IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ILLUMINATING GAS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Sugg, of Vincent Street, in the City of
Westminster, Gas Engineer, for an Invention of IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas Sugg at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd June 1880.
WILLIAM THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Street, in the City of Westminster, Gas
Engineer. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ILLUMINATING GAS."
The object of this Invention is to provide a simple and efficient arrangement of
apparatus for volatilizing hydro carbon oil, and mixing the vapour of such oil with
poor or comparatively poor gas, in such a manner as to produce a permanent gas of
high illuminating power capable of being compressed and used as portable gas (for
example) on railway trains.
The apparatus may be described as consisting of two closed vessels situate one
above the other and connected together by a central pipe which rises to about the
middle of the upper vessel and is covered with a rose head. The upper vessel is
provided with a water jacket, and both vessels are enclosed in a flue which is
divided by dampers so as to ensure the heating of the two vessels at very different
temperatures. The flue at bottom is connected with a heat generator, which may
be a Bunsen gas burner, and the top of the flue is connected with a chimney for
conducting off the gases of combustion. The top of the upper vessel is entered by
a central pipe which is fitted with a funnel, and above the funnel is a supply tap
fitted to a hydro carbon oil reservoir. Immediately below this pipe, which I may
term the drip pipe, is a dish secured to the interior of the vessel, and serving to
receive the oil as it falls from the drip pipe. A gas supply tube enters the upper
vessel to meet the drip pipe, so that as the oil falls onto the cup the gas will blow over
it and circulate through the vessel. In this vessel I provide a filling of iron shavings
or their equivalent, onto which the oil, as it flows over the cup, will fall and there
spread over a large evaporating surface. The heat generated by the burner will
circulate around the lower vessel and raise its temperature to some 600 degrees or more
and maintain it at that heat. By means of the damper however, and with the aid
of the water jacket before mentioned, the heat circulating around the upper vessel
Davine C71

page_text: will raise its temperature only to a moderate degree, a constant circulation of
water in the water jacket limiting the temperature to that of the water. As the
oil is exposed to this heat it becomes vaporized, and the vapour mixing with the
gas the two will pass down into the lower vessel, where being subjected to a higher
temperature a combination will be effected, resulting in a rich permanent gas. A
discharge pipe at the bottom of this vessel will conduct the gas to an exhaust
pump or to a gasometer, as may be desired. In the working of this apparatus
more or less oil will accumulate at the bottom of the upper vessel, but by reason of
the increased heat of this part its vaporization will be expedited. For drawing off
accumulations at this part a pipe is provided leading to a reservoir, from which the
oil may be transferred to the upper reservoir and again supplied to the apparatus.
The cocks which regulate the supply of oil and of gas may be connected together,
so that the regulation of the two will be simultaneous, as will also be the cut off of
the oil and gas when the apparatus is to be thrown out of action.
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
2nd December 1880.
WILLIAM THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Street, in the City of Westminster.
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ILLUMINATING GAS."
This Invention relates to the treatment of coal gases of low illuminating power.
Such gases usually contain a large per centage of hydrogen and marsh gases
with a small quantity of carbonic oxide and hydro carbons. The illuminating
power of such gases varies from ten to seventeen spermaceti candles per 5 cubic
feet of gas consumed.
These gases are sufficiently stable to maintain at ordinary temperatures sufficient
illuminating power for general purposes. But when compressed into cylinders at
a pressure of from sixty to seventy pounds to the inch, or when exposed to cold
or freezing temperatures, or when conveyed in pipes passing from a warm to a
cold atmosphere of forty degrees Fahrenheit or lower the loss of illuminating power
is very great.
In such cases it frequently happens that a white crystalline substance is deposited
in the cylinders or pipes. This substance, which is called napthaline, is found to
be largely composed of carbon, an important element in the illuminating value of
the gas.
The removal of this deposit from the mains and services is an expensive
operation, and the necessity for making up the illuminating value of the gas by
the use of cannel coal or other rich gaseous material causes great loss to the gas
companies.
Now the object of the present Invention is to prevent the formation of the
napthaline and also to supplement and fix the hydrocarbons in these gases. This

page_text: I propose to effect by combining in a novel manner with the gas (consisting, as
before said, for the most part of hydrogen, marsh gas, and carbonic oxide) hydro-
carbon vapour, which possesses the property of preventing the formation of the
napthaline crystals by holding the napthaline in solution. It also supplements the
hydrocarbon already contained in the gases, and thereby greatly increases their
illuminating power.
The mode in which I propose to treat the gas to obtain this result is to pass the
poor coal gas after purification or before any deposit of the napthaline takes place
over the surface of a liquid hydrocarbon in the apparatus to be presently described,
and when the vapour and gas are combined to subject them to a high temperature,
which will convert the mixture into a permanent highly illuminating gas.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn in vertical central section the
apparatus which I employ for enriching the poor hydrocarbon gas and converting
the same into a permanent illuminating gas.
This apparatus may be described as consisting mainly of two closed vessels A, B,
set one above the other and connected together by a central pipe C. This pipe C
is carried to near the bottom of the lower vessel B and rises to about the middle of
the vessel A, and is covered with a rose-head. The vessel A is partly surrounded
by a wrought iron skin A¹ forming a water jacket A² to the vessel A. The vessel B
and also the lower portion of the vessel A are surrounded by a fire brick flue D,
which is divided by dampers D¹ above the top of the vessel B for the purpose of
ensuring the heating of the two vessels A and B by the flue D at greatly differing
temperatures. The flue D is connected at bottom with a heat generator, which may
be a Bunsen burner, as shown at E, and the top of the flue is connected with a
chimney by the passage D³ for conducting off the gases of combination.
The vessels are suitably supported in the flue by fire brick supports so arranged
as not to interfere with the free circulation upwards of the heating gases. The top
of the vessel A is entered by an oil supply pipe F and a gas supply pipe G.
The
oil supply pipe F, which enters the vessel A through the gas supply pipe G, is
connected to a hydro carbon oil reservoir formed by a closed vessel F¹ sunk in the
ground. The oil in this closed vessel F¹ is raised by water admitted by the pipe F³
to the bottom of the closed vessel. The supply of water from the tank Fs is
governed by the water regulating cock F*, and the water after passing through a
meter enters the closed vessel F at bottom. Immediately below the pipe F, which
I term the drip pipe, is an inverted dish H secured, as shewn, in the interior
of the vessel A, and serving to receive the oil as it falls from the drip pipe F.
The gas supply pipe G entering the vessel A with the drip pipe F passing down
through its centre forins an annular opening for the gas into the vessel A, so that
as the oil falls onto the dish H the gas will blow over it, vapourizing a portion
thereof, and circulate through the vessel A. The space surrounding the pipe C
within the vessel A I fill with iron shavings K or their equivalent, which will
constitute a large beating surface for the hydrocarbon oil as it flows over the dish H
and falls towards the bottom of the vessel A.
In working with this apparatus I first heat the vessels and then admit the poor
gas and the oil to the upper vessel, as explained. The heat generated by the
burner E or its equivalent will circulate around the lower vessel B, and raise its
temperature to some six hundred degrees Fahrenheit or more and maintain it at
that heat. By means of the dampers D¹, and with the aid of the water jacket A*,
the heat impinging on the bottom of the upper or mixing vessel will raise its
temperature only to a moderate degree, a constant circulation of water in the
jacket being maintained so as to limit its temperature from sixty degrees to seventy
degrees Fahrenheit or thereabouts. As the oil is exposed to this heat it becomes
vaporized, and the vapour mixing with the gas the two pass down into the vessel B,
where, being subjected to a higher temperature, a combination will be effected]
resulting in a rich permanent gas.
The vessel B is formed with a horizontal extension furnished with a cap or lid
for effecting the clearance of the vessel when necessary.

page_text: L is a discharge pipe at the top of the vessel B for conducting the gas through
a condenser M to the gasometer or receiver N as may be desired. In the working
of this apparatus more or less oil will accumulate at the bottom of the vessel A,
but by reason of the increased heat of this part its vaporization will be expedited.
For removing the residual accumulations of the oil the vessel A is fitted with a
short horizontal pipe O furnished with a cap or cock, and the bottom of the
vessel A is coned to lead the accumulation of oil to the pipe O. The water cock F*
which regulates the supply of water to the tank F¹ to lift the oil up to the vessel A
and the cock G¹ of the pipe G which regulates the supply of the gas are connected
together by an endless band passing around pullies keyed on the spindles of these
cocks. Another endless band connects the pulley on the spindle of the cock F*
with the balanced wheel N' which is operated by the rise and fall of the gas
holder. Thus the regulation of the two cocks F and G¹ will be simultaneous, as
will also be the cut off of the supply of oil and gas when the apparatus is to be
thrown out of action.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improved Apparatus for
Manufacturing Illuminating Gas," 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,―
The arrangement of apparatus above described in which the vapour and gas are
first mixed at a comparatively low temperature and then subjected to a high
temperature, as and for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Sugg, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the First day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
WILLIAM T. SUGG. (L.S.)