IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR UTILIZING INFLAMMABLE FLUIDS FOR ILLUMINATING AND HEATING PURPOSES
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Harold Brown at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th May
1875.
I, HAROLD BROWN, of Raymond Buildings, Gray's Inn, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR UTILIZING INFLAMMABLE FLUIDS
FOR ILLUMINATING AND HEATING PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its objects the improvement of the means of
employing inflammable fluids, such as petroleum, naphtha, and the like,
for illuminating and heating purposes, and also the rendering the
employment for such purposes of such inflammable fluids less dangerous.
I propose to effect these objects by either of the two following
methods:-
:-
In the first case I fix a reservoir of the inflammable fluid at such a
level as that the surface of the fluid contained in it when full or nearly
full is on the same level or on a slightly higher level than that required
to be maintained in the lamps or other apparatus, used for the combustion
of the fluid.

page_text: I connect the reservoir with the lamps or other apparatus by means
of pipes either running or placed in the same level, or forming a syphon
or an inverted syphon, and having once established a flow of the fluid
through the pipes or syphons I maintain the same by keeping the fluid
in the reservoir at or as nearly as possible at a uniform level, this I
effect either by connecting it by means of a ball-cock and tap or other
suitable apparatus, and pipes communicating with another reservoir of
the fluid of sufficient size to ensure a comparatively constant supply.
In this case the reservoir may be opened or closed.
In the second case I use a closed reservoir to contain the inflammable
fluid, and I make it of a size sufficient to contain the whole supply of
inflammable fluid required for a fixed period for the lamps or other
apparatus.
I fill the closed reservoir with the inflammable fluid and with it I
connect a vessel containing an uninflammable fluid of an equal or a
slightly greater specific gravity than the inflammable fluid employed by
means of a pipe leading from an aperture at or near to the bottom of
such vessel to an aperture at or near to the bottom of the reservoir
containing the inflammable fluid.
The only exit for the inflammable fluid is by means of a pipe leading
from an aperture at or near the top of the reservoir, and connecting it
with the lamp or other heating or illuminating apparatus, in one of the
modes herein-before described. In this case I fix the reservoir containing
the inflammable fluid, and the vessel containing the uninflammable fluid,
in such a position as that the surface level of the uninflammable fluid is
always higher than the top of the closed reservoir containing the
inflammable fluid, and as nearly as possible on a level or slightly higher
than the level of the fluid required in the heating or illuminating
aparatus to produce a steady flame, and having once established a flow
of the inflammable fluid through the pipe connecting the reservoir with
the lamps or other illuminating or heating apparatus I maintain it by
keeping the uninflammable fluid as nearly as possible at a uniform level.
This I effect by means of a ball-cock and tap or other suitable apparatus;
and pipes communicating with a reservoir of the uninflammable fluid of
sufficient size to ensure a comparatively constant supply. I prefer to a
fix both the reservoirs in immediate connection with the lamps or other
apparatus and also the larger reservoir vessel, from which the supply of
inflammable or uninflammable fluid is obtained, on the outside of the

page_text: building in which the illuminating or heating apparatus is used, and I
thus avoid the necessity for storing inflammable fluids in buildings, and
also the danger consequent on the constant filling of lamps, at the same
time that I secure the constant and uniform supply necessary to produce
the greatest illuminating and heating power from lamps and other
illuminating and heating apparatus used for burning inflammable fluids
for illuminating and heating purposes.
In the second case I avoid the risk caused by the evolution and
accumulation on the surface of many inflammable fluids when in contact
with the air of inflammable gas, as by the means aforesaid I avoid all
contact with the air.