IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS BURNERS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Sugg, of Vincent Street, in the City of
Westminster, Gas Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF GAS BURNERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas Sugg at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd January 1880.
WILLIAM THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Street, in the City of Westminster, Gas
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS BURNERS."
The object of this Invention is to construct a compound gas burner for use in
railway yards and other situations where an intense light is required, and where
the use of glass chimnies, which are needed for argand burners, is ojected to.
For this purpose. I combine together, say, four or more batwing or other flat
flame burners in such manner that the spaces between them will be equidistant, or
nearly so. When constructing a burner with four batwings I arrange three to
correspond to the angles of an equilateral triangle, and the fourth I place in the
centre at a somewhat superior elevation. The flames of the outer burners thus
arranged will barely reach each other at their adjacent edges.
To ensure this result and to remove all tendency of the flames to curl inwards
and interfere with the perfect combustion of the gas I arrange within the triangular
figure formed by the burners a metal guard of corresponding form having its flat
faces presented to the burners, which guard will guide currents of air up to the inner
side of the flame. Instead of metal this guard may be made of talc or equivalent
material.
The flame of the central burner must be kept clear of the flames of the exterior
burners, either by diminishing the jet or by elevating it as above indicated, or by
both means.
Transverse guards parallel to the central flame may also be employed
for directing the air upwards to the central burner so as to ensure the flatness of
the flame.
I propose in some cases to use two or more burners within the circumscribing
group, taking care so to arrange them in the way above indicated that the flames
of all the burners shall remain distinct or be prevented from blending, as otherwise
a forked and irregular mass of flame will be produced.
It will be understood that the guard which is inserted within the circumscribing
burners will take the figure corresponding to the arrangement of those burners,
whatever that may be.
A modification of the arrangement above indicated is in forming a six light
burner to arrange four in a row of corresponding size, the two outer ones repre-
senting two angles of a four sided figure, then for the other angles of this figure I
arrange two burners of larger capacity; the air guards or guides in this case will be
arranged parallel to the flames of their respective burners.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Thomas Sugg in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
July 1880.
WILLIAM THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Street, in the City of Westminster, Gas
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS BURNERS."
The object of this Invention is to construct a compound gas burner for use in
railway yards and other situations were an intense light is required and where the
use of glass chimnies, which are needed for argand burners, is objected to.
For this purpose I combine together, say, four or more bat-wing, or other flat
flame burners, in such manner that the spaces between them will be equidistant or
nearly so, and I provide a means for preventing the undue blending of the flames
and ensuring such a supply of air thereto as will prevent the giving off of smoke by
the compound burner.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews in side elevation, and Fig. 2 in plan
view a compound burner composed of five flat flame burners fitted with air guards
according to my Invention. Standing up from a screwed socket A are five tubes B,
to each of which is fitted a flat flame burner C having a steatite tip. These burners
are so arranged that four of them correspond to the angles of a square, while the
fifth C' stands up in the centre of the square somewhat higher than the surrounding
burners. In the space enclosed by the four outer burners is set a four sided or it
may be a circular frame or air guard D of such size as will just fit within that
space circumscribed by the burners. The slits or openings in the tips of the outer
burners are set parallel or nearly so with the adjacent sides of the frame, and
parallel with the slit or opening in the central burner tip two cross pieces D¹
constituting a portion of the frame D are arranged. The action of this frame is to
guide the ascending currents of air so that they shall impinge upon the inner face
of the flames of the outer burners, and thus prevent them from curling over inwards
and interfering with the proper combustion of the gas. In like manner the cross
bars D¹ of the frame D will assist in affording a free supply of air all round the
flame of the central burner, but their use may if preferred be dispensed with. This
frame or air guard D I make either of glass or of tin plate, or tale, if preferred, may
be employed. When the air guard is made of glass it will for cheapness of
manufacture in general take a cylindrical form, as shown in dotted lines in
Figs. 2, 3, & 4.
Fig. 3 shows in plan view a compound burner composed of four flat flame or
bat-wing burners. Of these, three are arranged to correspond to the angles of an
equilateral triangle and the fourth is placed at the centre of the figure, either on a
level with the three burners or at a somewhat superior elevation. The flames of
the outer burners thus arranged will barely reach each other at their adjacent
edges.
To ensure this result and to remove all tendency of the flames to curl inwards
and interfere with the perfect combustion of the gas a triangular or it may be
circular frame or air guard D is inserted in the space enclosed by the outer burner C
having its flat faces presented to the burners, which guard will guide currents of
air up to the inner side of the flames as above explained.
The air guard D is provided with cross pieces D' which run parallel to the slit of
the central burner C', as explained with reference to Fig. 2, and for the like object.
The slits in the outer burners will as in the first arrangement be parallel or nearly
so to the adjacent sides of the air guard.
I propose in some cases to use two or more burners within the circumscribing
group, taking care so to arrange them in the way above indicated that the flames
of all the burners shall remain distinct or be prevented from unduly blending, as
otherwise a forked and irregular mass of flame will be produced.

page_text: It will be understood that the air guard which is inserted within the circum-
scribing barners will take the figure corresponding to their arrangement or the
space within those burners, whatever that may be.
A modification of the arrangement above indicated is in forming a six light
burner to arrange four in a row of corresponding size, the two outer ones representing
two angles of a four sided figure, then for the other angles of this figure I arrange
two burners of larger capacity; the air guards or guides in this case will be arranged
parallel to the flames of their respective burners. This modification is illustrated
in the plan view Fig. 4, where C, C, are four burners of corresponding size arranged in
line, and C, C, are two burners of larger capacity situate on opposite sides of the
row of four burners. D is the rectangular frame or air guard with a cross
piece D¹ for guiding up the air so as to maintain the proper separation of the
frames.
In order to adapt my Invention for domestic use I construct a compound burner
with two bat wing burners, as shewn in side and plan views at Figures 5 and 6,
and between these burners I insert an oval air guard formed, by preference, of glass,
the longer axis of which is parallel to the slits in the tips. By the use of this form
of air guard I am enabled to obtain a ring of flame from the compound burner of
of sufficient brilliancy for domestic use.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in the
Construction of Gas Burners," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim, constructing compound gas burners by grouping together flat
flamed or bat wing burners, as explained, and inserting within the group an air
guard D, in the manner and for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Sugg, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twentieth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
WILLIAM T. SUGG. (L.S.)