Improvements in Appliances for Burning Gas or Hydrocarbon Vapours.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Jan., 1900-Accepted, 10th Mar., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Appliances for Burning Gas or Hydrocarbon
Vapours.
GEORGE BOWER, St. Neots, Hunts, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to regenerative burners and the following is a general
description of one form of it.
The burner consists of a ring of small tubes fixed in a plate which is placed
over a chamber in which is inserted the connection and regulator for supplying
the burner with gas or hydrocarbon vapour mixed or unmixed with air.
The burner now being described consumes from five to six cubic feet of ordi-
nary sixteen candle coal gas per hour which passes through ten small tubes fixed
into a plate within a circle of about three quarters of an inch in diameter, each
tube being about one inch and a quarter long and they are surrounded by a
straight or conical sleeve. About three quarters of an inch below the top of
this sleeve is attached an annular glass, or chimney, holder. The diameter of
the sleeve is about one and a quarter inch at the top and that portion of it
which is below the glass or chimney holder is perforated with small holes.
The chimney is in two parts, the lower part which surrounds the flame being
of clear glass and about four inches high, and the upper portion is about seven
inches high and it may be either of glass, porcelain, metal, or other convenient
fire resisting material. This upper part is fitted with a ring which rests on the
top of the clear glass which surrounds the flame and it is contracted at its
bottom end to about an inch in diameter and goes inside the upper portion of
the clear glass which surrounds the flame.
There is also an outer covering or sleeve of glass which may be either a plain
cylinder or of any other desired shape but the diameter at the top and bottom
must be larger than that of the chimney so as to allow air to pass between the
two to supply the requirements of the burning fluid whether it be common
gas, or hydrocarbon vapour mixed or unmixed with air.
The
This outer glass is about half the height of the chimney and rests upon a
closed holder about one inch below the annular glass chimney holder.
chimney pulls air down between the chimney and the outer glass which passing
through the perforated sleeve surrounding the burner circulates among the
before mentioned small tubes of the burner in a highly heated condition, hence
the small tubes are heated, and therefore also the gas passing through them, &
the combined effect of heated air & heated gas, or vapour, is to greatly increase
the illuminating power of the burner.
The chimney may be made in one piece of glass & contracted at about four
inches from the bottom to a diameter of one inch but I prefer all but the short
piece of glass which surrounds the flame to be of metal.
No air is admitted to the burner except that which passes between the two
glasses, and in this type which I am describing there is no opening in the centre
of the plate in which the burner tubes are fixed as is the case in Argand burners.
but an Argand may be used, only, instead of being perforated with holes for

page_text: the emission of the illuminating fluid, I use tubes in the manner already
described.
The chimney and the outer glass are kept equidistant by an annular cover
which fits on the top of the latter, and is perforated for the admission of the air
to be subsequently heated, while passing between the two glasses.
The effect of having the bottom part of the upper portion of the chimney con-
tracted is that the light, which is somewhat bulged in the centre, is pulling in
at the top through the contracted portion, by which means the flame has the
appearance of an incandescent mantle, and when desired a secondary supply of
air may be caused to impinge upon the burning gas or hydrocarbon vapour just
before it enters the contracted portion of the upper part of the chimney whereby
the top of the flame is brightened, and combustion is rendered complete.
Dated this 21st day of April 1899.
1 Y
i
GEORGE BOWER.
Improvements in Appliances for Burning Gas or Hydrocarbon
Vapours.
I, GEORGE BOWER, of St. Neots, in the County of Huntingdon, Gas 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 to improvements in appliances for burning gas or hydro-
carbon vapours, and has special reference to regenerative gas-lamps of the kind
in which the air supplied to the burner is caused to travel down between an
inner chimney and an outer sleeve or cylinder, being heated in its passage.
Burners according to this invention comprise a ring of tubes mounted upon
a plate which forms the top of a gas-supply chamber. The tubes are surrounded
by a sleeve, and openings, which may be in the form of perforations in the
sleeve, are provided to admit air to the exterior of the tubes.
The chimney, which is concentric with the series of tubes and the sleeve, is
preferably made in two parts, the lower part surrounding the sleeve or a portion
thereof and receiving at its upper end a ring or throat-piece which supports the
upper part of the chimney.
An outer cylinder or sleeve of glass or other transparent material, preferably
about half the total height of the inner chimney, surrounds the latter and is
supported by a closed holder, that is one which does not permit the passage of
air through it.
When the burner is in operation the draught causes air to be drawn down
between the inner chimney and the outer cylinder; this air which is strongly
heated in its passage, passes in laterally through a perforated sleeve and circu-
lates among the small tubes of the burner, and the tubes together with the
gas passing through them are heated. The effect of thus heating the air and
the gas before combustion is to greatly increase the illuminating power of the
burner.
That part of the ring or throat-piece which enters the top of the lower portion
of the inner chimney is reduced in diameter the object of this being to cause
the flame which would otherwise be somewhat bulged in the centre-to be
drawn in at the top and given the shape of an incandescent mantle.
It is preferable to make the upper portion of the inner chimney removable,
as in lighting the gas in burners of this kind a slight explosion always occurs,
and this is less violent with a short chimney than with a long one, there being

page_text: necessarily a smaller volume of the explosive mixture. The upper part of the
chimney is removed before the gas is lighted and is afterwards replaced.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is a central vertical section of one construction of burner according
to this invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same, and
Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Figures 1 and 2 respectively showing
another construction of burner also according to this invention.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
With reference first to Figures 1 and 2, A is a nipple through which the gas
passes to a chamber B. The roof of the chamber B is formed by a plate 13¹
through which pass a series of small tubes C arranged in a circle. Surround-
ing the series of tubes C is a sleeve D and an annular gallery D¹, and below is
a sleeve provided with perforations D2 to permit air to pass to the tubes C.
The chimney is in two parts E and E. The lower portion E fits into the
gallery D and is provided at its upper end with a removable throat-piece E2
which is formed with a contracted portion E. Into the throat-piece E² the
upper portion E of the chimney fits.
An outer cylinder or sleeve of glass F surrounds the chimney E and is sup-
ported by a gallery G, the bottom of which is closed so that no air can pass up
through it to the space between the chimney E and the cylinder F. A ring or
band F is fitted round the top of the cylinder F its top edge projecting slightly
above the top of the cylinder, and a flat ring or distance-piece F2 placed within
the band F serves to keep the chimney E in a central position. Openings F3
are formed in the distance piece F2 to allow air to pass freely down between the
chimney E and the cylinder F.
The burner illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 is very similar in construction to
that described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. In the modified construction
however the sleeve D surrounding the tubes C is perforated, the holes in it
taking the place of the openings D2 in the form of burner previously described.
The chimney E instead of standing upon a gallery is suspended, its upper por-
tion being enlarged as at E and resting upon projections F formed on the
interior surface of the cylinder F. Similar projections F5 in the lower portion
of the cylinder serve to keep the bottom of the chimney E in a central position.
In conclusion I wish it to be understood that I am aware that it is not novel
to employ a double chimney in order to draw a supply of heated air into a
regenerative lamp.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is—
1. In a regenerative gas lamp of the kind described the combination of the
ring of burner tubes carried upon a closed base plate and surrounded by a sleeve
provided with perforations through which the divided air passes in laterally
among the burner tubes, with the inner and outer chimneys, substantially as
described.
2. In a regenerative gas-lamp of the kind described the combination of the
inner chimney in separable parts with the throat-piece, substantially as described.
3. In a regenerative gas-lamp of the kind described the removable throat-
piece inserted in the inner chimney.
4. The complete regenerative gas-lamp substantially as described and illus-
trated in Figures 1 and 2 or Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
1000
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.