Improvements in Acetylene Generating Lamps.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Acetylene Generating Lamps.
I, JOHN GEORGE AULSEBROOK KITCHEN, of 44, Albert Road, Alexandra Park,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanician, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to acetylene generating lamps more especially portable
lamps such as hand, table and vehicle lamps, in which the moisture or liquid
is conducted to the carbide by means of an absorbent such as wick, and consists
chiefly in improvements which have for their object the regulating of the supply
of moisture to the carbide and consequent production of gas.
a
In a gas generating lamp constructed in accordance with this invention,
chamber for containing the carbide is arranged preferably in close proximity
to a vessel for containing the liquid, so that the liquid shall assist in keeping
the generating or carbide chamber cool by quickly absorbing the heat therefrom.
In some cases the liquid containing vessel is disposed above the generator and
sometimes surrounding it, but preferably so arranged that the liquid falls by
gravity into contact with the carbide.
The liquid containing vessel and the carbide chamber are provided with charg-
ing manholes having removeable covers. The liquid containing vessel communi-
cates with the carbide chamber preferably first through a valve provided with
a handle and then through a regulator hereinafter described. The regulator
consists of a comparatively small cylindrical chamber close to and communicating
with the carbide chamber preferably at or near the bottom thereof by means of
a small hole. The valve communicates with this chamber at some distance away
from the said hole. In the cylinder between the inlet and outlet holes is disposed
some absorbent material, cotton wick for instance which passes through the
outlet hole into the carbide chamber so as to come in contact with the carbide
therein. The cylindrical chamber is preferably closed with a cap, and is fitted
with a piston which bears upon the absorbent, and adjusting screw bearing upon
the piston, by means of which the absorbent is squeezed more or less accordingly
as more or less moisture is required to be admitted to the carbide. Preferably a
round wick is used which is passed through the hole into the carbide chamber,
coiled round several times in the cylinder and has its outer end fixed to the piston
so that upon releasing the pressure upon the piston the coil of wick will be
more or less opened out. The burner communicates with the top of the carbide
chamber or generator.
In the construction of a vehicle lamp, below a hood of any suitable construction
is removeably attached a vessel to contain the liquid, provided with a manhole
and cover. A cylindrical chamber having a removeable end to contain the
carbide and from the generator passes through the said vessel to some distance
below. A burner is fixed to the upper end of the cylindrical chamber which
upper end may be screwed thereto. The regulator is fixed to the lower end of
the chamber preferably at the side, and a pipe having a tap therein leads down-

page_text: wards from the liquid containing vessel to the regulator. The lamp is suspended
from the back of the hood in the usual manner.
Dated this 18th day of January 1898.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester,
Harrington Chambers, 24, North John Street, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.
1, JoiN GEORGE AULSEBROOK KITCHEN, of 44, Albert Road, Alexandra Park,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanician, 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:-
This invention relates to acetylene generating lamps more especially portable.
lamps such as hand, table, and vehicle lamps, in which the moisture or liquid
is conducted to the carbide by means of an absorbent, such as wick, and consists
chiefly in improvements which have for their object the regulating of the supply
of moisture to the carbide and consequent production of gas.
In a gas generating lamp constructed in accordance with this invention a
chamber for containing the carbide is arranged below a vessel for containing
the liquid, which may be so arranged that the liquid shall assist in keeping the
generating or carbide chamber cool by quickly absorbing the heat therefrom. In
some cases the liquid containing vessel is disposed above the generator and
sometimes surrounding it, but is always so arranged that the liquid falls by
gravity into contact with the carbide.
The liquid containing vessel and the carbide chamber are provided with charg-
ing manholes having removeable covers or otherwise arranged for introducing
the charges:
The liquid containing vessel communicates with the carbide chamber first
through a valve or cock provided with a handle and then through a regulator here-
inafter described. The regulator consists of a comparatively small cylindrical
chamber close to and communicating with the carbide chamber by means of a
small hole. The valve communicates with this chamber at some distance away
from the said hole. In the cylinder between the inlet and outlet holes is disposed
some absorbent material, cotton wick for instance, which passes through the
outlet hole into the carbide chamber so as to come in contact with the carbide
therein. The cylindrical chamber is fitted with a piston which bears upon the
absorbent, and an adjusting screw bearing upon the piston, by means of which
the absorbent is squeezed more or less accordingly as more or less moisture is
required to be admitted to the carbide. Preferably a round wick is used which
is passed through the hole into the carbide chamber, coiled round several times
in the cylinder and has its outer end fixed to the piston so that upon releasing
the pressure upon the piston, the coil of wick will be more or less opened out.
The burner communicates with the top of the carbide chamber or generator.
On the drawing appended hereunto a lamp constructed according to this inven-
tion is shewn in vertical section. The water holder with charging orifice a¹ is
mounted upon the cylindrical extension' 1 of the cover b of the carbide holder,
the lower part of which is arranged so that it can be easily detached for empty-
ing and filling. This may be done by forming it with a recess containing an

page_text: india rubber ring d upon which the edge of the cover is pressed by means of
clips d
To the cover is attached a cylinder f having a closed end fi with a hole in
it through which it communicates with the carbide chamber."
A pipe e fitted
with a cock el passes from the water holder a to the cylinder f at some distance
from the outlet orifice. Into the cylinder a piston is inserted, which is attached
to the screw h. The space in the cylinder is filled preferably with a wick coiled
round, one end of which is drawn through the orifice in the end plate f', while
the other is attached to the piston by a small hook or equivalent means. Accord-
ing to the compression of the wick in the cylinder the flow of water passing from
the holder a through the pipe e when the cock e¹ is opened into the carbide cham-
ber will be more or less rapid, and the production of acetylene can be regulated
thereby as required for the supply of the burner, which is mounted upon the
tube extending from the upper part of the carbide chamber through the water
holder a.
By drawing back the piston g by means of the screw the wick in
the cylinder is opened out and the quantity of water passing through it to the
carbide is increased.
When using the generator for a vehicle lamp, the water holder is preferably
made cylindrical and may be surmounted by a hood with reflector screening the
burner or the latter may be arranged laterally to the water holder on a pipe
communicating with the upper part of the carbide chamber, and the hood
arranged at the side of the holder. The latter is provided with the usual spring
carrier for supporting the lamp.
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:-
In acetylene generators in which the water drops by gravity from an upper
water receptacle upon the carbide in a lower carbide chamber, the hereinbefore
described means for regulating the water supply to the carbide, consisting of a
cylinder closed at one end, with an orifice in the end communicating with the
carbide chamber, and connected to the water receptacle by a pipe, fitted with
a cock or its equivalent, at some distance from said orifice, a piston sliding in
said cylinder and movable forwards and backwards by means of a screw or its
equivalent, and an absorbent material, preferably a wick filling the space between
the piston and cylinder, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by the drawings.
1000
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester,
Harrington Chambers, 24, North John Street, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.