IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO LAMP-BURNERS
Year: 1885

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I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine; Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO LAMP-BURNERS 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 lamp-burners for burning heavy mineral oils having a
specific gravity of more than 0.8 and especially mineral oils having an average
specific gravity of about 0.87.
In distilling crude petroleum the most volatile products such as benzine and
gasoline are first obtained; and then products of medium density, that is to say.
products having a specific gravity of about 0.8 the latter forming the illuminating
oil known as refined petroleum or kerosene. As the distillation continues heavier
oils are obtained, the specific gravity of which amounts to 0'9.
Heretofore these oils could not be employed for illuminating or lubricating
purposes and were treated as refuse in petroleum refining.
When such oils having an average specific gravity of 0'87 are thoroughly treated
with sulphuric acid and then with a solution of caustic alkali, an oil results the
illuminating power of which is, at least, equal to that of the usual refined
petroleum of a specific gravity of 0.8. This oil possesses also the very valuable
quality that its temperature of inflammation is 140° Fahrenheit or thereabouts.
In the ordinary lamp burners the usual refined petroleum rises by capillarity in
the common wicks to a height of 7 inches above the level of the liquid so that
the flame, is uniformly fed with oil until the oil in the oil vessel is nearly
exhausted; but in employing the above mentioned heavy oils as illuminating
agents in lamps of any known construction, the difficulty is experienced that the
wicks cannot raise it by capillarity more than two inches above the level of the
liquid. For this reason as soon as the level of the oil sinks in the oil vessel below
that limit, the flame will grow smaller and will be finally extinguished although
there may be still plenty of oil in the oil vessel.

page_text: The condition which a really practicable burner for burning mineral oil of an
average specific gravity of 0.87 must fulfil is the following, that is to say:-The
level from which the oil is to be raised by means of the capillary attraction of the
wick (which level I call the capillary attraction level) must be maintained constant
so as to secure a sufficient but not excessive feed of the oil, and consequently an
.uniform height of the flame.
The object of this invention is to construct a lamp-burner fulfilling this condition
and to this end the said invention consists essentially in providing mechanical
means, such for instance as are used in the well known moderator lamp, for raising
the oil from the oil reservoir or vessel into the wick tube to a distance of from
of an inch to 2 inches below the upper edge of the latter; and in providing.
holes or slots in the walls of the said wick tube at the desired distance below the
upper end of the same for permitting the escape of the superfluous oil and returning
it into the body of the lamp.
In the accompanying drawing
Figures 1, 1a, 2, 2a and 3, 3a shew the application of this invention to circular
burners and
Figures 4, 4a, 5, 5a and 6, 6a shew its application. to flat burners.
The figures shew as an example the upper part of the burner of an ordinary
moderator lamp forming the carrier for the wick tubes.
d is the delivery tube rising from the oil reservoir (not shewn in the drawing)
and is the wick tube.
b is the wick which is raised by means of the device t.
o are the overflow openings in the wick tube, is the channel receiving the
overflowing oil, and a is the pipe for returning the oil to the reservoir.
Figures 1, 1 and figures 4, 4° show a circular and a flat burner respectively of
the simplest form. The oil is raised through the delivery pipe d into the wick
tube h, and escapes therefrom through openings o into the channel r, and thence
through the pipe a into the oil reservoir. It is obvious that by these means the
capillary attraction level is maintained constantly as high as the openings o.
In order to efficiently prevent spontaneous ignition of the oil overflowing
through the openings in the wick tube close to the flame, even in case light and,
readily inflammable oil is being used, I provide the wick tube b with a protecting
sleeve m Figures 2, 2ª and 5, 5" screwed or otherwise fastened on to the same.
Within this sleeve the oil is returned to the oil cistern, but the level is maintained
constant as in the former construction.
•
The burners described have the defect that when the lower edge of the burning
wick has passed the overflow openings o it is out of contact with the oil and must
be replaced by a fresh wick notwithstanding that it is still of considerable length.
In order to obviate this defect I provide the burning wick tube h with numerous
and large openings lengthwise and circumferentially as shown in Figures 3 3
and 6, 6 and attach to the top edge of the said wick tube a feed-wick s, closely
surrounding the movable wick. An outer wick tube p having overflow openings o
is put over the said feed wick and is made fast by screwing or otherwise.
As the hollow spaces of both wick tubes communicate with each other it is
immaterial whether the delivery pipe d opens into the wick tube h or into the
feed wick tube p, it being only important that the outer wall of the wick tube
has as many and as large openings as possible, in order to provide the largest
possible contact surface between the two wicks.
The circulation of oil in this case is similar to that already described; the oil
raised through the delivery pipe d into the two wick tubes h and p remaining a
permanent level at the openings o, and overflowing through the same down the
tube p to the channel r and through the tube a into the oil reservoir.
Although in the circular burner shown in Figures 3 3ª the feed wicks together
with its tube pare shown as arranged on the outside of the tube h the feed wick s
might if desired be arranged inside the burning wick b, in which case the inner
wall of the tube of the latter would be provided with openings.

page_text: In the case of the flat burner shown in Figures 6 and 6ª it is not necessary that
the feed wick and its tube should entirely surround the wick b as the two wicks
might be so arranged that they are in contact on one flat side only.
It is also obvious that the overflow openings shown in Figures 1, 1° 2, 2ª.
and 3 3 might be arranged in the inner wall of the burning wick tube h without
departing from the nature of the invention. In this case the oil would return.
directly from the overflow openings to the oil vessel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is
First. In a lamp burner having a circular or flat wick, providing the burning-
wick tube h or the feed-wick tube p with openings o for automatically maintaining
a constant level of the oil at the distance below the flame required for burning
mineral oils the specific gravity of which exceeds 0.8, such distance being
determined by the position of the said openings o, substantially as, and for the
purpose, described.
Second. The arrangement of the protecting sleeve m substantially as described
with reference to Figures 2, 2ª and Figures 5, 5ª of the drawing.
Third. The employment of the wick & substantially as, and for the purpose,
described.
Fourth. The combination of the burning-wick tube h with the feed wick tube p
the two forming a double wick tube, substantially as described with reference to
Figures 3, and 6 of the drawing.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.