Improvements in Safety Devices for Gas Producers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 12th Dec., 1896
COME DULE DIBITIVATION.
Improvements in Safety Devices for Gas Producers.
We, ALEXANDER CROMBIE HUMPHREYS and ARTHUR GRAHAM GLASGOW,
trading in partnership as Humphreys & Glasgow, of 9 Victoria Street, in the
County of London, and of 66, Broadway, in the City and State of New York,
United States of America, Engineers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to apparatus used in the manufacture of water gas and in
which there is an alternate production of water gas and of fuel gas, the latter gas
being produced in the process of bringing the generator and connected parts of
the apparatus to a proper temperature for the production of water gas. In the
process of bringing the apparatus to a properly high temperature for the production
of water gas air is forced into the generator and into the parts generally known as
the carbureting and fixing chambers, while in the manufacture of water gas steam
is forced into the generator and the air cut off from all parts of the apparatus
traversed by the water gas, aud in case, by inadvertence or otherwise, air is not
excluded from the apparatus while water gas is being manufactured there is
danger of the formation and ignition of an explosive mixture of water gas and air
which is not only perilous to those employed about the apparatus, but also
endangers the apparatus itself. Now the object of our invention is to provide
means by which the danger of the formation of an explosive mixture in the
apparatus is avoided and this we accomplish by interlocking the blast valves
which control the admission of air to the various parts of the apparatus with the
the valve controlling the take-off pipe through which the products of combustion
are led away from the apparatus and we effect this interlocking of the parts
referred to in such a way as either to prevent the closing of the take-off valve as
long as any of the blast valves are open or to prevent the opening of any of the
blast valves as long as the take-off valve is closed. Preferably we effect the
interlocking in such a way as to accomplish both of the functions above noted.
The precise character of the interlocking mechanism employed may be very
greatly varied and obviously the interlocking mechanism may be connected either
with parts of the apparatus which convey motion to the valves in question or with
parts of the apparatus actuated by the motion of the said valves, these being but
improvements of mechanical skill and capable of great variation. In the drawings
which form a part of this specification we have shown an interlocking device of
simple and efficient construction which has been found to give satisfactory service
in practical use and which embodies our invention in a form which provides for
both of the functions hereinabove described.
Reference being now had to the drawings,
Figure 1 is an elevation of a gas producing apparatus provided with an
interlocking device embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.
Figure 3 a plan view of the devices shown in Fig. 2, and
Figure 4a perspective view of the interlocking device illustrated in the other
figures.
A is a water gas generator, and, as shown, is provided with take-off pipes both
at top and bottom, indicated at A' and A, D being a conduit through which the

page_text: gases pass to the carbureting chambers indicated at B, and this pipe D being
connected directly with the conduit A' and through branch D' with the conduit A
d and d' being valves situated in the conduits A and A' by which either can be
closed at will. B, as already mentioned, is, in the plan shown, a carbureting
chamber connecting through a conduit B' with a fixing chamber C. As all of the
chambers A, B and C are of familiar and usual construction we have not thought
it necessary to indicate their internal construction. At the top of the fixing
chamber C is a take-off pipe C' having, as shown, an opening at its top leading into
a stack N and a lateral opening C through which water gas is led to any
convenient purifying and storing device. E is an air blast pipe having as shown a
branch E leading into the bottom of the generator through the pipe A, a
branch E leading into the top of the carbureting chamber and a branch E
leading into the bottom of the fixing chamber. E, F and F are valves by
F,
which the various branches of the blast are opened and closed. at will and which
we will refer to as blast valves. These valves are actuated, as shown, by the
levers G, G and G, and indicating the connections between the levers
and the valves, and go and g indicating connections between the levers and a
corresponding system of levers L L and L' each of which as shown, is pivoted to
rods K K and K depending from a support above the levers, for instance, the
roof of the building. The ends and of the pivoted levers are, as shown,
formed in the shape of a segment of a circle and not in the same plane.
H is a valve by which the blast opening in the pipe C is closed or opened and
we will refer to this valve hereafter as the take-off valve. It is, in the construction
illustrated, secured by a lever I to transverse operating shaft I¹ to which shaft is
also secured a lever arm 12 from which a connection 13 leads to an actuating
lever 1. To the shaft l' is secured, in the plan illustrated, a locking device J
having a transversely extending face plate J and an open space indicated at Ja
between said face plate and the shaft 1. The ends 12 and 13 of the pivoted
levers are brought into such relation with the locking device J that when the said
pivot levers are in the position occupied by them when the blast valves are closed
they will not interfere with the free motion of the locking device J or of the
take-off valve H, but in case of the movement of any of the pivoted levers to the
position it occupies when its corresponding blast valve is open then its end will
come opposite to the face plate J and prevent the closing of the take-off valve H
and by this interlocking we effectually prevent the closing of the take-off valve so
long as any of the blast valves are open.
Our reason for forming the ends etc., of the pivoted levers with the curved
shape as illustrated is so that in case the valve H is closed or only partly open it
will be impossible to open any of the blast valves and it will be seen that when the
valve H is closed and the face plate J' moved downward and backward the top of
this plate will lie in contact with or in close proximity to the curved ends of the
pivoted levers and will prevent these curved ends from moving downward. But
as a downward motion of the curved ends of the pivot levers is a necessary
consequence of the inward movement of their pivoted ends it is thus obvious that
the pivoted levers are locked in position and through them the blast valves locked
in their closed position until the take-off valve is fully open.
We are aware that heretofore gas apparatus has been designed in which a
number of valves have been so coupled as to move together in a determined manner
our invention is distinguished from such constructions in that we provide not for a
simultaneous movement but for absolutely locking one or more valves against
movement when another valve or valves is in a determined position.
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
1. In a water gas apparatus having air blast pipes leading to various parts
thereof for promoting combustion and effecting the proper heating thereof, said

page_text: blast pipes being provided with valves and said apparatus having also separate.
take-off pipes for products of combustion and for water gas, and a valve for opening
and closing the take-off pipe for products of combustion, the combination of the
valves controlling the air blast pipes and the valve controlling the take-off pipe.
with interlocking mechanism whereby the closing of the take-off valve locks an
prevents the opening of the blast valves so long as said take-off valve remains
closed.
2. In a water gas apparatus having air blast pipes leading to various parts
thereof for promoting combustion and effecting the proper heating thereof, sai!
blast pipes being provided with valves and said apparatus having also separate
take-off pipes for products of combustion and for water gas anl a valve for opening
and closing the take-off pipe for products of combustion, the combination of the
valves controlling the air blast pipes and the valve controlling the take-off pipe
with interlocking mechanism whereby the opening of one or more of the blast
valves locks and prevents the closing of the take-off valve so long as said blast
valve or valves remain open.
3. In a water gas apparatus having air blast pipes leading to various parts
thereof for promoting combustion and effecting the proper heating thereof said
blast pipes being provided with valves and said apparatus having also separate
take-off pipes for products of combustion and for water gas and a valve for closing
and opening the take-off pipe for products of combustion, the combination of the
valve controlling the air blast pipes and the valve controlling the take-off pipe.
with interlocking mechanism whereby the opening of one or more of the blast
valves locks and prevents the closing of the take-off valve so long as said blast
valve is open and the closing of the take-off valve locks and prevents the opening
of the blast valves so long as said take-off valve is closed.
4. In a water gas apparatus baving air blast pipes leading to various parts
thereof for promoting combustion and effecting the proper heating thereof, said
blast pipes being provided with valves and said apparatus having also separate
take-off pipes for products of combustion and for water gas and a valve for opening
and closing the take-off pipe for products of combustion, the combination of the
take-off valve having an actuating shaft as I with a locking device as J secured
to said shaft, a series of pivoted levers as L', L' L' connecting with the blast
valves, one connected to the end of each lever, said levers being arranged as
specified so that their ends 12 will engage with the locking device J and.
prevent the closing of the take-off valve when any blast valve is open.
5. In a water gas apparatus having air blast pipes leading to various parts
thereof for promoting combustion and effecting the proper heating thereof said
blast pipes being provided with valves and said apparatus having also separate
take-off pipes for products of combustion and for water gas and a valve for opening
and closing the take-off pipe for products of combustion, the combination of the
take-off valve having an actuating shaft as I' with a locking device as J secured
to said shaft, a series of pivoted levers as L L L connecting with the blast
valves one connected to the end of each lever, said levers being arranged as
specified so that their ends 11 13 will engage with the locking device J and prevent
the opening of the blast valves when the take-off valve is closed.
Dated th: 0741
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants..