An Improved Acetylene Gas Generator.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 26th Nov., 1898
An Improved Acetylene Gas Generator.
I, Gustaf DillberG, of 77, Elizabeth Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Electrician,
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 object of this invention is the construction of an apparatus whereby calcium
carbide may safely be converted into acetylene gas without the aid of any specially-
designed mechanism, moving parts, or the like.
As is well known accidents often happen in connection with the generation of
acetylene gas from calcium carbide, not so much on account of the generators being,
more or less indifferent in design, faulty in construction, or on account of carelessness
in using. The chief danger is the use of mechanism at all for such a purpose, as,
mechanism is always liable to get out of order, sometimes when least expected, and
mechanism in conjunction with such a volatile and explosive gas as acetyline must
necessarily, sooner or later, result in explosion or accident. To ensure perfect safety.
in the cooling and using of said gas it is necessary that the generator must be the
essence of simplicity, and without moving parts, pressure valves, balances, and the
like; that the carbide used should be so retarded in its composition that it may be
converted into gas, under control, and that the gas evolved be regulated at a pre-
determined rate per unit of time when in contact with water.
To effect this object I merely employ a receptacle, or containing vessel of any
suitable material, which for convenience sake I will herein refer to as the outer
chamber," and a hollow cylinder inside of same, open top and bottom, which I will
herein refer to as the "inner cylinder." The remaining necessary parts consist of
a tightly fitting lid or stopper for the inner. cylinder, and a tube fitting into said
stopper or lid to convey the gas to a burner or burners. The whole apparatus I will
herein refer to as "the lamp," the construction of which I will now describe
whilst referring to the accompanying drawing, which shows a vertical section of
saine,
a represents the outer chamber, which may be made of any desired shape, as the
latter in no way interferes with the satisfactory working of the invention, it being a
mere matter of design to suite taste and convenience, appearance or attractiveness.
The only essential to be observed in its construction is, that it be sufficiently large to
allow the inner cylinder b to be placed inside of it in such a manner, that the water,
contained in the outer chamber a surrounds it, and may rise and fall in b whilst the
inner cylinder b remains immovable in its predetermined position.
The inner cylinder b is a hollow tube; the size and shape of which may be varied
to suit requirements, its essential functions being described below.
At the top of the inner cylinder b is a removable lid or cover d' which, when
in position, hermetically seals same, excepting at the opening where the tube e
is placed, to convey the gas to the burner f.
At the bottom of the inner
cylinder 6 I prefer to place a cover of gauze or other perforated material c which
permits free ingress and egress of water contained in the outer chamber-a to and
from the inner cylinder b; g is a cock for regulating the supply of gas to the
burner f. It is essential that the inner cylinder b should be rigidly held in
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page_text: Inside of
position, which may be effected by securing 6 to the lid or cover h of the outer
chamber a, the main object of h being to hold b in position. I prefer to make h
solid and fitted to the top of the outer chamber a. When is well fitted to the top
of a I make a small vent hole in same, which I cover with wire gauze.
and some distance from the bottom of b I place crosswires j or wire gauze, or
perforated sheet metal or the like, which must be sufficiently open to permit water
to pass through freely. The object of j is to act as a shelf upon which the calcium
carbide composition may rest, whilst the water may have free access from
below.
Though calcium carbide in its ordinary state may be used in this lamp, I prefer to
use specially prepared calcium carbide, that is calcium carbide mixed with other
ingredients in such a manner that the conversion of same into acetylene gas is
retarded and so regulated that the conversion is approximately evenly distributed
over a predetermined period of time, when in contact with water.
To use the lamp I proceed as follows:-The outer chamber a is partly filled with
water, the level m of which must be sufficiently high to rise to a predetermined
height in the inner cylinder b. The requisite carbide composition is placed on j,
and the stopper d, with the tube e, burner f and cock g are firmly fixed on the
top of b.
When the water comes in contact with the carbide composition, the
exposed surface of same speedily becomes converted into acetylene gas which is
fed through the tube e to the burner f. As the burner f in conjunction with
the cock g only allows a limited quantity of gas to leave b, the excess of pressure
in b expends its force upon the water level in b, pressing the water downwards
into the outer chamber a, in which the water rises in proportion. The carbide
composition being thus deprived of the water, the generation of gas decreases,
and only when the gas already contained in b has been sufficiently consumed
through the burner f, (the internal pressure in 6 being reduced thereby), is the
water able by its own weight to return into contact with the carbide composition,
when the gas generation proceeds. By this means a steady supply and pressure
of gas may be maintained, and the desirable size of flame sustained. When the
lamp is no longer needed for illuminating or other purposes, the gas may be cut
off by turning off the cock g, the water, owing to the internal pressure in bis
then again driven below the crosswires j, and held there until the cock g is again
opened, thus automatically cutting off the gas generation.
Though theoretically the generation of gas should cease when the water is
removed from the carbide composition, there is alway some moisture retained by
the sides of 6 and the crosswires j, as well as by the active and already used up
carbide composition, a contingency which it is necessary to provide for. This is
done by allowing sufficient additional storing space in the inner cylinder b below
the crosswires j, and the bottom of b. This part of b may be expanded in
diameter as shown by dotted lines at k. The proportionate dimensions of a and
b may easily be calculated so as to prevent gas from escaping from 6 to a, the
approximate degree of conversion per unit of time of the carbide composition being
previously known, but should the lamp, by some unforeseen circumstance or
accident be so shaken, tilted or upset, as to permit the gas confined in b to
enter a, below the bottom edge of b, the gas thus liberated will rise through the
water and lodge under the cover d, and ultimately escape through the vent hole i.
Should a lighted match or other flame be at or near at such a time no harm
can possibly be done, firstly because the liberated gas is very limited in quantity,
and secondly because the minute quantity immediately above the gauze i can
catch alight, and even if a contained a large quantity of gas under pressure, only that
which passed through the gauze could burn, and that only outside of the gauze.
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 :-
1. In combination with an inner cylinder, through the lower end of which water

page_text: may freely flow, and which is rigidly held in position in an outer chamber when
in use, a surrounding outer chamber containing water, substantially as described
and shewn on the drawing and for the purpose herein set forth.
2. In combination with the inner cylinder b a removable tightly fitting lid or
stopper, substantially as described and for the purpose herein set forth.
3. In combination with an inner cylinder such as b, a perforated shelf -such
asj, substantially as herein described and for the purpose herein set forth.
4. In combination with a lamp as described, a vent hole such as i, covered with
a gauze of fine mesh, for the purpose herein set forth.
5. The relative arrangement and position of an inner cylinder rigidly held in
position when in operation, with an outer chamber containing water, substantially
as described and shewn on the drawings and for the purpose herein set forth.
6. The inner cylinder constructed substantially as described and shewn on the
drawing and for the purpose herein set forth.
7. The lamp, as a whole, substantially as described, and shewn on the drawings,
and for the purpose herein set forth.