New or Improved Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Mar., 1898
Complete Specification left 31st Due 1808 Accented 4th Cab
1000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
We, EMILE DE STRAËHL, Electrician, ARMAND RÉCHLARD, Mechanic, both of
182, Rue du Faubourg St. Denis, and AUGUSTE DEVARENNE, Locksmith, of 100,
Rue de Flandres, all of Paris, in the Republic of France, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows;-
This invention relates to an acetylene gas generating apparatus the special
feature of which is a novel combination of a gas generator properly so called with
the gas holder such that the carbide baskets of the generator are connected with
the hell of the gas holder, and that the upward movement of the latter, when gas
is produced, lifts the carbide baskets out of the water and consequently prevents
over production. A purifying device for the gas is placed at the outlet of the
generator and operates by a kind of breaking up of the acetylene gas on its way
to the bell of the gas holder, the water and other impurities being thereby
separated. The result of these arrangements is that there is never over production
in the apparatus, and consequently that explosion is not possible, that the gas is
completely purified and that it burns without odour or smoke.
In the inside of a water tank is contained a gasholder bell which is guided in
its up and down movements by vertical guides furnished at their upper ends with
stops. The bell is also guided by friction rollers placed on the internal walls of
the tank.
The bell is divided into two concentric parts by a hollow cylinder in the interior
of which is placed a case which contains baskets of granulated carbide of calcium.
The bottom of this case is provided with an iron tube prolonged in one direction
to near the bottom of the tank, and in the opposite direction to the top of the case;
this tube is perforated with holes at regularly spaced intervals. Around this
tube is placed a second tube also perforated with. holes opposite to those in the
first mentioned tube, and supporting the perforated baskets of carbide placed one
above the other. The case suitably fixed to the dome of the gas holder is closed
hermetically at the upper end by a plug or cover to which is fixed a stop cock;
a similar cock is placed on the bell and is connected to the first named cock by an
iron pipe containing a number of interlaced springs. The tank, which may be
placed at a suitable height on timber, metallic or other supports, is also provided
with a drain cock; it is likewise traversed by a tube which rises vertically from
near the bottom and opens into the bell above the level of the water. This tube,
which serves as an outlet for the gas, is continued up outside the tank, and is
furnished with a regulating and stop cock and a drain cock.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The drain cocks and regulating
and stop cock being closed, and the parts of the apparatus being put together as
above explained, the tank is filled with water, to such an extent that the water
evel reaches the upper part of the tank and bell outside of the case containing
the baskets of carbide, but cannot reach the lowest perforations of the tube in
he case by reason of the air imprisoned in such case. When the cocks on the
cover of the case and on the top of the bell are opened the pressure diminishing
DO077

page_text: in the case, the water rises in the tube and reaches through the openings therein
the carbide in the lowermost basket. Gas is produced immediately, passes
through the tube containing the interlaced springs and accumulates in the bell,
causing the latter to rise until the production of gas stops in consequence of the
basket of carbide being automatically raised out of the water. This arrangement
renders any over production of gas impossible, because the water cannot attack
more than one basket of carbide at a time whatever may be the level of the water
in the gas holder. The apparatus is constructed to receive the quantity of gas
given off from one basket of carbide, the generator remaining always at the normal
pressure. It is only after the carbide of calcium in the first named basket is
exhausted that the generator descends so that the level of the water reaches the
second basket which in its turn continues the production of gas, and rises above
the water as soon as the predetermined quantity of gas is produced, and so on for
the other baskets.
The tube containing the interlaced springs serves to clear the gas of all moisture
and solid particles before it reaches the bell of the gas holder.
The above described arrangements allow of the dismounting of the case for
cleaning and charging the baskets without stopping the consumption of gas stored
in the bell.
1000
New or Improved Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
We, EMILE DE STRAËHL, Electrician, ARMAND RÉCHARD, Mechanic, both of
182, Rue du Faubourg St. Denis, and AUGUSTE DEVARENNE, Locksmith, of 100,
Rue de Flandres, all of Paris, in the Republic of France, 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 an acetylene gas generating apparatus the special
feature of which is a novel combination of a gas generator properly so called with
the gas holder such that the carbide baskets of the generator are connected with
the bell of the gas-holder, and that the upward movement of the latter, when gas
is produced, lifts the carbide baskets out of the water and consequently prevents
over-production. A purifying device for the gas is placed at the outlet of the
generator and operates by a kind of breaking-up of the acetylene gas on its way
to the bell of the gas holder, the water and other impurities being thereby
separated. The result of these arrangements is that there is never over-production
in the apparatus, and consequently that explosion is not possible, that the gas is
completely purified and that it burns without odour or smoke.
The accompanying sheet of drawings illustrates one arrangement of our auto-
matic acetylene gas-generating apparatus.
Figure 1 represents a vertical section of the apparatus mounted ready for action.
Figure 2 represents a horizontal section taken on the line 1-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 represents an elevation of the apparatus showing in dotted lines the
bell of the gas-holder raised to its highest position.
In the inside of a water tank a is contained a gas-holder bell b which is guided

page_text: in its up and down movements by vertical guides o furnished at their upper ends
with stops p. The bell is also guided by friction rollers r placed on the internal
walls of the tank a.
The bell is divided into two concentric parts by a hollow cylinder b¹ in the
interior of which is placed a case c which contains baskets d of granulated carbide
of calcium. The bottom of this case c is provided with an iron tube e prolonged
in one direction to near the bottom of the tank, and in the opposite direction to
the top of the case; this tube is perforated with holes e¹ at regularly spaced
intervals. Around this tube e is placed a second tube f also perforated with
holes opposite to those in the first-mentioned tube, and supporting the perforated
baskets of carbide placed one above the other. The case c, suitably fixed to
the dome of the gas holder, is closed hermetically at the upper end by a plug or
cover to which is fixed a stop-cock h; a similar cock h¹ is placed on the bell, and
is connected to the first named cock by an iron pipe g containing a number of
interlaced springs g¹. The tank a, which may be placed at a suitable height on
timber, metallic, or other supports, is also provided with a drain-cock n; it is
likewise traversed by a tube j which rises vertically from near the bottom and
opens into the bell b above the level of the water. This tube, which serves as
an outlet for the gas, is continued up outside the tank, and is furnished with a
regulating and stop-cock and a drain cock m.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The drain-cocks m, n and regulating
and stop-cock being closed, and the parts of the apparatus being put together as
above explained, the tank a is filled with water to such an extent that the water
level reaches the upper part of the tank and bell outside of the case c containing
the baskets of carbide, but cannot reach the lowest perforations of the tube
in the case by reason of the air imprisoned in such case. When the cocks h h¹
on the cover of the case and on the top of the bell are opened the pressure
diminishes in the case, the water rises in the tube e and reaches, through the
openings therein, the carbide in the lowermost basket. Gas is produced im-
mediately, passes through the tube 9 containing the interlaced springs and accumu-
lates in the bell b, causing the latter to rise until the production of gas stops in
consequence of the basket of carbide being automatically raised out of the water.
This arrangement renders any over-production of gas impossible, because the water
cannot attack more than one basket of carbide at a time whatever may be the level
of the water in the gas-holder a. The apparatus is constructed to receive the
quantity of gas given off from one basket of carbide, the generator remaining
always at the normal pressure. It is only after the carbide of calcium in the
first basket is exhausted that the generator descends so that the level of the water
can reach the second basket which in its turn continues the production of gas, and
rises above the water as soon as the predetermined quantity of gas is produced,
and so on for the other baskets.
The tube g containing the interlaced springs gl serves to clear the gas of all
moisture and solid particles before it reaches the bell of the gas holder.
The above described arrangement of the hollow cylinder 6 and pipe y allows
of the dismounting of the case without stopping or interfering with the consump
tion of gas stored in the bell b. It is only necessary, before removing the plug or
cover i, to close the cock ¹ in order to completely isolate the bell from the space
containing the case c. The baskets d can then be cleaned and recharged at any
moment without stopping the consumption of gas.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
nvention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
:-
First. An apparatus for generating acetylene gas in which the carbide of
alcium baskets are placed in a case connected with the bell of a gas holder so as
o be raised out of the water when sufficient gas has been produced; the said
pparatus consisting essentially of a cylindrical case forming a gas-generator fixed

page_text: to the inside of an annular gas-holder bell, the said case being closed hermetically
at its upper part by a removable plug or cover, and provided with a perforated
tube the holes in which are placed opposite other holes formed in a tube concentric
with the first-named tube and arranged to support the perforated carbide baskets,
the whole being so arranged and adapted that one basket only at a time can come
in contact with the water, substantially as described.
Second. In an apparatus for generating acetylene gas, of the kind forming the
subject-matter of the first claiming clause hereof, the combination with a case
forming a gas generator, and an annular gas-holder bell carrying at its centre the
said case, a tube furnished inside with interlaced springs for the purpose of clear-
ing the gas of particles of water and other impurities, such tube being mounted on
two stop-cocks placed one on the plug or cover of the case and the other on the
gas-holder bell, so that the said bell can be isolated from the case to enable the
latter to be cleaned and charged without stopping the consumption of gas stored
up in the bell, substantially as described.
Third. In apparatus for generating acetylene gas, forming the subject-matters
of the first and second claiming clauses hereof, the combination of an annular
gas-holder bell, a case containing the carbide baskets, a cover closing the said
case hermetically, a tube fixed in the case and perforated with holes placed opposite
to corresponding holes in a tube concentric to the first-named tube and supporting
the carbide baskets, and a tube furnished internally with interlaced springs and
mounted on two stop-cocks placed one on the case and the other on the gas-holder
bell, the whole operating substantially as described.
01
1000
E. DE STRAEHL.
A. RÉCHARD.
A. DEVARENNE.
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.