Improvements in Apparatus for Carburetting Gas for Lighting Purposes.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Carburetting Gas for Lighting
Purposes.
I WILLIAM GODSON LITTLE of Rock House Conisboro' in the County of York
Esquire do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CARBURETTING GAS FOR LIGHTING PURPOSES to be as follows:-
"
My Invention has for its object to provide means whereby the carburetting of
lighting gas by the use of hydrocarbons at ordinary temperatures can be effected
with great efficiency and the hydrocarbon be inserted in a ready manner by the
provision of an apparatus which allows of the introduction of the said solid.
Hydrocarbon into it and the liquification of the same in such a manner as to cover
a heated plate with a film only of the Hydrocarbon as it is liquified by heat, the
film being kept at a constant level under conditions giving a most favorable
vaporization and utilization of the vapours arising therefrom. I effect this by
providing a tube or receiver closed at one end and open at the other and in this
I place the solid hydrocarbon The said tube or receiver is then inverted and its
lower end is passed into a chamber or, passage the bottom of which forms the
plate upon which the film of melted hydrocarbon is received the said tube
preferably being in contact with the said plate except at one place at which a part
of the tube is cut away to allow the liquified hydrocarbon to flow out onto the said
plate and gas to take its place in proportion as the said film of Hydrocarbon is
evaporated 1 heat the plate directly or indirectly by the gas flame or by a
current of gas heated by the flame. For example the heat may be reflected by
means of a plate the position of which can be altered so as to project the heat
more or less under the Hydrocarbon receptacle film plate at will.
To replenish the tube or receiver with solid hydrocarbon it is simply necessary
to remove it invert it and after recharging it re-invert it and secure it again in
position. The said tube or receiver is capable of being fixed perfectly gas tightly
in its position above the plate which is most conveniently effected by a screw
attachment with an intervening washer of vulcanized India Rubber or Asbestos
LD033

page_text: to form the gas tight joint or packing-The passages through which the ordinary
coal gas passes are preferably provided with a tap the plug of which has a side
opening such as would be formed by cutting through from one side an ordinary
gas tap plug-This plug can be so turned that the side opening is in such a
position that gas only passes to the burner or so that the gas passes in any desired
quantity through the passage or chamber in which the vapour of Hydrocarbon is
generated or so that the passage supplying the gas is closed.
With an apparatus thus constructed I am enabled to use a gas globe of ordinary
size.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Carburetting Gas for Lighting
Purposes.
I WILLIAM GODSON LITTLE of Rock House Conisboro' in the County of York
Esquire, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CARBURETTING GAS FOR
"
LIGHTING PURPOSES and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
The object of my Invention is to evaporate a thin film of melted bydrocarbon
matter, (by preference, naphthaline obtained from the distillation of coal-tar,) to
mix the vapor therefrom with coal gas, to maintain the said film at a constant
level, and to burn the vapor of hydrocarbon and the coal gas at the same burner
or burners which cause the melting and evaporation of the hydrocarbon. I attain
these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings in
which:-
Figure 1 is a gas pendant suspended from the pipe A joining a three-way cock, B
having three outlets A¹ CD. By turning the cock B, I can direct the current of
gas either down the pipe C or down the pipe D. If I direct the gas down C it
will take the course indicated by the arrows, finally issuing at the burners below.
E, the carburetor is a circular dome shaped vessel with a flat bottom. To the
top of this vessel is attached a brass socket, G, turned accurately on the inside and
into which fits a brass conical plug H. Through the plug H passes a tube F,
closed at the top end and which is soldered or brazed into it and passes downward
into the vessel E. When the plug H is pressed home into the socket G the bottom
of the tube F should be within about one eighth of an inch from the bottom of
the vessel E
J is a stop in the pipe C.
K is a circular disk of copper or brass which can be raised or lowered by
screwing it on the threads L on the pipe D*.
Figure 2 is the plug of the cock B, which is an ordinary gas-cock plug cut
through on one side as shown. It will be seen that this form of plug will admit
of the gas being directed down the pipe C, or down D, or down C and D together;
or the gas may be shut off altogether by turning the solid side upward.
To work the apparatus the tube F is withdrawn and a solid candle of naph-
thaline introduced into it. It is then replaced into the socket and the naphthaline
will rest on the bottom of the vessel E. The cock B is, then opened allowing the
gas to flow down C, and it is lighted. The heat from the burners which may vary
in number from one to a dozen will then warm the bottom of the vessel E, causing
the naphthaline to melt and flow over it and the film will rise until it seals the
bottom of the tube F when no more can flow out. When the temperature is
sufficiently high the film will commence to evaporate and the vapor will be carried
along with the gas which fills the vessel E to the burners. Should the heat from
the burners be too great and cause too rapid evaporation it can be regulated by

page_text: screwing down the plate K and if it is necessary to prevent the flames from
smoking meanwhile the cock B can be turned so that any desired quantity of Gas
can be directed down the pipe D without passing through the carburetor. When
sufficient of the film is evaporated to unseal the bottom of the pipe F more of the
hydrocarbon will flow out until it is again sealed as before gas taking the place of
the hydrocarbon.
The bottom of the vessel E is pierced by the pipes C and D as shown.
I am aware that prior to my invention carburetors have been made for mixing
hydrocarbon matter with coal gas. I therefore do not claim such a combination,
broadly.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. The combination in a carburetor E, of a tube F closed at the top,
inclosing a solid hydrocarbon candle and held firmly by a conical plug H and brass
socket G, about one eighth of an inch above the bottom of vessel E all substantially
as set forth.
Second. The combination in a carburetting apparatus of the vessel E pierced
with pipes C and D above the level of the bottom of the vessel with the tube F
fastened above and near the bottom of E containing a solid candle of hydrocarbon
resting by gravity upon the bottom of the vessel E whereby the naphthaline is
allowed to melt by the heat from the gas burners and spread over the bottom of
the vessel E in a thin film and seal the bottom of the tube F and when sufficient
naphthaline has evaporated to unseal the bottom of tube F more melted naph-
thaline is allowed to run out until the bottom of tube F is again sealed as before.
Dated this 30th day of September 1885.