A New or Improved Carburetting Apparatus for Enriching or Generating Illuminating Gas from Volatile Liquid Hydro- carbons.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Sept., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 17th June, 1390-Accepted, 19th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Carburetting Apparatus for Enriching or
Generating Illuminating Gas from Volatile Liquid Hydro-
carbons.
.
We, HENRY HOWELL and LEWIS SMITH of 72 Kennington Lane London S.E. Gas
Lighting Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The new or improved carburetting apparatus forming the subject of this invention is
intended for the automatic and continuous carburating of coal gas or air for illumi-
nating or other purposes by thoroughly impregnating it with the vapour of liquid hydro-
carbon, the evaporation of which is rendered proportional to the flow of gas or air by
which means there is produced at the burners a mixture of gas and hydrocarbon vapour
capable of being burnt from first to last by the same burners without smoke or smell
and without depositing the enricbing vapours in the pipes under any normal variations
of temperature.
The apparatus or carburetter is a cylinder twice as long as the diameter constructed
of stout tin or copper plate the size being regulated by the number of lights it is.
required to supply.
This cylinder is divided into two parts by a partition or false bottom soldered
nearly mid way inside.
The upper part above the partition is the resivoir for the hydrocarbon, the lower
part below the partition is the enriching chamber.
The gas or air inlet is situated in the lower part of the enriching chamber, the
outlet being attached to the top of the enriching chamber under the bottom of the
resivoir.
The combination of the hydrocarbon vapour, with the gas or air is effected
automatically, the gas or air having being previously dried by passing it through
chloride of calcium contained in a small receptacle attached to the inlet pipe of
the apparatus.
This is to absorb any moisture the gas or air may contain, which enables it to
take up the hydrocarbon with greater facility and also provents its condensation
afterwards when on its way to the burners to be consumed.
The automatic action is obtained by using a vent pipe and a syphon the com-
bination of which supplies the liquid hydrocarbon from the resivoir to the enriching
chamber, in-the exact quantity as required by the passing gas or air.
The action of the syphon is controlled and regulated by the vent pipe, this is
a pipe extending throughout the centre of the apparatus, from the top of the
resivoir to the bottom of the enriching chamber, the lower end of this pipe. is
hollowed out or bell mouthed and dips into a well formed at the bottom of the
enriching chamber and is called the vent well.
This vent well contains a quantity of liquid hydrocarbon which effectually seals
the end of the vent-pipe.
The sealing and unsealing of the vent pipe is effected by the raising or lowering
of the hydrocarbon in the well, as long as the end of the vent pipe remains
sealed or immersed in the liquid hydrocarbon in the vent well, the syphon is at
rest.

page_text: When however, gas or air passes over the surface of the hydrocarbon in the
well a portion is taken up or evaporated as soon as the vent pipe is unsealed, the
gas or air then immediately rushes up the vent pipe into the resivoir and gives
vent to the liquid hydrocarbon therein, which is then discharged by the syphon
into a circular pan fixed inside the top of the enriching chamber, called the syphon
pan.
The enriching chamber is fitted up with a number of perforated shelves or
plates made of either stout tin or copper plate.
On each of these perforated shelves or plates is sewn thick coarse cloth or flannel
or other wooly absorbent material and is so arranged that the gas or air is made
to take a zig-zag course under and over the aforesaid perforated plates or shelves..
In the decent of the liquid hydrocarbon from the syphon pan the absorbent
material is thoroughly saturated being compelled to flow down from plate
to plate in a zig-zag course and in a reverse direction to the flow of gas
or air.
When all the absorbent material on the plates is thoroughly soaked with the
liquid hydrocarbon the remainder will run into the vent well until the end of the
vent pipe is sealed. When this takes place the syphon stops discharging any more
liquid hydrocarbon until the vent pipe is again unsealed when the same operation
takes place. This action goes on continually as long as gas or air is passing through
the apparatus to cause the evaporation in the vent well, which is in turn compensated
by the syphon as long as any liquid hydrocarbon remains in the resivoir.
The gas or air is made to take a circnitions route over the surface of the liquid
hydrocarbon in the vent well, the sides of this circuitious path being also lined with a
similar absorbent material as that employed on the shelves or plates, which sucks up
some of the hydrocarbon by caphilliary attraction and so assists the passing gas or air
to rapidly absorb the contents of the vent well, and so keep the syphon constantly
discharging as the evaporation goes on unscaling the vent pipe.
By this means the evaporation of the liquid hydrocarbon is proportional to
the flow of gas or air, because if a small quantity of gas or air is passing the
evaporation in the well is slow, consequently it takes a longer time to unseal the
vent pipe to cause the syphon to compensate but should the quantity passing be large,
the evaporation takos place more rapidly, therefore the syphon keeps discharging
quicker to keep pace with tlie demands made upon the apparatus.
The evaporative surface of the absorbent material on the plates or shelves is con-
siderably larger in proportion to the evaporative surface of the vent well so that it
shall be an utter impossibility for the absorbent material to get dry before the small
portion of liquid hydrocarbon volatises or evaporates in the vent well to cause the
syphon to discharge a fresh supply, and so keep up the saturation of the absorbent
material to its utmost capacity.
By this means the illuminating power is kept to a constant standard thus avoiding
a very great defect inherent in carburettors and gas generators as previously con-
structed through want of a proper method of regulating the supply of the enriching
material, whatever the rate of consumption and to effect this by such means that there
shall be no waste or a residunm left which will not evaporate with sufficient rapidity
under ordinary temperatures.
The resivoir on top of the enriching chamber contains a float with a rod attached
which rod slides up a glass tube cemented in a socket soldered on the top of the
resivoir, the upper end of the glass tube being hermetically sealed, according to the
quantity of liquid hydrocarbon in the resivoir the Hoat rises and falls and the rod
shews at a glance when the apparatus requires recharging with hydrocarbon.
The charging plug is situated on the top of the resivoir in front of the indicator
or guage glass.
The guage glass is protected by a half round or D shaped tube, the inside
being painted white so that the indicating rod can be seen distinctly.
By the use of our new or improved apparatus we consider that a more thorough
and complete combination of the gas or air and hydrocarbon will be obtained,

page_text: and that a more permanent and powerful illuminating gas of rich and uniform
composition will be obtained from a much less quantity of hydrocarbon than has
hitherto been obtained by any other process or apparatus yet designed and having the
same object in view, namely the thorough carburation of gas or air for illuminating or
other purposes.
15
0
11
HENRY HOWELL.
LEWIS SMITH.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Carburetting Apparatus for Enriching or
Generating Illuminating Gas from Volatile Liquid Hydro-
carbons.
We, HENRY HOWELL, and LEWIS SMITH, of 72 Kennington Lane, London, S. E.,
Gas Lighting Engineers, 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:-
The new or improved automatic carburetter or apparatus forming the subject of
this invention is intended for the automatic and continuous carburetting of coal
gas or air
for illuminating or other purposes by thoroughly impregnating it with the vapour of
liquid hydrocarbon the evaporation of which is rendered proportional to the flow
of gas or air by which means there is supplied to the burners a mixture of gas
and hydrocarbon vapour capable of being burnt from first to last by the same
burners without smoke or smell and without depositing the enriching vapours in the
pipes under any normal variations of temperature.
The apparatus which we employ for this purpose is represented in the accompanying
drawings.
Figure 1 is a vertical section and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on XX. Fig. 1
shows a modification of the siphon feed. A is a cylindrical vessel divided by a hori-
zontal partition B into two compartments, the upper forming a reservoir for the
hydrocarbon liquid, the lower constituting the enriching compartment. The upper
Within a guide
compartment is supplied through an orifice closed by a screw plug a.
tube a slotted at the side there is a float a² with a stem projecting upwards and
bearing against a screw plug a³. On unscrewing this plug the float rises and its stem
projecting through the orifice indicates the level of liquid in the compartment. From
near the top of the upper compartment a central tube extends down to nearly the
bottom of the lower compartment where its mouth is notched across. A siphon D
having its mouth opening near the bottom of the upper compartment, has its longer
limb passing through the partition B and dipping into the liquid in a well E.
Instead of this arrangement the siphon may be made of the form D shewn in
Fig 1 with a bottom bend D forming a seal instead of the well E, which in
this case is dispensed with. is a pipe with stop cock F' for admitting the gas
or air that is to be enriched to an annular space at the bottom of the lower
compartment. Below the mouth of the pipe F there is a baffle plate causing
the gas or air to spread laterally. G is a pipe with stop cock G, by which the
enriched
H Hare
gas or air issues from the top of the lower compartment.
perforated partitions alternately convex and concave covered with porous fabric
such as flannel or felt, with which fabric the vertical interior surfaces are also
lined as well as those of the circular partitions in the space at the bottom.
The fabric covering of the convex partitions H does not extend quite to the
circumference, and the covering of the concave partitions H' does not extend
quite to the centre. The lower compartment is preferably provided with a
jacket K, in which during cold weather, warm water can be kept circulating.
The lower compartment can be emptied by opening a screw plug L. The action
of the apparatus is as follows:-
The cocks FG being closed and the plugs a and a being opened liquid

page_text: at a.
hydrocarbon such as benzole or other volatile products of coal tar is poured in
When the liquid rises above the bend of the syphon D it passes either from
the well E or directly from the siphon mouth D³ on to the uppermost convex parti
tion H along which it flows from the centre outwards; thence along the next.concave
partition flowing towards the centre and so on until it reaches the pan M. When
this pan is filled the liquid overflows its inner lip into the bottom space N in which it
rises till it, seals the mouth of the pipe C. When this pipe is sealed preventing
passage of air out of the lower compartment, the siphon D ceases to deliver liquid
from the upper compartment, in which the liquid then rises as it is fed in until the
stem of the float a shews that it is sufficiently filled. The plugs a and a being now
closed and the cocks FG opened, gas descends to the bottom by the pipe and
being spread laterally by the baffle passes along the annular space and an
inner annular space to the central space F whence it finds its way as indicated
by the arrows through the successive partitions H R taking up vapour of the
hydrocarbon, and issues by the pipe G enriched. When so much of the hydro-
carbon at the bottom is evaporatel as to unseal the mouth of the pipe C so that gas
can pass to the upper compartment, the siphon D or D' operates discharging
liquid into the lower compartment until the pipe C is again scaled.
apparatus is employed to impregnate air with hydrocarbon vapour so as to obtain
a combustible mixture. The air has to be forced by a blower or otherwise under
a slight pressure such as that of ordinary gas service, and the hydrocarbam used
is preferably some product of petroleum such as naphtha or gasoline. It is of
advantage to dry the gas or the air that is to be enriched before it is carbureited.
This may be done by passing it over some absorbent of moisture such as calcium
chloride. When the apparatus is used in climates liable to severe cold, it is of
advantage to warm not only the carburetting apparatus but also the gas or air
supplied to it For this purpose the supply pipe may be wound as a coil around
the cylinder within the jacket K, so that when heat is applied to the water in the
jacket the supply pipe is heated at the same time.
:
The same
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. Apparatus for enriching or generating illuminating gas from volatile liquid
hydrocarbons wherein the hydrocarbon liquid is distributed over porous fabric
covering.convex and concave perforated partitions and the gas or air is cause to
pass through and over these, substantially as described with reference to the accom-
panying drawings.
2. In apparatus, such as is above referred to, the arrangement of perforated parti
tions alternately convex and concave, covered with porous fabric, except for portions
of their surface at the circumference and contre respectively, so that while the liquid
flows along each of the surfaces in the one direction, the gas or air flows along it in
the opposite direction, substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of June 1890
ABEL & IMRAY.
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Sept., 1889
Complete Specification: Left. 17th June, 1890-Accepted, 19th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Carburetting Apparatus for Enriching, or
⚫ Generating Illuminating Gas from Volatile Liquid Hydro-
carbons.
We, HENRY HOWELL and LEWIS SMITH of 72 Kennington Lane London S.E. Gas
Lighting Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
The new or improved carburetting apparatus forming the subject of this invention is
intended for the automatic and continuous carburating of coal gas or air for illumi-
nating or other purposes by thoroughly impregnating it with the vapour of liquid hydro-
carbon, the evaporation of which is rendered proportional to the flow of gas or air by
which means there is produced at the burners a mixture of gas and hydrocarbon vapour
capable of being burnt from first to last by the same burners without smoke or smell
and without depositing the enriching vapours in the pipes under any normal variations
of temperature.
The apparatus or carburetter is a cylinder twice as long as the diameter constructed
of stout tin or copper plate the size being regulated by the number of lights it is
required to supply.
This cylinder is divided into two parts by a partition or false bottom soldered
nearly mid way inside.
The upper part above the partition is the resivoir for the hydrocarbon, the lower
part below the partition is the enriching chamber.
The gas or air inlet is situated in the lower part of the enriching chamber, the
outlet being attached to the top of the enriching chamber under the bottom of the
resivoir.
The combination of the hydrocarbon vapour, with the gas or air is effected
automatically, the gas or air having being previously dried by passing it through
chloride of calcium contained in a small receptacle attached to the inlet pipe of
the apparatus.
This is to absorb any moisture the gas or air may contain, which enables it to
take up the hydrocarbon with greater facility and also provents its condensation
afterwards when on its way to the hurners to be consumed.
The automatic action is obtained by using a vent pipe and a syphon the com-
bination of which supplies the liquid hydrocarbon from the resivoir to the enriching
chamber, in the exact-quantity as required by the passing gas or air.
The action of the syphon is controlled and regulated by the vent pipe, this is
a pipe extending throughout the centre of the apparatus, from the top of the
resivoir to the bottom of the enriching chamber, the lower end of this pipe is
hollowed out or bell mouthed and dis into a well formed at the bottom of the
enriching chamber and is called the vent well.
This vent well contains a quantity of liquid hydrocarbon which effectually seals
the end of the vent pipe.
The sealing and unsealing of the vent pipe is effected by the raising or lowering
of the hydrocarbon in the well, as long as the end of the vent pipe remains
sealed or immersed in the liquid hydrocarbon in the vent well, the syphon. is at
rest.

page_text: r
When however, gas or air passes over the surface of the hydrocarbon in the
well a portion is taken up or evaporated as soon as the vent pipe is unsealed, the
gas or air then immediately rushes up the vent pipe into the resivoir and gives
vent to the liquid hydrocarbon therein, which is then discharged by the syphon
into a circular pan fixed inside the top of the enriching chamber, called the syphon
pan.
The enriching chamber is fitted up with a number of perforated shelves or
plates made of either stout tin or copper plate.
On each of these perforated shelves or plates is sewn thick coarse cloth or flannel
or other wooly absorbent material and, is so arranged that the gas or air is made
to take a zig-zag course under and over the aforesaid perforated plates or shelves.
In the decent of the liquid hydrocarbon from the syphon pan the absorbent
material is thoroughly saturated being compelled to flow down from plats
to plate in a zig-zag course and in a reverse direction to the flow of gas
or air.
When all the absorbent material on the plates is thoroughly soaked with the
liquid hydrocarbon the remainder will run into the vent well until the end of the
vent pipe is sealed. When this takes place the syphon stops discharging any more
liquid hydrocarbon until the vent pipe is again unsealed when the same oporation
takes place. This action goes on continually as long as gas or air is passing-through
the apparatus to cause the evaporation in the vent well, which is in turn compensated
by the syphon as long as any liquid hydrocarbon remains in the resivoir.
The gas or air is made to take a circuitions route over tlie surface of the liquid
hydrocarbon in the vent well, the sides of this circuitious path being also lined with a
similar absorbent material as that employed on the shelves or plates, which sucks up
some of the hydrocarbon by caphilliary attraction and so assists the passing gas or air
to rapidly absorb the contents of the vent well, and so keep the syphon constantly
discharging as the evaporation goes on unscaling the vent pipe.
By this means the evaporation of the liquid hydrocarbon is proportional to
the flow of gas or air, because if a small quantity of gas or air is passing the
evaporation in the well is slow, consequently it takes a longer time to unseal the
vent pipe to cause the syphon to compensate but should the quantity passing be large,
the evaporation takes place more rapidly, therefore the syphon keeps discharging
quicker to keep pace with the demands made upon the apparatus.
The evaporative surface of the absorbent material on the plates or shelves is con-
siderably larger in proportion to the evaporative surface of the vent well so that it
shall be an utter impossibility for the absorbent material to get dry before the small
portion of liquid hydrocarbon volatises or evaporates in the vent well to cause the
syphon to discharge a fresh supply, and so keep up the saturation of the absorbent
material to its utmost capacity.
By this means the illuminating power is kept to a constant standard thus avoiding
a very great defect inherent in carburettors and gas generators as previously con-
structed through want of a proper method of regulating the supply of the enriching
material, whatever the rate of consumption and to effect this by such means that there
shall be no waste or a residuum left which will not evaporate with sufficient rapidity
under ordinary temperatures.
The resivoir on top of the enriching chamber contains a float with a rod attached
which rod slides up a glass tube cemented in a socket soldered on the top of the
resivoir, the upper end of the glass tube being hermetically sealed, according to the
quantity of liquid hydrocarbon in the resivoir the float rises an falls and the rod
shews at a glance when the apparatus requires recharging with hydrocarbon.
The charging plug is situated on the top of the resivoir in front of the indicator
or 'guage glass.
The guage glass is protected by a half round or D shaped. tube, the inside
being painted white so that the indicating rod can be seen distinctly.
By the use of our new or improved apparatus we consider that a more thorough
and complete combination of the gas or air and hydrocarbon will be obtained,

page_text: and that a moro permanent and powerful illuminating gas of rich and uniform
composition will be obtained from a much less quantity of hydrocarbon than has
hitherto been obtained by any other process or apparatus yet designed and having the
same object in view, namely the thorough carburation of gas or air for illuminating or
other purposes.
72
1
1000
HENRY HOWELL.
LEWIS SMITH.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Carburetting Apparatus for Enriching or
Generating Illuminating Gas from Volatile Liquid Hydro-
carbons.
We, HENRY HOWELL, and LEWIS SMITH, of 72 Kennington Lane, London, S.E.,
Gas Lighting Engineers, 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:-
The new or improved automatic carburetter or apparatus forming the subject of
this invention is intended for the automatic and continuous carburetting of coal gas or air
for illuminating or other purposes by thoroughly impregnating it with the vapour of
liquid hydrocarbon the evaporation of which is rendered proportional to tho flow
of gas or air by which means there is supplied to the burners a mixture of gas
and hydrocarbon vapour capable of being burnt from first to last by the same
burners without smoke or sinell and without depositing the enriching vapours in the
pipes under any normal variations of temperature.
The apparatus which we employ for this purpose is represented in the
accompanying
drawings.
Figure 1 is
vertical section and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on XX. Fig. 1"
shows a modification of the siphon feed. A is a cylindrical vessel divided by a hori-
zontal part tion B into two compartments, the upper forming a reservoir for the
hydrocarbon liquid, the lower constituting the enriching compartment. The upper
Within a guide
compartment is supplied through an orifice closed by a screw plug a.
tube a slotted at the side there is a float a² with a stem projecting upwards and
bearing against a screw plug a. On unscrewing this plug the float rises and its stem
projecting through the orifice indicates the level of liquid in the compartment. From
near the top of the upper compartment a central tube C extends down to nearly the
bottom of the lower compartment where its mouth is notched across. A siphon D
having its mouth opening near the bottom of the upper compartment, has its longer
limb. passing through the partition B and dipping into the liquid in a well E.
Instead of this arrangement the siphon may be made of the form D shown in
Fig 1 with a bottom bend D forming a seal instead of the well E, which in
this case is dispensed with. F is a pipe with stop cock for admitting the gas
or air that is to be enriched to an annular space F at the bottom of the lower
compartment. Below the mouth of the pipe F there is a baffle plate causing
the gas or air to spread laterally. G is a pipe with stop cock G³, by which the
HH are
enriched gas or air issues from the top of the lower compartment.
perforate partitions alternately convex and concave covered with-porous fabric
such as flannel or felt. with which fabric the vertical interior surfaces are also
lined as well as those of the circular partitions in the space at the bottom.
The fabric covering of the convex partitions H does not extend quite to the
circumference, and the covering of the concave partitions H' does not extend
quite to the centre. The lower compartiment is preferably provided with a
jacket K, in which during cold weather, warin water can be kept circulating..
The lower compartment can be emptied by opening a screw plug L. The action
of the apparatus is as follows :-
The cocks G¹ being closed and the plugs a and a being opened liquid

page_text: hydrocarbon such as benzole or other volatile products of coal tar is poured in
at a. When the liquid rises above the bend of the syphon D it passes either from
the well E on directly from the siphon mouth D³ on to the uppermost convex parti-
tion H along which it flows from the centre outwards; thence along the next concave
partition flowing towards the centre and so on until it reaches the pan M. When
this pan is filled the liquid overflows its inner lip into the bottom space N in which it
rises till it seals the mouth of the pipe C. When this pipe is sealed preventing
passage of air out of the lower compartment, the siphon D ceases to deliver liquid.
from the upper compartment, in which the liquid then rises as it is fed in until the
stem of the float a shews that it is sufficiently filled. The plugs a and a being now
closed and the cocks F G opened, gas descends to the bottom by the pipe Fand
being spread literally by the baffle passes along the annular space and an
inner annular space to the central space whence it finds its way as indicated
by the arrows through the successive partitions H H taking up vapour of the
hydrocarbon, and issues by the pipe G enriched. When so much of the hydro-
carbon at the bottom is evaporated as to unseal the mouth of the pipe Cso that
gas
can pass to the upper compartment, the siphon D or D' operates discharging
liquid into the lower compartment until the pipe C is again sealed. The same
apparatus is employed to impregnate air with hydrocarbon vapour so as to obtain
a combustible mixture. The air has to be forced by a blower or otherwise under
a slight pressure such as that of ordinary gas service, and the hydrocarbon used
is preferably some product of petroleum such as naphtha or gasoline. It is of
advantage to dry the gas, or the air that is to be enriched before it is carburetted.
This may be done by passing it over some absorbent of moisture such as calcium
chloride. When the apparatus is used in climates liable to severe cold, it is of
advantage to warm not only the carburetting apparatus but also the gas or air
supplied to it
For this purpose the supply pipe may be,wound as a coil around
the cylinder within the jacket K, so that when heat is applied to the water in the
jacket the supply pipe is heated at the same time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. Apparatus for enriching or generating illuminating gas from volatile liquid
hydrocarbons wherein the hydrocarbon liquid is distributed over porous fabric
covering convex and concave perforated partitions and the gas or air is caused to
pass through and over these, sul.stantially as described with reference to the acrom-
panying drawings.
2. In apparatus such as is above referred to, the arrangement of perforated parti-
tions alternately convex and concave, covered with porous fabric, except for portions
of their surface at the circumference and centre respectively, so that while the liquid
flows along each of the surfaces in the one direction, the gas or air flows along it in
the opposite direction, substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of June 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY.
Agents for the Applicants.