Improvements in or applicable to Self Generating Gas or Vapour Burners.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 27th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 10th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Self Generating Gas or Vapour
Burners.
WC, ROUGHSEDGE WALLWORK, of the firm of H. Wallwork & Co., of Union
Bridge Iron Works, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and
Ironfounders, and ARTHUR COLLINGS WELLS, of Manchester aforesaid, and of
102, Midland Road, St. Pancras, London, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to arrangements and apparatus for heating up the
generating passages of, and starting and lighting self generating gas or vapour
burners such as those known as "Wells' lights" the subject of Letters Patent in
our names, applicable also to other self generating gas or vapour burners.
supplied to the
In our well known lamps the oil or combustible liquid
generating passages of the burner from a cistern by compressed air within it, and
the oil ascends a vertical stand pipe to the upper end of which the burner is
attached.
The top of the cistern for combustible liquid has a casting secured to it, with
which the lower end of the stand pipe is connected, in which casting there is a well
known filter plug and a cone plug for turning on and off and regulating the passage
of oil from the cistern to the stand pipe. In this casting we form a passage for air
to pass from the upper part of the oil cistern to the stand pipe, in which passage
there is a cone plug cock for turning on and off and regulating the passage of air to
the stand pipe.
At a certain distance from the top of the stand pipe (say about 20 inches) there
is a small cock, which is opened when the burner is to be started and oil is admitted
into the stand pipe until it escapes at the small cock, which is then shut, and the
air valve is then opened, and the air ascends the stand pipe, passes through the oil
in it, and carries with it some of the oil therein, and discharges it as spray from the
ordinary nozzle of the self generating vapour burner, and this spray is immediately
lighted and burns freely and heats up the generating passages of the burner, the
cock for oil being regulated so as not to allow so much oil to pass as to flood the
burner.
When the burner is heated sufficiently to generate its supply of gas or vapour,
the air is shut off and the proper supply of oil is turned on to supply the burner as
a self generating gas or vapour burner.
Hinged to the frame of the burner there is a disc or baffle plate, which throws
the flame of the ignited spray back upon and confines it as much as possible to the
generating passages of the burner, this disc or baffle plate being turned on its
hinge down and out of the way when the burner has been started to generate its
supply of gas or vapour. The chimney used for starting or heating up the burner
in the ordinary mode of heating up the burner may be used, especially when the
lamp is used in the open air.
Dated this Twenty-sixth day of June 1891.
PETER J. LIVSEI,
Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Self Generating Gas or Vapour
Burners.
We, ROUGHSEDGE WALLWORK, of the firm of H. Wallwork & Co. of Union
Bridge Iron Works, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and
Ironfounders, and ARTHUR COLLINGS WELLS of Manchester aforesaid, and of
102 Midland Road, St. Paneras, London, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
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 arrangements and apparatus for heating up the
generating passages of, and starting and lighting self generating gas or vapour
burners, such as those known as "Wells' lights" the subject of Letters Patent in
our names, applicable also to other self generating gas or vapour burners.
In our
well known lamps the oil or combustible liquid is supplied to the generating
passages of the burner from a cistern by compressed air within it, and the oil
ascends a vertical stand pipe to the upper end of which the burner is attached, the
top of the cistern for combustible liquid has a casting secured to it, with which the
lower end of the stand pipe is connected, in which casting there is a well known.
filter plug and a cone plug for turning on and off and regulating the passage of oil
from the cistern to the stand pipe. In this casting we form a passage for air to
pass from the upper part of the oil cistern to the stand pipe, in which passage there
is a cone plug cock for turning on and off and regulating the passage of air to the
stand pipe.
At a certain distance from the top of this stand pipe, (say about 20 inches) there
is a small cock, which is opened when the burner is to be started; oil is allowed to
rise into the stand pipe until it reaches the level of, and escapes at, the small
cock, which is then shut. The air valve is then opened, and the air rising in the
stand pipe through the column of oil the most suitable height for which, as
shewn by the pet cock, has been ascertained by experiment, becomes carburetted
and carries with it some of the oil which is discharged as spray from the nozzle of
the ordinary self-generating burner.
This spray may also be produced without fixing the height of the column of oil
in the stand pipe or using the pet cock, by turning on at the supply taps, oil and air
simultaneously.
Or air may first be turned on and then oil or vice versa, the relative quantities
being adjusted by the cocks or valves.
This spray is immediately lighted and burns freely and heats up the generating
passages of the burner, the cock for oil being regulated so as not to allow so much
oil to pass as to flood the burner.
When the burner is heated sufficiently to generate its supply of gas or vapour,
the air is shut off and the proper supply of oil is turned on to supply the burner as
a self generating gas or vapour burner.
Hinged to the frame of the burner in any convenient manner there is a disc or
baffle plate, which throws the flame of the ignited spray back upon and confines it
as much as possible to the generating passages of the burner, this disc or battle
plate being turned on its hinge out of the way when the burner has been started to
generate its supply of gas or vapour. The chimney used for starting or heating up
the burner in the ordinary mode of heating up the burner may be used, especially
when the lamp is used in the open air.
Fig. 1, is an elevation of an oil and air cistern such as those used for the
"Wells' light
showing the pump and suction pipe, the stand pipe and filter and
"
regulating cock.
Fig. 2. is a sectional elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1, with the self

page_text: generating vapour burner added and modified according to our present improve-
ments.
Fig. 3. is an elevation of the burner detached looking towards the front end
where the flame comes outwards.
Fig. 4. is a detached elevation in section of the casting in which the plug cocks
and filter plugs are formed and on which the pressure gauge is carried.
Fig. 5. is a plan section full size of the casting and its cocks the section being in
a plane passing through the axes of the spindles of the cone plug cocks and the
filter plug.
Fig. 6. is a vertical section on the line A-A Fig. 5. and Fig. 7. is a vertical
section on the line B-B Fig. 5.
is the cistern for oil and air; ', the suction pipe connected with the pump b;
2, the pump handle; c, the cock for emptying the cistern; d, the rod in a screw
plug for testing the depth of oil in the cistern.
:
the pipe within the cistern extending to near its bottom and being connected
with the casting, for the cocks; e, the stand pipe above the casting/g, the pipe
connected with the burner that passes into the stand pipe e, through the stuffing
box eg, is a dish secured on the pipe g; the burner; g, the cover or back
guard of the burner; h, Fig. 4. is the gauge for showing the pressure of the air in
the cistern.
All the above parts referred to by letters of reference are well known parts of
the Wells' lamp."
The modifications according to our present invention are as follows.
There is a plate g³, hinged at g, to the front of the burner, which can be turned
upwards to cover the outlet for the flame and confine its action to the vapour
generating passages of the burner when desired.
This flap may be arranged to hinge sideways or otherwise if preferred..
This hinged plate y³, is turned downwards as shown in dotted line in Fig. 2, when
the lamp is burning in the ordinary manner to give light.
At a distance up the stand pipe, a cock e. is placed, which when open allows
any oil there may be above it in the stand pipe e, to escape, and this cock ³, is
used to ascertain and fix the depth of oil in the stand pipe e, when heating up and
starting the burner.
The ordinary cock in the casting, of the "Wells' light "consisted only of the
cone plug valve, for turning on and off and regulating the supply of oil, the
screw filter plug f, and the arm /³, and passage from it to the pressure gauge h.
According to our present invention there is an additional passage, formed in the
end of casting, into which air can enter from the upper part of the cistern a, and
this passage reduced in diameter and changed into a horizontal direction terminates
in a cone seating for a screw cone plug valve spindle, that passes through a
stuffing box formed in the casting as shown, thia spindle, being rotated by a hand
wheel, on its exterior end.
From the passage for the screw plug, there is a diagonal passage, to the
lower end of the stand pipe e, so that when this cock 6, is open, air can pass from
the upper part of the cistern a, to the stand pipe e, but when it is closed, only
oil can pass through the pipe e', and the filter plug f, and cock ", to the stand
pipe e.
In using our improvements for starting the self generating vapour burner to
work, the Hap or hinged plate 3, is placed in the position shown in full line in
Figs. 2 and 3 where it covers the outlet for the flame from the burner and confines
its action to the generating passages. In some cases when the lamp is exposed to
high winds the ordinary chimney, shown in dotted line in Fig. 2 is applied, but
this may be dispensed with in ordinary cases.
A small piece of waste or fibrous material saturated with oil is placed in the
ordinary back-guard or cover g³, near the nozzle of the burner and lighted.
The cock 3, is opened and also the cock, slightly, to admit oil to the stand

page_text: pipe e, until it escapes at the cock e³, when the cock f¹, is closed and then the
cock e, when the oil has ceased to flow from it.
When the air cock 6, is opened very slightly, and the air will pass from the
cistern a, up the stand pipe e, and carry with it part of the oil in the stand pipe
in the form of spray, which will escape at the nozzle of the burner, and will he
ignited by the burning fibrous material placed in the back-guard or casing g°.
The cistern should only be about half full of oil when starting the burner and
the pressure in the cistern should be about thirty pounds per square inch, and if it
sinks below ten pounds pressure, then more air should be pumped into the cistern a,
by the pump 2. When the burner is started with vapour the pressure in the cistern
need not exceed 20 lbs. per square inch. The flow of oil and air is regulated by
the cocks until the flame becomes clear and smokeless.
After three or four minutes the burner will be hot when the air cock 6, is closed,
and the oil cock /', is opened more fully and when the flame is clear and roaring,
the chimney, is removed, and the flap, is turned to the position shown in dotted
line in Fig. 2.
The hinged plate or flap g³, may also be used if at any time the burner becomes
cool or discharges oil unburned, either by reason of the nozzle being stopped or
the generating passages being partly stopped with deposit, as by the use of the
flap, the flame will be concentrated upon and confined to the generating passages
and will thus heat them up and cause oil that may be dropping to fall into the
dish g².
When the burner is elevated to greater heights than shown in Fig. 2, the
flap g, is or may be worked by a rod or wire in connection with an arm or arms.
Our improvements may also be used when the lamp is to be put out for removing
or reducing some of the carbon deposit in the generating passages which is effected
by stopping the supply of oil to the burner, and then drawing off from the stand
pipe e, by means of the cock e³, all the oil that will flow out of it (which may be
received into any suitable receptacle) and then opening the air cock 6, slightly,
to blow out the remainder of the oil in the stand pipe e, at the cock e³, and when
the pipe is empty (care being taken that it is empty of oil) the cock e³,
the remainder of the air in the cistern will pass out through the burner iss
jet nozzle in a blue cloud.
shut and
* at the
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. Starting or heating up self-generating vapour burners by producing a spray
of oil and air which is discharged from the nozzle of the vapour burner which
spray when ignited will heat up the generating passages sufficiently to generate
vapour from the oil supplied to the burner when it is started to work, and which
oil and air spray is or may be produced by partly filling with oil the pipe or
passage which supplies the burner with oil and then causing air under pressure to
pass into the same pipe in order that it may become carburetted and take with it
oil and discharge it as spray at the nozzle of the burner, or by admitting oil and
air, under pressure simultaneously into the said pipe or passage, or by admitting
first air and then oil or rice versa, substantially as herein before described.
2. The combination of a cock (e) with the stand pipe (e) substantially as and
for the purposes described.
3. The combination of a cock () with the stand pipe and cistern for turning
on and oft and regulating the supply of air under pressure from the cistern to the
pipe supplying oil to the burner substantially as and for the purposes described.
4. The combination of a flap (3) or its equivalent with the burner for directing
the flame from the burner more upon the heating passages of self generating vapour
burners substantially as and for the purposes described.
5. The combination of air and oil cocks or valves and filter plug with the air

page_text: and oil cistern, and oil supply or stand pipe, of a self generating vapour burner
substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated by the drawings.
6. The combination of the flap (g³) the burner (g) the stand pipe (e) having a
cock (e) and air valve (f³) and oil valve (f¹) and filter plug (2) with the
oil and air cistern (a) substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated
by the drawings.
Dated this Ninth day of March 1899
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.