An Improved Portable Light.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 1st Aug., 1891-Accepted, 26th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by HARRY CLAY CAMPBELL, Manufacturer, of
Diamond Street, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America.]
An Improved Portable Light.
I JAMES JOHNSON of 4 Clayton Square, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The object is to provide an efficient portable light by the incandescence of
refractory substances.
The invention consists essentially in obtaining a light by the combustion of
naphtha or like vapour delivered through a Bunsen burner on to refractory material,
such material being in the form of a filament or other device having extended
heating surface.
The naphtha vaporizer, Bunsen burner and refractory filament are combined in
any suitable manner so as to be portable.
Deted the 19th day of Monob 1901
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Portable Light.
I JAMES JOHNSON of 4 Clayton Square Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Patent Agent, 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 :—
The object is to provide an efficient portable light by the incandescence of
refractory substances.
The communicator of the said invention has discovered that by injecting hydro-
carbon fluid in a heated and vaporous condition and under considerable pressure
through a Bunsen burner, where it is mixed with a sufficient quantity of atmospheric
air, into, through, or against, a refractory body which will become incandescent by
the heat of the ignited hydrocarbon vapor, a very intense light is produced very far
exceeding in candle power any light which has been heretofore obtained by the
burning of coal gas under ordinary pressure through the intervention of a Bunsen
burner and in contact with such refractory body.
The invention consists essentially in obtaining light by the combustion of the
vapour of naphtha or like suitable hydrocarbon delivered through a Bunsen burner
onto refractory material such material being in the form of a filament or other
device having extended heating surface.
The naptha vapourizer Bunsen burner and refractory filament are combined in
any suitable manner so as to be portable.
To enable others skilled in the art to use my invention I will proceed to explain
the method used and the devices by which I carry the same into effect.
The drawing accompanying and forming part of this Specification is a sectional
elevation of a lamp embodying in its construction and operation the invention which
I have made and am about to describe.
A pipe, a, connecting with a reservoir or vessel of liquid hydrocarbon (preferably
gasoline) enters at one side the vaporizer b which forms the lower portion of the
lamp or burner. The reservoir of gasoline may be elevated sufficiently above the
level of the burner to cause the gasoline to flow into the vaporizer freely and with

page_text: sufficient pressure to preserve a constant supply, or the reservoir may be arranged
to give the requisite pressure by means of compressed air or otherwise. A cock, c,
serves to open close or regulate the supply of liquid hydrocarbon.
Between the cock, c, and the vaporizer 6 the pipe a is filled with packing (such
as fibrous asbestos) which serves the purpose of regulating the flow of the gasoline
of preventing any solid matter from entering the vaporizer and of checking
any tendency of the vapor from the vaporizer flowing back into the liquid
reservoir.
The vaporizer which is made of brass or other suitable material is perforated
vertically with a passage d of small diameter say about one sixty fourth of an inch
more or less the upper extremity of the passage at the top of the vaporizer being a
very small hole almost as fine as the point of a cambric needle. The lower end of
the passage
d connects by a short cross passage e with another vertical passage f
which extends about half way up the vaporizer where it connects with the pipe a.
The lower end of the vertical passage d'is opened or closed by a conical plug or
valve g which has a screw thread on its stem which extends downward and terminates
in a handle by which it is operated. The cross-passage e extends beyond the short
vertical passage f with which it connects and terminates in a small opening in the
side of the vaporizer 6 which opening is opened or closed by a screw plug or
valve h.
The purpose of the opening in the side of the vaporizer and the valve h is to
permit of the escape of a small stream of liquid or vaporized hydrocarbon at a point
close to the outer surface of the vaporizer which being ignited heats up the vaporizer
sufficiently to vaporize all the hydrocarbon liquid which enters it from the pipe a.
The lower portion of the vaporizer below the pipe a is surrounded with a perforated
metallic screen i which serves to prevent the small flame from the leak hole at /
being blown out and also to prevent the heated vaporizer from being carelessly
handled.
The operation of the apparatus as thus far described is that when the cock c is
opened and the valve g nearly closed the hydrocarbon liquid enters the pipe fand
being vaporized and highly heated (by the heat of the vaporizer) within the pipe d
a great pressure is generated so that the highly heated hydrocarbon vapor is forced
out through the minute orifice at the top of the pipe d in an upward vertical stream.
Supported by the top of the pipe d is a light Bunsen burner consisting of a metallic
tube with perforations at its base to admit atmospheric air and a shield or
petticoat surrounding said perforations. The tube extends upwards some distance
as shown in the drawing. The chimney gallery m is supported by a metallic frame k
at a point between the base and the top of the tube l.
The chimney-gallery holds a glass chimney n which surrounds the light. At the
top of the tube is a metallic cup o of larger diameter than the tube / into which
the tube enters and over which is placed a light dome or hemisphere o¹ of gauze
wire which to some extent arrests the upward passage of the stream of mixed air
and hydrocarbon vapor causing it to spread out laterally and also serves to prevent
ignition of the gas and vapor at any point below the top of the tube l. Above the
cup is placed a mantle p, preferably composed of a porous or reticulated refractory
filament capable of incandescence when exposed to a high heat which mantle may
be supported by a standard p'. The composition and mode of manufacture of such
refractory filament for incandescent lighting by coating or impregnating a com-
bustible filament with a refractory oxide and then removing the combustible
filament by heat are well known and need not to be more particularly described.
I do not however wish to confine my improvement to the use of exactly such a
mantle of refractory material, as other devices made of refractory material capable
of incandescence may be used such for example as a disk or disks of porous or
nonporous refractory substance placed in such position as to become highly
incandescent by means of an ignited stream of mixed air and hydrocarbon fluid
under pressure.
The lamp being thus constructed the stream of mixed vapor and air passes up

page_text: the tube under considerable pressure and passing through the wire screen dome is
ignited and the refractory mantle over the flame soon becomes incandescent giving
a very strong light.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
First. The method of employing hydrocarbon fluids for illuminating purposes
herein described, that is to say, vaporizing the hydrocarbon liquid by heat and
causing the heated vapor to pass in a fine stream under considerable pressure
through an air mixing chamber and igniting the heated mixture of hydrocarbon
fluid and air in presence of a refractory substance capable of incandescence
substantially as described.
Second. The combination in one device as a portable incandescent lamp of a
Bunsen burner an incandescent filamentary substance and a self generating and
heating gas attachment substantially as described.
4
J. JOHNSON.