IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO BURNERS FOR LIGHTING PURPOSES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO
BURNERS FOR LIGHTING PURPOSES." -A communication from abroad
by Alfred Nobel, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
Sealed the 11th January 1876, and dated the 13th July 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 13th July 1875.
I, HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
APPLICABLE TO Burners for LightING PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in adapting to burners for consuming gas, oil,
liquid hydrocarbons, or other combustible liquid or fluid, certain
accessories or appendages whereby the air for supporting combustion
may be highly heated or superheated before being supplied to the
flame.

page_text: It is well known that the application of hot blast to a flame raises its
temperature, and also its light producing power.
The object of the present Invention is to take advantage of the hot
gases which escape through the chimney over a burner for the purpose
of superheating the air which feeds the flame and supports the com-
bustion of the gas. To attain that end a heating apparatus is arranged
inside or around the chimney. This apparatus will serve the double
purpose of taking up the heat from the hot gases, and of yielding it to
the air which passes through to the flame for the purpose of supporting
combustion.
The heating apparatus must also cause the heated air, which has a
natural tendency to rise, to deviate from that course and turn downwards
to the jet of the burner. This may be effected either by using compressed
air, or by creating a strong draught.
In carrying out the Invention a double chimney is employed, con-
sisting of two tubes made of metal, porcelain, glass, or other suitable
material, the empty space between the two tubes being filled with porous
silica, asbestos, amianthus, or other good non-conducter of heat, its
object being to render the chimney less permeable for heat, and to
prevent the heat from radiating therefrom and being lost. The air
heater consists of a tube or cylinder of copper, brass, iron, silver,
platinum, porcelain, or other suitable refractory material. This air
heater is placed inside the chimney and is bent at its top, and is furnished
with a valve which may be opened more or less to regulate the admission
of atmospheric air. At its lower end the heater is connected with a tube
terminating with a jet. Into this latter tube another small tube
(terminating with a jet) is inserted inside the former tube. The last
mentioned tubo likewise passes through the chimney and serves to
convey and heat the combustible gas. A small cylinder, or cone, or
plate, or otherwise shaped piece of a highly refractory substance, such as
lime, magnesia, oxyde of zinc, procelain, platinum, or fire-clay, is placed
above the gas jet, and being in contact with the flame is brought to a
high state of incandescence, and thereby produces a strong light.
The apparatus works as follows:-The combustible gas escaping (on
the opening of the gas tap) through the jet of the tube draws air along
with it through the air heater by suction (acting on the same principle
as Giffard's well known injector), the quantity of air injected being

page_text: regulated by the opening or shutting of a valve. The sucked in air is
highly heated on its passage through the air heater, and in this super-
heated state mixes with the combustible gas before both escape through
the jet. Combustion then takes place and the refractory substance is
heated to vivid incandescence.
In order to suck in the requisite quantity of atmospheric air through
the air heater without having resource to a high pressure of the com-
bustible gas (which is objectionable on account of leakage of gas) the
combustible gas may be proviously mixed (in the holder or otherwise)
with a certain quantity of atmospheric air, taking due care not to exceed
such proportions as will ensure perfect safety against explosion. Thus
for instance one volume of gas and two to three volumes of air are
known to be quite safe, and such a mixture when passed through the
heater will easily suck into the burner the balance of atmospheric air
needed for complete combustion of the gas.
'
Compressed air (from a pump, reservoir, or gas holder) may be used
instead of a draught produced by the inflow of the combustible gas
itself.
The chimney and air heater are the same as before, but the com-
bustible gas is let in through a tube connected with a gas pipe, and
compressed air is caused to circulate through and escapes through the
jet, where it mingles with the combustible gas, is ignited, and brings the
refractory plate or cylinder or other substance to vivid incandescence,
thereby producing light.
It is not necessary that the gas and air should be kept separate until
combustion takes place. The gas tube can be caused to enter the top
part of the air heater, in which case the combustible gas and air mix
together in the heater, wherein they both get highly heated and escape
through a single jet when combustion takes place.
When highly heated compressed air is used it is not even necessary
that there should be a supply of combustible gas at all, for the heated
compressed air can be passed through a vessel containing very volatile
mineral oil, of which the superheated air takes up on its way a sufficient
quantity of the volatile gas to become combustible.
.Arrangements for taking up the volatile parts of hydrocarbon oils by
passing, air through the liquid have been practically utilized for.

page_text: illuminating purposes, and therefore need no special description here.
Any volatile oil may be let into the superheater in such proportions as
to evaporate completely, and bo borne by the current of compressed air
to the burner, to be there consumed.
In order to enlarge the heating surface of the air heater its interior
as well as exterior surface may be furnished with salient points or ribs,
or the inside may be filled with nails, wires, metal shavings, grit, or
other suitable substance, and the outside may have a great length of
wire coiled over it, or the air heater may consist altogether of a coiled
tube, or any other form may be chosen for the purpose of securing a largo
heating surface without bulkiness. The same remarks apply to the tube
which serves to heat the combustible gas (mixed or unmixed with air).
It is not intended to limit the Invention to heat the air and gas
exclusively from the hot gases escaping up the chimney, for where a
very vivid light is required it may be found advantageous to heat the air
or gas, or both, by means of a special burner. But where such special
heating devices are not used it is preferred to surround the gas and air
leading tubes near the flame (so far as they are outside the chimney and
exposed to cooling influence) with a good non-conductor of heat, such
as thin spun glass, asbestos, cement, or other refractory and insulating
material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patént,
filed by the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th January 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Henry Edward Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Edward

page_text: Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO BURNERS POR LIGHTING
PURPOSES," being a communication to me from abroad from Alfred
Nobel, of Paris, in the Republic of France, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Edward Newton, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thercon (that
is to say) :-
This Invention consists in adapting to burners for consuming gas, oil,
liquid hydrocarbons, or other combustible liquid or fluid, certain
accessories or appendages whereby the air for supporting combustion as
well as the gas or combustible vapour to be consumed may be highly
heated or superheated before being supplied to the flame.
It is well known that the application of a hot blast of air to a flame
raises its temperature, and also its light producing power.
The object of the present Invention is to take advantage of the hot
gases which escape through the chimney over a burner, for the purpose
of superheating the air and gas or vapour which feeds the flame and
supports the combustion of the gas. To attain that end a heating
apparatus is arranged inside or around the chimney.. This apparatus
will serve the double purpose of taking up the heat from the hot gases
evolved from the flame, and of yielding it to the air and gas or vapour
which passes through to the flame for the purpose of producing and
supporting combustion.

page_text: The heating apparatus must also cause the heated air which has a
natural tendency to rise to deviate from that course and turn downwards
to the jet of the burner. This may be effected either by using com-
pressed air or by creating a strong draught in the desired direction.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shown in vertical section one
form of apparatus for effecting the object of the Invention; a is the gas
supply pipe, and 6 the pipe for supplying air to support the combustion
of the gas; c is a valve for regulating the supply of air to the pipe b,
which is provided at its lower end with a jet d.
It will be seen that a double chimney is employed consisting of two
tubes f,f, made of metal, porcelain, glass, or other suitable material, the
empty space between the two tubes being filled with porous silica,
asbestos, amianthus, or other good non-conductor of heat, its object
being to render the chimney less permeable for heat, and to prevent the
heat from radiating therefrom and being lost.
The air heater consists of a tube or cylinder 6¹ of copper, brass, iron,
silver, platinum, poreclain, or other suitable refractory material, the
sides of which may be corrugated or provided with projecting points
or ribs to increase the area of the heating surface. This air heater 6' is
placed inside the chimney f,f, and is bent at its top, its outer end being
furnished with the valve c which may be opened more or less to regulate
the admission of atmospheric air as already explained. At its lower end
the heater b¹ is connected with a short bent tube terminating with the
jet d. Into the upper part of the tube the small gas tube a
(terminating with a jet) is inserted, as shown in the Drawing. The last-
mentioned tube which serves to convey and heat the combustible gas,
terminates at a point where the tube 6 narrows. The gas jet from the
tube a therefore acts somewhat on the principle of a Giffard's injector.
A small plate, cylinder, or cone, or otherwise shaped piece e, of a highly
refractory substance, such as lime, magnesia, oxyde of zinc, porcelain,
or fire-clay, or in some cases platinum is placed above the gas jet a,
and being in contact with the flame is brought to a high state of
incandescence, and thereby produces a brillant light.
The apparatus works as follows:-The combustible gas escaping (on
the opening of the gas tap) through the jet of the tube a, draws air
along with it through the pipe 6 by suction (acting on the same.
principle as Giffard's well known injector), the quantity of air injected

page_text: '
into the air heater 61 being regulated by the opening or shutting of the
valvo c. The sucked in air is highly heated on its passage through the
air heater 6, and in this superheated state mixes with the combustible
gas from the pipe a before both escape through the jet a below,
combustion then takes place, and the refractory substance e is heated to
vivid incandescence.
In order to suck in the requisite quantity of atmospheric air through
the air heater without having recourse to a high pressure of the
combustible gas (which is objectionable on account of leakage of gas),
the combustible gas may be previously mixed (in the holder or other-
wise) with a certain quantity of atmospheric air, taking due care not to
exceed such proportions as will ensure perfect safety against explosion;
thus for instance, one volume of gas, and two to three volumes of air arc
known to be quite safe, and such a mixture when passed through the
heater will easily suck into the burner the balance of atmospheric air
needed for the complete combustion of the gas.
Compressed air (from a pump, réservoir, or gas holder) may be used
instead of a draught produced by the inflow of the combustible gas
itself, but this will complicate the apparatus.
The chimney f and air heater 6' are the same as before, but the
combustible gas is let in through a tube connected with a gas pipe, and
compressed air is caused to circulate through and escapes through the
jet, where it mingles with the combustible gas, is ignited, and brings the
refractory plate or cylinder or other substance e to vivid incandescence,
thereby producing light.
It is not necessary that the gas and air should be kept separate until
combustion takes place. The gas tube a can be caused to enter the top
part of the air heater 6¹, as shown in the Drawing, in which case the
combustible gas and air mix together in the heater 6', wherein they both
get highly heated and escape through the single jet d when combustion
takes place.
When highly heated compressed air is used it is not even necessary
that there should be a supply of combustible gas at all, for the heated
compressed air can be passed through a vessel containing a volatile
mineral oil or liquid hydrocarbon, from which the superheated air
takes up on its way a sufficient quantity of the volatile gas to become
combustible.
.

page_text: ;
Arrangements for taking up the volatile parts of hydrocarbon oils by
passing air through the liquid. have been practically utilized for
illuminating purposes, and therefore need no special description here.
Any volatile oil may be let into the superheater in such proportions as to
be evaporated completely and be borne by the current of compressed air
to the burner to be there consumed.
=
In order to enlarge the heating surface of the air heater its interior as
well as exterior surface may be furnished with salient points or ribs, or
the-inside-may-be filled with nails, wires, metal shavings, grit, or other
suitable substance, and the outside may have a great length-of-wire
coiled over it, or the air heater may consist altogether of a coiled tube,
or any other form may be chosen for the purpose of securing a large
heating surface without bulkiness. The same remarks apply to the
tube which serves to heat the combustible gas (mixed or unmixed
with air).
It is not intended to limit the Invention to beat the air and gas
exclusively, from the hot gases escaping up the chimney, for where a
very vivid light is required it may be found advantageous to heat the
air or gas, or both, by means of a special burner. But where such
special heating devices are not used it is preferred to surround the gas
and air tubes near the flame (so far as they are outside. the chimney
and exposed to cooling influence) with a good non-conductor of heat,
such as thin spun glass, asbestos, cement, or other refractory and
insulating material.
.
Having now described the Invention of "Improvements in Apparatus
applicable to Burners for Lighting Purposes," which has been com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondent, and having explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would observe that I do
not intend to limit myself rigidly to the arrangement or construction of
parts herein shown and described, as they may be considerably varied
without departing from the nature and object of the Invention; I would
therefore have it understood that what I desire to claim as the Invention
secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid is, -
First. Highly superhcating the atmospheric air which feeds the
flame and supports the combustion of the gas by causing such air to
pass down a tube enclosed within the chimney so that the waste heat

page_text: from the chimney over the burners may be utilized for heating
the air.
Second. The use of superheated compressed air for lighting purposes
in the manner herein set forth.
Third. The use of heated compressed air impregnated with volatile
mineral oils for lighting purposes, as herein set forth.
Fourth. The utilization for lighting purposes of the pressure of a
combustible gas, with or without the addition of air, for sucking in
through a superheating apparatus the atmospheric air needed to support
combustion, and regulating the admission of such air by means of a
valve, as herein set forth.
Fifth. Causing the hot waste gases, or the heat from the flame, and
the atmospheric air used to support combustion, to run in opposite
directions to each other through a regenerator of heat, as herein set
forth, whereby the hot blast of air reaches the highest possible tem-
perature before it issues from the jet or burner.
1
Sixth. The use for the purpose of retaining the heat of a double
chimney with a non-conducting material in the intervening space between
the two cylinders, as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Lastly. The general arrangement and construction of the apparatus
as a whole, in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.