An Improved Process and Apparatus for Producing a Uniform Mixture of Air and Inflammable Vapour.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 15th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 21st Sept., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process and Apparatus for Producing a Uniform
Mixture of Air and Inflammable Vapour.
A communication to me from LUDWIG FEIL, of Amberg, Bavaria, in the Empire
of Germany, Soap Manufacturer.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the Firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 65 and 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, to be as follows:-
When it is desired to produce a gaseous inflammable mixture of air and a
volatile hydrocarbon, such as petroleum, by the combustion of which mixture light
can be obtained from a suitable substance brought to incandescence, care must be
taken that the temperature of the flame, and therefore the light from the
incandescent body, shall not be greatly reduced.
By the vapourization of part of the volatile fluid, the temperature of the
remainder falls very quickly, with the result that not sufficient is vapourized to
form a proper inflammable inixture with the air, and, in order to prevent this and
to keep the liquid hydrocarbon sufficiently heated, the vessel in which it is placed
to be vapourized, is immersed in warm water. It is, however, quite impossible to
regulate the heat with the exactness necessary for the production of a perfectly
uniform mixture of air and vapour, and the present invention consists in a method
of construction and arrangement, by which the liquid hydrocarbon is heated or
warmed by means of the water circulating through the jacket round the cylinder
of a motive power engine, which is used to force air into and through the liquid
hydrocarbon. For this purpose a hot air engine provided with a jacket for the
circulating cooling water, or a gas engine, benzine, or other petroleum engine, may
be used.
When the apparatus is being used, the motor drives an air pump by which air is
forced into a closed vessel containing a suitable volatile liquid hydrocarbon,
The air therefore
through a pipe reaching nearly to the bottom of the vessel.
becomes impregnated with inflammable vapour, forming a mixture which passes
away through a pipe at the upper part of the vessel, to the place where it is to be
burned, after having been first dried.
The vessel is contained in an outer larger vessel, the top and bottom of which
are connected by two pipes with the top and bottom of the water jacket round the
cylinder of the engine already described. The water warmed by the cylinder
when the engine is working circulates, therefore, through the vessel surrounding
that containing the liquid hydrocarbon, which it warms, whilst it is itself cooled
before passing back to the jacket.
The inner vessel communicates with a reservoir containing liquid hydrocarbon,
so that the level of the latter in the former is kept uniform.
By the improved arrangement described, it will be seen that the operations' are
entirely automatic. If the consumption of hydrocarbon is increased by more
burners being used, the engine has to run quicker in order to pump in more air.
The water in the cylinder jacket, therefore, becomes warmer, and serves to heat a
proportionally larger quantity of the hydrocarbon. If the consumption is
reduced, the pumped-in air does not pass away sufficiently quickly, and the engine

page_text: runs more slowly, the, water becomes-less heated, and the saturation of the air
with the volatile liquid is reduced,, so, that only sufficient is consumed for the
reduced quantity of the mixture required. By the arrangement described, the
cocling water for the engine constantly circulates, and does not require to be
replenished.
Dated this 10th day of December 1894.
anu Apparatus Ior Producing a Uniform
Mixture, of Air and Inflammable, Vapour.
A communication to me from. LUDWIG FEIL, of Amberg, Bavaria, in the Empire
of Germany, Soap Manufacturer.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the Firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 65 and 66, Chancery Lane London, in the County of Middlesex, 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, that is to say :-
When it is desired to produce a gaseous inflammable mixture of air and a
volatile hydrocarbon, such as petroleum, by the combustion of which mixture light
can be obtained from a suitable.substance brought to incandescence, care must be
taken that the temperature of the flame, and therefore the light from the
incandescent body shall not be greatly reduced.
By the vapourization of part of the volatile fluid the temperature of the
remainder falls very quickly, with the result that not sufficient is vapourized to
form a proper inflammable mixture with the air, and, in order to prevent this and
to keep the liquid hydrocarbon sufficiently heated, the vessel in which it is placed
to be vapourized, is immersed in warm water. It is, however, quite impossible to
regulate the heat with the exactness necessary for the production of a perfectly
uniform mixture of air and vapour, and the present invention consists in a novel
method of construction and arrangement, by which the liquid hydrocarbon is
heated or warmed by means of the water circulating through the jacket round the
cylinder of a motive power engine, which is used' to force air into and through the
liquid hydrocarbon. For this purpose a hot-air engine provided with a jacket for
the circulating cooling water, or a gas engine, benzine, or other petroleum engine,
niay be used.
The accompanying drawing is in illustration of the invention, being a side view,
partly in section, of the apparatus..
When the apparatus is being used, the motor M drives an air pump P' by which
air is. forced into a closed vessel B, containing a suitable volatile liquid hydro-
carbon, through a pipe reaching nearly to the bottom of the vessel. The air
therefore becomes impregnated with inflammable vapour forming a mixture which
passes away through a pipe at the upper part of the vessel, to the place where it is
to be burned, after having been, first dried.
This vessel B' is contained in an outer larger vessel G, the top and bottom of
which are connected by two pipes R and R with the top and bottom. of the water
jacket round the cylinder of the motor engine M already. described. The water
warmed by the cylinder when the engine M is working circulates, therefore,
through the vessel G surrounding, that B containing the liquid hydrocarbon,
which it warms, whilst it is itself ccoled before passing back to the jacket.

page_text: The inner vessel B communicates with a reservoir containing liquid hydrocarbon,
so that the level of the latter in the former is kept uniform.
By the improved arrangement described, it will be seen, that the operations are
entirely automatic. If the consumption of hydrocarbon is increased by more
burners being used, the engine has to ruu quicker in order to pump in more air.
The water in the cylinder jacket, therefore, becomes warmer, and serves to heat a
proportionally larger quantity of hydrocarbon. If the consumption is reduced,
the pumped-in air does not pass away sufficiently quickly, and the engine runs
more slowly, the water becomes less heated, and the saturation of the air with
the volatile liquid is reduced, so that only sufficient is consumed for the
reduced quantity of the mixture required. By the arrangement described, the
cooling water for the engine constantly circulates, and does not require to be
replenished.
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 :-
An improved process and apparatus for producing a uniform mixture of air and
inflammable vapour, by which the air is forced through a volatile hydrocarbon
which partly fills a vessel surrounded and warmed by an outer chamber, in and
through which circulates the water from a jacket surrounding the cylinder of a
hot air, gas, or vapour engine, by which the air is forced through the liquid
into the inner vessel, substantially as and for the purpose described, and.
illustrated.
Dated AL 101
1905
EDWARDS & Co.,
65 and 66, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.