IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MAnu- FACTUBE OF GAS FOR HEATING AND ILLUMINATING PURPOSES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wright, of Sheffield, in the County of
York, Plumber, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MAnu-
FACTUBE OF GAS FOR HEATING AND ILLUMINATING PURPOSES, AND IN
APPARATUS FOR THE SAME, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PURPOSES."
Sealed the 16th May 1878, and dated the 7th March 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wright at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th March 1873.
I, WILLIAM WRIGHT, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Plumber,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR HEATING AND ILLUMINATING PURPOSES, AND
IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
-
My Invention consists, in the first place, in preparing the spirit with
which atmosphoric air is to bo impregnated in order to produce the
required gas by distilling petroloum or benzoline with vogctable charcoal
until the spirit is sufficiently purified.

page_text: And my Invention consists, in the second place, in the apparatus and
process in and by means of which tho said atmospheric air is impregnatod
with this prepared spirit.
The apparatus in which the air is thus impregnated consists of a series
of two or more cylinders or air-tight chests with communicating pipes
from one to the other, so as to admit of air being forced through the
series. Each cylinder or air-tight chest is filled to near the top with a
series of stationary pistons formed of cotton or other similar fibrous
material admitting of air being forced through them. The cylinder or
air-tight chest has also at the bottom a reservoir for containing the
prepared spirit with which the said pistons become charged by reversing
the several cylinders, which for this purpose are mounted on two swivel
joints, which also act as two taps for closing simultaneously all commu-
nication with both the air pipe or inlet and the gas pipe or outlet.
The said reservoir is separated from the pistons by a perforated plate
through which the air has to pass. At the bottom of each reservoir is
inserted a tap, which communicates with a pipe and tap belonging to
the next cylinder, so as to equalise the supply of spirit in each reservoir.
The air under pressure enters at one of the swivel joints through a
valve, and passes into the first cylinder under the perforated plate, and
thence upwards through the series of cotton pistons and out of the said
cylinder at the upper part thereof, whence it passes by a communicating
pipe into the bottom part of the next cylinder, and through the scrics
of cotton pistons therein, and so on until it reaches tho swivel joint on
which the last cylinder is mounted, and passes therefrom in the form
of gas to the burner, or wherever it is required to be consumed.
3
The apparatus for forcing the air into the said cylinders consists of
two aerometers worked in the usual way, but coupled together by a cord
or chain passed over pulleys, so as to admit of the one rising as the
other falls. By applying a weight to the air holder already drawn up
the air contained therein is forced down a pipe, thereby opening a valve
through which it passes into the cylinders, at the same time closing a
valve fitted at the top of the said air holder. Also at the same time
the valve at the top of the second air holder (which is about to rise) is
opened and admits air into the holder, and the valve at the bottom a
thereof is closed against the entrance of the air from the first or
descending holder. By means of the two aerometers thus coupled, by
merely changing the weight from one to the other, a constant supply

page_text: of air from the descending holder is forced through the cylinders as
required.
The air may be forced into the cylinders by other means than that
above described; and the above-described apparatus for forcing the air
may be applied to other purposes in which air is required to be supplied
under pressuro..
SPECIFICATION în pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William. Wright in the Great Scal Patent Office on.
the 6th September 1878..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS' SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WRIGHT, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Plumber, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Soventh day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-threo, in tho thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs. and successors,
givo and grant unto me,. the said William Wright, Ier special licenco
that I, tho said William Wright, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Wright, 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, tho
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR HEATING AND ILLUMINATING PURPOSES, AND IN
APPARATUS FOR THE SAME, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE. TO OTHER PURPOSES,"
upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Wright,
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
samo was to do 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 William Wright, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the

page_text: following statement, reference being 'had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :—
•
My Invention consists, in the first place, in preparing the spirit with
which atmospheric air is to be impregnated, in order to produce the
required gas, by distilling petroleum or benzoline with vegetablo
charcoal until the spirit is sufficiently purified.
.
And my Invention consists, in the second place, in the apparatus and
process in and by means of which the said atmospheric air is impregnated
with this prepared spirit.
The apparatus in which the air is thus impregnated consists of al
series of two o: more cylinders or air-tight chests, with communicating
pipes from one to the other so 'as to admit of air being forced through
the series. Each cylinder or air-tight chest is filled to near the top with
a series of stationary pistons, formed of cotton or other similar fibrous
material admitting of air being forced through them. The cylinder or
air-tight chest has also at the bottom a reservoir for containing the
prepared spirit with which the said pistons become charged by reversing
the several cylinders, which for this purpose are mounted on two swivel
joints, which also act as two taps for closing simultaneously all com-
munication with both the air pipo or inlet, and the gas pipo or outlet.
The said reservoir is separated from the pistons by a perforated plate
through which. the air has to pass. At the bottom of cach reservoir is
inserted a tap which communicates with a pipe and tap belonging to
the next cylinder, so as to equalise the supply of spirit in each reservoir.
The air under pressure enters at one of the swivel joints through a valve
and passes into the first cylinder under the perforated plate, and thence
upwards through the series of cotton pistons and out of the said cylinder
at the upper part thereof, whence it passes by a communicating pipe
into the bottom part of the next cylinder, and through the series of
cotton pistons therein, and so on until it reaches the swivel joint on
which the last cylinder is mounted, and passes therefrom in the form of
gas to the burner, or wherever it is required to be consumed.
The apparatus for forcing the air into the said cylinders consists of
two aerometers worked in the usual way, but coupled together by a cord
or chain passed over pulleys so as to admit of the one rising as the other
falls. By applying a weight to the air holder already drawn up the
air contained therein is forced down a pipe, thereby opening a valve
through which it passes into the cylinders; at the same time closing a
.

page_text: valvo fitted at the top of the said air holder. Also at the same time
the valve at the top of the second air holder (which is about to rise) is
opened, and admits air into the holder, and the valve at the bottom
thereof is closed against the entrance of the air from the first or
descending holder. By means of the two aerometers thus coupled, by
merely changing the weight from one to the other, a constant supply of
air from the descending holder is forced through the cylinders as required.
b
The air may be forced into the cylinders by other moans than that
abovo described. And the above described apparatus for forcing the
air may be applied to other purposes in which air is required to be
supplied under pressure.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention I will proceed
to describe moro particularly the manner in which the same is to bo
carried into effect by the aid of the accompanying Drawings, in which
3 are represented the parts of apparatus above referred to.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of two cylinders or air tight chests, in
which the air is impregnated with the prepared spirit; Fig. 2 is a section
showing one cylinder. The cylinders in these two Figures turn' on
swivels; Fig. 3 shows a stationary cylinder; Fig. 4 is an elevation of a
self-acting apparatus for forcing air into the cylinders consisting of two
acrometers, and Fig. 5 represents a single aerometer. In these several
Figures the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A, A, are the cylinders or air-tight chests containing a series of
5 stationary pistons B, B, of cotton or other fibrous material, with or
without charcoal between them, through which the air is forced. These
pistons aro saturated with the spirit, so that the air when forced upwards
through them becomes impregnated therewith. The spirit is supplied
at the top of the cylinders, and after saturating the pistons is collected
in a reservoir O at the bottom. The air is forced through the pipo D,
and raising the valvo E passes through the pipe F, swivel joint G, and
pipe H, from which it enters the bottom of the first cylinder A, whenco
it passes upwards through the pistons to the top of the cylinder, thence
down the pipe I into the bottom of the second cylinder A, and afterwards
5 passing through the stationary pistons in this cylinder leaves the same
at the other swivel joint K, whence it passes through the pipes L and M
to the burner.

page_text: The cylinders A, A, being mounted as described on two swivel joints
are turned over thereon as required in order to cause the spirit to pass.
from the reservoir O through the several pistons, and charge them
again. When the cylinders are quarter turned the swivel joints cut off
the inlet and outlet for the air and gas.-
The cylinder shewn in Fig. 2 is mounted on a swivel joint which lets
in the air and lets out the gas by means of a division in the swivel plug,
The air is forced through the pipe D and the part of the swivel Gʻand
enters the bottom of the cylinder by lifting the valve thereat, thenco
through the pistons B, B, raising the valve at the top and down the 1
pipe leading to the part K of the swivel joint, whence it passes off to the
burner.
When the cylinder is turned over in order to recharge the pistons the
valves at the top and bottom of the cylinder are reversed, so as to
admit the air in the opposite direction. When the cylinder is quarter 1
turned both the air and gas are cut off, as in the former case. The
swivel joints of the cylinders in each case are supported on suitablo
standards, so as to allow them to turn as required, and aro furnished
with perforated plates at each end of the series of pistons to keep the
pipes clear..
2
In the case of the stationary cylinder shown at Fig. 3, the air is
forced in at the pipe D, raising the valve E, and passing through the
hydraulic box containing water raises the valve in the pipe F, enters
the bottom of the cylinder, and after passing through the series of
pistons escapes to the burner through the pipo at the top of the 2
cylinder. The tap N is for putting in the spirit at the top of the
cylinder, and the tap O is for drawing it off as required.
P, P, Fig. 4, are two tanks, in which are inserted two aerometers
Q, Q, in the usual way, but which are coupled together by a cord or
chain R. passed over pulleys S, 8, so as to admit of ono rising as the 8
other falls.'
By applying a weight to the air holder Q' already drawn up, air is
forced down the pipe T, opening the valves U and V, closing the valves
W and X. Also at the same time the valvo V is opened and admits air
into the holder Q", and the valve W is closed.
In the case of the single acrometer shown at Fig. 5, the air holder is
drawn up by means of a chain, thereby opening the valve X to admit
air, and closing the valve U leading to the cylinder or air-tight chamber.
3

page_text: When the power is taken off the chain the air holder is allowed to
descend and forco air through the cylinder, as in the former case,
closing the valve X and opening the valvo U.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and tho
manner of carrying the same into effect, I hereby declare that what I
claim as of my Invention is,―
T
ML
Witness,
JOHN RODGERS,
53, St. Mary Road,
Patent Furnace Builder,
Sheffield.
WILLIAM WRIGHT. (L.S.)