siderable angle with the horizon.
The carbide holders may be slipped into the generators from below and clamped
in position by any convenient clamping device.
From the generator or generators a pipe or pipes pass to the gas holder, prefer-
ably to the lower part of one or more purifyers. The said purifyers may consist
of vertical cylinders or pipes fitted with condensing baffle plates which latter may
for convenience be attached to a central rod so as to be easily removed when
desired. These purifyers may be fitted with screw caps at the top and cold water
pipes may be led from any convenient source of water supply to the upper part
so as to discharge a stream of cold water over the baffle plates for purposes of
increased condensation. From the upper part of the purifyers pipes may pass
to the dome of the gas holder hereinafter to be mentioned. Water is supplied or
confined in the lower parts of the purifyers and overflow pipes for such water may
be employed.
The gas holder surrounding and enclosing the purifyer or purifyers is provided
with a dome at its highest point to which dome the gas from the purifyers is led.

page_text: From this dome depends an envelope pipe to a position near the bottom of the gas
holder and within the said envelope pipe is an escape or safety pipe through
which excess of gas may pass when the movable part of the gas holder has been
raised to its highest position.
In connection with the gas holder I may employ an electric contact making
device of any suitable form so that the circuit from any convenient source of elec-
tric energy may be completed through an electric bell or indicating device when
the gas holder has descended to its lowest point. By this means warning is given
when it is desirable that the generator should be recharged with calcic carbide.
The action of my invention is as follows:-Let us assume that the bottom of
the purifyers, gas holder and the cistern have been supplied with water, the cover
taken off the generator and the lever depressed so as to allow water to pass to the
generator. This done, the hand valve is closed and the carbide holder with its
charge of carbide is placed in position in the generator. The cover of the genera-
tor is now put on and the apparatus is ready to be put to work. The hand valve
is now opened to the desired extent and the lever controlling the regulating valve
is slightly opened so as to allow water to pass into the first compartment of the
carbide holder. Acetylene gas is now evolved and passes through the purifyer
into the gas holder, raising the latter and bringing the projection away from
the lever actuating the regulating valve. When a sufficient portion of the gas
has been consumed to cause the gas holder to descend sufficiently to cause the
projection to engage with the lever actuating the regulating valve, water is
again supplied to the generator and the gas holder, by further evolution of gas,
is again raised and the same cycle of operations is again gone through. The water
passes through the compartments of the carbide holder in succession until the
whole of the carbide has been decomposed.
JAMES G. LORRAIN, M. I. E. E., M. I. Mech. E.,
Norfolk House, Victoria Embankment, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.
Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture and Storage of
Acetylene Gas.
I, WILLIAM OWENS, of Graig Road, Pontadawe, in the County of Glamorgan,
South Wales, Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
In the accompanying drawings; which are to be understood as being diagram-
matic,
Figure I is a longitudinal vertical section of the complete apparatus, with
certain parts shown in elevation, and
Figure II is a vertical cross section of the carbide holder showing one of the
partitions.
In these figures similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts.
In carrying my invention into effect I supply water to the calcic carbide cm-
ployed in proportion to the consumption of the gas. For this purpose I mount
upon the movable part of the gas holder 1 or upon any convenient part attached
thereto, a projection of any suitable form, such for example as a bent spring 2.

page_text: The said projection I cause to engage a lever 3 operating a valve 4 located between
the cistern 5 or other source of water supply and the generator proper 6. When
the gas holder descends to such an extent as to cause the projection to engage
with the said lever, the valve is opened and a definite amount of water allowed
to pass to the generator. I may also employ between the cistern and the generator
a second valve 7, hereinafter termed the hand valve, which may be opened and
maintained open to any desired extent and I may also employ a water trap 8 for
the purpose of preventing any back passage of gas from the generator to the
cistern.
The carbide holders 9 which I employ are cylindrical in shape and are fitted
with trays or partitions 10 for holding the carbide. The said trays have upturned
edges 11 and are designed to form compartments for the carbide and to these com-
partments the water may pass, by a longitudinal duct or opening 12, in consecu-
tive order as decomposition takes place. I prefer to make my generator to open
at the bottom 13 so as to prevent the escape of remanent gas and to place it at
a considerable angle with the horizon.
The carbide holders may be slipped into the generators from below and clamped
in position by any convenient clamping device as 13º.
From the generator or generators a pipe or pipes 14 pass to the gas holder pre-
ferably to the lower part of one or more purifiers 15, 15. The said purifiers may
consist of vertical cylinders or pipes fitted with condensing baffle plates 16 which
latter may for convenience be attached to a central rod 17 so as to be easily removed
when desired. These purifiers may be fitted with screw caps 18 at the top and cold
water pipes 19 may be led from any convenient source of water supply to the
upper part so as to discharge a stream of cold water over the baffle plates for pur-
poses of increased condensation. From the upper part of the purifiers pipes 20
may pass to the dome 21 of the gas holder hereinafter to be mentioned. Water
is supplied or confined in the lower parts of the purifiers and overflow pipes 22
for such water may be employed.
The gas holder 1 surrounding and enclosing the purifier or purifiers is provided
with a dome 21 at its highest point to which dome the gas from the purifiers is led.
From this dome depends an envelope pipe 23 to a position near the bottom of the
gas holder and within the said envelope pipe is an escape or safety pipe 24 through
which excess of gas may pass when the movable part of the gas holder has been
raised to its highest position.
The action of my invention is as follows:-Let us assume that the bottom of
the purifyers, gas holder and the cistern have been supplied with water, the cover
taken off the generator and the lever depressed so as to allow water to pass to the
generator. This done, the hand valve is closed and the carbide holder with its
charge of carbide is placed in position in the generator. The cover of the genera-
tor is now put on and the apparatus is ready to be put to work. The hand valve
is now opened to the desired extent and the lever controlling the regulating valve
is slightly opened so as to allow water to pass into the first compartment of the
carbide holder. Acetylene gas is now evolved and passes through the purifyer
into the gas holder, raising the latter and bringing the projection away from
and above the lever actuating the regulating valve. When a sufficient portion of
the gas has been consumed to cause the gas holder to descend sufficiently to cause
the projection to engage with the lever actuating the regulating valve, water is
again supplied to the generator; and the gas holder, by further evolution of gas,
is again raised and the same cycle of operations is again gone through. The water
passes through the compartments of the carbide holder in succession until the
whole of the carbide has been decomposed.
In connection with the gas holder I may employ an electric contact making
device of any suitable form so that the circuit from any convenient source of elec-
tric energy may be completed through an electric bell or indicating device when
the gas holder has descended to its lowest point. By this means warning is given
when it is desirable that the generator should be re-charged with calcic carbide.

page_text: When I employ two or more generators proper I find it convenient to arrange
the pipes connecting them with the water supply at different levels. Thus if I
employ two generators I place the pipe leading to the second generator at such a
level above that passing to the first generator that water shall not flow through
it until water has been supplied to all the compartments of the first generator.
Thus referring to Figure I it will be seen that water will not pass through the
upper pipe 25 until after it has risen above the level of the pipe 26 and filled the
generator with which pipe 26 communicates. Should however the cock 7 be closed
the water will rise and flow through pipe 25 without the lower generator having
been filled and this gives a ready means of selecting the generator to which water
is to be supplied.
27 is a cock on tube 14 which if opened will show if the first generator has
finished working, as water will issue from this before the level rises to pipe 25
connecting with the second generator. 28 is a small air pipe passing from under
valve 4.
It will be seen that the escape pipe 24 and envelope pipe 23 constitute a very
efficient form of safety overflow device by means of which if gas be generated in
excess it may be conveyed to the open air so as to prevent risk of fire through
escape at the gas holder. Thus let us assume that the pipe 24 or another pipe in
connection therewith is carried away from the apparatus to an elevated position.
It is clear that whenever the bottom of the envelope pipe rises above the level of
the water in the gas holder tank the gas will pass upwards through the mouth of
the envelope pipe and through tube 24 to the atmosphere at a safe distance from
the gas holder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
1. In apparatus for generating acetylene gas the employment of one or more
generating cylinders having their openings at the lowest part and arranged in
an inclined position substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the carbide holder
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The arrangement and combination of parts for automatically supplying
water to the carbide holder as required substantially as set forth.
4. The safety overflow device substantially as set forth.
Dated this 11th
T1000