IMPROVE- MENTS IN GAS BURNERS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street, in
the City of London, E. C., Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GAS BURNERS."-A communication.
Sealed the 14th May 1858, and dated the 17th November 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald
Brooman, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 17th November 1857.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, E. C., Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS BURNERS," (communicated to me by a
foreigner residing abroad,) to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the "argand" gas burner, its object being to
produce a steady flame and a more complete combustion of the carbon held in
suspension in the gas, in such manner as to dispense, if desired, with the
necessity of employing a shade or a chimney, without which that form of
burner has heretofore been useless. In fact, even with the aid of a chimney,
more or less carbon has always been deposited upon the walls of the room and
other objects surrounding the flame, and the intense heat thrown off is often
very objectionable, still the character of the light produced by that burner is
such as render it a desirable form.

page_text: This Invention consists in surrounding the central ring of orifices for the
escape of gas by an additional ring of lesser orifices, which are placed equi-
distant from the central ones, as well as from each other, and about six of
these will be found to answer a good purpose.
The Inventor bas discovered that in this arrangement the smaller flames
obtained in burning the gas, produce upon the central and greater ones
the remarkable effect of obviating all flickering and smoking, so that the
argand may be burned at its maximum height without the use of a chimney.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, E. C.,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-soven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign. did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 GAS BURNERS," (communicated to me by a foreigner
residing abroad), upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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
inmediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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

page_text: following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to the "argand gas" burner, its object being to
produce a steady flame and a more complete combustion of the carbon held in
suspension in the gas, in such manner as to dispense, if desired, with the
necessity of employing a shade or a chimney, without which that form of
burner has heretofore been useless. In fact, even with the aid of a chimney,
more or less carbon has always been deposited upon the walls of the room and
other objects surrounding the flame, and the intense heat thrown off is often
very objectionable, still the character of the light produced by that burner is
such as to render it a desirable form.
The Invention consists in surrounding the central ring of orifices for the
escape of gas by an additional ring of lesser orifices, which are placed equi-
distant from the central ones as well as from each other, and about six of
these will be found to answer a good purpose.
The Inventor has discovered that by this arrangement the smaller flames
obtained in burning the gas, produce upon the central and greater ones the
remarkable effect of obviating all flickering and smoking, so that the Argand
may be burned at its maximum height without the use of a chimney.
To illustrate this Invention, the argand gas burner, as is well known,
is formed with an annular series of small holes, placed at such distances from
each other that the issuing gas, when lighted, forms a cylindrical flame. One
of these is shewn in the annexed Drawings at a Figures 1 and 2. Around
and about this are placed the supplemental or steadying jet apertures, as
shewn in the Figures. They consist of a number of holes in a ring circum-
scribing the burner a, equidistant from each other, and are on a level with
the holes in the latter, although this is not strictly necessary, the said supple-
mental holes being seen at the letters b. The burner is as usual fitted with a
stem to screw on to the gas pipe. The operation is as follows:-Having
lighted the gas issuing through the argand circle a, next light also that issuing
from the apertures b, and adjust the height of the central flame as desired for
light, and as seen in Figure 1. The small jets need only be in proportion
to the greater, as say one-fourth of an inch to one and a half inches, or as seen
in the last-named Figure, although there is no exact limit in this respect.
Now it will be found that so long as the jets in the outer row are kept lighted
so long will there be produced a steady and unflickering as well as smokeless
flame; on putting out one or more or the whole of the supplemental jets,
however, the flame will at once become smoky and flickering.
The proper distance at which to locate the steadying flames or jets from the

page_text: central one will be for a burner of three-quarters of an inch in diameter, at a
distance on the line of a radius of three-quarters of one inch from the ring of
holes. Variations may be made in the number and size of holes also, as well
as in the manner of applying the supplemental steadying jets. Those, instead
of being formed into a ring, may be like branches projecting from the central
body or stem of the burner. This latter form has the advantage of giving
ability to adjust the distance from the central light by bending them as may
be required. Such experimenting, however, is only required in producing the
first burner of any new form, as once obtained all the others may have their
steadying jets at once placed in their proper permanent positions.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the combination
with an argand burner of a series of supplemental jets arranged around the
'said burner, in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of May, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.