Improved Gases or Gaseous Mixtures for Use in the Production of Light, Heat, and Power.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Gases or Gaseous Mixtures for Use in the Production of
Light, Heat, and Power.
I EDWIN TATHAM of Mullens Street Balmain near Sydney in the Colony of New
South Wales Gas Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
:
This invention relates to the production of improved gas or gaseous mixtures which
may be burnt for lighting and heating purposes may be used in an engine as a
motive power and may be used for other purposes; it has been devised in order. that
such gas or gaseous mixtures may be produced at a comparatively cheap cost and be
conveniently and safely handled.
The improved gas or gaseous mixtures berein after described renders. possible the
safe and advantageous use of and consumption together in gaseous form through one
burner of oxygen and hydrogen, the oxygen being in such quantity as materially.. to
increase the illuminating and heating power of the mixtures a result which has never
before been attained. The said improved gas or gaseous mixtures I prefer to call.
"Carburetted Hydro-oxy Gas," or "Bi-carburetted Hydro-oxy Gas."
One form of my improved gas or gaseous mixtures usable by itself mainly as an
explosive and motive power and in admixture with another gas or other gases for.
illuminating and heating purposes is produced by the admixture in reasonable. pro-
portions of oxygen and hydrogen passed either before or after admixture through or
over hydro-carbon or hydro-carbons in a semi fluid, fluid. or gaseous form:
"
Another way of producing my improved gas or gaseous mixtures for use mainly
either alone or in admixture with another gas or other gases chiefly for illuminating
and heating purposes is by the admixture with hydro-carbon gas or hydro-carbon
vapour of the gas or gaseous mixture above described or of my improved explosive,
gas described in my application for Letters Patent Number 13763 filed the 31st, day
of August one thousand eight hundred and eighty nine. When I use the terin
"hydro-carbon gas I would have it understood to mean any gas or gaseous mixture
in which hydrogen and carbon constitute the main part whether chemically or
mechanically mixed such as the production of coal gas works known as carburetted or
bi-carburetted hydrogen (commonly called and hereinafter referred to as "Coal Gas")
and the productions of the retorting or distillation of shale, crude oils, tar, and such
like materials again by the term "oxygen "I mean what is commercially known and
dealt in as "
pure oxygen" and I would state that I prefer to use the term
carburetted oxygen to describe oxygen charged with hydrogen and carbon and
hereinafter refer to such mixture by such name.
In practice I prefer to produce this improved gaseous mixture in one way by
charging the hydro-carbon gas or hydro-carbon vapour with carburetted oxygen say
as the coal gas issues from its place of manufacture, and while still hot but not above
the temperature of say three hundred degrees Fahrenheit and I regulate the pro-
portions of the mixture according to the illuminating power required that is for a
gas or gaseous mixture suitable for ordinary illuminating purposes and for use in
engines as a motive power I prefer to add say two and one half per cent. of oxygen
to ordinary coal gas of say sixteen candle power and to increase the quantity when
the hydro-carbon gas or hydro-carbon vapour is of greater specific gravity and I
prefer to add to gases of a greater specific gravity or containing a larger quantity of
carbon than coal gas an increased amount of the carburetted oxygen. The mixtures
so produced I find give a most brilliant light and are more economical for heating
and motive power purposes than the ordinary coal gas.
Other ways of producing this improved gas or gaseous mixture are as follows,
namely by passing hydrogen and oxygen (the latter in a reasonable proportion to the
D

page_text: former say to occupy not less than two and one half per cent. of the mixture)
through an apparatus containing hydro carbon in a semi fluid, fluid or gaseous form
into which the hydrogen and oxygen are led by separate pipes and from whence
they are conducted to a holder or it may be manufactured by carburetting the
oxygen and hydrogen separately and mixing them in a similar proportion to that
-before mentioned or again the oxygen and hydrogen may be first mixed say in similar
proportions in one holder and then carburetted or again it may be manufactured by
carburetting the oxygen and then mixing it with hydrogen in a like proportion. This
latter form of manufacture 1 find most suitable and convenient to produce a gas to be
burut for raising lime or other refractory pellets or radiators to incandescence and
for other heating purposes.
I find that where carburetted oxygen is added to hydrogen commonly known as
water gas, and the mixture is passed through or otherwise treated with lime the
sulphur contained in the hydrogen will be deposited in the lime and the gas rendered
less dangerous to life than water gas heretofore produced.
I find also that when the carburetted oxygen is added to coal gas as at present
manufactured either during the manufacture or in the holder or otherwise as may be
found most suitable the deposit of naptholine in the coal gas works and pipes is
minimised and the coal tar produced may with advantage be converted into gas or
vapour either in the coal gas retorts or otherwise as may be found most suitable and
the product added to the coal gas. By this means the utilisation of the naptholine
and tar produced in coal gas manufacture as aforesaid will largely increase the
quantity of illuminating and beating gas produced per ton of coal used.
1 would have it understood that I do not confine myself to any precise proportions
of the admixtures aforesaid nor to any precise method by which such admixtures afore-
said may be carried out so long as the nature of my invention be retained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
-
First. Improved gas or gaseous mixtures for use in the production of light heat
and power consisting of oxygen and hydrogen which either before or after admixture
are passed through or over hydro-carbons substantially as herein described and
explained.
Second. Improved gas or gaseous mixtures for use in the production of light heat
and power consisting of hydro-carbon gas or hydro-carbon vapour to which is added
oxygen charged with hydrogen and carbon substantially as herein described and
explained.
Dated this Fourth day of September One thousand eight hundred and eighty
EDWIN TATHAM.