Improvements in the Construction of Lamps and in the Apparatus and Appliances for Distributing and Lighting with Petroleum.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 30th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Lamps and in the Apparatus
and Appliances for Distributing and Lighting with Petroleum.
I THOMAS GUEST NORMANTON of 90 Duke Street in the Parish of Barrow in
Furness in the County of Lancaster Architect and Surveyor do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of distribution of petroleum or other
suitable illuminating fluids, hereinafter called oils by means of reservoirs or storage
containers and pipes, and lighting by means of improved burners and wicks
providing for the safe combustion of same.
My invention consists of a specially constructed reservoir or oil container, herein-
after called the container which communicates by means of pipes to one or a series
of burners attached to supporting brackets. It is important that the cocks and
movable joints should be ground petroleum tight.
The container is constructed somewhat upon the principle of the common bird
fountain so as to maintain an uniform level of oil in the pipes. This container may
be fixed in any suitable position but must be fixed at such a level as will allow the
oil to flow to the burners but not so high as to overflow.
The burners may be of the ordinary type used for petroleum lamps but will not
require any of the appliances used for raising or depressing the wick: the wick
tube in my burners being made petroleum tight and having at its base where it
communicates with the pipe bracket, a small enlarged chamber: this chamber is
either divided into two compartments by a wire gauze partition or by fixing a bag
of wire gauze or of some porous material to the end of the wick tube within the
chamber. Instead of the usual cotton wick I fill my wick tube with slag wool
(silicate cotton) or other suitable non-inflamable material having capiliary properties,
this is made to project from the top of the wick tube to the proper height for
producing a good flame, and the top may be moulded by the fingers to the correct
forn for producing the best results. The object of the gauze division or bag being
to prevent the wick material from entering the oil pipe.
I find in practice that unless great care is exercised in putting in the wick there
is a danger of it jamming in the tube and preventing the free flow of the oil. To
obviate this difficulty I have adopted a compound wick which I form by nearly
filling the wick tube with clean dry sand or other suitable granular substance which
is insoluble in the oil and which posesses capiliary properties.
The gauze or porous bag in the chamber must be sufficiently fine in the mesh as
not to admit of the passage of the sand into the pipe. The top of the wick tube is
then filled with the slag wool tip (or other suitable non-inflamable material having
capiliary properties) and adjusted as before described.
This form of wick and burner may be applied to the ordinary form of petroleum
lamp by fitting a gauze tube or porous bag to the bottom of the wick tube and
allowing it to dip into the petroleum in the reservoir of the lamp.
My container consists of a closed air tight tank (except for the pipe connections).
This tank must be constructed strong enough to resist collapse and may be made
of any suitable material: from the bottom, or near the bottoni of this tank I attach
the surface or feed pipe which communicates with the burners. To this service
pipe close to the container I fix a vertical pipe which extends to the height of the
container and which I surmount with a funnel shaped top for filling the container
with oil on the service pipe I fix a stop cock to shut off the service pipe while
the container is being filled on the service side of this stop cock I fix another
vertical pipe for the admission of air. From the side of this vertical air pipe (at

page_text: the level at which it is intended the oil shall stand in the service pipe) I connect
another air pipe which enters the top of the container.
To fill the container, the main service stop cock is first closed and the oil may
then be poured into the container thro' the funnel the air displaced in the
container escapes by the air pipe into the vertical air pipe. When the service stop
cock is turned on the oil rises in the vertical air pipe until it closes the air pipe
which enters the container, and this level is maintained, because when the oil in
the service pipe fails below the air pipe, air is admitted to the container and the
level becomes re-adjusted.
At the bottom of the vertical filling pipe I fix a stop cock so that this column
of oil can be shut off when the container is full and it cannot then interfere with
the level in the service pipe.
Another simple form of container may be used which is constructed as follows:
the service pipe terminates under the bottom of the container with an enlarged
vertical pipe forming a small open reservoir, a feed pipe from the bottom of the
container dips into the oil in this open reservoir, an air pipe coming from the top
of the container also dips into the oil in the open reservoir at a little higher level
than the dip pipe. A filling pipe passing thro' the top of the container and
reaching nearly to the bottom, is secured with an air tight connection to the top of
the container, this filling pipe is surmounted with a funnel and stop cock. A cock
is also fixed on the dipping feed pipe which requires to be closed when the container
is being filled.
The air pipe and the filling pipe in the above arrangement may be left out, but
the risk of overflow through any defect in the fitting of the cock under the funnel
or by imperfectly closing the same would be objectionable.
In small containers where one or two lights only are required I simply have a
closed container with a dipping feed pipe and cock only. To fill this it is lifted out
of its place and inverted and the oil poured in through the dip pipe, the cock is
then closed, the container put back, with the dip pipe into the small reservoir and
the cock then turned on.
It is necessary that all the burners fed by each container shall be at the same level.
Dated this 27th day of April 1892..
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Lamps and in the Apparatus
and Appliances for Distributing and Lighting with Petroleum.
I THOMAS GUEST NORMANTON of 41 Cheltenham Street in the Parish of
Barrow in Furness in the County of Lancaster Architect and Surveyor do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
My invention relates to an improved method of distribution of petroleum or
other suitable illuminating fluids hereinafter called oils by means of reservoirs or
storage containers and pipes and improved burners and wicks providing for the safe
combustion of same.
My invention consists of a specially constructed reservoir or oil container herein-
after called the container which communicates by means of pipes to one or a series
of burners attached to supporting brackets.
I find in practice that these brackets do not necessarily require separate cocks
for shutting off the supply of oil as a cock upon the main supply pipe is sufficient.
The container is constructed somewhat upon the principle of the common bird
fountain so as to maintain an uniform level of oil in the pipes. This container may
be fixed in any suitable position but must be fixed at such a level as will allow the
oil to flow to the burners but not so high as to overflow.

page_text: The burners may be of the ordinary type used for petroleum lamps but will not
require any of the appliances used for raising or depressing the wick; the wick
tube in my burners being made petroleum tight and having at its base where it
communicates with the pipe bracket a small enlarged chamber, this chamber
contains a wire gauze partition its object being to prevent the passage of the
material forming the wick from getting into the oil tube, any other suitable porous
material may be used instead of the wire gauze which will answer the same
purpose.
The chamber I fill with slag wool (silicate cotton) or other suitable non
inflammable material having capillary properties, this is made to project from the
top of the wick tube to the proper height for producing a good flame and the top.
may be moulded by the fingers to the correct form for producing the best results.
I find that when slag wool or asbestos is used for the wick material, very much
better results are obtained by mixing a small quantity of quick lime, chalk
(powdered) or still better calcined magnesia along with it. I find in practice that.
unless great care is exercised in putting in the wick there is a danger of jamming in
the tube & preventing the free flow of oil; to obviate this difficulty I have adopted
a compound wick which I form by nearly filling the wick tube with clean dry sand
or other suitable granular substance which is insoluble in the oil and possessing
capillary properties.
The top of the wick tube is then filled with the slag wool or other suitable
material prepared as above described and adjusted to the proper shape for the
flame.
This form of wick and burner may be applied to the ordinary form of petroleum
lamp having its reservoir under the burner, by fixing to the bottom of the wick
tube a gauze tube or porous bag dipping into the reservoir and filled with the wick
material as before described.
The simplest way of arranging my wicks to ordinary lamps is by fixing in the
wick tube a piece of the ordinary plaited cotton wick long enough to dip into the
oil and filling in the upper part of the wick tube with the prepared slag wool as.
before described.
The cotton wick acts as a capillary agent for elevating the oil but does not come
in contact with the flame.
My container consists of a closed air tight tank (except for the pipe connections)
which must be strong enough to resist collapse and may be made of any suitable
material; from the bottom or near the bottom of this tank I attach the service or
feed pipe which communicates with the burners. To this service pipe close to the
container fix a vertical pipe which extends to the height of the container and
which I surmount with a funnel shaped top or a detachable funnel, for filling the
container with oil. On the service pipe I fix a stop cock Figs. 1 & 2 to shut off
the service pipe while the container is being filled, on the service side of this stop
cock I fix another vertical pipe for the admission of air from the side of this
vertical air pipe at the level at which it is intended the oil should stand in the pipes
and burners I connect another pipe which enters the top of the container. There
is free communication between all the pipes when the cock is turned on.
To fill the container the main service stop cock Figs. 1 & 2 is first closed and
the oil may then be poured into the container through the funnel, the air displaced
in the container escaping by the air pipe e into the vertical pipe y Fig. 1 or through
the air pipe e Fig. 2 through reservoir I when the service stop cock is turned on the
oil rises in the small reservoir I Fig. 2 or the vertical pipe 9 Fig. 1 until it closes
the air pipe e which enters the container and remains at this level, because when
the oil in the service pipe falls below the air pipe, air is admitted to the container
and the level becomes re-adjusted.
Instead of the cock at the foot of the filling pipe mentioned in the Provisional
Specification I find that by fixing an overflow pipe in the vertical air pipe about
half an inch higher than the oil level, answers better as it allows the excess of oil

page_text: to run off and also acts as a safety overflow and prevents any possible overflow at
the burners.
It is necessary that all the burners fed by each container shall be at the same
level.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 3. is a section thro' burner a being the slag wool tip and 6 the sand cis the
gauze partition.
Fig. 1. shews the container & service pipes a the container b the service pipe
e the burner & bracket d the filling pipe e the air pipe, the overflow g the vertical
air pipe.
9
Fig. 2 is a section of the container somewhat differently arranged the above
description applies to the letters on same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The use of a compound wick for lamps consisting of a tip of slag wool,
asbestos or other similar refractory substance having capillary properties the
remainder of the wick being composed of clean sand or other granular substance
having capillary properties.
2. The use of a compound wick for lamps consisting of a tip of slag wool,
asbestos or other similar refractory substance having capillary properties, the
remainder of the wick consisting of the ordinary cotton or plaited wicks.
3. The arrangement of filling pipes, supply pipes and air pipes as shewn on
drawings Figs. 1 & 2 when applied to oil containers for securing an uniform level
at the burners.
4. The combination of oil container supply pipes and refractory wick lamps for
the purposes of illumination or heating.
Dated this 28th day of January 1893.