Improvements in Apparatus for the Production of Acetylene Gas.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Production of Acetylene Gas.
I, JAMES MCCONECHY, of 67, Renfield Street, in the County of the City of
Glasgow, North Britain, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The invention consists of apparatus as arranged relatively with each other of
its working parts as to constitute a working plant for the production of acetylene:
gas on thorough economic principles.
The producers form a series consisting of any number adequate to the volume
of gas required and the storage at command.
For brevity I will describe only one of these gas producers as it is to be.
understood they are all identical in construction.
An upright cylindrical casing constitutes the outer shell of the producer, the
top of which is of dome configuration with an opening therein, in order to give
access to the interior. This opening is provided with a lid or cover which may
be screwed into the dome or as conveniently clamped to it after the manner of
the lids of gas retorts or the lids of man-holes of boilers.
Occupying the upper internal position of the said casing and three fourths or
thereabouts of its circumference is mounted a tank or well which is annular or
of ringlike form and of a suitable depth. This tank is open at the top and lies.
immediately under the dome. A pipe or conduit leads from the bottom of the
tank or well outside of the casing where it describes a bend, and through the wall
of the casing, is directed to the inside of the gas producer at a point across the
gap made by the tank or well.
The said pipe or conduit is provided with a stop-cock near the centre of the
bend outside of the gas producer. The lower outside edge or inner diameter of
the tank is formed with an inner lip. This inner lip supports telescopically a
vessel or container whose upper edge is provided with a corresponding outer lip
or flange which rests upon the aforesaid inner lip of the tank or well. Within
this vessel or container the charge of calcium carbide to be treated is placed. The
said vessel or container is provided with a transverse rod or bar to enable it to
be readily lifted out and cleaned. On the outer lip of the vessel or container is
mounted an adjustable, hinged shoot or trough, which can be turned up vertically
when the vessel is to be withdrawn, but when in its normal position is freely
made to lie obliquely across the top of the container and its inner end slopes
downward towards the centre. The outlet of the pipe from the tank or well is
so arranged as to lie immediately over and discharge itself into this trough which
when the water is turned on by the stop cock already referred to runs down the
said trough and falls centrally within the container upon the crystals to be
treated.
The water contained in the tank or well is preferably of such quantity as will
decompose one charge of calcium carbide only.
The vessel or container is surrounded with water to about three fourths of its

page_text: depth between the inner wall of the gas producer and the container itself. A
draw off cock is placed in the bottom of the producer in communication with
this liquid..
The acetylene gas produced escapes by an outlet pipe placed in the dome by
which the gas is led into a main pipe leading to the gas holder and common to
the wholes series.
Stop cocks are placed between this main pipe and each producer. It will be
understood therefore that each such producer is essentially self-contained, self-
efficient, and independent of any other of the series.
A screw cap is placed in the dome of each producer in order to render gas-
tight the opening by which the tank or well is fed with water when required.
And in the centre of the said screw cap is placed a safety valve.
100
Π
100%
JAMES MCCONECHY,
Applicant.
:
Improvements in Apparatus for the Production of Acetylene Gas.
I, JAMES MCCONECHY, of 67, Renfield. Street, in the County of the City of
Glasgow, North Britain, Manufacturer, 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 invention consists of apparatus as arranged relatively with each other of
its working parts as to constitute a working plant for the production of acetylene
gas on thorough economic principles.
The producers form a series, consisting of any number adequate to the volume
of gas required and the storage at command.
In order that my invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect, I have hereunto appended one explanatory sheet of drawings, in the
several figures of which corresponding parts are marked with the same letters of
reference.
Figure 1 is a general view of the plant for producing and storing acetylene gas
made in accordance with and constituting my invention.
Figure 2, is a vertical section of one of the generators or producers.
Figure 3, is a horizontal section of the same taken on the lines a. b.
Figure 4, is a vertical section of the vessel or container in which the calcium
carbide to be treated is placed and,
Figure 5, is a part front elevation of gas holder and generator with lever
arrangement for automatically turning on the water to generate a given quantity
of gas when the holder is down at a pre-determined level in the absence of an
attendant, and all hereinafter more fully described.
It will be seen from Figure 1, that the plant constitutes a series of three
generators A, A1 and A2 mounted with a main pipe B, which is connected with a
flexible tubing C, by which the gas produced in the generator is led into the
holder or gasometer. 1). The holder is of a capacity in keeping with the gas
producing powers of the said three generators and is well adapted for domestic
use.
When a storage of gas is such as to require a larger holder, the generators may
conveniently be increased in number and size and grouped together so as to form
a rectangle, square or circle, consistently with the space at command. The
holder D, is essentially detachable from the generators, so that when the supply of
4

page_text: gas is sufficient to meet the requirements the said generators may be removed to
another situation and connected, if necessary, to another holder exhausted of its
previous supply.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, of the drawings the gas producer or generator A,
consists of an upright cylindrical casing E, which constitutes the outer shell: of
the producer, the top of which is of dome configuration, with an opening F, therein
in order to give access to the interior.
The said opening F, is provided with a lid or cover G, which may be screwed
into the dome, as shown, or as conveniently be clamped to it, after the manner
of lids of gas retorts or the man-holes of boilers. Occupying the upper internal
position of the said casing and three fourths or thereabouts. of its circumference
as seen more particularly in Figure 3, is mounted a tank or well-H. The said
tank or well H, is open at the top within the generator or producer A, and lies
immediately under the dome.
2
A pipe or conduit I, leads from the bottom of the said tank or well H, outside
of the casing where, as seen in Figs. 1, and 2, it describes a bend and returns
again through the wall of the casing into the inside of the generator or producer A,
at a point left unoccupied by the ring like form of the tank or well H, as indicated
in Fig. 3: The said pipe or conduit I, is provided with a stop cock. J, by, which
the water may be turned on and off.
The lower outside edge or inner diameter of the tank H, is formed with a
lip K.
The inner lip K, supports telescopically a vessel or container L, whose upper
edge is provided with a corresponding outer lip or flange M, which rests upon
the aforesaid inner lip K, of the tank or well H. Small pivoted catches N,
retain the vessel or container L, in position and prevent it rising with the buoyancy
of the water contained in the producer A.
Within the vessel or container L, the charge of calcium carbide to be treated is
placed as shewn.
According to my invention the charge, being weighed, is such that the water
contained in the tank or well H, is sufficient to decompose it and no more, rendering
the apparatus a wasteless and economic gas producer.
The said vessel or container L, is provided with a transverse bar 0, to enable
it to be readily lifted out and the residue withdrawn.
On the lip M, of the vessel or container L, is mounted an adjustable, hinged
shoot or trough P, which can be turned up into a vertical position shown in
Fig. 4, when the vessel is to be withdrawn, but when in the normal position as
shown in Fig. 2, and in dotted lines Fig. 4 aforesaid it is made to lie freely in an
oblique position across the top of the vessel or container L.
The outlet end of the pipe I, from the tank or well H, is so arranged as to
lie immediately over and discharge itself into the trough P, which when the
water is turned on by the stop-cock J, already referred to, runs down the said
trough P, and falls centrally among the crystals to be treated.
The vessel or container L, is surrounded with water contained in the producer A,
as seen in Fig. 2, which neutralizes and absorbs the heat set up chemically by the
rapid generation of gas. A draw off cock Q, is placed in the bottom of the pro-
ducer so that, from time to time, the water contaminated by the gas may be
drawn off and fresh water supplied at will.
The acetylene gas produced escapes by the outlet pipe R, leading from the
dome of the generator and is conducted by the main pipe B, common to the
whole series, into the holder D, as already referred to. Stop-cocks S, are placed
between the said main-pipe B, and each producer, as shown. It will, therefore,
be understood that each producer is essentially self-contained, self-efficient and
independent of any other of the series. A screw cap T, is placed in the dome of
each producer in order to render gas tight the opening by which the well or
tank H, is fed with water when required.

page_text: In the centre of the said cap T, is placed a safety valve U. Pressure gauges V,
are also placed near the top of each producer as shewn in Figs. 1, and 2.
:
Referring to Figure 5, an arrangement is there shown of auxiliary producer for
generating a supply of gas automatically in the event of a given supply proving
insufficient for a calculated period of lighting.
According to this arrangement an undue fall of the holder D, would cause the
guide projection d, to depress the vertical lever W, which operation would move
the bell crank lever X, so as to open the valve J, and allow the water contained
in the tank or well to flow in on the charge of crystals contained in the vessel.
By this means a fresh supply of gas would be obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In apparatus for the production of acetylene gas the gas producer A con-
structed with a tank or well H, for containing water in sufficient quantity to act
upon and decompose a fixed charge of calcium carbide and no more substantially
as described and shown on the drawings.
2. The general arrangement and combination of parts operating substantially
in the manner described and shewn on the drawings.
noted this 9th dox of December 1897
JAMES MCCONECHY,
Applicant.