Im- PROVEMENTS IN AIR OR VAPOR GAS MACHINES, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joshua Kidd, of 27, Leadenhall Street, in the
City of London, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joshua Kidd at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th May 1873.
I, JOSHUA KIDD, of 27, Leadenhall Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “Im-
PROVEMENTS IN AIR OR VAPOR GAS MACHINES, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
--
My Invention consists of a retort made round, zig-zag, tubular, or
other convenient shape into which light petroleum, spirit, or other hydro-
carbon is injected sparingly; in this retort the hydrocarbon is vapourized,
& the vapour allowed to escape from a small jet into a pipe which is
open to the atmosphere in such a manner that the escaping force of
the jet of vapour will draw with it the regulated amount of air required

page_text: for its combustion, and forces the same through the gas pipe to the
burners. The retort generating the vapour may be heated by the gas
flame, hot water, or steam, as desired.
My improvements may be applied for gencrating gas from light
hydrocarbons from 65° to 75° gravity, Beauma's scale, but when so
applied the retort generating the gas must be heated by placing it
over one or more of the burners, and the tube leading into said retort
must be packed with cotton or other fibrous material. The jet for
the escape of vapour & the air inlet must be fixed close to the
hot retort. The air inlet must be adjustable so as to allow of the
proper amount of air being mixed with the vapour. The tank con-
ducting the hydrocarbon to the retort may be suspended from 18
inches to four feet above the burners. In this class of apparatus the
burners must be close to the retort, or condensation will take place
in the pipes.
The burner most suitable for burning the mixture of air & vapour
is the common batswing.
My Improvements are further applied for generating gas from
petroleum spirit or hydrocarbon ranging from 80° or 90° Beaumer's
scale. This gas may be forced through ordinary gas pipes for lighting
buildings. When so applied I inject the liquid at a pressure of from
5 c 30 pounds into the top of the aforesaid retort. This retort is
fitted with a jet for the escape of vapour.
I construct a conical needle valve and attach it by means of suitable
mechanism to a gas holder in such a manner that the rising &
falling of the holder will cause the conical needle to open and close the
escaping orifice of the vapour jet, thus causing the gas to be generated
intermittently so as to supply one or a number of burners automaticly.
This retort may either be heated with gas, steam, or boiling water.
The tanks supplying the hydrocarbon spirit to the hot retort can
be either elevated or buried in the ground, but when buried a suitable
pressure must be placed upon the liquid by compressed air forced by an
air pump, or by a falling column of water.
The burners most suitable for burning this gas are the Argand and
the bat's-wing, but the bat's-wing burner must be formed with an escape
or outlet for the gas below the jet. This outlet of gas below the jet must

page_text: be controlled by an outer tubular jacket in such a way that more or
less of the vapour can be allowed to rise into the flame issuing from the
jet, or be entirely shut off. This arrangement allows the flame to be.
increased or diminished by the consumer at will without altering the
volume issued by the bat's-wing jet, and entirely compensates for any
diminishing of vapour, or impoverishing of the gas that may take
place.
I modify the arrangement described for making gas by allowing
water to be injected into the before-mentioned retort instead of
petroleum spirit. Steam is thus generated, and its escaping force
from the aforesaid jet drives a current of air through any ordinary.
carburetting vessel and suitably arranged gas pipes.
The water of condensation from the steam will fall to the bottom of
the carburettor and give out its heat to supply that abstracted by the
evaporation of the liquid hydrocarbon
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joshua Kidd in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSHUA
KIDD, of 27, Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, Engineer, send.
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Joshua Kidd, Her special
license that I, the said Joshua Kidd, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joshua Kidd, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AIR OR VAPOR GAS MACHINES, AND IN. APPARATUS CONNECTED THERE WITH,"

page_text: upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joshua Kidd, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 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 Joshua Kidd, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
My Invention consists of a retort made round, zig-zag, tubular, or
other convenient shape into which light petroleum spirit or other
hydrocarbon is injected sparingly; in this retort the hydrocarbon is
vaporized, and the vapour allowed to escape from a small jet into a
pipe, which is open to the atmosphere, in such a manner that the
escaping force of the jet of vapour will draw with it the regulated
amount of air required for its combustion, and forces the same through
the gas pipe to the burners. The retort generating the vapour may be
heated by the gas flame, hot water, or steam, as desired.
My improvements may be applied for generating gas from light
hydrocarbon from 65° to 75° gravity, Bauma's scale, but when so
applied the retort generating the gas must be heated by placing it.
over one or more of the burners, and the tube leading into said retort
must be packed with cotton or other fibrous material. The jet for
the escape of vapour and the air inlet must be fixed close to the
hot retort. The air inlet must be adjustable so as to allow of the
proper amount of air being mixed with the vapour. The tank con-
ducting the hydrocarbon to the retort may be suspended from 18.
inches to four feet above the burners. In this class of apparatus the
burners must be close to the retort, or condensation will take place
in the pipes.
The burner most suitable for burning the mixture of air and vapour
is the common bat's-wing.
My improvements are further applied for generating gas from
petroleum spirit or liquid hydrocarbon ranging from 80° to 90°
Beaumas' scale. This gas may be forced through ordinary gas pipes

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 of my. Drawings represents a portable vapour gas apparatus
complete, partly in section and partly in elevation, with my improve-
ments applied thereto. A shews a strong cylindrical iron tank, shewn
in section, containing light hydrocarbon spirit; B is an ordinary air
pump for placing the spirit under air pressure, which must be from
ten to thirty pounds; C, C, is a retort or boiler surrounded by an
outer case E containing boiling water for vaporising the spirit which
enters said retort by pipe P, the water is kept boiling by gas flame F.
The vapour escapes under pressure intermittently from small jet O,
and the escaping force of the vapour rises air valve g, thereby inducing
a current of air to mix with the vapour, which together travel down
pipe H to gas holder K, K. The amount of air mixing with the vapour
is regulated by the adjustable socket G; L is the outlet from the gas
holder; a, b, c, d, e, and f, constitute a mechanical automatic arrange-
ment enabling the apparatus to make gas for one or more burners;
a is an air-tight tube partly filled with quicksilver which works loosly
and independently on a central pivot like a scale beam; 6 is likewise
a scale beam lever working on a centre pivot with a wire d attached;
c is a needle working through a stuffing box S, the conical point of
this needle is made to open and close the vapour jet O by the rising
and falling of the gas holder; r, r, is an iron wire attached to the
support of the automatic device e; as the gas in the holder is discharged
wire r, r, falls, and at a certain point by means of small bent wire of
overturns balance tube a which falls upon balance beam 6 and so with-
draws the needle C from jet O, thus allowing gas to be generated; as the
gas holder becomes filled a reversion of the former movements of the
automatic device shuts off the gas until the holder fills.
Before starting this gas apparatus the generator must be heated,
which can be done by simply filling the outer casc E with boiling
water before admitting the spirit to retort C, C. The gas flame F
must be sufficient to keep the water in chamber E at or near the
boiling point, or to generate steam to fill the aforesaid chamber.
Figure 2 shews another form of portable self-generating gas apparatus
partly in section and partly in elevation with my improvements applied
thereto. A is a tank containing light petroleum spirit; this spirit
passes through tubes D, N, to retort C where it is vaporised; this

page_text: retort may be made round, tubular, or other convenient shape; the
retort is kept not when the apparatus is in operation by gas flame F.
Pipe N is partially filled with cotton wick or other fibrous materials.
The vapour escapes under pressure through small jet O, thereby
inducing air to enter through an adjustable opening at G and mixes
with the vapour, which together travels in the direction of arrows to
burners F; M, stop cock for admitting or stopping supply of liquid
to the retort. On first operating the retort must be heated by a little
wire gauze or other porous material dipped in spirits of wine or other
heating liquid.
Figure 3 shews a sectional elevation of another modification of my
Invention. Instead of hydrocarbon vapour escaping from jet O I sub-
stitute instead the vapour from water, which vapour may be generated
in any convenient manner, the escaping force of which from jet O
draws in a current of air through the opening G and forces it through
pipe H. The steam is condensed and the air passes under pressure
in the direction of the arrows into the carburetter ✗, the interior of
which is formed in the shape of a coil, as shewn in section, so as to
force the air over a large surface of spirit, thus causing it to absorb
a large amount of vapour. Any well-known vessel used for carburetting
gas may be used for this purpose. After the air has become impregnated
with the vapour from the spirit it escapes from outlet L to the burners y
escape pipe for water of condensation.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. I claim, a retort for generating light hydrocarbon vapour
having its outlet at the top, and its supply pipe connected and open
from its lowest part to the supply tank, so that when the pressure
increases in the vapour generating retort c it will drive the liquid
further away from the hottest part back to the supply tank A, and
vice versa.
Second. I claim, the automatic device shewn at a, b, c, d, e, and
f, combined with the gas holder K, K, retort C, vapour jet O, and
air inlet G, or their equivalents, when combined and operated substan.
tially as described and set forth as in Figure 1.

page_text: Third. I claim in Figure 2, the method shewn of instantly vaporising
the hydrocarbon spirit by injecting it into the retort sparingly together
with parts N, C, O, G, and F, or their equivalents, when combined,
arranged, and operated substantially as described.
Fourth. I claim, the method of producing a current of air by the
escaping force of a jet of steam for generating vapour gas, as shewn
in Figure 3.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joshua Kidd, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Eighth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.