Improved Apparatus for Burning Inflammable Fluids
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 12th May, 1899-Accepted, 5th Aug., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Burning Inflammable Fluids,
JOSEPH SOMERS GOODWIN, 4A, Bethune Road, Stamford Hill, N., Commercial
Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My apparatus is designed to draw unburned vapour or gas from a burning
wick so that it may be carried away from the flame and burned where desired,
in either a simple form of burner or it may be mixed with air to form an
atmospheric flame. In the latter form it is suitable for lighting or heating
by placing refractory bodies in the flame.
I will describe the apparatus as designed for a lamp giving an atmospheric
flame that is used to incandesce a mantle.
It consists of a reservoir the purpose of which is to hold paraffin oil or other
inflammable fluid. It has a central opening at the top and a somewhat smaller
central opening at the bottom. Into this opening a tube is fitted that passes
vertically through the reservoir and out about six inches through the upper
opening, this tube is used for the purpose of supplying an air draught. The
diameter of that portion of the tube which is inside the reservoir is such that
it just fits the inside of a circnlar wick, the diameter of the tube is reduced to
about half its size in that portion of it where it extends through the upper
opening, & continues that size to the end. A short length of tube screws into
the upper opening of the reservoir. Another piece of tube nearly fitting and
placed inside the piece that screws to the reservoir is designed to carry the wick,
which is suitably fixed to the inside of it. This tube slides up and down by a
rack work motion and communicates its movement to the wick. About inch
from the top of the wick an annular piece of wire gauze is fitted in the space
between the wick and the air draught tube, over which it slides up and down
as the wick is raised or lowered. A piece of tube of slightly smaller diameter
than the inside diameter of the wick, and about 12 inches long is supported
centrally & vertically just above the wick & it can be moved up and down by a
separate rackwork motion. The top of this tube is covered with a piece of wire
gauze or some other suitable arrangement to prevent lighting back. The object
of this tube is to collect the gas in the first place & afterwards to mix the gas
with air previous to its escaping at the top.
The air draught tube extends 3 or 4 inches up the gas tube, a small disc of
metal or some other suitable arrangement is supported a slight distance above
the air draught tube, the object being to spread the air in the gas tube in that
portion of it that is used for mixing the gas and air. The reservoir is sup-
ported so that air may reach the central tube from the bottom.
Suitable arrangements are placed round the wick to exclude excessive or sudden
draught, and on the gas tube to throw out from its side the products of com-
bustion that rise from the burning wick.
The reservoir being filled and the wick in its place, the gas tube is raised and

page_text: the wick lighted; now if the wick be turned down and the gas tube lowered so
that the bottom of this tube is just above the top of the wick the supply of
air being nearly cut off the flame will be small. The heat from it is sufficient
however to vapourise the oil (or whatever other inflammable fluid is being used)
from the inside surface of the wick, & so vapour or gas is formed just under-
neath the gas tube in the annular space between the gas and air tubes, which
vapour or gas passes up the gas tube in consequence of that tube being made
warm by the small flame. The piece of wire gauze inside the wick tends to make
the supply of gas very regular by confining the flame on the wick to its proper
area.
The air draught tube being also warmed, air is drawn up, this tube boing carried
sufficiently high in the gas tube to prevent the gas lighting where the air makes
its exit from the air tube. From this point air & gas ascend in the mixing
part of the gas tube, and being ignited at the top will burn with a steady
atmospheric flame and incandese the mantle.
Dated this 6th day of Jenner 1800
Improved Apparatus for Burning Inflammable Fluids,
JOSEPH SOMERS GOODWIN, of 4A, Bethune Road, Stamford Hill, London,
Commercial Traveller, 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 : -
-
My invention relates to a new or improved apparatus capable of being used
either for lighting or for heating purposes and designed to burn mineral and other
oils and generally any combustible liquid capable of ascending along the meshes
of a suitable wick. "When used for lighting purposes, this apparatus has for
its object to produce and draw unconsumed vapors, disengaged from a burning
wick situated at the lower end of the same above the oil receptacle, up a central
gas tube in order to be ignited and burnt on issuing from a burner having
preferably a circular form such as an Argand" burner for instance and fixed
to the upper and reduced end of the said gas tube, thus producing a brilliant
flame.
68
!
A further object of my invention is to produce an atmospheric flame capable
of giving a dazzling light within a mantle which is thereby raised to incan-
descence (such as generally used) by admitting air within a central air tube
extending slightly below the bottom of the oil reservoir at its lower end and
inserted at its upper end within the gas tube aforesaid to which it is connected by
a suitable joint, preferably by a bayonet joint; the air and vapors meeting at
the outlet of this air tube and mixing together in the gas tube and in a mixing
chamber formed higher up in the latter tube, so as to emerge as a homogeneous
gaseous mixture out of the burner fitted to the upper end of the gas tube which
burner is provided at the top with a wire gauze cap and is enclosed in a mantle
of ordinary construction.
My apparatus can be used for the production of either an ordinary or an
atmospheric flame, according as the air tube is closed and a circular or other
burner is fixed to the top of the gas tube in the first case, or the said air tube
is opened and a wire gauze cap and mantle are fixed to the top of the gas tube
in lieu of the burner aforesaid,

page_text: In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my improved apparatus when
used for lighting purposes or as a lamp, Fig. 1 is a central vertical section of
the same, Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sections on line BB and AA respectively.
.
This apparatus when used for lighting purposes that is to say for producing
a light with an atmospheric flame enclosed in a mantle, consists of a pedestal p
surmounted by an oil reservoir carrying the perforated gallery upon which
rests the unperforated fitting f¹, the latter of which terminates the outer vertical
casing m provided at the top with the fitting f and the gallery g. Through
the centre of the pedestal and the oil reservoir passes a central air pipe or in-
take the lower end of which extends slightly below the bottom of the said
pedestal and is open while the upper end of this air pipe is reduced at Z and
likewise open at the top. This reduced end is located with a vertical gas pipe b
the lower end of which is in contact with the flame while its upper end is
broken about half way up to receive the lower end of a mixing chamber o, the
upper end of which is inserted in the continuation b¹ of the said gas pipe b, tele-
scoped into the burner pipe 6. The latter has a reduced end and is open at
the top being surrounded by a tube at the lower end of which is fixed to the
casing m. A cap of wire gauze d is inserted in the upper end 6 of the pipe b. e
is a mantle surrounding the cap or top end of the gas tube as well as the tube a¹
and is enclosed in a talc or other suitable protecting tube i resting on the
gallery 9; while a glass or other chimney likewise bearing on such gallery
encloses the whole. h are air holes, is a butterfly valve controlling the supply
of the gaseous mixture. The mixing chamber o consists of a tube u provided
at the top and at the bottom with a shallow dished cap a furnished with a
number of radial vanes, 7 (Figure 2). The gas pipe b and the air pipe care
jointed together in any suitable manner such as by a bayonet joint (not shown).
A wick having two loose lateral extensions at its lower end is inserted
between the wick tube and the air tube c; a slotted guide tube s¹ screwed in
the reservoir surrounding the said wick tube. The latter is provided with a
racks actuated by a toothed wheel mounted on an axis which is furnished
at one end with a suitable milled edge knob (not shown). The oil reservoir is
furnished with an opening closed by a cap 7 and through which oil is fed into
the same.
The lamp being thus filled with oil, the casing m is raised within the bayonet
or other joint so that the fitting f¹ should be at a suitable height to allow for
the insertion of a match to ignite the wick at n when the said casing is dropped
down again. A blue flame being produced around the upper circular edge
of the wick w (Figs. 1 and 3) the unconsumed oil gases or vapors, mainly
generated in the recess or chamber Z formed for this purpose, ascend in the
direction indicated by the two lateral arrows (1) up the gas pipe 6 and meet at
the top of the air tube with the air drawn in the direction indicated by the
central arrows (2); the air and gas mixing thoroughly in the chamber after
which the gaseous mixture ascends to the cap d where it is ignited through the
mantle; air being drawn in through the holes hand in the direction indicated
by the two side arrows (3); the light produced in the mantle is of a dazzling
brilliancy and of great lighting power. In order to facilitate the lighting or
starting of the lamp at the lowermost burner a circular row of holes may be
formed near the top of the outer casing m and be closed subsequently by a
solid sliding ring. Through the perforated gallery g' there is an abundant air
supply to the wick. When the air controlling butterfly valve is closed and the
mantle e and the cap are removed while a circular or other burner is fixed
to the top of the gas pipe 661, an ordinary light of great power is produced.
It is obvious that the same form of apparatus can be utilized for heating or
cooking purposes-by dispensing with the outer casing, the mantle and the
chimneys and by arranging for instance one or more of such apparatus in a
suitable casing with the requisite fittings, a stove of great heating power would
be produced.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:
1
1. In lighting and heating apparatus, the means whereby gases or vapors are
freely generated from an exposed wick surface by a small flame formed at the
top of the said wick, such wick being fed for the purpose of supporting the flame
and of generating the gases and vapors with oil or other suitable combustible
liquid contained in a receptacle arranged in the lower part of the apparatus
and the gases or vapors thus generated being utilized for lighting or heating
purposes in a burner arranged at the top of the said apparatus, substantially
as herein described and shown.
2. In lighting and heating apparatus, the means whereby the unconsumed gases
or vapors generated in the manner above claimed are drawn and conveyed through
a central gas pipe to a circular or other burner fixed to the upper end of this
gas tube in order to be ignited and consumed thereat, substantially as herein
described and shown.
3. In lighting and heating apparatus, the means whereby the unconsumed
gases or vapors generated in the manner above claimed are drawn up a central
gas pipe and mixed in the latter pipe and in a mixing chamber with the air
which is admitted through a central vertical air pipe communicating with the
atmosphere and inserted in the lower end of such gas pipe, such gaseous mixture
being drawn up to a burner provided with a wire gauze cap and enclosed when
required for lighting in an incandescent mantle in order to be ignited and
consumed thereat, substantially as herein described and shown.
4. The improved lighting and heating apparatus, arranged, constructed and
operating substantially as herein described and shown and for the purpose set
forth.