Improvements in Generators for the Manufacture of Acetylene and other Gases.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Generators for the Manufacture of Acetylene
and other Gases.
We, RICHARD CLAYTON, of the Cannon Iron Foundry, Deepfields, in the County
of Stafford, Ironfounder, and HENRY BERNARD STEWARD, of the same place,
Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention has for its object an acetylene gas generator of great simplicity
in which the gas generated is cooled before leaving the generator, and the amount
of gas generated is regulated independently of the pressure.
The invention consists essentially in forming the ordinary gasometer and tank
with sockets at the bottom of the tank or other guides or stays, and in these sockets
or guides long tubes open at the top and containing carbide are inserted. On the
top of the gasometer bell, which can be counter-weighted or not
as desired, we place a second tank of water. This tank can be kept
filled if desirable by a constant addition from a tap or can be fed
intermittently. From the bottom of this tank a tube provided with a cock passes
through the bell so as to deliver its water immediately above each carbide tube.
These carbide tubes will serve when not required for use as storage cylinders of
carbide, and all that is required to enable them to be adapted for use in the
generator is to take their lids or caps off and place them in the sockets. The
mode of action is as follows:-One or more tubes being placed filled with carbide
in their sockets in the generator, a tap or taps are turned slightly on so as to
trickle into them. Acetylene is thereby generated and is cooled by the surround-
ing water and the cooled sides of the tubes kept cool by the water, the tap being
turned on in exact proportion as gas is wanted, and when gas is no longer required
to be generated the water is altogether turned off and the generation of gas
practically ceases. In thus describing our invention we do not bind ourselves to
all the details herein set forth, for instance each gasometer can contain one or any
number of tubes with their sockets. There can be the same number of taps and
water pipes leading to these tubes as there are tubes themselves or a single pipe
can lead into the bell and be subdivided in a star form to the various tubes.
Further it is not absolutely necessary that there should be a tank on the gasometer
at all, as the tube or tubes passing through the gasometer bell can be connected by
flexible pipes with a fixed reservoir. This is in some cases an advantage as the
pressure on the gas remains absolutely the same being independent then of the
amount of water in the upper tank. In speaking of tubes too, it is obvious that
long rectangular boxes can be used in rectangular sockets or guides, the only point
being that they shall extend through the water in the tank and shall have an open
ead to receive the water and to allow the gas to escape. When the gasometer bell
sinks to the bottom it is evident that the carbide has been exhausted, it is taken out
of the tank and the carbide cylinders or boxes are lifted out, emptied of their con-

page_text: tents and refilled and placed in position, or other ones substituted for them, while
these are sent back to the depot to be re-charged.
Dated this 7th day of March 1898.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Generators for the Manufacture of Acetylene
and other Gases.
We, RICHARD CLAYTON, of the Cannon Iron Foundry, Deepfields, in the County
of Stafford, Ironfounder, and HENRY BERNARD STEWARD, of the same place,
Chemist, 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 has for its object an acetylene gas generator of great simplicity
in which the gas generated is cooled before leaving the generator, and the amount
of gas generated is regulated independently of the pressure.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawing, which shows
a vertical section of our apparatus.
In these A A A are a series of tubes, gas generators or carbide chambers formed
of a single tube fitting into a socket B at the bottom. C is a smaller tube inside
tube B and projecting above it, and ending above in a funnel, and below in a disc.
There can be numerous discs if desired with distance pieces threaded on this tube
just fitting inside tube A. On these discs which (all but the bottom) are per-
forated, the carbide is placed. D is a gasometer tank, and E the gasometer bell.
Through E exactly over the centre of each of these funnels is placed a nozzle F.
Each of these nozzles pass through the gasometer top in a water-tight manner, and
are united to a tap G above which carries a nozzle on which an india-rubber pipe H
is attached. The other end of this india-rubber pipe is attached to a similar nozzle
and tap I connected with a reservoir J placed in any convenient position above the
level of the top of the gasometer. There is sufficient slack allowed in the india-
rubber pipes to allow of the rise and fall of the gasometer or the reservoir can be
attached to the gasometer bell and rise and fall with it. In such case there need
only be one tap and a fixed rigid pipe to each carbide tube. K is the service pipe
and L a tap to let out any condensed water.
The mode of action of this device is as follows.-The tank D is filled with water
up to a given point which is below the top of the tubes A. The tubes A being
filled with carbide to the required height are inserted in their sockets B. The bell
is then placed above, connection made with the reservoir, if the reservoir is not
permanently attached to the bell and one pair of the cocks is turned. If each cock I
has an independent reservoir, such reservoir is made to hold a little more than just
sufficient water to decompose all the carbide in one tube A, and in practice we
prefer to make the reservoir either in separate compartments or use a series of
independent reservoirs each of the required size for one carbide chamber, rather
than have a single common reservoir to all the tubes. When the gasometer bell
sinks down showing that the gas is nearly exhausted a second cock is turned on
causing a second rise of the gasometer and so on till all the cocks have been turned
An arrangement can be used if desirable for automatically turning on each
tube in succession when the gasometer falls sufficiently but we prefer the simpler
arrangement of doing it by hand. In showing a simple nipple with funnel below
on.

page_text: we do not bind ourselves to this arrangement, as in some cases we may have an
elastic tube suspended from the nipple so as to more easily direct the water into
the funnels. In practice however it will be found that the drops dripping from
the nipple or the thin stream running from the nipple as the case may be falls
straight in the comparatively quiescent atmosphere of the gasometer and if the
funnel be deep enough and with a slightly incurved rim there is no splashing.
The water round the tubes serves to keep them cool. We have described our
invention only for making acetylene, but it is obvious that it is equally applicable
for making carbonic acid by means of hydrochloric acid and chalk or for making
sulphuretted hydrogen, ordinary hydrogen and other gases which are generated by
adding a liquid to a solid. Further, this invention is equally applicable in cases
where the carbide tubes are passed through sockets in the bell or in the top of an
unexpandible gasometer and are perforated inside the gasometer for gas to escape.
Having now particularly ascertained and described the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is;-
1. The improvements in generators for the manufacture of acetylene and other
gases which consists in forming the carbide holders or generators as long tubes
fitting into guides or sockets at the bottom of the gasometer tank and each supplied
by means of a tap with water from a reservoir substantially as described.
2. The general arrangement and construction of generator for the manufacture
of acetylene or other gas formed by adding a solid to a liquid, substantially as
herein described and illustrated.
■ Dated this 7th day of December 1898.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents, of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham & London.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents, of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham & London.