Improvements in Apparatus appertaining to Gas Lighting.
Year: 1895

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as allowed by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 5th day of April 1898.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus appertaining to Gas Lighting.
I, THOMAS ROWAN, of 174, Amhurst Road, Hackney, in the County of Middlesex,
Manufacturer of Disinfectant Apparatus, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to gas lighting, and consists in apparatus adapted to any
form of gas burner for giving light, to effect the heating of the air supplied for the
combustion of the gas, by utilizing the heat itself of the burning gas, and thereby
to effect, by definite adjustment of the hot air supply to the consumption of gas,
a much brighter, whiter, and more vivid light, from a smaller consumption of gas,
than can at present be realized, from any ordinary "bats-wing," "Argand," or
other burner, or form of gas-light.
To carry my invention into effect, I enclose the flame from the gas-burner in a
chimney of glass, talc, or of part metal and part glass or talc, or of any other
suitable material, the part of the chimney surrounding the light being sufficiently
transparent to allow the light to pass. In some cases, as in an Argand gas-burner,
the said chimney is already in existence. I then apply an outer chimney, globe,
or cover, about the inner chimney, leaving an annular or other space between the
two chimneys or covers, for the passage down it of the air supply to the flame,
so that the air is exposed, on its travel to the flame, in a thin film, to the heated
outer surface of the inner chimney.
I close the bottom of the outer chimney or cover air tight and provide a means
of access for the air, from the outer annulus or space between the two chimneys or
covers, to the bottom of the inner chimney, and thus to the flame, where, in a
highly heated condition, it meets the issuing gas and produces a white, vivid, light,
with small consumption of gas.
The said outer chimney or cover may be of glass, talc, or partly of metal and
glass or tale, provided that that part surrounding the flame is sufficiently trans-
parent to allow the light to pass.
The base of the outer chimney may be sealed by the shape being moulded in,
with screwed attachment to the burner or bracket; or by a separate plate, cup or
saucer sealed or cemented to the outer chimney or merely supporting said chimney
and screwed or fitted to the burner bracket or other convenient part.
The inner and outer chimneys or covers may be of any shape, round, oval, flat,
square, or conical, to suit the form of the flame from the burner, and the size and
length of either chimney is made in accordance with the gas consumption and
requirements, to give most effective and vivid light.
As a means of varying the supply of air current to an Argand burner, I may

page_text: introduce a small tube from the exterior air, into the closed bottom of the two
chimneys the said tube being brought into the interior of the gas flame to admit
air therethrough.
As a further means of regulating the air supply to the flame, I may apply a
regulating valve between the outer and inner chambers.
I may protect the part of the burner, which is within my chimneys, from heat,
by an air space, or by a non-conducting packing, such as asbestos, to keep the gas
as cool as possible before mixing with the heated air.
The burner as above enclosed may be lighted from the top as in an ordinary
Argand burner, or I may make the lower disc or cup moveable so as to permit the
insertion of a light, or I may provide an opening with a sliding or spring-closed
shutter in the said disc or cup, for the same purpose.
Dated this 16th day of January 1895.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus appertaining to Gas Lighting.
I, THOMAS ROWAN, formerly of 174, Amhurst Road, Hackney, in the County
of Middlesex, but now of 5, Rosslyn Gardens, Hampstead, in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturer of Disinfectant Apparatus, 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:-
This invention relates to gas lighting and consists in improvements of burners
of the Argand type hereinafter fully described in which heated air is supplied for
the combustion of the gas, by utilizing the heat itself of the burning gas, and
in which by the definite adjustment of the hot air supply, and the use of means
for preventing the gas becoming too hot before ignition, a much brighter, whiter
and more vivid light from a smaller consumption of gas, is produced than can
at present be realized from any ordinary Argand burner.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I will now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the accompanying drawing, reference being had
to the letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a sectional view of a burner constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a view of burner with adjustable central air passage.
Figure 4 is a plan of the same.
After a long series of experiments I have found that the efficiency of the gas
as an illuminating agent when burnt in a regenerative Argand burner, depends
upon the temperature of the air mixed with gas to produce combustion and the
volume of heated air that is allowed to pass through the device, and further, that
the gas itself shall be kept sufficiently cool before ignition to prevent the decom-
position of the hydro-carbon before ignition and the too rapid combustion of the
carbon during burning. I find it also absolutely necessary that the gas pressure
at the burner orifice should be kept as nearly constant as possible.
My invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts of an Argand
burner of definite relative proportion to one another according to the quality or
quantity of gas used, whereby the hereinbefore described characteristics are
obtained.
To carry my invention into effect I arrange upon the burner A, a galley B

page_text: carrying an inner chimney C, and a second gallery D carrying an outer chimney E
so that an annular space exists between the two chimneys, which communicates
with the air passages F around and within the burner A. The bottom of the
gallery D is closed by a mica or other diaphragm K. Around the burner A I
arrange a cone G of such a shape as to cause the current of heated air to intermix
with the issuing gas. I also use a central tube spreader H having a similar object
with regard to the inside surface of the flame. In this way I feed directly to the
flame such an amount of heated air as will produce a very high incandescent effect
upon the carbon particles of the flame. Too little air would produce a smoky
flame, and too much air would cause the carbon to be consumed too readily to
allow of its being in an incandescent state sufficiently long to produce a flame of
high luminosity. With an ordinary Argand burner with a ring of one inch
diameter I obtain the highest luminous efficiency when the inner chimney is two
inches outside diameter and 9 inches long and the outer chimney is 2½ inches
inside diameter and 6 inches long. The top of the outer chimney is arranged
4 inches below the top of the inner chimney.
The area of the air channels through the centre and up the cone G for the supply
of air to the flame is 8 of a square inch and the area of the line of holes I at the
base of the cone G is 366 of a square inch making altogether 1166 of a square
inch. A burner made in accordance with the above particulars will when burning
16 candle power gas give an efficiency of 4.25 candle power per foot per hour, viz.
in burning 5 cubic feet per hour of 16 candle power gas the burner will give light
to the equivalent of 2125 candles. It will be noticed from the drawing that the
arrangements of the pipes or channels J by which the gas is led up to the
burner, within the hot air space is such that the gas travelling therethrough at a
considerable velocity does not become very highly heated, further that the
temperature of the burner is kept low by the transmission of heat from the burner
by conduction down the pipes into the fitting that supports the burner, and by
the flow of air through the central tube spreader H which feeds air only slightly
heated to the interior of the flame. When desirable I arrange non-conducting
packing L upon the outside or inside of the burner or upon both outside and
inside when necessary as shown in Figure 3 to prevent the absortion of heat by
the burner from the heated air.
In Figure 3 I show a modification in the construction of the burner whereby
the lighting efficiency of the burner is further increased. This modification
consists in the provision of means whereby a current of cold air is led up around
the gas supply channels so as to extract the heat therefrom, and then passes on to
mix with the gas to support combustion. By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen
that the central spreader H is mounted on to the supporting boss M and air
orifices N are arranged through the said boss, so that the air passes up to the
central air passages from which it issues and mixes with the flame. I may fit an
adjustable shutter O to these orifices to regulate the amount of cold air admitted
to the burner. When the area of orifices has been determined for highest efficiency
I may make them the exact size without means of adjustment.
It will be seen that by this means a current of slightly heated air is fed to the
interior of the flame, so that the carbon is made highly incandescent and is not
consumed too quickly. This type of burner gives an efficiency of 5 candles per
cubic foot of gas burnt.
The proportions of chimney, and airways that I have found by exhaustive
experiment to give a volume of air at a high temperature to maintain the carbon
particles of the flame in a high state of incandescence through a considerable
interval of time and at the same time to ensure their ultimate combustion, would
if altered in proportionate effect relatively to one another, reduce the efficiency of
the burner. If the gas were allowed to be heated to a high temperature as well
as the air it would be expanded in volume, and the carbon particles would readily
combine with the oxygen and be quickly consumed, and I desire it to be under-

page_text: stood that I make no claim to my improved apparatus except when provided with
means substantially as described for keeping the gas-supply cool.
In order to maintain the pressure of gas at the burner constant I fit a governing
device P of any known form.
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:
1st. A regenerative Argand gas burner consisting of, in combination a ring
burner, an inner chimney, an outer chimney shorter than the inner chimney
enclosing an annular space down which the air passes to the flame, and means
whereby the gas supply is kept at a low temperature substantially as described.
2nd. In a regenerative Argand gas burner a ring burner fitted with double
chimneys in combination with means for the supply of cold air to the base of the
burner substantially as described.
3rd. A regenerative Argand gas burner constructed with chimneys and air
passages in the proportionate manner substantially as described, subject to the
disclaiming note.
4th. The construction and arrangement of regenerative Argand gas burners
substantially as described and illustrated respectively in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated AIS HOLD day of October 1895
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.