An Improved Purifier and Enricher for Acetylene Gas.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Purifier and Enricher for Acetylene Gas.
HENRY RALPH BEAN, of 6, Plaistow Park Road, Plaistow, in the County of
Essex, Glass Decorator, and HENRY RINGWOOD, of 76, Spey Street, Poplar, in the
County of Middlesex, Pattern Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention is for the purpose of cleaning and enriching acetylene gas, after
leaving the generator and before reaching the burner.
The apparatus which may be connected at any point of the supply piping between
the gas generator, and the burner; may be made in various shapes and sizes as
required.
The body of the vessel, which we prefere made of a cylindrical form, has a bottom
into which is inserted a small drain cock.
At a little distance higher there is another perforated bottom, or grid, and at
the top is a cover screwed or clipped on.
The space between the perforated bottom and the top, or lid is filled up with
cotton wool, or other fibrous material saturated with methylated spirits alcholol
or spirits of wine.
The inlet for the gas from the generator is made in or near the main bottom of
the vessel, and the outlet to the burner is made in or near the top, so that the gas
must pass through the fibrous material.
Dated this 17th day of June 1897.
An Improved Purifier and Enricher for Acetylene Gas.
HENRY RALPH BEAN, of 6, Plaistow Park Road, Plaistow, in the County of
Essex, Glass Decorator, and HENRY RINGWOOD, of 76, Spey Street, Poplar, in the
County of Middlesex, Pattern Maker, 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: -
Acetylene gas is well known to be poor in hydrogen, and in consequence is

page_text: found very difficult to burn with a perfect combustion, through ordinary gas
burners. The present invention has for its object a means of overcoming this
difficulty by introducing an alcoholic or spirit vapour, which combines with the
acetylene gas and imparts to it an element which enables the excess of carbon to be
consumed more readily at the burner. There is also another advantage:-The
gas is filtered or cleaned from any dust or foreign matter that may be intermingled
with it on its way from the generator.
The following description of our invention will show how these results are
obtained.
A vessel or holder of any convenient shape, is made of iron or any other suitable
material, having a false bottom which perforated also a top or cover having a
cock, and suitable funnel affixed thereto for pouring in the liquid to be used.
The body of the vessel above the perforated bottom is filled with a fibrous material,
wool or worsted, being very suitable. At the lower portion of the vessel below the
perforated bottom an inlet is made for the gas to enter, and above the fibrous
material an outlet is, made for. the gas to be taken off for use as required. It is
therefore clear that the gas being passed into the apparatus at the lower inlet
opening, and out at the upper outlet must of necessity pass or filter through the
fibrous stuffing with which the body of the vessel is filled and thus any dust or
foreign substance is abstracted. Now if this fibrous material is saturated with
methylated spirit, alcohol, or spirits of wine the acetylene gas in passing through
it will take with it a considerable amount of spiritous vapour, the gas becoming
as it were impregnated or mixed with it and thus rendering combustion more
perfect and economical. A wick or combination of wicks may be used also to assist
in keeping the wool saturated by having their lower ends dipping into a pool of
spirit at the bottom of the vessel as shown in Fig. 2. A sprinkler may also be
put under the filling cock E, to assist in saturating the wool evenly.
In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1, a sectional elevation of the apparatus as

page_text: more effetual means of saturating the fibrous material substantially as shown
and described.
Dated this 17th day of March 1898.
HENRY RALPH BEAN,
HENRY RINGWOOD.