IMPROVEMENTS IN GENERATING GAS FOR ILLUMINATING AND OTHER PURPOSES WHEN MADE BY PASSING ATMOSPHERIC AIR OVER OR THROUGH VOLATILE OILS, AND TREATING SUCH GAS, AND THE GAS MADE FROM COAL OR CANNEL, AFTER LEAVING THE GENERATORS, SO AS TO IMPROVE THE HEATING AND ILLUMINATING QUALITIES THEREOF, AND IN THE APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wilson, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Ironmonger, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GENERATING GAS FOR ILLUMINATING AND OTHER PURPOSES WHEN MADE BY
PASSING ATMOSPHERIC AIR OVER OR THROUGH VOLATILE OILS, AND TREATING
SUCH GAS, AND THE GAS MADE FROM COAL OR CANNEL, AFTER LEAVING THE
GENERATORS, SO AS TO IMPROVE THE HEATING AND ILLUMINATING QUALITIES
THEREOF, AND IN THE APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME."
Sealed the 27th May 1864, and dated the 2nd December 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wilson at the.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd
December 1863.
I, WILLIAM WILSON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
KENTS IN GENERATING GAS FOR ILLUMINATING AND OTHER PURPOSES WHEN MADE BY
PASSING ATMOSPHERIC AIR OVER OR THROUGH VOLATILE OILS, AND TREATING SUCH
GAS, AND THE GAS MADE FROM COAL OR CANNEL, AFTER LEAVING THE GENERATORS,
SO AS TO IMPROVE THE HEATING AND ILLUMINATING QUALITIES THEREOF, AND IN THE
APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME," to be as follows (that is to say).:-
This Invention has for its object certain improvements in and apparatus for

page_text: manufacturing gas for illuminating and other purposes, when generated from
bydrocarbon, or other light volatile oils, and consists of a system of combining
two, three, or any greater number of generators, connected and supplied by
branch pipes from one common feed pipe and supply cistern, and introducing a
current or blast of hot or cold atmospheric air into the said gas after it leaves
the generator or generators for the purpose of ensuring a more perfect com-
bustion, and thereby improving its illuminating and heating properties, it
being found by practice that when the gas is confined in the generator for any
length of time it becomes so rich with carbon that a perfect combustion is not
obtained, the flame under those circumstances evolving a considerable amount
of smoke. To obviate this objection a current or blast of hot or cold atmo-
spheric air is introduced into the gas supply pipe in any convenient position
between the generators and the burners. The application of the hot or cold
current or blast of atmospheric air may be introduced with equal advantage
into the gas supply pipe where the common coal or cannel gas is used. The
gases so treated may be thereby much improved in their illuminating and
heating properties, and consequently, when so treated, are peculiarly appli-
cable for singeing textile fabrics and other substances, also for cooking and
other domestic purposes. The current or blast of air may be obtained by any
of the ordinary means.
An apparatus to obtain this desideratum may consist of one, two, three, or
any greater number of shallow enclosed boxes or chambers of any convenient
form, but by preference of a circular form, and which, in this case, are inter-
nally divided by a volute partition, in which case the atmospheric air is intro-
duced at one side of the generator and travels round the coils of the voluté
. and the gas allowed to escape through the centres of the tops of the gene-
rators, or the current of air may be introduced through the tops and the gas
withdrawn at or near the outer end of the volute. These generators may be
partially or entirely filled with sponge or other light porous material. The
volatile oil is supplied from a tank or reservoir, placed at a higher level than
the generating chambers, through a common supply pipe having branch pipes
to the several generators, which pipes project upwards through the generating
chambers or through the sides thereof at the requisite height desired. The
main oil supply pipe is fitted with a stop-cock or other suitable valve for
regulating the flow, and at its outer end opens into a small chamber which
has passing through its bottom a small vertical pipe which extends upwards to
or slightly above the line of the oil pipes opening into the generators, so that
from carelessness, accident, or any other cause, should the supply of oil to the
generators be too great it will rise and pass over the top of this vertical stand

page_text: pipe and fall into a clear glass bottle or other suitable receptacle attached to
the bottom of the pipe. This small chamber or the bottle may be wholly or
partially formed of transparent glass, by which means they may be used as a
guage indicator and receptacle to receive the surplus supply of oil. The air
for evaporating the oil is introduced into the generators through suitable pipes,
and is caused to pass over the surface or through the body of the oil by means
of an apparatus resembling a gasometer or any other convenient mechanical
equivalent. The gas, as generated, passes off from the generators through
suitable branch pipes, which convey it to one common gas pipe to the burners;
but before arriving at the said burners it is mixed or combined with the
requisite quantity of atmospheric air to ensure perfect combustion. The
extent of the current or blast of air required will depend upon the condition of
the gas and the purpose for which it is to be used. This current or blast of
air may be supplied by pressure, by a small fan, or in any other convenient
way. The oil supply pipe may be fitted with any requisite number of branch
pipes having suitable stop-cocks and union joints or their mechanical equi-
valents for attaching or detaching any number of generators that may be
required, which arrangement admits of the generators being readily attached
and detached for cleaning or other purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WILSON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Ironmonger,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred, and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Wilson, Her special license that I, the said William
Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should in
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GENERATING GAS FOR ILLUMINATING AND OTHER PURPOSES WHEN MADE BY
PASSING ATMOSPHERIC AIR OVER OR THROUGH VOLATILE OILS, AND TREATING SUCH
GAS (AND THE GAS MADE FROM COAL OR CANNEL), AFTER LEAVING THE GENERATORS,
SO AS TO IMPROVE THE HEATING AND ILLUMINATING QUALITIES THEREOF, AND IN THE
APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME," upon the condition, amongst others, that
I, the said William Wilson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately.
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Wilson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This Invention has for its object certain improvements in, and apparatus for
manufacturing gas for. illuminating and other purposes, when generated from
hydrocarbon or other light volatile oils, and consists of a system of combining
two, three, or any greater number of generators connected and supplied by the
branch pipes from one common feed pipe and supply cistern, and introducing
a current or blast of hot or cold atmospheric air into the said gas after it leaves
the generator or generators for the purpose of ensuring a more perfect
combustion, and thereby improving its illuminating and heating properties, it
being found by practice that when the hydrocarbon or other volatile oil is too
rich in carbon, or when the gas is confined in the generators for any length
of time, it becomes so rich with carbon that a perfect combustion is not
obtained, the flame under those circumstances evolving a considerable amount
of smoke. This objection is entirely obviated by introducing the current or
blast of hot or cold atmospheric air into the gas supply pipe in any convenient
position between the generators and the burners. An apparatus to obtain this
deviation desideratum may consist of one, two, three or more shallow enclosed
boxes or chambers of any convenient form, but by preference of a circular
form, and which in this case are internally divided by a volute partition, in
which case the atmospheric air is introduced at one side of the generator
and travels round the coils of the volute, and the gas allowed to escape
through the centres of the tops of the generators, or the current of air may
be introduced through the tops and the gas withdrawn at or near the outer

page_text: end of the volute. These generators may be partially or entirely filled with
sponge or other light porous material. The volatile oil is supplied from a tank
or reservoir placed at a higher level than the generating chambers through a
common supply pipe having branch pipes to the several generators, which
pipes project upwards through the generating chambers or through the sides
thereof at the requisite height desired. The main oil supply pipe is fitted
with a stop-cock or other suitable valve for regulating the flow, and at its
outer end opens into a small chamber which has passing through its bottom a
small vertical pipe which extends upwards to, or slightly above the line of the
oil pipes opening into the generators, so that from carelessness, accident, or
any cause, should the supply of oil to the generators be too great, it will rise
and pass over the top of this vertical stand pipe, and fall into a clear glass
bottle or other suitable receptacle attached to the bottom of the pipe. This
small chamber, or the bottle, may be wholly or partially formed of transparent
glass, by which means they may be used as a guage, indicator, and receptacle
to receive the surplus supply of oil. The oil supply pipe may be also fitted,
if deemed advisable, with any requisite number of branch pipes having
suitable stop-cocks and union joints, or their mechanical equivalents, for
attaching or detaching any number of generators that may be required, which
arrangement admits of the generators being readily attached and detached for
cleaning or other purposes. The atmospheric air, to be mixed with the vapor
of the bydrocarbon or other light volatile oil for the purpose of making the
gas, may be supplied by hydrostatic pressure, by a small far, or in any
convenient way, and is introduced into the generating chambers through
suitable pipes, and is caused to pass over the surface or through the body of
the oil, and then pass off as gass through. suitable branch pipes, which
convey it through one common gas pipe to the burners, but before arriving
at the said burners it is mixed or combined with the requisite quantity of
atmospheric air and to insure perfect combustion, and the said requisite
quantity of atinospheric air will depend upon the condition of the gas and the
purpose for which it is to be applied. In manufacturing gas for illuminating,
heating, and other purposes, according to this Invention, the Inventor does
not confine himself to any peculiar kind of oil or oils, as many of them have
been applied for the same purpose before, but he prefers such oils as give off
their vapoùr or volatalize beneath 100° Farenheit, neither does he claim any
peculiar mode of supplying the atmospheric air to the generators for the purpose
of mixing with the vapour of the bydrocarbon or other light volatile oil in
the said generators in order to make gas, as any blowing machine which

page_text: supplies a sufficient and continuous blast or current of atmospheric air is
suitable for the purpose.
That this, my said Invention, may be more readily seen and understood, I
have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings illustrating two modifications of
my improvements in, and apparatus for generating gas. Like letters and
figures marked on the Drawings are used to denote similar parts.
Figure 1 represents a side view, partly in section, of one modification of my
combination of generators fed by branch pipes from one common feed pipe
and supply cistern, also shewing the method of introducing the atmospheric
air and drawing off the gas, and exhibiting also the improved overflow and
glass guage or indicator, and one mode of introducing the current or blast of
hot or cold atmospheric air into the gas after it has left the generators.
Figure 2 is a plan or top view of Figure 1 partly in section. Figure 3 represents
a side view, partly in section, of another modification of my improvements
in feeding a combination of generators, also shewing different forms of
generators; and Figure 4 is a plan or top view of the same, also partly
in section.
In Figures 1 and 2, A represents the supply cistern or reservoir for con-
taining the supply of hydrocarbon or other light volatile oil from which the
gas is to be generated; B, the supply or feed pipe from which branch off C,
the branch pipes provided with cocks or other valves for conveying the oil to
the different generators. D, D1, D2, D3, are generating chambers constructed
of any suitable sheet metal or other suitable substances in which the gas is
generated; E is the main air pipe from which branch off F, the branch air
pipes for supplying atmospheric air to the several generators, which branch
pipes are provided with cocks or other valves; G are branch pipes provided
with cocks or other valves for conveying the gas to the common gas pipe H;
I is a pipe branching off from the main, air pipe E, for supplying the requisite
quantity of atmospheric air to the gas after it has left the generators, and.
which quantity may be regulated by the cock J; K is a pipe connected to the
common gas, H, to convey the treated gas to the burners; L is the small
chamber into which the supply or feed pipe B opens at its outer end; M, the
overflow for carrying the surplus supply into the clear glass bottle or other
suitable receptacle N; O, a small air pipe for preventing the air becoming
"locked" in the bottle N, or other receptacle; P, the bandles or levers of the
cocks on the generators which are combined together so that they can both be
opened or closed together; Q, a small air pipe provided with a cock or other
valve for regulating the pressure on the surface of the oil in the supply cistern;

page_text: R is a screw connection on the top of the supply cistern A, provided with
a screwed cap, which cap can be removed when it becomes necessary to
refill the supply cistern; S is a stop-cock or other valve for regulating the
supply of oil to the supply pipe B; A represents the volute partition in the
generators which is fastened air-tight to the top and reaches almost to the
.bottoms of the said generators in order to allow the liquid to be all of one
height; V represents a piece of perforated zinc, on each side of which may be
sewn a piece of flat cotton lamp wick for drawing up by capillary attraction
the liquid into immediate contact with the atmospheric air, or the generators
may be partially or entirely filled with sponge or other porous absorbent
material or substance.
The mode of operating this modification of my said Invention may be described
as follows: In Figs. 1 and 2 the stop-cock S being opened the hydrocarbon
or other light volatile oil will find its level in all the generators, as the pipes G
which project through their bottoms are all of the same height. A current
or blast of atmospheric air being supplied to the main air pipe F, one or all of
the cocks P on the branch air pipes may be opened, and there being a passage
round the voluted partition the atmospheric air will travel round until it
arrives at its exit, when it will be found to be so impregnated with the vapour
from the hydrocarbon or other volatile oil as to be prepared to be sent into
the common gas pipe H through the branch pipes G; and if the gas is too
rich in carbon it will cause the flame to smoke at the burners, and this may
be rectified by partially or wholly opening the air cock J: If it is necessary,
in order to make the oil flow, the cock on the small air pipe Q may be regu-
lated so as to overcome the difficulty, and should the supply be too great to the
generators it will be indicated by the oil flowing down the vertical stand pipe O
into the clear glass bottle N.
In Figs. 3 and 4, D', D³, and D represent the generating chambers; T is
the supply pipe provided with a cock or other valve for supplying the hydro-
carbon or other volatile oils to the generators D', D³, and D; U, and U₁
are inverted syphons, of which one leg is longer than the other, which syphons
connect the generating chambers D', D³, and D together; W is the glass
guage or other receptacle for receiving the surplus supply of oil. When the
liquid has risen in the generator D' to the height of the top of the syphon
pipe V, it will pass down the said syphon pipe to the generator D³, and out of
that generator when it has reached the same height to the next generator;
D6, the voluted bottom of which last generator is a gradual inclined plane
from the circumference to the centre, or from the centre to the circumference,

page_text: which will depend upon where the supply from the next generator is intro-
duced; and in this generator the partition must extend to the bottom and be
perfectly air-tight, top and bottom, throughout its whole length. When the
gas has passed through all the boxes in this arrangement the supply should be
so regulated as to entirely exhaust the liquid before it reaches the extreme
end or lowest point of the generator D°; and if such is not the case, the
surplus supply will fall into the clear glass bottle W, or other suitable
receptacle.
In this modification the supply of air is precisely the same as described in
Figures 1 and 2, and therefore no further explanation upon that point is
necessary.
The great advantage of these improvements is, that having only one supply
cistern for a number of generators, the great waste of the valuable hydrocarbon
or other light volatile oil does not take place by evaporation when the supply
cistern is being filled, as would be the case when the generators are worked
singly, each having its own reservoir or supply cistern; and as this peculiar
arrangement causes the liquid to be constantly in motion it becomes mixed,
and this disturbance in the hydrocarbon or other volatile oil has been proved to
be a great desideratum.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my
said Invention, and how I believe the same may be best carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise details, relative proportions or dimensions, as these may be consider-
ably varied without. departing from the Invention, but what I particularly
claim is,-
Firstly, the peculiar method of combining a number of generators to be fed
by one supply pipe and supply cistern, as herein-before described and set forth,
or any mere modification of the same.
Secondly, the improved method of feeding the generators, so that it becomes
impossible for the said generators to become choked up by too abundant a
supply of oil, the overplus passing into the clear glass bottle or other re-
ceptacle, as herein-before described and set forth, or any mere modification of
the same.
Thirdly, the improvements in and forms of generators, as herein-before
described and fully set forth, or any mere modification of the same.
Fourthly, introducing a current or blast of hot or cold atmospheric air into
gas made by mixing atmospheric air with the vapour of hydrocarbon or other
volatile oils, after the said gas has left the generator, in any position between

page_text: the generators and the burners, for the purpose of causing a more perfect com-
bustion of the said gas for illuminating, heating, and other purposes, as herein-
before described and set forth, or any mere modification of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Wilson, have hereunto set my
hand and affixed my seal, this First day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
WILLIAM (L.s.) WILSON.