Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date claimed for Patent under Sect. 103 of Act,
being date of first Foreign Application (in 28th May, 1892
United States of America),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1893
United States of America),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas.
I, JAMES GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bradford, in the
ounty of McKean, and State of Pennsylvania, Manufacturer, do hereby declare
e nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
e particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement and
ccompanying drawings
The purposes of my invention generally stated are to secure a continuous flow of
gas from gas generators in distinction to the intermittent flow heretofore attained ;
also to locate the retorts inside the generator so that they may be heated by the
waste heat from the gas producing fuel.
My invention is applicable to the manufacture of all ordinary kinds of heating
and illuminating gas, except straight coal gas.
Heretofore, gas producers of this type have been intermittent in their flow
because it has been impossible to control the fire.
It has heretofore been necessary to interrupt the runs and alternate them with
blasts. I am able to so control the fire that I obtain a continuous run.
In the accompanying drawings which make part of this application, A, is a
generator built of a sheet metal cylindrical shell 1, lined on the inside with fire
brick 2. It has a charging door 3, stoking door 4, clinkering door 5, and a circu-
lating water grate 6. Its lid 7, is provided with the valve 8, which acts as a purge
valve.
Thus far it is like a gas generator of the usual cupola type. B, is a combined
generator and carburettor built of sheet iron shell 11, lined with fire brick 2¹. It
It has a charging
is preferably rectangular in horizontal sections as seen in Fig. 5.
door 3', stoking door 4¹, clinkering door 5¹ and a circulating water grate 6'. Its
lid 7' is provided with a valve 81 which acts as a purge valve.
Near the top of said shell are placed two retorts, 9 and 10, resting on the
skeleton arch 11. 12, 12 are two T's connecting said retorts at the front of
the shell; the flanges of said T's being bolted to the shell, and the retorts which
are either of metal, or clay, being built into the solid masonry at each end, and
are of any desired shape.
13 is a blower of any approved form; 14 is an air pipe leading from said blower
through valve 15 to the lower part of the generator A. 16 is an extension of
18 is a
the air pipe leading through valve 17, to the upper part of generator A.
steam pipe coming from any source of steam supply. It encircles the generator A

page_text: and discharges into same above the grate by four pipes a-a seen in Fig. 5.
19 is an upward extension of said steam pipe to the top of the generator where
it also discharges into same through four short pipes at almost the level shown
in Figs. 1 and 2. 20 and 21 are valves to cut off upper and lower steam pipes.
22 and 23 are the inlet and oulet water pipes for the gate 6. 24 and 25 are
oil pipes entering the generator below the level of the fuel. 26 is an oil pipe
entering the top of the generator. All three lead to a source of oil supply. 46 is
the gas outlet from the top and left of shell A.
The combined carburettor and generator has like steam pipes a¹-a¹ above the
gate, fed by the steam pipe 27 and like upward extension 19 of said steam pipe
communicating with upper part of said carburettor and generator through four
short pipes at about the level seen in Fig. 2. Air is supplied to base of
generator B by pipe 14' controlled by valve 151 and to the upper part of
generator by air pipe 16' controlled by valve 17. 20¹ and 21¹ are two valves
regulating the admission of the steam into the upper or lower parts of shell B.
22 and 23 are inlet and outlet pipes for the water grate 6'. 24 and 25 are
oil pipes entering the said carburettor and generator at about the level of the
under side of the retorts and 261 an oil pipe entering same at the top. 28 is a
gas pipe leading from generator A through valve 29 into generator and car-
burettor B. 30 is a downward extension of same, provided with valve 31 and
which enters generator A at the bottom.
The gas from pipe 28 passes through the T 33 bolted upon shell B and through
an opening in the shell of B, across the length of the fire in B, up through
a T 34, provided with valve 43, inclined at about 45 degrees into T, 35, into
retort 9, thence through retort 9 through T's 36, 37 and 38 into retort 10,
thence through T, 39, pipe 40 into seal 41. It passes out of seal 41 through
pipe 42.
43 is a safety pipe discharging from the seal in the event of 42 getting
closed, and 44 is the water supply pipe for said seal. 32 is a gas pipe connecting
base of shell B with rear end of retort 9, as seen in Fig. 2. The function of
this pipe is to conduct the water gas from the base of the shell B to the fixing
retort when shell B is used alone, and the blast is downward, as more fully explained
below where the operation of the apparatus is set forth. 45 is an oil vapor feed
pipe entering retort 9.
The operation of my apparatus can now be understood.
The generators A and B are charged with coke C, or other suitable fuel. The
valves at the top of said shells are opened for smoke stacks, and the air turned on
to get up a heat.
When this is accomplished, the valves are closed and steam or
air, or both, are admitted in limited quantities to make fuel gas.
If we assume that the fire in A is blown from below, the air is admitted below
the grate, and the steam above the same, while the upper connections of steam and
air are cut off. The steam passing up through the mass of incandescent fuel becomes
decomposed, forming so called water gas, which escaping from said fuel is met by
an oil vapor introduced through the oil pipe 26, (the oil vapor being formed from
preheated oil). The oil vapor and water gas here intermingle, and both pass over
to the second shell through valve 29, valve 31 being closed. The gas from shell A
here meets and mixes with the gas produced in shell B. The commingled gases
pass over the full length of the incandescent fuel in shell B, up through valve 43,
through retorts 9 and 10, where they are thoroughly fixed and made non-con-
densable, and out into the seal, thence to scrubber and holder not shown. After
running about half an hour by blowing beneath the fire, it will be found that while
the fire at the bottom is bright, at the top it has been partially smothered by the
heavy smoke from the oil vapor settling down upon and partly deadening the
fire at that point. To meet this difficulty, I reverse the blast by closing the air
valve 16, and opening the valve 17, thus blowing down through the fire from
above.
The steam in this case is admitted from the upper steam pipes, and is blown down
through the incandescent fuel.

page_text: The water gas resulting escapes from the base of the shell A. and passes over
through pipe 30, valve 31 and pipe 28 (valve 29 being closed) to shell B, and is
carburetted by admitting oil into the second shell, or into the retorts, or both, and
is fixed in the same manner as above described.
The
After running for a few hours the shells have to be refilled with fuel.
combustion is so regulated that the shells will be charged alternately. Assume it
is necessary to recharge A. It will, be disconnected and thrown out of use by
manipulating the various valves already described and the gas is made and fixed in
the shell B alone.
In blowing down through shell B the valve 43 is closed, which by passes the
combustion chamber from the retort. The steam then passes down through the-
fuel, and out at the bottom of the shell, and up through gas pipe 32, to retort 9,
where it is carburetted with oil through pipe 45, and permanently fixed in the-
retorts from the heat of the incandescent fuel in the generator.
In blowing up through shell B, the valve 43 is open resuming communication
with the combustion chamber, and the production of the gas in the shell B proceeds
the same as was described above when the production of gas in shell B was.
described in connection with the production of gas in shell A.
If shell B is to be charged, it is disconnected and thrown out of use, while
steam is forced up through shell A, and oil vapor is introduced by pipes 24 and 25
into the body of the incandescent fuel in shell A, thus carburetting and fixing the
gas in shell A alone. The combined product passes out through the outlet 46 at.
the top and left of shell A to the scrubber.
This method of working shell A is designed to be used principally when
recharging shell B.
In practising my process I run up or down through either shells with steam, or
air or both, as desired.
My retorts may be used either with or without bafflers, by which I mean
fire brick blocks so arranged in the retorts that the gas must take a zigzag path in
passing through said retorts, and hence be detained.
Pure illuminating gas can be made by the above process and carburetted up to
any desired candle power.
The retorts may be cleaned and heated by closing valves on top of the generator,.
igniting the gas and sending flame through said retorts to burn them out or heat.
them up. The flame escapes by valve 47 on top of retort 10.
My process, I compute saves sixty per cent. in fuel over the old methods, as the
blows in the old methods as practised in analogous types of apparatus are always
longer than the runs, and the fuel used in the blows is entirely wasted. By
securing a continuous run, I save this fuel and gasefy everything that goes into the
shells. It will thus be seen that my process produces gas continuously and only
shutting down to clinker out.
The oil charged into the generators may be very satisfactorily preheated, by
inserting a coil of pipe at some point in the path of the escaping gases, as for
instance as shown at 47 in the T 39.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In gas producing apparatus, the combination of a gas generator; one or
more retorts located in the combustion chamber of said generator and communicating
with said combustion chamber; a valve controlling the communication between
said combustion chamber and said retort or retorts; a pipe connecting the bottom
of said generator with said retort or retorts controlled by suitable valves, and a
blast device connected with the upper and lower parts of said generator and valves
in said blast connections, substantially as described.
2. In gas producing apparatus, the combination of a gas generator; a blast
device connected with the upper and lower parts of said generator; gas connections.

page_text: from the upper and lower parts of said generator to a second gas generator, and
one or more retorts located in the combustion chamber of said second generator
and communicating with said combustion chamber, the whole system being provided
with suitable valves, substantially as described.
3. In gas producing apparatus, the combination of a gas generator; a blast
device connected with said generator; a gas connection to a second gas generator;
said second gas generator; a blast device connected. with said second generator
and one or more retorts located in the combustion chamber of said second
generator and communicating with said combustion chamber, the whole system
being provided with suitable valves, substantially as described.
4. In gas producing apparatus, the combination of a gas generator; a blast
device connected with said generator; a gas connection to a second gas generator;
said second gas generator; one or more retorts located in the combustion chamber
of said second generator and communicating with said combustion chamber, and a
valve controlling the communication between said retort or retorts and
combustion chamber, substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of December 1892
the
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.