IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BURNING COMBUSTIBLE VAPOR (SUCH AS THAT FROM, NAPHTHA OR COAL OIL) FOR HEATING, COOKING, AND LIGHTING PURPOSES.
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's
Inn, in the County of Middlesex, and No. 87, St. Vincent Street, in the
City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BURNING COMBUSTIBLE VAPOR (SUCH AS THAT
FROM, NAPHTHA OR COAL OIL) FOR HEATING, COOKING, AND LIGHTING
PURPOSES. A communication from abroad by James Stratton,, of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office, of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd December 1865.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County
of Middlesex, and No. 87, St. Vincent Street, in the City of Glasgow,
Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BURNING COMBUSTIBLE VAPOR
(SUCH AS THAT FROM NAPHTHA OR COAL OIL) FOR HEATING, COOKING, AND
LIGHTING PURPOSES," (a communication to me from abroad by James Stratton,
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America,) to be as
follows.
This Invention relates to burners for the combustible vapor or gas given
out from naphtha, coal oil, and other similar liquids when decomposed by the
action of heat, and consists, firstly, of a vapor burner adapted for heating and,

page_text: culinary purposes; and, secondly, of a modification of the same adapted for
the purpose of illumination.
In carrying out the first part of this Invention a portion of a straight tube
near to the end is bent horizontally into a ring, the end being then bent
downwards and communicating by means of a short horizontal pipe with a
chamber to the top of which is secured a nipple, the latter being directly or
nearly below the centre of the ring formed by the bent portion of the tube
above alluded to. In the upper end of the nipple is an opening, and below
the latter is a conical valve seat, to which is adapted the upper conical end of
a screwed rod which passes through and screws into the bottom of the
chamber. To the lower end of the rod is secured a hand wheel or its
equivalent, and from the upper end of the rod projects a needle point for a
.purpose described hereafter. A metallic disc or plate is suspended within the
ring by. lugs or arms, the latter projecting from the said disc and resting on
the said ring. The annular portion of the tube is first heated in any suitable
manner, and naphtha, coal oil, or other suitable fluid is introduced into the
tube, along which it flows towards the chamber and through the nipple, where
the gas generated by the decomposition of the material in the heated portion
of the tube is ignited, the screwed rod being withdrawn to permit the escape
of the gas in such quantity as may be desired. As the flame from the burning
vapor impinges against the disc or plate it is deflected in all directions towards
the annular portion of the tube, which in a short time is heated to redness and
is maintained in this condition so that the gas is generated continuously and
in such quantities as to be impelled violently against the under side of the disc
or plate, heating the latter, the tubular ring, and the air which surrounds the
same. When it is. desirable to diminish the flame the rod is raised so as to
partially obstruct the opening in the nipple, when, however, it, becomes
necessary to extinguish the flame altogether a metal cap is placed over the
nipple, a pointed rod in the interior of the cap projecting into the opening in
the nipple and preventing the clogging of the latter: After the burner has
become perfectly cool the cap is removed, the screwed rod is raised until the
conical end of the same is brought firmly against its seat. Care should be
taken not to close the valves until the perfect cooling of the tube is effected,
as the expansion or continued formation of the gases in the tube without the
means of escape would cause the pipe to burst, or at least occasion leaking at
the joints. When it is desirable to heat any substance contained in a vessel
the disc or plate may be removed and the vessel be placed directly on the tube,
the bottom of the vessel acting in place of the plate to deflect the flame
against the tube.
:

page_text: In carrying out the second part of this Invention the chamber, valve seat,
and screwed rod are adapted to the end of the supply pipe, a vertical tube
passing downwards from the chamber, the lower end of the said tube being
surrounded by a tubular ring connected thereto by two or more hollow arms,
The upper side of this ring is pierced with a number of small perforations,
Beneath the arms is secured a detachable frame on which rest the spherical
glass shade and the glass chimney, the latter enclosing the vertical tube and
projecting above the spherical shade. Beneath this frame is secured a
detachable cup for a purpose described hereafter.. Alcohol or other suitable
material is placed in the cup and ignited, so as to heat the lower portion of
the vertical tube and the perforated ring. The screwed valve rod is then
turned so as to allow the fluid to flow in such quantities as may be required.
into the heated tubes, where it is vaporized, the heated gas escaping through
the perforations, and forming when ignited a circular flame similar to that of
the ordinary argand gas burner. The vertical tube soon becomes so highly
heated that before the fluid reaches the lower end of the same it is completely
decomposed, and a constant supply of combustible vapor or gas is thus
obtained. Wires are introduced into the supply tube to prevent the
communication of flame to the contents of the supply reservoir. In a
modification of this part of the Invention the fluid passes upwards through
the vertical tube, and descendis between the outside of the latter and a
surrounding tube which is closed at the top and communicates with a hollow
perforated ring below. The outer. tube becomes so highly heated by. the
surrounding flame that the fluid is rapidly vaporized as it passes down the
annular space between the two tubes to the interior of the perforated ring..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st June 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
and No. 87, St. Vincent Street, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and

page_text: grant unto me, the said George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said
George Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said George Davies, 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 "In-
PROVED APPARATUS FOR BURNING COMBUSTIBLE VAPOR (SUCH AS THAT FROM
NAPHTHA OR COAL OIL) FOR HEATING, COOKING, AND LIGHTING PURPOSES," (a
communication to me from abroad by James Stratton, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, in the United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Davies, 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 George Davies, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing and on reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
that is to say:
This Invention relates to burners for the combustible vapor or gas given
out from naphtha, coal oil, and other similar liquids when decomposed by the
action of heat, and consists, firstly, of a vapor burner adapted for heating and
culinary purposes; and, secondly, of a modification of the same adapted for the
purposes of illumination.
In carrying out the first part of this Invention a portion of a straight tube
near to the end is bent horizontally into a ring, the end being then bent down-
wards and communicating by means of a short horizontal pipe with a chamber to
the top of which is secured a nipple, the latter being directly or nearly
below the centre of the ring formed by the bent portion of the tube above
alluded to.
In carrying out the second part of this Invention the chamber, valve seat,
and screwed rod are adapted to the end of the supply pipe, a vertical tube
passing downwards from the chamber, the lower end of the said tube being
surrounded by a tubular ring connected thereto by two or more hollow
arms. The upper side of this ring is pierced with a number of small
nerforations.

page_text: Such being the nature and object of the said Invention for "Improved
Apparatus for Burning Combustible Vapor (such as that from Naphtha or
Coal Oil) for Heating, Cooking, and Lighting Purposes," I will now proceed
to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may
be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order that the same
may be distinctly understood. I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings
illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof, that
is to say:-
In the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the
improved vapor burner for stoves; Figure 2, an elevation, partly in section,
looking in the direction of the arrow, Figure 1; Figure 3, a plan view ;
Figure 4, a detached sectional view of part of the burner drawn to an enlarged
scale; Figure 5, an illustrative diagram; Figure 6, a sectional elevation of a
burner used for illuminating purposes; Figure 7, a sectional plan on the line
1, 2, Figure 6, and Figure 8, a modification of the burner represented in
Figures 6 and 7.
•
.
On reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, which illustrate the first part of
the Invention, A is a tube, a portion a of which may be straight, a portion a
being bent in the form of a ring, while the remaining portion a" projects
downwards from the end of the ring and communicates through a horizontal
pipe C with a chamber D, to the top of which is secured a nipple E,-the
latter being directly below or nearly below the centre of the ring formed by
the portion a¹ of the tube A. In the upper end of the nipple E is an
opening c, and below the latter is a conical valve seat, to which is adapted
the upper conical end of a screwed rod F, which passes through and
screws into the bottom of the chamber D. To the lower end of the rod F
is secured a hand wheel G, or its equivalent, and from the upper end of the
rod projects a needle e for a purpose described hereafter. H is a metallic dise
or plate which is suspended within the ring a¹ by lugs or arms f, f, the
latter projecting from the said disc and resting on the said ring.
The annular portion of the tube A is first heated in any suitable manner,
and naphtha, coal oil, or other suitable fluid is introduced into the tube, along
which it flows.towards the chamber D and through the nipple E, where the
gas generated by the decomposition of the material in the heated portion of
the tube is ignited, the screwed rod F being withdrawn to permit the escape.
of the
gas in such quantity as may be desired. As the flame from the burning
vapor impinges against the disc or plate H it is deflected in all directions
towards the annular portion a of the tube, which in a short time is heated to

page_text: 'redness, and is maintained in this condition, so that the gas is generated
continuously and in such quantities as to be impelled violently against the
under side of the disc or plate H, heating the latter, the tubular ring a', and
the air which surrounds the same. When it is desirable to diminish the
flame the rod F is raised so as to partially obstruct the opening in the nipple.
When, however, it becomes necessary to extinguish the flame altogether a
metal cap I is placed over the nipple, a pointed rod i in the interior of the
.cap projecting into the opening c, and preventing the clogging of the latter.
After the burner has become perfectly cool the cap I is removed, the screwed
rod F is raised until the conical end of the same is brought firmly against its
seat. Care should be taken not to close the valves until the perfect cooling
of the tube is effected, as the expansion or continued formation of the gases
in the tube without the means of escape would cause the pipe to burst, or at
least occasion leaking at the joints. When it is desirable to heat any substance
contained in a vessel the plate H may be removed and the vessel be placed
directly on the tube A, the bottom of the vessel acting in place of the plate to
deflect the flame against the tube. In burners of this character heretofore
used a plate similar to the plate H has been permanently connected by arms
to a heater or reservoir surrounding the nipple, the heat from the plate being
conducted by the arms to the reservoir, so that the fluid on reaching the latter
is decomposed. This arrangement, however, is objectionable, as the reservoir
is never heated to redness and the decomposition of the gases is not effected
so thoroughly and rapidly as desired. In these devices also the opening in
the nipple is of the character shown in Figure 5, so that it is constantly
enlarged as the valve seat wears away. By the arrangement above described
the tube A is heated to such a high degree that the fluid is thoroughly
'decomposed before it reaches the nipple, and coal oil and other similar
substances unsuitable for use in the ordinary burners of this class can be.
employed to as good advantage as the more expensive materials heretofore
used.
Another important feature of this Invention is the detachability of the
plate H from the ring a', so that the direct action of the fire may be exerted
upon any culinary vessel or other article placed upon the ring a¹. The
importance of the point e on the rod F and the pin i on the cap I as means of
closing the orifice of the nipple will be readily understood.
In Figures 6 and 7, which illustrate the second part of the Invention, the
burner is shown as adapted to illuminating purposes..
A is the conducting tube, which communicates through a horizontal pipe C
with a vertical tube a¹, the lower end of the latter being surrounded by a

page_text: tube E, which is bent in the form of a ring, and communicates with the
tube a through hollow arms a", and in the upper edge of the rings are
perforations c. Beneath the arm a" is secured a detachable frame G, on
which rest the spherical glass shade H and the glass chimney I, the latter
enclosing the tube a¹ and projecting above the shade H. Beneath the
frame G is secured a detachable cup J for a purpose described hereafter.
In the tube C is a valve seat, to which is adapted a conical valve on the end
of a screwed rod F, which turns in the closed end of the tube C,. a point
projecting from the end of the rod into the valve opening and preventing the
latter from becoming obstructed, as before described on reference to Figure 4.
Alcohol or other suitable material is placed in the cup J and ignited, so as
to heat the lower portion of the tube a¹ and the ring E. The valve rod F
is then turned so as to allow the fluid to flow in such quantities as may be
required into the heated tubes, where it is vaporised, the heated gas èscaping
through the perforations c, and forming when ignited a circular flame similar
to that of the ordinary argand gas burner. The tube a¹ soon becomes so
highly heated that before the fluid reaches, the lower end of the same it is
completely decomposed, and a constant supply of combustible vapor or gas is
thus obtained. Wires K are introduced into, the tube A to prevent the
communication of flame to the contents of the supply reservoir. It will be
apparent that the tube A may be made of a square, triangular, or other form
instead of being circular.
.
Figure 8 illustrates a modification of this part of the Invention. In this
case the fluid passes upwards through the tube a', and descends between the
outside of the latter and a surrounding tube L, which is closed at the top
and communicates with a hollow perforated ring E. The tube L becomes so
highly heated by the surrounding flame that the fluid is rapidly vaporized as
it passes down the annular space between the two tubes to the interior of the
perforated ring.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention for
"Improved Apparatus for Burning Combustible Vapor (such as that from
Naphtha or Coal Oil) for Heating, Cooking, and Lighting Purposes," together
with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried
into practical effect, I would remark, in conclusion, that the Inventor does
not desire to confine himself to the precise construction and arrangement of
parts herein described; but claims,―
Firstly, conducting the fluid from which the gas is to be generated through
an annular or other suitably shaped tube which communicates with and is
arranged above a nipple, substantially as and for the purpose described above.

page_text: Secondly, the detachable deffecting plate H adapted to the annular portion
a¹ of the tube A, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Thirdly, the nipple E with its opening c and its valve seat in combination
with the valve rod F, the whole being constructed and arranged substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourthly, the cap I with its pointed rod i adapted to the nipple E, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose specified.
Fifthly, conducting the fluid from which the gas is to be made through a
tube which communicates with and is surrounded by a perforated burner,
substantially as described and illustrated by Figures 6, 7, and 8, for the
purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.