IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO APPARATUS FOR THE COMBUSTION OF LIQUID FUEL FOR DOMESTIC AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, &*
Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO APPARATUS FOR THE COMBUSTION OF
LIQUID FUEL FOR DOMESTIC AND OTHER PURPOSES." A communication from
abroad by Charles Bombonnel, of Dijon, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th March 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO APPA-
RATUS FOR THE COMBUSTION OF LIQUID FUEL FOR DOMESTIC AND OTHER.
PURPOSES." [A communication from abroad by Charles Bombonnel, of Dijon,
France.].
".
This Invention relates to improvements in and connected with apparatus for
the combustion of liquid fuel for domestic and other purposes.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide a porous brick or block,
which is placed in an ordinary fire-place, stove, or other heating apparatus, and the
said brick or block is fed by means of a pipe with any combustible liquid from a
reservoir situated in proximity to the fire place. The combustible liquid penetrates.
into the brick or block by the action of its own weight, assisted by the capillary
attraction of the brick, and is lighted and burnt at the surface of this brick. The
flow of the liquid is regulated and interrupted as desired by a cock suitably placed -
on a supply pipe.
The said Invention is suitable for every kind of heating, that is to say, it may
be used for private apartments, offices, workshops, and the like, and also for all
domestic or industrial uses, in which the instantaneous production of heat, which
is easy to be regulated and suppressed, and which does not cause any waste or
residue, is required. For example, it is useful for the kitchen, for laundresses'
stoves, for distillers' stoves, small steam engines, and the like.
As combustible.mineral oil and essences have a tendency to become very cheap,
particularly in certain localities, this process of heating is susceptible of great
extension, for the reason that these oils for equal weight contain much more caloric
than the ordinary combustibles, wood, charcoal, coal, peat, and the like. Moreover,
Price 6d1

page_text: the said oils may be used without any waste or residue either in lighting or
extinguishing the same or during combustion.
The said apparatus is not attended by risk of explosion or of being accidentally
set on fire for the reason that the reservoir of the combustible liquid is separated
from the part where the combustion takes place by a small pipe, which is in 5
practice always at least a metre in length, and by the thickness of the brick itself,
which is a bad conductor of heat, and the pores of which being only capillary do
not allow the formation of any detonating mixture. The reservoir of combustible
liquid may moreover be situated as far as desired from this brick or block, and
the regulating cock permits all communication to be instantaneously intercepted.
The said apparatus may be used for the same purposes as and may replace gas
stoves, and will be found specially valuable in the localities or habitations not
provided with illuminating gas.
The said apparatus possesses the following advantages in comparison with gas
stoves, namely:-It does not necessitate, so to speak, any expense of fixing (such as
branches, meter service pipes, and the like), and its use dispenses with the necessity
of having to deal with a company invested with a monopoly which has often
serious inconveniences.
I will
The fixing of the said apparatus may be effected in various manners.
proceed to describe the application of the said Invention to the heating of a room
or chamber.
In the accompanying Drawing,
Figure 1 shows a transverse section, and
Figure 2 a front view of the said apparatus applied to the fire place of a
room.
A is the fire place, which may be of any ordinary construction, and may be of
masonry or of cast or sheet iron, and with or without provision for the circulation
of hot air; B is an exit conduit for the products of combustion; C are fire dogs
supporting the brick or block D; D is the brick or block of porous fire clay, upon
the surface of which the combustion is effected. This block will be varnished
upon all the surfaces upon which no combustion is to be produced, as in the
interior, for example, in order to avoid all useless evaporation of the liquid. It
may have a form more or less ornamented or decorated, and may be enclosed in a
box of metal with a lid, this lid being raised for lighting, and whilst combustion is
taking place, and closed when the fire is no longer required.
The said brick or block may also be pierced with perpendicular openings at its
heating surface in order that the air necessary for complete combustion may
penetrate abundantly into the interior of the flame itself.
e is a small tube, through which the combustible liquid reaches the brick or
block; is a supply pipe for the said liquid; G is a reservoir for the same, and
the form of this reservoir may vary. A single reservoir may feed several fires.
By reason of its distance from the fire or fires, and its being surrounded by insu-
lating substances, it will be in no danger of such an elevation in its temperature
as might cause the pressure in its interior to be increased.
h is a regulating cock, which can be actuated from the exterior of the fire place.
I is the combustible liquid of any kind, which will generally be petroleum oil or
its derivatives on account of their low price.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
September 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO APPA-
RATUS FOR THE COMBUSTION OF LIQUID FUEL FOR DOMESTIC AND OTHER
PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by Charles Bombonnel, of Dijon,
France.
This Invention relates to apparatus for the combustion of liquid fuel for domestic
or other purposes. According to the said Invention I provide a refractory and
porous brick or block, which is placed in an ordinary fire place, stove, or other
heating apparatus, and the said brick or block is fed by means of a pipe with any
combustible liquid, but preferably with petroleum or its derivatives from a
reservoir situated near the fire-place. The combustible liquid penetrates the brick
or block by the action of its own weight, assisted by capillary attraction, and it is
lighted and burnt at the surface of this block. The flow of the liquid is regulated
and interrupted as desired by a valve or cock suitably placed on the supply pipe;
or I may dispense with the aforesaid separate reservoir and supply pipe and form
the brick or block in such a manner that the same will contain the supply of liquid
fuel.
In both forms of my Invention it is of importance to construct the aforesaid
brick or block of a material or materials which will not only be sufficiently
refractory and durable to withstand the effects of fire, but which will also be
sufficiently porous to allow the fluid or the vapour thereof to pass freely through
the same in such a manner that the flame at the surface of the block will be
properly maintained, but at the same time the porosity must not be such as will
permit any loss or escape of the fluid or vapor from the block or brick otherwise
than at the surface where the combustion takes place.
To ensure this result I mix sand or similar material with the fire-clay, and in
some instances I form small perforations or passages to increase its porosity. It is not
practicable to give the exact quantities of the sand and clay suitable for all cases,
as the proportions of the two materials will depend upon the quality thereof, and
may be varied within considerable limits without impairing the efficiency of the
brick or block.
The said Invention is suitable for heating purposes generally, that is to say, it
may be used for private apartments, offices, workshops, and the like, and also for
domestic and industrial operations, in which the instantaneous production of heat,
with facility for regulating or suppressing the same, and without waste of fuel, is
required. For example, it is useful for the kitchen, for laundresses' stoves, for
distillers' stoves, small steam engines, and the like.
This process of heating is susceptible of great extension for the reason that these
oils or essences are cheap, and contain in proportion to their weight much more.
caloric than ordinary combustibles, such as wood, charcoal, coal, peat, and the like.
Moreover, these oils may be used without any waste or residue either in lighting
or extinguishing the same or during their combustion.
The use of the said apparatus is not attended by any danger of explosion or of
conflagration, as the reservoir of the combustible liquid, in cases where a separate
reservoir is used, is separated from the part where the combustion takes place,
and may always be sufficiently distant therefrom and properly enclosed to prevent
any such danger; and when the reservoir is formed within the block-the thickness
of the material around the reservoir and between the same and the surface where
the combustion takes place is sufficient to ensure safety in this respect.
The said Invention may be used for the same purposes as and may replace gas-

page_text: stoves, and will be found specially valuable in localities or habitations not supplied
with gas.
The said Invention possesses the following advantages in comparison with gas-
stoves, namely:-It does not necessitate any expense for a meter or pipes or other
like fittings, and it obviates the necessity of having to deal with a company
invested with a monopoly.
The manner of constructing and fixing the said apparatus may be varied.
According to one manner of carrying the said Invention into practice I provide
a brick or block of refractory and porous fire-clay, upon the surface of which the
combustion of the fuel takes place, and which brick or block I connect by a pipe
or tube with a reservoir that contains the liquid to be used as fuel, such as
petroleum, benzoline, or the like, preferably the first named or its derivatives.
In the accompanying Drawing,
Figure 1 is a transverse section, and
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the said apparatus applied to the fire-place of a
house.
A is the fire-place, which may be of any ordinary construction, and with or
without provision for the circulation of hot air; B is a chimney or flue for the
escape of the products of combustion; C, C, are fire-dogs; D is the aforesaid brick
or block of porous fire-clay, upon the surface of which the combustion is effected.
This block will be varnished upon all the surfaces where no combustion is to take
place in order to avoid all useless evaporation or consumption of the liquid; or
these surfaces may be made impervious to the said liquid by glazing or in any
other suitable manner. This brick may, if desired, be decorated or ornamented,
and may be enclosed in a metal box with a lid, this lid being raised for lighting
and during combustion, and closed when the fire is no longer required.
The said brick or block may have perforations perpendicular to its heating
surface in order that the air necessary for complete combustion may penetrate
freely into the interior of the flame.
E is the reservoir of petroleum or other liquid, and F, G, are the pipes for con-
ducting the liquid to the block D. The form and construction of this reservoir
may be varied, and I may, as hereinbefore mentioned, altogether dispense with a
reservoir, and the pipe or pipes for connecting the same with my porous brick or
block.
If however a reservoir is employed a single reservoir may feed several fires, and
by reason of its distance from the fire or fires and of its generally being surrounded
by a material or substance which is a slow conductor of heat there will be no
possibility of such an elevation of its temperature as will produce a dangerous
pressure within the said reservoir.
His a regulating cock of any suitable construction, which is so placed in the
supply pipe that it can be controlled from the exterior or front of the fire
place.
The operation of this part of my Invention is as follows, that is to say :-
After the apparatus has been fixed in the manner above described the reservoir
E is supplied with the liquid fuel. When it is desired to light the fire the regu-
lating cock H is opened, and the liquid passes through the pipes F and G to the
block D, and being assisted by the capillary attraction of the pores of the said
brick percolates and rises to its surface, and is then lit; or the vapours given off
by such liquid will penetrate through the said brick with the same result. The
flame can easily be regulated or extinguished by the regulating cock H.
In the modification of my Invention, wherein I dispense with the separate
reservoir and conducting pipes, I make the brick or block of any suitable form,
but preferably cylindrical, and I mould or form the same so that it will have in its
centre a hole or cavity, which serves as the reservoir for the liquid fuel; or I bore
or drill a cavity in the said brick or block, and when the fuel is introduced I close
the orifice of this hole or cavity by a suitable plug or stopper formed of fire-clay,
.metal, or other suitable material. I may also varnish, glaze, or otherwise render

page_text: impervious those parts of the surface of the said block or brick upon which no
combustion is to take place.
Figure 3 is a side view, and Figure 4 is a transverse section illustrating this
modification of my Invention. D is a cylindrical, porous, and refractory block; D'
is the cavity or reservoir therein; and D is the plug or stopper.
Now when the cavity of the said brick or block contains a highly inflammable
liquid, such as benzoline, ligroine, or highly rectified petroleum, the liquid or the
vapour of the same will pass through the pores of the unvarnished or unglazed
portions of the surface of the brick, and when a light is applied to the liquid or
vapour at the surface of the said brick the combustion, by extracting the liquid or
vapour, will create a vacuum in the pores of the brick, so that the liquid rises
therein to the surface, and the combustion will consequently continue till all of
the liquid contained in the reservoir in the body of the block or brick is exhausted.
If it is desired to use raw or but partly refined mineral oils, which, by reason of
their greater density will not readily flow through the natural pores of the afore-
said block or brick, or which do not readily evaporate, I provide upon the unglazed
surface of the brick very small holes or channels, which will afford ready egress to
the liquid or the vapour of the same, and I thus provide means which will allow
the cheaper materials of this class to be advantageously employed for the purpose
of my Invention.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and the best
manner of performing the same, as communicated to me by my foreign corre-
spondent, I wish it distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the exact
forms of apparatus herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing,
nor do I claim the use of liquid fuel, which is well known, nor the use of fire-
bricks for the purpose of diffusing a fluid in heating apparatus, as the same have
heretofore been applied to and are extensively used in apparatus for the application
of coal gas to heating, but I claim,―
First. In apparatus for the combustion of liquid fuel for heating purposes the
use of a brick or block formed of a material or materials which impart to the said
block the desired refractory and porous qualities or properties, as above set
forth.
Second. In apparatus for the combustion of liquid fuel, such as petroleum or the
like for heating purposes, the reservoir E, the pipes F and G, with a regulating
cock or valve, and the brick or block D made of refractory and porous material,
all arranged, combined, and operating as and for the purposes specified.
Third. A refractory and porous brick or block, the interior of which forms a
reservoir for the liquid fuel, and which is provided with a suitable plug or stopper,
and if necessary with holes or channels to allow the liquid or the vapour therefrom
to pass from the central reservoir to the surface, as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.