Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas.
1, THEODORE GREEN SPRINGER, of 425, La Salle Avenue, Chicago, Illinois,
United States of America, 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 :-
This invention relates particularly to the manufacture of gas from the decom-.
position of steam and heavy hydrocarbon oils, which oils, owing to their low specific
gravity, are difficult to treat.
In carrying out my invention, I employ an apparatus consisting of a furnace with
appliances for admitting an air blast and a steam supply, and two chambers con-
taining refractory material, into one of which the oil is admitted at the upper part
and allowed to descend, percolating the refractory material, and meeting in its
descent the upward current of decomposed steam, with which the oil vapor mingles,
and passes into the second or fixing chamber.
In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated diagrammatically a sectional
elevation of the apparatus employed in connection with my invention, the apparatus
being preferably cylindrical in cross section, and built of brick encased in a metal
casing.
A is the fuel and steam decomposing chamber, with suitable charging doors for
fuel, and having an enclosed ash pit A beneath the fire bars, wherein is situated an
air blast delivery and a steam supply, for distributing air or steam admitted by the
air pipe a and steam pipe s from any suitable source.
Above the fuel and steam decomposing chamber communicating therewith, are
situated a vaporizing and mixing chamber B, where hydrocarbon oil is vaporized
and mixed with hot water gas, and where there may be a partial decomposition of
the oil and fixing of gases, and a fixing chamber C, for fixing the oil vapors and
water gas, the former being smaller than the latter. B' and C' are combustion
chambers (for burning the waste gases from the fuel chamber during the blasting of
the fuel to incandescence) formed in the lower portions of the chambers B and C
respectively, beneath the perforated arches and c, which support the refractory
material, arranged in a manner that is well understood. Each combustion chamber
is furnished with an air blast pipe a¹ and a². D and E are outlet pipes placed at
the summit of the chambers B and C, provided with tight fitting lids d and e. Fis
a pipe connecting the pipes D and E, and closed by a cut off valve. The pipe g,
at the upper end of the vaporising chamber B, is for admission of the hydrocarbon
oil. The furnace A is in direct communication with the combustion chamber B¹ of
the chamber B. The communication between the furnace A and the combustion
chamber C¹ of the chamber C, is, however, by the pipe H, which leads also through
the water seal to a gas holder, and constitutes an outlet for the gas manufactured.
h is a piston valve closing communication between the furnace and the chamber C.
The process of gas manufacture according to my invention is as follows :-
The furnace is first charged, and the valves hd and e being all open, the air
blasts are set in action, and the products of combustion from the fuel are caused to
heat the apparatus, including the refractory material contained in the chambers B
and C, through which they pass to the outlets D and E. The water seal I offers
sufficient resistance to ensure the passage of the combustion products through the
chamber C. Having created sufficient heat, and reduced the fuel in the furnace to
an incandescent state, the air blast is stopped, the valves d e and h are closed, and
the valve in the pipe F connecting the chambers B and C is opened. Steam is
admitted beneath the fire bars, and passes upward through the incandescent mass of
fuel, by which it becomes decomposed, to the chamber B, wherein it is further
heated by the refractory material. At the same time, hydrocarbon oil admitted by

page_text: the pipe to the upper part of the chamber B, drips down through the refractory
material, which is preferably of a metallic or non-absorbent character, and becoming
vaporized as it descends, meets and mingles with the water gas resulting from the
decomposition of the steam. The mingled vapors of steam and oil then pass by
the pipes D, and E to the chamber C, wherein they are subjected to the heat of
the refractory material, through which they are forced by pressure from behind,
and are thereby converted into a fixed illuminating gas, before passing by the water
seal, the resistance of which is now overcome by the pressure of the gas, to the gas
holder. This operation continues so long as the heat is sufficiently maintained, but
so soon as it becomes too low to properly decompose the steam and oil, the supply
of these is cut off by the attendant, the positions of the valves are reversed, and the
blasting operation is repeated until the requisite heat is regained.
By admitting the oil high up in the apparatus, and allowing it to descend over
an extensive and highly heated surface, such as the checker work of the vaporizing
chamber B, meeting in its downward course the advancing body of decomposed
steam, I am enabled to deal with oils of a specific gravity that are otherwise very
intractable for gas making.
The carbon or other solid matter contained in the oil, and deposited on the re-
fractory material during the gas making, is in great measure burnt out, and removed
by the subsequent blasting of the intermittent process.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The method of manufacturing gas hereinbefore described, consisting in the
admission and delivery, in a downward direction, of hydrocarbon oils over an
extensive and highly heated surface in a vaporizing chamber, in an opposite direc-
tion to an advancing body of decomposed steam, and the delivery of the mingled
vapors of steam and oil to a superheating chamber, wherein they become a fixed
gas, suitable for illuminating and other purposes.
Dated this 27th day of October 1890.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.