Improvements in Acetylene Gas Generators.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1897-Accepted, 16th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Acetylene Gas Generators.
We, NAPOLEON REGGIANI and ADRIANO CHRISINI, both of Salita del Grillo,
No. 1, Rome, in the Kingdom of Italy, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to an apparatus for generating acetylene gas for scientific
and industrial purposes.
The apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a vertical section on line X, X, of Figure 2.
Figure 2 is a plan view.
Figure 3 a section on line Y, Y, of Figure 2.
Figure 4-5-6 show details of the generator on a larger-scale.
Figure 4 showing a vertical section on the line X1 X¹ of Figure 5.
Figure 5 a plan view of the generator.
Figure 6 a section of the apparatus on the line Y¹ Y¹ of Figure 5.
The apparatus consists of reservoir A a movable bell-shaped top B and two
or more generators C according to the size of the apparatus.
In the present case we employ only two, although more than two may be used
if desired.
In the reservoir A, filled with water are two pipes: the one E of which leads
from the generators C, into the hell, while the other E' forms the outlet pipe
from such bell.
To the bell-shaped top B is attached a counter-weight c, by means of a chain
passing over two pulleys a and b pivoted to the standard A, so that the bell is
kept in equilibrium by the pressure of the gas and by the counter-weight c: Two
siphons dd Figure 1 are attached to the bell and which serve to regulate the
water level and the weights of the bell, and maintain constant the pressure of
the gas till the cone f, in the interior of the said bell B comes into operation and
by entering into the water, raises the bell B a little thereby producing a certain
diminution of the pressure of the gas, said diminution being indicated by the
manometer S.
The siphon-tubes d and d¹ fixed to the bell of the gasometer and each con-
nected to its own tube, serve the purpose of keeping constant the water level in
the gasometer as well as balancing the weight of the bell. Indeed if the siphons
are filled with water through small inlets the bell descends into the water in
the gasometer tank and would cause the level therein to rise on account of this
immersion of the bell if it were not that the two siphons convey the water to the
tubes K K in which the water level tends always to be the same as that in
the gasometer tank because the atmospheric pressure in both is alike. It is
obvious that the water which runs from the gasometer tank into the tubes
represents the loss in weight by the bell through becoming immersed. By this
means the weight of the bell and siphons is kept constant.
The two siphons and the cone can be substituted by two spiral springs attached

page_text: to the axis of one of the pulleys and which serve to control the action of the
weights fixed to the extremities of the said spiral-springs.
Moreover the two pulleys a b can be replaced by a single pulley of a large
diameter, but in the accompanying drawings neither of these two modifications
are indicated as they do not alter the principles upon which our. invention is
based.
The generators consist: (a) of a case G Figure 5, divided into ten or more
water tight compartments disposed around the central pipe i and designed to
receive the carbide of calcium and the water, which latter is admitted automatic-
ally according to the consumption of the gas. This is effected by having the
partition walls of these compartments in certain parts lower than the walls of
the case G; these lower parts are indicated in the drawings by thinner lines, than
those which indicate the walls of the case G see Figures 4 and 5; and by cutting
away half the circumference of the tube i at the side facing the compartment 1. On
the side of these compartments and corresponding with the lower walls of the
same, are fixed in any convenient manner, diaphragms of perforated sheet iron,
or other suitable material, as shown by dotted lines in said Figure 5, and which
can be of any convenient form. These diaphragms, together with the lower
walls, form a case into which the water enters, the function of which will be
described later.
(b) Of an outer vessel H filled with water up to a certain height and which
contains the aforesaid case G. This said outer vessel is provided with a lid I
fixed to it the outer vessel in any convenient manner. Un this lid is a small
receptacle O from which depends the pipe of smaller diameter than the pipe i,
in which latter it enters but stops short of the bottom of the case G. This vessel H
forms with the lid 1 an hydraulic closure for the generated gas.
(c) Of the pipe m Figure 4 which starts a little below the lid I and which
conducts the gas to the pipe E of the reservoir A and to the bell B, having at
its junction with the pipe E a cock g.
(d) Of the water receptacles F F arranged above the generators, the capacity
of the said water receptacles being adapted to exhaust all the carbide of calcium
.contained in the compartments of the case G; to the lower part of each of the
said receptacles are fitted pipes p, which are at their lower end cut obliquely er
in any other convenient shape, and are provided with a cock z. The tops of the
receptacles F are closed air tight by a screw L, surrounded by a funnel N, serving
to fill them with water. These receptacles are provided with handles P which
serve to engage with the hook M and keep them in a suspended position. On
one side they are also provided with a glass gauge h. The said receptacles work
in guides qq to the upper curved part of which is attached the hook M. By
means of catches or adjusting collars r their lowest position is regulated in such
a manner that the distance between the level u of the water outlet at the
extremity of the pipes p and the lower edge of the pipe is less than the
height of the pressure existing in the interior of the bell, indicated by the mano-
allowance being made for loss through friction it being understood that
these conditions only exist while the cone f is not immersed in the water of the
reservoir A.
meter
The generators operate alternately one after the other or, if desired, together. In
the first case, and which is the usual one, when one generator is exhausted, the
next one comes into operation according as the cocks g g, z z are operated. After
this, the action of the apparatus becomes continuous, because the exhausted
generator can be re-charged and will thus in its turn enter into operation again,
as soon as the water and the carbide of calcium in the other generator are.
exhausted, and so forth.
The exhaustion of each generator can be signalled by an electric bell (not shown
in the drawing) placed in a circuit which can be interrupted by means of a small
float connected with the glass gauge b or in the interior of the receptacles.
When the cone f is not immersed in the water of the reservoir A and when all

page_text: the communications are open, the pressure remains unaltered on account of the
compensative actions of the bell, and the water cannot enter into the generator;
but, when the cone f enters the water the pressure gradually decreases so as to
produce a difference of 3 to 4 millimetres of the small vessel and a lesser one in
the large vessel. Thereupon the water level in the receptacle O falls, the water
enters into the generator while water from the vessels Fflow down until the gas
generated thereby passing into the bell restores the pressure to its primitive
height and arrests the flow of water. This action is repeated each time the cone
again enters the water.
If the apparatus is at work whilst the burners are lit it will be found that the
bell moves but very little and at no time attains its extreme position thereby
giving an absolute quantity of safety.
As was hereinbefore stated the water in the receptacles F passes down through
the pipe n, rises again in the concentric pipe i and runs downwards again in the
small chamber formed by the lower walls of this and the perforated diaphragms
in the compartment I, herein before mentioned; and is absorbed by the carbide
of calcium as it rises slowly in the compartment. When all the carbide in this
latter is exhausted it overflows into the next chamber of compartment 2, and
consumes the carbide of calcium therein and passes in the same way to the various
compartments 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and the following ones, if more than there are
provided.
The arrangement, by which the water absorbs the carbide of calcium from the
bottom upwards, renders the consumption of this latter complete and perfect,
and by the fact that the water cannot penetrate in the next compartment any
other way than from the preceding one, the production of gas is limited to the
strict amount of the consumption, so that there cannot be any waste or untimely
production of the gas.
In starting operation the water enters first the compartment I where it decom-
poses the carbide and then runs into compartment 2 and so on. On turning
off the cock z of the vessel F and also the burner taps, it will be seen that the
apparatus is rendered inoperative owing to the, carbide not being in contact with
the water.
The hydraulic closure system and the special arrangement of the generator
present another advantage, namely they render the apparatus completely inodour-
less, which will be found very valuable especially, in small installations, so that
the generators can be recharged in a separate room.
The gas generated is hot and contains a certain quantity of steam which gets
condensed whilst passing through the pipes E E¹ immersed in the water of the
reservoir A. In order to extend the length of the said pipes they can be con-
structed in a serpentine. The waters of condensation are collected in the hydraulic
closures Figures 1 and 2 and automatically discharged into the vessels KA'
placed under the apparatus.
These hydraulic closures can also be used as safety-valves by fitting pipes to
the orifices e e¹ to carry away not only the waters of condensation, but also the
gas which by any accident should have been generated in greater quantities than
is suited to the capacity of the receiver. This might happen when the counter-
weights c gets arrested by the bracket Figure 3, and in which case the pressure
in the interior of the bell would increase so, as to surmount the height of the
hydraulic closures t t¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In an apparatus for producing acetylene gas by means of carbide of calcium,
the arrangement by which the water enters directly and automatically into the
generators through the action of a cone or other floating body, or by means of a

page_text: spiral spring fitted to the axis of the pulley of the bell, producing a small diminu-
tion of the pressure of the gas, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The arrangement by which the water, passing from one compartment to the
other and penetrating in each compartment, consume all the carbide of calcium
from the bottom upwards by means of the perforated diaphragms before entering
into the next compartment.
3. The closure of the generators by means of lids so as to render the apparatus
inodorless and the arrangement by which the generators can be re-charged at
certain distance from the apparatus.
4. The eduction pipes for the condensation waters serving as safety valves in
the case of an excessive production of gas, substantially as herein described and
illustrated.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.