IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CARBURETTING ILLUMINATING GAS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Kidd, of No. 11, Saint Bride St., E.C., in the
City of London and County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CARBURETTING ILLUMINATING GAS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Kidd at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th January 1880.
JAMES KIDD, of No. 11, Saint Bride St., E.C., in the City of London and County
of Middlesex, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CARBURETTING ILLUMINATING
GAS."
My Invention consists, first, in mixing napthaline with benzole, benzine, gasoline,
or the ordinary burning oil obtained from shale or petroleum, and using the mixture
for carburetting gas, either at the gas-meter or at the burner.
When carburetting gas by a carburettor fixed at the meter I use benzole or
naptha, either together or seperately, and dissolve napthaline in the liquid. A
given portion of the napthaline so dissolved is taken up and carried by the gas in a
state of vapor to the burners. It is necessary that the mixtures here described be
kept agitated whilst carburetting the gas, so that the lighter and heavier gravities
be mixed together and be taken up by the gas uniformly. This I accomplish in
the following manner :-I make the carburettor for use at the gas-meter cylindrical
or other convenient shape. It may be placed in a vertical or horizontal position,
and must have an upper and lower chamber, with the vaporizing chamber between
the same.
The carburetting liquid flows through a small hole or syphon from the
upper chamber through the vaporizer into the lower chamber. The liquid may be
pumped from the lower chamber into the upper chamber, or the cylindrical vessel
may be made to work on a shaft in such a manner that the position of the upper
and lower chambers can be reversed alternately like the chambers of an ordinary
hour glass. It might be found desirable to place inside the vaporizer one or more
discs or horizontal divisions, over which the carburetting liquid would pass so as to
expose a larger evaporating surface to the action of the gas.
When carburetting air I use a mixture of napthaline and gasoline in conjunction
with an apparatus of the same construction as used for carburetting gas at the
meter.

page_text: When carburetting gas at the burner I mix napthaline with parafin, petroleum,
or other burning oil. The carburettor for this purpose consists of an oil-lamp with
a flat or round wick. I combine or join the oil flame with the gas flame. The two
flames combined produce a greatly improved light. In constructing this lamp care
must be taken to prevent escape of vapor at the outer part of the spindle carrying
the wheels for raising the wick. All the joints should be made as nearly air-tight
as possible. I sometimes make the wick-tube without any arrangement for raising
the wick; when thus constructed I make the wick incombustible by forming it of
asbestos or other refractory substance, or I place on the top of the cotton-wick a
layer of cotton silicate. This incombustible wick is best adapted for the apparatus
when it is applied to ordinary street lighting. When so applied I attach the oil
reservoir to the upper part of the lamp, and supply the oil to the burners by a
bird-cage fountain arrangement in the same way in which it is supplied to the well
known students' lamp. The lamp may be attached to an ordinary burner by a
metal slide moving in a slot attached to the elbow or socket containing the gas-jet,
or the lamp may be dropped into a recess or bayonet-catch attached to the gas-
bracket. Another plan I adopt is to fix the gas-pipe through the lamp; the under-
neath end of the pipe must be made conical, so as to fit snugly into a socket
attached to the elbow on the gas bracket. Although I prefer in this carburettor to
use napthaline mixed with the ordinary burning oil, the latter may be used
alone.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Kidd in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th July
1880.
JAMES KIDD, of No. 11, Saint Bride St., in the City of London, County of
Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CARBURETTING ILLUMINATING
GAS."
My Invention consists, first, in mixing napthaline with benzole, benzine, gasoline,
or other volatile hydro-carbon-oils, and using the mixture for carburetting gas or
air by means of an apparatus so constructed that the mixture here described bo
kept agitated whilst carburetting the gas, so that the lighter and heavier gravities
be unixed together and be taken up by the gas uniformly. When carburetting gas
by a carburettor fixed at the meter I use benzole or naptha, either together or
seperately, and dissolve napthaline in the liquid. A given portion of the napthaline
so dissolved is taken up and carried by the gas in a state of vapor to the burners.
It is necessary that these mixtures be kept agitated while carburetting the gas.
This I accomplish in the following manner-I make the carburettor for use at the
gas-meter cylindrical or other convenient shape. It may be placed in a vertical or
horizontal position, and must have an upper and lower chamber, with the vaporizing
chamber between the same. The carburetting liquid flows through a small hole or
syphon from the upper chamber through the vaporizer into the lower chamber.
The liquid may he pumped from the lower chamber to the upper chamber, or the
cylindrical vessel may be made to work on a shaft in such a manner that
the position of the upper or lower chamber can be reversed alternately like
the chambers of an ordinary hour-glass. It might be found desirable to place
inside the vaporizer one or more discs or horizontal divisions over which the
carburetting liquid would pass so as to expose a larger evaporating surface to the
gas. When carburetting air I use a mixture of napthaline and gasoline, in con-
junction with an apparatus of the same construction as used for carburetting gas
at the meter. My Invention further consists in carburetting gas at the burner
with the vapor of paraffin, petroleum, or other burning oil. The carburettor for
this purpose consists of an oil lamp with a Bat or round wick, having the gas pipe
and gas burner so arranged that the gas and oil flames combine, thus producing a
greatly improved light. In constructing this lamp care must be taken to prevent
escape of vapor at the outer part of the spindle carrying the wheels for raising the
wick. All the joints should be made as nearly air-tight as possible. I sometimes
make the wick-tube without any arrangement for raising the wick. When thus
constructed I make the wick incombustible by forming it of asbestos or other
refractory substance, or I place on the top of the cotton-wick a layer of cotton
silicate. This incombustible wick is best adapted for the apparatus when it is
applied to ordinary street lighting. When so applied I attach the oil reservoir to
the upper part of the lamp and supply the oil to the burners by a bird-cage
fountain arrangement, in the same way in which it is supplied to the well known
students' lamp. The lamp may be attached to an ordinary burner by a metal slide,
moving in a slot attached to the elbow or socket containing the gas-jet, or the
lamp may be dropped into a recess or bayonet-catch attached to the gas-bracket.
Another plan I adopt is to fix the gas pipe through the lamp; the underneath end
of the pipe must be made conical, so as to fit snugly into a socket attached to the
elbow on the gas-bracket.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents partly in section and partly in elevation my
improved apparatus for carburetting gas or air with volatile oils and napthaline.
The apparatus I prefer to make cylindrical, as shown; I divide it into three
compartments A, B, C; the vessel revolves on the centre shaft D. At one end of
this shaft is fixed the inlet E and outlet F. The gas or air is made to follow the

page_text: direction of the arrows, and passes through the vaporizing compartiment B which is
filled with cotton wicks. Compartments A and C contain the carburetting material;
G, feeding plug for filling apparatus; H, H, stands for supporting same; K, K,
handles for reversing cylinder; L, L, catches for locking or holding the cylinder in
its required position; M, M, metal spindles made with covering of porous material
at the ends. These spindles adjust the flow of liquid from the upper compartment
into the vaporizing chamber; N, N, tubes for conveying the liquid from vaporizing
chamber into lower compartment. After all the liquid has run out of the upper
chamber into the lower, the cylinder is then turned half round, and the liquid, thus
raised to the top again, slowly runs into the lower compartment, when the cylinder is
again turned half round, and thus by alternately changing the position of the
chambers keeping the liquid in continual agitation.
Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 show my improvements as applied for increasing the
light of gas, by combining the gas flame with the flame froin an oil lamp.
In Fig. 2, a shews an ordinary lamp with a projection, sliding or fitting snugly
into slot b, attached to elbow of gas-bracket c; d, wick tube; e, racket for raising
wick; gas jet or burner; g, combined gas and oil flame. Fig. 3 shews the
combination attachment for holding shade h. The Drawing shews novel method
of fixing the lamp to gas-bracket. A hook or catch b is attached to the oil burner
tube & which hooks or hangs into a projection from the gas tube c.
Fig. 4 shews two wick tubes attached to one vessel, the gas supply in this
arrangement passing through the centre of lamp to the two gas burners. The end
of supply pipe & is made taper and fits tightly into socket which screws into the
ordinary gas fittings.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 shew the application to street lamps where either more one
or gas burners are used. In these Figures no ratchet is shewn for raising wick,
though same may be used if desired; m is the oil reservoir from which the oil
passes through pipe O to the wick supply chamber n. In Fig. 7 the reservoir is
shewn above the lantern, and the oil is supplied by a bird-cage fountain arrangement,
the air inlet being shewn at p.
I claim the Invention as described and set forth in this my Complete Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Kidd, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.