AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURING LIGHTING GAS BY EMPLOYING PETROLEUM, SCHISTE, OR OTHER MINERAL OR VOLATILE OILS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Pierre Léon Allaire, of Paris, in the Department
of the Seine, and Republic of France, Advocate, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURING LIGHTING GAS BY EMPLOYING PETROLEUM,
SCHISTE, OR OTHER MINERAL OR VOLATILE OILS."
Sealed the 15th June 1875, and dated the 16th December 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Pierre Léon Allaire at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th December 1874.
I, PIERRE LÉON ALLAIRE, of Paris, in the Department of the Seine,
and Republic of France, Advocate, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURING LIGHTING GAS BY EMPLOY-
ING PETROLEUM, SCHISTE, OR OTHER MINERAL OR VOLATILE OILS," to be as
follows:-
The attempts made within the last few years to replace coal in the
production of gas by various substances, and particularly by oils, have
given but indifferent results, not in respect of intensity of light, but
from an economical point of view. In fact the gasses thus obtained are
very easily distilled from the absence of sulphuretted hydrogen, sulphuret

page_text: of carbon, and of ammoniacal salts, but they cost more by reason of the
somewhat high price of the oils compared with that of coal.
I believe that I have achieved the desired result by the Invention of
an apparatus simple and therefore not costly, easily portable, working
perfectly, and of a construction little liable to injury.
The volatile liquid which I prefer to use is petroleum; nevertheless my
apparatus is applicable to the treatment for their transformation into gas
of all other essential oils, such as those of schist, gas, tar, naptha,
turpentine, resin, in short all the volatilisable oils or liquid hydro-
carbons, whether of mineral or vegetable origin.
The fundamental principle of my improved apparatus resides in the
formation of the gasses by means of two hollow spheres or vessels with
interior curved surfaces, one of which serves for the vaporization of the
liquid and the other for the decomposition of the vapor supplied to
obtain a rich gas at a moderate price and having a very remarkable
lighting power.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing Figure 1 is a vertical
section of the gas producing apparatus of my Invention, and Figure 2
exterior view of same in connection with the refrigerator and the gas
holder or reservoir for storing the gas.
The petroleum contained in the upper receiver a descends by a pipe b
with regulating cock c into the first spherical vessel d, where the
vaporisation takes place at a temperature of about 200 degrees, tempera-
ture given by the lower fire-place f of the apparatus. From the vessel
d the vapor passes by the conduits e into the vessel g, heated to about
900 degrees, in which vessel the said vapor decomposes, that is to say,
where the separation of the non-volatile products from the gas, properly
so called, takes place. The residuums of the decomposition remain at
the bottom of the vessel g. The grating of the fire-place f is placed
beneath the vessel g, and the smoke escapes by the lateral flue h. Man-
holes are provided following the curved surfaces of each of the vessels d
and g. The entire arrangement is supported by the casing B. Thus
produced the gas escapes by any suitable conduit i to the refrigerator j,
having a worm or tubes with end chambers and containing a certain
quantity of water.
From this apparatus the gas is sent to the gas g
holder K, which presents no novelty.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of tho Letters Patent,
filed by the said Pierre Léon Allaire in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th June 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PIERRE
LÉON ALLAIRE, of Paris, in the Department of the Seine, and Republic
of France, Advocate, send greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Pierre Léon Allaire, Her special licenco
that I, the said Pierre Léon Allaire, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Pierre Léon Allaire, 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 "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURING
LIGHTING GAS BY EMPLOYING PETROLEUM, SCHISTE, OR OTHER MINERAL OR VOLATILE
OILS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Pierre Léon
Allaire, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Pierre Léon Allaire, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by tho
following statement :-
The attempts made within the last few years to replace coal in the
production of gas by various substances, and particularly by oils, have
given but indifferent results, not in respect of intensity of light, but
from an economical point of view. In fact the gasses thus obtained are
very easily distilled from the absence of sulphuretted hydrogen, sulphuret

page_text: of carbon, and of ammoniacal salts, but they cost more by reason of the
somewhat high price of the oils compared with that of coal.
I believe that I have achieved the desired result by the Invention of
an apparatus simple and therefore not costly, easily portable, working
perfectly, and of a construction little liable to injury.
The volatile liquid which I prefer to use is petroleum; nevertheless my
apparatus is applicable to the treatment for their transformation into gas
of all other essential oils, such as those of schist, gas tar, naptha,
turpentine, resins, in short all the volatilisable oils or liquid hydrocarbons,
whether of mineral or vegetable origin.
The fundamental principle of my improved apparatus resides in the
formation of the gasses by means of two hollow spheres or vessels with
interior curved surfaces, one of which serves for the vaporisation of the
liquid, and the other for the decomposition of the vapor supplied to
obtain a rich gas at a moderate price, and having a very remarkable
lighting power.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing Figure 1 is a vertical
section of the gas producing apparatus of my Invention, and Figure 2
exterior view of same in connection with the refrigerator and the gas
holder or reservoir for storing the gas.
The petroleum contained in the upper receiver a descends by a pipe b
with regulating cock c into the first spherical vessel d, where the
vaporisation takes place at a temperature of about 200 degrees tempera-
ture given by the lower fire-place f of the apparatus. From the vessel
d the vapor passes by the conduit e into the vessel g heated to about
900 degrees, in which vessel the said vapor decomposes, that is to say,
where the separation of the non-volatile products from the gas properly
so called takes place. The residuums of the decomposition remain at
the bottom of the vessel g. The grating of the fire-place f is placed
beneath the vessel g, and the smoke escapes by the lateral flue h. Man-
holes are provided following the curved surfaces of each of the vessels d
and g. The entire arrangement is supported by the casing B. Thus
produced the gas escapes by any suitable conduit i to the refrigerator j,
having a worm or tubes with end chambers, and containing a certain
quantity of water. From this apparatus the gas is sent to the gas
holder k, which presents no novelty.

page_text: Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is or may be performed, I would
have it understood that I do not limit myself to any particular form or
dimensions in the construction of my improved apparatus or to the use
of any particular material, using cast or wrought iron, fire-clay, or any
material which I may find most suitable, and that what I claim as
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
above described process of the formation of gas from the oils and essences
of petroleum or other oils and essences,
which process
is characterised
by the employment and arrangement of two hollow spheres or vessels
communicating together, and with successive action. 1° vaporisation of
the liquid, 2° decomposition of the vapor previously formed into volatile
and non-volatile elements constituting the gas and its residues.
In witness whereof I, the said Pierre Léon Allaire, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Twenty-ninth day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.