Improvements in Gas Making Apparatus.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 14th May, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Making Apparatus.
I, CHARLES RUSSELL COLLINS, of 727 Brown Street, in the City and County
of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention relates to the construction of apparatus for the manufacture of
carburetted water-gas and has for its object to provide an apparatus in which the
process of carburetting and fixing the water-gas may go on continuously while the
generator forming part of the apparatus is run intermittently, alternately making
producer gas which is used for heating the fixing chambers, and water gas which is
carburetted in said chambers. The leading features of my improved apparatus
consist in the combination with a generator; of two separate and independent
carburetting and fixing chambers, or sets of chambers, connecting independently
with the generator, a gas receiver or relief holder connecting with the generator;
conduits leading from the receiver to each carburetting and fixing chamber or set
of chambers; and valves arranged in the conduits between the generator and the
carburetting and fixing chambers and between the receiver and the carburetting
and fixing chambers by which gas can be directed from the generator and relief
holder to either carburetting and fixing chamber at will.
My invention will be best understood as described in connection with the
drawings in which it is illustrated and in which,―
Figure 1 is a plan view of an improved apparatus constructed in accordance
with my invention.
Figure 2 a sectional elevation taken on the line 1-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 a plan view taken on the section line 3-4 of Figure 2.
Figure 4 an elevation of the generator and the conduit leading from it to the
receiver.
Figure 5 a view partly in section and on an enlarged scale of the conduit leading
from the receiver to the superheating chambers showing the devices preferably used
in connection with it.
Figure 6 is a sectional elevation taken through the receiver and a masonry wall
of the carburetting and fixing chambers along the flue R'.
Figure 7 an enlarged plan partly in section showing the valves regulating the
delivery of gas from the generator; and
Figure 8 is a section on the section-line 5-6 of Figure 7.
A is the generator of usual construction having a charging opening closed by a
lid (see Fig. 2) at A', and a gas exit passage A near its top (indicated by a dotted
line in Fig. 2 because it is really on the side of the generator which is cut away).
A hinged gate A³ is provided at the bottom of the generator for the removal of
ashes and below the grate an air-blast pipe U and steam pipe U₁ enter it.
A conduit B also opens from the upper part of the generator and, as shown, this
conduit opens into a box B¹ which communicates through openings with
chambers C and C³ from which in turn, lead conduits or flues C C'. The
passages are opened or closed at will by valves c c¹; the conduits C and C+
lead respectively to two separate and independent fixing chambers or sets of fixing
chambers in which the gas is carburetted and fixed; as shown each such chamber
consists of a chamber D or D' into which the gas conduits lead and into which
provision is made for introducing the carburetting material; as shown an oil
injector T is placed at the top of the chamber. The chambers D and D¹ should
preferably be partly filled with checker-work and opened at their bottoms through

page_text: conduits E into fixing chambers F and respectively; these chambers being also
filled with checker-work as shown in the drawings. From the chambers F and F
conduits H G and H G lead to a wash box J which in turn communicates with
scrubbers K from which the gas is led to the place of use or storage.
Returning again to the generator, another conduit L. leads from opening A² and
through a seal box L' and conduit M M to a gas receiver or relief holder N ;
from the said receiver a pipe O leads branching or forking at its end as shown
at QQ and communicating with conduits or flues R and R formed in the masonry
of the superheating chambers; the flue R communicates with the vertical flue $
which opens into the top of the chamber D, and the flue R' communicates with the
vertical flue S¹ which opens into the top of the superheating chamber Dt:
valves 9 9 are provided for controlling the passage of gas from the receiver to the
chambers D and D. In order to economize the heat of the gas coming from the
generator to the receiver I cause the delivery pipe O of the receiver to pass
through the pipe M', the pipe O being thus jacketed with the hot gases coming
from the generator; and I also prefer to provide a by-pass P connecting the
pipes M and O as shown in the drawings, the said by-pass being furnished with a
valve by which it can be opened or closed at will. This valve P can, if
desired, be an automatic valve which will open whenever a determined amount of
pressure of gas is accumulated in the receiver. HH indicate openings leading
into chambers F F for cleaning them.
The operation of my improved apparatus can be readily followed: Thus, for
instance, a fire being lighted in the generator and fuel (coal or coke) supplied
thereto, air is forced through the fuel and the producer gas thus produced allowed
to escape through conduit B and conduits C C into the two sets of carburetting
and fixing chambers in which it is burned in order to heat the chambers, the
products of coinbustion being allowed to escape by opening the valve at the top
of pipes H H when they will pass through said pipes into the stacks I placed
above them. In starting the apparatus one or both of the sets of carburetting and
fixing chambers can be heated at the same time. When the fuel in the generator
is sufficiently ignited the air-blast is turned off and steam turned into the bottom
of the generator which, passing through the fuel, is converted into water-gas; the
valves c and c¹ having been previously closed the water-gas passes from the
generator through the conduit made up of L L' M and M' to the receiver or relief
holder N. The valves and g¹ are allowed to remain closed until a sufficient
amount of water-gas is accumulated in the relief holder and in the mean-time if
more than one blast is required to accumulate the desired quantity of water-gas
the valves c and c', or one of them, are opened whenever the steam is turned off and
the air blast turned on to the generator.
A sufficient quantity of water-gas having been accumulated in the receiver and the
carburetting and fixing chambers having been raised to a proper temperature, the
operation is continued as follows: The valve q is opened, the valve q' closed,
the valve c' opened, and the valve c closed; the air-blast being now in operation in
the generator the producer gas passes through the chambers D₁ and F' and escapes
through the conduit H' which is opened at the same time with the valve -the
gases of course being burned in the chambers D and F while passing through
them; at the same time water-gas passes from the relief holder N through the
chambers D and F carburetting material being introduced in said chambers as
described and the carburetting gases escaping through pipe G to the washer and
scrubbers the valve at the top of pipe H being of course closed. When the blast
of the generator is continued long enough the valve c¹ is closed, the steam again
turned into the generator and the water-gas formed in it escapes through the
conduits L and L and M and M' to the receiver N. When this run of water gas
is continued sufficiently long the steam is shut off and the air blast again
admitted to the generator; the valve c¹ is previously closed, the valve c opened,
the valve closed and the valve g' opened; and at the same time the valve at the
top of pipe H is also opened. The producer gas then passes through and is

page_text: burned in the chambers D. and F restoring the heat previously consumed in the
carburetting of the gas and the water gas passes through chambers D! and F! and
the valve at the top of pipe H' being closed the carburetted gases escape through
pipe G¹ into the washer and scrubbers.
It will be seen that by the above-described arrangement and operation I am
enabled to keep a constant and practically uniform supply of water-gas passing
through the carburetting and fixing chambers in spite of the fact that the generator
is run intermittently manufacturing alternately producer and water gas.
During the manufacture of water-gas in the generator it will often be convenient.
and desirable as a plan for economizing heat to pass the gases directly from the
conduit M to the conduit O without first passing them into the receiver N. As a
convenient device for so operating the apparatus I have shown the by-pass P con-
trolled by valve P' which can be opened either by hand or automatically when a
sufficient quantity of gas has been accumulated in the receiver.
It is obvious of course that my apparatus can be used not only in the way above
described and for which it is peculiarly adapted, but also for the manufacture and
carburetting of gas in the familiar intermittent way; that is to say, by first passing-
producer gas through both sets of chambers and burning it therein and afterward
passing the water gas into said chambers to be carburetted and fixed.
As shown on the drawings the carburetting and fixing chambers are of the kind
adapted to be heated by internal combustion but it will be understood of course
that I do not limit myself to any particular construction of the carburetting and
fixing chambers which may be constructed in accordance with any of the numerous
plans now in use. I may state however that I decidedly prefer the plan of heating
the chambers by internal combustiou.
The gas is forced from the generator by its own pressure and from the receiver
by the weight of the dome containing it, the valves 99' regulating the delivery of
gas from the receiver and being so set that the delivery is gradual.
of
have, in the Specification and claims, referred to chambers D D F and F' as
carburetting and fixing chambers but it will be understood that in so describing
them I do not intend to limit my invention on, a construction in which the oil or
other carburetting material is introduced directly into the chambers for it is
familiar practice to introduce the carburetting material at various points as for
instance in the generator when it passes together with the gas to be carburetted
into the carburetting and fixing chambers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
First An apparatus for making carburetted water-gas having in combination a
generator, two carburetting and fixing chambers or sets of chambers each having
independent connection with the generator; a gas receiver connecting with the
generator; separate conduits connecting each carburetting and fixing chamber with
the receiver, and valves arranged to control the course of gas from the generator
and receiver to the superheaters substantially as and for the purpose specified.
:
Second An apparatus for making carburetted water-gas having in combination.
a generator, two carburetting and fixing chambers or sets of chambers each having
independent connection with the generator; a gas receiver connecting with the
generator; separate conduits connecting each carburetting and fixing chamber with
the receiver; a by-pass connecting the conduit leading to the receiver with the
conduits leading therefrom; and valves arranged to control the course of gas from
the generator and receiver to the superheaters, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
Third An apparatus for making carburetted water-gas having in combination a
generator, two carburetting and fixing chambers or sets of chambers independently
connected with the generator; a receiver; a conduit leading from the receiver to
the generator; a conduit leading from the receiver jacketed by the conduit leading.

page_text: into it from the generator; independent connections from the conduit leading from
the receiver to each set of carburetting and fixing chambers; and valves situated
in the conduits for governing the course of the gases, all substantially as and for
purpose specified.
the
Dated this 12th day of April 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.