Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar.. 1887
Complete Left, 5th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 13th Jan., 1888
We, JAMES HOWARD, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, both of Bedford, in the
County of Bedford, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
Our invention relates to apparatus for vaporizing petroleum and other oil, and for
mixing such vapour with definite proportions of atmospheric air or gas to produce
gas suitable for illuminating, heating or other purposes.
Our said invention comprises a retort or generator which is preferably circular in
transverse section and arranged in a vertical or inclined position within a furnace or
heating chamber.
The oil enters the retort or generator at the top and descends through the same.
The oil is vaporized during the earlier part of its descent. As the vapour descends
towards the outlet of the retort it passes through the lower and hotter part of the
latter, whereby it is superheated and converted into a permanent or fixed gas. This
gas thence escapes to a condenser.
The retort is preferably connected with the condenser by means of a water joint,
so that the retort can be removed without the necessity for breaking a joint.
The object of the arrangement hereinbefore described is to ensure for every portion
of vaporized oil being acted upon in the hottest part of the generator and thereby to
secure permanency of the gas without unduly exposing the same to the heated
retort.
The interior of the retort may be wholly or partially filled with asbestos or other
substance or provided with perforated dises or other means for ensuring intimate
contact between the vapour and the vaporizing surfaces. Whatever means are
employed for this purpose they should be readily removable in order to enable the
interior of the retort to be cleansed.
To render the gas or vapour thus produced suitable for lighting or heating, for
driving gas engines, or for other purposes, it requires to be tempered or diluted by
admixture with air, or other gas less rich in carbon, otherwise smoke would be
produced during the combustion of the gas.

page_text: We carry out this part of our invention by using two or more of the well known
bucket drums used in gas meters which drums are partly immersed in water.
These drums are mounted either on a common axle or on separate axles geared
together, the larger drum being driven by the pressure of the gas coming from the
retort. The smaller drum during rotation takes in air or gas and forces it into a
chamber into which the gas from the larger drum is also introduced and in which
the mixing is effected.
The gas made from oil can advantageously be mixed with air in the proportion of
two to one, in which case the drums must either bear that proportion to each other or
be so speeded that as the pressure of the gas from the retort revolves the drums, two
volumes of gas and one of air will pass into the mixing chamber at each revolution.
It is obvious that the proportions of air or gas may be varied according to
requirements.
The improved apparatus may also be used for enriching gas of poor illuminating
power by mixing therewith any desired proportion of gas rich in carbon.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1887.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas and in Apparatus therefor.
We, JAMES HOWARD and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, both of Bedford, in the
County of Bedford, Engineers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to apparatus for vaporizing petroleum and other oil and for
mixing the vapour thereof with definite proportions of atmospheric air or other gas
to produce gas suitable for illuminating, heating or other purposes.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a plan.
Figure 2 a side elevation, and
Figure 3 an end elevation of apparatus constructed in accordance with our said
invention.
This apparatus comprises a retort or generator A which is preferably circular in
transverse section, and arranged in an inclined position within a furnace or heating
chamber B. The pipe a for the introduction of the oil into the retort or generator A

page_text: is connected therewith at or near the top or highest point thereof. The said retort
or generator is provided at or near its lower end with an outlet A¹ connected by a
rising pipe C (which again descends below the ground or floor-line) to the hydraulic
main D. This main is connected by a pipe D' to a condenser E.
The retort-pipe C is preferably connected with the hydraulic main by a water-joint
in order that the pipes with the retort may be more readily removed when required.
The retort may be wholly or partially filled with asbestos or other suitable
substances, or provided internally with perforated discs or other means for breaking
up the vapor or gas and ensuring intimate contact thereof with the heated surfaces.
The material or devices employed for this purpose should be readily removable to
permit the cleansing of the interior of the retort.
The oil introduced into the retort A through the pipe a at the upper end thereof
descends through the said retort, and is vaporized during the earlier part of its
descent. The vapour, as it descends towards the outlet A', passes through the lower
and hotter part of the retort A, whereby it is superheated and converted into a
permanent or fixed gas. This gas passes through the outlet A¹ and the pipe C into
the hydraulic main D, and thence through the pipe D' to the condenser E.
The object of the above described construction and arrangement of the apparatus
is to ensure that every portion of vaporized oil shall be acted upon in the hottest part
of the generator, and thereby to secure permanency of the gas without unduly
exposing the same to the heated surfaces in the retort.
If desired the oil-gas produced as above described is conducted directly into a
suitable receiver or holder to be used for any purpose to which it may be applied.
To render the gas thus produced more efficient for lighting or heating, for driving
gas-engines, or for other purposes, we find it advantageous to temper or dilute it by
admixture with air, or other gas less rich in carbon.
We thus avoid or diminish the
production of smoke during the combustion of the gas.
We carry out this part of our invention by employing two or more revolving
bucket-drums F F¹, such as are used in gas-meters. These drums are mounted either
on a common axle G as shown in the drawing, or on separate axles geared together.
They are partly immersed in water in a tank H or other suitable vessel. A bell I is
placed over the larger drum F so that its lower end is immersed in the water, and
the outlet-pipe K is connected with the upper end of the said bell. The pipe E¹ from
the condenser E terminates in the druin F above the water-level. The outlet-pipe L
from the drum F¹ extends from the interior of the said drum above the water-level;
and the pipes K, L are connected with a common pipe M. The larger drum F is
driven by the pressure of the gas coming from the retort and carries with it the
smaller drum 1, which, during its revolution, takes in air (or other gas), the
discharge from both drums uniting and mixing in the common pipe M, which is
connected with a suitable receiver or holder not shown in the drawing. It will be
understood that the drums can be connected together or driven in any other
convenient manner to produce any desired result with regard to the mixing of the air
and gas, or of the different gases.
We have found that, for illuminating purposes, the gas made from oil as above
described, can advantageously be mixed with air in the proportion of two to one, in which
case the drums must either bear such proportion to each other or be so speeded that,
as the pressure of the gas from the retort revolves the drums, two volumes of gas and
one volume of air will pass into the emission pipe M in each revolution of the larger
drum. It is obvious that the proportion of air and gas may be varied according to
requirements.
The bucket-drums above described may, if desired, be driven by any other convenient
means instead of by the gas as above described.
The improved apparatus comprising the connected bucket-drums may also be used for
enriching gas of poor illuminating power by mixing therewith any desired proportion
of gas rich in carbon.
When we desire to dilute the oil-gas with another gas of less illuminating power,
for example, when the gas is to be used for heating purposes or for gas-engines, we

page_text: advantageously employ superheated steam which is generated in the pipe N, the water
being introduced through the pipe N¹. The steam thus superheated enters the oil-
retort through the pipe N2 and passes through the said retort, in which it undergoes
decomposition, thus forming water-gas, which mixes with the oil-gas and dilutes the
same, the mixture then passes to the hydraulic main and is conducted thence to a
suitable receiver or holder.
It will be understood that our apparatus may be worked either with superheated
steam treated as above described as a diluting agent, or with air in the manner herein-
before described, according to the use to be made of the gas.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we wish it understood
that we claim :-
First The employment, for the manufacture of gas, of an inclined retort to be
supplied with oil at or near the upper end thereof so that the vapor and gas generated
will descend therein, and proper contact with the heated surfaces will be ensured,
substantially as described.
Second The employment of a tube or retort placed in the oil-retort flue for the
purpose of generating steam or water gas which passes into the oil-retort and mixes
with the gas therein produced, substantially as described.
Third The combination of the inclined retort with the rising and descending
pipes for conducting the gas to the hydraulic main lying below the retort, substantially
as described.
Fourth The employment of revolving bucket-drums connected together for the
emission of gas and air, or different gases, in definite proportions into a common
receiver or holder, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Fifth The improved apparatus consisting of the parts constructed and combined
substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings and operating
as, and for the purpose, above specified.
Dated this 2nd day ΟΙ December 201
JAMES HOWARD..
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.