Improved Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
I, HANS BERGER, of 15, Kaiserin Augusta Allee, Berlin, Germany, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
The present invention consists of an acetylene gas generator in which the car-
bide is thrown into the water by the movement of the gasometer bell and the
object or the invention is to reduce the work to be performed by the gasometer
bell to a minimum, in throwing the carbide into the water of the generator.
In order to attain this object, the generator is of cylindrical or other form and
around the inner walls of the same at or near the top are pivotally supported
the carbide cases or boxes, the lids of which open downwardly. Each lid is
provided with a stem or pin and the said stem or pin of each lid extends-advan-
tageously radially-inwards so that all the said stems or pins may rest on a
horizontally disposed disc mounted at about the centre of the generator and in
such a position as to keep the lids of all the cases closed as long as the lid pins
rest on the said disc.
The disc is provided with one or more slots so disposed that when the disc is
turned or partially turned the pin of the case lying next the slot will fall through
the said slot and thus open the case allowing the carbide therein to fall into the
water below. The cases are suspended from their upper rear ends on the genera-
tor and at a slight distance from the wall of the same so that when the lid pin
falls through the slot of the disc, the case will bump down with its lower rear
edge against the wall of the generator and effectually shake all the carbide in
the same out into the water.
The disc is mounted on a vertical spindle, which passes through a sleeve mounted
in the generator and having a suitable stuffing box and gland at the lower end which
penetrates the bottom of the generator, and the said disc may be supported on a
spider horizontally disposed in the generator at the upper end of the spindle.
The lower end of the spindle extends out at the bottom of the generator and is
provided with a roll round which a strap or cord engages, said cord being suit-
ably guided on the gasometer and carrying a stop, capable of being adjusted
to approximately the lowest position of the gasometer bell. The latter is pro-
vided with a striker or fork which when it sinks to approximately its lowest
position comes into contact with the stop on the cord or strap and pushes the same
and with it the cord or strap down, thus turning the roll on the disc spindle and
partially rotating the disc so as to bring the slot of the same under the pin of a
fresh carbide receptacle or case and discharge the same into the water of the
generator.
A washing device is applied to the end of the pipe connecting the generator
with the gasometer, said device lying within the gasometer and consisting of a
cap having a rubber or other yielding plate arranged within the crown to close
the gas pipe when the said cap sits down on the end of the gas pipe. The cap
is suitably guided on the pipe and is provided with orifices at its lower end and
the gas coming from the generator raises the said cap and passes out at the

page_text: top of the gas pipe down through the water under the cap and through the holes
in the lower edge of the same upwardly out of a cup-into which the lower edge of
the cap dips and into the gasometer bell. This device forces the gas through
the water before it enters the gasometer bell and thus washes it.
The stop on the cord of the spindle for operating the slotted disc may be con-
structed to run freely in one direction on the cord or strap and to only couple
with the said strap when it is forced downwards, so as to allow the cord or strap
to be adjusted by hand at the commencement of the generating process.
The stop must be adjusted at the commencement of the process high enough
to allow of its successive intermittent depression by the gasometer bell until all
the carbide cases in the generator are emptied i.c. when the last case has been
emptied, the stop will have attained its lowest position and the gasometer bell
also.
Dated this 25th day of February 1899.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
Improved Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas,
I, HANS BERGER, Kaiserin Augusta Allee, 15 and 16, Berlin, N.W., in the
Empire of Germany, Engineer, 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 object of this invention is to provide an acetylene generator, in connection
with which a certain quantity of carbide falls into the water, without the car-
bide being previously exposed to aqueous vapour, and the least possible amount
of work has to be performed by the gasometer bell, for the automatic feeding
of the apparatus.
Any unintended generation of gas is prevented by the arrangement of a stuff-
ing-box with hydraulic closing contrivance.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a generator
in combination with the gasometer, and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan showing the
carbide boxes and the disc on which the carbide boxes lie in plan.
The generator A, which is half filled with water, is made gas-tight at the top
by means of the cover B. The carbide holders C are composed of sheet-metal
boxes of circular segmental cross section closed at the sides and top, and widened
towards the bottom, the bottoms of such boxes consisting of flaps F pivoted on
hinges E and having in the front pins 1) which are soldered on. The carbide
holders are suspended on hooks H fixed to the generator. In the middle of the
generator is a vertical shaft G running through the bottom thereof and packed
by means of a stuffing box N and gland R with packing S. The shaft G passes
through a sleeve T screwed to the stuffing-box and terminates at the top in a
dise K, and carries a pulley J. The disc K is provided with one or more slots O
so disposed that when the disc is turned or partially turned the pin D of the case
lying next the slot will fall through the said slot and thus open the box C,
allowing the carbide therein to fall into the water below. The cases being sus-
pended as shown from their upper rear ends on the generator and at a slight
distance from the wall of the same, when the pin D falls through the slot of the
disc, the box will bump down with its lower rear edge against the wall of the
generator and effectually shake all the carbide in the same out into the water.
The lower end of the spindle G extends out at the bottom of the generator
and is provided with a fixed pulley J round which a chain or cord P
engages,

page_text: said cord being suitably guided on the gasometer, and carrying a stop Z capable
of being adjusted to approximately the lowest position of the gasometer bell M.
The bell is provided with a striker or fork Q which when it sinks to approximately
its lowest position comes into contact with the stop on the cord or chain and
pushes the same and with it the cord or chain down, thus turning the pulley $
on the disc spindle and partially rotating the disc so as to bring the slot of the
same under the pin of a fresh carbide receptacle or case and discharge the same
into the water of the generator. By the irregular arrangement of two or more
slots 0, the course traversed by the disk K is very short and consequently the
work of the bell as small as possible.
For producing a water-tight closing the sleeve T screwed on to the stuffing-
box extends above the water level and is filled with grease, oil or the like whereby
the generator is made water-tight and at the same time the shaft constantly
lubricated, without any considerable increase of friction.
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. An acetylene generator, distinguished by separate, removable, closed carbide
boxes widened or enlarged underneath and furnished with hinged bottoms, which
boxes hang on to the interior of the generator and are supported on a centrally
arranged disc by means of pins radially attached to the bottoms, the disc having
one or more slots and being turned by the motion of the gasometer bell through
the medium of an endless chain and a shaft running through the generator, the
pins passing through the slot or slots of the disc, so that the boxes strike against
the sides of the generator and empty the contents of the same into the generator.
2. In the acetylene generator as indicated in Claim 1, the arrangement of a
water-tight stuffing-box, which terminates in a sleeve extending above the water
level, surrounding the parts to be packed, and filled with oil, grease or the like.
Dated this 1st day of November 1899.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.