Improvements in or relating to apparatus 101
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1898
Improvements in or relating to apparatus 101
Gas.
I, FRIEDRICH GEHLERT, of Basle, in the Republic of Switzerland, 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 :-
The apparatus hitherto employed for producing acetylene gas have nearly always
given off a constant strong smell of gas and consequently they are hardly suitable
for use in closed chambers, such for instance as the rooms of dwelling houses.
The apparatus which forms the object of the present invention is more particularly
intended to remove the above mentioned drawback. It attains this by means of an
improved arrangement of a removable filling and charging apparatus which allows
of the carbide container being only brought in contact with water when the gas
developing apparatus is hermetically closed, and also enables the washing apparatus
connected with the gas producer to effect an absolutely clean and thorough removal
of the waste carbide or carbide milk, so that even when the gas developer is subse-
quently opened, not the slightest trace of a smell of gas becomes apparent.
In the accompanying drawings a form of construction of such a gas producing
apparatus is shown diagrammatically in Figure 1 in connection with a gasometer and
lighting arrangement.
Figures 2 and 2 show the improved filling apparatus which is capable of being
disconnected from the outside of the vessel.
Figure 3 shows a flexible connection between the gas producer cover and a gas
pipe in the form of a wall bracket.
The gas making apparatus, Figure 1, consists of a cast metal vessel A firmly
screwed to the floor b by means of feet f. The casing g of the vessel A is provided
on its upper projecting edge with a cover d between which casing and cover an
indiarubber washer a is placed. The cover d is fixed on the casing g by wing nuts h
mounted on screw bolts pivoting on pins c, and is firmly pressed on the said casing g
A water supply pipe e
by means of a bridge i and a screw k operated by a handle k¹.
provided with an inlet cock m is screwed into said casing y.
In the floor b¹ of the gas apparatus A, a discharge pipe n provided with a shut
off cock o is mounted, a sieve p being arranged above said discharge pipe n, the
floor b¹ being somewhat recessed in the centre under the sieve p to receive the waste
material.
A pipe q for carrying off the gas is screwed into the cover & and is provided with a
The cover d has also a manoineter m¹ and a
gas taps and a ball and socket joint r.
filling device L also screwed into it. This filling device which is shown more in
A
detail in Figure 2^, consists of a spindle u carried in a head piece or socket t.
disc carrying a spring clip F (Figure 2) is connected by screws with the foot
plate v of the said spindle u, said spring F being enclosed by a casing t¹ screwed

page_text: to the socket t and bent round in the form of tongs for the purpose of holding the
handle Z of the carbide container K, which latter is formed of wire netting or other
suitable material. On the upward movement of the spindle u in the socket t, the
spring F closes, and on the downward movement of the same, the arms of the
spring F spring open and allow the carbide container to drop into the water contained
in the gas producing apparatus. The spring F(and with it the carbide container K) is
freely movable both in the disco and also in a recess in the plate v corresponding
to the rivet heads n¹ (Figure 2), the carbide container K being also movable on a
ring for holding the handle held by the spring jaws F. The carbide container K
is therefore independent of any rotation of the spindle u.
The following is the sequence of the separate periods of gas manufacture:
After the wing nuts h have been unscrewed and the bolts turned down on the
spindles c the screw kis screwed upwards and the bridge i is folded back and the lid d
together with the manometer m² and charging device L raised on the hinged arm q
attached to a hook in the wall. After the carbide container K has been engaged by
the spring F by the spindle u being rotated forwards and backwards the gas
producer A is filled with water up to the level of the water scale w by opening the
tap m in the pipe e and closing the discharge tap o. The lid d is then turned down
again on the ball joint and firmly pressed on the cast iron casing g by means of the
wing nut bolts and the bridgo i. The taps is opened, the carbide container K is
released by means of the spindle u and the manufacture of gas commences. The
acetylene gas formed in the apparatus A passes through the pipe q and by means of
the pipe R reaches the gasometer G which is also provided with a manometer m².
If the manometers m³ and m² show a constant unaltering pressure the development
of acetylene in the gas producer A has ceased. The taps is then closed and by
opening the taps m and o the whole apparatus is thoroughly washed out in a very
short time. On opening the lid for the purpose of again filling the apparatus, the
gas producing apparatus is free from any remainder of carbide milk, and any
unpleasant smell of gas is thus excluded.
Where preferable the pipe for conveying the gas instead of being screwed into the
cover may be screwed direct into the casing g and in place of the jointed or hinged
pipe for carrying off the gases a similarly constructed wall arm or bracket (Figure 3)
provided with a ball joint may be employed with the object of avoiding needless
lifting off of the whole cover d.
The advantage of the complete absence of smell in the present apparatus is thus
attained on the one hand by the gas production being conducted whilst the cover d
is hermetically closed and on the other hand by the arrangement of the washing out
apparatus airtightly connected with the gas producer A. The cover being connected
by means of a ball joint with the gas pipe or wall bracket allows of a simple operating
of the apparatus when starting or stopping the same.
This apparatus has also the advantage that it can be made of any suitable
dimensions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In an acetylene gas producing apparatus, a washing out device consisting of
inlet and outlet pipes, a charging device capable of being removed or disconnected
whilst the cover is closed, and a cover capable of being turned back on a ball joint,
thus preventing any escape and unpleasant smell of gas, substantially as herein before
described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
2. In an apparatus for producing acetylene gas, a charging apparatus capable of
being regulated from the outside of the gas producer, said charging apparatus con-
sisting of a spindle carried in a head piece which by means of a foot plate and disc
operates spring tongues revoluble in said disc and enclosed in a casing or sheath, said
tongs carrying on a movable ring the carbide container which when released and

page_text: dropped into the water in the gas producer produces the acetylene, whilst the gas
producing apparatus remains hermetically closed, substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 6th day of August 1898.