Improvements in and relating to Calcium Carbide or analogous Compounds, and the Treatment of the same to Form a Uniform Composition.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 7th Nov., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Calcium Carbide or analogous
Compounds, and the Treatment of the same to Form a Uniform
Composition.
I, JAMES ALBERT DEUTHER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing
at 114 Purchase Street in the City of Boston, County of Suffolk and State of
Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 hy the following statement :-
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the treatment
of calcium carbide or analogous compounds to make the same of uniform composition.
By my process calcium carbide or analogous compounds, in whatever condition
produced, whether in crystalline form or as a mass, is first pulverized and then a
binding material which does not decompose the carbide, is mixed therewith and has
the purpose of binding the pulverized compound and also acts as an adulterant
thereto, and said binding material also facilitates the process of making these more
or less finely divided compounds coherent; that is, makes said compounds less liable
to fracture or pulverization in transportation or in use. There may be any number
of substances which would act as a binding material in carrying out my invention,
but 1 find that rosin is a very good material for this purpose.
It is evident that if said binding material acts to keep the above-mentioned
compound in one piece, that, if the said compound is delivered to the water or other
liquid in one piece, naturally, if the said compound is decomposable by water or
other liquid, then said decomposition will occur at a rate in proportion to which all
the particles of the above-mentioned compound are brought into contact with the
liquid which serves to decompose said compound.
In the processes now used, which aim to produce calcium carbide, a compound is
produced composed of calcium carbide and impurities in more or less degree ;
impurities being defined as that which exists, say in a pound of said product, other than
in the form of calcium carbide. In practical commercial operation, it is found that
the product resulting from the processes or methods now used to produce calcium
carbide is not uniform, and by uniform I mean the capability of, say, one pound of
product always to produce the same determined amount of gas. Now, practically
illustrating assuming the operation of producing calcium carbide has been carried
on for one day, a mass is obtained, say, of 1000 pounds; now it will be found that
samples taken from different portions of this mass, show that said mass is not a
uniform compound; that is, said different portions do not all produce the same amount
of gas. If the whole of said mass were decomposed, the resultant gas from the whole
of said mass would be, say, for instance, three cubic feet per pound of said mass,
while portions of said mass when taken separately may yield five cubic feet per pound
of product, and another portion may yield two or three cubic feet per pound of
product, but the whole mass when thoroughly mixed together is capable of an average
yield of three cubic feet of gas per pound of product. Likewise, on a second run,
a product may be obtained capable of yielding on an average two and one half cubic
feet of gas per pound, or five cubic feet of gas per pound, and so on.
Now it is the purpose and object of my invention to take the calcium carbide or
compounds of analogous nature, pulverize the same, and when pulverized or crushed
mix the same thoroughly, so that if 1000 pounds of non-uniform calcium carbide is
obtained from a run, now when the same is crushed and thoroughly mixed, every

page_text: portion of this mixed mass will be uniform, in the sense that one pound of product
from any portion of said mass is capable of yielding the same determined amount of
gas per pound. The binding material which may be either a solid or a liquid, is
useful to mix with said finely divided product so that when said product is compressed
into tablets it will be more coherent and retain its tablet form.
Having thus obtained a mass of uniform composition, it is obvious that if one
pound of such uniform mass gives, say, for instance, four cubic feet of gas when
decomposed by water or other liquid, then a certain weight of such uniforin decom-
posable substance can be taken, when in a powdered condition, and compressed into
tablets, each tablet representing by decomposition, a definite amount of gas, and when
brought into contact with water or other liquid will generate a fixed amount of gas.
In another application, filed simultaneously herewith, I have shown, described and
claimed an appiratus in which a fixed amount of calcium carbide or analogous
substance, preferably in tablet form, is fed to the gas generating chamber containing
either water or other liquid, and the feeding of said calcium carbide is automatically
controlled by the pressure or volume of the gas generated.
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. As a new article of manufacture for the production of acetylene gas, metallic
carbide and an inert substance uniformly distributed throughout the carbide whereby
on exposure to water the reaction will be retarded.
2. The process of generating acetylene gas at a regulated rate, which consists in
first impregnating metallic carbide with an inert substance and then subjecting the
prepared carbide to the action of water, whereby the production of acetylene gas is
retarded.
3. The herein described process, which consists in mixing together calcium
carbide compounds or analogous substances of different compositions to produce
a compound of uniform composition, and mixing with said compound a binding
material.
4. The herein-described process, which consists (1), in mixing together calcium
carbon compounds or analogous substances of different compositions to produce a
compound of uniform composition; (2), in mixing with said compound à binding
material, and (3), forming said compound into tablets.
Dated this 17th day of Septembar 1896
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.