An Improved Reversing or Change-valve for Use in Water-gas Generators.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 10th June, 1899
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Reversing or Change-valve for Use in Water-gas
Generators.
We, MORIZ EISSLER, President of the Société Internationale du Gaz d'Eau,
Brevets Strache (Société Anonyme) établie à Bruxelles; of 2, Ebendorferstrasse,
Vienna I, and DR. HUGO STRACHE, General Manager of the said Société, of
14, Feldgasse, Vienna VIII, both in the Empire of Austria, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
For the purpose of working water-gas generators, as is known, air is blown into
the said generators during the hot blast" period of the process, whilst, during
the gas-making" period, water-gas escapes therefrom.
In some forms of water-gas generating plant, the turning off of the air-supply
(blast) and the making of the connection between the generator and the gas-
delivery-pipe has been effected heretofore either by closing and opening ordinary
slide or other valves or by the adjustment of three-way valves. If these change-
over arrangements become leaky, gas can pass into the air-blast pipe or inversely,
whereby explosions are caused. Attempts have been made to obviate this by
providing safety-passages in the joint-surfaces of the slide, which passages, when
leakages take place, allow the gas or air to escape into the atmosphere. These,
however, only act so long as there are no great leakages. Moreover explosions
are also caused by these leakages, since, after the termination of the "gas-making
period, gas is still contained in the generator, so that, after reversal or change-
over has taken place, on the entrance of the blast, explosive mixtures are formed
which ignite in the generator.
Experiences of this kind led to the invention hereinafter explained, in which
leakage as well as the mixture of air and gas, and therefore the formation of an
explosive mixture in the generator are precluded.
Figure 1 is a vertical section, and
Figure 2 a plan of the reversing or changing-over valve.
The pipe a is in communication with the generator, the pipe e with the blast-
pipe, and the pipe b with the gas-delivery-pipe. At the upper end, these pipes
are provided with cups or annular troughs 1, 3, 3, which are filled with a sealing
liquid (preferably mercury). The connection of the pipe a with one or other of
the pipes b, c is made by means of a U-shaped pipe k, the limbs of which dip into
the cups (filled with sealing liquid) of the several pipes, whereby a gas-tight
closure is obtained.
In the drawing, the pipe a leading to the generator is shown, by way of example,
as connected with the gas-delivery-pipe b.
If it be desired to reverse or change-over after the termination of the " gas-
making" period, the connecting-pipe k is raised until it passes out of the cup or
annular trough around the pipe . At this moment, the inner space of the
connecting-pipe k communicates with the outer air and the gas contained in the
077

page_text: reversing or change-over apparatus ignites at the continually-burning igniting-
flame arranged over the pipe b, filling the whole of the internal space of the
reversing or change-over apparatus with combustion-gases (carbonic acid, steam,
nitrogen, &c.).
The connecting-pipe is now turned about its shaft & mounted in suitable
guides or bearings, and lowered into the cup or annular. chamber around the
pipe c, thus connecting the generator with the air-blast pipe. If air be now blown
in, it is separated from the gas in the generator by a layer of combustion gas;
there will therefore pass into the generator first the combustion gases, and only
then the air, and thus any explosive mixture of gas and air is avoided. For cooling
the sealing liquid (mercury) contained in the cups or troughs, the three cups or
troughs are surrounded by a common receptacle g, through which circulates a
cooling liquid (water).
Passage of gas into the air-blast pipe or inversely is entirely precluded, since
the pipes are arranged entirely separate from each other and can never come into
connection with each other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
_
1. A reversing or change-over valve for water-gas generating apparatus, for
connecting the generator alternately with the air-supply pipe and the gas-delivery
pipe, wherein the pipe leading to the generator is connected with the said air and
gas pipes alternately through a U-shaped tube the limbs of which dip into cups
arranged around the several pipes and filled with a sealing liquid, substantially
as described.
2. The modification of our invention wherein we employ, in conjunction with
our reversing or change-over valve, an igniting burner whereby the gas contained
in the reversing or change-over apparatus is ignited on cutting out the gas-pipe,
so as, by means of the combustion-gases thus produced, to prevent the formation of
an explosive gaseous mixture in the generator when air is afterwards blown in,
substantially as described.
3. The improved apparatus constructed substantially as described with reference
to the accompanying drawing and operating as and for the purposes above
specified.
Dated this 11th day of April 1899.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.