Improvements in Lamps or Burners.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 7th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 8th Oct., 1892
Improvements in Lamps or Burners.
A communication from GUSTAV BARTHEL, of No. 37, Blasewitzerstrasse, Dresden;
Saxony, in the German Empire, Chemist.
1 ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The subject of this invention is a burner of the Bunsen type adapted for burning
spirit without the employment of a wick the spirit being supplied under pressure and
caused to burn in a blue flame.
Up to the present time it has been found impossible to burn spirit in a Bunsen
burner, and burners of this description could only be employed in burning very
volatile gas-oils, such as benzine, ligroine (petroleum-spirit), or the like, and even
for these it was necessary to employ a wick having a sucking action, by which the
oil was brought into immediate proximity to the delivery tube. The employment
of explosive oils, such as just mentioned, taken in connection with the disadvantage
arising from the resinous residues which in a short time clog the wick and make it
unfit for use, is a serious inconvenience which it is the object of this invention to
remove by enabling the oils in question to be replaced by spirit, which is both
cheaper and comparatively free from danger, and which is allowed to transform into
a gas and consequently to be used without the assistance of a suction-wick.
It is, however, well known that the vapours arising from spirit have the property
of very rapidly settling down and condensing, and it was therefore necessary to
devise special means to meet this difficulty. According to this invention, the desired
result is attained by making provision for a rapidly and uniformly distributed
evaporation, while a certain counter-pressure is allowed to act upon the vapours
whereby the settling down of them is prevented.
The means employed in accomplishing this double object may of course vary in
their nature; but practical experiment has shown that in order to ensure a uniform
conduction of heat and evaporation, rollers, made of thin wire-gauze, should in'
preference be employed, while in order to produce the required pressure, it is only
necessary to raise the spirit reservoir to the required level, into which reservoir,
connected with the burner by means of a pipe (of india-rubber or the like), air is
forced by means of a pump or india-rubber ball.
The Bunsen burner may be adapted for burning spirit and for being used in
cooking and if desired may be in the shape of a soldering iron or tool.
Into a suitable support or base there is screwed a supply-pipe provided with a
handle, and a burner-pipe. The latter is by an intermediate piece divided into two
sections the lower being the evaporation chamber, and the upper the vapour
combustion chamber. The solid intermediate piece is provided with a narrow
opening or mouth having a small tube or nozzle fitted to it, into which a spindle
with a tapering point is inserted from outside; suitable packing closing the joint.
The lower end of the burner pipe is closed by a perforated bottom. Above it is
arranged the heat-distributor occupying the whole of the evaporation-chamber,
which in the present case is formed of a roller or reel of thin wire-gauze.
In starting the burner, the burner pipe is first heated in the well-known manner
by spirit poured into a cup or basin. Then by means of an adjustable cock arranged
in the supply-pipe, as much spirit is admitted into the evaporation-chamber, as can
be instantaneously evaporated. The spirit being introduced under pressure, becomes
distributed throughout the whole of the wire-gauze, while at the same time the
condensation of the vapours is obviated by the circumstance that the vapours remain

page_text: in contact with the heated wire up to the very moment when they are allowed to
escape through the nozzle By means of a spindle the escape or discharge of the
gas may be controlled if desired; but this can also be accomplished by the cock of
the supply-pipe, i.e., by simply not, admitting more spirit, and consequently not
allowing more of it to evaporate than is actually required. This is particularly
important in the case where the burner is used for soldering purposes, for in this
manner no liquid will be left in the apparatus while it is capable of being turned in
any required direction. By raising or lowering the spirit-reservoir the pressure may
be correspondingly increased or diminished and the flame regulated.
Dated this 30th day of March 1802
ALFRED J. BOULT,
Chartered Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lamps or Burners.
A communication from GUSTAV BARTHEL, of No. 37, Blasewitzerstrasse, Dresden,
Saxony, in the German Empire, Chemist.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 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 subject of this invention is a vapour burner adapted for burning spirit or
hydrocarbons without the employment of a wick the spirit being supplied under
pressure and caused to burn in a blue flame.
Up to the present time it has been found impossible to burn spirit in a vapour
burner and burners of this description could only be employed in burning very
volatile gas-oils, such as benzine, ligroine (petroleum-spirit) or the like, and even
for these it was necessary to employ a wick having a sucking action, by which the
oil was brought into immediate proximity to the delivery tube. The employment
of explosive oils such as just mentioned, taken in connection with the disadvan-
tage arising from the resinous residues which in a short time clog the wick and
make it unfit for use, is a serious inconvenience which it is the object of this
invention to remove by enabling the oils in question to be replaced by spirit
which is both cheaper and comparatively free from danger, and which is allowed
to transform into a gas and consequently to be used without the assistance of a
suction-wick.
It is, however, well-known that the vapours arising from spirit have the'
property of very rapidly settling down and condensing, and it was therefore
necessary to devise special means to meet this difficulty. According to this
invention, the desired result is attained by making provision for a rapid and
uniformly distributed evaporation, while a certain counter-pressure is allowed to
act upon the vapours whereby their settling down is prevented.
The means employed in accomplishing this double object may of course vary
in their nature; but practical experience has shown that in order to ensure a
uniform conduction of heat and evaporation, rolls of thin wire-gauze should in
preference bé employed while in order to produce the required pressure, it is only
necessary to raise the spirit reservoir to the required level, into which reservoir,
connected with the burner by means of a pipe (of india-rubber or the like), air
is forced by means of a pump or india-rubber ball.
In the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2 represent the vapour burner
in the form best adapted for cooking purposes. Figure 3 shows it as applied
to a soldering iron or tool and Figure 4 represents the wire-gauze roll or reel
in elevation and in section.
Into a suitable support or base 1 there is screwed a supply-pipe 1ª provided with
a handle and a burner-pipe 2. The latter is by an intermediate piece 3 divided into

page_text: two sections, the lower being the evaporation chamber, and the upper the vapour
combustion chamber. The solid intermediate piece 3 is provided with a narrow
opening or mouth 4 having a small tube or nozzle 5 fitted to it, or in proper position,
to the pipe 2 and into which nozzle 5 a spindle 6 with a tapering point is inserted
from outside; suitable packing being employed for making the joint tight.
In the form shown in Figure 2 the evaporating pipe 2 is arranged below the
burning tube 2ª so that the heat imparted to one wall is transmitted to the adjacent
wall. The vapours arising in the evaporation chamber 2 pass through a thin tube 2b
into the burning tube 2ª for which purpose the said tube 2b is provided with a
lateral opening leading into the open portion of the tube 2".
In Figure 1 the lower end of the burner pipe 2 is closed by a perforated bottom 7.
Above it is arranged the heat-distributor occupying the whole of the evaporation-
chamber which in the present case is formed of a roll or reel 8 of thin wire-gauze.
In starting the burner, the burner pipe 2 is first heated in the well known manner
by spirit poured into the cup or basin 9. Then by means of an adjustable cock
arranged in the supply-pipe, as much spirit is admitted into the evaporation-
chamber, as can be instantaneously evaporated. The spirit being introduced under
pressure, becomes distributed throughout the whole of the wire-gauze while at the
same time the condensation of the vapours is obviated by the circumstance that the
vapours remain in contact with the heated wire up to the very moment when they are
allowed to escape through the nozzle. By means of the spindle 6 the escape or
discharge of the gas may be controlled if desired; but this can also be accomplished
by the cock of the supply-pipe, i.e. by simply not admitting more spirit, and conse-
quently not allowing more of it to evaporate than is actually required. This is
particularly important in the case where the burner is used for soldering purposes,
for in this manner no liquid will be left in the apparatus, while it is capable of being
turned in any required direction. By raising or lowering the spirit-reservoir the
pressure may be correspondingly increased or diminished and the flame regulated.
Instead of the reel of wire-gauze separate pieces of wire or thin rods may be
employed to fill the evaporation chamber this arrangement offering the advantage of
facilitating the cleaning of the burner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A wickless vapour burner for spirit or hydrocarbons in which the spirit or
hydrocarbon is supplied to the evaporation-chamber under pressure and in which
chamber by means of a suitable medium such as wire-gauze wires or thin rods
located therein it is caused rapidly to evaporate for the purpose of preventing the
vapours from settling down and condensing substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete burner
substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete burner
substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete burner
substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 6th day of Sentember 1892
ALFRED J. BOULT,
Chartered Patent Agent.