IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING GAS FOR LIGHTING, HEATING, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1866

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to Marc Antoine François Mennons, of the Firm of
Mennons and Telescheff, Home and Foreign Patent Agents, of No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, and 27, Rue
Laffitte, Paris, in the Empire of France, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING GAS FOR LIGHTING,
HEATING, AND OTHER PURPOSES."-A communication from Jaroslav Zadora
Paszkowski and Olgerd Sabinski, residing at Brussels, in the Kingdom
of Belgium.
Sealed the 5th January 1867, and dated the 20th July 1866.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Marc Antoine François
Mennons at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 20th July 1866, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARC
ANTOINE FRANÇOIS MENNONS, of the Firm of Mennons and Telescheff,, Home
and Foreign Patent Agents, of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, in the County
of Middlesex, and 27, Rue Laffitte, Paris, in the Empire of France, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING GAS POR LIGHTING, HEATING, AND OTHER
PURPOSES," communicated to me by Jaroslav Zadora Paszkowski and Olgerd
Salinski, persons resident at Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, and have

page_text: petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that it is a communication.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Marc Antoine François Mennons, do
hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, reference being had to the Figures of
the accompanying Drawing, and to the letters marked thereon, that is to
say:
This Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of combustible
gas from volatile hydrocarbons in general, and more especially from those of
the petroleum class. These hydrocarbons when of low density are, as is well
known, converted into gas at a very low temperature, and as their vapours
contain in abundance two of the constitutive elements of flame (hydrogen and
carbon), their application to lighting purposes may be obtained by the simple
admixture of oxygen which, on the one hand, reduces the hydrogen to water,
and, on the other, transforms the carbon into carbonic acid; the production
of thoroughly combustible gas is therefore dependent on the due apportionment
of the three elements of the flame, and this is obtained by the combination of
apparatus bereafter described, one part of which supplies the hydrocarbon
vapors, while the other supplies the requisite proportion of atmospheric air.
In this combination the evaporating surfaces are composed of cotton wicks or
other capillary materials, capable of distributing the liquid hydrocarbon in
layers or pellides of extreme tenuity, while the atmospheric air is supplied by
a separate generator, which may consist of any ordinary ventilator or blowing
apparatus provided with suitable regulating mechanism. The generator shewn
in the Drawing is a simple hot air apparatus operated by the tension of the
dilated air, as in the Ericson engine, of which it is, in fact, but a modified
form involving no other novelty than the utilisation of its escape air to the
purposes of this Invention.
The vaporising apparatus A, Fig. 1, 2, is composed of a series of cylindrical
vessels forming superposed couples of unequal diameter, as shewn in a, b, c, d,
e, f, Fig. 1, and inclosed in a cylinder surmounted by the reservoir G; m, m,
are skeins of wick immersed by one end in the upper vessel a, then bent over
syphonwise and dipping by the other extremity in the vessel c below. A second
range of wicks passes in the same way from this vessel to the next c, a third
from c to d, and so on throughout the series, whatever may be the number of
vessels contained in the apparatus. h is a graduated glass tube or gauge,
indicating the level of the hydrocarbon liquid in the reservoir G. In the

page_text: bottom of this reservoir is set a valve i, i, the conical obturator of which & is
connected by a rod, with a screw passing through the lid and fitted with a
nut 1, l; this nut is operated by a small bar, which also serves to indicate
the amount of its displacement on the dial n mounted on the lid of the appa-
ratus. r is the orifice for the introduction of the liquid hydrocarbon; o is a
purge cock for the removal of any liquid which may remain in the apparatus
after use; p is the pipe by which air is admitted from the generator B. The
reservoir G being charged with the hydrocarbon the obturator K is slightly
opened by a movement from left to right of the bar n acting on the nut 1;
the liquid then falls drop by drop into the upper vessel a and saturates the
syphon wick m, by which it is carried to the annular vessel 6 below; the
wicks contained in the latter having in their turn absorbed the liquid carry it
to the succeeding vessel c, and so on throughout the series, until all the wicks
are saturated, and the upper vessels charged to the level of the overflow tubes
fitted to each, that is, to the depth of about one and a half inch, more or less.
The height of the liquid contained in these vessels may be determined by a
glass gauge tube or other indicator of any suitable description. The vaporising
apparatus being thus charged the air is admitted from the generator B by the
pipe p, and being saturated with hydrogen and carbon in its passage through
the wicks is carried by the pipe g to the burners. The obturator k is more or
less opened or closed, according to circumstances, till the flame becomes per-
fectly clear and free from smoke, or otherwise modified as may be required.
If so desired, the dial n may be graduated to determine the proper position of
the indicating bar according to the number of burners fed by the apparatus.
By the peculiar arrangement of the evaporating surfaces as above described,
combined with the gradual supply of the hydrocarbon, we are enabled to
obtain and control the due proportions of the different elements of the flame,
and at same time to maintain the normal density of the liquid, which would
otherwise be modified by the continuous evaporation, and consequently give
rise to variation of the flame.
The generator shewn in B, Fig. 1, 2, is too well known to require special
description, being nothing more than a simple form of the hot air engine, so
arranged as to supply the requisite volume of air at a temperature sufficient
to compensate the loss of caloric resulting from the evaporation of the
hydrocarbon in the main apparatus.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of the said improvements,
and the manner of carrying them into effect, I would repeat in conclusion
that I do not confine myself to the precise details above laid down, as these
may obviously be modified according to circumstances without deviating from

page_text: the principles or main features of the Invention; but what I claim and desire
to protect by Letters Patent is, the improved mode of extracting combustible
gas from volatile bydrocarbons by means of apparatus constructed and arranged
substantially as herein set forth and shewn in the Figures of the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Marc Antoine François Mennons, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
M. F. MENNONS. (L.S.)