Improvements in Apparatus for the Production of Heating and Illuminating Gas.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 27th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 30th May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Production of Heating and
Illuminating Gas.
Wė, THOMAS THORP of Whitefield near Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, and THOMAS GARDINER MARSH of 41 Corporation Street, Manchester
in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for producing illuminating and heating gas
by the chemical action and re-action of solid and liquid substances upon one another,
and consists in improvements in the apparatus for the production of such gas having
for the object chiefly the regulating of the production of the gas intermittently or
continuously as desired, and the simple and compact arrangement of the structure
or apparatus for producing and storing the gas.
The improvements are specially applicable in the case of apparatus for the
production of acetylene gas from calcic carbide and water, and are also applicable
in other cases where a solid is acted upon by, and reacts upon a liquid and vice versa,
in the production of gas.
In an apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention, in one arrangement
we provide a closed vessel or chamber fitted with a suitable gas-tight hopper at
the top and provided with a pipe for leading off the gas to the reservoir or holder.
This pipe may be fitted with a clack or other valve or lead into a main or conduit
formed with a hydraulic seal. In the chamber is fitted a perforated shelf or grating
at a suitable distance from the bottom thereof. The bottom of the chamber is
preferably concave inside and provided with a small aperture.
The chamber is set in an open or closed tank of suitable dimensions in which the
liquid is contained, access for the liquid into the interior of the chamber being had
by means of the aperture aforesaid. The tank is provided with suitable manholes
to facilitate the removal of the residue. The liquid in the tank around the chamber
may be open to atmospheric pressure in some cases, and in others it may be sealed
to the atmosphere, and internal pressure created in the tank.
In another arrangement we may use a tank fitted with a central stand-pipe and
suitable manholes for removing the residue. We place a bell or holder of suitable
dimensions in the tank, which we render buoyant by means of air tight chambers,
or provide counter balance weights to sustain it. We arrange suitable guides
within which the bell may move in a vertical direction. To the bell we fit a
concave bottom having an aperture of suitable size therein, and at a suitable distance.
above the bottom we fit a shelf or shelves of grids or gratings or provide equivalent
support for the solid substance used for producing gas by this system. We provide
a suitable gas tight hopper to the bell, or more than one, through which we feed
the substance aforesaid..
In the production of gas by this apparatus the tank is charged with the liquid to the
desired extent, and a charge of the solid substance is fed on to the perforated
grating or support through the hopper. By lowering the solid charge into the
liquid, or by forcing the liquid up in the chamber or bell so as to come in actual
contact with the solid charge, gas is evolved in large quantities and if not carried
off will, by its pressure, raise the solid charge in the case of the moveable bell
away from the liquid, and in the case of the fixed chamber, force the liquid through

page_text: the aperture in the concave bottom. The area of the aperture being small in
comparison with the area of the grating and chamber, little or no vapour will be
produced from the liquid and consequently very little or no gas is made when the
liquid is at or near to the level of the aperture, which would not be the case if the
whole surface of the water were exposed to evaporation.
Dated this 25th day of June 1895.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Production of Heating and
Illuminating Gas.
We, THOMAS THORP of Whitefield near Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, and THOMAS GARDINER MARSH of 41 Corporation Street, Manchester
in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to apparatus for producing illuminating and heating gas
by the chemical action and re-action of solid and liquid substances upon one another,
and consists in improvements in the apparatus for the production of such gas having
for the object chiefly the regulating of the production of the gas proportionally to
the consumption, and the simple and compact arrangement of the structure or
apparatus for producing and storing the gas.
The improvements are specially applicable in the case of apparatus for the
production of acetylene gas from calcic carbide and water, and are also applicable
in other cases where a solid is acted upon by, and reacts upon a liquid and vice versa
in the production of gas.
On the drawing appended hereunto
Fig. 1 shows a vertical section of a gas producing apparatus .constructed
according to our invention, and
Fig. 2, a vertical section of a modified apparatus.
In the apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention, represented
by Fig. 1, we provide a closed vessel or chamber a, fitted with a suitable gas-tight
hopper bat the top, and provided with a pipe c for leading off the gas to the
reservoir or holder. This pipe c.may be fitted with a clack or other valve or lead
into a main or conduit formed with a hydraulic seal.
In the chamber, is..fitted a
perforated shelf or grating d at a suitable distance from the bottom thereof. The
bottom of the chamber is preferably concave or conical inside, and. provided with
small aperture or pipe e¹.
e
The chamber is set in an open or closed tank f of suitable dimensions, in which
the liquid is contained, access for the liquid into the interior of the chamber being
bad by means of the aperture or pipe e aforesaid. The tank fis provided with
suitable manholes to facilitate the removal of the residue. The liquid, in the, tank
around the chamber may be open to atmospheric pressure in some cases,.and.in
others it may be sealed to the atmosphere, and internal pressure created in the,
tank.
In the modified arrangement represented. by Fig. 2, we use a tank g fitted with a
central stand-pipe h and suitable manholes for removing the residue. We place a
bell or holder k of suitable dimensions in the tank, which bell we render buoyant
by means of air tight chambers l, or provide counter balance weights to sustain it..
We arrange suitable guides m within which the bell guided by rollers n may, move
in a vertical direction. To the bell we fit a concave bottom o having an aperture p

page_text: of suitable size therein, and at a suitable distance above the bottom we fit a
perforated plate 9 or grids or gratings or provide equivalent support for the solid
substance used for producing gas by this system. We provide a suitable gas tight
changing hole or hopper to the bell, or more than one, through which we feed
the substance aforesaid.
In the production of gas by this apparatus the tank is charged with the liquid to
the desired extent, and a charge of the solid substance is fed on to the perforated
grating or support through the hopper or charging hole. In the apparatus
represented by Fig. 1 the gas production is started by compressing the air in the
tank above the liquid by any suitable air compressor if the tank is closed, or by
filling in some additional liquid, if it is an open tank. In the apparatus represented
by Fig. 2, the gas production is started by lowering the bell till the solid charge
comes in contact with the liquid. Gas is then evolved, and if not carried off as
rapidly as produced, its pressure will in case of the fixed chamber force the liquid
through the aperture in the concave bottom into the tank, and in the case of the
moveable bell, lift it and raise the solid charge away from the liquid. The area of
the aperture being small in comparison with the area of the grating and chamber,
little or no vapour will be produced from the liquid and consequently very little or
no gas is made when the liquid is at or near to the level of the aperture which
would not be the case if the whole surface of the water were exposed to evaporation.
When the pressure falls, the liquid will come into contact again with the solid
substance by the pressure of the air above it in the tank for its gravity, or by the
descent of the bell, so that the production will regulate itself in proportion to the
gas consumption.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1. In apparatus for producing gas by the action of a liquid in contact with a
solid, the construction of a gas producing chamber with a perforated tray or its
equivalent for the solid substance and a preferably concave or conical bottom
having a small aperture through which the liquid is admitted to the chamber
substantially as hereinbefore described and for the purpose set forth.
2. The construction of gas producing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings.
3. The construction of gas producing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings.
Dated this 26th day of April 1896.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.