An Improved Means for Producing Acetylene Gas.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1898
004
1000
An Improved Means for Producing Acetylene Gas.
A communication by JULIEN GRAND, of 41, Rue Victor Hugo, Lyons, in the
Republic of France, Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
In all apparatuses for producing acetylene gas, the gas is formed either by
water being conveyed to the carbide or by the fall of carbide into water.
Apparatuses of precision and more or less complicated appliances are required
for measuring and regulating the supply of water or the fall of the carbide.
In the present invention the manufacture of acetylene gas has been simplified
as far as possible by the use of porous vessels or cups and it is these which form
the object of the present invention.
With these porous vessels or cups, special parts and apparatus of precision for
regulating the supply of water or for weighing or measuring the fall of carbide
are no longer required, the porosity of the vessel alone acts and the water and
carbide are never directly in the presence of one another. The water arriving on
the outside of the porous vessel containing the carbide which is to be decomposed
creates in the interior of this porous vessel a sufficiently humid atmosphere to
operate the decomposition of the carbide contained in this damp atmosphere, hence
there is a production of acetylene which is released according to the arrangement
of the apparatus, and which forces back the water surrounding the vessel and thus
prevents an increase in the humidity in the interior of the porous vessel, that is to
say the production of too large a quantity of gas. The gas progressively diminish-
ing in volume in consequence of its consumption, the water then returns, impinges
on the walls of the porous vessel and forms consequently a fresh quantity of gas.
The carbide is placed in a porous vessel which is then covered with a bell in
which a ring serving to sustain the porous vessel is fixed, thus creating a small
gas chamber, and finally the whole is disposed in a water reservoir which is filled
with water. The water by its natural pressure will then rise in the interior of the
bell immediately the air contained therein can escape by the tap which is opened
for this purpose. The water upon reaching the porous vessel creates therein a
humid atmosphere and immediately a certain quantity of acetylene is produced.
The gas thus engendered forces back the water to the base of the bell and thus
prevents any fresh decomposition of the carbide until the quantity of gas produced
has been diminished by its consumption, whereupon water again rises and comes in
contact with the walls of the porous vessel in order to form a fresh quantity of gas.
In these operations a few elementary precautions must be observed, such for
instance as not to fill the porous vessel entirely with carbide in order not to allow
of a swelling of the lime formed and to allow of the porous vessel being easily
cleaned when the operation is completed and so forth.

page_text: These precautions change nothing in the principle which forms the object of
the present invention but facilitate the good working of the apparatus.
The porous vessel may also be simply placed in the water without a bell but in
such case it would be necessary to have a vessel hermetically closed at both ends
carrying directly the gas discharge tap and to ascertain the degree of porosity of
the said vessel in order to be assured of the regularity of the admission of water to
its interior. From the last named apparatus also it would not be possible to obtain
a varying discharge of gas seeing that it is the degree of porosity which regulates
it. Any suitable form may be given to such an apparatus.
The carbide employed for this improved manufacture of acetylene gas by means
of a porous vessel may be pure and in pieces of larger or smaller size or in powder
or mixed with inert substances preventing too active an action. All these modifi-
cations in the condition of the carbide employed cannot change anything in the
principle of this invention, which is the formation of acetylene in a humid medium
without the water and the carbide being directly in contact.
This method of manufacture is more particularly applicable for bicycle lamps
and carriage lamps, the quantity of water necessary being very small and allowing
of the use of very small external reservoir tubes.
In place of porous earthenware, porous vessels or tubes of other material which
may fulfil the same office may be made with less facility and at a higher price, that
is to say to contain the carbide and be immersed in water but only undergoing
the humid action, the pores of the said vessels being very dense and not easily
permitting the access of the water. For instance vessels or tubes may be formed
of paper pulp mixed with tar and flour. This pulp strongly compressed into the
desired form must be passed into a furnace, the tar being carbonized therein would
render the walls of the vessel thus treated very consistent and the flour which is
contained in the paste would disappear in the fire leaving the pores only slightly
permeable to water.
Specially prepared fabrics, metallic or otherwise, would also fulfil the same
object.
Dated this 20th day of Anril 1898
A communication by JULIEN GRAND, of 41, Rue Victor Hugo, Lyons, in the
Republic of France, Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil 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:
-
In all apparatuses for producing acetylene gas, the gas is formed either by
water being conveyed to the carbide or by the fall of carbide into water.
Apparatuses of precision and more or less complicated appliances are required
for measuring and regulating the supply of water or the fall of the carbide.

page_text: In the present invention the manufacture of acetylene gas has been simplified
as far as possible by the use of porous vessels or cups and it is these which form
the object of the present invention.
With these porous vessels or cups, special parts and apparatus of precision for
regulating the supply of water or for weighing or measuring the fall of carbide
are no longer required, the porosity of the vessel alone acts and the water and
carbide are never directly in the presence of one another. The water arriving on
the outside of the porous vessel containing the carbide which is to be decomposed
creates in the interior of this porous vessel a sufficiently humid atmosphere to
operate the decomposition of the carbide contained in this damp atmosphere, hence
there is a production of acetylene which is released according to the arrangement
of the apparatus, and which forces back the water surrounding the vessel and thus
prevents an increase in the humidity in the interior of the porous vessel, that is to
say the production of too large a quantity of gas. The gas progressively diminish-
ing in volume in consequence of its consumption, the water then returns, impinges
on the walls of the porous vessel and forms consequently a fresh quantity of gas.
In the accompanying drawings:-
--
Figure 1 is a vertical section of an apparatus with a porous vessel or septum
having the action herein before described.
Figures 2 and 3 are two different modified forms of the apparatus.
The carbide is placed in a porous vessel A which is then covered with a bell B
in which a ring E serving to sustain the porous vessel A is fixed, thus creating a
small gas chamber, and finally the whole is disposed in a water reservoir C which
is filled with water. The water by its natural pressure will then rise in the interior
of the bell immediately the air contained therein can escape by the tap D which is
opened for this purpose. The water upon reaching the porous vessel A creates
therein a humid atmosphere and immediately a certain quantity of acetylene is
produced. The gas thus engendered forces back the water to the base of the bell B
and thus prevents any fresh decomposition of the carbide until the quantity of gas
produced has been diminished by its consumption, whereupon water again rises
and comes in contact with the walls of the porous vessel in order to form a fresh
quantity of gas.
O
In these operations a few elementary precautions must be observed, such for
instance as not to fill the porous vessel entirely with carbide in order not to allow
of a swelling of the lime formed and to allow of the porous vessel being easily
cleaned when the operation is completed and so forth.
These precautions change nothing in the principle which forms the object of
the present invention but facilitate the good working of the apparatus.
The porous vessel and the bell need not be in two pieces but can be formed if
desirable as a single chamber, see Figures 2 and 3. The cock in such case will
regulate the generation of gas, as the internal pressure of gas when the latter is
generated too quickly will itself prevent the percolation of water through the
pores.
The carbide employed for this improved manufacture of acetylene gas by means
of a porous vessel may be pure and in pieces of larger or smaller size or in powder
or mixed with inert substances preventing too active an action. All these modifi-
cations in the condition of the carbide employed cannot change anything in the
principle of this invention, which is the formation of acetylene in a humid medium
without the water and the carbide being directly in contact.
The method of manufacture is more particularly applicable for bicycle lamps
and carriage lamps, the quantity of water necessary being very small and allowing
of the use of very small external reservoir tubes.
In place of porous earthenware, porous vessels or tubes of other material which
may fulfil the same office may be made with less facility and at a higher price, that
is to say to contain the carbide and be immersed in water but only undergoing
the humid action, the pores of the said vessels being very dense and not easily

page_text: permitting the access of the water. For instance vessels or tubes may be formed
of paper pulp mixed with tar and flour. This pulp strongly compressed into the
desired form must be passed into a furnace, the tar being carbonized therein would
render the walls of the vessel thus treated very consistent and the flour which is
contained in the paste would disappear in the fire leaving the pores only slightly
permeable to water.
Specially prepared fabrics, metallic or otherwise, would also fulfil the same
object.
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 by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The improvement in the process of generating acetylene gas from water and
carbide, which consists in separating the water and the carbide by a porous septum
whereby the water can only gradually penetrate to the carbide substantially as
described.
2. The combination in an acetylene generator of a porous chamber containing
carbide and a second chamber surrounding the porous chamber containing water.
3. The combination of the water reservoir C, the porous vessel A, the bell B and
the ring E, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 8th day of October 1898.