Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1886.
Complete Left, 25th Nov., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 28th Jan., 1887.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of No. 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to portable apparatus for manufacturing gas by carburetting
air and is designed to produce combustible gas, without the aid of heat, by means of
any suitable hydrocarbon, by preference rectified petroleum.
The apparatus can be such as to supply a single burner or any number of burners as
required; the apparatus being always similar the dimensions only being changed.
To aid in explaining the nature of the invention I annex a sheet of drawings shewing
by way of example an arrangement of apparatus according thereto.
Fig. 1 represents a vertical section through the centre of the apparatus.
Fig. 2 is an elevation.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the apparatus.
Fig. 4 is a detail to a larger scale showing the arrangement of valve to permit
air which is not required to be carburetted to escape, before it can pass into the
carburetter as hereinafter described.
Gas generated in the manner about to be described, can be used for various purposes
such as for lighting, heating, or motive power.
The apparatus comprises a receiver C that can be hermetically closed, in which is
constantly maintained a sufficient quantity of air, introduced at A by a pump or equi-
valent apparatus.
Where the apparatus is designed to provide for a small consumption of gas, the air
can be introduced by means of bellows worked by clock-work and having a regulator
to determine the admission of air proportionately to the amount of gas passing to the
burner or burners. Certain accessory parts hereinafter described, such as the hot air
current inducer (cheminée d'appel) the thermometer, and others, may in some cases be
dispensed with and the entire apparatus be enclosed in a casing so as to present any
desired appearance; for instance it may resemble a lamp.
The receiver C contains an air-tight receptacle g for hydrocarbon closed hermetically;
or the receptacle g may if desired be placed outside.
The hydrocarbon receptacle g is itself enclosed in a carburetting vessel G which
receives the carburetted air and gas produced by the action of the air on the hydrocarbon.

page_text: The lower part of the vessel G contains the liquid hydrocarbon through which
passes air conducted by the pipe E to the small tubes I the extremities of which are
flattened.
The feeding of the hydrocarbon to the receptacle g is effected by means of the tube
having a stopper L, for which a funnel is substituted when feeding is to be effected.
The hydrocarbon is conducted from the said receptacle g, into the lower part of the
vessel or carburetter G, by means of a pipe V furnished with a cock R, and with a
stopper K for tapping the hydrocarbon when necessary.
The cock R should be kept closed when hydrocarbon is fed to the receptacle g. The
tube V, is by preference curved at its lower extremity as shewn in Fig. 1, to obviate
the influence of air bubbles rising from the partly flattened tubes 1.
A syphon pipe F passing from the top of the receptacle g terminates at its lower end
in the vessel G, with an enlarged part Z which serves to maintain the hydrocarbon
in the lower part h at a constant level.
The level of the hydrocarbon in the receptacle g is indicated by a gauge T outside the
apparatus.
The vessel or carburetter G and the receiver Care in communication by means of
the pipe E; the air from C passing through the pipes E and I ascends and is saturated
in its passage through the hydrocarbon contained in h, and takes with it the vapours
already produced in the carburetting vessel G. The carburetted air or gas thus
formed escapes through a tube M furnished with a cock and outlet N.
To prevent the tube E acting as a syphon in the receiver C, valves are provided at
00¹ enclosed in cases or chambers P P¹; these valves are of ordinary construction and
arrangement. Air is supplied to the receiver C as shown by the arrow; it thence
passes through the pipe E¹ and opens the first valve at 1, thence it proceeds through
the safety cock 2, opens a second valve at 3 and passes through the pipe E
and partially flattened tubes I to the carburetting vessel. It results from this
arrangement that should any undue pressure obtain in the carburetting vessel G the
hydrocarbon will not escape by the pipe E, inasmuch as the pressure will be communi-
cated to the air in that pipe thereby closing the first valve.
The receiver C is furnished with a special valve S, which regulates the pressure of
the air in the receiver, and with a pressure gauge D.
The valve S (see Fig. 4) is furnished with a stem ... carrying a dished plate y and
resting upon one end of a beam, which oscillates on knife edges v, on a bracket or
support u, and is furnished at the other end with a counter balance
equilibrium of the valve, valve spindle and plate.
P
that preserves the
The valve S regulates the pressure of the air prior to its entrance into the vessel or
carburetter G, according to the number of gas jets to be supplied and to this end the
dish y is more or less loaded or weighted; the air supplied to the receiver C remains
therein (when carburetting is not proceeding) until the required pressue is attained
and any access of pressure will open the valve S and allow the superfluous air to pass
out of the apparatus in an inodourous state it having not come into contact with the
hydrocarbon.
To compensate for loss of temperature caused by the volatilisation of the hydrocarbon
at the lower part of the vessel G, this bottom part is surrounded by a coiled pipe e
through which circulates air heated by a gas burner or by a stove b. This hot air
passes into the dome d (supported on pillars t) to the top of which the pipe e is
connected; is the outlet for the hot air after it has traversed the pipe e.
The pipe e may in some cases be directly conducted beneath the bottom of the
carburetter so that there will be less loss of heat therefrom; and the coiled pipe may
if desired be replaced by a double envelope in which air, hot gas or steam is circulated.
The heating of the air may be regulated by opening more or less the tap m of the gas
supply. A thermometer e is placed in the pipe e. Instead of using hot air, vapour or
steam produced by any suitable generator may be employed.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Portable Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE of No. 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention (a communication to me from abroad by Francois Josué Lothammer, of 13 Ruc
Chauvelot, Paris, France, Engineer) 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 portable apparatus for manufacturing gas by carburetting
air and is designed to produce combustible gas, without the aid of heat by means of
any suitable hydrocarbon, by preference rectified petroleum. The apparatus can be
such as to supply a single burner or any number of burners as required; the
apparatus being always similar the dimensions only being changed.
To aid in explaining the nature of the invention I annex a sheet of drawings
shewing by way of example an arrangement of apparatus according thereto.
Fig. 1 represents a vertical section through the centre of the apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the apparatus.
Fig. 3 is a detail showing the arrangement of valve to permit air which is not
required to be carburetted to escape, before it can pass into the carburetter as hereinafter
described.
Fig. 4 represents in section the chambers or conduits P and P¹, a valve in cach,
being shown in elevation.
Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the lower portion of the supply pipe for air intended
to be carburetted.
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are drawn to larger scales than Figs. 1 and 2.
Gas generated in the manner about to be described, can be used for various purposes
such as for lighting heating or motive power etc.
The apparatus comprises a receiver that can be hermetically closed, in which is
constantly maintained a sufficient quantity of air, introduced at A by a pump or
equivalent apparatus.
Where the apparatus is designed to provide for a small consumption of gas, the air
can be introduced by means of bellows worked by clock-work and having a regulator
to determine the admission of air proportionately to the amount of gas passing to the
burner or burners. Certain accessory parts hereinafter described, such as the hot air
current inducer (cheminée d'appel) the thermometer, and others may in some cases be
dispensed with and the entire apparatus be enclosed in a casing so as to present any
desired appearance for instance it may resemble a lamp.
The receiver C contains an air-tight receptacle g for hydrocarbon, closed hermeti-
cally; or the receptacle g may if desired be placed outside.
I
The hydrocarbon receptacle g is itself enclosed in a carburetting vessel G which
receives the carburetted air and gas produced by the action of the air on the hydro-
carbon.

page_text: The lower part of the vessel G contains the liquid hydrocarbon through which
passes air conducted by the pipe E to the small tubes I the extremities of which are
Alattened and alternately inclined as shown in Fig. 5.
The feeding of the hydrocarbon to the receptacle g is effected by means of the tube /
provided externally with a stopper for which a funnel is substituted when feeding is to
be effected. The hydrocarbon is conducted from the said receptacle g, into the lower
part of the vessel or carburetter G, by means of a pipe V furnished with a cock R,
and with a plug or stopper k for tapping the hydrocarbon when necessary.
The cock R should be kept closed when hydrocarbon is fed to the receptacle g. The
tube V, is by preference curved at its lower extremity as shewn in Fig. 1, to obviate
the influence of air bubbles rising from the partly flattened tubes 1.
A syphon pipe F passing from the top of the receptacle g terminates at its lower end
in the vessel G, with an enlarged part Z having openings. This pipe serves to
maintain the hydrocarbon in the lower part approximately at a constant level, by
admitting air or gas to the upper part of the receptacle immediately the hydrocarbon
therein falls sufficiently below its normal level to uncover the openings in Z.
The level of the hydrocarbon in the receptacle g may be indicated by a gauge outside
the apparatus.
The vessel or carburetter G and the receiver C are in communication by means of
the pipe E; the air from C passing through the pipe E and tubes I ascends and is
saturated in its passage through the hydrocarbon contained in h, and carries along with
it the vapours already produced in the carburetting vessel G. The carburetted air or
gas thus formed escapes through a tube M furnished with a cock and outlet N.
To prevent the tube E acting as a syphon in the receiver C valves are provided at
00¹ enclosed in conduits or chambers P P¹; these valves are of ordinary construction
and arrangement. Air is supplied to the receiver Cas shewn by the arrow, at A; it
thence passes through the pipe E' and opens the first valve at O¹, thence it proceeds
through the safety cock 01 opens a second valve at O and passes through the pipe E and
partially flattened tubes I to the carburetting vessel. It results from this arrangement
that should any undue pressure obtain in the carburetting vessel G the hydrocarbon
will not escape by the pipe E inasmuch as the pressure will be communicated to the
air in that pipe thereby closing the first valve.
The receiver C is furnished with a special valve S, which regulates the pressure of
the air in the receiver and with a pressure gauge D.
The valve S (see Fig. 3) is furnished with a stem carrying a dished plate y and
resting upon one end of a beam which oscillates on knife edges, on a bracket or
support u, and is furnished at the other end with a counter balance P that preserves
the equilibrium of the valve, valve spindle and plate.
The valve S regulates the pressure of the air prior to its entrance into the vessel or
carburetter G, according to the number of gas jets to be supplied and to this end the
dish y is more or less loaded or weighted; the air supplied to the receiver C remains
therein (when carburetting is not proceeding) until the required pressure is attained
and any excess of pressure will open the valve S and allow the superfluous air to pass
out of the apparatus in an inodourous state, it having not come into contact with the
hydrocarbon.
To compensate for loss of temperature caused by the volatilisation of the hydrocarbon
at the lower part h of the vessel G, this bottom part may be surrounded by a coiled
pipe through which circulates air heated by a gas burner bor by a stove. This hot
air passes into the dome d (supported on pillars t) to the top of which the pipe e is
connected; an outlet is provided for the hot air after it has traversed the coiled pipe.
The pipe e may in some cases be directly conducted beneath the bottom of the
carburetter so that there will be less loss of heat therefrom; and the coiled portion of
the pipe may if desired be replaced by a double envelope or chamber e as shown in
which air, hot gas or steam is circulated.
The heating of the air may be regulated by opening more or less the tap m of the
gas supply. A thermometer may be placed in the pipe e. Instead of using hot air,
vapour or steam produced by any suitable generator may be employed.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim in
apparatus for the manufacture of gas is :-
1. The combination of (a) an air receiver C in which air can be maintained at the
desired pressure, and such that any excess of air is able to escape before being
carburetted, (b) a carburetting_vessel G in which hydrocarbon fed thereto from a
receptacle g by a syphon pipe F can be kept at a constant level such carburetting
vessel being maintained at the desired temperature by circulation in a coil or a
chamber e¹ of air heated by means of a burner b, and, (c) pipes or tubes E¹, P¹, P, E
(with valves) for conducting air from the receiver ( into the carburetting vessel G and
preventing hydrocarbon being projected into the said receiver from the carburetting
vessel, substantially as described above with reference to the annexed illustrative
drawing.
2. The arrangement of the valves O and O¹ in the air conduits P and P¹ as described
with reference to the drawing for preventing the projection of hydrocarbon into the
receiver C.
3. Providing the air receiver C with a valve S furnished with a dished plate or
scale pan so that the valve can be weighted according to the air pressure required in
the receiver the arrangement being such as to allow superfluous air to escape not
carburetted substantially as hereinabove described with reference to the annexed
illustrative drawing.
4. Providing the lower portion of the air supply pipe E in the carburetting vessel G
with tubes I flattened at their free ends, and inclined alternately in opposite directions
substantially as hereinabove described with reference to the annexed illustrative
drawing.