Improved Apparatus for Making Gas.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 26th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Making Gas.
We NICOLAS BOURGOIN and HENRI DECORCE, both of 95 Boulevard
Beaumarchais in the Republic of France, Engineers, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists in an apparatus for instantaneously making a gas suitable
for lighting, heating, or motive power purposes,-1st, by causing to pass through a
carburetter, air which has previously been heated; and 2nd by causing air,
previously heated, to pass this time mixed with carburetting vapours to a
condenser.
The apparatus consists, in the first case, of a suitable pump, a pressure
regulating bell or holder, a heater, heated by gas or otherwise, and a carburetter.
The air to be carburetted is forced by the pump through the heater to the
regulating bell, where it mixes with a large quantity of air, which moderates its
temperature before it passes to the carburetter, arranged as hereafter described.
This arrangement avoids accident, as should the air become too hot in the
heater, it has time to cool down to a proper temperature before it passes to the
carburetter.
In the second case, the apparatus consists of a pump, a pressure regulating bell,
a heater, a condenser, and a carburetter. The condenser and carburetter are
contained in one case separated by a suitable partition. The condenser is situated
on the upper part, and is formed of a series of tubes provided internally with wire
cloth, surrounded by cotton or other absorbent material.
The carburetter is formed with a series of wire cloth blades or plates, surrounded
with an absorbent material, and arranged so as to give the largest possible amount
of vaporising surface.
The air is driven by the pump into the bell, whence it passes at a regulated
pressure through the heater to the condenser, the object of which is to moderate its
heat before passing to the carburetter proper. To facilitate the saturation of the
air, the heaviest parts of the carburetting liquid are caused to fall drop by drop
onto the heated floor of the heater, where they instantly become volatilised, and
mix with the air passing to the condenser.
The air, before passing to the burners, circulates among the partitions in the
carburetter, where it becomes completely saturated with hydrocarbon vapour.
By this arrangement, the heavy parts of the carburetting liquid perform their
part in the carburetting of the air, and the richness of the gas is always the same.
Dated this 12th day of January 1891.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Making Gas.
We, NICOLAS BOURGOIN and HENRI DECORCE, both of 95 Boulevard
Beaumarchais, Paris in the Republic of France, 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 :-
This invention consists in a new apparatus for the instantaneous production of a
gas suitable for lighting, heating, or motive power purposes:-
(1.) By causing air, previously heated in a retort, to pass through a carburetter;
and

page_text: (2.) By causing the previously heated air, mixed with carburetting vapours, to
pass into a condenser.
In the accompanying drawing, we have shewn two examples of apparatus
suitable for carrying out our invention,
Fig. 1 being an apparatus without a condenser, and Fig. 2 an apparatus with a
condenser.
Referring now to Figure 1, which is somewhat diagrammatic in form, A indicates
the position occupied by a pump which drives air into the retort C, which retort is
heated by the gas burner N. From the retort, the air passes into a pressure
regulator, which is not represented in the diagram, as it is identical with the
pressure regulator B, shewn in Figure 2, and hereinafter described.
In this regulator, the air expands, and mixing with a large volume of air
contained therein, its temperature is reduced before passing into a carburetter D,
arranged as will be described hereafter with reference to Figure 2.
The above arrangement avoids all accidents; in fact, if the air, for any reason,
were to remain for a long time in the retort, it might be raised to a high
temperature, and if in that state it were caused to penetrate directly into the
carburetter, an accident would be likely to occur. By causing it to pass under
a regulator, it can only reach the carburetter after it has mixed with the large
volume of air already accumulated therein, which would immediately lower its
temperature.
In the arrangement shewn in Fig. 2, the apparatus consists of a rotary pump A,
which may be operated by a weight, or by other means; a pressure regulator B;
a retort E; a condenser G, and a reservoir K, separated from the condenser by
an air-tight partition.
The condenser G, which occupies the upper part, is formed of a series of tubes H,
arranged in any suitable manner, and furnished internally with wire gauze linings I,
covered with cotton or other absorbent material.
In the reservoir K are arranged sheets of metallic gauze, also surrounded with
absorbent material, and so disposed as to afford the greatest possible evaporating
surface.
The air to be carburetted is driven by the pump A into the pressure
regulator B.
This regulator is composed of a double-walled bell b, which dips into two
corresponding cylinders placed vertically, and open at the top. The air coming
in from the pump, enters the bell by the pipe a, and lifts the cover or valve C by
means of the rod x, and allows air to pass in regulated quantities through the
pipe d to the retort E. This retort is heated by means of the gas jet M, and
the air, which may be raised to a high degree of heat, enters the tubes H by the
pipe the excess of vapor is now condensed, some of the liquid passing by
the pipe m to the reservoir K, and from thence, by the pipe n, to the retort E.
The saturated air from the condenser also enters the reservoir K by the pipe m,
and after circulating around the vaporising plates, passes to the burners, or to a
holder, by the pipe o.
In order to facilitate the saturation of the air, the heavier parts of the
carburetting liquid are caused to fall drop by drop through the pipe n into
the retort, when they are instantly volatilized, and mix with the air in the
condenser.
The air thus saturated, before going to the burners, circulates round the
vaporising sheets, and thus becomes completely saturated, mingling with the more
volatile vapours given off from the sheets.
The advantage of this process of carburetion consists (1.) in rendering to the
carburetting system all the heat absorbed by evaporation, and (2) to assure the
continued and regular working of the apparatus, by avoiding the accumulation of
the heavy parts of the carburetting liquid in the reservoir K. These heavy
parts are, in effect, volatilised in the retort as fast as they deposit, and thus
caused to enter into the general circulation. Thus, the richness of the gas

page_text: always remains the same, the saturation of the air always taking place at the same
temperature.
A special reservoir X may also be provided, into which the heavy products may
pass, and which products, not being suitable to be drawn into the gaseous current,
collect at the bottom of the condenser. This special reservoir is placed below
the reservoir K, as shewn at X, Figure 2, and it is connected with the condenser G
by a pipe v.
On the other hand, in order that the flame shall maintain always the same
heating and luminous intensity, we would remark that the apparatus is arranged
for the purpose of restoring constantly the heat lost by the fact of the evaporation
of the carburetting liquid. This end is obtained either by previously warming
the air in a retort, or the air may be drawn by the pump through an envelope
surrounding the gas burner, and by thus trapping all the air that passes to the
burner, none of the heat is lost.
Besides this, in order that nothing may be lost, the heavy products collected in
the supplementary teservoir, are returned to the retort, and consequently reënter
into the treatment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The improved apparatus for making lighting, heating, and motive power gas,
substantially as herein shewn and described, and which permits of producing a gas
absolutely homogeneous, possessing always the same illuminating power.
2. In the above described apparatus for making gas, the means for warming the
air previous to its passage into the carburetter.
3. In the above described apparatus for making gas, providing for the volatili-
sation of a part of the carburetting liquid intended to mingle with the air in the
condenser, and more especially the volatilization of all the heavy parts of such
liquid, which are volatilised in the retort as fast as they deposit, and thus reënter
into the general circulation.
4. In apparatus for making gas, the arrangement of a condenser superposed on
the carburetter, the whole being enclosed in one and the same case.
5. In apparatus for making gas, the arrangements which permit of restoring to
the apparatus all the heat absorbed by the evaporation of the carburetting liquid,
such arrangements allowing for the heating of the air first in a retort, or for
collecting the air which has passed in contact with the flame, so that the gas may
be of constant illuminating power.
6. In apparatus for making gas, the arrangement of an additional reservoir for
collecting the whole of the heavy products arrested in the condenser, in order that
they may be brought back into the general circulation, as above described.
Dated this 24th day of October 1891.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.