Improvements in Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
I, JEROME JOSIAHI PATTERSON, of 28, Bank Street, Batavia, in the County of
Genesee, State of New York, United States of America, Druggist, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for generating acetylene
gas and has for its object to provide a reliable and compact apparatus of the kind
wherein the generation of the gas is regulated by the rising and falling of the
gasometer in which the gas is stored.
An important feature of the invention consists in providing between the gas
generator or generating receptacle and a closed water supply tank, an intermediate
receiver for water, the inlet and outlet of the said receiver being controlled by
cocks or valves which are arranged so that when one is closed the other is opened.
This contrivance ensures that the water shall not be wasted should the gasometer
sink owing to the calcium carbide in the generator being used up and this not
being noticed by the attendant.
In one form of my improved apparatus the closed water supply tank is arranged
vertically above the generator and has its upper part connected by a tube with the
interior of the generator. The said tank may either be supplied with water at
intervals through a suitable opening, or may be in constant communication by
a pipe with the water supply, if the latter be at a suitable pressure. The inter-
mediate receiver is arranged between the said water tank and generator, and its
upper part is also in communication by a pipe with the upper part of the water
tank, the object of thus connecting the various parts being to equalise the pressure
in them. The cocks for controlling the inlet and outlet of the intermediate
chamber have their plugs provided with suitable arms which extend parallel with
one another, towards the gasometer of the apparatus, and are connected with the
said gasometer near their outer extremities by a weighted chain or other suitable
means so that they turn up and down as the gasometer rises and falls. The arrange-
ment is such that when the gas holder rises the outlet cock is closed and the inlet
cock opened, whilst conversely when it falls, the inlet closes and the outlet
opens.
It will thus be seen that in the event of the supply of carbide becoming
exhausted and the gasometer sinking and remaining in its lowest position, the

page_text: amount of water which will flow through the open outlet cock of the intermediate
receiver, is only the amount which the receiver contained before its inlet cock
was closed.
The gas produced in the generator is led through a suitable cooler, to the gas-
holder, whence it is withdrawn in any suitable manner to the burners or other
apparatus for utilising it.
To guard against an undue accumulation of gas in the gasometer, I provide in
the upper part of the latter an escape pipe which extends downward inside
the gasometer below the water level. This pipe is of such a length that its lower
extremity is raised out of the water when but not until the gasometer rises beyond
the proper limit. The pipe thus provides an escape for the excess of gas, which
may be led by a flexible tube or otherwise to a suitable point where it is dis-
charged into the atmosphere or may be conducted to a second
gas holder.
The gas generator of the apparatus comprises a detachable vessel or receptacle
and a cover in rigid connection with the other parts of the apparatus. At its
upper part the holder has a deep trough or water seal which receives a depending
cylindrical portion on the under side of the cover. A loose perforated cylindrical
cage or receiver is provided in the said detachable vessel to hold the carbide and
above this cage or receiver, which is open at its upper end is arranged a water
distributor or sprinkler in the cover of the generator. The connection between
the said removable body and the cover may be made in any suitable manner say
by wire hooks or catches on the top edge of the body, which can be caused by a
partial turn of the said body to engage projecting pins on the cover.
Obviously instead of the arrangement before described for operating the valves
controlling the intermediate water receiver, other suitable means may be employed
for operating these valves.
Dated this 29th day of April 1897.
Improvements in Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
I, JEROME JOSIAI PATTERSON, of 28, Bank Street, Batavia, in the County of
Genesee, State of New York, United States of America, Druggist, 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 relates to improvements in apparatus for generating acetylene
gas and has for its object to provide a reliable and compact apparatus of the kind
wherein the generation of the gas is regulated by the rising and falling of the
gasometer in which the gas is stored.
An important feature of the invention consists in providing between the gas
generator or generating receptacle and a closed water supply tank, an intermediate
receiver for water the inlet and outlet of the said receiver being controlled by
cocks or valves which are arranged so that when one is closed the other is opened.
This contrivance ensures that the water shall not be wasted should the gasometer
sink owing to the calcium carbide in the generator being used up and this not
being noticed by the attendant.
One construction of my improved apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying
drawings in which :-

page_text: Figure 1 is an elevation of the said apparatus, and
Figure 2 is a vertical section through the generator portion thereof.
B is the closed water supply tank which is arranged vertically above the
generator A and has its upper part connected by a tube k with the interior of the
generator.
The said tank may either be supplied with water at intervals through a suitable
opening normally closed by a plug N, or may be in constant communication by a
pipe T with the water supply, if the latter be at a suitable pressure.
C is the intermediate receiver which is arranged between the said water tank
and generator, and its upper part is also in communication by a pipe j with the
upper part of the water tank, the object of thus connecting the various parts being
to equalise the pressures in them.
h and are the cocks for controlling the inlet and outlet of the intermediate
chamber. These cocks are situated respectively in pipes z and have their plugs
provided with suitable arms h*i* which extend parallel with one another, towards
the gas holder E of the apparatus, and are connected with the said gasometer
near their outer extremities by a weighted chain e or other suitable means so that
they turn up and down as the gasometer rises and falls. The arrangement is
such that when the gas holder rises in its tank D the outlet cock is closed and
the inlet cock opened, whilst conversely when it falls the inlet closes and the
outlet opens. The various main parts of the apparatus are connected by a single
web plate 0.
It will thus be seen that in the event of the supply of carbide becoming
exhausted and the gasometer sinking and remaining in its lowest position, the
amount of water which will flow through the open outlet cock of the intermediate
receiver, is only the amount which the receiver contained before its inlet cock was
closed.
The gas produced in the generator is led by a pipe m having a cock n through
a coiled pipe o in a suitable cooler F. This cooler has a false bottom t the space R
beneath which forms a receptacle for any moisture that may condense in the
pipe o.
q is a cock to permit such moisture to be withdrawn at intervals as it collects.
From the cooler the gas flows through a tuber to the gasholder E whence it
is withdrawn in any suitable manner say by a pipes and tube G to the burners L
or other apparatus for utilizing it. At the bottom of the tube G is a vessel t,
having a draw-off cock u to permit moisture condensing in the tube to be with-
'drawn.
To guard against an undue accumulation of gas in the gasometer, I provide in
the upper part of the latter an escape pipe a which extends downward inside the
gasometer below the water level. This pipe is of such a length that its lower
extremity is raised out of the water when but not until the gasometer rises beyond
the proper limit. The pipe thus provides an escape for the excess of gas, which
may be led by a flexible tube b or otherwise to a suitable point where it is discharged
into the atmosphere or may be conducted to a second gas holder.
The gas generator of the apparatus comprises an outer detachable vessel or
holder which has a deep trough or water seal o¹ near its upper edge.
This trough or water seal receives a depending cylindrical portion or
flange n on the under side of the cover f of the vessel.
A loose per-
forated cylindrical cage or receiver q¹ having a raised bottom is provided in
the said detachable vessel. The upper part Q of this cage or receiver is open
and serves to hold the carbide while it is arranged a water distributor or sprinkler el
in the cover of the generator. Around the cage q¹ is an annular space pl in which
any water from the carbide can collect. The connection between the said
detachable vessel and its cover may be made in any suitable manner say by wire
hooks or catches at the top of the vessel which can be caused by a partial turn
of the said vessel to engage projecting pins w on the cover.

page_text: Obviously instead of the arrangement before described for operating the valves
controlling the intermediate water receiver, other suitable means may be employed
for operating these valves.
According to a modification of the above apparatus, I employ two or more
generators so arranged that in case the gas gives out in one, the water can be
admitted into the other to avoid interruption of gas supply. Such an arrange-
ment having two generators is shown in Figures 3 to 6 in which Figure 3 is a
general elevation,
Figure 4 a plan with certain parts omitted, and
Figures 5 and 6 are detail views hereinafter referred to.
In this case A A. are the two generators which have two water inlet pipes A¹
which terminate near the intermediate receiver C. A funnel A2 is provided which
will fit either, pipe, so that by merely changing the funnel from the pipe leading
into one generator to that leading into the other, the water can be directed into
either generators.
The cooling is effected in this case by a coil of pipe o' arranged in the bottom
of the gas holder D, the gas being led from the generator by a pipe extending
'downward to the bottom of the latter and connected to the coil in the gas holder.
To permit of the tops of the generators being taken off easily the gas outlet
pipe m passes downward through the generator and out near the lower part thereof
as shown in Figure 5, a three-way cock m being provided to each generator,
whereby the gas can be allowed to pass either into the gas holder through the
coil oor into the escape pipe o³.
The flexible escape pipe L referred to in connection with Figures 1 and 2 is
replaced by an escape pipe (Figure 6) extending up the centre of the gas holder E
to the top thereof, this pipe being arranged inside a wider tube 12 depending from
the top of the gas-holder and forming a sealing tube. When the holder rises
to a certain height, the gas escapes through one or more perforations 13 in the
sealing tube and passes down another escape pipe 3 whereby it is led out of
doors.
This arrangement does away with risk of the gas being allowed to escape
accidentally into the building should the attendant forget to turn off the cock m¹ as
such gas merely passes out of doors. In this modified construction of apparatus
the water passes into the generator through a trapped or U-shaped pipe a leading
to a spreader coil c¹ above the carbide holder q¹.
The water seal of the generator is also of annular form and extends down to
the bottom of the generator, its inner wall serving to enclose the carbide holder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. An apparatus for generating acetylene gas having an intermediate chamber
interposed between the water supply tank and the generator proper, controlled
by cocks or valves operated by the gasometer, substantially as described.
2. An apparatus for generating acetylene gas having a water supply tank, an
intermediate chamber and a generator arranged vertically one above the other and
connected by pipes so as to equalise the pressure in them, substantially as described.
3. An apparatus of the kind referred to in the first claim, having a generator
comprising a cover connected with the other parts of the apparatus and carrying
a detachable vessel containing a loose perforated cage or receiver for carbide, such
vessel having a water seal to prevent escape of gas between it and the cover, sub-
stantially as described.
4. The combination with an apparatus for generating acetylene gas, of the kind
referred to in the first claim, of a gasometer connected with the inlet and outlet
cocks of the intermediate chamber and provided with a downwardly extending
escape pipe which is only opened when the gasometer has risen beyond a certain
level, substantially as described.

page_text: 5. An apparatus for generating acetylene gas, comprising a generator, a gas-
ometer, a water-supply tank, an intermediate chamber, a cooler, and pipes connect-
ing such parts, substantially as hereinbefore described and as shown in the
accompanying drawings.
6. The modified arrangement wherein two generators are employed which can
be used alternately substantially as and for the purpose described.
7. My improvements in apparatus for generating acetylene gas substantially as
herein before described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 31st day of January 1898.
HASELTINE LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.