Improvements in Gas-lighting.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 27th Feb., 1897--Accepted, 22nd May, 1897
Improvements in Gas-lighting.
We, GEORGE MOREAU, of 28 Avenue Bugeaud, Paris, Mining Engineer, and
ALBERT POULHIES of 20 Passage du Saumon, Paris, Chemist, both in the Republic of
France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It has been long sought to utilize the great lighting power of acetylene gas, but it
is well known that this substance is of all gaseous carburets the least rich in bydrogen
and consequently the richest in carbon, the combustion of its carbon is incomplete
and it therefore burns with a sooty flame, thus producing a carbonaceous deposit.
Attempts have been made to mix it with inert gases, in order to dilute it and so
diminish the number of molecules of carbon per unit of volume; attempts have also
been made to mix it with air, but in this ca-e great difficulties have been met with
by reason of the liability of the mixture to explode.
We have conceived the idea of mixing a combustible gas with the acetylene or
other gaseous carburet or carbide rich in carbon, whereby the number of molecules
of carbon contained per unit of volume is reduced, the combustion in contact with
air facilitated, and the temperature of the flame increased.
We employ preferably acetylene produced by the decomposition of calcium-carbide
by means of water, and as a combustible gas we use either hydrogen, or carbon
monoxide produced in any well known manner, or the mixture of hydrogen and
carbon monoxide obtained by the action of steam upon red hot charcoal.
The proportion of acetylene may be varied but the mixture which we prefer is
one containing sixty per cent. of acetylene and forty per cent. of hydrogen. With
this mixture we have obtained a good white flame, of high illumination, (about
90 candle power,) not sooty and very hot.
On varying the proportion of acetylene from 75 to 50 per cent., the candle power
varies between 100 and 50.
By increasing in the mixture the proportion of hydrogen or of the combustible gas,
a flame of inferior lighting power but of greater heat is obtained. Our gaseous
mixture may in this case be very advantageously applied for incandescent lighting,
irrespective of what may be the substance employed or the device adopted.
This mixture is likewise very suitable for replacing ordinary gas or petroleum in
internal combustion motors or engines.
Where the acetylene gas is produced by the action of wet steam on calcium carbide
the wet steam passes into a gas generator or closed vessel in which a perforated basket
is suspended which contains the calcium carbide. The wet steam acts upon this
carbide and the acetylene gas which is produced is carried along with the surplus
steam into a condensing chamber; the wet steam thus carried over is condensed and
the acetylene passes into a gasholder, whence it is discharged through the distributing
conduit. As the acetylene gas is produced, the bell of the gasholder is lifted, until it
bears against a cross beam and compresses springs which tend to keep the beain down.
As the pressure increases in the gasometer and conseque in the whole apparatus a
float in the receiver connected to a piston valve
used to descend owing to the
increased pressure on the liquid in the sa
nus carrying the valve along with
it, and so closing the inlet opening for wet - n thus the generation of gas is reduced
or stopped. As soon as the pressure. reases, the liquid which has been lowered

page_text: returns the float and the piston valve to their initial positions, whereby the wet-steam-
inlet is opened; and so on.
The hydrogen is led into an apparatus, identical with the aforementioned receiver
for the acetylene; the hydrogen subsequently passes into a gas holder, the pressure
being regulated in the manner described for the acetylene.
In order to directly effect the mixture of acetylene and hydrogen in one gasometer,
the acetylene and hydrogen or carbon monoxide coming from their respective
generators, arrive through separate conduits, connected by a pressure regulating
device, which will be hereinafter referred to. These gases pass into corresponding
meters, the vanes of which are mounted upon the same shaft, and are both led
through one pipe to the distributing cylinder. The discharge is proportionate to
the capacity of the revolving chambers of the meters thus the proportion of the
gases may be varied by imparting to the set of chambers in one of the meters a
relatively different movement to that of the set in the other meter. The mixture
passes the gasometer, from the distributing cylinder directly to the admission being
controlled by very simple mechanism. A piston valve in the distributing cylinder
is connected by means of a stem, and connecting rod to one end of a beam turning
about a fixed point or pivot, a second connecting rod is attached at one end to the
other end of the beam, and at the other end to a vertical rod guided at two points
in its length and bent to a right angle at its lower part so as to be operated by
the downward movement of the bell of the gas holder.
When the bell is in its lowest position, the piston valve is at its highest position
in the cylinder and the orifice for the admission of the mixture into the cylinder is
uncovered. The mixture thus passes into the gas holder, the bell is lifted and when it
has risen to near its highest position, it acts upon an extension of the beam.
this occurs, the piston valve descends in its cylinder and the admission inlet for the
mixture is gradually closed.
When
While the piston valve is retained by friction in its cylinder, at the other end of the
beam until the bell, descending to near its lowest position, will depress the rod attached
to the beam, whereby the piston valve is again lifted and gas again admitted to the
gas-holder.
It is evident that according to this device, the gas holder can be charged, while the
gas is discharged therefrom (through the outlet tube in order to pass to the lighting
and heating apparatus) without disturbing the proportion of the mixture, since the
mixing process takes place before the mixture arrives at the gas holder.
The pressure regulating device which is inserted between the gas inlet openings
may consist of a gas tight chamber divided into two separate compartments by means
of a movable partition wall, which will forn a piston or floating membrane. This
regulating device may also be formed by a thick tube partly filled with water.
The volume of the chamber of the regulator compared with that of the generators is
such that the variations of pressure, which are in no case great, will always be
compensated by the movement of the partition wall.
Should a fall in the pressure occur, this would be due to a defective feed of the
generators which would be indicated by the sounding of an alarm bell or by the
operation of an automatic stopping device actuated by electricity or by other means.
For using the gaseous mixture for illuminating purposes we may employ any known
burner, but very good results have been obtained by using a type of burner which
permits of instantly varying the proportion of gas by means of cocks, and which
comprises a cylindrical sleeve surmounted by a block of steatite, for example, divided
into two compartments by means of a vertical partition wall. In one of the compart-
ments the conduit for the admission of acetylene terminates and in the other, the
conduit for the hydrogen terminates. These gases pass along the converging channels
provided in the steatite block and after lighting, the two jets, which burn separately,
form by their union a flame or butterfly at right angles to the plane of the axis of
the conduits. A small recess formed by hollowing the steatite block at the point
where channels converge ensures an intimate mixture of the gases and a regular or
steady flame. For adjusting the flame one firstly disposes of the diameter and of the

page_text: inclination of the conduits, which may or may not be arranged symmetrically; and
secondly of the gas pressure which cannot be the same in each conduit, since the gases
are drawn in this case from two distinct gas holders.
It is evident that one of the conduits may supply the lighting gas (acetylene or the
like) and the other the auxiliary gas (hydrogen, carbon monoxide, oxygen, or
the like).
This system is applicable in cases where the combustion of acetylene is rendered
complete by the mixture therewith of an inert gas supplied through a second
conduit.
We may employ for various domestic and industrial purposes, the before described
mixtures as well as any others obtained by our method, which consists in mixing a
gas, rich in carbon, with another combustible gas.
We reserve to ourselves the right of varying at will the proportion of our mixtures
according to the purpose in view and the elements or devices employed also to apply
any alterations which practice may suggest as regards the arrangement of the
installations.
As regards the burner, the same is not only applicable to our system but also to any
method of burning gases involving the mixture of active and inert gases.
Dated this 27th day of May 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
emen
We, GEORGE MOREAU, of 28 Avenue Bugeaud, Paris, Mining Engineer, and
ALBERT POULHIES, of 20 Passage du Saumon, Paris, Chemist, both in the Republic
of France, 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:-
For a long time attempts have been made to utilize the great lighting power of
the flame of acetylene. But this body being, as is well known, the least hydrogenated
and consequently the richest in carbon of all the gaseous carburets, the combustion of
its molecules of carbon is incomplete and it burns with a sooty flame thus producing
a carbonaceous deposit.
Attempts have been made to mix it with inert gases in order to dilute it and
diminish the number of molecules of carbon in the unit of volume; in like manner
attempts have been made to mix it with air, but then great difficulties have been
encountered by reason of the liability of the mixture to explode.
We have conceived the idea of mixing with acetylene or with any other gaseous
carburet rich in carbon a combustible gas which raises the temperature of the flame
by its own combustion and ensures the complete combustion of rich carburet.
We preferably employ as a gas rich in carbon, acetylene arising from the decompo-
sition of calcium carburet by water, and as a combustible gas either hydrogen produced
by the action of zinc in the form of sheets or of iron upon sulphuric acid or upon
hydrochloric acid, or carbon monoxide produced in any well known manner, or the
mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide obtained by the action of water vapour or
steam upon red hot charcoal, which mixture corresponds in composition nearly to
that of carburet of hydrogen called camphene and for which the formula is C³H³ in
atomic notation.
The proportion of acetylene may be varied but the mixture which we prefer is that
formed by sixty per cent. of acetylene in volume and forty per cent. of hydrogen.

page_text: With this latter mixture we obtained a beautiful white flame, which gives a very good
light, and is not fuliginous, and is very hot, corresponding to about 90 candles.
When we vary the proportion of acetylene from 75 to 50 per cent. the lighting
power of the burner varies from 100 to 50 candles.
If we increase in the mixture the proportion of the hydrogen or of the combustible
gas, we obtain a flame which gives less light but is hotter. Our gaseous mixture may
very advantageously be used in case of lighting by incandescence, whatever may be
the refractory substance employed or the arrangement adopted.
This mixture is likewise very suitable for replacing ordinary gas or petroleum in
thermal explosion motors.
In the accompanying drawing we have represented in diagram two installations for
producing the mixture of acetylene and hydrogen, and also a type of burner for the
case where the acetylene and the hydrogen come from two distinct gas holders.
Figure I relates to the production of acetylene gas by the action of water vapour
upon calcium carburet with automatic regulation, and
Figure 2 to the distribution with automatic regulation of the hydrogen gas or oxide
of carbon.
Figure 3 is a diagram showing the installation for the case where the mixing of
acetylene and hydrogen is effected in the desired proportions by automatic means in
a common gas holder.
Figure 4 is a plan view of Figure 3 and
Figures 5 and 6 relate to a special burner which is perfectly adapted for our
improved mode of lighting.
Referring to Figure 1 the water vapour arrives at a in the cylinder a¹ placed in the
prolongation of one of the branches A of a receptacle at V. It passes into the
closed gas holder or reservoir B, in which is suspended a perforated basket B¹
containing the calcium carbide. The water vapour acts upon this carbide, and the
acetylene gas which is produced is carried away with the water vapour in excess into
the chamber (; the water vapour carried away is condensed and the acetylene passes
to the gas holder G, whence it is discharged by the distributing pipe g. In proportion
to the production of the acetylene gas the bell H of the gas holder is raised; it will
butt against the transverse piece and compress the springs ; the pressure
augmenting in the gas holder and consequently in the whole apparatus, the float F
rigidly connected with a sleeve F¹ moves downwards in the corresponding branches
of the receptacle A, carrying away with it the sleeve F; the latter closes the inlet
for the water vapour and the production of the gas is stopped. As soon as the
pressure diminishes, the liquid which has been raised in the second branch of the
receptacle A causes the float F and the piston F to return to their original positions,
thereby opening the inlet for the water vapour, and so on.
In Figure 2 the hydrogen arrives at b in an apparatus A¹ similar to the apparatus A
described for acetylene, and then passes into a gas holder G'. The regulation of the
pressure is obtained in the same manner as for acetylene.
For effecting the mixing of acetylene and hydrogen directly in a common gas
holder, we employ the arrangement shown in Figure 3.
The acetylene and the hydrogen or carbon monoxide coming from the apparatus
producing them arrive separately through the pipes connected with each other by
a pressure regulator R hereinafter referred to. These gases pass into respective
meters mounted upon the same shaft and are conducted through a single pipe K
to the distributing cylinder L. The supplies are proportional to the volumes of the
buckets of the meters j and j', and the proportion of the gases may be varied by
imparting to one of the meters a relative novement with regard to the second meter.
The mixture passes to the gras holder Q through the pipe t. The admission takes
place by means of a very simple mechanism. A sleeve m is displaced in the
cylinder L and is connected, by means of a rod m², a connecting rod n a rocking
lever p adapted to turn about the fixed point o, and a second connecting rod n', to a
vertical rod s guided at two of its points and bent at its lower part so as to be carried

page_text: away in the downward movement of the bell g of the gas holder when this bell arrives
at its lower position.
9
When the bell is at its lower position the sleeve m is at its upper position in its
cylinder, and the orifice for the admission of the mixture into the cylinder is open.
The mixture therefore passes to the gas holder, the bell g is raised and when it
moves to its upper position will act upon the prolongation p' of the rocking lever p;
now the sleeve m moves downward in its cylinder and the inlet for the mixture
is progressively closed, the sleeve m obstructing the admission orifice of the
pipe K.
The sleeve m being displaced with friction in its cylinder the articulated system
will be kept raised until the hell arriving at its lower position will carry away
with it the rods, thereby raising again the sleeve and giving rise to a fresh
admission.
It will be understood that in this arrangement the charging of the gas holder
may take place while the gas escapes through the pipe T in order to pass to the
lighting and heating apparatus without affecting the proportion of the mixture,
because the mixing is accomplished before the arrival in the gas holder.
The pressure regulator R included between the gas inlets & and I may be a tightly
closed chamber with two compartments separated by a movable partition which will
be a piston as in the accompanying drawing Figure 1 a floating membrane.
This regulator may also be constituted by a large U-shaped pipe partially filled
with water. The volume of the chamber of the regulator compare with that of
the producing apparatus is such that the deviations of pressure which are never
great will always be compensated for by the action of the partition.
If a lowering of pressure should take place it would be due to a defective feed
of the producing apparatus. In providing against such an eventuality we may
arrange an electrical or other alarm and automatic stop.
For the application of our gaseous mixture to lighting we may employ
known burners, but we have obtained very good results with the type representeu
in Figures 5 and 6.
It enables us to vary instantly the proportion of the gas by means of simple
cocks.
A cylindrical sleeve M, surmounted by a block N of steatite for example, is
divided into two compartments by a vertical partition v. In one of the compartiments
terminates the pipe for the admission of the acetylene, and in the other the pipe y
for the hydrogen. These gases following the convergent channels and provided
in the block N and after the lighting the two jets which burn separately form by
their union a butterfly flame perpendicular to the plane determined by the axis of
the pipes z, z. A small recess 22 formed in the block N at the point of intersection
of the channels z¹ ensures the intimate mixing of the gases and the regularity of
the flame. For regulating the flame we have to consider in the first place the
diameter and inclination of the pipes which may or may not be symmetrical, and
in the second place the pressure of the gas which cannot be the same in each pipe,
because the gases are obtained in this case from two distinct
gas holders.
This system is applicable to the case where the combustion of the acetylene is
rendered complete by the adjustion of an inert gas which then passes through the
second pipe (nitrogen, carbonic acid, or the like).
We reserve to ourselves the various domestic and industrial applications of the
mixtures before-mentioned or any others obtained by our method which consists in
mixing with a gas rich in carbon another combustible gas.
We also reserve to ourselves the right to vary at will the proportion of our mixtures
according to the object to be achieved and the elements employed, and to make any
modifications which practice may suggest to us in the arrangement by the installations
herein before described.
As regards our burner it is applicable, not only to one system, but also to any
method comprising the active or inert mixture of two different gases.

page_text: 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 :-
First. The new system of lighting utilizing mixtures of gas rich in carbon with
combustible gases or gaseous mixtures, and more particularly the mixture of acetylene
with hydrogen giving a non-fuliginous flame which pro tuces great light.
Second. For carrying into practice the system of lighting set forth in the first
claim an installation comprising two distinct gas holders G and G, one of these gas
holders G' receiving the hydrogen produced by the customary processes and traversing
a pressure regulator formed by a float in contact with the gas and connected with a
sleeve which will close the admission of gas when the pressure causes the float to move
downwards, the other gas holder G receiving the acetylene produced by the decompo-
sition of calcium carbide by the water vapour, a pressure regulator with a float
interrupting the admission of the water vapour when the pressure becomes too great
in the gas holder, and the two gases then escaping from their respective gas holders
and arriving simultaneously through branches at burners where they form two
converging jets which produce by their union a flame in the form of a butterfly, the
mixing of the two gases being in this manner able to take place only at the outlet of
the burner, substantially as described.
Third. For carrying into practice the system of lighting set forth in the first claim
the installation for effecting the mixing in any proportions of acetylene with hydrogen
in a single gas holder this installation comprising two meters jj which supply
determined volumes of each of the parts of the mixture, and a distributing system in
which the mixture already formed arrives, and which sends the latter to the gas holder,
the arrival of the mixture being regulated by the pressure in the gas holder through
the medium of an articulated system upon which the bell of the gas holder acts when
it reaches its extreme positions, and this system actuating a sleeve m which opens or
closes the inlet for the mixture, substantially as hercinbefore described and represented
in Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawing.
Fourth. In an installation for carrying into practice the system of lighting set forth
in the first claim an expanding burner with two convergent pipes, in one of
which arrives a gas rich in carbon, such as acetylene, and in the other a gas such as
hydrogen which is blown into the flame of the gas rich in carbon and corrects and
regulates this flame, the mixing not being able to take place before the combustion,
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the
accompanying drawing.
TY
3711
1007
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.