IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS AND IN THE UTILIZATION OF THE SAME FOR ILLUMINATING, HEATING, AND VENTILATING PURPOSES, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR.
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd January 1876. A communication
from abroad by Joseph Pearson Gill, of Newark, New Jersey, United States of
America, Gas Engineer.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents.
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS
AND IN THE UTILIZATION OF THE SAME FOR ILLUMINATING, HEATING, AND
VENTILATING PURPOSES, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR.' A. communication.
"
The nature of this Invention consists in improvements in the method of manu-
facturing hydrogen gas, in the combination of hydrogen gas, superheated steam, and
petroleum and its distillates and other solid and liquid hydrocarbons, and in the
means employed in manufacturing and in using the same.
In the manufacture of hydrogen gas I use several kinds of retorts, either of
which may be employed as circumstances may require, that the process may be
applied to gasworks already in operation as well as to new works; the said retorts
may be either horizontal or vertical, the vertical retorts may be either single or
double;
the retort is filled with pieces of iron of suitable size, such as iron chains
or.scraps, or similar pieces which are heated to a cherry red heat.
Steam is made in a boiler and superheated in a superheater which may be of any
of the forins used, thence it passes by a pipe to the top of one of the divisions of the
vertical retort, if this form of retort is used.
At
The superheated steain passes down through the red hot iron in the first
apartment and up through it in the second, and is decomposed into hydrogen gas,
the oxygen of the steam combining with the iron setting the hydrogen free. In a
short time the iron becomes oxidized or coated with rust and ceases to act, and the
steam passes through the retort in an unconverted state as superheated steam.
this stage of the process I restore the action of the iron by the use of naphtha or
other hydrocarbon liquid or vapour. When naphtha or oil is employed it is made
to flow in a small stream through a syphon pipe; the naphtha and superheated
steam pass together into the retort, and the iron by the action of the hydrocarbon
becomes deoxidized and its property of decomposing steam is restored. The
decomposition of the steam is continued and the process is thus maintained
uninterruptedly.
At a suitable period the naphtha or oil may be shut off, and the manufacture of
hydrogen goes on as at first, until the iron becomes re-oxidized, when the hydro-
carbon is admitted into the retort as before.
The hydrogen united with any carbonic oxide gas which may have resulted

page_text: from the use of the hydrocarbon in the retort, or with any superheated steam that
may have gone through the retort without undergoing decomposition, then passes
through a pipe to a closed double vessel, or still used for the purpose of vaporizing,
combining, and expanding naphtha or hydrocarbon liquids. This vessel consists
of two parts, namely, a chamber in which to vaporize the hydrocarbon, and another
chamber in which to effect a perfect combination or commingling of the vapour and
hydrogen, and to permit its expansion to the degree required to enable it to be
rapidly and effectively converted into gas in the gas retorts. The chambers are
united at the bottom by a passage way. The hydrogen enters the still while the
naphtha or other hydrocarbon liquid is allowed to flow from a tank through the
said syphon pipe into the top of the vaporizing chamber where it is vaporized by
means of the heated hydrogen gas; at the same time superheated steam may be
admitted through pipes, and hydrogen by another pipe to assist in vaporizing the
hydrocarbon, or to regulate the quantity and quality of the gas made. The
hydrogen and vapours pass through the said passage way into the chamber where
they intimately combine, and are allowed to expand as required, and whence they
pass to the gas retorts through the sides of their mouth-pieces. The vapours pass
through a brick or other flue or a pipe to the rear of the said retorts, returning to
the front, and are converted in their passage therein to a fixed gas; these retorts
may be any ordinary coal gas retorts.
The still has steam gauges for ascertaining the pressure of the steam, pressure
gauges for ascertaining the pressure in the still, thermometers for observing the
temperature, and a syphon for letting off any condensation. No liquid is admitted
into the still during the process of manufacture. The gas thus made on passage
from the retorts in bench No. 1 is subjected to the usual treatment in the hy-
draulic main condensers, exhauster purifiers, and station meter, and passes directly
through a pipe to the holder, or it may pass from the retorts of No. 2 bench into
the hydraulic main of the coal gas retorts combining with the crude coal gas
therein, and being subject to the same subsequent treatment in the condensers,
exhauster, purifiers, and station meter, from which it passes through the pipe to the
holder.
Instead of hydrogen gas from the retorts, superheated steam may pass directly
from the superheater through pipes in a double still, and the commingled super-
heated steam and hydrocarbon vapours may pass from a chamber through a pipe
and branch pipe to the retorts and be converted into fixed gas.
The super-
heated steam and hydrogen gas may also pass with the hydrocarbon liquid into the
top of a chamber through pipes.
The superheated steam also passes through pipes into the vapour escape pipe to
assist in regulating the manufacture of the gas; the hydrogen may also pass
through pipes into the said escape pipe for the same purpose; the said pipes enter
the escape pipe at right angles, in order that the steain or hydrogen shall not enter
the escape pipe in an oblique direction either forward or backward, it thus being
prevented from acting as an exhaust from the still in the one direction, and from
forcing a back pressure into it in the other. The commingled hydrogen gas and
hydrocarbon vapours escaping from the retorts may also pass directly to the
retorts through a pipe which connects with the escape pipe without passing through
the still.
When superheated steam is admitted into the double still to vaporize the hydro-
carbon liquid, the commingled superheated steam and hydrocarbon vapours escaping
from the chamber instead of passing to the retorts may pass by means of the pipes
to the double upright retorts and be converted into gas therein, and then pass to
the hydraulic main, and then by pipes to the condensers, exhauster, purifiers, and
station meter, and thence to the holder.
The hydrogen gas made in the retorts may pass through pipes to the retorts
to assist in the manufacture of the naphtha and coal gases, thus enabling them to
be converted into illuminating gases. The hydrogen gas also acts as a dilucut of
the rich hydrocarbon gases,

page_text: The hydrogen gas made in the retort may also pass directly through pipes to the
hydraulic main to the condenser, exhauster, purifiers, and station meter, and thence
to the holder to be stored for distribution through pipes for heating purposes.
The
hydrogen passes through a pipe from the holder to the retort benches Nos. 1 and 2,
and by means of branch pipes enters the retorts to assist in the manufacture of gas
and may enter the furnaces, and also be conducted by the pipe to the boiler to
assist in the heating thereof.
Besides the said upright retorts other retorts inay be used; one of them is a
horizontal retort with a small interior retort open at the back, but not reaching to
the back of the larger retort; both of these retorts are filled with iron chains or
small pieces of iron. The superheated steam and hydrocarbon pass through the
inner retort and return to the front of the larger one, or vice versa, and in their
passage through the heated iron the superheated steam is decomposed into bydrogen
gas.
Another form is a double retort which has a division plate or diaphragm
connecting the two sides, and located half way between the top and bottom; both
divisions are filled with iron as before, and the superheated steam enters one
division, passes to the rear, and returns to the front in the other, or the diaphragın
may connect with a back having small holes in it, the retort having also a false or
hollow bottom with small holes in it. There may also be a single upright retort,
and the superheated steam may enter at the mouth-piece and the gas be discharged
at the top of the retorts, or vice versa; or a pipe may descend in the vertical part
to near the bottom, and the superheated steam may pass through the pipe and
escape from the bottom of it, and the gas be discharged at the top of the
retort.
Another form is the U retort; this may be placed with both arms or branches on
a level, or may be arranged with one branch above, the other either horizontal or
inclined. Both branches of this retort are filled with small pieces of iron, or chain,
or iron wire, and the superheated steam in its passage through the red hot iron or
wire is converted into hydrogen gas as above described.
Commingled superheated steam and hydrocarbon vapours may be conveyed from
the vapour chamber of the double still to any of these hydrogen retorts to be used
in connection with the iron therein for the continuous manufacture of hydrogen
gas, instead of superheated steam and hydrocarbon liquids as before mentioned.
I also combine commingled superheated steam and hydrocarbon vapours produced
by any other method with iron in retorts in the manner herein described for the
manufacture of hydrogen gas.
Besides the retorts above described I use an upright vessel or retort, which may
be either of brick or iron and heated entirely from within; it is lined with fire
brick and has an ash-pit with a door and an iron grate to support the iron chains
or pieces of iron with which the interior space of the vessel is filled. There is a
damper on the top opening into the smoke stack, and a pipe having a valve leading
to the usual condensers, exhauster, purifiers, meter, and holder. A pyrometer
indicates the temperature. A pipe conveys commingled superheated steam and
hydrocarbon vapours from a stiil into this vessel amongst the pieces of iron just
above the grate.
When the retorts are in operation I raise the dip pipe by means of a lever, and
two floats and cup attachments to the bridge pipe connecting the stand pipe and
hydraulic main for the purpose of giving a free passage for the gas from the retorts
into the hydraulic main. The vertical pipe of the said bridge pipe which connects
with the hydraulic main is made sufficiently large to allow an annulus or circular
cup to be cast on the inside of it below the horizontal pipe and a corresponding cup
on the upper half; these cups seal the holders or floats that move in then while
allowing the free passage in them of the moveable dip pipe.
The dip pipe is attached at its top to a float that dips in the lower cup, and is
connected by a rod to a float that dips in the upper cup, the two floats and dip
pipe being suspended and moved by a lever. The dip pipe is open at both bottom

page_text: and top; when the floats are down, the dip pipe will dip into the tar in the
bydraulic main and he sealed; the floats will also be sealed in their cups; when
the floats are raised the bottom of the dip pipe is raised above the tar in the
hydraulic main, and the gas passes down the dip pipe and escapes freely at its
bottom.
The upper float is securely attached to a rod in such a manner as to permit its
easy removal from the cup without removing the rod and dip pipe.
The upper cup
is made large enough to allow the free passage through it of the lower float with
the moveable dip pipe.
The commingled superheated steam and hydrocarbon vapours may be conveyed
from the double still through pipes, or from any other still to the retorts for the
manufacture of hydrogen gas, the said retorts being filled with iron, and the com-
mingled hydrogen, superheated steam, and hydrocarbon vapours may be conducted
from such still to said retorts, or a part of them to be converted into illuminating
gases.
The rich illuminating gas that may be made by the above described process is
properly consumed in a double burner, in which the two flames are made to
impinge upon each other, or in a burner in which the gas is heated in its passage
to the point of combustion, and in which there are arms or branches to the burner
having small inside pipes for the return of the heated gas. A flame from each
side of the burner above the base of the arms impinges upon and surrounds them,
heating them to a high degree of temperature. The gas thus becomes highly
heated and rarified, making a large and brilliant flame.
In the employment of hydrogen gas for fuel I use the following apparatus for
ventilating as well as for heating purposes. The furnaces are provided with an air
space surrounding the sides and top and extending to the rear of them Over
the fire-place and below the upper air space are pipes or tubes for converting water
into steam and then superheating the steam. These pipes are maintained at a red
heat. A pipe from the superheater passes from the front to the rear of the upper
air chamber to heat the air therein. There are small holes in the said pipe to allow
sufficient superheated steam to escape to moisten the warm air and prepare it for
breathing Superheated steam escaping into the air assists in heating it and in a
proper distribution of the heat, and at the same time on becoming cool gives the
requisite degree of moisture to the air. A pipe leading from the furnace quite hot
is made to pass through the air chamber, thus further assisting to warm the air,
the products of combustion then passing to the chimney.
The cold air from the exterior of the building is supplied to the air chamber near
the bottom of the furnace by cold air pipes, and the air is heated as above described.
By means of this apparatus air properly warmed and moistened and uninjured by
being burned can be delivered in quantities sufficient to thoroughly warm and
ventilate buildings of any size er description.
Hydrogen gas is admitted to the furnace by a suitable pipe. Water is admitted
to the superheater through a syphon pipe which also acts as a safety valve to the
superheater; the syphon is provided with a valve or other device for admitting
water in a regulated quantity as required.
In cases where a boiler is employed on the premises the said syphon may be
dispensed with, and steam admitted directly into the superheater.
The hot air is distributed to the different apartments through outlet pipes or
flues. The fire-place of these furnaces and stoves is so constructed that in case of
failure in the supply of hydrogen or heating gas the gas pipes may be removed and
coal, coke, or other solid or liquid fuels may be used instead of or in combination
with the same.